[bravo82in]

Originally Posted by nowwhat?

Allopathy is a derogatory term coined by C.F.S. Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy. The correct term is "Modern Medicine".

Thanks for correcting me. 'Modern Medicine' sounds better.

[JMaruru]

I was advised to get blood work done for my persistent dry cough and throat irritation.

The eosinophil count is around 520 cells/cmm and ESR is 13mm.
Also, the WBC count is higher at 13860/cmm.
All these are little above the reference range.

Anything to worry? Please advise.

[FrozeninTime]

Originally Posted by nowwhat?

I



.

Margins on a stent are sky high right now, there is talk of the government fixing the price for non-medicated and drug eluting stents at less than ₹20K and ₹30K respectively. Otherwise the latter including other charges can cost as much as ₹2.5 lakhs which is more than the cost of a bypass. I too was worried whether they would insist on stents, but in my case considering my age and other factors, I was asked to do a bypass.

Margins are not that much as advertised.

Cost of stent is extra but even with three stents that to Indian variety the cost will be less than 80k with no extra charges. It depends where you want to get treatment. If you go to five star hospital you will get five star bill.

[nowwhat?]

Originally Posted by FrozeninTime

It depends where you want to get treatment. If you go to five star hospital you will get five star bill.

In the case of my father-in-law, we went to a large tertiary-care hospital here in Bangalore for a coronary angiogram. I do not want to name the hospital on this forum, suffice to say that this hospital is considered charitable and it has a general ward that resembles a railway platform. We took the cheapest private room, did the angiogram and the Interventional Cardiologist who is also the HOD of Cardiology told us that he has two blocks for which he can put one stent in right away and gave us 20 minutes to decide. In those few nerve-wracking minutes with the pressure we were under, we decided to go ahead with the stent. A few days later, the other stent was also inserted in place.

A few days later when we got the bill, it came up to a cool ₹5 lakhs for the two stents. Apparently the price of the stent was priced into a standard angioplasty package that cost around ₹2.5 lakhs per stent based on a direct co-relation to the type of room we were in. For the aforementioned general ward, it was about half what we paid, but for the rooms that were superior to the one we were in, the price kept going higher and higher. We were never given any choice of stent, later the Interventional Cardiologist cheerfully assured us that he had used one of the best and most expensive stents available: Promus Element Long from Boston Scientific.

The price per stent we paid is similar to what some of my other relatives have coughed up across various southern states. Definitely in our case it wasn't a five star hospital, so I really didn't expect that price.

PS: Since you are in this field, I am curious to know your opinion of the Promus Element Long from Boston Scientific and also your views on a recent study done for the Govt. of India which claims that most drug eluting stents are very similar in function. Also how do the Indian ones compare to the imported ones?

[rajivr1612]

Originally Posted by nowwhat?

A few days later when we got the bill, it came up to a cool ₹5 lakhs for the two stents.

I am not a doctor and in no way related to medical profession. After reading your post just googled about the price of stents.
Zauba lists Promus Element stents imported at Rs. 18000 odd for each piece. This data is of Nov-2016.
Really shocked. What will be the margins for the wholesaler, retailer, hospital, doctor etc. etc.?
Medical professionals may please throw some light.
Thanks.

[FrozeninTime]

Originally Posted by nowwhat?

Also how do the Indian ones compare to the imported ones?

I will just say one thing whether you choose a Indian or US stent at the end you have take medicines for life to keep the stent patent so buy good quality medicines. Dont compromise on it even if its bit expensive.

[creative420]

I guess it is time to consult a doctor about my health and lifestyle. I am overweight, suffer from hypertension, and turning 35 with family history of kidney problems. Can someone suggest a good doctor in Bangalore who I can start with?

[audioholic]

Hello Dentists, please help me out. My dentist did some Xray thing called OPG and it revealed four teeth in the far ends of the jaws which are still stuck inside the gums. Out of these, he suggests removing the left upper one since that is putting pressure on the 2nd molar nerve. As it is I am not facing any issues now but the 2nd molar needs some rework on the crown. Hence, he suggested finishing this so that they can refix the crown and no more issues will arise. I was not aware of this and hence wanted to know what people here opine about this indication. I have attached the images for reference:





He suggests that it will be a simple procedure taking around 15-20 minutes performed by an oral surgeon(my current dentist is an orthodontist) and a different consultant would be brought for the same. Should I undergo this immediately or wait especially since there is no issue currently? And is this process really simple? Or should I search for an experienced surgeon to handle it?

I have not yet scheduled an appointment for the same and want your views so that I can decide better. Please help!

[Navneet]

Hi Team,
Need reference of a good dentist in Powai area in Mumbai. Someone known (who is new to city of Mumbai) needs to get elaborate work done on her teeth. The work will involve aligning of teeth, RCT and Cosmetic work. Help please !!

