A month ago I had a CAT scan on my head; I was a little nervous - wasn't sure they'd find anything in there. You can see that post here if you're keen. The results were due a few weeks later and last week was my visit to the doctor to get the results and learn what the next stages may be.
Good news, they found a brain, a sort of smallish one that quite resembled a walnut; I was ok with that, rather pleased, because something is better than nothing. The bad news was that in addition to the walnut-sized brain they found some other things that shouldn't be there and which I'm less happy about. I've been referred to a specialist who will do some more things, scans I guess, and that means more time and waiting, and it's that part I don't do so well.
I tried to make the appointment the other day but the specialist's office isn't returning my messages. Closed up for the Easter period or they just don't fucken like me, I don't know, but I'm annoyed about it.
So many people talk about how bad the health system is here in Australia; sure, there's good stories but there seems to be more bad ones. We're coming into a federal election shortly, (beginning of May), and one of the big issues is the health system which both (leading) parties have made a focus because both know it's completely broken, even though the sitting government probably wouldn't admit it because it'll make their term look like a failure.
We have so many issues like ramping (ambulances lined up at hospitals all day waiting to hand off their patients), lack of hospital beds on wards and in emergency departments, country and rural medical services unable to open due to lack of staff, general lack of nursing and support staff (low wages contributes to this issue), ageing population and increase in chronic issues, and other such problems that have put the health system under a great deal of pressure...and which reduce the level of care a person can expect.
It's not as bad as some countries of course and far better than many, but that's no consolation to those needing tests, results, operations, hospital stays and treatments.
Anyway, I'm not sure how long I'll have to wait for the specialist to call me back and how much longer I'll wait for the appointment itself but I've been told it could be several months; hmm ok, I'm sure those things in my head will just sit there and do nothing until then right?
Have you ever had to wait for medical treatment or not get it at all? Have you ever had a really great experience with the healthcare system in your location? Tell me about it in the comments if you'd like.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
[Original and AI free]
Image(s) in this post are my own
People complain about cost in the US, and there are problems with the hours and wages for nursing and other staff, but there aren't generally overcrowding issues or lack of care. Canadians often travel to our northern states for prompt treatment instead of waiting for the Canadian system to plow along. The Mayo Clinic in Minnesota is a world-class research and treatment center. More and more clinics are trying to divorce themselves from the insurance cartel and offer open pricing for patients to see up front, and internal pharmacies to reduce costs to wholesale plus a nominal fee.
That's refreshing to hear and I'm glad for it, other countries (mine) should take note and work on emulating the processes you have there perhaps.
I've heard of the Mayo Clinic, most probably have I suppose, and have heard it offers a top notch service; it'll be good to see more of that. In this country, I think too much is wasted on unimportant things where the really important ones are left floundering and degrading.
Politicians claim we need them to provide essential services, but people forget government is a monopoly with all the waste and abuse inherent in anyone without competition plus the power to compel people to pay whatever is demanded. I'd have a lot more faith in the US promises for universal healthcare if I hadn't already seen the failures of Veterans Affairs, Medicare, Medicaid, Workman's Comp, etc. or the issues in Canada and the UK. If there was unquestionable success on a small scale, I'd be far less leery of a wider program.
I could apply use your faith here and it's be just as relevant. It's federal elective voting day this Saturday...I've postal voted, but loads of others will front up and...vote in more rogues, the same as now or the opposition. Same same.
Oh damn...your walnut has a crack in it! The waiting is sometimes the hardest part. We can psych ourselves out with fullblown terminal illnesses while waiting to hear results of tests and scans. The good news is, they didn't admit you immediately and start cutting. I hope you don't have to wait too long for your specialist appt. In the meantime, I send you some healing thoughts and wishes and all sorts of good juju.
I think things will work out exactly how they're supposed to but it's quite annoying to see the failures in the health system especially considering health is one of the main points in the Federal Election campaigns of both major parties and the country goes to the polls this Saturday. They have both said what they're going to do to fix it...but we heard that in the last several elections as well.
Election promises are tossed out just to placate and entice voters to side with them. The health care system here is truly shit also, unless you pay an arm and a leg to get top tier insurance or you're a politician. They don't seem to have trouble getting adequate care.
The world is upside down and getting worse, heading into the toilet, and no one seems to want to do anything about it. Too hard? maybe. I'm sure a revolution against the king in France seemed hard too but there was this little thing called the French Revolution, so clearly people cared enough to do something.
