A year and four months.

[ShaiHulud]

A point on the Bowie knife and reality. Most of the Bowie knives seemed to be carried by saloon toughs and back alley thugs. In 2001, I was quitting motorcycling after riding for most of a lifetime. But it occurred to me that I had never done a cross country ride. Like from the East coast where I lives, all the way to the Pacific and back. Sooo, I took a leave of absence from my job, (I had a great understanding boss who was my friend) and off I went. From the Maryland Atlantic coast to Bay city Oregon, and back. On the way I did stop at museums, and historic places. Places like the mountain man museum in Rifle Colorado, and Bent's Old Fort in La Junta Colorado, and the winter quarters for the men of the Lewis and Clark expedition on the Oregon coast at the mouth of the Columbia river.

One thing I noticed at these places, especially at Bents Old Fort where it was a major fur trade depot and trapper re-supply, was the absence of Bowie knives. The knives at the trading posts were all a form of plain large old butcher knives. Some were made by British firms, some were from a new American company the John Russell company, some were French in origin. But all were plain wood slab handle 6 to 8 inch thin bladed butcher knives. There was also some plain working folders that were plain friction folders like Opinel's with no locking ring, and a few with simple back spring like simple large slip joint.

These were the famed mountain men. The real Jeremiah Johnsons, not the Hollywood versions. Men who went into the unexplored Rocky Mountains in winter, came out in spring to sell their furs to traders at trading posts or spring rendezvous where they resupplied for the coming year. I didn't see a single bowie knife anywhere. I did see Bowie knives at the Baca House museum in Trinidad Colorado, where a Bowie knife was shown in an exhibit of some local outlaw who knifed and killed a local citizen, and was hung after the trial. I saw a few Bowie knives in the museum at Old Ft. Hays, Kansas, the army cavalry post. They had a few Sheffield made bowies that a few of the soldier carried on the campaign against the Indians, but they were outnumbered by the plain wood handle butcher knives and lots of simple folding knives used by the "Sodbusters" who homesteaded the plains. And most of those folders looked like those recovered from the wreck of the Steamboat Arabia. But it seemed like the humble pocket knife was the main choice on the western frontier, especially after the self contained metallic cartridge was invented.

The only thing I am mystified about is, why a 21st century office cubicle worker or even 21st century anyone, needs more knife than a 1800's pioneer farmer or trapper?

As far as any self defense issues, I'll defer to the high speed operators in the practice-tac forum. I did see one episode of Cops once, where two idiots got into a fight, and one guy pulled a pocket knife and sliced the other idiot really good. Blood all over the place. The cops had the bloodstained knife on the car hood while the cuffed idiot was shoved inside and the other idiot was taken away in an ambulance. It was plain as day when the camera zoomed in. It was a SAK of some kind, with a corkscrew. It had done a serious number on the guy who got cut. A knife is a knife. If it's sharp, it will seriously cut. Doesn't matter if it's a ninja death dealer 2000, or a SAK.

Jim bowie made the bowie knife famous after the sandbar fight and again at the alamo, but if I'm correct. He spent most the battle sick in bed or almost so, after which the bowie knife fell someone out of fashion as a fronteor mainstay, nevertheless an important aspect of thr American frontier. You are correct on the butcher knives, it was a lot easier to grab a big knife from the kitchen and make a sheath for it. The knife industry knows collectors outweigh users mostly so they are pushing the envelope with lots of their models, if they keep the limited edition models, limited edition colors, and change up the knife in terms of designs, it's really a bottomless pit as you can't collect them all, but people try

 

[Daedric Panther]

Gave my classic a little spa day after work. The handles have become stained with tire bead sealer, the springs gummed up, tape and paint residue on the blade, some light scratches, but no damage. Damn thing is still going. It’s undoubtedly sharper than my zt which I credit to the ease of which SAK steel sharpens. I don’t own any fancy sharpening equipment just a few oil stones, I can touch up the classic every week or two in less than 10 minutes. I still find myself wanting a bit more handle, and more capable screwdrivers for when I’m out and about away from the shop. I’m still tempted to pick up a tinker or a Spartan as my sole carry knife but between the stories told here and the way my life has changed recently I find myself almost uninterested in modern super steel folders. I like my zt, but if I lost it tomorrow I’m not sure I’d go out and drop $350 on another.

