Posts by Jacob Fox6

I'm totally on board with that...
Honestly, nobody here ever mentions taking actual responsibility for your own health... In so many developed countries across Europe and the US, people are actually encouraged to look after themselves and save money on their insurance through various private providers, so you end up with the idea that those struggling with alcoholism or drug addiction are basically making the whole healthcare system way more expensive for everyone else...

Americans are basically just scraping by on pure survival mode most days... so you really can't come walking in here telling us to go out and "recreate" or whatever... It just doesn't work like that when the countries you mentioned have a totally different standard of living than what we deal with here... making that kind of comparison is just impossible...

I mean, who could honestly be held responsible for someone else's liver issues from drinking too much, or smoker's lungs, or any other addiction-related stuff like diabetes or cirrhosis, especially when that person is actually trying to watch what they eat and stay healthy... Why on earth are we standing in solidarity with immorality and drug addiction... They basically bank on the fact that someone will eventually step in and bail them out just because they’re human beings, but since they're acting so reckless, nobody's actually going to lift a finger to help...

Look, there are countless examples out there of people only finally deciding to get their act together and change their entire lifestyle once they hit rock bottom with their health... honestly, you're just being intolerant and totally heartless, and there's really no arguing that anymore...

It’s actually wild how things work here in the States, where they go to such extremes that people who struggle with heavy drinking can end up having massive fundraising campaigns just to fly overseas to places like Italy to get liver transplants...
It’s just wild how even the basic stuff that hits young people can go untreated, because let's be real, nobody in this world wants to bother organizing a charity drive for the everyday person...
People are just throwing everything under the sun into these humanitarian funds to line their own pockets, and it’s honestly wild how they exploit those hardworking, decent folks who actually believe in earning a living through honest work instead of just peddling immorality and profiting from it...

I'm just gonna pass on this one...

I'm looking through the comments on this new law and I don't see anything about individual health accountability—you know, that part where your own choices could actually shift how much you pay for Medicare... which basically means some people will start watching their habits while others just keep acting reckless and leaving everyone else to foot the bill since we're all in this together...

What would you even do? Try to force people to go out for a run every single day, weigh every gram of food, and obsess over every single calorie... honestly, it's just nonsense. And what does "taking care of your health" even actually mean anymore? Everyone acts like they have these perfect, pre-packaged answers ready to go, while completely ignoring the biggest risk factor out there, which is stress—you can watch everything you eat and drink all you want, but if you're stressed out...
People are just wired differently—some folks are always on the move while others prefer to just chill, and honestly, everyone is just doing their best to live within their own limits, their personality, their DNA, and all that stuff...
Looking at the big picture, what you’re saying is actually a really positive way to look at things, but honestly, that kind of mindset comes from how an entire society is raised and shaped... I just don't see that happening here in the States anytime soon, especially since people are out here grinding themselves to death for peanuts, just constantly frustrated and feeling the squeeze under all this pressure... You'll probably tell me that change is always possible, but I'm telling you, it just isn't... In theory, sure, anything can happen, but if you want real-world change, there are so many other pieces of the puzzle that have to fall into place first...

Like, look at the medication madness here in the States. Honestly, I don't think there's any other place in the world where you see so many seniors—and I mean they aren't just taking meds, they're practically chugging them—acting like little walking pill organizers in everyday life. Whether it’s a bit of depression hitting, a full moon, or just some digestive issues, they swarm the clinics like ants, and you can't even get an appointment without waiting five hours in line...
Where did all the family medicine or the local doctors go? They're all acting like they're doing us a massive favor just by showing up.

That's exactly what I was getting at, the entire healthcare system in America is basically screaming for a total overhaul... but I still can't get behind how you keep pointing out certain age groups like they have some kind of special claim over everyone else. Let's be real, the older you get, the more things start breaking down because our bodies just wear out, so making a huge drama about it like you are feels pretty unnecessary. Of course most seniors need a ton of pills because if you've got Type II diabetes—which is super common—it starts a domino effect with blood pressure, heart issues, and maybe even your liver or kidneys... you have to realize that when one thing fails in old age, it triggers a chain reaction, and people are just trying to help them manage it, which naturally means a lot of prescriptions. Personally, I find it way harder to wrap my head around those healthy young people or middle-aged folks who are constantly popping every vitamin and mineral they can find at a drugstore... I'd call that "supplement mania" rather than the "medication mania" you keep obsessing over...

