Journey To Jah

If you are visiting Billings, Montana and find that you are in need of a dentist, then you are in luck. There are many quality dentists that are able to handle emergency dental situations for out-of-town patients. If you are a resident of this town, then these dentists can also offer you regular cleanings and check-ups as well as special procedures like denture fittings, or corrective dentistry procedures. This article is intended to highlight a few of the dental offices that are available in Billings, so that out-of-town visitors, as well as Billings residents can find a dentist when they need one. This is not an all-inclusive list of available dentists, but it should get you pointed in the right direction.
Billings Dentist Option Number One:

Wassmer Family Dental
2625 St. Johns Avenue
Billings, Montana
(406) 655-4656 local phone number
http://www.drwassmer.com

Located behind Target on the West Side of town, Wassmer Family Dental offers a wide range of dental services to their patients. They are open Monday and Wednesday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Tuesday and Thursdays 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. In addition to normal procedures like check-ups, ultrasonic cleaning, root canals, extractions, partial and full dentures, fillings, crowns, implants, and implant dentures, they also offer cosmetic procedures like veneers and white fillings as well as ZOOM! Whitening. Wassmer Family Dental accepts Visa, Master Card, American Express, and Care Credit, as well as EBMS and Delta Premier. If you don’t have a credit care or dental insurance then they also offer no interest payment plans to help make your dental care more affordable. For more information about pricing, insurance, or to schedule an appointment, please contact Wassmer Family Dental directly via one of the contact methods listed above.

Billings Dentist Option Number Two:

Cody W. Haslam, DDS Family Dentistry
3307 Grand Avenue, Suite 105
Billings, Montana
(406) 652-7313 local phone number
info@codyhaslam.com
http://www.codyhaslam.com

Cody W. Haslam, DDS offers general dentistry services like check-ups, cleaning, root canals, extractions, partial and full dentures, crowns, etc. They are open Monday through Thursday form 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Fridays 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. They accept new dental patients, and they are also able to handle emergency appointments. They accept Visa, Master Card, Discover Card, and American Express as well as Delta Dental, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and most other insurance plans. If you don’t have insurance then they also offer flexible no interest financing on approved credit. For more information about pricing, insurance, or to schedule an appointment, please contact Dr. Haslam’s office via one of the contact methods listed above.

Billings Dentist Option Number Three:

Elite Dental Center
Dr. Mark Rosebush
2625 St. John’s Avenue
Billings, Montana
(406) 656-5200 local phone number
(800) 627-6998 toll free number
or
239 Main Street
Roundup, Montana
(406) 323-1234 local phone number

Elite Dental Center provides its clients with affordable dental treatments on the usual array of dental services like cleanings, dentures, check-ups, and extractions. They also offer cosmetic dental procedures and they can often provide you with the same day service for dentures and cosmetic procedures. They accept most major credit cards, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Delta Preferred, as well as most other types of dental insurance. For more information about pricing, insurance, or to schedule an appointment, please contact the Elite Dental Center at either their Billings location or their Roundup location via one of the contact methods listed above.

Many people, especially seniors are on Coumadin therapy. These people, who are in special danger of forming blood clots, have atrial fibrillation or may have had phlebitis, heart attacks, strokes or other illnesses where blood clots have been a factor, take daily doses of Coumadin which thins the blood to reduce the likelihood of blood clots. The two tests which measure the clotting ability of the blood are called PT and INR. (Protime and International Normalized Ratio.) The INR reading is normally used. For a better understanding of the testing, you may wish to read this Clotcare.org article. Monthly testing is very important as the clotting ability of the blood must be kept within a very narrow range. Until recently the testing required a trip to a lab, but home testing by the patient has now been approved by Medicare.

Tests May Need to be Made Weekly or Bi-Weekly If the Readings are Not Stable.

If the readings are not stable, the blood may be tested weekly or bi-weekly until the correct Coumadin dosage is determined. If the INR is too low, there is little protection from blood clots. If the INR is too high, the blood is too thin and a person could bleed to death, especially if involved in an accident. The generic name for Coumadin is warfarin, which is a very effective rat poison.

Home Testing is Very Appealing for Patients Who Have Problems Traveling

This testing can be very inconvenient for some people if they live a long distance from a testing lab or lack transportation. Now, home-testing by the patient is available if your doctor approves and writes a prescription. Your doctor needs to know you well and be convinced that you are mentally and physically capable and reliable enough that you can be trusted to responsibly check your own INR, because it is a ‘life and death matter.” A doctor who gave home testing permission to a patient who was incompetent would be in legal jeopardy himself.

Home Testing is Simple to Arrange If Your Doctor Agrees

I use the Alere Home Monitoring System. Their website supplies an information form to be completed by the patient and a prescription form which must be completed by their doctor. It may be more convenient to let your medical personnel handle the transition if they are agreeable.

