Damn.

Prescribing gap may leave blacks in more pain

Study shows minorities are less likely to get narcotics from ER doctors

Emergency room doctors are prescribing strong narcotics more often to patients who complain of pain, but minorities are less likely to get them than whites, a new study finds.

Even for the severe pain of kidney stones, minorities were prescribed narcotics such as oxycodone and morphine less frequently than whites.

The analysis of more than 150,000 emergency room visits over 13 years found differences in prescribing by race in both urban and rural hospitals, in all U.S. regions and for every type of pain.

That article makes me feel kind of sick.

Today's ER visit went well. The doctor is familiar with me, and apologised for not knowing my dosages off the top of his head, and let me dictate how much of each medicine, narcotic or not. It was a very successful mission, and I'm pain free and comfortable right now, while not under the influence, which is my modest goal.

The last visit started out with reluctance, but I ended up with a doctor who trusted me personally, and another who just wanted to know, from my lips, what worked in the past so he could duplicate it.

I don't want to malign either of the hospitals--the prevalent concern of me stopping breathing is a laudable one. I just don't know why sometimes it's complicated and sometimes it's not.

I'm pain free and comfortable right now

Lots and lots of this in 2008. Helpful doctors are a good thing, a real solution would be a better thing.

but I ended up with a doctor who trusted me personally, and another who just wanted to know, from my lips, what worked in the past so he could duplicate it.

My dad seems to have worked very, very hard at making his computer run like it's on dial up.

I tried to plug my laptop into his cable, and NADA. Nothing. No dice.

WT Fucking F?

Reason number 12,657 to flee, yo. I just want to download a movie. I'm bored and need to do something to prevent me from screaming.

in an attempt to prepare for my first day back to work tomorrow. i think i'm going to bed early. wish me nyquil coma!

Allyson, can't you dl things on your Touch? does no one have wifi you can snag to use iTunes and buy a movie?

That article makes me feel kind of sick.

As it should. Maybe you should try a more posh accent next time?

No wifi as far as I've been able to wander, tiggy.

Seriously, I'm just...why???? I'm so miserable. I can't use up two weeks vacation time being miserable. I'll explode. This was dumb. Maybe I can go home on Sunday and then I'll have some quiet time to write and chill out.

differences in prescribing by race in both urban and rural hospitals

I heard a blurb about this on the news radio this evening (not NPR), and the summary included a couple of speculations as to why. Blah blah unconscious (or conscious) racism, blah blah lack of empathy, and then:

"Or it might be that white people just whine more when they're in pain."

I think it was meant sardonically, but really, I couldn't say.

That article makes me feel kind of sick.

What really surprises me is why wasn't this found out earlier? Couldn't a simple statistical analysis of ER treatments have revealed this years ago?