[QUOTE=only_human;437190]The doctor emailed me on Tuesday about the results and discussed the out of range readings.[/QUOTE]
Firstly: I hope it was nothing serious!

Secondly: I would not allow a doctor to E-mail any details of my confidential medical records unless it was suitably encrypted.

[QUOTE=Nick;437197]Firstly: I hope it was nothing serious!

Secondly: I would not allow a doctor to E-mail any details of my confidential medical records unless it was suitably encrypted.[/QUOTE]
Not serious. I have ulcerative colitis so a sedimentation rate test indicates a out of range high inflammation rate but that's normal for me. I take an immunosuppressant. Bilirubin is high for no particular reason but not especially concerning. I've had a lot more discomfort this year including more heartburn and reflux so we discussed the prilosec that I take and tested blood for heliobater pylori antibodies. We discussed dosage of an antidepressant that I take and a cough that I don't like that crops up occasionally and unexpectedly that bothered me during jury duty a couple of weeks ago.

In short they scheduled this appointment on my behalf because a fair amount of time has passed since I've last seen them. It's nice that they are staying on top of ongoing health maintenance.

As far as email security, actually they do it like banks - you receive an email alert that a message exists and then you sign in to their secure site message center to read it or to send a message in turn.

[QUOTE=henryzz;437196]Dentist and opticians are exceptions. You still wouldn't pay for serious in hospital treatment I think though. They are still a lot cheaper than private although they do give you mercury fillings.[/QUOTE]Thank you for clarifying the situation for non-UK readers. I was concerned that they would get the wrong impression from your earlier post.

[QUOTE=only_human;437198]Not serious. I have ulcerative colitis so a sedimentation rate test indicates a out of range high inflammation rate but that's normal for me. I take an immunosuppressant.[/QUOTE]

Much as I deplore the proliferation of BigPharma "expensive lifestyle drug with inane tech-start-uppy-name with huge list of dangerous side effects and which you must take until you die because profits" TV ads, I could not help notice that at least one of them is for a UC drug. Checked it out? Or is that the "immunosuppressant" you're already taking?

----------------------------

Tangential: From my Dad's side of the family I inherited a proneness to eczema ... standard treatment for decades has been hydrocortisone - I've several times tried stronger stuff during flare-ups, but side effects not worth it. But recently discovered something ... I'd long noted a correlation between tiredness/soreness and remission of skin irritation, figured it was just immunosuppression-by-way-of-tiredness. But last weak overdid it on the exercise and tweaked my right shoulder, so that evening took a dose of ibuprofen, my standard anti-soreness remedy. Note the exercise in question had been vigorous but not exhausting, so the only noticeable aftereffect was the sore shoulder, and I happened to be having a skin flareup at the time. Within hours shoulder was a little better (that took better part of a week to recover), but skin had completely stopped itching, too. Turns out - at least in my case, YMMV - ibuprofen is also an effective remedy for the inflammation of eczema ... since then been taking a modest dose (400mg) around dinner time each day, and cut my hydrocortisone usage drastically. And generic ibuprofen is very cheap.

[QUOTE=ewmayer;437233]Much as I deplore the proliferation of BigPharma "expensive lifestyle drug with inane tech-start-uppy-name with huge list of dangerous side effects and which you must take until you die because profits" TV ads, I could not help notice that at least one of them is for a UC drug. Checked it out? Or is that the "immunosuppressant" you're already taking?

----------------------------

Tangential: From my Dad's side of the family I inherited a proneness to eczema ... standard treatment for decades has been hydrocortisone - I've several times tried stronger stuff during flare-ups, but side effects not worth it. But recently discovered something ... I'd long noted a correlation between tiredness/soreness and remission of skin irritation, figured it was just immunosuppression-by-way-of-tiredness. But last weak overdid it on the exercise and tweaked my right shoulder, so that evening took a dose of ibuprofen, my standard anti-soreness remedy. Note the exercise in question had been vigorous but not exhausting, so the only noticeable aftereffect was the sore shoulder, and I happened to be having a skin flareup at the time. Within hours shoulder was a little better (that took better part of a week to recover), but skin had completely stopped itching, too. Turns out - at least in my case, YMMV - ibuprofen is also an effective remedy for the inflammation of eczema ... since then been taking a modest dose (400mg) around dinner time each day, and cut my hydrocortisone usage drastically. And generic ibuprofen is very cheap.[/QUOTE]
I take Imuran; it's actually quite inexpensive. I had to be on prednisone to manage things for several months while waiting for the effects of Imuran to fully kick in. As for nonsteroidal antiinflamitories for pain relief or inflammation management, I don't think that I am supposed to take any of them. There's some harmful inflammation interaction and a deadly condition called toxic megalacolon. I was in considerable pain in February and March but it wasn't a full-on flair. I think if marijuana is legalized for all uses whatsoever in California I may look into it for distraction and relief the next time I feel myself in such dire discomfort. There is a certain amount of bleeding that occurs internally generally especially noticeable when I'm having cramps. I've had lots of colonoscopies and polyps removed twice. There is white scarring on the walls that was pointed during a couple of the procedures I had without anaesthesia. These days I let them knock me out; although my pain tolerance is high they prefer to run through the procedure quickly and I think the times I was conscious they did not pump in any air to avoid creating more discomfort and I don't want to impact the procedure in any way. The next scoping will be scheduled in October; it's only being done every two years these days for me. When my condition was harder to control they were up in there looking around every year.

