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[KBCraig]

I have many strong political opinions. After all, I am a state representative currently holding office. And in my private sector job, I'm "essential" in a very essential industry, so I'm working more hours than ever before.

But I don't share those opinions here. SDC, and SDCFans, are not places where we should feel divided. This is where we come to share what we love in common, and all our memories from over the decades.

Let us all do all we can to help those who need it. Be a good neighbor. Check on your elderly folks and others who are feeling especially vulnerable and isolated. Keep your distance, wash your hands, and do your best to carry on with life as best you can while being careful for everyone's sake.

[runner1960]

Joy, Jemmicat, Hang in there. I too am agnostic and Anti Trump. Seems like someone is always trying to slyly get their political views into this forum but I just disregard the ignorance. I wonder how many of them will accept the socialist government check they are about to get. 

I have found out you can enjoy SDC and Branson without worshiping the GGG. Just skip all the pandering patriotic , religious stuff and go your own way. Best of luck to you.

I mean you could go the other way with that and wonder how many of the Never-Trump people will accept the check that was made possible by the bill he signed into law.  See just as stupid to spin it that way.

Sorry, Mitt Romney was the first senator who proposed the payment. The senate wrote the bill and it was passed by the house and senate. All Trump did was sign it.  The entire thing is just a socialist program.

Bye Joy!  Do you liberals really think your Dementia patient Biden would be better?  Lol!

LMAO, Have you heard Trump try to make a beautiful complete coherent sentence ?

[shavethewhales]

I'm going to ban anyone else who takes cheap political jabs. It's one thing to point out bias, but attacking other users is way over the line. Let's just avoid bringing up politicians or right/left from this point forward.

This is supposed to be a light-hearted site, and though this particular thread is a serious discussion, let us stay focused on the coronavirus itself and the immediate implications of our healthcare system.


400 people died yesterday in the USA from confirmed COVID cases. The numbers are still on pretty much a vertical climb nationally.

[Swoosh]

400 people died yesterday in the USA from confirmed COVID cases. The numbers are still on pretty much a vertical climb nationally.

Yes but how many have recovered after testing positive for COVID-19? That's the important number and one that will not get reported.  Not because of any political bias, but more so because hospitals are not required to report discharged patient numbers. 

Yes it is a big health crisis.  No it's not as bad as it is being reported.  No that doesn't mean you shouldn't take proper precautions. 

[History Buff]

I keep hearing people with these numbers.  One politician says 800 people died on Thursday.  A website says 400 died yesterday.  Yet the total deaths in the U.S., according to the CDC, remain at around 1250, still less than a 1.5% mortality rate.  Of course, that number changes daily, but to remain consistent, that's where I check for them.

Here's another article to add to your research, this one from the decidedly left-leaning NPR:
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/27/821958435/why-death-rates-from-coronavirus-can-be-deceiving

[pintrader]

Here is a site that is very trusted and I presume accurate about Coronavirus cases, deaths and recovered.  It is updated daily.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

[shavethewhales]

Yes, I've been checking worldometer. Not sure they are 100% accurate, but at this point I assume any numbers are conservative estimates anyway. Lots of "a really bad flu w/ pneumonia" going around... I hope the antibody tests will reveal that it went farther than known and more people have gotten over it already.

The numbers aren't too scary yet, I'll give you that, but it's like a tsunami that you can see coming from miles away. Hospitals are already stressed in many areas and the wave is just beginning to hit. It's worth noting that the current total daily death count will put us far over a bad flu year, so there goes that comparison finally and unfortunately. Still a small percentage, but what everyone is worried about is what happens when the system collapses.

Heard there is a raging debate about how to decide who gets a ventilator when they run out. There will be endless lawsuits if someone is denied due to being elderly or disabled, but who would you choose: a 5 year old or an 80 year old? The US won't be able to make any blanket statements like Italy to decide who gets one due to civil rights laws. I'm not sure if that is a good or bad thing.

[legoerosion]

A bit of an oddball question about the park and COVID-19, since the park had to push their opening date back, do you think they're taking the time to catch up on some essential projects around the park, and will Mystic's construction be ramped up? I say that because my high school is currently remodeling and adding on a fine arts to the school, and construction has been ramped up 105% due to no kids being there.

