4.01.2008

Other things, et cetera, and so on #4

Israel Readies for Iran

Here is more evidence in support for Scott Powell's contention that Israel may be ready to make a strike against Iran. From the World Tribune, we have "Israel readies largest exercise ever to prepare for Iran-Syria missile war":
The government has been preparing for a five-day exercise in April that would simulate conventional and nonconventional missile strikes from Iran, Lebanon and Syria. Officials said the exercise would test emergency response as well as evacuation of cities struck by enemy missiles.
No mention is made in the article of any military preparations, but one can assume that, though not publicized, they are certainly under way.

Sigh of Relief

Last week I mentioned that my dog, Jazmine, had surgery to remove a tumor on her spleen. (note: it was 8 lbs.!) She came home last Thursday, and despite the humiliation of wearing a T-shirt to keep her from licking the 12 inch incision, she's doing great. Nearly all the bruising is gone, she's happy and active (though we are keeping her from being too active) and everything is looking good. The best news is that the testing of the tumor and the biopsy of the liver showed no cancer. The prognosis for dogs with this condition and no cancer is extremely good, so here's hoping that she will be around for many more years.

I really marvel that this level of medical care is available for pets. Jazmine had an ultrasound, x-rays, biopsies, and major surgery to remove a tumor and a damaged organ. One interesting part of this whole process was the money. We were given an estimate for the cost (with an upper and lower bound), including all drugs, anesthesia, the surgeon's fee, etc. The actual cost was right in the middle of the range -- less than $1500. It made me wonder what human health care would be like if it was left to a free market.

3 comments:

Lynne said...

I'm not remotely able to comment on the state of Israel's military preparations, but I'm glad that the alpha weim is home and doing as well as can be expected wearing clothes (at least she doesn't have to look like an giant single scoop cone of dog-head ice cream).

C. August said...

Thanks! She actually looks pretty cute wearing a T-shirt. An XL fits surprisingly well.

I'm curious about how they are going to remove the staples in the incision. It's apparently an outpatient procedure, with no sedation or anything. But there are probably 50 or more staples! I can't imagine how they will keep her still. And do they snip them and then pull the halves out?

I'll be sure to update everyone about this crucial and interesting topic after Friday.

Jenn Casey said...

I'm glad Jazmine is doing okay. 8 pounds. Wow.

I have had similar thoughts about veterinary medicine versus human medicine. Last summer, our cat was quite ill, and there were decisions that needed to be made regarding her care. The vet outlined all of the possible options, the cost for each option, and did it in writing. It was amazing.

I've been trying to get cost information about a couple things regarding my pregnancy and nobody seems to be able (willing?) to give it to me! And they all seemed shocked that I would even ask!

Not only that, when my cat was sick, they were able to see her and treat her right away--no waiting 3 weeks for an appointment, which has happened to us before, most disturbingly when we were trying to get Brendan in years ago and it turned out he had diabetes.

As far as staples, I have been through the experience twice--each c-section. The nurse removed with something very similar to a regular staple remover! I would imagine it will be similar for Jaz. It didn't hurt really--it was just weird and WRONG on a metaphysical level. :o)

They will probably have to hold her though. That'll be fun, I'm sure. Looking forward to the update!