 

[ShaiHulud]

Gave my classic a little spa day after work. The handles have become stained with tire bead sealer, the springs gummed up, tape and paint residue on the blade, some light scratches, but no damage. Damn thing is still going. It’s undoubtedly sharper than my zt which I credit to the ease of which SAK steel sharpens. I don’t own any fancy sharpening equipment just a few oil stones, I can touch up the classic every week or two in less than 10 minutes. I still find myself wanting a bit more handle, and more capable screwdrivers for when I’m out and about away from the shop. I’m still tempted to pick up a tinker or a Spartan as my sole carry knife but between the stories told here and the way my life has changed recently I find myself almost uninterested in modern super steel folders. I like my zt, but if I lost it tomorrow I’m not sure I’d go out and drop $350 on another.

That's the spirit, it takes wisdom and experience to be where you are as read in this post.
tape residue is the worst, for me anyway and I always pinch pull it off or pick it off with My nails before really putting knife away because the residue will just work it's way inside one way or another. Zero tolerances perform but they are indeed expensive, I can't find myself able to justify a 0235, in my mind, I'd rather own a couple pioneers. If you had the recruit, Spartan and tinker I think you'll find those three models perfectly represent the swiss army knife. I wish they'd make more daypackers though

 

[lonestar1979]

Butcher knives is what was used on frontiers...that was most practical,and still is,even for so called bushcraft,despite the tactical bowie craze etc...btw,friend of mine got stabbed 3 or4 x twenty years ago,by victorinox spartan...

 

[lonestar1979]

Yeah,in tactical or self defense situation SAK can definitelly do the job,all depends on person using it,even small classic....btw,large locking saks arent any worse for defense than any high end tactical folders,and are even better for that purpose than many,with spear point blades that pierces almost same as dagger,and cuts really well with their thin grinds.Large saks cut and stab better than 99%of tactical folders on market!

 

[Murphy Slaw]

, the days of the big city may be numbered - at least for those who can afford to leave them.

The conditions that led to the development of major cities, for the most part, don't exist today in the same way they did, due primarily to the advancement of technology.

Essentially, we needed to be in close physical proximity to one another in order to access the requirements of daily life - work, communication, procreation, protection, education, etc. The result was overcrowded cesspools filled with people regularly demonstrating antisocial behavior that, I'll concede, have gotten marginally better since the heydays of London, New York, and Paris - at least the sewers are no longer open-air.

The fact that the aristocracy always had access to their secluded country manor houses should be enough to demonstrate that cities were mostly for the poor saps

I've always thought that.

I much prefer living in fly-over America, where we take care of our own problems without calling 911.

I've lived both.

 

[jackknife]

I've always thought that.

I much prefer living in fly-over America, where we take care of our own problems without calling 911.

I've lived both.

I too have tried both and will stay in civilization.

We moved to Trinidad Colorado in the mid 70's, for what we thought was a more balanced life. NO!

The schools outright sucked compared to the schools in the D.C. area. Our kids were studying stuff in the Trinidad schools that they had already covered two years prior in the Maryland suburbs of D.C. The medical system was terrible, and often had to go to specialists in Pueblo, almost 80 miles north, because the doctors in Trinidad were not up to the job.

Shopping prices were nuts. The town merchants knew they had a semi captive audience, and most people we knew would make a weekly trip up to Pueblo for the staples of groceries. And forget getting a car repaired, or God forbid try to buy one at Triangle Chevy, the dealer in town. The car dealers in Trinidad were like the mafia. We went up the road to Pueblo to buy a minivan and saved almost 1,500 dollars.

