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    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

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Here is a real winner of a cardiologist...

Kati

Patient in training
Messages
5,497
"Why I’m skeptical of the growing number of disability beneficiaries" DAVID MOKOTOFF, MD | PHYSICIAN | MARCH 29, 2013


My office consultation for the 50 year-old woman was her complaint of chest pain. I could not help but glance at her insurance and it was for Medicare. I have always been fascinated with what types of disability people have which qualifies them for Medicare and SSD, (Social Security Disability), before the usual age of 65. To say that I have observed bizarre and inequitable awards would be a gross understatement. In this case, my patient was on disability because of hepatitis C. Really?


Now despite being a cardiologist, I know a thing or two about hepatitis C infections. You see my deceased wife died from it, in 2004, along with an unhealthy dose of alcohol abuse. CDC data from late 2012, placed the number of people in the US with chronic Hepatitis C infections at 3.2 million. My patient had gone through interferon therapy, had chronic elevation of her liver enzymes, but was not jaundiced, and was gainfully employed as a massage therapist. Her liver had never failed.



If you guessed that this case was unusual, you would be wrong. I have seen hundreds of middle-aged patients who appear healthy enough to hold down a job, yet are receive Medicare and SSD for diagnoses like fibromyalgia, chronic low back pain, post –traumatic stress disorder, multiple sclerosis, and chronic fatigue syndrome, (to mention just a few.) And yet the truly disabled often have a difficult time qualifying for these benefits. I have many patients who at young ages cannot work, although they might want to, due to advanced and severe heart disease. They never get SSD before they died. I do what I can to help these folks with forms, attestations, etc.; but in my experience they don’t get it until they retain a SSD attorney to help them appeal denials and navigate the bureaucratic morass of applications and hearings.

... Etc

Feel free to answer
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2013/03/skeptical-growing-number-disability-beneficiaries.html
 
Messages
15,786
I'm used to seeing this sort of shit about ME/CFS and such ... but maybe someone should let this dinosaur know that MS is acknowledged as being a real, disabling, and deadly disease. He must not have cracked a medical journal since 1980.
 

Kati

Patient in training
Messages
5,497
And tried to reply to the guy who replied to my message; linking to the MEICC and quoting Laura Hillenbrand- but I was moderated. i am not totally sure why. ah well. These people are not ready for mere reality that some folks are so neglected out there they have no health care.
 
Messages
15,786
And tried to reply to the guy who replied to my message; linking to the MEICC and quoting Laura Hillenbrand- but I was moderated. i am not totally sure why. ah well. These people are not ready for mere reality that some folks are so neglected out there they have no health care.
I think their Disqus is malfunctioning. Looks very odd to me now, and can't see votes.
 

PhoenixBurger

Senior Member
Messages
202
This just shows the importance physicians put on "clinical" presentation. Clearly there is something I am missing when it comes to their training in this regard. How a patient presents clinically is clearly detrimental to many diagnoses. But its almost as if doctors can't see past how you look. This must be a symptom of "reactive" versus "proactive and preventative" medicine. When you're so entrenched in "reactive" medicine, you wait until the patient is disabled enough to be presenting with an obvious disease. There is no such thing as "pre MS" or "pre cancer" or "pre ALS" .... yet every person who eventually gets these diseases goes through I believe a very very long period of "pre" disease. Its a period when prevention can mean the difference between life and death. Yet doctors don't have the first clue as to what prevention means. Its not in their vocabulary until after something like a heart attack has occurred. So a patient shows up "looking" healthy yet very well could be "Pre ALS" ... symptomwise. And they are sent home healthy because they haven't yet begun the 2 year spiral towards death.

"Come back when its too late. You look healthy right now, and you're not sick enough for me to bother with you"

PB
 

Shoesies

Senior Member
"Why I’m skeptical of the growing number of disability beneficiaries" DAVID MOKOTOFF, MD | PHYSICIAN | MARCH 29, 2013


My office consultation for the 50 year-old woman was her complaint of chest pain. I could not help but glance at her insurance and it was for Medicare. I have always been fascinated with what types of disability people have which qualifies them for Medicare and SSD, (Social Security Disability), before the usual age of 65. To say that I have observed bizarre and inequitable awards would be a gross understatement. In this case, my patient was on disability because of hepatitis C. Really?


Now despite being a cardiologist, I know a thing or two about hepatitis C infections. You see my deceased wife died from it, in 2004, along with an unhealthy dose of alcohol abuse. CDC data from late 2012, placed the number of people in the US with chronic Hepatitis C infections at 3.2 million. My patient had gone through interferon therapy, had chronic elevation of her liver enzymes, but was not jaundiced, and was gainfully employed as a massage therapist. Her liver had never failed.



If you guessed that this case was unusual, you would be wrong. I have seen hundreds of middle-aged patients who appear healthy enough to hold down a job, yet are receive Medicare and SSD for diagnoses like fibromyalgia, chronic low back pain, post –traumatic stress disorder, multiple sclerosis, and chronic fatigue syndrome, (to mention just a few.) And yet the truly disabled often have a difficult time qualifying for these benefits. I have many patients who at young ages cannot work, although they might want to, due to advanced and severe heart disease. They never get SSD before they died. I do what I can to help these folks with forms, attestations, etc.; but in my experience they don’t get it until they retain a SSD attorney to help them appeal denials and navigate the bureaucratic morass of applications and hearings.