They first prescribed sulfasalazine but I had to take a lot of it and it didn't work too well. Then we tried Asacol, which is like sulfasalazine but only containing the biological useful portion of the 5-asa drug to avoid some side effects. That was too expensive a prescription for me to afford.

My red blood count is low, generally, from some bleeding. If Imuran stops managing my condition the next go to treatment is an in hospital IV treatment called Remicaid that stops problems (snaps fingers) like that. So knowing that is available provides some reassurance. I hope I don't need to go to that. My teeth cleaning hygenist knows a woman whose husband somehow died almost immediately after receiving Remicade due to some opportunistic Listeria infection that may have sprung out some unexpected body reservoir. She said he didn't eat dairy but I thought about their situation during the two recent Listeria vegetable food recalls.

There is also a surgical treatment but I'd like to keep my large intestine as long as possible. When I was first diagnosed they were talking about elevated cancer risk driving surgical procedures after about 10 years, but they don't seem to be talking that way anymore.

[QUOTE=kladner;436870]What a reward![/QUOTE]
If I were the dude that was in the van, I'd be paying the fee for him.

[QUOTE=only_human;437190]Things have improved here in the US for general primary care physician care. I saw my primary care physician on Monday. He ordered a bunch of blood tests and scheduled a phone call follow-up that will be in two weeks. I didn't even need to step on a scale. The chair I was seated in in the doctor's room also weighed me. A phlebotomist came directly to me; I didn't have to walk to a lab room. The results were available online - some that day and some the next. The doctor emailed me on Tuesday about the results and discussed the out of range readings. My total costs were $5. I didn't need any prescriptions refilled or new prescriptions at that time. In the recent past the lab work would have been at least an extra $50.[/QUOTE]
The next step is to get the doctors, nurses and insurance companies to unfsck their prices.

Do people still get charged for $25 aspirins, or have things improved on that front?

[QUOTE=jasong;437245]The next step is to get the doctors, nurses and insurance companies to unfsck their prices.

Do people still get charged for $25 aspirins, or have things improved on that front?[/QUOTE]
All of that is still ridiculous. Everything is based on the concept of "charges" including pharmaceutical prices. The idea is that they are priced high and the paying organizations knock down prices their own ways but there is price screwing all through the system and if you have no coverage for whatever reason these phantasmagorical charges that vary all over the map and are strickingly different from place to place through no apparent logic are billed in full.

[QUOTE=only_human;437246]All of that is still ridiculous.[/QUOTE]

Welcome to the concept of profit motivation of health care.

You can check out at any time. But you will forever pay.

[QUOTE=only_human;437240]If Imuran stops managing my condition the next go to treatment is an in hospital IV treatment called Remicaid that stops problems (snaps fingers) like that. So knowing that is available provides some reassurance. I hope I don't need to go to that. My teeth cleaning hygenist knows a woman whose husband somehow died almost immediately after receiving Remicade due to some opportunistic Listeria infection that may have sprung out some unexpected body reservoir. She said he didn't eat dairy but I thought about their situation during the two recent Listeria vegetable food recalls.

There is also a surgical treatment but I'd like to keep my large intestine as long as possible. When I was first diagnosed they were talking about elevated cancer risk driving surgical procedures after about 10 years, but they don't seem to be talking that way anymore.[/QUOTE]

Saw another ad for the inane-named new-ish UC/Crohn's drug this evening - "Entyvio". Betcha it's priced somewhere below low earth orbit and the average lunar distance, but might be worth looking into, unless you and your Doc have already ruled it out. Good luck with everything ... my older sis has UC, was quite bad in her late teens and college years, but it seems to be in semi-remission in her case.

[QUOTE=ewmayer;437261]Saw another ad for the inane-named new-ish UC/Crohn's drug this evening - "Entyvio". Betcha it's priced somewhere below low earth orbit and the average lunar distance, but might be worth looking into, unless you and your Doc have already ruled it out. Good luck with everything ... my older sis has UC, was quite bad in her late teens and college years, but it seems to be in semi-remission in her case.[/QUOTE]
I will ask my GI doctor about it when I see him in October. I think I'm probably ok on the Imuran and at least it is something I know I can afford but I usually check with him about developments anyway.