The Vent

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

Hospitals are not here to make ya better, there here to make $$$$

Not so sure, but I've had a few appointments lately, and compared to Quebec's Medical services (where they have no time to see you even if you waited 6 hours), I feel like sometimes they do a little more than necessary. Ok they want to cover their bases and avoid any lawsuit, and ok it's not a bad thing for the patient, but still...

On Sunday I got bit by a cat at work, and because his teeth cut through my skin, I had to go to the treatment center. Here's what they did:

- cleaned the wound

- flushed with 1000 mls of saline (It's a tiny hole, deep, but nonetheless small and the saline was just flowing on my fingers)

- 3 different views of X-rays of my hand (to make sure there is no pieces of tooth)

- Tetanus shot (even if I was current with a shot in 2002, they say the more the merrier)

- 10 days of Antibiotiques (which was the ONLY reason why i went to the treatment center....)

So do I believe that they are trying to make $$$$ ? Kinda

You're right Mephys. When bro' was doing residency first thing he learned was just do the tests, for legal reasons do the tests regardless if they are indicated or not. Animals have really dirty mouths, almost as bad as human mouth. Sad but true.

Well, I can say a couple of things about that...

1. I got a bad blister while in Canada the first time I was there, so I had no choice but to see a doctor at a clinic. He opened it up, cleaned it with silver, gave me a tetanus shot, and medication. Perhaps he didn't make me do any tests like x-rays, but they didn't have those available at the clinic either (from what I could tell, if they did, he would've done it). All of this was performed by the so-called "always wonderful, never bad, government-run Canadian healthcare system that doesn't perform unncessary tests" too. Go figure.

2. From the studies I've seen in recent years, it's a myth to say that the mouths of animals are cleaner than human mouths. That doesn't mean you'd want to get bitten by either, but let's look at this logically. Animals lick their genitals, their rears, and anything they tend to see. Humans, on the other hand, generally don't do this (at least quite as often) and most of hopefully brush our teeth, floss and use mouthwash. I'd have to say, just off-hand, that the average human mouth is probably a little cleaner than the average animal mouth.

Animals tend to have more bacteriostatic factors in their saliva, except for the Komodo dragon and a few others that are mucho toxic. I'd like to think that most people who are likely to bite you believe in a modicum of oral hygiene especially after licking their genitals.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

So do I believe that they are trying to make $$$$ ? Kinda

this logically. Animals lick their genitals, their rears, and anything they tend to see. Humans, on the other hand, generally don't do this (at least quite as often) and most of hopefully brush our teeth, floss and use mouthwash. I'd have to say, just off-hand, that the average human mouth is probably a little cleaner than the average animal mouth.

Yeah, especially as we get older. We're just not as limber as we used to be.

Speak for yourself.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!!

Jesus Mary and Joseph!!! I was just outside watering my potted plants. When I opened the sliding door to come back in, A FREAKING LIZARD RAN INSIDE!!!!!

I just stood there and went Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!!

Ran around after him for a bit. More Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhs!!!! (The neighbours were probably thinking I was crazy at this point.)

When I couldn't herd him out the door, I ran and got a container and chased him around with that for a while. Little ba$tard ran and hid under the furniture so I was pulling that stuff out into the middle of the living room with super-human strength. Thankfully I was finally able to corral him into a corner and scoop him into the container.

Jaysus.

Sorry, I realize it was a terrifying experience but when I read this I was laughing so hard, I nearly choked.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

My non-humble opinion, which I tried to conceal for a couple of days since it is quite poignant and I tried to let my anger cool to no avail.

The health care "system" in the US is at best, a bad joke. We have had nothing but grief from the "professionals" who would look over Bren. Financial gain is the name of the game here; and I find that disgusting - screw the patient and show me the money. We have an excellent benefits package; but nonetheless the common attitude of 'docs' around this area is so arrogant and impersonal I want to cry. But at least we have insurance. I cannot but feel for all those who cannot possibly afford insurance, and hence have to get sicker and sicker and sicker, until yes, they're about to freaking die and THEN someone will 'kindly' see them. Inhumane. Freaking dogs are treated better at shelters than the working class and the poor at a "health care" facility.

end of vent... for now.

Lots of those "healers" here in Toronto too unfortunately. We at least have a safety net, unlike most places in the US. Oregon and Hawaii have rudimentary social nets in place but I'm not too familiar with the shortcomings. Been in a few animated discussions with conservative types about the front-end loading of healthcare resource allocation versus palliative, chronic and acute care model that is currently extant in the US. Let me assuage your fears by reassuring you that no furniture was upset during the discourse.

[L_n_O 3]

Sometimes your SO pisses you off so much you just want to scream!

*end vent*

[Krikit 1,164]

Sometimes your SO pisses you off so much you just want to scream!

*end vent*

What the heck kind of a vent is that?!! Where's all the gory details? Hmmph. Darned nice Canalien.... living up to expectations. sheesh

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

Sometimes your SO pisses you off so much you just want to scream!

