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the medical advice thread

ThickeningAgentThickeningAgent
edited February 2014
guys, I took a hard fall today on some ice. i don't think i broke anything, but dang my shoulder and hip are hurting. at what point do you go to a doctor for this stuff? while i'm sure a doctor would offer me a fancy sounding diagnosis and some powerful pain meds, is there really anything to do other than rest and hope the injuries heal?

"sucks to be you, go home and rest and here are some pain killers. that will be $786..."

Comments

  • YoursTrulyYoursTruly
    OR what if you have a fracture and you need a cast or something?
    my dad broke his thumb and refused to go to the doctor and finally by the time he went the bone had knit all crooked and they had to re-break it

    food for thought

    but you could give it like 2 days and if things swell up insanely and get hot and more and more painful then something is wrong, and if things feel sore but ok it's probably fine
  • ThickeningAgentThickeningAgent
    yeah, if i wake up tomorrow morning and things aren't feeling better maybe i'll hall myself down there.

    falling when you are 41 years old sure hurts more then when you're 21...
  • ed_chigliaked_chigliak
    I am a big fan of Zoom Care (specifically the one on E Burnside, the PA there, Kimi, is one of the best medical practitioners I've ever had) for this sort of thing, as they do a good job of telling you "ice and rest" or "go to the ER now" for 100 bones. Much cheaper than an ER sitch for an initial diagnosis, and less waiting.
  • Dr_William_HaywardDr_William_Hayward
    (I am not a doctor and I am not your doctor)

    The soft tissue is going to be painful, depending on the injury, potentially for months. After maybe 2 days or 3 press around on the bones with your thumb. A sharp pain can indicate a fracture. If a fracture, you really need an x-ray. Because different fractures as mapped by the x-ray are treated differently. The soft tissue needs physical therapy you do at home daily.
  • flossy_log_ladyflossy_log_lady
    Re: Zoom Care - two things:

    1. The founder of Zoom Care was on an "Innovative Opportunities in Healthcare" panel thing I went to last night and holy crap he was embarrassing! It was unreal. Unapologetically turned every question into an opportunity to explain how ZoomCare has already solved whatever massive, complex problem was brought up. Just plugging the shit out of his company, but not in a skillful way...in a way that made everyone in the audience feel embarrassed for him.

    2. Isn't ZoomCare pretty much an expensive advice nurse for people who don't have health insurance?

    Bill_Mc: GO TO THE DOCTOR! You have health insurance! Use it while you got it!
  • ed_chigliaked_chigliak
    Hey FL

    In answer to #2, it's Physicians Assistants (overseen by a doctor), not advice nurses, so they can do a ton of stuff at the non critical level - stitches, lancing abscesses, micro bio testing, pelvic exams, needle aspirations, prescribing meds, sprain vs break, etc etc. YMMV, but $100 is usually much cheaper than what a doctor's office charges for a visit, and certainly a better experience than waiting in the ER for something that isn't life-threatening.

    If you have good health insurance, by all means, use it, BmK!
  • flossy_log_ladyflossy_log_lady
    Can we please please please get to a point where a person can just walk in, get a lab test done, and have results/prescriptions sent via email (with no doctor visit)? If I think I may have strep, I do NOT need to go to the doctor. I just need to go to the lab. If I have a urinary infection (so common in ladies!) I do NOT need to go to the doctor, I just need the results of a lab test. ETC ETC for most of these things:


    Lab Tests
    Strep, flu, urine, pregnancy, and more. Prices do not include the cost of an office visit.

    Strep Test: $20
    Urine Test (Basic): $20
    Mono (Mononucleosis): $20
    TB (Tuberculosis): $20
    Pregnancy: $20
    Influenza A & B (a combined test): $40
    Ulcer (H. Pylori): $20

  • Dr_William_HaywardDr_William_Hayward
    There is a place downtown by the old Coffee Plant that does walk in lab.
  • flossy_log_ladyflossy_log_lady
    Oh cool!
  • 12341234
    Should we move this to the test thread?
  • LelandLeland
    Need a gut test thread.
  • ManInTheIvoryTowerManInTheIvoryTower
    I've found ZoomCare is the cheapest and fastest path to labs/drugs when you are 90% sure of what you need. Not sure why they would be considered expensive unless you are comparing them to an in-network option and they aren't in your PPO/HMO.

    Yes an office visit is required but it is fast and results are emailed to you. I use them regularly time even though I have health insurance. Going to a normal doc and getting some labs can still cost 100s of dollahs when you are insured especially if they send to a 3rd party that is not considered in-network.

    Blame the AMA cartel for the reason we can't get Rx direct from pharmacist like every other country on earth.
  • ThickeningAgentThickeningAgent
    EVERYONE CAN RELAX

    I am still sore but feeling much better. I think I will live and have a full recovery.
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