Or look at psychiatry.
The whole psychiatric service is totally broken and never seems to be where it actually needs to be, yet the big shots at the top are still getting their massive paychecks. For what, exactly?

I'm with you on that, but honestly, psychiatry is its own messy beast for a million different reasons. Sure, it makes sense for something like schizophrenia, but trying to fix certain types of depression with 99 different pills is just plain incompetence, especially since if you actually understand how affective disorders work, the real answer is a combination of medication and psychotherapy, which hardly anyone does well around here...

Kate Collins67 said:The "solution" they're pushing? It'd be much simpler if they just handed everyone their invested cash in cold, hard cash and told us to switch over to a totally private system. Then you'll see exactly where the money goes—you'll blow through it in a heartbeat and then just drop dead because you can't afford the next round of treatment.

I think you mixed things up because I was actually comparing how pension funds get paid out abroad versus how our healthcare system works...

Healthcare doesn't pay you out, but at least they aren't constantly ripping you off to begin with...

Kate Collins67 said:Once you graduate and get swallowed up by the machine, that utopia disappears pretty fast—though maybe you'll be the exception to the rule.

A quick thought on this whole transition toward socialized healthcare here in the States.
Just imagine if, as a nation, we had spent twenty years operating under a purely private healthcare model instead of a social one. Instead of dumping, say, $30 billion annually into the system, we only allocated what was strictly necessary to maintain basic functions—maybe just a billion or whatever the actual math dictates. We're talking about potentially saving hundreds of billions over two decades (adjust the numbers for accuracy, but you get the point).

Now, if we took those massive savings, pumped them directly into entrepreneurship, boosted production, and skyrocketed our GDP, we could eventually become a nation running at a massive surplus. If, after twenty years of dominance, we decided to pivot back to a socialized healthcare model, maybe we could actually pull it off? But there's a catch—that "success" would have been paid for with countless lives lost during those twenty years. The US did it—well, if we hadn't pushed for socialized healthcare from the start, who knows what kind of global power we'd be today? Maybe we wouldn't even be in the top five.

I won't be an exception, because I know plenty of people working in hospitals who are incredibly dedicated, decent doctors...

Your theory doesn't really hold water for two main reasons...

1. It’s pretty obvious you haven't quite grasped how macroeconomics works, especially when you start talking about "small and medium-sized businesses."
If you're interested, feel free to go study the economic foundation of the various countries in the European Union...

2. Because the US chose to roll out healthcare reform right in the middle of one of its massive crises and recessions that nearly leveled the playing field. Plus, let me remind you again about the economy—the US economy basically runs on defense spending... that's where the money for everything else is pulled from. When the banking sector and Wall Street collapsed—which was basically just a reality check showing that Americans were living entirely on credit—there was absolutely no money left, which is the exact opposite of what you're claiming. Despite that, the healthcare reform started anyway, and the "domino effect" was totally predictable. Money in America and money in Europe are two completely different beasts. Europe has a solid base—for instance, Germany has a manufacturing output comparable to France and the United Kingdom combined, and that isn't driven by "small businesses," but by heavy industry, agriculture, vocational training, and cutting out corruption and cronyism at the root. Naturally, that means there's money for everything... naturally, someone in Germany can live better on welfare than someone in a place like Ohio can on a paycheck... and naturally, there's money for healthcare!

Politics and healthcare don't work like simple addition; you need to understand things like "integrals"—basically, math and logic aren't really working in your favor here... it's a complex system (which is why I keep stressing the economy, because without it, nothing exists, not even healthcare). Healthcare is just one variable in a much larger function, and for it to work, politics has to be sound—starting with the individuals, the party agendas, the core logic, and the economic stability... I'll borrow a line from Shakespeare—"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark"...

Kate Collins67 said:Believe me, primary care doctors—and look, I don't want to generalize, but at least the ones I deal with—they do hand out referrals, but it’s rarely for someone like you or anyone in your age group facing a potential issue. No, they're focused on the elderly patients whose conditions are already set in stone, people for whom even a trip to the hospital won't change their ultimate outcome, regardless of how much it might help someone younger like you.

The reason? It’s simple: they don't want the liability of an elderly patient passing away without having "sent them in," even though any sane person knows that at a certain point, medical intervention won't slow down the inevitable. (And let's be honest, pressure from the family plays a massive role here, too). It’s much easier to push a referral through for a younger person who isn't going to die in the next few years than it is to scramble for someone who could pass away in hours—even if, at 87 years old, death is just a natural part of life....

