<p>I don’t think you’re crazy at all- I just dislike the companies for doing it. </p>
<p>As for the lock thing, I found out about a friend that had officially passed yesterday after teetering on the brink for several weeks. I held it in until I was down the street from my house and then sobbed the whole way home. When I got to my house- it was locked! I had to try to unlock it through tears that were freezing to my face and a frozen door knob. I gave up and just went through the garage. -.-</p>
<p>I don’t expect doctors to keep up on every small bit of information, but I do expect them to at least keep up on something basic like the flu shot. I also expect them to be open to ideas from their patients. I have “fired” several doctors for not meeting these criteria.</p>
<p>I trust my kids’ pediatrician, and one of the things that has helped build that trust is that not only does she listen to me and pay attention to my “mother’s instinct”, but she admits when she needs to do a little research in order to give me her best medical opinion.</p>
<p>When my DD started having brief, stabbing head pains so bad she would fall to the floor clutching her skull I did a little online research and came up with a diagnosis of icepick headaches, a form of migraine. My pediatrician had never heard of them, but after checking DD for neurologic symptoms that might indicate something else and doing some further research, she concurred. </p>
<p>My former PCP, on the other hand, is terrible, and misdiagnosed what I’m now convinced was pneumonia as “a little touch of bronchitis” despite my protests. Even after a round of antibiotics I was so sick two weeks after my visit to the doctor that I would fall asleep sitting at the dinner table.</p>
<p>I’d much rather have a doctor who admits to not having all the answers than one who insists on the wrong diagnosis.</p>
<p>I’ve found that for many illnesses, pediatricians do a better job with keeping up on the literature and current guidelines. I think that a lot of family docs and internists just have too much to keep up on (doesn’t excuse it) and so many more multiply-complicated patients. The NHLBI guidelines for asthma have been out for many years (and revised regularly), showing clearly what you’re supposed to do with asthma. Steroid inhalers have been a mainstay of treatment for a long time. It really isn’t rocket science to find out what the standard of care/cutting edge is for a lot of these things. It’s too bad that patients pay the price. </p>
<p>Samurai - my doctor is completely the opposite. She is an internist and a pulmonologist and she and her nurses get very worried when they hear I’m using my rescue inhaler regularly. She wants me to use the steroid inhaler more, so that I hopefully don’t need the rescue inhaler at all. </p>
<p>Recently, my health insurance changed because of a job change. With a new deductible period starting Jan 1, things got crazy. I ran out of the steroid inhaler a few days before and they charge horrible prices for it (and for rescue inhalers) especially before you have met your deductible. I ordered it anyway, and they cancelled my order twice because the price was so high it triggered some kind of shutdown. Then charge me less people! I finally got the meds the day before yesterday.</p>
<p>I had been off of them for 3 weeks and kept calling and calling, coughing the whole time. It would be comical if it were a George Carlin skit. I wonder why there is NO lower cost or generic version of any kind of inhaler out there. Even on Canada pharmacy the prices are not good.</p>
<p>This flu-view map of the US is interesting. Looking at the past years are interesting too. For the bad H1N1 year of 2009-2010, you can see the flu starting early in the previous year of 2008-2009! </p>
<p>I wonder why it always seems to get bad first in the south. Are people less vaccinated there? Is there a port of entry? With the airborne virus more stable in colder air, you would think that it would start in a colder state. </p>
<p>The inhaler price insanity these days, is bordering on criminal, in my opinion, as these are life saving, function preserving medications. Jaylynn, correct details as needed. My understanding is that many inhalers have transitioned to a new delivery system due to environmental concerns with the older propellants. Due to this reformulation, they are no longer priced and classified as generics, and the cost has gone sky high. </p>
<p>I am also appalled that anyone is denying the steroid inhalers to someone with chronic pulmonary issues, and encouraging rescue inhaler use only.</p>
<p>“I am also appalled that anyone is denying the steroid inhalers to someone with chronic pulmonary issues, and encouraging rescue inhaler use only.”</p>
<p>This happens. I know someone who literally had to beg. It’s awful.</p>
<p>Yes, Greatlakesmom–the laws changed several years ago re the propellant used in inhalers. But that doesn’t explain everything. I’m concerned that there are not more generic steroid inhalers. They should really be seen as the foundation of asthma care. I tell my patients–goal #1 is no hospitalizations or ER visits. #2 is no systemic steroids needed, ever #3 is no rescue inhaler needed. People should not be using rescue inhalers only! </p>
<p>So far this year 28 pediatric deaths in the US from flu.</p>
<p>The relationship between the “rules” and good health is tenuous, at best.</p>
<p>Last night, while waiting for a prescription, I watched the mother of a child with a life-threatening allergy arguing with the pharmacist. The family’s insurance would only allow two Epi-Pens for her child – one for school and one for home. But the child needed a third one to be kept at her after-school day care program. At the time when I left, it looked as though there was no way that family was going to get the third Epi-Pen.</p>
<p>I can understand rescue inhalers changing because of environmental laws, but the steroid inhalers (advair, asmanex, pulmocort), don’t have a propellant so why would they become more expensive? </p>
<p>Hopefully since the Supreme Court struck down the law allowing drug manufacturers to pay off generic manufacturers to not bring their product to market we will see more generics available. It’s horrible that there’s a whole class of medicine out there, needed by many people, and there are no generics available.</p>
<p>Re:3rd epi pen. We were told by the pharmacist to wait a week, then refill. Doing 3 at once didn’t work, but doing 2, then one more the next week worked fine. Not perfect, but a work around.</p>
<p>I remember the 3 Epi issue being a thing even 15+ years ago when my sister was splitting time between her mom’s house, our house, and school. It became less of an issue when I also needed one but yeesh I would’ve figured in the peanut allergy era, they would’ve figured it out by now! </p>
<p>It’s a strange graphic - measles are purple (burgundy), whooping cough is green (light green) but what is olive-green, blue and yellow? You think there would be a key somewhere.</p>