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Diagnosis of perimenopause versus adrenal fatigue? I'm getting very confused on where to turn - Posted By: next for help with these symptoms. SM

To me, my symptoms coincide exactly what to me seems to be perimenopause, but also seem to be some adrenal fatigue as well. Wouldn't adrenal fatigue be a natural result of the perimenopause hormonal fluctations, i.e., very lethargic and listless, insomnia, mood swings, energy swings, fuzzy brain? I'm getting conflicting advice and opinions and just don't know where to turn anymore. I just want this fixed, and didn't think it should be that hard. I went to this GYN my sister referred, but he seemed to me to be rather clueless and had me do some antithyroid antibody tests and put me on fish oil and folic acid! No hormone testing whatsoever. Then, I talked to a pharmacist locally who also deals with women on this same issue (my sister too), who has a Ph.D and consults with the MD. I took her test and she diagnosed me with severe adrenal fatigue, but again, I think this is probably just a result of the hormones messing up. Any advice? I don't want to do a lot of unnecessary testing that insurance doesn't cover, such as the saliva test. I'd appreciate any advice. I'm thinking to just go maybe just go my my PCP and get on an antidepressant or something.

Vonage Problems - Posted By: Carol

I recently signed onto Vonage due to SBC challenges. I have found that I am having problems with the foot pedal to my Lanier and dictaphone. Last night I had to call in at least 10 times to finish all my reports. It seems to go dead when I press on either the forward or rewind pedals. No problems if I just keep typing and don't touch either pedal. Is anyone else having these problems or am I the only one.

What is the best foot pedal? - Posted By: TIA

What is the best foot pedal to have? Which one is the easiest to set up and use and can be used with different files? I already bought one but can not get it set up to be able to use. Bought from Expresscribe to use with their program and have had no help. Brought in a computer guy. No help. So I am stuck with this pedal and can't use it. I am now looking to buy another one. Any recommendations?

advice needed, will you guys be my magic eight - Posted By: ball? no drama or mean spirits please.

Pay cut at the beginning of this year, cannot make the incentives I used to because my hands cannot type a lot in a short period of time. I need a 10 hour window, at least 50 hours a week. So i've been considering leaving the MT field. Trouble is, i'm about 20K in debt. There is something i've decided I want to do, a tech school, since I do not see myself going to school the next 10 years to get a degree. Problem is, the cost is 6K. The thought of delving deeper in debt makes my teeth chatter, BUT, I will be making more than I do as an MT, and my hands are in bad shape, not up to par anymore. Should I go with this, be out of the program in six months OR get a second job now to make up the loss I took with the pay cut and continue getting myself at 0 debt. Will you sweet, intelligent ladies advise me? Thanks...

numerous discussions here - Posted By: jnmd

I have been following numerous threads here and I have a question. If many of the MTs here are dissatisfied with what is going on with the industry, then why do all of the MTs not stick together and demand what is deserved? I understand that we all must have an income because we all have bills due and mouths to feed; but, it would not take but a few days for all qualified MTs and Editors/QA to demand benefits and a bottom line cpl/hourly rate or whatever you want to call it. Kind of like a union. No company could exist, even with newbies or off-shore doing the work without the qualified MT backing all of this up. I am not looking to start a war here. I have just read on this board for quite some time about this same issue, but nobody seems to want to take action. I know for a fact that if ALL MTs would stick together here, the end result would be very favorable. It seems over the last number of years these companies are demanding the MT to do more work and have much more knowledge for much less money than they deserve. So, with that being said, why why why would you not demand your just pay? Again... I know for a fact that if ALL qualified MTs would stick together, they would have no choice but to pay a standarized fair scale in order to keep their doors open.

Orlando vacation tickets - Posted By: Renee

We are planning a trip to Orlando over spring break. Does anyone have experience with purchasing tickets on-line or purchasing them at the hotel travel desk, pros and cons of each? We went years ago before Internet and purchased everything when we got there and would like to do that again. Any suggestions?

infectious disease - Posted By: MTRae

I may possibly be starting an infectious disease account soon. I have already ordered a Stedmans dictionary, but was wondering if anybody has done any work in this field and have any advice, websites to check, etc. on this specialty. I want to gain as much knowledge as I can before starting. I appreciate any input.

Trouble with Philips foot pedal.... - Posted By: please help

I just installed the Philips foot pedal and configured the pedal about 30 times but still in order to play an audio clip I have to press the fast-forward pedal. The Play pedal is the rewind and the rewind is fast forward. I was told that I needed this pedal as this was the only pedal that worked with "the system" but I have the same issue if I try to use my wav pedal. (My wav pedal works fine with other applications). Not sure what in the world is going on....DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEAS???

