New Beginnings

Alot of my liberal/pro-Obamacare/socialized medicine friends, keep referring to this 47 million Americans that are uninsured.

What is the real number?

That is right, maybe 1/2 of that number are uninsured, and even more can buy insurance but CHOOSE not to.

Another thing, how many Americans are happy with their health care?

Surprising, isn't it?

Do we REALLY NEED to change everything ASAP?

Check out the gallup poll website for the real numbers.

From a friend......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqD-nMpsYAY

LEGOs and Health Care Wait Times

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5yxFtTwDcc

National Debt Time Clock

And the blog source.....

http://politicalmath.wordpress.com/

Even has sources.........check it out!

1) Relaxing on G&G Klassen's deck.

2) Hands getting all chubby!

3) BLUE STEEL!

4) 3 weeks old, today!

5) Definitely takes after his dad.


The past 3 weeks have been crazy with Landon arriving and Greg starting a new job in Lincoln. Kaiser has adjusted well and the family is doing great!

Loving the weather this summer!

So, we are trying to ban smoking, across the United States, but we do not want to try and get our own soldiers to quit?

Sounds like a double standard. Yes, nicotine keeps people awake, to fight, but so do drugs like modafinil.

Look at who was/is/could have been Goldman Sachs CEO at the time of the AIG bailout, the Lehmen brothers demise, etc. Amazing! Goldman Sachs is the most protected American entity.

Maybe I'll buy stock! :)

I even pulled that from a liberal magazine, a first for me.

Here is another take!

Please, inform me how the democrats are hiding the taxes that will inevitably fall to the middle class.

Here is an article discussing the plan to tax anyone (including many small businesses) making $350k and up.

Just a little taste of our future:

The Washington Post reports that Darvon and Darvocet will now carry black box warnings, which will help restrict their use. This is after the European Union's "FDA-equivalent" decided to stop the marketing and selling of these products altogether.

With the data on fatal overdoses, why won't the FDA just recommend stopping production?

I'll tell you why. Many doctors see Darvocet and Darvon as appeasement methods, giving patients some form of pain control or satisfying their need for a prescription for such. With the FDA declining to ban these drugs, I think it is more just giving in to the manufacturer, than looking at any data or usage of the drug.

Really, Darvocet is just Tylenol with sugar, and Darvon is the sugar by itself.

Are there any studies proving these drugs are useful in pain control?

Oral Surgeon: Here you go son, I'm giving you Darvocet for your pain from your bone impacted teeth I just removed.

Patient (me): Thanks. I really would have preferred something that works, like Norco or Percocet or Tylenol #3.

Oral Surgeon: Your pain shouldn't be that bad. Only 3 were impacted.

The rest of the week, the bottle of Darvocet remained in the drawer, and I took Ibuprofen around the clock as well as getting a prescription from another doctor for Vicodin due to the pain.

Really, I'd recommend staying away from Darvocet, and the potential for CNS issues as well as pain control problems, and go with Ibuprofen OTC if you can manage (for inflammatory pain). Unless of course you cannot take NSAIDS. (GI, Kidney, other concerns).

The newest acquisition to the family....welcome Landon!
7lb 15oz. 20 inches. Born 732pm, July 6, 2009.

He is quite the mellow fellow so far.

Steve McNair was found dead, of a gunshot wound, victim of a double homicide.

What is with the high-profile deaths this summer?

These are some of the more "dorkier" pictures I could post of Kaiser playing today.
Trying out the new camera, and seeing what action shots we could get.

My wife recently put together a video of our GSD, Kaiser. Who has limitless energy to play tug, frisbee, or ball all day.

I don't know why it took me so long.

26 years to be exact.

Don't wait as long as I did.

From now on, all steaks I order will be medium rare. Do your $20+ purchase justice, and order medium rare. Temperature is what kills any bacteria, not length of time cooking. So put your fears away, and order your next steak medium rare and let the melting steak goodness marinate your mouth.

Firebirds peppercorn sirloin, in Omaha, best steak I have had since I was at the Paxton Chop House downtown. Yummmmmmmmmmmm.

No, I didnt type that wrong.

Apparently, New Jersey is lax on drunk drivers.

As a pharmacist in a hospital (inpatient) setting, medication reconciliation has become one of the most important ways a pharmacist can impact patient care. In larger cities and most level 1 trauma centers a pharmacist staffs in the emergency room. They, along with nurses, are responsible for attaining and verifying any medications the patient is currently taking. Usually this calls for verifying with a home prescription list if available and many times calling the pharmacy the patient fills at. This becomes difficult since many ER patients are not residents of your area, and most use multiple pharmacies. It is important to do this relatively quickly, as hospitalists and primary rounding teams want to order home medications as soon as possible. Getting the corrent medication, dose, and any antibiotic durations are important.

This led me to thinking today as I was driving to work, how much Michael Jackson's medication reconciliation for that poor pharmacist would have been:

Drug Route Dose Last Filled Pharmacy
Demerol IV ?? Never ???????????????
Propofol IV ?? ????? ???????????????
Vicodin PO 5mg/325mg 6/20/09 ???????????????

It would have been a nightmare to try and determine MJ's drugs/dosages/pharmacy. He more than likely got "samples" from personal doctors/friends, or filled at multiple pharmacies via other people getting the prescriptions for him, or under other names/aliases as to avoid public knowledge.

Another thing, recent reports said that investigators have found Propofol at his home, and a nurse discusses this topic.


Propofol is a short-acting IV sedative agent used for induction of general anesthesia for adults. It can be addictive and is NEVER USED at home. Only under the immediate care in a hospital. Every hospital seems to have encountered a nurse, pharmacist, or physician that have abused propofol as a recreational drug.

http://www.rxlist.com/diprivan-drug.htm

It will be interesting to see how this all unfolds.

Everyone has encountered these motorists, or been one of these at some point in their life. I frequently stay in the left lane speeding, or are quick to anger when stuck in traffic between a semi on the right and a 70-something senior citizen out for a sunday/tuesday/thursday drive. Many times these people are actually going the speed limit, but not the flow of traffic-limit as I like to call it.

Looks like Kansas is going to change all that. First time I have heard about a law that will penalize these left laners.