*end vent*

What the heck kind of a vent is that?!! Where's all the gory details? Hmmph. Darned nice Canalien.... living up to expectations. sheesh

Did it have anything to do with the toilet seat, inquiring minds want to know.

[L_n_O 3]

nothing specific

just pushing my buttons and wanting to leave the house by myself and not see his face

so instead I decided to take a nice hot bath despite it being 72F or 22C by candlelight and brood by myself

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

nothing specific

just pushing my buttons and wanting to leave the house by myself and not see his face

so instead I decided to take a nice hot bath despite it being 72F or 22C by candlelight and brood by myself

Just as long as you didn't decide to Bobbittize Ollie.

[L_n_O 3]

nope

he gets nothing!

not even the gift of hearing my voice

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

nope

he gets nothing!

not even the gift of hearing my voice

Good move, if it's one thing men understand it's silence from their SO.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

nope

he gets nothing!

not even the gift of hearing my voice

Good move, if it's one thing men understand it's silence from their SO.

AAAAWWWW my baby girl is learning how to be a b1tch, just like me

I am so proud of you Liz I could

[DeadPoolX 9]

Animals tend to have more bacteriostatic factors in their saliva, except for the Komodo dragon and a few others that are mucho toxic. I'd like to think that most people who are likely to bite you believe in a modicum of oral hygiene especially after licking their genitals.

That's assuming the animal has been given a chance to let those bacteriostatic factors work and take effect. Let's just assume, for a moment, that Rex, the neighborhood pit bull, has decided one sunny afternoon that he absolutely must spend the next 20 minutes licking his genitals and then sniff another dog's #######. Rex is having a great day; in fact, he's having such a wonderful day, that when he happens to see a jogger pass by, he immediately leaves the dog whose rear-end he's been harassing and chases after the runner, catching up to him and chomping him on the leg.

Conventional wisdom would claim that Rex's mouth is cleaner than a human's (had a person decided to bite the jogger), but looking back at what had just transpired before the aforementioned bite, it might make sense to believe that the dog's mouth in this case is not that clean. Maybe a dog's mouth can clean itself faster than a human's mouth in the same given time frame (that much, I'd believe), but if a dog has been sticking his nose who-knows-where and licking-who-knows-what, it's highly unlikely anything you receive from that mouth and tongue will be very cleanly.

nope

he gets nothing!

not even the gift of hearing my voice

How do you know he's not enjoying the silence?

[trailmix 77]

Just went and bought a vacuum at K-Mart, after 10 minutes the little wheel thing broke. darn.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

Animals tend to have more bacteriostatic factors in their saliva, except for the Komodo dragon and a few others that are mucho toxic. I'd like to think that most people who are likely to bite you believe in a modicum of oral hygiene especially after licking their genitals.

That's assuming the animal has been given a chance to let those bacteriostatic factors work and take effect. Let's just assume, for a moment, that Rex, the neighborhood pit bull, has decided one sunny afternoon that he absolutely must spend the next 20 minutes licking his genitals and then sniff another dog's #######. Rex is having a great day; in fact, he's having such a wonderful day, that when he happens to see a jogger pass by, he immediately leaves the dog whose rear-end he's been harassing and chases after the runner, catching up to him and chomping him on the leg.

Conventional wisdom would claim that Rex's mouth is cleaner than a human's (had a person decided to bite the jogger), but looking back at what had just transpired before the aforementioned bite, it might make sense to believe that the dog's mouth in this case is not that clean. Maybe a dog's mouth can clean itself faster than a human's mouth in the same given time frame (that much, I'd believe), but if a dog has been sticking his nose who-knows-where and licking-who-knows-what, it's highly unlikely anything you receive from that mouth and tongue will be very cleanly.

Let's take a look at your scenario. Dog licks itself and sniffs a fellow dog's ####### and then it bites you. The speed of propagation of bacteriostatic factors is faster in the dog since he has been licking himself for 20 minutes and, unless he suffers from xerostoma, there is plenty of saliva there. Dogs germs are bad for...dogs, not people. Dogs live in ####### and so the enzymes in their mouth are much more attuned to the garbage they live in. Thus Rex doesn't get sick since his body kills off what could make it sick. Men don't live in such conditions and their mouths aren't attuned to oral flora of other men. Now if you have a clean man who gargles like Jerry Seinfeld, then I'd let him bite me. I'm still going to get a few anit-viral shots but if you have Henry Kissinger bite me then I'm going with broad spectrum prophylaxes. Human bites tend to be deeper and cat bites are the worst because of the bacterial cocktail (Pasteurella, etc.) and the penetrating power of the feline dentition. Humans tend to have Staph and Strep organisms. Staph Aureus in the bloodstream can cause inflammatory response in the heart, joints, etc., leading to all manner of difficulty. MRSA is new problem we have to deal with.

Having all this in mind, you should seek medical advice if the skin is broken (dog, cat human, camel?) and try to avoid people who bite.

Just went and bought a vacuum at K-Mart, after 10 minutes the little wheel thing broke. darn.

That really sucks. WHich brand and model so we can avoid it.