Personal Injury and Social Security Disability Blog

Link of the Day - Friday Fun

That darned Tom Mighell. He wastes so much of my time. Now he's featured Day of the Bobteds game in his Internet Legal Research Weekly. I finished all 18 levels, but it took away a lot of what should have been productive time. See if you can finish the game. I bet you can't stop after just a few levels.

Link of the Day - Guide To City Of Dallas Acronyms and Abbreviations

If you have contact with the City of Dallas, whether as a personal injury lawyer or as a consumer, you will likely run into a maze of bewildering abbreviations and acronyms. At least the City recognizes the problem, and has published a handy guide to the internal terminology of the City of Dallas. Here's the City's description:

Public Information Office
Guide to Acronyms and Abbreviations

Ac·ro·nym: A word formed from the initial letters or groups of letters of words in a set phrase or series of words, as NATO,  COBOL, DOS. Acronyms are pronounced like words.

Ab·bre·vi·a·tion: A shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase, used to represent the whole, as Dr. for Doctor, U.S. for United States, lb. for pound.

For better or worse, acronyms and abbreviations are part of the organizational communications system in the City of Dallas. Acronyms and abbreviations are commonly used, save time, and can be a useful way to shorten overly long names or titles. However, they can also be a mystery to employees or citizens who are unfamiliar with the organizations involved.

To help you navigate through the city’s various departments and organizations, and their many acronyms and abbreviations, the City of Dallas Public Information Office (PIO) has created this guide. Because new acronyms and abbreviations crop up from time to time, the Guide will be updated periodically, to keep it as current as possible.

Free Drug Samples Have Hidden Drawbacks

A recent issue of Consumer Reports magazine had a warning about accepting free samples of medicine from your doctor. The magazine pointed out three potential drawbacks:

1. You might not get printed instructions showing possible side effects and precautions.

2. The medication won't be entered into your pharmacist's database, which screens for harmful interaction or duplication with other drugs you may be taking. Also, you may not be notified of a recall of that medication.

3. The drug might not be the best choice for you. Manufacturers typically give doctors samples of the drugs they're trying to promote -- usually the newest and most expensive drugs, not necessarily the most effective drug in that category.

Link of the Day - American Gastroenterological Association

The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) is "dedicated to the mission of advancing the science and practice of gastroenterology. Founded in 1897, the AGA is the oldest medical-specialty society in the United States. Comprised of two non-profit organizations — the AGA and the AGA Institute — our 15,500 members include physicians and scientists who research, diagnose and treat disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and liver."

The group's Patient Information section has a terrific collection of articles on these topics:

Celiac Disease

Cirrhosis of the Liver

Colorectal Cancer

Constipation

Gallstones

Gas in the Digestive Tract

Heartburn/GERD

Hemorrhoids

Hepatitis

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Lactose Intolerance

Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)

Pancreatitis

Peptic Ulcer Disease

The Web site states:

Symptoms and complaints related to the digestive tract are some of the most common reasons we take over-the-counter medications, prescription medication or seek the advice of health-care providers. Gastroenterologists, or "GIs," are medical specialists with extensive training in diseases of the digestive tract. GIs can answer your questions, perform tests in making a diagnosis and prescribe the best course of treatment to help you feel better.

FDA Recommends Warnings For Tamiflu and Relenza

Reuters reports that the Food & Drug Administration is recommending new warnings about psychiatric problems sufferedby some patients taking Tamiflu and Relenza influenza medications. Excerpts from the story:

In documents...posted on the FDA's Web site, agency staff recommended that Tamiflu's label be strengthened to note, "in some cases, these behaviors resulted in serious injuries, including death, in adult and pediatric patients."

The FDA staff also reviewed Relenza, a drug in the same class as Tamiflu, recommending its label be changed to note "reports of hallucinations, delirium and abnormal behavior" observed in some patients taking the drug.

FDA staff said the evidence is "conflicting" as to whether the events are medication-related, a manifestation of disease or a combination of the two.

Tamiflu, known generically as oseltamivir, is a pill, while Relenza, generically zanamivir, is inhaled.

