Actually scrolling through the epbot stuff, I remembered she and her husband did a couple of generic steampunk costumes for some event - the outfit the husband is wearing might be a good starting point for Trakiel's wedding attire: <a class="postlink" href="http://www.epbot.com/2011/09/costume-details.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.epbot.com/2011/09/costume-details.html</a>
The Husband had an MRI last night and confirmed he's got a herniated, fragmented disc. And they can't give him anything for pain because he doesn't have an appointment with his PCM. Even in the army (especially in the army?) insurance is an issue.
Take a mundane object, and add valves, brass fittings, and watch gears and faces to it. Viola, Steampunk.
I say this with the obvious disclaimer that I'm not a doctor, but "Inflavanoids" may be worth a try: http://www.amazon.com/Metagenics-IN...sim_hpc_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=1AA294FRRDXHHSDF6RCM I have major knee issues (dislocated both knees several times) as well as back issues (fractured one of the lower vertebrae when I used to run x-country). I always keep a jar of inflavanoids on hand because sometimes it isn't feasible to get to the doctor right away, and they at least work well enough to "take the edge off" and get you functional again.
Side rant, fuck I can see why so many people just risk it and go without medical insurance and just hope not to get sick or injured. Dealing with the fucking cost by haggling with endless bureaucracy just makes me depressed and I only visit the doctor maybe 3 times a year for routine shit and have had nothing major for a long time. Im kind of glad my PCP just likes to dispense out pills over numerous costly test they he pretty much knows the outcome of anyway. With the cost of some ultra sound testing for what I thought might have been an ulcer, haggling with my insurance, two hospitals, two doctors, fuck it all. I think I have some ulnar nerve issues when working out, fuck dealing with an orthopedic specialist and the test they'd run, I'll just google it and hope that mobility WOD guy has some videos I can follow and I can get back to lifting regularly.
I'm not a huge fan of the FDA, but these are unapproved, untested, unsubstantiated health claims made on a product whose ingredients are sourced from god-knows-where and manufactured under god-knows-what conditions. Just be careful what you put in your body in lieu of prescribed medication.
Yea, this drives me crazy. Big pharma and the drug industry in general spends billions of dollars testing their drugs for effectiveness and safety. They have to make dam sure the drug they say you're getting is exactly as claimed and as tested. They go to unbelievable lengths to ensure these things. Meanwhile, the supplement industry has no regulation whatsoever. They can claim whatever they want and not have to show a shred of credible evidence. They also can pretty well put whatever they want in those capsules. Never mind that you don't need a prescription for these, any person can go self diagnose and prescribe themselves these potentially questionable items. <a class="postlink" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/05/science/herbal-supplements-are-often-not-what-they-seem.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/05/scien ... -seem.html</a> Prescription drugs have developed a bad reputation lately because of the abuse of narcotics etc, but really, where would American health be without drugs like Lipitor, Lesinopril hell even chemo drugs? By all means eat healthy, do healthy things but be weary of supplements. Also be skeptical of any of your friends claims of certain supplements, for some reason these items tend to be really susceptible to a certain placebo effect. I think one of my favorite examples of this is the whole Vitamin C craze. People were literally ingesting grams of this stuff because of the claim it fought off colds. It seemed like people thought if some was good more is better. Problem with this is the body can only absorb about 400mgs a day, and now the claims of it helping fight colds at all is in doubt.
Yeah, but then you get into situations like my friend in college whose family was very well off but sometimes borderline brain dead. They didn't have health insurance cause they felt it was a rip-off, fast forward to my friend breaking his hand and needing screws put in and his brother getting a concussion and broken collarbone in the same week in 2 different intramural football games and his family ended up paying something absurd like $50K out of pocket for something that would cost a person with health insurance a couple hundred to just over a thousand, depending on the coverage. I think some of the systems you mention are less for pills and more to avoid surgeries. My dad has messed up his back for awhile and has a bulging disk and needs some significant treatment to fix it. His former business partner is one of the top back surgeon's in the country and gave him the opinion, but before they do surgery, he has to go through a round of PT and some other tests to determine surgery is absolutely necessary. He's of your "fuck it, its stupid and useless bureaucracy" mindset, thinks he can do exercises on his own from youtube and whatnot, and he's nowhere close to better. TL/DR Some bureaucracy in health care is stupid but for every situation where a simple prescription would cut out steps, there are 2 more where the system in place prevents abuse of medications, unnecessary surgeries, and other strains on the system that makes an already inefficient machine work even slower.
Sorry to hear that. I remember my dad in the mid 90's spent 3 months on the couch, because of his herniated disk. Couldn't fucking me, it was painful to watch him try and go to the washroom. He always had back issues growing up, still does. But I remember in the late 90's after his surgery I have never seen him more alive.
Ow I realize the risk, that's why it's a risk. Im certainly more apt to get insurance than not. Some of the cost just seem way fucking outrageous on minor shit. Maybe Ive just grown to close to my doctor and his practice and need to find bargain basement places for little things. I had one of those asthma test where you blow into that graduated cylinder a few times. It was 70+ bucks and 40 of it uncovered by my insurance. Strep test was over a hundred and only a little under that I have to pay. Those two things plus my co pay of 30 takes a solid chunk out of my weekly pay check. I can see why it is so fucking easy that aren't supported by their parent(s) like I am would just say fuck it, Ill chance it. As far googling WebMD that too I understand being wholly idiotic in the long run. Ive had one major incidence though where in the end I could have saved a shit ton of money taking it on my own. My mom picked my tab for PT in college for my long standing kyphosis issues but had me stop as our insurance had run out of what they were willing to pay after a month of weekly visits and my last one cost her a thousand out of pocket. It was your basic band stretches and some heat pads. Luckily the people at the sports medicine place I went to ran me through the basics of what they would have gotten into if I had stayed. Basic core strength lifting with deads and squats. Once I got into that myself my back pain all but vanished. In the end I didn't need the weekly visits wracking up a shit ton of doctors cost to have them watch me use stretch bands. Just the basic foundation I'd have to work on myself.
Not to throw the thread off but I've been interviewing with a new job for the last few weeks. NBD it's a forklift position in an industrial warehouse. What irks me is that they've had me studying modules for things like ethical procurement of services, and the integrity of following the tendering process guidelines. WTF. Normally it wouldn't bother me but i've spent two hours doing this bs, and it is completely unrelated to my actual position. I just recieved an email stating that I have an eight hour training day next week for the same thing. At least it's paid.
He was - for his torn meniscus. NSAIDs don't touch it. They talk about managing for pain - but he can't see someone to get him treatment FOR pain for another month. Or inflammation. Or anything. They told him to go to the ER and see about treatment there. Which - fine. I'm going to drag a wounded bear to the emergency room, I guess.
Come on down here. I'll put you on a lift 30 seconds after you walk in the door. If, after an hour, you show me you can cut it, you're good. If not, the door's that way. Training over.
Sorry about that. Is it related to his job? Back in the 80s my dad had that issue, which they determined was related to the helmet he had to wear as a helicopter pilot (in the Army).