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I usually stay pretty cool about things. But, I'm getting rather annoyed that insurance companies have more control now than doctor's do. I'm just beside myself at how annoyed I am about this. For starters, my pharmacist insists he needs to sit down with me and review my medicine. The past two years I have adamantly resisted this. I don't need to review my medicine. It's something I do with my doctor when needed. Why would I need to sit down with my pharmacist so he can tell me what I already know. Besides the fact I'm a respiratory therapist who is a writer who specializes in asthma. Like, I read up on asthma every day. Asthma is my specialty. Not saying I know it all, but I certainly don't need to be lectured by my pharmacist. So, today I get a call from my insurance company. It's a call I have not taken until today. But, considering they are persistent and keep calling frequently, I finally took the call today. And, lo and behold, a nice lady is on th...

RT Boss displaying new goggles. You heard it here first. The Federal Agency for Efficiency (FAKE) has created a new regulation requiring goggles. They must be worn by employers who are on the clock when reading magazines. I was kind of confused when I learned of this policy. It came down to me via the respiratory care manager at Shoreline Medical Center. He said he was required to write a hospital policy for Goggle Management. I inquired as to why this policy was created. He said it passed the FAKE board by a vote of 8-1. The policy is expected to prevent wisdom from magazines from splattering off the pages of said magazines and offering wisdom to readers. The goal here is to prevent workers from getting smarter. If they remain dumb, it's easier for said individuals to become brainwashed by top management officials. Ditto for government officials. I called Mike Wisdom, the chair of the Fake Committee. He said "This is just the beginning. You can basically call this the test ph...

The following is a guest article by Sarah Cummings. By Sarah Cummings Guest Writer to RT Cave Unless you have to live with asthma, it probably won’t really occur to you that the condition which has a profound effect on the respiratory system of the body can result in difficulty finding sound slumber on a regular basis. It’s not until you think about it that this actually makes sense and becomes clear. Wheezing , coughing, and feeling breathless, are all symptoms that can create a hostile environment for mind and body to relax and settle in for a good night’s sleep. What’s more, there are also people who can be diagnosed with a condition known as night-time (nocturnal) asthma . This has the potential to make asthmatic symptoms even more severe in the night-time. What happens to our breathing at night? When you head into the night, particularly as bedtime approaches, changes occur in conjunction with your ‘body clock’ or natural circadian rhythm. For those who are healthy, these nig...

Your Question . My best friend's doctor told her that she has:j45.9 unspecified asthma. She's never heard of that type before and could not find useful information about it. I remembered this blog and the useful answer you gave me in the past, so I thought I would ask you. What does this type of asthma mean? My Answer.   What is this unusual asthma type ? J45 is the official billing code for asthma. J45.9 basically means it's unspecified. That basically means your doctor is billing for asthma but didn't list anything specific about it. It's what's officially called an ICD-10 Code. This is not a subgroup or anything like that. It's just for billing purposes. It's a code your doctor enters into the system so the office gets paid by the insurance company or Medicare.  Here is a link if you're interested. 

Heart failure, if untreated, can lead to death because other organs of the body will not be receiving enough oxygen. Usually, one of the first organs to be affected are the kidneys. The kidneys will fail and lose their ability to excrete salts and water, and actually, cause your body to retain more fluid. Actually, kidney failure alone can lead to pulmonary edema, or exacerbate it. Likewise, fluid will back up in the liver, which in turn will fail in its job of removing toxins from the body. Lacking oxygen, the large and small intestines will lose their ability to absorb nutrients, and thus one organ after another will fail, ultimately leading to death. Of course, our job as healthcare workers is to prevent this. Well, it's the doctor's job actually. We as RTs usually only treat heart failure after symptoms arise.

Bronchodilators are a top-line treatment for heart failure. Just kidding! However, some studies do show that some bronchospasm may result from heart failure. But, this bronchospasm is secondary to fluid overload. A bronchodilator will not treat heart failure. It may relieve some of the shortness of breath if it is caused by bronchospasm. So, you can only treat heart failure with heart failure medicine. Here's what the Mayo Clinic says: " You can't reverse many conditions that lead to heart failure, but heart failure can often be treated with good results. Medications can improve the signs and symptoms of heart failure." Treatment for heart failure includes. Medicine . Medicines used to treat heart failure are those that strengthen the strength and contractility of the heart, such as Digoxin. They also include medicines to lower the blood pressure or to make patients pee, such as Lasix or Bumex. These are medicines that are often taken every day to prevent heart failur...

Heart failure is when the heart is too weak to pump blood through the body. It poops out. The patient becomes winded on exertion as the person's heart cannot keep up with demands on the body. So, what causes heart failure? Here's what to know. 1.  Hypertension : Coronary artery disease is one ailment that causes blood vessels to become narrow. Years of working hard to pump blood through narrowed vessels can cause the heart to become hypertrophied (enlarged). A large bicep is good, and it's a sign of good health. A large heart is a sign of a weak pump. It is bad. Eventually, it will tire and become an ineffective pump. In fact, 60% of heart failure cases are the result of high systemic blood pressure and coronary artery disease. 2.  Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) : According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute ( NHLBI ) ,  CAD is a disease whereby plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries (arteries that supply oxygenated blood to the heart)....