[chittlins]

Much has been made of Italy it's death rate. Turns out Italy, particularly Northern Italy always struggle with flue and respiratory illnesses. The media has ignored this phenomenon that has been studied.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971219303285?fbclid=IwAR0_ekjpMZnQT4PKdvI9h_ffBSHNDw3Qi-yR6rwptFQ-wOpp32Kehd7pMb0#bib0050

And Joy's comments about our health care system is misinformed. Our system is asked to much more than those with "better" systems. Most countries that rank higher than us are much smaller and waaaaayyyyyy more homogeneous . The quality of care is just franking fine and our specialist are astonishing but as long as you have a social welfare system that gives out money (SNAP) that you can buy sugary soda and junk food, you'll have way more issues our system has to deal with compared to others. Our system is asked to do way much more than other systems and that is because of our societal choices and our vastly different mix of people.  Our health care isn't the problem but our lifestyle choices.

[Jemmicat]

While I don't agree with everything Chittlins said, i do agree with a lot of it. We, as a country, create most of our own health problems. We are, in general, a very obese country and I believe that is the cause of many of our health issues. Whether it be diabetes or heart disease or the myriad of other issues that come with that. I say that as someone who is currently overweight! I had a health issue 10 years ago that messed up my lungs and I gained 100 pounds. I recently lost 60 pounds but I am not as small as I used to be. According to research, I am "average" clothing size for a woman in the US and going into any Wal Mart that seems ike maybe I am a bit smaller. Anyway, although research shows that I am slightly over average in the UK, I can count the number of people I would say are obese on maybe both hands in 3 trips - and 2 of those I spent extensive time in London. They seem healthier. They walk everywhere. As I do when I am there. They think nothing of a mile or 2 walk to get to a train whereas we here will jump in a car to go 2 blocks. The food portion size there is mostly smaller. And it is REALLY hard to find soda with sugar. Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper... all were sugar free. At McDonald's, you have to pay an extra 15 cents to get Coke classic with sugar. I had far more fast food while there than I have had in a year plus as I was stuck in a hotel and could not cook.

In my area, cigarettes are $5 a pack... over there they were $12 a pack... I actually just started smoking in the last 8 months (don't ask) and it got real expensive to do that there. We make it cheap enough that it is easy to afford for most people. And I am fully aware of the health issues that come from smoking. But at $12 a pack, there is a real pain point. It hurt every time I bought a pack and I will be rethinking that life choice.

We have made poor food and health choices easy and cheap. And I am as guilty as the next.

But another thing I noticed there is people seem to keep themselves together better as they age. If you look on say Tinder here and I restrict myself to the age I am, there is not a single person within 5 years that I would consider dating. I look much younger than I am and usually date girls considerably younger (16-18 years). But there, the people my own age look like girls in that 16-18 year younger than me range. There does not seem to be as much of that middle age spread that happens here. Is it because of food choices or the exercise or ? I don't know. But it seems to be true - even in the small northern towns.

We've made poor life choices easy and cheap and our medical system takes the brunt of it

[chittlins]

I have a bit of a different perspective. Over the past two years my son has had a condition called ITP. It is quite the mouthful but it is basically a very low platelet count. We have had many visits to various doctors, all great till we have settled with a specialist at Childrens here in NWA. His latest count was 116k which is the first time he has been over 100k since this has started. But anyway, at the beginning it was bruising easily and had some other little signs. I took him to our primary care office. And she did all his vitals and stuff but we asked for and got a blood workup. In anfewbminutea she was back in our exam room telling us he had a platelet count of 41k and if it had been any lower, she would have sent him straight to the hospital. We were refered to an oncologist and in Highlands the very next day and we had Bone marrow biopsy less than 24hrs later. In no other health care system, the speed in which these things happened, especially a socialized system like the NHS in GB. We were told that that by Doctors that spoke well of those systems. You forget that the Gov't just replaces the insurance company but the same kind of red tape exists, the cost thing is baked in the cake and that is the biggest complaint in the US.  Back to my son, we had to have a regular regime of a kind of inclusion that is something chemo patients get, the cost was astronomical (200k). The Dr office applied for various grants and things for our son and we never paid a dime outside of our regular office co pay. The treatment wasn't as successful as we hoped but it did get his numbers from as low as 27k once to regularly in the 80k range and with new signs of them improving more. We are told it is still because of these treatments he was getting this time last year due to half lifes and such. This treatment would have taken months and months to have been approved in most other countries.  When out Drs wanted to di something, it happened in short order.

I remember when I went to the same PC office 25 years ago, for my sinuses, while there I showed a spot on my forearm that was itching, she immediately biopsied it and within a week I had a skin cancer diagnosis, a ct scan and surgery scheduled to remove it and to biopsy my lymthnodes to see if it had metastasized. I got the best news and my outcome was great but within a span of a couple of weeks, I was getting cleared by my oncologist for no need for chemo. Only in America would this have been as speedy.

