Augie
The Fart Meister
Posts: 491
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Post by Augie on Jun 20, 2006 21:08:46 GMT
Hi folks,
This is a companion thread to my "Augie's Future" thread.
As many people know, I have been suffering from a VERY severe case of chronic Lyme Disease since May 1990. I have been seriously ill and seriously disabled for the past 16 years because of it.
Our knowledge of chronic Lyme Disease (cLD) is in its infancy. Medical science only knows about 2% of what it should know about cLD. It is a very poorly understood illness. It is very debilitating. It is very frustrating for both the patient and the doctor. Imagine a jigsaw puzzle consisting of 100 pieces, and 98 pieces are missing. This is what it is like from the doctor's point of view trying to treat a cLD patient. Doctors do NOT want cLD patients, and many doctors will refuse to treat them. A doctor would rather have 1,000 patients with a common illness (high blood pressure, sugar diabetes, high cholesterol, etc.) than have just 1 cLD patient.
LD is literally re-writing the medical books. LD has stood the entire established mainstream medical community on its ear.
It is VERY difficult for a doctor to deal with a cLD patient, especially if they have never had one before. They have to take everything they learned in medical school and everything they learned in years of practicing medicine and just throw it out the window. And they must learn how to be a doctor all over again. It's not easy. Most doctors just don't want the aggravation and the headache of dealing with a cLD patient. They have to go thru that "learning process". It's like a rookie quarterback learning the NFL.
Augie
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Augie
The Fart Meister
Posts: 491
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Post by Augie on Jun 20, 2006 21:22:48 GMT
Hi folks, In 1990, I belonged to an HMO (and I still do). It is the SIMG/SIPP/HIP center on Clove Road in Staten Island, NY. My primary care physician (PCP) at that time was Dr. Ramanathan. I don't want people to think that he wasn't a good doctor, because that wouldn't be true. It's just that, in 1990, he was VERY misinformed about LD - as most doctors were (and still are). I was something like the 15th person to be diagnosed with LD in SI, NY. I was Dr. Ramanathan's first LD patient, along with Richard Lynch (we both got sick at the same time). Rich is a sort of hero to me (more on that below). Dr. Ramanathan used to talk to me about Rich all the time. I guess you can say that Rich and I "educated" Dr. Ramanathan, and we "straightened his ass out" . We certainly took him on a hell of a ride. I don't think that Dr. Ramanathan will ever forget either one of us as long as he lives. He just retired about a week ago. Augie
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Augie
The Fart Meister
Posts: 491
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Post by Augie on Jun 20, 2006 21:40:55 GMT
Hi folks,
I want to talk about Richard Lynch in this post. He is a hero to me. I have a lot in common with him. We both got sick at the same time, we are both still seriously ill, and we both saw many of the same doctors.
Back in the early 1990s, when Rich was a patient of Dr. Ramanathan, he used to "entertain" everyone at the SIMG center. He would yell and scream and curse in the waiting room. Then, in the exam room, he'd do the same thing to Dr. Ramanathan. The door would be closed. But Rich would curse so loud at Dr. Ramanathan and yell the word "f**k" so loud that the people in the waiting room heard him thru the closed door. He'd be f**king him up and down. He would yell the word "f**k" numerous times so LOUD that people heard him in the next county.
Then, Rich would go to administration at SIMG, and he'd yell and scream and curse at the women there. He'd be f**king them up and down (very loudly). Believe it or not, the women in administration actually liked Rich, and they spoke very highly of him. A few years ago, these women were speaking to my father. They praised Rich as a pioneer. Because of what Rich did (and the way he did it), he got services approved for other LD patients in the future. These are not my words or my father's words. These are the words of the women in administration at SIMG.
Augie
(continued in next post...)
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Augie
The Fart Meister
Posts: 491
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Post by Augie on Jun 20, 2006 21:54:07 GMT
Hi folks,
Rich was a true pioneer who blazed a trail for all LD patients. Every LD patient in SI, NY (and elsewhere) owes Rich a BIG "thank you".
Rich took a hit for all of us, just like Dr. Burrascano took a hit for all of us in 1993 when he "crashed the party" uninvited (he was deliberately dis-invited) and gave his Congressional testimony. Dr. Burrascano took a lot of flak for that. And he has constantly been attacked, ridiculed, and harassed ever since then.
Rich, I don't know if you will ever see this (I have a feeling that you will). I want you to know that you were a hero to me. Back then, I wanted to do what you were doing, and I wanted to emulate you. But I was just a kid, and I was so sick. You were a lot older than me. You blazed a trail for me and made things so much easier for me. I want to thank you for that.
Augie
(continued in next post...)