... Etc

Feel free to answer
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2013/03/skeptical-growing-number-disability-beneficiaries.html

I would like to answer with a big fat kiss my A**.
 

SilverbladeTE

Senior Member
Messages
3,043
Location
Somewhere near Glasgow, Scotland
Only 2 ways they learn:
1) get them, kick them HARD in the balls until they squeal and ask:
"Now then, didums, is that disabling sickness and distress, or not?
Does this make you feel symapthy and compassion for those in pain?
If not, do you want more of the same until it is?" :p

2) they must suffer some horrible malady themselves or their loved ones.

#1 is actually far more merciful and gets through to most numbskulls :p
very serious and tragic comment on the Human Condition as it is for many doctors :/

look at recent stance of many idiots who were anti gay marraige/rights until THEIR children or such "came out of the closet"
EXACTLY the same thing.
 

Shoesies

Senior Member
Only 2 ways they learn:
1) get them, kick them HARD in the balls until they squeal and ask:
"Now then, didums, is that disabling sickness and distress, or not?
Does this make you feel symapthy and compassion for those in pain?
If not, do you want more of the same until it is?" :p

2) they must suffer some horrible malady themselves or their loved ones.

#1 is actually far more merciful and gets through to most numbskulls :p
very serious and tragic comment on the Human Condition as it is for many doctors :/

look at recent stance of many idiots who were anti gay marraige/rights until THEIR children or such "came out of the closet"
EXACTLY the same thing.

Oh ho SilverbladeTE..you are right! DH was less than sympathetic prior to his getting sick. He now has the same thing I do (or he did for a long time and just recently presented with the flu-like and cognitive symptoms). That thinking treatment was too expensive if not covered by insurance...went poof like magically delicious Lucky Charms.
 

PhoenixBurger

Senior Member
Messages
202
Only 2 ways they learn:
1) get them, kick them HARD in the balls until they squeal and ask:
"Now then, didums, is that disabling sickness and distress, or not?
Does this make you feel symapthy and compassion for those in pain?
If not, do you want more of the same until it is?" :p

2) they must suffer some horrible malady themselves or their loved ones.

#1 is actually far more merciful and gets through to most numbskulls :p
very serious and tragic comment on the Human Condition as it is for many doctors :/

look at recent stance of many idiots who were anti gay marraige/rights until THEIR children or such "came out of the closet"
EXACTLY the same thing.
Its funny you say this. I was sitting in with an infectious disease specialist several months back, and he said to my face: "No offense, but are you sure you aren't just imagining all of this?" I text my buddy about 5 minutes later, and he replied "Kick him in the balls and then ask him - are you sure you're not just imagining the pain?".

Number 2 is right. I've thought about it myself. NONE of the doctors who act like this have yet experienced what its like to deal with their own profession on this level. Plain and simple.
 
Messages
35
My blood is boiling. Thank you Kati for writing a repsonse for those who cannot. I have voted it up! Since I cannot write, I am going to send the articles to the Invisible Disabilities Association and hopefully they can comment too!
 

Little Bluestem

All Good Things Must Come to an End
Messages
4,930
“social media’s leading physician voice”. If that is true, we are in more trouble than I thought.

Does this doctor think that the woman with hepatitis C could have afforded interferon therapy without Medicare? Does he think she would still be working without treatment?

I’ll bet he did not ask the people on Medicare and DDS if they had hired a SSD attorney. I think most people require one to help them appeal denials and navigate the bureaucratic morass of applications and hearings. Why should heart patients get special consideration?

I +1ed Kati’s and Valentijn’s comments. I don’t belong to any of the groups that are allowed to comment, so I could not leave one.
 

Kati

Patient in training
Messages
5,497
Great points Bluestem. I wonder how Obamacare will change all that, if at all?

The comment from the cardiologist just shows how disrespected fibromyalgia and ME(CFS) are in the medical world. That won't chamge in a cople of das, however governments and gov agencies have the capacity to change lots of minds only if they wanted to.
 
Messages
445
Location
Georgia
Most people who get SSD are paid on the basis of their income prior to becoming ill. So a young person, or a poor house wife is going to have to get by on $8000 or $10,000 a year. That's a beggar's life. I wonder if the good doctor knows the numbers. Probably a Romney supporter. Watches Fox News, doesn't know where Libya is on a map.

In fact, if they really wanted to cut waste in medicine, they should start with the over-payment of specialists like cardiologists. Average yearly income: $400,000. Are they really worth that much? Or are they just welfare queens and insurance scammers? How much does a cardiologist make in Canada or UK? I'll bet it isn't half that. Obamacare intends to cut salaries such as his, and raise it for internists. I'll bet the cardiologist thinks he's a "socialist."

But having said that, I know a guy who is an out-and-out scammer, who got SSD, and basically he is an alcoholic and drug addict. No program is perfect. He is a loser who gamed the system. Then people with hidden diseases, hard-to-diagnose are not believed. Or in his case, misunderstood.
 

snowathlete

Senior Member
Messages
5,374
Location
UK
My blood is boiling. Thank you Kati for writing a repsonse for those who cannot. I have voted it up! Since I cannot write, I am going to send the articles to the Invisible Disabilities Association and hopefully they can comment too!
that is a great idea. we should do that more often!