Yep, I can feel the energy circling the drain too. It seems logical that people would rise up and it may come about that they do. I think that the 'handlers' have to push the population to a certain point before the masses band together tightly enough to rise up. Unfortunately, we commoners reach the threshold in insufficient numbers and until enough reach that point, no uprising will come. When will enough people be fed up enough to act? I don't have an answer. The longer it takes, the more time 'they' have to roll out ways to pacify and divide the people.
I have my burning torch and pitchfork ready to go so when it comes time to rise up I'll be ready to do so.
You're last sentence...exactly right. It has to happen sooner not later or controls will be in place...as they are already.
I engage in daily pitchfork practice myself, but it's too damn hot and dry to burn anything
Sorry to hear that Mr. G. I'm sending all the wellness vibes I can muster and that's quite a few.
I had to deal with the Irish health service while looking after my father for several years and it was abominable. When I lived in Netherlands, about 30 years ago, I developed a herniated disc in my back and had to undergo surgery. The service was incredible. At 3 o'clock I saw a surgeon, at 5 I was admitted, next day operation, next morning home and all for a mandatory 100 euro a month insurance. And that's how it should be. I have no doubt that waiting for even a diagnosis can only be detrimental to a person's mental health.
Dem vibes are coming through and...well...I'm already getting well! ☺️
It's amazing how well a health system can be and how bad it can be. The funny thing is, here it's actually both and I've heard many awesome stories of people's experiences; outweighed by the bad sure but it's fairly balanced. The problem is it's fast tipping the other way.
Best thing? Just don't get sick.
Yay for a brain being present (that was kind of a given coz you function at a much higher level than what a ganglia could provide) XD
Less yay for the things which shouldn't be there O_O hope the specialists hurry up and get back to you. Ages ago we ended up with a two year wait for a diagnosis for youngest (we got it done with private in the meantime which hurt the wallet a bit), but more recently for middle child's physio and ortho it was "only" a few months (several weeks between referrals being accepted and several more weeks after that waiting for an appointment, but once the first appointment was had everything seems to progress smoothly).
I have an appointment booked, a few months from now though. sucks really.
I'm hoping for a smooth run from here but I guess I don't know what I'm going to get just yet. I'm hopeful though.
I hope that your health will be fine.
I'll be fine, I'm hard to kill.
Thanks though, I appreciate it.
Waiting! Ugh !
You know I'm hoping it will all turn out to be something not too bad.
I guess when a medical facility has all the business they could ever ask for, treating people with compassion may not take front and center. That is terrible though that you cannot even get a call back. I'm sorry you are having to deal with that. Last thing you need while you are waiting.
I hope so too. There's some speculation on what they think it may be which is why it's been escalated to the specialist with the expectation being a determination of a path forward. We'll see, time will tell I guess. Until then, I'll be thankful they actually found a brain in my noggin and will use it as best I can.
Thanks for your kind comments though.
In Norway, it is the same wait and wait, so that's why some people go to alternative treatment, but there is also waiting. The same system on the North Pole and South Pole.
Hope you will be fine.:)
Yeah, AI think it's a common issue in most places and that's a sad indictment of how society has degraded.
Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it.
A few years before, it was a different picture in the Indian health system when I was working there. There was no waiting time, but now Indians are also following the same as in the West. that is sad.
I hope that when you get the appointment, it will be something simple; I’m sure everything will go well.
As for my experience, I won’t talk to you about Cuba, because if things are bad there, we are worse off. Instead, I’ll speak as a doctor. It’s difficult to give a patient an appointment for months later; in my case, it’s due to a lack of resources. For example, to get a slot for surgery, you have to sign up on a list and wait up to 6 months to have preoperative exams, and maybe another 6 months to actually have the surgery. I suppose, as you mentioned in the post, everything will just be waiting for the surgeon to operate. It’s a frustrating situation and something that shouldn’t happen in the modern world. It’s a shame that everyone is in the same situation, some worse off, but health is no longer health; patients are just clients.
Shame on us as a society!
I can only imagine what it's like in your country and others as well and the situation here is generally far better than it is in many countries so should probably be grateful I wasn't born in any of those others.
I agree with what you said about the "clients" aspect...it is exactly the same here. (And people say humanity is progressing...I think not.)
Look on the bright side, a walnut size brain is much better than a pea size brain. Ultimately, it's not the size that matters, but what's inside.
You'll be fine!!!
Yeah, I'll be ok...my small brain and I won't part ways for some time to come and it's worked for me for so long now I guess I can rely on getting a little more out of it.
