So... I’ve been wondering—are you guys footing the bill for all these sends yourselves, or what's the deal?
Actually, you pay for a second opinion elsewhere, but usually, an association helps you find the right contacts. They basically have the inside scoop on which clinic is best for what. For instance, if you're dealing with testicular tumors, Dr. Unicorn at Indiana University is the top choice. The association finds that info and gets everything sent over to him—stuff that’s pretty hard for a regular person to figure out unless they've dealt with it before, but the association knows the ropes...
Angela Wright said:They have a right to know while there's still time to hunt for other options! Are you really so numb from being in that profession that you can't grasp basic logic or follow a simple analogy after reading through this thread? Every single day at our foundation, we take in medical records from people who have been written off, and we send them abroad to get second opinions at top-tier clinics. And don't even get me started on rare tumors that nobody in our local medical establishment has the expertise to handle. We're talking about kids suffering from things like sarcomas. When we look overseas, we get a massive influx of options and different ways to approach treatment. You wouldn't believe it—many people who were essentially given up on here end up seeing results that blow your mind, once the protocols actually manage to fight their way through our healthcare system. You won't get that kind of honesty from the doctors here. They won't say, "I don't know, I haven't seen this before, but you should talk to Dr. Smith." It's all about ego and prestige. They'd rather rob a patient of a chance to extend their life—a chance that might mean the entire world to someone—just so they don't look "weak" in front of their colleagues.
I guess in our healthcare system, you practically need a special kind of courage just to say that out loud. When I was hit with some really tough news, my first instinct was to ask, "Wait, why weren't you treating him for this or that?" And they just looked at me and said, "We didn't know; we haven't seen anything like this in 30 years." Well, if they didn't know, why did I? I knew because I spent four straight days glued to the internet researching everything possible, since it was completely outside my field. Seriously, it took me maybe thirty minutes of Googling to find the answer. If those doctors had just done a little bit of searching themselves, they might have actually had an interesting case study to present at a medical conference. In that situation, I honestly would have been much happier if I hadn't known anything at all...
Every single time I take my pets to the vet, I walk away just blown away by them. Seriously, if you're working with animal patients, you really ought to take a page out of their book...
Kate Collins67 said:I honestly don't follow you. Half the time, everyone is preaching about how the patient has a "right to know" this and that. But now, if I were to look a patient in the eye and tell them—based on my actual medical expertise—that they have maybe six months left to live and that I don't even know of a treatment that could change that outcome, suddenly that's considered wrong too. I just don't get what exactly you're looking for here. And frankly, I don't see why you'd bother getting someone banned over this; personally, I don't take offense that easily.
Something similar happened to us just the other day. We were at this party, everyone was a little tipsy, and toward the end, one of my closest friends asks my partner about her dad's condition... basically asking for the statistics. He gives it to her straight, and the poor girl just bursts into tears and runs to her car. I was so confused, and my partner felt terrible because he was just being honest about what the medical data showed. The next morning, I call her up to check in, and she tells me—"I'm okay. Honestly, I'd rather know the truth than be kept in the dark. Now that I've accepted the reality, I can actually find the strength to fight. Thank God someone was upfront with me."
Kate Collins67 said:Look, you’re digging really deep into the complexities here, so let me just pose a simple question to you. You're a doctor and you have a patient—a child—with an incurable tumor involving metastases, requiring ongoing palliative care. You tell the parents their child has a metastatic tumor. After that step, I want to hear how you would proceed, broken down into a few points, if you please.
First off, I feel like we're all just guessing here because nobody actually knows the specifics of this case. Second, if a child is truly that sick, you communicate that immediately—not three months down the line (if I can be a little blunt there). Third, you lay out the options, especially the potential outcomes. It’s much better to be honest than to let people live in a delusion; at least then they can mentally prepare somehow. Plus, you can provide contacts for support groups that offer mental health resources when the healthcare system falls short...
My primary care doctor actually does house calls, and when things got really hectic, she even gave me her personal cell number. She actually called me—can you believe that?—just to check in and see how I was doing. Honestly, she’s such an idealist... or if you ask some people, maybe just someone too selfless to value her own free time.