After two years, we moved back to Maryland so the kids would get a better education to start their life off with. Never looked back. I like the city. I like the amities and museums and art galleries and schools, and medical arena. I like civilization. All three of my kids ended up with college degrees and a good life they would not have had in some little wide spot in the road.

There is a reason that 10,000 years ago, man moved out of the caves and formed the first mud walled villages between the Tigress and Euphrates rivers. People are pack animals for the most part. Creatures of the herd. Yes, there are some that can't fit in and are anti social, but they are the exception to the rule. I don't know whee this idea comes from that people are going back to the land, but it's false. Cities are growing. In just the past 8 years we've been in Georgetown Texas, the town has grown in size greatly. A lot of people are moving here from California, because of the California insane taxes and cost of living. Austin is one of the fastest growing cities in the country, with Tesla, Hitachi, Dell, Sanyo, and other huge companies moving in.

My neighbor had a stroke and his wife saw him go down and called 911, and of that "magic hour" had all of 20 minutes before he was in the ER. He ends up almost 100%, with some stiffness in his right arm and needs a cane to walk now. But if he'd been in some rural area that it would take almost all of that "magic hour" just to get to him, it would have been a lot worse. This is why urban dwellers have a longer life span that the rural folks. Quick access to medical care in emergencies. But not just emergencies. In 2018, my wife of a half a century was diagnosed with breast cancer. The doctors told us if you have to get sick, the Austin area is the area to be, Her surgeon, who was from Cedars-Sini hospital in L.A. and had moved to Austin, was amazing. He neatly reamoved the two small tumors and kept her breast, she had some chemo, some radiation, and has fine ever since. I don't think she's have has such good care in Trinidad Colorado or other small Ville in some remote place.

No, I've tried life in some small fly over place. I went back to civilization. It's what man will always do for the most part. No matter if it was some mud brick village in Mesopotamia or Athens, or Rome, or London, man gets ahead by the pooled resources of the cities. Always has been, always will be. And I've been hearing that "It's all gonna fall apart" crap ever since I was a kid, and it ain't happened yet.

 

[shopdoc]

That's the spirit, it takes wisdom and experience to be where you are as read in this post.
tape residue is the worst, for me anyway and I always pinch pull it off or pick it off with My nails before really putting knife away because the residue will just work it's way inside one way or another. Zero tolerances perform but they are indeed expensive, I can't find myself able to justify a 0235, in my mind, I'd rather own a couple pioneers. If you had the recruit, Spartan and tinker I think you'll find those three models perfectly represent the swiss army knife. I wish they'd make more daypackers though

Everyone has their favorite way to remove tape residue but I’ll tell you those small alcohol wipes work fantastic. The kind you might use to wipe your skin before giving an insulin injection. At work I’m surrounded by alcohol wipes, but I do keep a couple in my wallet for multiple different uses, including getting the tape residue off my knives.

 

[shopdoc]

I too have tried both and will stay in civilization.

We moved to Trinidad Colorado in the mid 70's, for what we thought was a more balanced life. NO!

The schools outright sucked compared to the schools in the D.C. area. Our kids were studying stuff in the Trinidad schools that they had already covered two years prior in the Maryland suburbs of D.C. The medical system was terrible, and often had to go to specialists in Pueblo, almost 80 miles north, because the doctors in Trinidad were not up to the job.

Shopping prices were nuts. The town merchants knew they had a semi captive audience, and most people we knew would make a weekly trip up to Pueblo for the staples of groceries. And forget getting a car repaired, or God forbid try to buy one at Triangle Chevy, the dealer in town. The car dealers in Trinidad were like the mafia. We went up the road to Pueblo to buy a minivan and saved almost 1,500 dollars.

After two years, we moved back to Maryland so the kids would get a better education to start their life off with. Never looked back. I like the city. I like the amities and museums and art galleries and schools, and medical arena. I like civilization. All three of my kids ended up with college degrees and a good life they would not have had in some little wide spot in the road.

