Our meats are better quality, fresher cause they have less distance to travel to our good friends in the UK, Europe & Canada ( and Florida, America)
Spoke briefly to Mrs Steels who says they are seeing some strange skin infections/rashes caused by Covid amongst her patients....weird and random I know, but she says any virus can cause skin inflamations without any of the other symptoms...
Went to the nearby Urgent Care Clinic and for $70 got an appointment with Dr. Javed, a highly recommended New York trained doctor (who my nursing friend Patty respects). So definitely not Shingles, perhaps pool exposure or touching a plant related issue (don't recall anything). Not busy at 10:30am, I was first in line to see Dr. (so I missed our game, still don't know result) Dr. Javed gave me two shots at $50 a pop (so $100) and 4 prescriptions filled for $60, three pills and a 2.5% Hydrocortisone cream - Patty said this would have only been $20 at Publix Pharmacy, using GoodRx generic discount codes, but I did that clinic pharmacy a little business.). Now he wanted to also do allergy testing (like my Mother I have exposure to extreme cold Urticaria and take a daily 24 hr Claritin anti-histamine to control that, issue was worse after eating Pizza (the cheese?) and walking home on a cold NB night in February would exacerbate the issue (hence Florida for 6 months now in retirement), allergy testing not necessary. Dr. also wanted to run full blood tests, which I declined and my nursing friend, Patty, said was unnecessary. So for an expenditure of $230, which hopefully I can partially claim back from Blue Cross upon my return to New Brunswick, Canada. Dr. Javed on the same trip also refilled my chloresterol, blood pressure and Celebrex prescriptions for 3 months and phoned them into Publix Pharmacy where I can fill them all for around $55. So a pretty productive Urgent Care Clinic trip, I think I got good bang for my buck with Dr. Javed. He also wants to see me again in week (at no extra cost) to check me out before I drive to California for that wedding leaving Thurs Feb 16th. He even discussed my soccer injury to my ankle last summer in PEI at a so called "friendly" family game, where my partner's niece went in for a strong challenge, missed the ball, and drove her foot into my Achilles heel, so 7 months later, not ankle no longer hurting, but still a little swollen and Dr. Javed said it could take a year to fully heal, so all set for the upcoming summer family reunion soccer game on PEI....definitely not with that wild crowd!
....so 2-1 to Millwall at HQ, shocking, so we're now relegation fodder or destined for mid table mediocrity, better I spent my time at the Urgent Care Clinic rather than following the game, not sure if it was even on ESPN to watch on our wonderful 65" curved TV screen!
Sorry, this is none of my business, but that sounds like gross over medication which is typical for the US, and financially driven. If he doesn’t know the cause of your rash, standard medical practice would be to approach it with one medication at a time before trying combinations, especially that number of combinations. Now if you do get better you will have no idea which of these medications did the trick and if it comes back you’ll get the whole regime again, at great cost to yourself and your state insurance system. If he’s prescribed you drugs which aren’t on the formulary in New Brunswick (and many drugs available in the US are not reimbursed at provincial level in Canada) will you still be covered?
Well so far so good. This Urgent Care Clinic doctor, Dr. Javed, was recommended by a close friend, a retired senior nurse, with a master's degree. He was trained and previously practiced in New York. The bummer was that my Credit Union issued Canadian Debit or Debit Mastercard, or my partner's BMO US$ MC did not work on the front desk payment machine so had to use US cash, which I was saving for any emergencies on our Florida to California wedding road trip, leaving next Thursday, 2700 miles there and same back. Because of this I had to pay $50 + $50 so another $100 cash for the two shots that I've written down the names of. Then magically the credit card of my partner worked at the clinic pharmacy for the three drugs and 2.5% Hydrocortisone ($15 each so $60). Dr. Javed also took time to discuss my soccer ankle ligament injury sustained last summer. He also wrote three 90 day prescriptions for my blood pressure, Chloresterol and Celebrex medications that will cost $64 to fill at the Publix Pharmacy, using the GoodRx codes ($1000 without codes), would be $45 CAN using my Blue Cross Medicare card, so pretty competitive for generic versions of these drugs.I have kept all the receipts and drug names and will attempt to claim them from Blue Cross on my return to NB Canada before end of April. Cannot stay longer than 6 months as you then lose your NB Medicare resident status and it takes 3 months to re-apply. Now Dr. Javed also wanted to do allergy testing for my rash, but I know I suffer from Cold Urticaria that causes hives wheels, especially after exercise after heavy eating an drinking, but is totally controlled without the side effects of early anti-histamine drugs with a daily Claritin, Lorendine? drug 50% cheaper in Canada if I use the generic version from the Superstore grocery store Pharmacy. So all in all I feel this money well spent yesterday. Dr. Javed always wanted to do a full blood test workup.