Of course they're issuing referrals for follow-ups or adjusting meds, since that's way more cost-effective than sending someone straight to the hospital. And honestly, what else are they supposed to do, just let seniors suffer through pain at home? You're really overthinking this one because I doubt anyone younger is actually being denied care based on these rules—that sounds like a bit of a stretch if you ask me—plus, most of those older folks are actually paying for their own supplemental insurance anyway...

ruggedscout91 said:YES, CHOOSING WHO GETS HELP IS HUMANE. Is it humane to let someone with ruptured appendixes die because they couldn't get surgery because a 90-year-old with an incurable disease occupied the operating room or the bed?
Is it humane when hearts fail because someone was busy shuttling an elderly person back and forth from the ER to the hospital, leaving no ambulances available for someone's son, grandson, or great-grandson?

Here in America, because there is zero trust in the system, the relatives of the elderly act in a way that drives up the cost of care, making it impossible for other patients. They clog up the system, and no one has the decency to tell them to moderate their demands.
While they are busy making unrealistic demands of the staff, there isn't enough time or resources left to help people in acute crisis.
That is our culture: "Give me everything, and let everyone else rot."
And believe me, when you visit these seniors at home, they are often neglected and stripped of basic human rights. Yet, once they reach a hospital or a doctor, their families treat them like they descended from heaven. Meanwhile, the poor grandparents aren't even aware that their presence only serves to soothe their relatives' guilty consciences, while a young life slips away because they are stuck in the system.
There is no need to criticize me for thinking this way. This is a lesson learned through experience. My own mother passed away at 88, and I knew there wasn't any other way. It was far more important to provide her with care while it still made sense to do so.

We could also talk about the VIP suites and luxury rooms where bodies—more or less warmed up—lie at someone else's expense, sometimes with a little extra paid out of private pockets.
Fortunately, you can't cheat death, even if God is your father.

My God, I honestly can't wrap my head around how anyone—including you—could actually think like that...

What you just said goes completely against the Hippocratic Oath, the entire foundation of medicine, and basic human decency. And let me tell you, I'm not even speaking as a layperson here...

There are always specific criteria used for selection in every medical situation. Like... if you're waiting on a bone marrow transplant, nobody is asking if you're a smoker or not, you just get the transplant. The right to life isn't some individual choice made based on someone's personal opinion, and honestly, thank God you aren't the one making those calls, because you'd clearly just be treating teenagers while personally organizing funerals or tossing everyone else into the first available grave... it's just shameful. Everyone gets treated without exception, and then doctors step in more aggressively depending on how urgent the situation is...

mistyjackal842 said:I mentioned she received a transfusion at the day hospital, and that’s exactly what happened. She spent some more time at home after that, but as her condition started to decline, she was admitted to the hospital to get a proper diagnosis. Up until then, she had been relatively healthy and lived quite a long life. After they ran all the tests at the hospital, they actually sent her home, even though she couldn't really move around. Given her age, she didn't undergo any intense chemotherapy. She passed away at home. I honestly don't see why this is such an issue for you. For what it's worth, she worked for over 30 years and paid her share into Medicare.

I really don't see why I should have to justify myself to you. It seems like you think you know everything and that you're always right. I just don't understand why you feel the need to pick apart my every word and take things completely out of context.

And I'm not even sure what you're talking about here. Of course everyone deserves help, regardless of their diagnosis. That comparison you made just doesn't make sense. Why on earth should we be choosing who gets help and who doesn't? Do you honestly believe that kind of selection is humane?

Totally agree.

And you just gave the perfect example of exactly what I've been saying... All these people—your grandma, current retirees, folks out of work—they've all been paying into the system, so where is that money now when they need the healthcare they earned??? That’s my whole point: if that money wasn't being stolen, there would be plenty for everyone, but instead, it turns out the very people who spent their entire lives paying for healthcare are left to fend for themselves while others are out driving luxury cars with their cash...

mistyjackal842 said:So, why isn't the care in Canada considered worse than it is here in the States? I mean, I haven't heard people complaining much about it. I actually had the chance to chat with an American who lived and worked in Canada for many years. I didn't even prompt him; he just started telling me how top-tier their healthcare services really are. He was in a serious car accident once, and he told me that the level of quality care he received there after the crash... well, I guess he wouldn't have seen anything like that back home in the US.