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Augie
The Fart Meister
Posts: 491
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Post by Augie on Jun 20, 2006 22:26:29 GMT
Hi folks, Rich, I know that you are an environmentalist (I am too). And you are always fighting to protect it. I often see you in the newspaper. I want you to know that you really are making a difference in peoples' lives. Keep up the good work. Go get 'em, Rich! Well, now it's my turn to "start making some noise". Only this time, the stakes are much higher. I am taking on Pres. Bush himself (and Christian Conservatives too). Rich was often in the media (newspapers, TV, etc.) in the 1990s. He was right about 85-90% of the time. That's pretty impressive for an illness such as cLD that is so poorly understood. I remember back in the early 1990s, there was a story in the Staten Island Advance (our local newspaper) about Rich. He was discussing his cLD, his life, his symptoms, his future (or rather, his lack of one), etc., etc. The author of that story (the reporter) gave it a rather humorous title. The headline read : "He's Either a Prophet or a Madman". I think he was a prophet. Maybe Rich is John the Baptist, and I am Jesus Christ. Augie
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Augie
The Fart Meister
Posts: 491
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Post by Augie on Jun 20, 2006 22:45:41 GMT
Hi folks,
My current PCP at SIMG/SIPP/HIP is Dr. J. Patel. I like him. He's a good doctor. I picked him. I wasn't assigned to him. He is very intelligent, and I respect that aspect of him. I have seen some doctors in the past, and they didn't know their ass from a hole in the wall. I don't know how they ever got thru medical school. But Dr. Patel knows what I'm talking about when I see him.
We don't always agree. In fact, we disagree more than we agree. We have had some pretty animated discussions in the past. But I respect his intelligence. You don't know how reassuring it is to have a doctor who at least knows what the hell you are talking about.
I could tell that Dr. Patel had never had a cLD patient before - at least none as sick as me. He had to go thru that "learning process". I got into a few fights with him in the beginning, but that is expected in this situation. I also got into numerous fights with Dr. Ramanathan, so that's "normal". Dr. Patel is behaving now. He's being a "good boy" now.
Dr. Patel is the doctor who discovered my osteoporosis. I had a routine chest X-ray done. He noticed that 2 of my vertebrae (back bones) were fractured. He ordered a bone density test. It came back positive (a -2.5 result). I take prescription Actonel and calcium pills for it. This is what happens to people who are near-bedridden invalids for 10-12 years. They develop osteoporosis from lack of activity.
Augie
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Augie
The Fart Meister
Posts: 491
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Post by Augie on Jun 20, 2006 22:57:13 GMT
Hi folks,
My infectious disease (ID) doctor is Dr. Ram S. Nair. I love him. He is the greatest. He is like the "perfect doctor" (if there is such a thing). He is very intelligent, and he knows what the hell he's talking about. He has a great personality and bedside manner. He's extremely compassionate. He has a great sense of humor. He is VERY humble (especially for a doctor). He is open-minded.
With the possible exception of Dr. Visconti (who I really don't know), Dr. Nair is the ONLY ID doctor in SI, NY who is treating cLD patients the proper way. Every other ID doctor in SI (including Dr. Deeptha, Dr. Glasser, Dr. Martinez, etc.) is treating cLD the WRONG way.
Dr. Nair is the person who convinced Dr. Ramanathan to cooperate with Dr. Burrascano and treat me the proper way. If it wasn't for Dr. Nair, Dr. Ramanathan never would have cooperated with Dr. Burrascano. And I would have been f**ked!!!
Augie
(continued in next post...)
