I first conceived this comic a long time ago, after reading or hearing on the radio that the elderly and terminally ill are being given a whole raft of unnecessary screenings and other tests. I was advised not to publish this comic because it is very dark and not funny, but screw that. I’m publishing it anyway. In this comic an elderly patient has terminal cancer and yet still she is scheduled for a routine pap smear. It’s like the doctors need to make all the money they can before the patient kicks it. It seemed to me like before HMO’s doctors were ordering every possible test, the more expensive the better. Then with HMO’s it seemed for a time that you couldn’t get the tests/procedures you wanted or needed, because they made more money by NOT doing anything. Now, however, the pendulum seems to have swung back the other way.
Spurious Medical Tests,
Come to the dark side. I think that was a great illustration of the waste in medicine today. But large part is the patients feeling they don't have to pay for it so they demand certain tests. If the doctor doesn't do them and by chance they have an issue…it is the doctor on the line.
The odds of a pap smear being helpful in a case like this are infinitessimal.
This is like the former vet clinic we were using for our dogs.
Our dog groomer decried all the extra stuff the vet clinics wanted to do on senior dogs.
Follow the $$
Don't believe the naysayers, Colleen. Listen to your heart. This was one of your funniest yet. 😀
The business of selling your body as a test subject for all kinds of drug and medical testing is just that–a business. Popular among wandering scholars and other vagabonds, participating in medical tests an earn you a lot of income in a lump sum, but it's only lucrative if managed correctly..
Great post only God can know if until when we are going to live.
Apart from the serious issues mentioned I found it to be hilarious. The Pap Smear cracked me up!!!
Six moths and still smoking. Hehe. 🙂
A friend of mine volunteered at hospice. Her job included tasks like lighting ciggys for clients, some of whom were dying of lung cancer. I wondered when anyone was gonna comment on the cigarette.
Hey, I work in a hospital and I walk up the road to buy cigarettes for people with lung cancer. they know they’re dying and they still don’t want to quit. Let them do what they want in their last weeks. (My patients are all over 80 by the way)
That’s what we decided for my dad too, once he was stuck in a wheelchair with no mobility at all. All mom’s careful attention to nutrition went out the window. Let the old boy have all the white flour laden cake and fake whipped cream he wants. He likes it, it makes him happy and if it hastens his demise so be it.