There is a reason that 10,000 years ago, man moved out of the caves and formed the first mud walled villages between the Tigress and Euphrates rivers. People are pack animals for the most part. Creatures of the herd. Yes, there are some that can't fit in and are anti social, but they are the exception to the rule. I don't know whee this idea comes from that people are going back to the land, but it's false. Cities are growing. In just the past 8 years we've been in Georgetown Texas, the town has grown in size greatly. A lot of people are moving here from California, because of the California insane taxes and cost of living. Austin is one of the fastest growing cities in the country, with Tesla, Hitachi, Dell, Sanyo, and other huge companies moving in.

My neighbor had a stroke and his wife saw him go down and called 911, and of that "magic hour" had all of 20 minutes before he was in the ER. He ends up almost 100%, with some stiffness in his right arm and needs a cane to walk now. But if he'd been in some rural area that it would take almost all of that "magic hour" just to get to him, it would have been a lot worse. This is why urban dwellers have a longer life span that the rural folks. Quick access to medical care in emergencies. But not just emergencies. In 2018, my wife of a half a century was diagnosed with breast cancer. The doctors told us if you have to get sick, the Austin area is the area to be, Her surgeon, who was from Cedars-Sini hospital in L.A. and had moved to Austin, was amazing. He neatly reamoved the two small tumors and kept her breast, she had some chemo, some radiation, and has fine ever since. I don't think she's have has such good care in Trinidad Colorado or other small Ville in some remote place.

No, I've tried life in some small fly over place. I went back to civilization. It's what man will always do for the most part. No matter if it was some mud brick village in Mesopotamia or Athens, or Rome, or London, man gets ahead by the pooled resources of the cities. Always has been, always will be. And I've been hearing that "It's all gonna fall apart" crap ever since I was a kid, and it ain't happened yet.

You can’t discount being close to good medical care, and being close to a hardware store (because I have to go three or four times whenever I have a home improvement project. The last two trips are to fix mistakes I made in the beginning…). I can tell you as a medical professional it is critical to get to the hospital quickly for strokes and heart attacks. You just have to find the balance that works for you. I could never be a big city person, but I’m fine with the suburbs. I have plenty of Metroparks and an airport 45 minutes North so I can get the hell away from people if needed.

 

[SteeleJ1976]

I too have tried both and will stay in civilization.

We moved to Trinidad Colorado in the mid 70's, for what we thought was a more balanced life. NO!

The schools outright sucked compared to the schools in the D.C. area. Our kids were studying stuff in the Trinidad schools that they had already covered two years prior in the Maryland suburbs of D.C. The medical system was terrible, and often had to go to specialists in Pueblo, almost 80 miles north, because the doctors in Trinidad were not up to the job.

Shopping prices were nuts. The town merchants knew they had a semi captive audience, and most people we knew would make a weekly trip up to Pueblo for the staples of groceries. And forget getting a car repaired, or God forbid try to buy one at Triangle Chevy, the dealer in town. The car dealers in Trinidad were like the mafia. We went up the road to Pueblo to buy a minivan and saved almost 1,500 dollars.

After two years, we moved back to Maryland so the kids would get a better education to start their life off with. Never looked back. I like the city. I like the amities and museums and art galleries and schools, and medical arena. I like civilization. All three of my kids ended up with college degrees and a good life they would not have had in some little wide spot in the road.

There is a reason that 10,000 years ago, man moved out of the caves and formed the first mud walled villages between the Tigress and Euphrates rivers. People are pack animals for the most part. Creatures of the herd. Yes, there are some that can't fit in and are anti social, but they are the exception to the rule. I don't know whee this idea comes from that people are going back to the land, but it's false. Cities are growing. In just the past 8 years we've been in Georgetown Texas, the town has grown in size greatly. A lot of people are moving here from California, because of the California insane taxes and cost of living. Austin is one of the fastest growing cities in the country, with Tesla, Hitachi, Dell, Sanyo, and other huge companies moving in.

