A good friend died of cancer that I suspected years before
Posted By: NN on 2009-03-15
In Reply to: Anything an MT can do when you have grave concerns about patient care? - Concerned MT
because of a test he had and he had asked me to get a copy of, which I did, but not being "qualified", it said possible metastasis, I just told him I couldn't get it for some reason, and to talk to his doctor. His doctor, for some strange reason said it was "normal". I then asked him to get a copy of it himself, but he didn't. My husband told him to go to another doctor. It took several years, but he eventually was diagnosed with cancer after having a seizure, (it had spread to his brain) and he died a few months later.
The bottom line is, we're really not qualified to diagnose or advise people. I do feel terrible guilt for it, (you should've seen me at the funeral) but there's nothing we can do. If a doctor doesn't diagnose something properly, even if WE KNOW, there's still nothing we can do about it. We don't have the capacity to treat them and nobody is going to listen to us.
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I agree with the poster below. My friend died of lung cancer
last year, and the doctors had him drinking Ensure.
Sorry to hear about your friend. I know how tough that can be.
Friend's kidneys shut down from anorexia on a Friday, she died early Sunday. nm
x
I had a little tabby oriental and he died at 10 and I still miss him to this day and it is 12 years
now. My dog died also 10 years ago a Lhasa and it was like losing my children. I have never bought any animals since. Cant deal with it.
Guess that means my husband is doomed....quit 15+ years ago (46 now)--GF had lung cancer
so either cancer will get him (his dad had bladder cancer, doing fine now but it did recur and lost his kidney about 10 months ago)...figure either cancer or cirrhosis will get him (drinks 8-12 "light" beers a day...for over 20+ years). So can you say semi-young widow?? (39). Naw....he will probably live forever, which is good.....lots of longevity in his family despite the cancer. Good.
My daughter's 1 year cancer checkup was good on Tuesday -sm
so I am very happy. She is just past 1 year off chemo (08-17-05). She is on 3-month checkups (has been for the past year) and all looks well so that is always cause for much happiness around here!
ER died when Mark Green died. The 'new'
the same oomph as the originals. Not as exciting as it used to be. I had watched since the very first episode and loved every episode until then. Now it's BORING!
A friend of mine has been on it for over 7 years...sm
and swears by it. He has stayed very trim and his cholesterol is fine. I would like to lose about 10 pounds and thought about trying it, but i love carbs, so don't know if I have the willpower.
My friend passed away years ago so I can't ask her
exactly what she meant, but I think it means pretty much what you said...once something is not a challenge anymore or the "new wears off", for some personality types boredom sets in. I know it does for me. I have often thought I may have mild ADD as well, you might have hit the nail on the head there. 
My best friend has been a nurse for years but I would not have her transcribe for me...
Believe it or not, we do more than "just type." Working the equipment and software is just a small part of it.
I met my male friend of 6 years in local supermarket..sm
I was buying a can of salmon for my cats and he was nearby and asked if I made salmon cakes. We talked, he was asked for my phone number and we have been seeing each other for about 6 years.
my friend just finished her BSN 2 years ago, working 32 hr/week making $60K with benefits nm
x
I had a good friend who did it and I found out... and
when I found out it was when I was promoted to the transcription regional manager for the branch. It was up to me to do random QA and invoicing to make sure everything was okay. It was really, really sad because my very best friend there who started with me at the same time, on the same great account (we both did well, and this was back in the late 80s early 90s). So, about 6 years later, when I decided to go into QA and then management I did a random on my friend. This was absolutely just by chance. Well, I found out she was padding her lines about 12000 lines per pay period!!!!!!!I cannot tell you how shocked I was. These were the days we went according to bites and divided, etc. We were even allowed to use codes and that was okay too for the extra lines, like bolding, remember. Well even so, she was adding about 6K lines a week and no wonder she was making so much money. She used to laugh when we were friends because she'd put the book on the dictaphone pedal while she ran errands.
My heart broke that day. I asked her to please don't do it anymore. Well, unfortunately she did not listen to me and she got in big trouble. She was not fired, but I do not know what happened because between that and a wage cut some VP did on my MTs, I quit management. BTW: The padding in the case then was because it was an honor system. The MT was to look at the bytes and divide and type on a sheet and send the totals in, much like recent times for some companies. Only these days the software calculates it and usually it is the MTSO that can cheat by cutting line counts in deceptive ways. Oh, my, please this is a long enough note and don't get me started. I may have to hit the New Year's bottle and I don't want to do that because I go to work at 3 AM. LOL . HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE. See you NEXT YEAR heh heh.