Honestly, Canada feels like a total paradise compared to the US. It all really comes down to "you get what you pay for," which is the last thing you want when it comes to medical care, and it honestly just goes against everything medicine should be. To me, the real issue is that people treat medicine and healthcare like they're the exact same thing, even though they’re closely linked but totally different concepts. At the end of the day, the problem is that the healthcare system is driven by politics rather than actual medicine...

Canada has such a high standard of living and income levels, too. I can personally vouch for that since I've been there myself, and seeing how things work over there is basically pure science fiction for us here, unfortunately...😢

ruggedscout91 said:Dear Jacob Fox6, what you wrote refers exclusively to the poor organization of healthcare. They throw away the positive aspects of the old system, yet they fail to offer new solutions—or worse, they offer alternatives that are even more inefficient and expensive.
The population hasn't increased nearly as much as the bureaucracy. The number of specialist offices is higher, and the amount of medical equipment far exceeds what we had in the previous era, yet it's harder than ever to actually get service or book an appointment. How does that make sense?
My husband went to his dentist after 14 years for a cleaning and some follow-up work based on a private agreement. It was all out-of-pocket $67 costs. Medicare plus supplemental insurance equals $67 for dental work? No one asked him why that same dentist has been collecting fees from the government for him for 14 years. I also go to the dentist every 15 years for a checkup (my teeth are fine), and if I need a filling, it's immediately $17, and that was five years ago.
No one asked me where the money went when I was 11 either. My coverage just rolls along automatically.
That is how it works across the board.
Every preventive measure I take, I pay for entirely out of my own pocket. I don't even bother carrying my health insurance card lately, because who cares?
There you have it. That is our socialized healthcare: where the hardest part is actually getting an appointment or seeing a provider at all. Later on, God knows what else a person has to endure just to survive. In this system, being critically ill is the only recognized category; everything else is treated like a game with no rules.

Honestly, I’ve been saying this whole time—the healthcare system is broken.👍

I think there might be a little misunderstanding here. 🙂

I totally agree with you. I was just trying to distance myself from all the political stuff... personally, I don't care if we're talking communism or capitalism, the reality for me is that things just aren't working right now. From my perspective, all I want is to be able to see a doctor when I need to without having a nervous breakdown or emptying my bank account. Since everyone is so fed up with our healthcare, I'm definitely leaning towards being angry and calling people out.

That comment from Milinovic about cutting supplemental insurance for people on unemployment is just insane to me. If someone is unemployed, should they immediately be cast aside and treated like trash? His excuse was, "as a husband, I make enough to pay for my wife's supplemental insurance"... man, that statement still makes my blood boil...

I don't even know where to start arguing with that... I won't even try because my blood pressure would probably hit 190 thanks to my social conscience (unfortunately).

The guy is just an idiot... only a complete fool could say something like that. And that brings me back to my point—we’re stopping being a socially conscious nation. When I say "social" (looks like we had a misunderstanding there😉), I don't mean political leanings, I mean a specific discipline within medicine that exists on paper even though its actual practice is super questionable. When a pillar of capitalism—the US—works specifically to change the status quo from non-social medicine, I have to ask: "Who does Milinovic think he is to have an opinion on this?"

It sounds super pessimistic, I know, but honestly, it feels like these politicians today—regardless of which party they belong to—just don't have the power to change a single thing anymore... It’s not even just about the healthcare system at this point, it’s about basic survival, like how since September the government hasn't even had the funds to cover pensions because they emptied out the pension funds (thank God🙄) in a way that wouldn't fly in any civilized nation. In Germany, I know for a fact that anyone can choose at any time whether they want their entire life savings to go into a pension fund, yet our seniors are sitting there wondering if they'll even see a dime despite working hard and paying their taxes their whole lives...

The US has been completely robbed. And then you have them in Congress messing around with laws to statute-limit those infamous old corporate takeovers... It's pure idiocy and a blatant attempt (which, sadly, looks like it might actually work) to make sure the "important people" never have to answer to the law. Which leads me straight into the next mess, which is that the ruling party or coalition basically gets to hand-pick the constitutional judges—the political interference in the Constitution and our democracy is as obvious as day, and it's definitely not how things work in most other countries in the European Union. One massive problem just keeps dragging another one behind it... Without a totally independent judiciary, you just can't have a true nation governed by law in America, and that's just a fact.