Help! Snakes! - Posted By: scared to sleep

Snake in the heat/air vent. His head was right at the vent exploring to see if he could fit through but he's too big I think. Anybody know what to do? He's disappeared now so worried where he went to and if there are more. Thanks.

How many MTs feel like they have control of their lives? - Posted By: me

If you have a family and a million things to do everyday on top of your job, how do YOU keep it all together? What works for you or what has worked for you in years past?

sylcount - Posted By: grec

I downloaded Sylcount (30-day trial) and followed the instructions perfectly. The first time I used it, it went fine. Now when i use it, i get "Could not attach or start WinWord.Files cannot be counted & reported" What did i do wrong??

What is the best medical spellcheck software? - Posted By: northkip

I am currently looking into medical spellcheck and medical dictionary. Does anybody have suggestions as to what is the best and most comprhensive?

Elective surgery vent - Posted By: on Thanksgiving weekend

Why is it that I volunteer to work both Thanksgiving day and the day after so everyone can be off (I'm only 1 of 2 MTs on my large hospital today), and what operative notes am I transcribing? Liposuction and blepharoplasty - elective surgeries.

Now, give me the history and physical reports on little old people with respiratory distress or slip and fall hip fractures and I'll feel as though I am really contributing to the care of someone who NEEDS it.

My 3 yo was up all night Wednesday throwing up from a stomach virus, but I still worked my shift yesterday, but had to cancel my plans to have my family over. So, we moved the festivities over to today to reduce the chances of the virus spreading, and I have a higher line committment today, still have to do all the cooking and entertaining, and I am doing vanity notes!

AAARRGHH! I hope these ladies pigged out yesterday as their farewell to all the fat getting sucked out of them today!!

Thanks for the vent

Selling your client list - Posted By: Manuel Prado

Does anyone have any interest in selling some of their clients?

Anyone use Hijack This? - Posted By: RadGuy

Any good?

Laptop - Posted By: TexasMT

I purchased a laptop recently, so I can take it with me when I travel. I use autocorrect in Word 2003 for my shortcuts; does anyone know how to copy and move these entries onto my laptop? How about my medical spellchecker? I appreciate any advice on this subject. Thanks!

Anyone have an Aeron chair/ Worth the ?? NM - Posted By: Need New Chair

NM

All hail System Restore! (sm) - Posted By: Yuki

The DSL went out in my complex the other day, and when it was restored, nothing I could do could restore connection on my work computer. The manager brought his laptop over and proved the connection was fine. My tech-savvy daughter and I checked and rechecked everything, then laughed when the Hardware Lord came home and rechecked all the same things we had tried.

Finally she reminded me about System Restore; I restored to the previous day, and all was well.

Don't know about System Restore on Windows XP systems? Go to Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore and make sure yours is turned on and sufficient memory allocated. In addition to the automatic restore points WinXP schedules, make certain you create a restore point before you change any significant settings on your system or install or uninstall software. Note that it only restores settings, not deleted files or programs.

There are some forms of Spyware which hide out in system restore. The only way to get rid of them is to turn it off and erase all previous restore points.

Thought I'd post this as this feature has saved me a lot of grief on several occasions.

what model/make battery backup do you use for computer? nm - Posted By: LAMT

nm

Chiropractic care...sm - Posted By: CURIOUS

Hi there!

Just wondering if anyone has had any positive benefits from chiropractic care? I have pins and needles in my face and arms for about two weeks every since the "pickle jar" incident...yes, I somehow managed to hurt my neck by opening a pickle jar!!! Since then, the pain is pretty much gone, but I still have the nagging pins and needles feeling, so I scheduled myself an appt. for x-rays and treatment with a chiropractor for the first time and I'm a bit nervous. Any advice? TIA.

Gross physical line?? - Posted By: MTmom

From what I have been told, a gross physical line is anything typed on a line, regardless if it's one letter or 65. My question is ... would 8 cpl on a gross physical line for acute care be good pay? How about 7 cpl on a gross physical line for emergency room reports? Thanks

I don't think I can do this any more. - Posted By: please light a fire under me

I've felt lousy all week with a headache, sore throat, stuffy nose, and slight upset stomach. Coffee and Motrin are not helping. I'm too hot, and I need a shower. Badly. I've already put in over 40 hours this week, not including today. Unpaid overtime, covering for vacations. There are dishes piled up in the sink, the bathroom's a mess, and the yard and garden are neglected. I've only cooked once this week. I need to pay bills and get to the post office today because I've put it off for a week. The neighbors are digging up a concrete foundation with a Bobcat 30 feet from my desk. I'm tired of looking op addresses and patient information. I'm tired of fixing lousy grammar. If you got this far into my whining, thanks for listening. That's all I wanted was to get it out of my system.

info on MRC out of Maryland/Florida - Posted By: tired fingers

Anyone with experience with this company? I need feedback ASAP! Thanks.

