A what point should I get concerned about an

[Brownian Motion]

Dude - there's toxins in an area that's in very close proximity to your brain. That's not a good confluence of events...

Sorry to hear that your area has such a f-ed up ER, and glad to hear that the symptoms seem to be receeding, but I still say you oughta have it looked at, just to be safe. Toxins & brains go together like bleach & ammonia...

I'm left wondering why Conrad even bothered to ask for advice. Perhaps like his hero in the WH, The Decider, he ignores intelligence contrary to what he wants to hear. :rsmile:

[7/4]

Dude - there's toxins in an area that's in very close proximity to your brain. That's not a good confluence of events...

Sorry to hear that your area has such a f-ed up ER, and glad to hear that the symptoms seem to be receeding, but I still say you oughta have it looked at, just to be safe. Toxins & brains go together like bleach & ammonia...

I'm left wondering why Conrad even bothered to ask for advice. Perhaps like his hero in the WH, The Decider, he ignores intelligence contrary to what he wants to hear. :rsmile:

[patricia]

I don't think that we want any one of our number to have their head explode, even if their political leanings are contrary to common sense. Puffy eyes may be the first sign of brain rot................or maybe Berigan is getting better and we worried for nothing.

[Tom in RI]

I am kind of surprised to see everyone recommend the ER. Don't you folks have an Internist or Family Practice physician you can call. Please don't tell me that those of you with kids don't have Pediatricians either. Care rendered in the ER is pretty much the most expensive setting available. If you have a doctor who cannot see you within a day or two for a sick visit then you should probably switch doctors. Most of the health plans I deal with (I am a group health insurance broker) will deny claims for innappropriate us of the ER, one typical criteria (criterion?) is symptoms for more than 48 hours.

Edited April 25, 2006 by Tom in RI

[kh1958]

Dude - there's toxins in an area that's in very close proximity to your brain. That's not a good confluence of events...

Sorry to hear that your area has such a f-ed up ER, and glad to hear that the symptoms seem to be receeding, but I still say you oughta have it looked at, just to be safe. Toxins & brains go together like bleach & ammonia...

I've heard the damage can lead to Republicanism.

[Rooster_Ties]

Dude - there's toxins in an area that's in very close proximity to your brain. That's not a good confluence of events...

Sorry to hear that your area has such a f-ed up ER, and glad to hear that the symptoms seem to be receeding, but I still say you oughta have it looked at, just to be safe. Toxins & brains go together like bleach & ammonia...

I've heard the damage can lead to Republicanism.

Wait, I thought I heard that the other way around.

[Mr. Gone]

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...=ST&f=8&t=20907

[JSngry]

I am kind of surprised to see everyone recommend the ER. Don't you folks have an Internist or Family Practice physician you can call. Please don't tell me that those of you with kids don't have Pediatricians either. Care rendered in the ER is pretty much the most expensive setting available. If you have a doctor who cannot see you within a day or two for a sick visit then you should probably switch doctors. Most of the health plans I deal with (I am a group health insurance broker) will deny claims for innappropriate us of the ER, one typical criteria (criterion?) is symptoms for more than 48 hours.

Yeah, but I was under the impression that Conrad either doesn't have insurance or that his insurance ain't so hot to begin with.

And really - "within a day or two" is hardly an acceptable timeframe for something that might require immediate attention, don't you think? You got a bite on your head that's causing swelling and shit and your doctor tells you he/she can see you "in a day or two"? Hell, in a day or two, you might be dead!

Going to the ER for a cold or a stomach ache, or even a sprained ankle, is inappropriate. Those are "known quantities", so to speak. You know what you got, you know what it's gonna do, and you know how to fix it. No need to do anything other than ride it out until you can see your regular doctor.

Going to the ER when you have received a potentially poisonous bite of unknown origin and your head is starting to swell up ain't at all inappropriate. I don't care what the insurance companies say. I've got pretty good insurance, and if they denied such a claim, I'd raise holy hell until it was accepted (done it before, and will do it again if needed). They're insurers, not doctors, and sometimes they need to be reminded of that.

Edited April 25, 2006 by JSngry

[Tom in RI]

Jim, obviously the human element factors into these guidelines, what I was getting at with the symptoms for two days is that you shouldn't wait for symptoms to become acute before looking for care, which was, I think, something that Berigan referred to. Hey, I advocate getting attention right away, just not firstly at the ER if possible. I am not taking a company line on seeking care, just use common sense (getting advice on when to seek medical attention at a Jazz forum might not qualfy ). Also, if you have a doctor worth his salt, and you describe the symptoms as you did, and he or she doesn't refer you to the ER if they can't see you right away, then, again, you probably should get a new Dr.

On a related note, I personally would seek immediate attention if I had a bug bite of unknown origin, particularly if I lived in a Lyme disease endemic area, which I do. I have a 16 year old son who has been unable to attend school for 5 years due to a case of Lyme disease that went undiagnosed for, we believe, about a year.

Edited April 25, 2006 by Tom in RI

[JSngry]

I hear you. Just wanted clarification, that's all. If all you have is HMO care (and that's all a lot of people do have these days), my (anecdotal) experience is that they do the equivalent of reading off an insurance company approved script when it comes to call-ins. Don't get me started on that...

Sorry to hear about your son. That's gotta be a tough hit for all concerned. Here's hoping for brighter days ahead.

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

Dude - there's toxins in an area that's in very close proximity to your brain. That's not a good confluence of events...

Sorry to hear that your area has such a f-ed up ER, and glad to hear that the symptoms seem to be receeding, but I still say you oughta have it looked at, just to be safe. Toxins & brains go together like bleach & ammonia...

I've heard the damage can lead to Republicanism.

Actually, it leads to McKinneyism, where you sprout a miniature likeness of Harry Belafonte on your brow and proceed to scamper 'round in a bug-eyed state labeling everyone & everything racist.