Kate Collins67 said:Look, if we were talking about moving into private healthcare, I’d have plenty of reasons to laugh, and the patient would have plenty of reasons to cry. But since we’re stuck in this socialized model, our relationships are just built that way.🙂
I’m not actually talking about private healthcare here. It’s just a fact that some people working in the public system walk around with a permanent scowl on their faces, acting like they can't stand you. But then, when they work privately, suddenly they’re all smiles, friendly, and willing to actually explain a diagnosis. I mean, a little smile and a couple of sentences shouldn't cost that much! I totally get that you guys are overworked and drowning in patients, but personally, I wouldn't let myself be that rude to people, regardless of how the system works or what the conditions are like. And I’m not just talking about doctors—this goes for the rest of the staff, too.
Susan Rodriguez4 👍, luckily I know plenty of people just like you 🙂
The best experts I’ve ever met are usually just down-to-earth, kind people. They don't deal with those massive ego complexes where they feel the need to act superior just to prove they belong. Plus, a true pro can take even the most tangled diagnosis or complicated treatment plan and explain it so anyone can actually grasp it—whether you're an entry-level assistant or a specialist. It's honestly pretty tacky to try and hide your own lack of knowledge behind a wall of medical jargon...
I know there are all sorts of personalities out there, but that’s never an excuse for someone to lose their humanity.
I’ve always preferred working with test tubes over dealing with people. Then, somehow, I ended up actually having to work with people. Now? I’d give anything to go back to the lab life... But it feels like it's too late to pivot now, so you really only have two choices: you either change your mindset, adapt to the chaos, and just swallow your frustration every once in a while, or you make a clean break and find a new job—or even a whole new career. Whatever you do, patients shouldn't be the ones feeling your personal dissatisfaction. If you're in the private sector, that kind of attitude will sink you fast. And in much of the European Union where everyone wants to act like they're special, you basically have to stay as chill as can be... Honestly, the opportunities in biomedicine are huge. At the very least, you could always move into pharma sales, where your clients are actually your former colleagues.
It starts with a deep dive into your symptoms and any issues you're feeling, followed by a full physical exam where the doctor observes everything, feels for tenderness, checks your range of motion, and maybe runs a few quick tests right there in the office.
First things first—you need a thorough clinical exam, and then, if necessary, we can look at some X-rays.
Looking at these results, your cervical vertebrae seem fine, though there’s a bit of wear and tear on the lumbar spine—but honestly, that’s pretty much standard once you hit your thirties.
You really need to go somewhere else to get a proper diagnosis and some real physical therapy. There’s zero point in just popping Metamizole like candy; you have to actually fix the root cause. It’s totally possible that it’s your TMJ acting up, but honestly, trying to figure out what’s actually going on via the internet is just impossible...
By the way, muscle myalgia can definitely happen in your neck, too.
Half of the answer is already right there in your own post... maybe take a second to look at your daily routine and tweak what you can, especially when it comes to your posture while you're working.
It’s not really about having flat feet, it’s more about increased overpronation—that's the real culprit behind those runner's shin splints. Honestly, just Google "shin splints, overpronation" to see what I mean. I'm a bit skeptical that magnesium is going to do much, though it certainly won't hurt... Ice definitely helps, but you really ought to take a break until things settle down before easing back into it, and make sure you're wearing the right shoes when you do
ruggedscout91 said:And who exactly is supposed to document that you couldn't get an appointment in the public system within thirty days when you need surgery in ten? Furthermore, who is going to tell dentists to stop bleeding people dry just because they have supplemental insurance? The same applies to gynecologists, where you see on this forum that the exact same services are charged differently based on $67 price fluctuations and whether or not there’s a receipt. Where is the oversight in the healthcare system? There isn't any. And there isn't any because the system is designed to let patients bleed money constantly for several reasons: paying healthcare taxes, paying for supplemental insurance, regularly buying almost all medications—even those covered by insurance—because sometimes it's cheaper to just buy them at a local pharmacy than to drive to a doctor, pay for gas, and wait for hours. Then there's paying for EVERY SINGLE BREAST ULTRASOUND because I haven't met a single woman who could actually get that exam done using a standard referral. Or paying for every ultrasound related to gynecological issues (prices are roughly similar). Or paying for CT scans (I don't recall anyone being able to get a CT scan regularly because they say the machines at the Split General Hospital are reserved for inpatient use two months in advance). Instead, they just refer you straight to a private clinic without mentioning any benefits. Because heaven forbid you are sick; you are punished by God and find yourself in this situation:
- They denied me 20% of my paycheck for both months (sick leave due to extensive surgery caused exclusively by the error of my private-social gynecologist back in MA, - I paid for a private CT scan (which they begrudgingly acknowledged $27 during tax returns), even though I am the sole provider for my family. - I regularly paid for travel to and from MA, and the State finally recognized those costs, - Along with several other minor expenses,
A sick person in America who isn't wealthy has zero motivation to seek treatment in a system that looks social on the surface but isn't. I would rather express my preference for something else, such as:
- That instead of monthly healthcare taxes, the money stays in my savings account. I could have easily saved $0.00 just for this surgery, since I don't use the public system except for preventative checkups, which I pay for privately. The same goes for the dentist. - That I'm not asked for supplemental insurance premiums for the reasons mentioned above. - Considering I rarely even use necessary medications (sometimes I just buy Vitamin C), which supports my point.
