Followup: tissue infection

[KnottedYet]

I like the idea of going to a full clinic waiting room, pulling up the pant leg, and loudly saying, "I think this is contagious! What do you think? Gee, I wish the doctors would see me!" to everyone else in the waiting room!

But I'm evil.

[chickwhorips]

i'm sure you would get results if you followed that idea!

[Dianyla]

I absolutely adore the idea of walking in wearing capris and kicking your feet up on the table. See how fast it gets handled now!

[Brandi]

Holy sh*t! I just read this whole thread and I am just beside myself here. The whole thing is just not right! You poor thing. And i am sorry i did not read this sooner i feel bad. But not as bad as your poor leg. Please know I am thinking of you and praying that it all comes together and works out for you. I will be checking back as well to see how your next app. goes! Damn I can not believe how bad our system is it really makes me angry! This country really needs some big changes! I am so angry right now!!! You should have driven to canada and got treatment there! I truely hope you will be on the road to recovery following your app. this friday! Screw my stupid toes thread!

[Duck on Wheels]

Yep. The system is scr@wed. And yep, the working not-poor-enough and the self-employed take the brunt of it. The very poor are in the next-worst position, since they at least get coverage for emergency care (at least some bare bones version of it, although they often get the run-around before some institution caves and takes responsibility). But nope, it is not the poor folks or the illegals who are draining the system. Face it. It's the drug profiteers and the tax evaders and the war mongers who are draining the system. In a good system, there is coverage for all, all get good care, and we're all better off for it. The half-hearted treatment your Earl of Ulcer has been given is contributing to bacteria developing antibiotics resistence. That harms the health of all, and we all wind up paying. What goes around, comes around, and in the end a bad system is not cheap, while a good system doesn't have to cost all that much. Here in Europe we pay half what gets paid per capita, all in all, for health care and insurance in the US, yet here we're all covered, legals and illegals alike.

OK. I'll stop ranting and get back to crossing fingers that your appointment Friday gets you on the right track at last.

[KnottedYet]

BTW: the U.S. now has the highest per capita infant mortality rate in the developed world. We used to be behind South Africa, but they got their sh*t together, and now WE'RE NUMBER ONE!!! (and aren't we proud?)

I work in health care. I see this b.s. every day. It makes me CrAzY!!

Hip, take the pics of your leg and send them to KOMO's "help me out" reporter, along with your story.

(local TV station for all you non-Seattlites. They've got someone to cover stories of injustice like this. It's an "if it bleeds, it leads" reporting mentality, but if it gets some action I think it's justified.)

[Brandi]

BTW: the U.S. now has the highest per capita infant mortality rate in the developed world. We used to be behind South Africa, but they got their sh*t together, and now WE'RE NUMBER ONE!!! (and aren't we proud?)

I work in health care. I see this b.s. every day. It makes me CrAzY!!

Hip, take the pics of your leg and send them to KOMO's "help me out" reporter, along with your story.

(local TV station for all you non-Seattlites. They've got someone to cover stories of injustice like this. It's an "if it bleeds, it leads" reporting mentality, but if it gets some action I think it's justified.)

Yes i agree tell your story!!!

[Dianyla]

Hip, take the pics of your leg and send them to KOMO's "help me out" reporter, along with your story.

(local TV station for all you non-Seattlites. They've got someone to cover stories of injustice like this. It's an "if it bleeds, it leads" reporting mentality, but if it gets some action I think it's justified.)

Another great idea. Didn't you always want to be the poster child for MRSA when you were a little girl?

[bcipam]

Yep. The system is scr@wed. And yep, the working not-poor-enough and the self-employed take the brunt of it. The very poor are in the next-worst position, since they at least get coverage for emergency care (at least some bare bones version of it, although they often get the run-around before some institution caves and takes responsibility). But nope, it is not the poor folks or the illegals who are draining the system. Face it. It's the drug profiteers and the tax evaders and the war mongers who are draining the system. In a good system, there is coverage for all, all get good care, and we're all better off for it. The half-hearted treatment your Earl of Ulcer has been given is contributing to bacteria developing antibiotics resistence. That harms the health of all, and we all wind up paying. What goes around, comes around, and in the end a bad system is not cheap, while a good system doesn't have to cost all that much. Here in Europe we pay half what gets paid per capita, all in all, for health care and insurance in the US, yet here we're all covered, legals and illegals alike.

OK. I'll stop ranting and get back to crossing fingers that your appointment Friday gets you on the right track at last.

I don't want this to become a political statement or rant on my part but I do have to say... the system here is not that bad - really. Help if there if needed. Poor people here get excellent emergency care. The problem is that poor people don't have the money for routine medical care - like sick children exams so they clog up the ER making it difficult to get service for everyone - insurance, money or not. It's not the ER system that's bad. What we need to do is provide routine medical care for people who otherwise don't get insurance.

Most people here have a good insurance plan that covers most anything. That is the norm. I'll not get into a discussion re why illegals should not be covered but keep in mind in Norway and other places where everyone gets free medical care, taxes are extremely high. Everyone pays for the poor to get care. I would like to know if your illegal immigrant problem is as bad as California's (or the entire West Coast). This may sound hard but I work hard - and I don't like the fact much of my taxes go to supporting people who can't or won't make the effort to become legal immigrants. I don't care they come here - just make some effort - dang it!