My neighbor had a stroke and his wife saw him go down and called 911, and of that "magic hour" had all of 20 minutes before he was in the ER. He ends up almost 100%, with some stiffness in his right arm and needs a cane to walk now. But if he'd been in some rural area that it would take almost all of that "magic hour" just to get to him, it would have been a lot worse. This is why urban dwellers have a longer life span that the rural folks. Quick access to medical care in emergencies. But not just emergencies. In 2018, my wife of a half a century was diagnosed with breast cancer. The doctors told us if you have to get sick, the Austin area is the area to be, Her surgeon, who was from Cedars-Sini hospital in L.A. and had moved to Austin, was amazing. He neatly reamoved the two small tumors and kept her breast, she had some chemo, some radiation, and has fine ever since. I don't think she's have has such good care in Trinidad Colorado or other small Ville in some remote place.

No, I've tried life in some small fly over place. I went back to civilization. It's what man will always do for the most part. No matter if it was some mud brick village in Mesopotamia or Athens, or Rome, or London, man gets ahead by the pooled resources of the cities. Always has been, always will be. And I've been hearing that "It's all gonna fall apart" crap ever since I was a kid, and it ain't happened yet.

Not to derail this thread but I have lived both cities and farm country and both have advantages and disadvantages. Look at cities like Detroit, St. Louis, etc. some of their emergency services take over an hour or more, if they do come at all. Crime, pollution, and homelessness are more prevalent in large cities. With the internet it is leveling the playing field between cities and rural areas especially with schooling. Some of the disadvantages of rural life you list are true but standing in a corn field can be just as inspiring as a museum or gallery. To each their own though.

 

[Guy McVer]

You can’t discount being close to good medical care

I have become convinced that there is no such thing anymore. Cultural decay and the loss of traditional values has hollowed out the healthcare industry of good people. It is a purely for profit business staffed by moral degenerates. If you look at any hospital for example you will soon discover that all the staff are screwing each other; whether they are married or not doesn't matter. They're all having affairs. The doctors are arrogant rude dismissive jerks and the nurses are just looking to hook up. Private practices aren't much different. Anyone with good morals and a sense of compassion quickly finds their self drained, beaten down, and ready to quit. Nobody trusts doctors anymore and there has been a mass exodus from healthcare over the last decade. The only people who are left are the worst of the worst.

In an attempt to compensate for this we have seen the rise of pseudo-doctors. These are people who went through significantly less schooling to end up becoming Physician's Assistants (PA), which is someone who takes on the role of a doctor without actually being one. They have had to do this to fill the holes left by so many people being driven out of the healthcare industry.

 

[ShaiHulud]

I have become convinced that there is no such thing anymore. Cultural decay and the loss of traditional values has hollowed out the healthcare industry of good people. It is a purely for profit business staffed by moral degenerates. If you look at any hospital for example you will soon discover that all the staff are screwing each other; whether they are married or not doesn't matter. They're all having affairs. The doctors are arrogant rude dismissive jerks and the nurses are just looking to hook up. Private practices aren't much different. Anyone with good morals and a sense of compassion quickly finds their self drained, beaten down, and ready to quit. Nobody trusts doctors anymore and there has been a mass exodus from healthcare over the last decade. The only people who are left are the worst of the worst.

In an attempt to compensate for this we have seen the rise of pseudo-doctors. These are people who went through significantly less schooling to end up becoming Physician's Assistants (PA), which is someone who takes on the role of a doctor without actually being one. They have had to do this to fill the holes left by so many people being driven out of the healthcare industry.

--- at the end of the day, a hospital is just another business and it reflects in their "care" of you

 

[Guy McVer]

--- at the end of the day, a hospital is just another business and it reflects in their "care" of you

Very true, and there is no shortage of horror stories from people receiving horrible, inadequate, and neglectful or even abusive care. But there was a time when you actually had a chance to receive good care from someone who actually wanted to do good for their patients. Those people are all gone now. They were beaten down by an uncaring system and driven away.