I had been having my testing performed at the Anti-coagulation Clinic at a local hospital. I asked the nurses in charge of the clinic if I could participate in the home monitoring program. After I filled out the patient application form, they contacted my primary care doctor for a prescription allowing me to enroll in the Alere Home Monitoring Program. I felt gratified that my doctor felt I was qualified. An Alere representative called me and interviewed me for the program. Then they verified that Medicare would approve my participation.

Instruction Can Be Done in Your Home

In a short time, I received a letter from Alere stating that I was accepted in the program and a nurse from my clinic had been assigned to come to my home and train me to perform the test. The nurse did a fine job of explaining the procedure and guided me through the actual test. She made sure all my questions were answered and told me to call her with any later questions. After the test the patient is then expected to transmit the resulting INR reading to Alere by email or by using a push-button phone. Alere then faxes the reading to my clinic so that they can adjust my Coumadin dosage if the reading is out of range.

The Patient is Still Given Full Medical Support

The patient is not abandoned. My clinic still gives me total support in case I have any problems or questions. I still need to travel to the clinic every 3 months for a test to check on the accuracy of my monitor. I do have considerable confidence in the monitoring instrument because it is the same model the clinic uses. I use the “CoaguChek” model. The patient does not own the monitor and must return it to the company if they leave the program.

My only complaint is the design of the disposable test strip, which is like a glucose monitor test strip but is much larger. It is much harder to use than a glucose test strip, which easily siphons the blood into the tip of the test strip. The INR test strip requires a larger blood specimen which must be placed in the center of the strip instead of on the tip. You may waste several test strips while learning to use the monitor but the problem can be overcome with practice. I believe the company expects that you will waste strips because they allow you 52 per year.

Since I have now learned to use the test strip, I am very pleased that I don’t need to travel to the clinic all the time. This would be especially nice if I happen to be traveling when my test is due, so I would not need to find a laboratory to perform the test. I believe home testing is a much more efficient method of providing health care and is much better for the patient in several ways.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or health care professional. This article is for informational purposes only. It is not the purpose of this article to give medical advice. I am only relating my opinions and experiences and my opinions could be wrong. Any actions you take or do not take as a result of reading this article, you take at your own risk. Always seek advice from a doctor or health care professional before making any health care decisions.

For someone who has cancer getting a good nights rest can challenging.

There are many different factors for this reason. First the cancer patient has a lot to deal with just in regards to their cancer. According to doctor Josee Savard, PhD, “First, they may worry about what would be the consequences of the diagnosis, will they be treated, what kind of treatments they will receive, what will be the side effects. And then, when the treatments are over, then they tend to worry about the future.” Second the treatments such as the radiation and chemotherapy can make it difficult for someone with cancer to get a good nights rest. Some of the symptoms of a cancer treatment are hot flashes, nausea, insomnia and fatigue. These symptoms can disturb a person’s sleep. Third is the bad habit developed in being in bed the whole day even when it’s not time to sleep. Cancer patients are often tired from all the medication and treatments that they have to go through. Many cancer patients just want to stay in bed. Any activity such as eating, watching television and reading are done in bed. So when it comes time to go to sleep at night it is difficult for the body to do so. There are things a person with cancer can do to help him or herself to get a good nights rest.

A person with cancer can go to bed only when it is time to sleep. Doctor Josee Savard has a wonderful suggestion. He states, “Go to bed only when you feel sleepy, get out of bed after fifteen or twenty minutes if you are awake. Another goal of the behavioral strategies is to re-associate the bed with sleeping. So they are instructed not to do other things in their bed than sleeping and also having sexual activities.” Once this mental connection occurs better sleep patterns can be formed.

A cancer patient needs to avoid taking naps so close to bedtime. It becomes more difficult to fall asleep during bedtime if a person is well rested. Doctor Josee Savard states, “For cancer patients who feel fatigued, we suggest them to day-nap early, early on during the day. So ideally before three in the afternoon.”

Physical activity can be hard for a cancer patient who is frequently feeling tired. However any type of physical activity such as walking can help a cancer patient to get better sleep at night. Simple exercise such as stretches could make a big difference.

The final suggestion is to seek help from a doctor who will most likely prescribe sleeping pills. Sleeping pills can be effective however it is a drug that can be habit forming if used over a long period of time. It is important to talk with the doctor about the length of time used and the side effects of the sleeping pills.

Getting a good nights rest for a cancer patient is important. Sleep helps replenish the body and fight off the cancer. Sleep will also help the body gain energy and strength to handle daily tasks in life. By using these suggestions someone with cancer can get a good nights rest.