Questionaire from Doctor

[jsoukup]

I recently took my daughter for her routine checkup at the doctor's office. She's almost 8 months old. The nurse gave me a questionaire to fill out concerning lead exposure. It asked me to check the box for the following activities if the parents or caretakers participated in the named activites.

Some of the activities listed were:

painting
remodeling
automobile repair
smelting
shooting/reloading

AND

WELDING

So I checked the appropriate boxes and gave it back to the nurse. She said we had some risk factors for lead exposure and asked me if I wanted to have some "lead" testing done on my daughter. I told her I didn't feel it was necessary and that was the end of it. But I found it odd to be asked these questions.

Very little of anything is welded/soldered with lead anymore except electronics. And just because I participate, doesn't mean my 8 month old daughter is at risk. I guess if I got it on my hands and touched her maybe, but it's not like I put a welding helmet on her and have her hold my work peice steady. Heck, the dang diapers are a fire hazard.

Anyway, just found it odd, and I think the AMA is going overboard and being just a bit paranoid. I mean, if it's so unhealthy, why would I mess with it and poison myself?

[david_r]

Too bad Franz isn't here. I bet he'd give us an earful about them liberal douche bags. Did you actually check the box for shooting/reloading? Tut, tut you made it onto another list I had to tell the nurse whether or not I drank/smoked or had diabetes in the family the other day so I could get a piece of metal removed from my eye.

[storts]

I have to get a pic of my lead burning outfit out and get a pic. on, but I do alot of lead annodes, and have for 20+ years,,Get tested twice a year,and nothing yet Storts during ww2 had 37 full time lead burners, and all lived till there late 80, and most till they were in the 90's,But that was before the goverment told us lead was no good,So who knows who is right or wrong,?Jack

[hankj]

I think the somewhere in the generation that followed me, the "paranoia" gene became dominant. When I was a kid, my Dad did side work converting old coal burning furnaces to oil burners. After he pulled the ash grates, we'd (yep - I was always with him) set the burner, and the fire tube went through the former ash door opening. We mixed asbestos fiber with water in a bucket and filled in that hole around the tube, me on the inside of the firebox, and Dad on the outside. We "patty-cacked" it up 'till the hole was filled, let it set up, and trimmed it with scrapers. I'd come out of there all whit from asbestos dust. Circa 1950.

Don't try it today...

Hank

[LarryL]

Most of the children who were affected with lead poisoning got some salts of lead into their bodies. In other words, they may have eaten flakes of old lead paint (containing lead oxide) or drunk juice that had leached lead salts out of certain ceramic pitchers (as an old timer I can remember when "Red lead" primer and "White lead" housepaint were commonly sold products). Metallic lead must be converted to a lead salt before it can result in human toxicity. I guess that it's possible that fumes from lead burning can result in the formation of lead salts in the air. Before I became a physician, I worked as an engineer in a chemical manufacturing factory. We had lead burners there who repaired the lead chambers of our sulfuric acid plant. Their blood lead levels were checked every year. As far as I am aware, their levels were never above normal. All had worked there for many years.

Significant exposure to something like asbestos fibers requires many years of almost daily exposure to the air-borne fibers. Long-time workers in the asbestos mining and manufacturing industries inhaled the fibers over many years. Asbestos fibers can produce a type of emphysema, called pneumoconiosis. Other dusts and fibers, such as coal dust, hard rock dust, bagasse (sugar cane fiber), cellulose, beryllium dust, and others can also cause a pneumoconiosis. Long-term exposure to all of these can produce scarring of the lungs - i.e. emphysema. Asbestos pneumoconiosis, however, is unique in that it can also result in a form of lung cancer, called mesothelioma. Occasional handling of some asbestos cloth, board or insulating material is not hazardous. Our government edicts, however, have made these activities hazardous. And these regulations have spawned new, clean up industries that are designed to protect us from the hazards. If you're 40 or older, you surely have inhaled some asbestos fibers into your lungs. Don't you recall that automotive brake linings contained asbestos fibers years ago? Every time a driver stepped on the brakes of his vehicle, he must have released some asbestos fibers into the air! So few of us, however, have developed asbestos pneumoconiosis or a mesothelioma. All of the real asbestos lawsuits appear to have been settled several years ago. It's in the interests of malpractice attorneys, however, to continue presenting asbestos lawsuits before the courts. Now that's another industry that has gotten a huge surge from all of our environmental legislation!

