Medics, Nurses, ER Docs, Hospitalists, Anesthesiologists, and Surgeons; A Big Thanks to You All

My Dad has multiple medical problems and, this past weekend, compounded them (no pun) by falling and sustaining an intertrochanteric fracture with a varus deformity.

I have already thanked the actual individuals involved in his care, but wanted to post a big warm fuzzy to the all the professions as a whole because I know you guys don't get to hear "thank you" enough.

From the moment the 911 call was made to when Dad was taken off the vent and transferred from the ICU his care was phenomenal. His pre-op problems made him a poor surgical risk and he had some not unexpected post anesthesia problems so I know that his care had to be managed carefully.

I like to think karma or whatever actually endowed the medics with all the positive attributes of Amubulance Driver, Medic March, TOTWTYTR, Izzy, and EE, the nurses with the caring and compassion of Nurse K and Guitar Girl, the ER Docs, Surgeons, and Hospitalists with the wisdom of Scalpel, Grunt Doc, 911, and Happy, and the Anesthesia folks with the abilities of Anesthesoboist and Michelle.

I never said a word to anybody or identified myself as a healthcare professional. For all anyone knew, I was just Mr. V's concerned son. (It wasn't until he was in the ICU post-op that one of the attendings recognized our last name. He had trained with my brother).

So to all of you out there on the frontlines; THANK YOU from Mr. V and his son!

The last time I took the kids to the range my daughter shot a newish Sig 239, single stack, 8 round, 9mm, at the range and really liked it. She spotted it at the rental rack and wanted to shoot it "because it looks like Ziva's (NCIS) gun!" (Despite the fact Daddy brought a .45, a Hi-Power 9mm, and a S&W 422 .22 cal)

For a 10 year old, she handled it well and kept her rounds in center of mass. I tried it and really liked it too.I got to talking to the range master and he said I ought to look at the Sig P6 (225) since I already have a 220 in .45 acp. The P6 is a West German police trade in gun. It is an older, 8 round single stack, 9mm that is basically a cut down 220. Sorta like what the Colt Commander is to the 1911. I found one at J&G sales for $411 total for a "hand select". There are other places that might have it for less but J&G had them in stock ready to ship, so I ordered it and it arrived today.

I am very pleased with my purchase. It is a typical cop gun. Carried a lot and shot little. The innards are pristine. There is a little holster wear around the muzzle but that is it. For about half the price of a new 239 I've got what is shaping up to be a great carry piece. It digested everything put through it including some Wolff 9mm. It exhibits typical Sig workmanship and accuracy. The one I have was made around 1971. It has an alloy frame and steel slide.The only down sides so far are the cost of factory mags (~40.00) and the fact it is a single stack in a world of high capacity pistols. However, the plus is, because of the slim magazine, it conceals like a dream. It is very lightweight. My Blackhawk Serpa paddle holster and a leather IWB holster for the 220 both work with it. All in all, if you are looking for a good deal in high quality pistol I can recommend this. It's also kind of cool to have the "little brother" to my 220.

Thoughts on Pirates...

I was off the coast of Somalia last year involved in some anti-piracy operations... if they can be called that.

My thoughts on the current situation?

When seconds count, the Navy is only hours away. Maybe it's time to start arming our merchants.

Presley O'Bannon, Stephen Decatur, and William Bainbridge must be spinning in their graves. Does anyone remember what "...to the shores of Tripoli" meant?

Sam's Club Practice?

Well maybe not Sam's Club exactly...

I saw an ad in the Sunday paper by a local internist. For the "price of a daily cup of gourmet coffee" you could become an exclusive member of his practice and receive exceptional access and good, old fashioned personalized care. He announced that he was currently interviewing patients.

It's an interesting idea. I wonder how many people are going to take him up on it. What exactly he is offering. And, what his criteria for acceptance into his practice are. I'll keep an eye on it. Any thoughts?

On Behalf of a Grateful Nation...

Why aren't more people talking about this!!!!

The Obama Administration announced Thursday a plan to start billing private insurance companies for war and service related injuries of their subscribers who are veterans.

http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news-1/VFW-Against-VA-Collection-Increase-Proposal-38578-1/

That's great. The economy is bad enough as it is. Veterans have a high enough unemployment rate. Who is going to want to hire them if their insurance premiums are going to be more expensive for employers? Are they going to be in a higher risk pool? If they have to pay for their premiums how are they going to afford it? This is totally unacceptable!

These men and woman sacrificed for their country, the mission of the VA as envisioned by Abraham Lincoln was to provide for those that "bore the brunt of battle"

The Other Guy Started It......

In The Happy Hospitalists blog is an entry about a dentist who is less than thrilled about paying more in taxes if she breaks a certain income threshhold.

http://thehappyhospitalist.blogspot.com/2009/03/when-you-tax-something-anything-you-get.html

To her it appears to be a "tipping point" ,as described by Nurse K, where the effort is no longer worth it. Anyway, what really torqued my lugnuts was a remark by David MD: "Any dentist earning more than $250,000 per year is not doing enough to see the poor that can't afford dental care. "

Weeeeeeeeellllll David , me bucko! Since when did good works and morality get tied to income? Dentists have been smart enough not to get sucked into the managed care mess that afflicts most health care today. A Wall Street Journal article several years ago showed that the average general dentist made about 170K per year. And ya know what Davy? We give a lot of it back to the community. We don't need the government or a bunch of Birkenstock wearing, latte sipping, 10 year old Volvo driving, knee jerk, boo-hoo liberals telling us how to provide for the poor. I have spent the past two decades providing health care in some of the worst hell holes on this planet . I can't wait to retire and start making as much money as I can so I can go back to some of those places and do some more. The less the government takes from me the more I will be able to do good works with!

Lettin' the Fox Guard the Chicken House

Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius has accepted President’s Obama’s offer to be his HHS nominee according to news sources including The New York Times.

Mmmmmmmm... She was also once the president of the American Trial Lawyers Association. And guess what? She has never treated a patient in her life. Sounds like a win/win to me!