That is a good idea. My friend and her ...sm
husband have started selling dog shirts on ebay and they are making some extra money at it.
I have a good friend who is a recording artist. I could have SM
any of his music free, and I always get to hear it before it is even on the CD. I could bum music from him or his family any time, but I won't. It is how he makes his living.
I think it is stealing.
One of my best friends has a good friend who is a chiropractor -sm
She (my friend) knows all the ins and outs. So when I was in a car accident in 10/05 I asked her....I had run into the money machine chiropractors before in the past and my SIL sees a real quack who has her basically living on herbal pills (she barely eats), and has her kids on them too. So my experience was a bit jaded. She said if you went to one who got their schooling at Palmer College of Chiropractors, then they should be a good chiropractor and be "straight" and practice straight chiropractic care and not be out to rape your wallet and use gadgets, etc. I heeded her advice and now am seeing a Palmer graduate and have been very happy with my care and my back is tons better now (after I was told there was nothing that could be done by my orthopedist). It did not happen overnight, took about 2-3 months, about $45 a visit. She "adjusts" (cracks) my back, neck and hips. I have had one "relapse" so to speak (which can happen and is normal) but that is on the mend now. I now only go every 2 weeks. I will probably continue to see her even after I sign off on the accident (my health insurance covers $1000 of chiropractic care a year, so I will be covered which is nice at 2 visits a month pretty much). As long as you don't go to a quack, I think it would probably help you but don't expect miracles overnight, takes a little time to feel better. Good luck.
Try for a short sale, a good friend of mine - sm
did that a few months ago, had a mortgage and a 2nd mortgage, and just could not keep up. They agreed to a short sale on the 2nd mortgage, and by a miracle she got a buyer. She actually walked away with about $1K. Lives with boyfriend now which is saving his butt from foreclosure now.
Captain Morgan is a VERY good friend of mine!!!
Along with his south of the border pal, Jose.
 
Just as I suspected! Thanks so much! nm
I suspected this
I had this problem a few years ago - I switched to a split keyboard and didn't have any more trouble... until just the last week or so... now, I'm getting that old familiar pain. . not sure what to do at this point. . .
i suspected as much
Thanks for the info. I kinda figured as much, but I wanted real live opinions. It's disappointing, isn't it? The hospitals were going to voice recognition or selling out to companies who were off-shoring (or both) when I left - with little consolation OR compensation to those of us on this side of the pond. It's a shame when so many of us are/were so dedicated.
As I suspected! Like myself sm
everyone thinks the BOS is a crock! I wonder if the folks who wrote this piece of crap even know their own rules? When AAMT first started (either very late 70s or early 80s) I thought it was going to a REAL professional organization. As it turned out it is nothing but a money grubber that changed its name and sold us all down the road to off shoring. I haven't for years and NEVER EVER will give another dime to this organization. Neither will I work for a company that uses it for "the standard" in MTing.
Thanks for all your comments and keep em coming.
Glad I was able to help....I just keep thinking about my inspiration (friend from gym). Good luck!!
xx
I'm sorely underpaid, just as I suspected.
Grrrr....
I hate the ones where child abuse is suspected or
the injury could have been avoided entirely if the parents hadn't been so stupid, like a young child without a carseat in an MVA. I used to hate the death summaries at my old job, especially on young people.
How about your husband tells the friend to tell his female friend to lose the #?
x
A friend of a friend is taking CareerStep - sm
she is under the misguided idea that she will be making very good $ upon completing the course (a friend of hers supposedly makes $55K a year). I told her no way, at least not starting out and not unless all the factors click together, i.e. good typing speed, good pay (not for a newbie), good dictators (unlikely) and dedication to working hard. I told her what I make after 5 years (16K) but that is PT and I have the potential to double that if I would push myself, not procrastinate so much (I web surf way too much) and work more than I already do. I am not a fast typist but am good at what I do. I will be surprised if she follows though. She told me she'd call me when she finished the course, I just hope she is ready for reality.
