Mental Illness

I work at a psychiatric facility. I love it. I love the patients who are here. I give and get lots of love and hugs. Mental illness can happen to anyone. ANYONE. A good number of our patients have degrees from Doctrate on down. Alzheimer's does not discriminate, nor does manic depression, bipolor disorder, or schizophrenia. What can you do when someone you love is mentally ill and will not get help? Nothing. Wait. Hope. Pray. Now of course, I am speaking of someone who is NOT a minor. If you have a minor child who you suspect is suffering from mental illness, GET HELP NOW,(cutting, cycling manic behavior with severe fatigue, auditory or visual hallucinations, chronic(continuous) sad mood). I suspect that someone I love is mentally ill. At 22 years old he has the worst case of anhedonia(the inability to feel pleasure in anything, including the things that used to give you pleasure such as food, sex, shopping, hobbies)I have ever seen. He cycles up and down. I asked him last week if he would please get evaluated and diagnosed. "No drugs" says he. I get that. I also see that he has absolutely no joy in his life.I am trying to get a chance to ask him if he is having any hallucinations, auditory or visual. He is honest and would tell me the truth. There has just not been a private moment to talk. He is not a danger to himself or others, for now. So, our hands are tied, for now. I hope it doesn't get tragic before we can get him to seek help. I also hope that mental illness will someday not carry the stigma it does now so that those who suffer (and I DO mean suffer) from it can openly seek help.

Medical Professional

Kim at Emergiblog has linked me as a "Medical Professional". (oops, it was, in fact, "Medical person of interest" which is just as good). It actually brought tears to my eyes when she did that. I have done my job (and loved it) for three and a half years now. When I worked at home I didn't feel all that professional because most days I never made it out of my pajamas and ate my meals at the computer. Oh yes, I worked from rise till bed,my precious husband bringing me food, especially during this time of year when everyone had met their deductibles and were flocking in to get whatever stuff done that they wanted to go on their insurance before January. I felt like a shlep. Then I came to work for "The State". I thought it would be a glamorous job working for a big hospital. However, I found that most of the people here think that transcription is just "typing". I have actually been referred to that way. "Oh that's kim, she's the typist." I am pretty sure I have commented on this before. When I "just type" I have to know what the term/disease/medication is, how to spell it, what it means, what amount of medication is within certain parameters (i.e. had a doc prescribe 1000 mg of Risperdal q d last month, I HAVE to know that Risperdal is given in dosages of 1-4 mg per pill. To be given most likely once or twice a day.) This is my job. I know meds that I type, I know diseases, I know that there is no such thing as Regular N insulin. I know these things so that when doctors are tired and have to dictate 20 to 30 notes on the patients they see and make a mistake that they do not hear, I am there, I gotchur back doc. My docs know this, but my bosses do not, so I make a below poverty wage working for the state. I AM a MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL, and I love what I do. Just wish the place I work for would recognize it.

Christmas Song meme

Fat Doctor has tagged everyone who reads her blog for this. List your five favorite Christmas songs.
mine are:

1) Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel
2) Hark the Herald Angels Sing (God and sinners reconciled! Wow, that is so huge!)
3) Silent Night.
4) Mary, Did You Know?
5) Angels We Have Heard On High.

I tag Kim at emrgiblog and Kat at Kat's Meow and you, if you read this, I tag you!


You thought I was joking when I said I was calling in dead. I wasn't. Still dead. Flaming sore throat. Ear Ache. and just finished a course of Omnicef, Tessalon Perles, and Lodrane for ear infection, bronchitis, and strep. GAH! So what is it now? Never got my flu shot as they never came in. (we signed up here at work so we wouldn't have to take precious company time off to go get one. Pshshshshshshshsh) Will post again when I ressurect. No I don't want pity, just sleep.

Choices?

I had three choices today.

1: Go to work so that I would not lose the paid day off I had yesterday for Veteran's Day. Also, get paid for today.

2. Stay home in bed and get well and lose pay from Friday, Monday, and today

3. Go to the doctor exposing all the people in her waiting room to my cold germs, which by the way there is no cure for so it would just be to get a note for permission to stay in bed where I should be, lose today's pay but maintain Moday's and Friday's pay.

So I made the choice that would pay the bills. I am here at work, getting dirty looks from my coworkers, locked in my office with a can of Lysol, and not losing my pay. I took a Sudafed and the buzz should keep me going until I drive home where I can go back to bed. Tomorrow, I'm calling in dead.

I hated Government in school. I squeeked by with a D or D+. Hey, I wanted to be a wife, take care of a home and children. Let my husband tell me how to vote, I wasn't really interested. By the time I became interested, I had no idea how it all worked. Yeah, sad sad sad. Politics still looks like this to me.


Diving in to untangle it seemed impossible. Quite something that I now realize that there is corruption from all sides, not just theirs. I am entering into a time to educate myself now. I still find it dry, boring, and maybe I am just afraid to face the actual state of a World that has an unbiblical world view. It all seems so simple if "What Would Jesus Do?" were the creed that politicians followed.