N.B. - If the dentist is very good, but slightly far from Powai area, will also work .

[blackstallion76]

Great to have this thread. Recently, mom suffered massive left brain stroke.
It was Left MCA Infarct with Global Aphasia. Neuro confirmed that left brain is dead. Recovery is slow as the right brain has to pick up the actions to be performed on motoring/visual skills. She has undergone decompression craniectomy to allow the swelling and reduce the right brain impact. Treatment is done by well known neuro doctor in Blr.

Docs - Need to know what is the recovery phases for such a patient. We have a full hospital bed setup at home along with 24hrs home nurse. Undergoing passive physiotherapy. No speech and no memory yet.

[bluevolt]

My sister is reporting stomach pain (mild) from past one week. Tried pain killers/digestive tonics but the pain is still present. Any pointers?

Any further medication after consulting a doctor? or some diagnostic test?

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by audioholic

My dentist did some Xray...and it revealed four teeth in the far ends of the jaws which are still stuck inside the gums. ... As it is I am not facing any issues now but the 2nd molar needs some rework on the crown.

The second molar appears to have an improper root canal treatment done on it, and the crown isn't proper either. It would need a re-RCT as well as a new crown - but, at present, there is no periapical lesion developing at the apex of the 2nd molar, so this can wait.

However, the third molar seems to be doing okay - one would look for certain signs such as (1) resorption of the root of the 2nd molar (not apparent yet); (2) development of a cyst (not happened yet); or (3) any sign of infection (you're asymptomatic at present).

All the 3rd molars are inside bone, and would need some surgery to remove bone before extracting them - I don't foresee that they'll be all that easy to extract, going by the OPG, but a clearer picture would be available on clinical examination.

Since you are asymptomatic at present, with no pathology developing (except, perhaps, the right lower 2nd molar may be showing root resorption due to the horizontally impacted 3rd molar behind it), you can afford to wait, and repaeat the OPG after 6 months - that will give a better idea of any pathology that may develop in future - or have treatment done based on any symptom that you may develop in the near future.

[Mortis]

Originally Posted by Navneet

Hi Team,
Need reference of a good dentist in Powai area in Mumbai. Someone known (who is new to city of Mumbai) needs to get elaborate work done on her teeth. The work will involve aligning of teeth, RCT and Cosmetic work. Help please !!

N.B. - If the dentist is very good, but slightly far from Powai area, will also work .

Ive sent you a PM with the details of a very good senior Dentist based in Powai. You can send your friend to him without any worries.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

The second molar appears to have an improper root canal treatment done on it, and the crown isn't proper either. It would need a re-RCT as well as a new crown - but, at present, there is no periapical lesion developing at the apex of the 2nd molar, so this can wait.

.

Many thanks SS-Traveller for the detailed reply. I am getting a new crown(under warranty) for the second molar. The reason is the gap between the first and second molar is deep and the dentist wants to make a bridged cap for both first and second molar to cover this. Before this he advised me to get the third molar removed so that he can take care of the rest in a sequence. As of now I have kept it on hold and neither did he push for getting it done at the earliest.

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

However, the third molar seems to be doing okay - one would look for certain signs such as (1) resorption of the root of the 2nd molar (not apparent yet); (2) development of a cyst (not happened yet); or (3) any sign of infection (you're asymptomatic at present).

All the 3rd molars are inside bone, and would need some surgery to remove bone before extracting them - I don't foresee that they'll be all that easy to extract, going by the OPG, but a clearer picture would be available on clinical examination.
.

Can you share more info on root resorption? My dentist told it would end up spoiling the second molars root and hence advised removal. Is it a serious problem?

Yes the molars are not visible and inside the bone so he being an ortho wouldn't extract it but invite an oral surgeon. Is this ok or is there a different specialist? And won't this be really painful?

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Since you are asymptomatic at present, with no pathology developing (except, perhaps, the right lower 2nd molar may be showing root resorption due to the horizontally impacted 3rd molar behind it), you can afford to wait, and repaeat the OPG after 6 months - that will give a better idea of any pathology that may develop in future - or have treatment done based on any symptom that you may develop in the near future.

I have tentatively postponed this to March. But will there be a change in a span of 6 months considering my tooth has pretty much settled down? Also another concern I have is what happens to the space hollow left by the tooth when it is removed? Will this cause the other two molars to spread out and stuff? I am against tooth braces or clips hence I do not want a situation where I will be forced to reset my tooth once this is done. Any insight on this?

Thanks again for the points though. Much appreciated.

[nmo]

Is there any standard shelf life of the Test Strips that come with Glucometers. I recently bought Alere G1 glucometer from Snapdeal that has mfg month of Dec, 2015 that is still in the sealed condition and I have not yet opened it.

Would the test strips be OK after 13 odd months of manufacturing? I know that they would need to used with 3-4 months of opening the packing.

Thanks in advance