.08 for only 2-years exp. is good- sm
obviously you do not type as fast as you think, or else type a lot out and not much Expander use. I am a snail, I type on average 60 WPM, but that can go as low as 40 WPM. I get .09 cpl at 4 years experience (not paid for spaces either so it is really about 7.75). I make between $12-$15 an hour which is okay for me. I do not have to live on what I make. But if you are only making $64 a day and have to live on it, that is not good. As for MTs making decent money, some do, but it is a myth that you will make $40-60K your first few years. If I applied myself I could make about $24K a year (before taxes of course). Those who make a LOT of $$$ are those who have one or more of the following: their own accounts, easy work, super fast typists, expand everything, don't have to look up much either terminology or dr. names/addresses and work non-stop. My work varies in difficulty, some easy, some hard; some days I look up a million addresses, others only 1 or 2. There are tons of variables in making a good line rate and salary. Obviously try to get faster at typing; try not to be distracted and enter more shortcuts/macros into your expander. I try to do that with every dictator I get so the next time I will be faster at them; yes it slows me down but in the long run it will pay off. Good luck.
After 25 years of rad MT, I think that is a very good
offer, it is what I make. I get quite a bit of long stuff, but with using macros, Is still make my quota in 4-5 hours per day. I love it. I would take the offer.
Good for you. I am MQ employee, 13 years. SM
I just read on MTJobs.com MQ is offering $2000 sign on bonus@ I have not had a raise for years, get calls at 2 AM to do STAT reports, feel burned out. Not only am I leaving MQ, but I am starting a new career in the food business.
If you're good enough, I don't think those years
will matter.
Sorry, I don't know of a specific company. Hubby gets benefits, so that's never been a factor for me. I work for MQ right now, which I'm trying to get out of and have started another PT job. That one's good, but it is IC with no benefits. MQ does have benefits, but I really don't know how they are.
I would suggest posting on the company board and asking more specific questions, i.e., what are some companies that have decent insurance, do any companies give paid holidays, etc.
In all honesty, you probably won't find a company that fits all you want. You may have to decide which are most important and go from there.
I did NutriSystem 15 years ago. The food was good.
I got scared when the week I went in and had eaten off the program they said, "We've created a chemical balance in your body and ANYTHING you eat off the program screws it up." That scared me. I wondered what in the heck their chemical balance was and decided I couldn't live with it. I got off. I've obviously gained back all the weight (60+ lbs) all because I BELIEVE if you don't want to stay on it forever then you can't do it. You'll never get their chemical balance with regular food and you'll gain if and when you decide to quit paying and go off their foods. Think real hard, change what you're eating with real food and you'll do much better in the long run.
Depends on how much experience you have. I have 26 years, not good for me. nm
nm
If you haven't done MT in many years, that is a very good rate...sm
Many things have changed and companies usually require more recent experience. I say go for it!
Heck, yeah! Good pay for 1-1/2 years experience.
I've been using it a few years now. It's pretty good. You'll get used to it. -nm
x
"That's Life." It was only on a short while a few years ago, but was really good. nm
x
Good things take time. (this is addressed to OP, BTW) My first 15 years or sm
so of MT was without the benefit of using an expander. When Expanders became the norm, I was reluctant to try, thinking that it would be more cumbersome than by not using it at all. Was I surprised and pleased I had ventured into the Expander world.
Since you're at home you can add entries on your free time, even if you do 5 or 10 at a time, when there is no pressure on you. Start out with expanders for "the patient," "-year-old," the names of your doctors, anything that is repetitious. You will be surprised how much time this will save you. My initial expander, PRD, actually calculated saved Keystrokes and productivity. Back then I was saving 30%!
The expander is especially helpful for those crazy terms that are hyphenated or have camel caps, those that I always had to look up to check myself. Create your brief form by just using straight lowercase, for instance, duoneb for Duo-Neb (or d-n).
Speed will come, don't worry. Good luck to you!
(Posted in the wrong place--I always do that!) This is in response to OP.
I agree. It's an impossibility for me even with years of experience AND good dictators. nm
m
A few years ago, Atlanta in-house average was about $12-$15/hour, plus good bennies. nm
By the way, as of about 5 years ago, Wellstar was with a service. They might not even have in-house MTs. Hope so for your sake :).