So, back to the healthcare stuff. We're dealing with an overleveraged State, a State where the Secretary of the Treasury is practically rubbing his hands together while we pile on more debt through bonds in America, a State without a real industrial base, and without that, there's no money flowing into the treasury because while he was busy pushing "small business growth," they were suspiciously selling off or gutting major factories... basically, the State has zero income coming in, so the only solution our politicians see is taking on even more debt just to "patch the holes" temporarily. And then you throw healthcare into this mix, which is this massive machine involving private insurance, public coverage, a mountain of employees (and nobody can even fire doctors because there's already such a shortage), and huge pharmaceutical companies... and now... who is actually listening to what the people need regarding healthcare when we can barely afford basic survival and pensions? Personally, I don't think things are going to move in a positive direction anytime soon (sadly...) because health versus the healthcare system is what defines the well-being of any nation...

Sometimes I really wonder why I even bother stressing over this stuff when nothing ever seems to get better, and honestly, it feels worse than ever. But unfortunately for me, since I'm actually a medical student and I have a pretty clear picture of what my future career is going to look like, I can't just look the other way when it comes to social issues. I still believe in humanity, but I really wish it wasn't just expressed through the kindness of individual doctors (again—sadly—just individuals) but through the entire system itself... though I guess that's just my little utopia...

Nathan White35 said:I'm just asking because my liver was enlarged back then and I had to stick to a specific diet

Man, I am totally lost on what you're getting at here...🤷

If you tested positive for hepatitis and your liver was swollen enough to require a special diet, why didn't your doctors just tell you straight up if it was hepatitis or not... or even ask them yourself... I mean, why wouldn't you ask why you needed that diet if not for the liver issue... either way, those specialists definitely know way more than we ever will since they actually went through all that med school training...🤷

The only thing I can really say for sure is that you were likely dealing with a hepatitis infection, since an enlarged liver could be a reaction to the virus itself or just show that the hepatitis is progressing... it's got nothing to do with Hashimoto... honestly, that's about as much as I can tell you...🤷

Nathan White35 said:can someone give me some feedback on this? 🙂

Just because you’ve picked up a virus doesn't mean you've actually developed the full-blown disease... so based on what you shared, you might be carrying the hepatitis virus, but looking at those liver enzyme levels, I really doubt you're dealing with active inflammation right now. 🙂

Also, Hashimoto thyroiditis is an autoimmune condition, which means it's totally unrelated to any viral infections... so that hypothyroidism you're dealing with isn't coming from your liver since we're talking about two completely different medical causes... 🙂

Kate Collins67 said:It seems like every system has its expiration date and that change happens in cycles.
In any system that lasts a long time, too many parasites start to settle in—they dig their roots in so deep that the system stops functioning for its actual purpose. They simply become an end unto themselves, and eventually, the whole thing collapses from within.

Back in the 1990s, we started moving away from socialism, and now we are heading straight toward capitalism.
Social rights were handed out like there was no tomorrow, and increasingly, people are taking advantage of them without any justification—fake veterans, fake disability claimants, people retiring early for no reason, fake emergency patients, fake social cases... free healthcare, free education for everyone regardless of how little sense it makes when someone spends ten years in university (there are probably plenty more that don't come to mind right now).
I constantly hear people shouting about "our rights"... but honestly, look at the reality. How many of you are renters, students, or pupils? Or on the flip side, how many of you are the ones renting out apartments or condos and paying taxes on that income? If a landlord actually paid his fair share of taxes, he'd have less profit, and by that same capitalist logic, he'd just raise the rent to compensate. In the end, instead of $667 paying, say, $800 monthly rent, you'd be stuck with even higher costs.
It's funny, isn't it? We always fight tooth and nail for the rights that benefit us, yet at the same time, we all seem perfectly happy with those other "rights" remaining totally unregulated.

I'm mostly on the same page as you...
Personally, I'm not really a fan of any specific political system or ideology... I'm just a student living on a tight budget... whenever I need to go get some medical tests done, I simply can't afford to miss class because my school schedule is so intense, so I just end up going to a private clinic. But why? Just because the US healthcare system is set up such that I have to lose at least two days just to get an appointment scheduled...

Both socialism and capitalism had their pros and cons... since socialism collapsed, I don't see any reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater just for the sake of this relatively new American capitalism, which seems to be starting to crumble itself given this massive economic crisis...