All MQ posts belong on MQ board. (NM) - Posted By: Moderator

x

New independent, need information - Posted By: Tina

Started this year as independent. Tried to reach tax person, not there. Now when I send in my federal taxes, are social security taxes paid out of that or am I supposed to send those somewhere else? Thanks.

I just HATE it when sm - Posted By: mlstoo

my husband cuts the grass under my window when I am working. Granted, it is only about 20 minutes he is out there but it really peeves me. Oh well, I'll keep quiet about it. Otherwise, I'll have to do it myself. Really though, I am grateful I have him. It's just that sometimes.......

ASR funny to lighten the mood...sm - Posted By: MT and worn out

Must be the bitter winters. LOL

Allergies/intolerances - sulfa and Minnesota.

Should be sulfa and Minocin.

Doubts of 3,000 lines per day?? - Posted By: sm

Well, I had my doubts about the 3,000 lines a day, but I like to think people are telling me truth most of the time. There are always going to be those who have a psychological need to boast. However, I have recently gone back to work inhouse and found there are actually those who can produce 3,000 lines per day, granted that the work is available to them. I can't, however. Not yet anyway but I hope to soon after I pick up a few more tips from the 2 I am talking about. The ladies I am referring to have been with the hospital a long time, their ears are trained to hear these guys, and they have tons of normals and shortcuts. On top of that, they have these little dainty quick fingers. They remind me of those guys on the basketball court who don't have a lot of height but they have these super quick short legs and leave you in awe at their speed on the court. Well these ladies don't have the long piano fingers but they have speed you are just in awe of. I have long slow fingers but I think I will do okay, once I learn my way around and get through the learning curve.

Just wanted you to know there are a couple of them out there. I don't think this is the norm, so it shouldn't be something everybody think he/she should be doing, but it is possible for some. I think being with one company for a long time has its advantages too, you have time to learn the doctors thoroughly and create shortcuts that work for you. Plus I watched them and they do not move from that spot, maybe only to go to the bathroom and get their lunch, but then I saw one of them eat the lunch at the desk really really fast. She was extremely quiet the whole time, minimal talking from her, just speed typing the whole time. I don't think my bladder will let me just sit there the entire time, Ii can probably do the no talking part, eating my lunch at the desk but if you can do the things I observed and you have tons of shortcuts for the doctors you type for and they have tons of abbreviations in the word expander, and years with the company, then maybe you can produce 3,000 lines too. Don't know but I will try to incorporate some of this behavior into my work to maybe bring my line count up enough to get the incentives at least.

Is 9.5 cents per line a good rate using Meditech? - Posted By: Linda F.

This is for a radiology account. TIA

How to Turn Off that Grating "Ding" at end of MS Word Spellcheck - Posted By: Dave

Hi,

Does anyone know how to turn off that ding that sounds when you finish the spellcheck in Word? The only thing I found was in Tools-Options-General, there is a "Provide Feedback with Sound" box, but that is already unchecked in mine (to the "no sound" option), but still I get the ding.

Not a major issue, but still pretty annoying, especially when you need to turn the volume up to hear a soft dictator...then the ding can blow you out of the water!

Thanks,
Dave

Convert 9 pin to USB? - Posted By: MT NW

Help please! Does anyone know where to buy an adapter to convert a 9 pin pedal to usb? Appreciate the help!

Any way to get an e-mail back after being deleted from delete folder nm - Posted By: Spring

nm

ShortHand help! sm.... - Posted By: IllioisMT

I am having expansion problems with my SH. Occasionally my expansions take on the first letter of a word that I type after my expansion. Example: "cardiomediastinal silhouette appears" would end up being "cardiomediastinaal silhouette ppears". Any help would be greatly appreciated. Could this be a RAM problem? Thanks in advance.

Word board help please...nm - Posted By: nm

nm

Aggresivity - Why do docs make up words? - Posted By: Lllls

Dictates: The patient has increased aggresivity.

Sigh. And NOT an ESL dictator.

As an IC MT, how much should I charge for correcting their mistakes? - Posted By: MT ?

This happens often lately, due to being new at dictation. I never charge when it is my mistake, but lately I am wasting an hour a day making corrections to their previous reports. Should I charge by the time it takes to make the corrections and also to reprint the report? What is the norm?

Thanks again!

Needing to make a decision... hourly or production... - Posted By: Confused MT

If you had the choice between a shift lead type position at somewhere between $14 to $16 an hour or production on an account with a lot of normals. The shift lead gets you experience editing, supervising, etc., but the production account you are just transcribing. You can make a lot more money at the production job, but the shift lead will get you started in a more management type of position, which would you choose? You will be stuck at that hourly wage with the lead position, but there are possiblities of moving up with the company. But, the money on the other account is quite good, as there are a lot of free lines. I am just so confused and have to make a decision, as I cannot work them both at the same time.

