Doctors

[ravensir]

I went and saw my doctor today. Paid that man $70 because i suffer pain sometimes, and I've read on this hear interweb that many people who suffer similar pain find great relief through oxygen therapy - that is, they keep an oxygen tank and mask in their room, and when a nasty headache hits, they put on the mask and breathe it in for 10-20 minutes

Comments

[marielander]

*Queue a commercial

[ravensir]

Blue streak speeds by
Sonic the hedgehog
Too fast for the naked eye
Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic
he can really move
Sonic
He's got an attitude
Sonic
He's the fastest thing alive!

[zombiejesus]

I'm all for beating people until money comes out. Doctors, lawyers, children... whatever

[ravensir]

I'm not sure you'd get much out of the average child, but I'm thinking Doogie Houser would be for the win. A Child Doctor? I can only assume he must come double-stuffed...

[john_adams_1775]

Oxygen is some pretty dangerous stuff, actually. In its pure state, it wrecks havoc on cells and life in general; developing the ability to handle it safely and even get energy out of it was one of our major evolutionary breakthroughs. (If I recall correctly, it required cellular organelles, which is pretty whacked out.)

That said, you'd think that the doctor would be willing to write you a prescription. After all, it's your money going down the drain for it, not his. Is there some sort of other medication specific to cluster headaches that he might consider having you at least try?

Keep it real, man.

[ravensir]

In fairness, breathing pure oxygen really can be hazardous to your health if done improperly. I think if you don't use it right (and I think this bit has something to do with properly moisturizing the oxygen) you can tear your lung tissue, and there's probably some other bad stuff you can do. But really, this is more about using the equiptment properly and cautiously than about the effects of the oxygen, and either way those risks sound better than many that I see on my meds

[john_adams_1775]

So the general upshot of all this is, the truth won't set you free?

[julius12]

I dunno, to me keeping an oxygen tank in your room seems -less- extreme than filling your body with crazy chemicals all the time. But then I'm wary of crazy chemicals in general, and rightly so because some interact oddly with the ones I take daily.

[ravensir]

Exactly my thoughts. It seems kind of obvious to me that we're an over chemicalized society. Do you see that? I had to make up a word for us! But really we are. I mean the 96 side effects listed for Topamax... for many people, they will experience 0/96 of them. Why is that?

No one really knows. It's just a neurological crapshoot, at least from where I'm standing that's how it looks. I am inclined to imagine how this would play out if life were a role playing game. I'm sure I'd have to roll dice to see what side effects I get. "Aw damn, I rolled blurry vision again, can't I do-over? I get this every time!!!" "Quit complaining, I just rolled a seizure!"