Honestly, it’s starting to get really annoying here in the States how people always try to find excuses for certain systems instead of just taking the best parts of everything to actually look out for the well-being of our people. I just want to be able to see a doctor without losing an entire year waiting for tests to get a diagnosis, or having to drop several thousand dollars on private doctors because I literally cannot afford to skip school...

I sign off on everything else you mentioned... I just wanted to add my two cents regarding those systems, which, whatever you call them, are totally overwhelming me...

Hannah Hill said:Thanks for all the advice... I think I'll start with an MRI... then hopefully they'll send me to a specialist if there's actually something going on... not to mention I'm already a complete nervous wreck over this whole thing...
oh and I totally forgot to mention that on my last lab report my alkaline phosphatase was low??? what does that even mean? what could be causing it?

here's a super helpful link for you 😉
http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/alkaline-phosphatase-test/about/pac-20385111

I'd definitely suggest getting your kidney function checked out too—just to be safe...🙂

Hannah Hill said:I feel like I've been struggling for six months now... everyone keeps telling me everything is fine...but I didn't just make this pain up because it's constant... just this dull, nagging ache in the exact same spot...The last thing they could get me after the ultrasound was a stool sample and repeating my urine test...
I'm thinking about heading to a private clinic for an abdominal MRI... if that'll actually give me some peace of mind compared to the ultrasound... I don't have many choices left since neither of my two doctors will write me a referral for anything else.

I totally believe you. 👍

And what you're describing is basically the textbook definition of visceral pain, so it's most likely coming from an internal organ... and honestly, it's pretty probable it's related to the liver like they mentioned (if I remember correctly, someone brought that up)... a liver biopsy would be the real way to go because that would finally clear everything up once and for all. It’s definitely not a fun procedure, but when you've exhausted every other option, you really should consider a biopsy. It isn't the most pleasant experience, and you'll be waiting about two weeks for the results, but it's reliable...

If you can swing an MRI—just go for it. There's no way you should skip any tests that might help figure out what's going on, because there's really no point in suffering like this...😉

Hannah Hill said:it’s basically this... over the last five months I’ve had two blood panels, two urine cultures, and two abdominal ultrasounds... plus my OBGYN visits too... according to all the results everything is totally fine... except for this one thing being elevated in the latest report... I actually have high bilirubin in my family, but it’s never shown up in my urine before, so I was just hoping someone could explain what this means since my doctor isn't really giving me much to go on... honestly, I've been dealing with constant pain for six months now and my doctor's just like, if your blood work and ultrasound look good, then you're good to go... so yeah 😢

If you're seeing bilirubin in your urine but your ultrasound came back clean, you should definitely see a nephrologist!!! Just to be safe and rule out anything going on with your kidneys...

Keep in mind that even if an ultrasound looks normal, it doesn't always mean everything is perfect, it just means everything looks okay within the limits of what an ultrasound can actually detect...

Karen Ramirez said:I got my lab results back and everything looks fine, except for that part about "Urine - sediments in field of view."

WBC: 3-5 (ref range 0-2)
Epithelial cells: 7-9 (ref range 0-1)
Bacteria - a little bit

Since those numbers are higher than the normal range, I'm wondering what it actually means...

Based on what you wrote, it sounds like you might be dealing with some inflammation... those slightly elevated white blood cell counts usually point toward an infection, especially since your sedimentation rate is also up too...

I don't know why your doctor sent you for these specific tests, so I can't give you a more exact answer than that... 🙂

Don't sweat the epithelial cells, because that just measures how many skin cells end up in your urine when you go, which can really fluctuate from moment to moment... honestly, it's better that it isn't even higher... 🙂

You should probably get a CBC done so you can see exactly which type of white blood cells are high, because what you listed is just the total count, and you really need to see the breakdown to tell if we're looking at something acute or chronic... 🙂

I can't help but feel like we're slowly losing our grip on being a social welfare state... everyone just wants to pivot toward private companies because they're faster and more efficient, and honestly, that’s just such a classic American principle... what blows my mind is how the US keeps trying to model its healthcare after the American system, which is widely known for being totally unsupportive of the people, and the biggest irony here—we're chasing an example that is actually trying to fix itself, like how America is working to reform its system and build up social medicine while we're basically throwing ours away...