Awww man!!! Dr. GC has turned into Dr. Human Being. RATS. What am I going to complain about now!!! He came into my office yesterday and said.... are you sitting down?......"You were right and I was wrong. I'm sorry." I figured I griped about him before so I needed to tell you when he was being the bigger man and apologized. Yes, I am really humbled. I'm sorry, Dr. HB.

I just signed another person's blog with my name all in caps. How self important is that? Sorry KAT! The shift lock was engaged. DOH! and I type for a living....
I love all my docs. I may have gotten off on the wrong posting foot with that last post, but really, my docs are the BEST. They are funny though, and that is what keeps this blog so interesting.

Here are some of my favorites:
Neurologist: ....he was seen by ....tch tch tch....hmmmmm...Dr. SOMEBODY!

GP: *dictates pat name*...."what the heck was that all about?!!!!"....."Ohhhhhhh, that's not good!!!!" (hahahaha he has just gotten his new digital dictation system. Don't worry, had nothing to do with a patient.)

Physiatrist: "Ms. so-and-so is NOT compliant with meds, physical therapy, or follow up visits.*in very disgusted voice* At this time I am DISCHARGING her from my care. I'll see her back........er.....*muttered under breath* when hell freezes over!"


They are delightful, and human. I love them!!!

Dr. God-complex

I never know how far back to go in the history of my relationship with Dr. GC. Let it just be said that he USED to be a pretty good doc from what I hear. Now he has retired three times and has no business practicing. Dude is totally senile. They rub his bald head and tell him how cute he is. UGH. So he storms into my office today and asks why there are so many blanks in his dictation.
Me: Well that would usually mean I couln't understand what you were saying or once again, you were shuffling pages by your mic (we have discussed this habit of his, A LOT).
DGC: No why are the AXIS I, II, and III blank.
Me: Oh. Ok. Because you didn't dictate them.
DGC: Yes I did, they were in my notes(the notes he uses to dictate from. The ones that he, and ONLY he, sees.
Me: Blank look.......Were they highlighted in the copy I gave back to you? (My indication of something not being dictated)
DGC: Yes, why didn't you type them?
Me: Because they weren't on the tape, you didn't dictate them.
DGC: The tape must have cut off and I dictated them when it was off.
Me: Weeeeellllll.......I can't type what isn't on the tape.
DGC: But, I dictated them!
Me: They're not on the tape though...
DGC: But, they were in my notes!!

Yeah. He's a jewel. Oh and I'm the stupid one.

Lurking

I have been doing a lot more lurking than actual writing on Blogger. I am here at work, and you would think I would have lots to tell (darn HIPPA laws). But when I'm not super busy, I just seem to want to read. I love all the blogs posted to the right. I am facinated by them.

ANTS MARCHING had a blog sometime back about Victorian times. She has lots of blog entries, and I read almost all of them, although I am much more a Dr. Carter fan. She stated that it was a more beautiful time. She also stated that they had Laudanum, to which I have to reply "We have Ultracet!" I do not have a pain med addiction, I will use the Ultracet anywhere to once q six months to once a week, depending on the pain at the moment. My favorite saying about Ultracet is "Yes, my neck still hurts, BUT I DON'T CARE!" It is the only thing that has worked and still allowed my to type a progress note that makes any sense. Works for me.

Monday....again

Ok, It's true, I've had my new keyboard for some time but my muse has not been visiting me lately.

I started my transcription career three years ago and my first docs were a wonderfully clear spoken neurologist from here in the South, a physiatrist from Austria, and an NP from who knows where. Guess who gave me the most trouble?

I don't know why NPs take three pages to say what MDs take a paragraph to say, but it was explained to me by one that their documents are more closely scrutinized, and they leave nothing, and I mean abosulutley nothing, to chance. Every single vital sign. Every single testing sign. It once took her three minutes to dictate vital signs, all which were "within normal limits". I liked her, she was just really long winded. Add to that, she would save up a week of dictation and download it all and expect it back in 24 hours. Nope. Not happening baby.

So the first time I sat down to do her transcription, I didn't know that our company had a "dumping" policy. i.e. if you only "dump" once a week, then we (the transcriptionists) have a week to get it all back to you in one day incriments. You dump 3 hours of dictation a week, we have to get back to you at least 36 minutes a day. This is so that our other doctors are not paying or being pushed back due to a dumpers lack of diligence in dictation. They download daily, they get their transcription back daily. So, I get this three hour dictation from her. I finished my other doctors and got started on her. I was up until 3 a.m. at which point I had just finished an 18-minute note, hit the wrong key, and deleted it all. I literally cried. I was so exhausted, and at that point I still thought that it had to be in by 6 a.m., and this was NOT the last noted she had dictated. I tell you, I was ready to QUIT and go work at Wal-Mart. I finally got her done, called in to the office, and told them I was not working that day, Friday, that I would do all of Fridays transcription(which was due in on Monday) on Saturday. My boss called and let me know that I had just completed a weeks worth of work and to take it easy. I think I cried all morning from exhaustion. Then my mom IMed me and let me know that my dad had just died. I cried all after noon too. Such was my introduction into medical transcrition. It got better.