Any suggestions, comments, or feedback? Thanks.

positive voice recognition? - Posted By: medhead

Are there any MTs on this board who are doing voice recognition work and enjoying the job and pay?

Anyone else have a slowdown - Posted By: frustrated

in work due to the upcoming holiday? I'm just curious.

need help!! newbie! - Posted By: miss lynn

could someone give me some tips/inside info on how i can get into this field on a part time basis? i have 9+ years of medical coding/billing experience - 4 yrs. specializing in OB/GYN and over 5 yrs. PT/OT and Orthopaedics. is it possible to get hired on experience alone and no classes or certification?

thanks!

This is a great resource (see link) - Posted By: Dora

Laurie De Jaen of Seattle, WA! You've won the MTStars - Posted By: Administrator sm

FlashType Word Expander! Email admin@mtstars.com to collect your free gift! Congratulations from MTStars.

Can someone tell me where you post your resumes on here. I dont see a place for them. - Posted By: MT

:

Taken from an India website...dated 2005! - Posted By: AnotherOldTimerMT

The medical transcription business is drawing people from other sectors. That�s because the income can be quite substantial. Transcriptionists are paid anywhere between 60 paise to Rs 2.0 per line. At a minimum of 6 hours and transcribing 800 lines per day, transcriptionists can make around Rs 1,200 a day. Working 26 days a month, they earn more than Rs 30,000 (USD 450 - 500) a month. They send their reports to an Editor for proof-reading who are paid upwards of Rs 40,000 per month.

As a result, hundreds of professionals are quitting their regular jobs to assist US doctors in transcribing their conversation with patients. X-ray, pathology, surgery and discharge reports of US patients are also being transcribed out of India.

To be a transcriptionist, an aspirant has to acquire skills in medical terminology. The next step is the editor. Level three is a quality analyst (QA) who has to work out of the office of the MT firm.

It�s a daily ritual for thousands of homemakers across India. After sending husbands to work and kids to school, they download voice files and start transcribing medical illnesses of patients in the US.

Sowly, medical transcription from home is becoming a phenomenon, particularly in tier-II cities where the BPO boom hasn�t yet caught on and educated women are still not being encouraged to venture out of home.

�Almost half of our 600 home employees are women. Working from home allows them to spend more time with family,� said Mr Rajiv Shetye, VP, Spryance, a Boston-based medical transcription firm which now has 1,200 employees in India.

According to estimates, India has about 100 medical transcription companies and the big ones include Accusis, Spryance, Stheris and Heartland. About 10,000 people work in the $120 million-strong industry.

Still, there is a lot of untapped potential. The US market for market transcription is about $12 bn per annum, which is more than double the BPO exports of India. More than 700 million hospital events need to be recorded every year. According to Nasscom, about 1.6 lakh such transcriptionists will be needed in India by 2008. Earnings depend on how much time a person is able to devote. Billing is based on the number of lines transcribed.

HARSIMRAN SINGH

Any new text expanders out there? - Posted By: We need something new!

I like Instant Text and the fact that it compiles multiple reports for you and creates shortcuts for you and almost any method works with it, ABCZ, AAA, ABAB, or just wildcard it. IT also gives you many suggestions at the bottom of the screen in the advisories. I also like the smartline under the cursor in Smartype, but there is no wildcarding in ST. I also like the feature in some of the autocompletion software that "learns" as we type and remembers words and phrases that are typed often. When will we get a text Expander program that gives us all of these in one program? We deserve it and it has to be around $50.

Go to this site and vote! - Posted By: D

Just by accident I found this poll by MSNBC where you can vote on the topic that they will air on one of their special segments. One of the stories is about a woman whose job is being outsourced overseas. Kinda fitting huh? I voted for that topic and so far it seems to be in the lead. If we all vote, maybe they'll put that topic on the air. Thanks!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18826755/

can't get on word board - Posted By: ginny

Please excuse me posting on this one - sounds like "Parogy" material in sacropexy. Thanks !

OT: for animal lovers - Posted By: Snow Bunny

http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/finnegan.asp

Is there no scavenger hunt post - Posted By: nellieship

again until this weekend... am I reading the post from the admin right from above? My brain is so completely fried that I just wanted to get a second opinion on this before I waste any time looking.

Virtual assistant....sm please - Posted By: Anon

Does anyone know anything about virtual assistants? I met someone and she said that she makes a lot of money doing this. I am looking to supplement my income, because I just can't support myself and my family off 0.08 cpl. I find that I am working way too much just to make ends meet. I have noticed that some virtual assistants are required to do transcription as well as other clerical duties. Can anyone help me with some info on this? Does anyone know how much they make, and if it is worth my time? Thanks.