I think that your daughter's physician may be practising some litigation prevention techniques. Recognizing that litigation is so commonplace, he may be informing you of every little risk, however insignificant, so that they may be a future defense for him in court. Aren't you aware that Texas juries (especially, those from the Rio Grande area) have produced some of the largest malpractice awards in the Country?
LarryL

[salvageclaus]

You can check any one of those listed activities, as long as you are not an SUV owner also,then they will come after you.

Get this, I was following a diesel Ford Excursion with a bumper sticker from a local save the animals group and as the outside temp was about 40F, she had her dog, who according to another bumpersticker, is smarter than my honor student, in the back, locked in a mesh cage and she and her friend were smoking in the vehicle forcing the dog to breathe the 2nd hand smoke.

[Trent Combs]

Aw, geez, guys! You all (Y'all, if you like) missed the real reason - the Doc just put in his own lab and is trying to get all his patients to give a sample and make a payment.

[James D. Clark]

Nearly everybody will eventually develope at least one medical condition that a doctor can prescribe at least one pill a day at $1 per day or more. Add it up.

One thing you all need to do if you have any medical proceedure-get a copy of the records and read them. Make sure they are correct, that some record clerk hasn't entered some incorrect information in the record. Errors have to go before a commitee and they decide if your records get corrected. This really happens.

[Trent Combs]

Yep - I suffered from ulcers for ~20 years. My internist checked for H.Pilori (sp?) when he scoped me - test came back negative, so he told me to change my stress level (HA!).

I later developed a skin condition that concerned me enough to go to a dermatologist. He read my history, asked about the ulcers, and told me that the test wasn't perfect and I should have the antibotics for H.Pilori. Said "The test is $90 - the antibotics are $30." Took them for the three week course, and the ulcers healed.

Next scope, my internist wanted to know what changes I'd made. The ulcers were gone. I told him he'd been trumped by a dermatologist - he was less than pleased.........

[Sandy]

Aw, geez, guys! You all (Y'all, if you like) missed the real reason - the Doc just put in his own lab and is trying to get all his patients to give a sample and make a payment.

It's generally not 'his' lab (ahem). His building yeh, his equipement yeh, his brother-in-law- yeh, but not 'his' lab.

Blood test, additional blood tests, x-rays and scans, referred out for another proffessional opinion, you need them all.

[cwgrizz]

In the past few years, when I have been talked into going for a physical they have given me the same type of questionaire. I leave the last part blank as to my activities. IT'S NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS HOW I SPEND MY TIME. Their job is just to tell me if I am well or sick--physically that is.

[realhfd]

. Heck, the dang diapers are a fire hazard.

Well I thought burning our old diapers would be a good way to get rid of them. Ha, cant't get them to burn decently even soaking them with gasoline and diesel.

[yeruncle]

LarryL - it saddens me when I see a medical professional make statements concerning major health problems that are as far off base as your comments concerning asbestos. I hate to address this on this forum, because many folks on here have to convince themselves that the health problems they face on the job every day really aren't "as bad as they hear on the news".
The fact is, that it takes very little exposure to asbestos to be harmed or killed by it! It can, however take many years to show it's deadly effects. It's very common to be exposed to asbestos for a short period of time, and die because of it 20 years later!
Steve McQueen and comedian Andy Koffman are only 2 examples of this.
As far as brake linings, clutches, and gasket materials in the auto industry - asbestos is still in all of those today!! Not to mention the talcs (asbestos) used in the tire industry, used to keep the rubber products from sticking to molds and each other (now showing up as more and more health problems and deaths).
Asbestos is responsible for MANY types of cancers from one end of the human body to the other (from our "intake" to our "exhaust" and everywhere in between)! Mesothelioma happens to be the cancer ( ALWAYS FATAL incidentally), that is asbestos specific! Because a person isn't specifically diagnosed with asbestosis or mesothelioma hardly removes asbestos as a very probable cause of numerous cancers!
It is also a proven fact that there is NO SAFE WAY to even casually handle asbestos. Without total respiratory protection, and "chemical suits" you're risking your life - period!
The reason you think asbestos lawsuits were settled years ago is that the responsible industries hid behind bankruptcy laws and/or sold their asbestos interests to avoid prosecution, paying out VERY little in actual settlements. The truth is that the GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT FUND ANY WORKER PROTECTION AGENCY sufficiently to be able to afford to fight the asbestos industry (including the HUGE mining industry lobby). Asbestos was outlawed briefly, from 1989 until 1991, when it was QUIETLY un-outlawed by our beloved supreme court. To rub it in even more - it is not legally a requirement to reveal, in any manner, that a product contains asbestos! What form of legislative help (for the general public) would you call that?
Malpratice lawyers would have no interest in any asbestos incidents, I don't see the connection at all!
The "malpractice" here is on the part of our government for allowing it's hardest working folks to be allowed to be continually put in harm's way so that profits to the wealthy will not be endangered!
With all due respect sir, you are doing the folks in this forum NO FAVORS by avoiding the truth about asbestos. I'm sure, however, the government prays for such statements from health professionals, to cover its lack of duty in this area.
I try to avoid dwelling on or arguing these points on this forum but in this case I felt it my duty, as many of the folks participating herein are what keeps this country "running", if you will. Why should they suffer because they actually HAVE a work ethic!?!
unc