Dear Blogspot

I have not forgotten you. I am just waiting for my new keyboard so that posting is not like pulling out fingernails. I will be back as soon as it comes.
Love,
Me

Not such an angry woman any more

When I started out this new blog, I was really REALLY angry. That has settled down, and now I find I don't have as much to say as I used to.

I am a medical transcriptionist. I started out my career about 3 1/2 years ago after getting out of college, a two -year stint I did here in the middle of the South. I didn't know what I wanted to do for a living 5 1/2 years ago, so I went in and told the counselor that I wanted a job where I type. A lot. That's all, just type. He put me in the medical office program. It didn't dawn on me until my second semester that he was telling me to be a transcriptioinst. What he didn't know was what a really crappy transcription program the college had. REALLY !!! I am the only one I know of that is actually doing medical transcription. Most of the others went on to do something not medical office related at all. I met one lady at Wal-Mart last week that opted to stay home and live off the state. Now before you jump my case about assistance and how some people really need it, this is the same lady that NEVER did an assignment, cheated on every test, and took elementary business math three times and talked on her cell phone through each class. She was a nice girl, I liked her a lot, she was funny and friendly, but girlfriend was LAZY. But, I digress. I didn't find out until I graduated how hard it is to break into the MT field. No one wants to hire a transcriptionist right out of school unless they have taken a program specifically designed to teach MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION, probably because quite a few of them have come from a program just like the one I did. I learned about 5% of what I needed to know to be a transcriptionist. The other 95% I learned from my employer. Yep, I got a job. Before graduation in fact. There was an ad in the paper stating "Top Dollar For Experienced Medical Transcriptionists!!" I called the number and asked the lady how much they would pay the inexperienced. She thought that was pretty funny, gave me a chance, and taught me what real transcription was all about. Digital transcription is a whole different ball game. I loved it. I worked with her for about 2 1/2 years. In that time I tried to decide if that was what I really wanted to do. I wasn't very fast and seemed to always be making mistakes involving things I should have learned in school. About the end of 18 months, I tried a different job with her that caused me to finally give my notice. It was data entry into the Electronic Medical Records. It was a nightmare. I got paid by the entry. However, I had to be on hand to do the job between 09:00 until..... which means until the doctor sent in the work, the transcriptionist typed it, and the proofer proofed it. Sometimes this meant I worked 12+ hours which equated to less than a $1 an hour. If I decided to leave the work at 5:30 to do the next day, it would get pulled from my computer and sent to the other girl who was doing the same job as I was, money out of my pocket. The doctors had all been assigned transcriptionists, so I left for another job. That lady and I are still friends, I just needed to make more money. I now work for the state of ** at a psychiatric nursing facility. The hours are good, the pay is paltry, but I love my work, I go home at 5:30, and I have NEVER had to cancel plans because of work. I am going to be using this blog to tell about transcription, and to clarify in my own mind if I want to look for another position with better pay.

I deleted my comments!!!! DOH!!!!

I had two lovely people leave me comments the other day, and I deleted the post with the comments and lost the two lovely people! Now I have no way to go back and find out who they were.

Lara

My best friend has gone to the ER. Maybe she'll see charity doc AKA fingers and tubes in every orifice(check out his blog), but I dobt it. I would feel so much better if it were so. She's been sick for two weeks now. They gave her Decadron on Friday and today she showed up to paint. I knew I should have told her no!! I knew it!!! But she looked so good! She said she was almost 100%! She called at about 9:30 and asked me to come spend the night with her girls. Hubby and I are here in the guestroom while I await word from them. I am so worried about her!!!

Painting Day

The rental is coming along nicely. The cat poop is all but a distant memory and faint lingering smell that the paint should finally eradicate along with the smoke that has been scrubbed off every surface that can be washed. When the carpet is taken out and the new carpet and vinyl put down, it should smell new.
Let me tell you about the neighbor across the street.
When the renters skipped out, they didn't just leave an inheritence of filth, cat poop, debris, and their baby girls toys (don't worry, they didn't leave any of their precious dope behind with the 10 containers of used cooking oil). They left 5 cats. A mama and 4 kittens. Totally wild, but I knew if they were hungry enough we could get them in a carrier to take to the shelter. The woman across the street came over and after offering us $5000 for our house (appraised at $75,000, and she was so offended when we didn't jump. NO LIE!!!) she told us she had been feeding the cats in our carport. I told her to stop. She says, "I can't watch them starve!!!" I said, "then take them home to YOUR house and feed them, or else don't look!" And, she replies, "I don't like cats!!" So, she proceeded to sneak food over every night after we went home. Needless to say, the cats would not go in the carrier as they were just not that hungry. So my best friend takes the dishes she left behind (she's a really BRIGHT lady) and walked across the street, threw the dish in her yard and shouts THIS HAS GOT TO STOP!!!! So after that, we find the dishes in the ditch in our front yard, and Lara keeps throwing the dishes in the garbage. They were nice tupperware dishes too. I guess the lady finally got tired of losing her dishes. I don't know what finally happend to the cats, we never were able to catch them.