 

[Murphy Slaw]

I've been hearing that "It's all gonna fall apart" crap ever since I was a kid, and it ain't happened yet.

Or, some could argue.

It's happening right now...

 

[shopdoc]

I have become convinced that there is no such thing anymore. Cultural decay and the loss of traditional values has hollowed out the healthcare industry of good people. It is a purely for profit business staffed by moral degenerates. If you look at any hospital for example you will soon discover that all the staff are screwing each other; whether they are married or not doesn't matter. They're all having affairs. The doctors are arrogant rude dismissive jerks and the nurses are just looking to hook up. Private practices aren't much different. Anyone with good morals and a sense of compassion quickly finds their self drained, beaten down, and ready to quit. Nobody trusts doctors anymore and there has been a mass exodus from healthcare over the last decade. The only people who are left are the worst of the worst.

In an attempt to compensate for this we have seen the rise of pseudo-doctors. These are people who went through significantly less schooling to end up becoming Physician's Assistants (PA), which is someone who takes on the role of a doctor without actually being one. They have had to do this to fill the holes left by so many people being driven out of the healthcare industry.

A lot of generalization you made there. For close to two decades, I’ve worked in the hospital and in the office setting and I can tell you all of your generalizations are not true. There are still a lot of good medical professionals and support staff out there. Everyone is certainly not screwing each other. It sounds like you’ve had some bad experiences which is too bad. Not to say there aren’t some rude, dismissive doctors. Especially in certain subspecialties. But speaking for us family doctors, most of us are not that way. At least not in my area. I can’t speak for the big cities. I worked in a couple smaller hospitals in rural areas in Ohio and worked with some of the nicest and best doctors and nurses and other support staff. Now insurance companies, that’s a different story.

I had one patient a couple weeks ago that was spewing some of the over generalizations of the healthcare system, just like in your post. Complete nonsense. Accused us of being in the pockets of the drug companies. Couldn’t be farther from the truth. We can’t even accept a pen or pad of paper from the drug companies anymore. Meanwhile, a guy I know that owns a tire business goes on multiple vacations a year sponsored by tire companies.

 

[Guy McVer]

A lot of generalization you made there. For close to two decades, I’ve worked in the hospital and in the office setting and I can tell you all of your generalizations are not true. There are still a lot of good medical professionals and support staff out there. Everyone is certainly not screwing each other. It sounds like you’ve had some bad experiences which is too bad. Not to say there aren’t some rude, dismissive doctors. Especially in certain subspecialties. But speaking for us family doctors, most of us are not that way. At least not in my area. I can’t speak for the big cities. I worked in a couple smaller hospitals in rural areas in Ohio and worked with some of the nicest and best doctors and nurses and other support staff. Now insurance companies, that’s a different story.

I had one patient a couple weeks ago that was spewing some of the over generalizations of the healthcare system, just like in your post. Complete nonsense. Accused us of being in the pockets of the drug companies. Couldn’t be farther from the truth. We can’t even accept a pen or pad of paper from the drug companies anymore. Meanwhile, a guy I know that owns a tire business goes on multiple vacations a year sponsored by tire companies.

I've known several people who worked in hospitals in various positions, and yes they are all screwing one another. Sooner or later they all tell me the same kind of stories. What gets me the most is how the doctors in these stories are often protected when they get complaints, while the more replaceable staff typically get thrown under the bus.

I met a guy not too long ago who's wife, a traveling nurse, has been caught multiple times cheating on him with staff, and other members of female staff had been covering for her on more than one occasion.

You're absolutely right in guessing that I've had bad experiences with doctors over the years. Actually the only one I ever respected quit her job some years back.