[wayne64]

Aw, geez, guys! You all (Y'all, if you like) missed the real reason - the Doc just put in his own lab and is trying to get all his patients to give a sample and make a payment.

I won't touch the hot button and mention the A word much, but I do have asbestosis and I've also been directly sprayed with agent organge, blue and white. I just look at it as the route we took in moving out of caves. Remember tomorrow there may be a new health hazard, who knows it could be direct contact with toilet paper.
Trent got it right, referrals and tests is how they make their bucks. At least I remember house calls, and small town doctors who were retired Army charging one dollar for a office call and medicine.Joplin MO. 1955

[LarryL]

LarryL - it saddens me when I see a medical professional make statements concerning major health problems that are as far off base as your comments concerning asbestos. . .

Malpratice lawyers would have no interest in any asbestos incidents, I don't see the connection at all!
The "malpractice" here is on the part of our government for allowing it's hardest working folks to be allowed to be continually put in harm's way so that profits to the wealthy will not be endangered! . . .

With all due respect sir, you are doing the folks in this forum NO FAVORS by avoiding the truth about asbestos.

Since my intelligence and common sense have been maligned, I feel an obligation to defend myself. The comments that I made previously were my opinions only. Everyone has a right to state his opinion on a subject. Mine was presented as calmly and clearly as I could; it did not take the form of ranting and raving.

My opinions stem from a medical education and over 30 years of experience as a practicing physician and medical administrator in the U.S.A., Africa and Panama. During the years that I worked overseas necessity forced me to practice many types of medicine, including internal medicine, infectious diseases, public health medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, general surgery, orthopedic surgery, and even plastic surgery and a smattering of neurosurgery. I managed a 70 bed hospital in West Africa and my duties required interaction with the country's health ministry and many government officials. Upon my return to the U.S.A. I maintained a private practice of primary medicine in which I worked closely with the specialists who took care of my patients who were afflicted with cancers of all types. I rounded out my medical career with an 8 year stint with our state's correctional department. During 7 years of this time period I worked as the chief medical officer of two prisons. In the larger of the two prisons I supervised over 200 staff members and managed a 70 bed hospital. My staff included over 15 physicians, 85 nurses, psychologists, lab techs, x-ray techs, and workers in all of the many occupations required to run a hospital and 6 outpatient clinics. My duties required me to oversee the care of ill prison patients whom we referred to community medical centers for tertiary medical care. I spent a significant amount of every workday dealing with litigation issues fostered by the thousands of inmates whose medical care was my responsibility. I retired 3 years ago but am still being called upon occasionally by the staff of our state attorney general's office to testify as a medical consultant.

Wouldn't you agree that my medical background entitles me to presenting a reasoned medical opinion on this medical subject?

Yeruncle, if you don't grasp the connection between class action lawsuits and malpractice attorneys, do a Google search on "asbestos lawsuits." You'll discover that there are hundreds of law firms advertising in hopes of finding people who might have asbestos related health problems. Also, please take the time to read some of the many articles out there about the impact of baseless asbestos claims, such as:

http://www.nationalcenter.org/NPA408.html
and
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/new...7?OpenDocument

LarryL