The Dorland's Cardiology Word Book is good, too. Might find books at half.com even if a few years
s
cancer
My husband might be diagnosed with oral cancer. He has had a lump in his cheek for awhile and wasn't really concerned about it until he went to the doctor for a check-up. The doc is sending him to have it looked at more thoroughly. Any words of encouragement or anyone that has gone through this. Thanks
Cancer
Please let me know if you need any moral support and feel free to write me. Read my post on MTStars.
Margaret
cancer.
x
Who died?
and left you boss?
I used to have one of those (died on me too).
If you really like the mechanical keyswitch feel (which I sure do) and don't need a split/ergo keyboard, then you might want to think about trying one of the old Model M IBM keyboards ... very similar in feel (actually, better, IMO) to the NMB. I, unfortunately, have to use a totally split keyboard now, otherwise I'd be using a Model M myself.
You can sometimes find vintage ones cheap in local little computer stores too (I got one for $5 once that way).
http://www.clickykeyboards.com
cancer.org
They have a great cancer drug list. I really like oncology except when my doc does a weeks worth of dictations all in one day.
why so much cancer?
Did you know about the atomic bomb testing/nuclear bomb testing done around the world? Well worth researching. I was shocked to find out that it was more than originally led on, well over 700 bombs and I cann't remember if it is just our country or if the numbers were world wide. Then we have companies that polute our water, our land fills, our air... We have paved roads that are giving off gases constantly into the air, not including the vehicles that give off gases continuously, encircling the earth. Do you know about the carcinogens in the plastics that hold bottled water? Chemicals added to food is going to build up in the tissues... Deodorant is not safe, either, and we don't stop there with hygiene chemicals...
cancer sites
I usually use the NIH-National Cancer Institute site. It has listing of clinical trials, types of drugs, different types of cancer treatments. I also depend heavily on the Oncology Word Book by Stedman.
Okay, my experience with cancer
Rather I should say my husband's. He was diagnosed 6 years ago with stage III colorectal cancer. Very advanced out of the bowel wall. They did not think they could cure it, but did say maybe remission. I was floored and in tears always. My hubby was a young man, 50. He had been misdiagnosed by several other doctors and it had reached a very large size by the time it was found. It was found by a doctor I did transcription for. This was God's intervention, because I feel this wonderful doctor was put in our lives to save my husband. He came and asked me several times to do his transcription and I was so busy I turned him down, but he was such a nice man, I finally said okay. Well I was talking to him and I mentioned my husband's problem and he said to bring him into the office. This doctor found the cancer on my husband's first visit. We had a wonderful surgeon and a wonderful oncologist. (By the way, all except the surgeon were ESLs so I love doing ESLs now, have a soft touch for them.)
My husband had a very large cancer. They were very concerned. We sought alternative therapies, in addition to traditional therapies of chemo and radiation. He had a 6-hour surgery, blood transfusions twice, blood clots, DVT, abscesses, etc. It was touch and go, I felt. Like being on a rollercoaster. We prayed and prayed. We spent lots of money on alternative therapies that we researched on the internet. Also he had conventional therapy, except had to stop the chemo because of low blood counts.
Well my hubby is still alive today, no sign of the cancer. In the doctor's consultation letter he uses the word "amazing" about not finding ANY sign of cancer during the surgery. Everything was just dead tissue, they could find no viable cancer, just friable tissue. I really believe that with the help of prayer, the angels, God, alternative and natural therapies, plus excellent regular medical treatment, a positive attitude and creative visualization (which my husband also used) that it saved his life. We moved 3000 miles after that cancer to where we always wanted to live in the mountains on a farm, both our dreams. I feel like I am living in heaven. I don't get too worried about what is going on at transcription companies, just do my work, because are so much more important things to concentrate on.
Very little gets either of us down anymore because we learned the hard way what is truly important in life. My three children have their dad still and I still have my husband.
Good luck and I am praying for you. Remember, cancer IS curable.
He died because of his fame. Not enough for you? SM
Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. They do different things that make them heroes to different people. What you really meant to say was that John Lennon was not a hero to you, right?
Cancer - moody as all get-out and
sometimes very touched and concerned about my transcription patients. Even though I know they are totally in another part of the US.
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