 

[shopdoc]

I've known several people who worked in hospitals in various positions, and yes they are all screwing one another. Sooner or later they all tell me the same kind of stories. What gets me the most is how the doctors in these stories are often protected when they get complaints, while the more replaceable staff typically get thrown under the bus.

I met a guy not too long ago who's wife, a traveling nurse, has been caught multiple times cheating on him with staff, and other members of female staff had been covering for her on more than one occasion.

You're absolutely right in guessing that I've had bad experiences with doctors over the years. Actually the only one I ever respected quit her job some years back.

Don’t give up on the medical profession. There’s still a lot of hard-working people out there that genuinely care about their patients. As far as the screwing around, I saw some but not a lot. And I’ve worked in a lot of hospitals. I’ve also seen screwing around in many other businesses, including factories, sales people, on business trips, etc. When I worked multiple summers on the assembly line making transmissions for Honda there were quite a few married people having affairs on their lunch break with other married people.

Most of the issues we are seeing in Medicine have been caused by greedy insurance companies which has led to physicians no longer being able to afford to stay in private practice, having to become employed, being forced to see more patients with little reimbursement. Covid caused a lot of burn out at my particular hospital. All of us took a forced 25% pay cut because the hospitals were losing money. As a family doctor I can tell you we aren’t making the big bucks like some might think. A lot of older physicians retired during Covid further straining the system. Lots more to tell, but what I will say is there’s still a lot of good folks out there and be careful not to generalize.

 

[jackknife]

I have become convinced that there is no such thing anymore. Cultural decay and the loss of traditional values has hollowed out the healthcare industry of good people. It is a purely for profit business staffed by moral degenerates. If you look at any hospital for example you will soon discover that all the staff are screwing each other; whether they are married or not doesn't matter. They're all having affairs. The doctors are arrogant rude dismissive jerks and the nurses are just looking to hook up. Private practices aren't much different. Anyone with good morals and a sense of compassion quickly finds their self drained, beaten down, and ready to quit. Nobody trusts doctors anymore and there has been a mass exodus from healthcare over the last decade. The only people who are left are the worst of the worst.

In an attempt to compensate for this we have seen the rise of pseudo-doctors. These are people who went through significantly less schooling to end up becoming Physician's Assistants (PA), which is someone who takes on the role of a doctor without actually being one. They have had to do this to fill the holes left by so many people being driven out of the healthcare industry.

Bullhockey!

I don't know how old you are or where you are, but this sounds like parroted off drivel. I'm surprised at you Guy, you generally make very good well thought out posts. But this is so far off base I have to call you on it.

I'm a genuine old fart. I've been on social security for a couple decades now, and being an old crock, I have had my share of senior citizen hospitalizations. I've got some non factory parts in me, and the last was just a year ago, when my whole right knee assembly got replaced with a stainless steel and titanium assembly. I spent three days in the hospital with physical therapy starting the day after the operation. The medical personal working on me, and the post op nursing care was more than first rate, it was over the top superlative. The staff went out of their way to make as comfortable as they could, and kept up with all my needs. Asking constantly if I were in any pain, do I need something, on a 1 to 10 scale how do I feel?

The physical therapy people were outstanding. They got me on my feet on a walker the day after the op, and got me started on the road to rehab. Over the next two months, they got me back to better than I was before the operation. They went overboard to get me walking as good as they could, in spite of me not being a great patient. My main therapist, a lady named Diana, worked me, would massage my operation site to keep scar tissue from forming, would drive me when I was going "No, I don't want to do that it hurts too much." She ask me if I wanted to spend the rest of my life walking like Chester on "Gunsmoke" so I'd push it a little more. The post op care was great, and I was left with the impression that these were highly motived medical staff, intent on getting me as good as they could.

My wife's cancer treatment in 2018 was the same. The surgeon who saved her breast and the cancer doctor was outstanding. The people in the chemo place were outstanding. Karen would be feeling ill, but they were right there with a cold Coke over lots of ice for her to sip on while the stuff was dripping into her. They would bring fresh cool pillows and do anything they could to help with the discomfort of the chemo process. We both felt a deep gratitude to them.