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Augie
The Fart Meister
Posts: 491
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Post by Augie on Jun 20, 2006 23:10:09 GMT
Hi folks, Dr. Nair is such a great guy. He is the type of person that, even if I had met him under different circumstances (even if he wasn't my doctor), I'd still want to be friends with him. He's a "cool dude". Dr. Nair would be comfortable "hanging out" with middle class / working class, blue collar, American (non-Hindu/Indian) people. Dr. Nair strikes me as the type of person that, if someone were holding a farting contest, he'd want to be one of the contestants. Dr. Nair sits on the board of directors of the Hindu temple here in SI, NY. He is a deeply religious person, but you would never know it from the way he acts. Every time I see Dr. Nair, I have a constant, steady, low-grade fever. Richard Lynch does too. Dr. Nair is always in awe of this fact, and he's a little amused by it too - partly because it gives validation to the "chronic, persistant infection theory" (which he and I believe in). Augie
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Augie
The Fart Meister
Posts: 491
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Post by Augie on Jun 20, 2006 23:23:48 GMT
Hi folks, Dr. Joe Burrascano practices medicine in East Hampton, NY. He is a self-proclaimed (is there any other type?) "Lyme Disease specialist". He was very famous until a few years ago. Then, he fell off the face of the Earth. I don't know what happened to him. I was his patient for 8 years (1992-2000). He literally saved my life. I would be dead if it wasn't for him. I owe him my life. If I gave him $1 billion, it wouldn't be enough to re-pay him for what he has done for me. He is one of the few doctors in this country who is willing to treat cLD patients the proper way (with long-term, high-dose antibiotics). He has taken a lot of heat from other doctors for his treatment methods, but I am convinced that he is right. His medical ideology is like the Bible to me. I would have followed him into hell. The government wants doctors to treat cLD the WRONG way. If the government finds out that a doctor is treaing cLD the right way, they harass and attack him. They punish the good ones (the ones that are treating it the proper way). These doctors have constant threats to their medical licenses. In 1993, Dr. Burrascano "crashed the party" uninvited and testified before Congress. He did it for LD patients. He stuck his neck out for us when no one else would. He took on the entire established medical community and the AMA. He paid a terrible price for it. Ever since then, he has been under constant attack from the government and from other doctors. They have been relentlessly attacking him and harassing him ever since. On 2 different occasions, the government went to his office and seized his medical records. He was under investigation by the NYS Health Department's Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC) for a LONG time (more than 10 years). It was the longest OPMC investigation in NYS history. It was all bullshit. He did absolutely nothing wrong. The government was just harassing him. At one point, the government contacted some woman to testify against Dr. Burrascano. Not only did this woman NOT testify against Dr. Burrascano, but she actually testified in favor of him and against the government. It turned into a real "circus". Dr. (Perry?) Orens is another doctor who practices medicine in Suffolk County, NY (like Dr. Burrascano). He also specialized in the treatment of LD. The government found out that he was treating cLD patients the proper way, and they revoked/suspended his medical license. He lost his right to practice medicine in NYS. It was all bullshit. He did absolutely nothing wrong. I got into 2 fights with Dr. Burrascano over his office policies and staff issues. The latter caused me to cease to be his patient. As I said above, I never had a problem with his medical ideology. Augie
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Augie
The Fart Meister
Posts: 491
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Post by Augie on Jun 20, 2006 23:37:17 GMT
Hi folks,
Way back in the beginning of my illness (1990-1992), I saw a HIP-affiliated rheumatologist in SI named Dr. Goldstein. He is a great doctor and a great guy. He's a really nice guy. He has a great personality and bedside manner. He was VERY helpful to me in the early years of my illness. He also had a hand in convincing Dr. Ramanathan to cooperate with Dr. Burrascano. I want to thank him for that.
Dr. Caro was an opthamologist at SIMG. I think he is retired now. He was a really nice guy too. He had a female relative in NJ who had a severe case of cLD. She went to Dr. Burrascano for treatment, and he helped her tremendously (just as he did for me). Dr. Caro spoke very highly of Dr. Burrascano. I used to enjoy talking to Dr. Caro.
Augie
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Augie
The Fart Meister
Posts: 491
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Post by Augie on Jun 20, 2006 23:57:36 GMT
Hi folks,
Okay, enough about the "good doctors". Now, I want to discuss the "bad doctors".
Dr. Pekler was a cardiologist at SIMG. I think he just retired within the past few weeks. I used to get into a fight with this guy EVERY time I saw him. There wasn't one time that I saw him that I didn't get into a fight with him. He had a horrible and nasty personality. He had an ego complex. He talked down to people. He was very condescending.
He was very, VERY ignorant - to the point of ridiculousness. This guy perfected ignorance to an art form.
Every time I saw him, he would hurl insults at me and certain doctors. He had NASTY things to say about doctors who dared to treat cLD patients the proper way (Dr. Nair, Dr. Burrascano, etc.).
He spoke very highly of doctors affiliated with the ALDF (who I despise with a passion).
Dr. Pekler was just an incredible, tremendous asshole. I'm so happy that he is no longer at SIMG.
