I went to discharge a patient today. She is doing a lot better and the oral meds are doing her just fine. She doesnt want to go home. I asked her why and she said because when she gets home she will have to do a lot of cleaning to get ready for the holidays and that right now her sister is there doing it and will expect her to help. She said if she went home Monday, it would be all done. I checked her chart, sure enough she had Medicare and Medicaid, was only 31 and her disability was "fibromyalgia". (She was admitted for cellulitis). I checked with the nurse who explained that the patient was going outside to smoke which is no easy task given the size of the medical center at least every hour.
When I explained that I was discharging her, she said that it wasnt costing her anything to stay in the hospital so why cant she stay. I wanted to say that it was costing our country but fell back on the "I would hate for you to catch one of those hospital acquired infections" and signed her discharge orders.
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Throckmorton ..I'm not exactly sure what fibromyalgia is ..other than an autoimmune disorder and those disorders are real. Yes?
So..why do so many med professionals get annoyed/complain/sarcastically make fun of fibromyalgia patients. Then you see in comments the patients come back at the med professionals. What is it about that disorder that irks so many? Is it that it's a pseudo disorder for the weak minded?
Abusing the system is that free mentality with no skin in the game. And ignorance. Although ...I am glad elderly people can qualify for mdcd after mdcr. You may disagree ..but there is no way many of them could afford to get their meds and exams without unless there was a real understanding doc. 2 docs I brought my mom to graciously waved the balance after mdcr until she got mdcd as the supplement. My mom had mdcd after mdcr and she worked hard all her life, never abused anything..no ER visits..none of that.
Your patient would rather be in the boring, confining hospital instead of getting ready for the holidays? Ugh!
That is a great question. I can not speak for others, but what irks me is that fibromyalgia has become the fad internet diagnosis excuse for people to not work and to avoid any stressful or taxing situations. I am sure that there are people out there that really have it, but I have not met them.
As a miniresearch project, I asked our residents to track down their patients medical diagnosis as to how and who diagnosed them. In 47 of 47 patients we were unable to find any one who claimed fibromyalgia who actually had a medical record that showed they were diagnosed with it. In each case, they had just claimed it and it was passed on and on.
I have patients who are missing limbs, in wheelchairs and who are blind who are able to work. I have patients in chronic pain from accidents and cancer who can not get disability. But then I see someone that our tax dollars support who is disabled because going to work makes their "fibro act up" but they can chain smoke and drive for hours to play bingo.
I am trully sorry and have great empathy for those patients that have something going on that is called interstitial cystitis, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. The problem is that we have far more who are munchausened up!
Okay Throckmorton ..I had to look up interstitial cystitis and it seems my urology issues pale in comparison and I would not wish that on an enemy. UGH. I didn't read the entire google ..but what I read is now making my bladder spasm. I admit to being susceptible to the power of suggestion... no it's the stent and it's temporary thankfully. :) But those poor people..going to the bathroom SIXTY times a day and in pain and then nocturia. ?? How do they work? maybe wearing a depends and I am not saying that too be funny. Awww... there is always someone worse off than you think you are when you think you are. So..it seems fibromyalgia is like back pain with disability ..you can't prove it.
This isn't disability ... but a whistle blower issue that I admit *irks* me.
I know of someone who is adept at suing for trumped up reasons. (not friend of mine) She worked in a group home in another state for 3 months. (temporary til she got something better)She reported that the owner did not have enough food for the developmentally disabled male residents. It didn't get taken care of. An e-mail was involved which is what sunk the owner.. who was not feeding them properly. Owner also fired this woman and prevented her from getting unemployment.
Remember..this woman lawsuit savvy.
She used the Whistle Blower's law to bring charges against her and the person doing the whistle blowing gets compensated. She was offered 150 THOUSAND to settle. Again..woman savvy researched and knows if she holds out ..she will get 300 -500 thousand dollars and the latest I heard ..it looks like the 500 THOUSAND will be the figure. She only worked there 3 months! And dishonestly has sued doctors and gotten money out of a pharmacy for pretending to be stressed and have symptoms because they gave her the wrong meds.
I would never refer her to my doctors!
This stuff irks because this money should be for people that really need it... and are honest. The whistle blowers case ..technically she is entitled but just doesn't seem fair because of how she has dishonestly sued in the past ..even tho apples and oranges. And who pays that and why in the world would they give her the maximum amount?
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