If Hip needs help she can get it. She just needs to be proactive. Our system here, with few exceptions, is really very good. The only change we need is 1) to deal with the rampant illegal immigrant issues - folks who otherwise damage a fragile health care system , 2) provide well-care medical services to those who can't afford it to clear up our ER's and 3) provide services for preventive medicine - nutrition programs and other services to help poor society on the whole become more healthy.

Anyway I apologize for the semi off topic rant but just had to put my 2 cents in for the USA. No response is neccessary as I know many of you have different opinions. I just hate to see my country bashed that's all.

[mimitabby]

Yes, what you were saying was true that most people have health insurance. But it also means that 47,000,000 Americans do not. And you said it; most of them are the poor and the children of the poor. Implying that all poor people are illegal immigrants (and therefore do not deserve health care) or that even "WE" shouldn't bear the burden for our country's poor just doesn't sit right with me. Just because some little kid was born in another country, we should let him die from... whatever? What happened to compassion in this country?
Why do you think our country is so unpopular now?

Right now, in the USA half of all the bankruptcy cases are caused by illness and medical bills. that's right, people are poor because they couldn't pay their health care costs.

And while it is true that anyone can walk into most hospitals in the USA and get instant care, that's only good for a few days. People with chronic conditions like Hip, either have to come up with a bunch of dough to afford the prescriptions they need, or they go home and wait until they are sick enough again to go back to the emergency room.

Our health care system stinks here. We pay more (or those of us who are more fortunate, our employers pay more) for health insurance than any other country in the world. It's clearly broken when senior citizens pay huge portions of their income on medicine and medical insurance.
Too many people in our rich country have to choose between paying for prescriptions or for anything else.

Don't get me started on immigration, it doesn't belong here. But suffice to say, immigrants legal and illegal pay taxes. They pay taxes on the cars they buy, the houses they buy, and all the products they buy. Those that are lucky enough to get jobs "OVER" the table are paying plenty of taxes too.

The people who aren't paying taxes are the super rich. Those are the sliders in this country, not the poor.

[KnottedYet]

Here are statistics for anyone who is interested.

http://www.nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml

Like I said, I work in health care and see this stuff every day. It can burn you out, and make you want to change careers.

[chickwhorips]

when i was going to school full time in sunny arizona and wasn't working, my appendix ruptured. i went to the ER and they saw me as soon as they could, but it was misdiagnosed as the flu and i went home. i put off going back to the ER for another 5 days because i didn't have medical insurance and i was already terrified of the bill i was going to get from the first ER visit. eventually i had no choice and went back. they finally figured out what was wrong with me and i had emergency surgery and spent good time in ICU.
i still remember a gentalman coming in and talking to me. he got me all set up with ACCESS which is AZ's medical program for the less fortunate. they even set it up so that they paid for my first visit to the ER. they were wonderful.
i was able to stay on it for about 2 years until i started making just to much to stay on it, but not enough to have it through my employer or pay for it on my own, but bless the people at DES for trying their hardest to keep me on it.
if it wasn't for DES i would still be in medical debt. so all of you that pay your taxes and do believe, THANK YOU!

[Blueberry]

If Hip needs help she can get it. She just needs to be proactive. Our system here, with few exceptions, is really very good. The only change we need is 1) to deal with the rampant illegal immigrant issues - folks who otherwise damage a fragile health care system , 2) provide well-care medical services to those who can't afford it to clear up our ER's and 3) provide services for preventive medicine - nutrition programs and other services to help poor society on the whole become more healthy.

I agree in part. However, I did want to address one issue. [I think - please excuse if I'm not right] Hip was concerned about incurring medical debt that she knew she would not be able to pay, thus forcing her into bankruptcy (and all attendant problems). Further, this was/is something that needs *ongoing* care. Sure, she could have gone to an ER. But she would not have received the appropriate follow up care, which is critical for something like that. She couldn't see a private doc because she didn't have insurance and couldn't pay up front. So yeah....she could get care....but not really the care she needs. So, address your point number 2 above, and I think she would have been set.

CA

[snapdragen]

Here's the line girls:

____________________________________________

Let's not cross over to Politics.....

[Trek420]

mimitabby "Right now, in the USA half of all the bankruptcy cases are caused by illness and medical bills. that's right, people are poor because they couldn't pay their health care costs."

keeping it above snaps line .... and here I thought the bancruptcy is from 100k weddings .... and too many fine Italian steel bikes

Something I think we all can agree on is yes, we do not do enough here on preventative care, nutrition.

I'm puzzled for example I can go to the same store in my neighborhood and find few "health food" options. Same store in _____ more choices, same place in _____ choices abound.

Begs the question do folks make bad nutrition choices or lack the info and availability?

What makes it hard is when people see fast food as "the friend of the poor". Hungry? Got a buck? You're in luck.

I think we all agree on is that this is a wonderful country, we're lucky to live here where things can be discussed. And we're lucky to have an international board here.

It's a great country and Duck on wheels country too, she was born and raised here as I happen to know.

oooh, I've only got 2 minutes left on break....just enough time to get some chips