Being from Memphis, I'm very aware of the types of people that come here for treatments. Steve Jobs and the Saudi Royal family have gone to Memphis for specialized cancer treatment. Tell me there are some sharp tacks on the job there.

[Jemmicat]

Chittlins... agreed on the speed here for the most part. From what I have been told, people in the UK buy a supplemental insurance to speed things up. But from what I was also told, you still have to go to NHS GP first

I have heard, but not experienced it, that the medical care in Springfield is a bit lacking... and things that would be no big deal anywhere else are misdiagnosed or just not handled quickly here. Thankfully, I have not experienced it.

And it is great you were able to get grants and the like. Was that because of rarity? Or perhaps again the knowledge in the Memphis area? I know people here who have had similar severe diagnosis here and are struggling to pay the medical debt.

I had a great doctor in St. Louis. The one I have in Springfield I don't much care for. I literally had to have a logic discussion with him 3 weeks ago. I am on a few medicines and the prescriptions had run out while I was out of work. They would not prescribe without seeing the doctor. But I could not afford to pay doctor out of pocket entirely with being out of work. So I went once I got back to work. He wanted to do bloodwork to check levels of medicine in my system. Told him that was pointless with having been off the medicine for 2 months. He was not going to prescribe them. I said, well if you want to check levels, you need to prescribe them so bloodwork can be checked with them in my system. He was completely illogical and I had to spell it out for him and he finally did. I've been on said medicine for 17 years and my levels when on it do not ever change... Same doctor was completely useless when I asked about transferring medical records and prescription to the UK as well... So still not sure how that is going to work

I think the quality of care depends on where you are in relation to large cities... and I think that is probably any country. I cut part of my left index finger off 22 years ago but was in a very small town not near big city when it happened. Had it been near St. Louis, it would have been re-attached. But because it was a small town, I have a very interesting looking finger and had to relearn playing guitar. I am not bitter or angry... it is what it is

[chittlins]

Chittlins... agreed on the speed here for the most part. From what I have been told, people in the UK buy a supplemental insurance to speed things up. But from what I was also told, you still have to go to NHS GP first

I have heard, but not experienced it, that the medical care in Springfield is a bit lacking... and things that would be no big deal anywhere else are misdiagnosed or just not handled quickly here. Thankfully, I have not experienced it.

And it is great you were able to get grants and the like. Was that because of rarity? Or perhaps again the knowledge in the Memphis area? I know people here who have had similar severe diagnosis here and are struggling to pay the medical debt.

I had a great doctor in St. Louis. The one I have in Springfield I don't much care for. I literally had to have a logic discussion with him 3 weeks ago. I am on a few medicines and the prescriptions had run out while I was out of work. They would not prescribe without seeing the doctor. But I could not afford to pay doctor out of pocket entirely with being out of work. So I went once I got back to work. He wanted to do bloodwork to check levels of medicine in my system. Told him that was pointless with having been off the medicine for 2 months. He was not going to prescribe them. I said, well if you want to check levels, you need to prescribe them so bloodwork can be checked with them in my system. He was completely illogical and I had to spell it out for him and he finally did. I've been on said medicine for 17 years and my levels when on it do not ever change... Same doctor was completely useless when I asked about transferring medical records and prescription to the UK as well... So still not sure how that is going to work

I think the quality of care depends on where you are in relation to large cities... and I think that is probably any country. I cut part of my left index finger off 22 years ago but was in a very small town not near big city when it happened. Had it been near St. Louis, it would have been re-attached. But because it was a small town, I have a very interesting looking finger and had to relearn playing guitar. I am not bitter or angry... it is what it is

Yes, there's a fight for more liberalized private insurance, go figure(snark)

My son was treated here in NWA, I'm from Memphis and have lots of family and friends that work in healthcare there. My first cousin spent a bit of time heading up FDA regulatory approvals for Merck's new drugs. The man is a walking IBM supercomputer on what's out there and what's in clinical trials. He is sought after to head up new biotechs. The grant money was based on our income, the wife is a teacher and I'm a machinist and our income still qualified for those Rituxan treatments so the threshold was high.

[Swoosh]

Governor Parsons decreed that all MO schools are to remain closed for the remainder of the school year.  So, no in person instruction, online courses are at the discretion of each district

[chittlins]

Governor Parsons decreed that all MO schools are to remain closed for the remainder of the school year.  So, no in person instruction, online courses are at the discretion of each district

It is almost like the ol' college roommate died bit. Fayetteville  pretty much cut the seniors loose this week.