If they fear certain illnesses so much that we are forced to act proactively by paying into a healthcare system for services that haven't been provided in 15 years—and even when they are provided, they are paid to a private practitioner—then they should realize that people want to know what they are paying for.
So, 15 years of paying $4000 = $0.00 (at the very least). So, 15 years of $400 = $6000 (supplemental insurance) So, 15 years of 10 x breast ultrasounds = 10 x 250 = $833 So, 15 years of 13 x pelvic ultrasounds = 13 x 250 = $1083. So, 15 years of dental work: scaling $200.00, 3 fillings x $50 = $50. Hormone therapy with red clover phytoestrogens, 7 months x $35 = $245. CT scan of the lower pelvis (without contrast) = $267.
In short, a perfectly healthy person who ended up needing major surgery due to her gynecologist's mistake—to whom she had consistently paid for ultrasounds and visits—has left this healthcare system with over > in 15 years, despite having no medical interventions other than two fillings and one dental cleaning.
205 $0.00.
What happens then to the sick? Or to those patients whom a Doctor actually demands cash from just to perform a surgery—an occurrence that is far too common nowadays?
It all points to one thing: poor organization and an overpriced healthcare system. I could have kept that money in my own account, using it whenever necessary and choosing my own care based on my family's specific genetics and medical needs. Had I saved what I could over the years, I would be sitting here with $136667. I could have navigated all the misery and stress I endured whenever I had to rely on the healthcare system without a single worry.
Well, if you do that, it isn't really about solidarity anymore. In the US, one worker basically supports an unemployed person and a retiree. If we switched to that model here, we'd end up with a US-style healthcare system. It's hard to even cover basic costs in a country where such a huge chunk of the population isn't even in the workforce. Honestly, it would be a nightmare—total inefficiency combined with hospital capacity limits...
That's why my honey is going to pull at least 70 hours of overtime this month, just so he can get that extra paycheck soon.
It honestly feels like some podiatrists know way more about dermatology—including everything involving nails—than actual dermatologists do. You might want to look into getting a second opinion...
Hey everyone, if you’ve ever struggled with a poorly written term paper where the whole presentation is linked somewhere else... I totally get it. Some of the connections made sense to me, but others? Honestly, they felt completely nonsensical...
brisksurfer said:Thank you so much for getting back to me!
It really seems like it’s just mucus building up constantly because Dad can't clear it out on his own. Since he had another terrible coughing fit this past Friday—where he actually ended up throwing up (honestly, my stomach turns just thinking about him coughing like that)—we had to take him back to Mayo Clinic. I asked the nurses there if they see this happening in the hospital too, and they said no... but then yesterday, while I was visiting him, he started hacking away again. A nurse came in with a suction machine and cleared all that phlegm out in maybe three minutes flat. We've been trying to do something similar at home, but they insert the tube so much deeper into his throat than I would ever dare to try... they get everything out instantly, whereas at home, we were struggling for six hours and he was in such agony. The nurse explained that the mucus just sits right there in his throat, so he ends up choking if he can't get it out...😢 I will say though, the nurse yesterday went a little overboard; she pushed the tube in so deep that his eyes were bloodshot by the end, and he didn't even want to open his mouth anymore... The head nurse told me that shouldn't happen—apparently, they're only supposed to go in as far as the patient can tolerate.
It’s just so incredibly heartbreaking to watch your own father suffer like this, even though he’s being so brave and never once complains about the pain...😢😢😢
Unfortunately, that suction procedure is really uncomfortable. That's why people try every other method first; you have to push the tube quite deep, almost down to the trachea, and you have to be extremely careful about sterility. I don't see how you could realistically do this at home unless someone shows you exactly what to do and you get medical-grade suction catheters. I wish there was more I could do to help.