Concern I hope all works out well.
Well, earlier this year I was in hospital. All was fine and service was fast. I have medical aid.
My partner does not have medical aid. Then you wait forever for any sort of medical treatment. In her case, she needed specialist care regarding her knees. We were looking at 9-12 months to get an MRI scan because her case is not directly life threatening.
Same old story for sure. Here's with private health care (insurance) one would get in sooner. I have it, a high level, but still have to wait for the specialist though. Bonkers.
Yeah, when you talk about Specialists then you need "Gap cover" here.
So when I was in the hospital Medical Aid paid for the Surgeon, the Hospital ward, Radiologists, Pathologists (for blood tests etc)
However... the Anethetist came along and she asks me "Sign here. Do you have Gap-cover? You might have to pay extra."
And I did... like R3200 extra! Which is a significant amount of money for me. That is nearly equal to my monthly car payment.
When did life get so complicated.
Indeed. A bunch of loopholes and omissions and the bottom line is that unless you pay someone to run you through these things, you'd need to do so much reading to keep up with all these rules, its just not sustainable.
This is one thing. I have learned it and that is free advice I will give the next person should it be something relevant to share. But what's next? Car insurance? Maintenance, education, health, wealth, etc etc. I cannot know everything!
The complexities are in there for a reason and they put these "packages" together to make people have to get more, or not be adequately covered. It's the same with payTV packages for another example...just enough to make people need more.
And the terms and conditions? Yep, you'd need a lawyer to work that shit out like you allude to.
It's shit. Here's a product but there is a list of ways it DOESN'T work!
Healthcare in the US is hit or miss as I am sure you have probably heard. If you can afford a good plan, you are usually okay. I'm with you though, the waiting is the worst. The time between the scans and when I was diagnosed with cancer was the worst. After that, not so much because then you have an enemy and a plan of attack. I guess if they can't get you in right away that hopefully means they don't think it is too serious. I think a lot of it just depends on how busy the specific doctors are.
Here I don't think it comes down to whether a person is "seriously ill" or not, it comes down to waiting for an available spot. It is what it is I guess.
Ah, that sucks then. Best of luck to you!
If it wasn't treated urgently I think everything will be fine, there is a brain and that's very good and those things that shouldn't be there may just need to be controlled. I'm sure you will be fine, you are strong!
If I talk about the health system where I am at the moment, Spain, it is quite good, only that after a few years, after a certain event, things go slower, but in matters that can wait, for example, an appointment with a traumatologist to ask for insoles. But for example, if once a year you have to make an appointment with an ophthalmologist, the appointment is given a year before the end of the check-up. Although with the issue of excessive immigration there is a little bit of a collapse in the system.
You will be fine, I am sure.
They are unclear of the type and extend of the issue so cannot treat it hence the specialist appointment.
All right, let's wait for that appointment. I don't know what kind of symptoms you have, but if they don't get worse, everything will be stable.
If my head falls off I know I'm in trouble.
It won't fall off.... quietly, it's attached to the neck. I know it's difficult but it avoids stress.
Oh so sorry to hear about the delays in your care. It's incredibly frustrating to have to wait, especially when you're already dealing with health concerns. I'm hoping that you receive a call back soon. In the meantime, focusing on stress-reducing self-care techniques might be helpful while you wait. Sending you strength and positive vibes!
I'm sue things will sort themselves out and in the meantime I'll just do exactly what I'm doing, and always do, and let the rest take care of itself.
Oh I am so sorry to hear this story. I just commented on another of your posts that the medical care in Vietnam is excellent. Maybe another trip there is in order?
The last place I'd go to for assistance is somewhere that I don't speak the language. There's a lot of horror stories that come from people here doing things like that and I'll not be one of them. Besides, I'm not sure what you've head about the health system there but I've heard a lot to the contrary.
It’s so brave how you’re using humor to cope with something that’s clearly difficult and uncertain. I hope you get that callback soon and that the specialist gives you answers—not more anxiety. You’ve got a whole lot of people silently supporting you through this.
The trip to the specialist isn't for a while but I'm sure things will work out once I've been and done whatever will be required after that.
Thanks for your kind message.
Idk about the other countries, and even the data of causes of brain. But yeah! i have listen a lot that walnuts have a huge advantage to eat for brain and health. In india here we call it as AKROAD. It also have a quiet salt half bitter taste, and I am also trying to eat every day to maintain a good diet and stay healthy.
Yeah, walnuts taste good.
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