We have some truly brilliant specialists in our medical field... doctors who haven't even graced a TV screen or a radio show once, yet they perform their jobs perfectly well. Of course, this whole mess in healthcare is incredibly demotivating for them, and all patients seem to know how to do is shout about their rights. Sure, there are mediocre people among both patients and doctors, but that’s where the State needs to step in by ensuring decent working conditions for doctors and proper care for patients. People don't even know anymore which insurance they have or what's actually "covered," so a green light has basically been given to private providers. On one hand, it's not all bad since competition can end up being better for the patient in the long run, but looking at the reality of it, it's also pretty bad, and that's the exact reason why patients are fleeing to private clinics in the first place...

Carol Price6 said:Does anyone have experience with the doctors over at the main hospital, maybe some recommendations for my little one near Rib... honestly, I'm just totally exhausted by all those grumpy, stressed-out, totally checked-out doctors out there... I'd be so grateful if someone could let me know their schedules, since I heard you can just walk in without an appointment any day and see whoever is on duty... so yeah... it would just be wonderful to find someone who's actually sane and really knows what they're doing....

Personally, I’m not really feeling the main hospital vibe... when it comes to hematology, the New York Knicks is definitely number one in the US! Even though it's a way smaller facility, the atmosphere is just incredible and the specialists there are top-tier... so if it isn't a total emergency where you have to rush to the main hospital, maybe give the Knicks a thought (they also do walk-ins and you get seen pretty fast too)... great pros, lovely people... I'd absolutely recommend them... and unfortunately, the doctors I actually know and trust from the main hospital aren't even in hematology...🤷

Amanda Hall71 said:thanks for getting back to me, Jacob Fox6...
honestly, I'm just relieved things didn't end with an amputation or something way worse, though I'm still lowkey stressing that they might not go that far...

one more thing though... they mentioned doing a joint fusion later on, so I'm assuming they won't touch anything until this inflammation is totally cleared up??

Man, I really can't say for sure... theoretically, you usually have to get that inflammation under control before moving on to surgery, especially if it isn't some crazy emergency, but there are always exceptions to the rule depending on how things look, so I don't want to give you the wrong idea...🙂

Amanda Hall71 said:just gonna jump in here so I don't start a whole new thread...

I dealt with this massive accident where I had an open fracture in my right lower leg along with a dislocated ankle... they had to put an external fixator on me, and I ended up needing skin grafts twice because everything looked pretty gnarly... it’s been almost two years now...
I was out in Carmel-by-the-Sea yesterday getting a second opinion since there was some talk about inflammation, and then I saw the report later and it actually says osteomyelitis😲
my ankle is totally stuck, mobility is barely like 10-15 degrees, and man, the pain is just unreal! about ten days ago, something started leaking through the scar from the graft... the docs are saying the only option left might be freezing the joint up (probably involving another external fixator) 😢

I've been doing a little digging online about osteomyelitis, but I'm honestly not sure what that specifically means for me right now? has anyone else gone through something similar? can you actually beat this with antibiotics or does it have to be surgery?

Basically, osteomyelitis is a bone infection that almost always stems from bacteria. In your case, I'm guessing the infection hit during the initial injury when those bacteria were pushed straight into the break (assuming it was an open fracture).
It basically means the bacteria get inside the bone and start tearing things up, which creates these abscess cavities filled with pus.
And you hit the nail on the head—without surgery and heavy-duty antibiotics, osteomyelitis can drag on for years without ever clearing up, which ends up causing redness all over the area and makes moving around a total nightmare, plus you could run a fever too.

It is treatable, so don't panic too much🙂,you just really need to get started on treatment as soon as possible.🙂

lonecobra40 said:I was wondering if anyone here has ever been to see dentist miran Tomljanović Kolka? I'm searching for a dentist in Washington, D.C., and after seeing her photo in the morning news, she just seems like such a gentle soul, which is exactly what I need right now, so I'd be so grateful for any info at all!

I haven't heard anything about that specific dentist, but honestly, I can totally recommend my own go-to girl whom I finally found after hunting forever for someone great—Dr. Marija Sović...

She's seriously amazing...she even takes Medicare, so you won't have to pay nearly as much out of pocket, and she handles absolutely everything with an awesome team of pros by her side...😉

She actually just moved into a brand new office over in the suburbs with all the latest high-tech equipment, so I don't have the exact address on hand, but if you're interested, I can shoot you her cell number in a DM so I don't post it publicly...🙂