Definitely on the mend, rashes are looking much better today after the two shots, 3 meds and 2.5% Hydrocortisone cream ($15.00) can get 1% Cortisone cream OTC ($3.99). For a week from dry skin to worsening rashes on both upper thigh/buttocks sides I was home treating by applying prescription Lamisol (my partners) and Athletes Foot ($13.99) creams, that kill bacteria. So I believe yesterday was an experience of money well spent, plus I got my prescriptions re-filled for 90 days, for $64 with GoodRx generic drug codes, without codes $1000), plus Dr. Javed said to come back and see him Wed before taking off to California, at no $70 usual set appointment fee. Just prescription refills cost $70. Perhaps given better treatment because Dr. Javed knows my nursing friend Patty, who recommended him. Another similar Urgent Care Clinic, further way, has a set visit fee of $150, so this one $80 cheaper.
Wow. I think you are demonstrating a massive cultural difference between North American healthcare and the European version, even for seniors. Most of us, over here, would not think of ‘value’ as anything to do with out of pocket costs (which are capped for those of working age and non existent for kids, the elderly and those with chronic illnesses), and certainly we wouldn’t measure success by the number of different medicines prescribed for a single ailment. So, with your self treatment, you have used a total of 8 different medicines on this rash, for which there is no proper diagnosis (could be an allergic reaction to chlorine, could be eczema, could be psoriasis given your joint pain). I think this course of treatment would be the definition of insanity for most European doctors or pharmacists. The one that is working is probably the hydrocortisone cream, especially if one of your jabs was a steroid, because it treats a lot of symptoms of skin problems regardless of cause. Yep, the cheapest one. A fantastic demonstration of why 50% of global pharmaceutical profits come from the US, high prices and over prescription (from a European perspective). Is Dr Javed a dermatologist?
I have a friend with Parkinsons and suspected dementia and has a bit of money tucked away She has been worried about feeling tired (see is 75) She has been 3 times to Harley street...consultation, blood tests, results consultation. She is vitamin D and B12 deficient and several thousands pounds lighter. Who would guess that in the Uk in winter and old woman would be vitamin deficient....She says she feels better though
Did her GP refer her there (if so he/she should be the recipient of a severe Chinese burn) or did she self refer?
Self refered obviously, as the GP was not taking her "seriously". The GP has referred her to a NHS neurologist (actually now about a year ago), and that is working its way through slowly, she has a diagnosis of Parkinson's, but as yet not officially of dementia (although as you know Parkinson's and dementia can be bed fellows). I do wonder if the incipient dementia is fuelling the trip to Harley Street
The two $50 shots were Cortisone & Steroid, mixed in same injection into my left arm. Now Dr. Javed (recommended by a senior, very educated, masters degree nurse here from New Jersey living in our condo complex) was New York based prior to coming to Florida. Don't know his specialization, if any. For another $400 he would have liked to have done complete blood tests and allergy testing. I had it my head that I had Shingles and leaving for California next Thursday for a 5,400 mile round trip drive to California for a wedding I wanted to be at my best before leaving, so that certainly motivated me in the treatment course I took, and my partner supported me it the decision I made (actually I planned to just talk to the pharmacist at Publix and show my ugly rash photos, but my partner insisted we go to Dr. Javed to hopefully quickly resolve issue, which to be the case right now) I see a Shingles vaccination at Publix Pharmacy is $70, likely free in NB, Canada so I will likely wait until my return before end of April for that. The Hydrocortisone 2.5% cream is twice a day (morning & night), I thought I would supplement that though the day (after swimming etc.) with the the OTC $3.99 Publix hydrocreamplus product 1% Hydrocortisone Antipruritic (anti-itch) with 12 moisturizers with Aloe for itch & rash relief enriched with vitamins A, D & E (this info off box).
I’m no medic but I would suggest you chat to a pharmacist about the wisdom of adding the 1% steroid cream to the prescribed 2.5% and the two steroid jabs. One side effect of overuse of steroids (eg hydrocortisone) is thinning of the skin. Glad it’s working though.