Now I'm set to get my left rotator cuff repaired on the 23d of this month. The people at the imaging place I got my MRI at were outstanding. I'm claustrophobic, and freak out in small tight places. They gave me a valium, made me as comfy as possible on the MRI table, with a pillow here and a another pillow there, a pad under my knees, and literally held my hand until the valium kicked in and slid my table into the tube. The MRI lady literally held my hand as I was slid in, asking repeatedly if I was okay. They made the experience that I was dreading, almost pleasant enough that I almost fell asleep in the tube. They had music playing, and kept talking to me over the intercom. I loved them for it.

The picture you paint of the health care professionals is both inaccurate and unfair to the many who are trying to give the best care they can under sometimes financial restrictions of the insurance companies. There are some very great people wearing those scrubs.

 

[Tafkaag]

Marital infidelity is rife in the health care field; that part at least is accurate. When I had a goiter (and my left thyroid) removed a couple years ago, I also got extremely good care. Of course that was my first time under general anaesthesia, and at a university hospital, so YMMV.

 

[Guy McVer]

Bullhockey!

I don't know how old you are or where you are, but this sounds like parroted off drivel. I'm surprised at you Guy, you generally make very good well thought out posts. But this is so far off base I have to call you on it.

I'm a genuine old fart. I've been on social security for a couple decades now, and being an old crock, I have had my share of senior citizen hospitalizations. I've got some non factory parts in me, and the last was just a year ago, when my whole right knee assembly got replaced with a stainless steel and titanium assembly. I spent three days in the hospital with physical therapy starting the day after the operation. The medical personal working on me, and the post op nursing care was more than first rate, it was over the top superlative. The staff went out of their way to make as comfortable as they could, and kept up with all my needs. Asking constantly if I were in any pain, do I need something, on a 1 to 10 scale how do I feel?

The physical therapy people were outstanding. They got me on my feet on a walker the day after the op, and got me started on the road to rehab. Over the next two months, they got me back to better than I was before the operation. They went overboard to get me walking as good as they could, in spite of me not being a great patient. My main therapist, a lady named Diana, worked me, would massage my operation site to keep scar tissue from forming, would drive me when I was going "No, I don't want to do that it hurts too much." She ask me if I wanted to spend the rest of my life walking like Chester on "Gunsmoke" so I'd push it a little more. The post op care was great, and I was left with the impression that these were highly motived medical staff, intent on getting me as good as they could.

My wife's cancer treatment in 2018 was the same. The surgeon who saved her breast and the cancer doctor was outstanding. The people in the chemo place were outstanding. Karen would be feeling ill, but they were right there with a cold Coke over lots of ice for her to sip on while the stuff was dripping into her. They would bring fresh cool pillows and do anything they could to help with the discomfort of the chemo process. We both felt a deep gratitude to them.

Now I'm set to get my left rotator cuff repaired on the 23d of this month. The people at the imaging place I got my MRI at were outstanding. I'm claustrophobic, and freak out in small tight places. They gave me a valium, made me as comfy as possible on the MRI table, with a pillow here and a another pillow there, a pad under my knees, and literally held my hand until the valium kicked in and slid my table into the tube. The MRI lady literally held my hand as I was slid in, asking repeatedly if I was okay. They made the experience that I was dreading, almost pleasant enough that I almost fell asleep in the tube. They had music playing, and kept talking to me over the intercom. I loved them for it.

The picture you paint of the health care professionals is both inaccurate and unfair to the many who are trying to give the best care they can under sometimes financial restrictions of the insurance companies. There are some very great people wearing those scrubs.

I'm glad you've had positive experiences. I'm also glad to hear that your wife received good care as well.

Don’t give up on the medical profession.

Too late for that. I'm afraid of doctors now. My last experience with primary care was so bad that at this point I have basically made a promise to myself that I will never trust a doctor again (or PA, or NP).