Augie
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Augie
The Fart Meister
Posts: 491
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Post by Augie on Jul 5, 2006 18:14:38 GMT
Hi folks, Dr Deeptha is the chairman of the Infectious Disease (ID) department at St. Vincent's Hospital here in Staten Island, NY. I saw her back in 1991. I got into such a fight with her. She is an asshole and a stuck-up conceited bitch. She is just completely, totally, flipped-out, head-over-heels, madly in love with herself. She thinks who the f**k she is. She thinks her shit doesn't stink. She could use a lesson in how to be more humble. She is a dumb retard, and she doesn't know her ass from a hole in the wall. She should know what her own fellow Hindu/Indian doctors are saying about her behind her back. Her ears must ring and ring. They can't f**king stand her. In all the years of my illness, I have never heard another doctor say nice things about her or compliment her. She insulted me and every other LD patient. She also insulted Dr. Burrascano. She caused me to delay seeing Dr. Burrascano because of what she said about him. This is probably one of the main reasons why my body is in this condition now. If I had ignored her comments about Dr. Burrascano, I would have seen him sooner, and I probably wouldn't be in this mess now. She said the following statement about Dr. Burrascano to me (I have a photographic memory): "The only reason why he gets away with what he is doing is because he is dealing with Lyme Disease. If he were dealing with any other illness, his medical license would be revoked, and he would be barred from ever practicing medicine again in NY state." Dr. Deeptha fails to realize that the only reason why Dr. Burrascano is doing what he is doing is because he is dealing with LD. If he were dealing with any other illness, it wouldn't be necessary for him to be doing what he is doing. I guess Dr. Deeptha is too f**king stupid to figure this out. Is Dr. Deeptha also opposed to giving chemotherapy and radiation to cancer patients? If not, then she is contradicting herself - along with 98% of the doctors in America. Even further evedence of her retardedness was that she didn't know where Dr. Burrascano practiced medicine. I told her that he was in Long Island, but she kept insisting that he was in NJ. At one point during my visit, we were discussing Dr. Burrascano's treatment regimens (the use of long-term, high-dose antibiotics to treat cLD). She said to me, "Oh, Lyme Disease is nothing." (and that is a direct quote). She trivialized LD. I have been sick as f**king hell for 16 f**king mother f**king years, and this f**king c*nt whore bitch is telling me that "LD is nothing" !!!!!!!!!! And she is the chairman of the ID department???!!!!! I'd like to bump into her some day. I'd like to give her a piece of my mind. She will hear some "intertesting" vocabulary words. I'll make such a f**king scene that the cops will be there. They'll be dragging me out in handcuffs. And I'm not f**king kidding. People (especially doctors) should think twice before they hurl insults at people (patients and other doctors). Augie (continued in next post...)
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Augie
The Fart Meister
Posts: 491
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Post by Augie on Jul 5, 2006 18:25:51 GMT
Hi folks,
The culmination of her stupidity occured at the end of my visit. Throughout my entre visit, she kept repeatedly insisting (VERY emphatically) that I did NOT have LD. At the end of my visit, she suggested that I try a 6-12 week course of Suprax (a very powerful antibiotic).
When she suggested that, I was surprised. I said to her, "If I don't have LD, then why do you want me to take Suprax?"
She just looked at me with this blank stare, like a deer looking in headlights. She couldn't give me an answer. I stumped her.
I think she is a disgrace to the medical profession. I don't know how she ever became department chairman.
Augie
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Augie
The Fart Meister
Posts: 491
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Post by Augie on Jul 5, 2006 18:38:50 GMT
Hi folks,
Dr. Martinez is an ID doctor in SI, NY. I saw him several years ago, and I got into a fight with him. He is a nice guy, and he has a nice personality. But we had vastly different views regarding the diagnosis and treatment of cLD.
I got into such a fight with him. There was a lot of yelling and screaming. At a few points during my visit, I saw sweat dripping down off of his bald head. Did you ever see those Bugs Bunny cartoons where Bugs and Yosemite Sam are fighting and firing cannons at each other? Well, that is what this office visit was like.
At one point, his partner (doctor) must have been standing outside the closed door. I guess he was wondering what all the commotion was about (fighting, yelling, screaming, etc.). Dr. Martinez got up to leave the room for a break. As soon as he opened the door, the other doctor said, "What the hell is going on in there???!!!!!" Dr. Martinez replied, "Oh, I feel like I just lost 50 pounds!!!"
Augie
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Augie
The Fart Meister
Posts: 491
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Post by Augie on Jul 5, 2006 18:52:41 GMT
Hi folks,
Dr. Glasser is an ID doctor at SIUH hospital in SI, NY. He's another asshole.
I never saw him as a patient, but I had problems with him. Way back in the beginning of my illness (Fall 1990), my PCP (Dr. Ramanathan) called Dr. Glasser. Dr. Glasser gave him bad advice.
He insulted me and every other LD patient. He insulted Dr. Burrascano. He said that Dr. Burrascano "went off the deep end". Maybe that's why I like Dr. Burrascano so much and why I got along with him so well. I "went off the deep end" too (a long time ago). These types of things do have a tendency to happen to people who have bacteria attacking their brains for 16 years. My "descent into madness" began in May of 1990. As Bruce Dickenson of Iron Maiden likes to sing: "Can I play with madness?!!!"
Back in the 1990s, he wrote several assholic and retarded articles to the media about LD. He didn't know his ass from a hole in the wall. Fortunately, he stopped doing that. I guess he realized that he was making an ass out of himself.
A few years ago, I met a few people in Dr. Nair's office. They were previous patients of Dr. Glasser. They had nothing but bad things to say about him. Dr. Glasser insulted them too. They loved Dr. Nair. Need I say any more?
Augie
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