A Roche spokesman said no causal relationship between Tamiflu and these psychiatric events has been proven.

"Roche has extensively investigated the issue and is conducting ongoing clinical and nonclinical studies. Roche takes all adverse events reports very seriously," spokesman Terence Hurley said in a statement.

About 48 million people have taken Tamiflu worldwide, including 21 million kids, since approval in 1999, he said.

A Glaxo spokeswoman said a review of premarketing and post-approval trial data showed no signal of these types of adverse events on patients taking Relenza.

FDA staff reviewed nearly 600 cases of neuropsychiatric events reported by patients on Tamiflu and 115 cases of such events by patients taking Relenza.

Link of the Day - Don't Let Identity Theft Ruin Your Holidays

The Dallas Morning News recently had a very good article about ways to guard your identity while gift shopping. It's worth reading in full, but here are the highlights:

Protecting your identity must be a year-round effort, but it's particularly important during the holidays. There are more people around where you go, so it encourages pickpockets," said Linda Foley, co-executive director of the Identity Theft Resource Center in San Diego, a nonprofit organization that monitors identity theft issues. "People steal things from people's cars, we get distracted and we get mail that we don't pay attention to."

Identity theft is a crime of opportunity, so make yourself a less attractive target.

Here are 10 ways to throw up walls to thieves:

1. Guard your Social Security number

2. Practice safe behavior when it comes to your mail

3. Protect your credit card receipts

4. Be aware of your surroundings

5. Protect yourself against credit card skimming

6. Don't let your guard down when shopping online

7. Leave your checkbook at home

8. Minimize distractions

9. Carry your money securely

10. Check your bank and credit card accounts

Cruise Ship Injuries -- What To Do

Despite being in a landlocked city, our firm receives a number of inquiries about injuries sustained on cruise ships. As more and more ships depart from the port of Galveston, the inquiries are increasing.

Here are a few important things everyone should know regarding cruise ship injuries:

1. The normal Statute of Limitations may not apply to injuries sustained on a cruise ship. Look at the ticket or other documents -- you probably agreed in advance to accept a shorter deadline for filing suit on such injuries. Some deadlines are as short as six months.

2. If you do suffer an injury aboard a cruise ship, mmediately report the incident in writing to the security department on the ship.

3. Keep a copy of your written report and ask for a copy of the ship's incident report.

4. Take photographs of the scene of the incident before any changes occur. If that is not possible, take photographs anyway.

5. Make a note of the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of every person who witnessed to the incident.

6. Go to the ship's doctor to get treatment for your injury.

7. If necessary, go to a shore side doctor at the next port of call.

8. Contact a lawyer as soon as possible.

"Stella Awards" Debunked -- Again

The e-mail about the "Stella Awards" has been circulating for years, and so have articles proving these stupid stories are lies. But the e-mail just won't die. The latest newspaper column debunking the Stella awards was printed yesterday in the Houston Chronicle. Take a look. The article concludes:

Here's the lesson: The next time an Internet tale makes you think things are even worse than you thought, check it out. Especially when the tale suggests that the American system is stacked against wealthy corporations.

One easy way: www.snopes.com, an excellent site that investigates urban myths. It took less than 30 seconds to ask for "Stella Awards" and receive the verdict: "False."

Nissan Recalls Altimas and Sentras

From the Associated Press today:

Nissan is recalling 686,500 Altima and Sentra passenger cars to fix problems with a sensor that could lead to engine stalling.

Nissan Motor Co. spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan said Monday there have been no reports of crashes or injuries tied to the issue. More than 650,000 of the recalled vehicles are in the United States, with the remainder in Mexico and Canada.

Safety Tips -- Car Keys And Alarms

This information is from an e-mail that's been circulating for a very long time. But there are some good tips in here, and it's worth summarizing. This only applies if you have a remote control for a car alarm.

Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies.

Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this: It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house, and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage.

If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break into your house, the odds are the burglar or rapist won't stick around. After a few seconds, all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and the criminal won't want that.

Remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there. Maybe this could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.

It is also suggested that you carry your car keys with you in case you fall outside so someone can hear the alarm and come find you.