I'm Sick

[KvHagedorn]

Some make more than others.. I have been to probably over 100 doctor's homes in this town, and they make less here than they would other places. Nice houses all.. average size is probably >4000 sq ft. Older doctors have humbler digs, which leads me to believe things were quite a bit more equitable 30 years ago. Nevertheless, most of em can whip out the checkbook and dash off a $5000.00 check just like that... scary, huh?

[az]

Aww man... yes, it's really scary that there can be situations where you can't afford a doctor.

I know I've said this before, and I know you're sick of hearing this, but our health insurance has paid nearly a million euros for Samira's and Daniela's treatments (not to us, of course, and yes, it was all necessary!) - Samira would be dead right now if we lived in a country with a healthcare system such as the USA, and Daniela maybe too - in any case she'd be in a few years.

And don't anybody bash german healthcare again. It's got its problems, but at least you get medical treatment if you need it here.

AZ

[UtwigMU]

Antibiotics, especially generics are expensive.

I understand your pain, since I was w/o health insurance once (lost student status) and when I got hurt (no biggie, but it required 5 stitches), I had to pay 50$ in advance in order for them to stich me. (Stupid me and my principles and right views.)

Health system here is good, if you have health insurance which is fairly cheap and local communities sometimes pay for those who can't afford it. For instance, here you'd walkt to your chosen doctor, have yourself checked, got a prescription and get free medicine at apotheque. All costs would involve only $30 per month health insurance.

KvHagedorn: You're a fan of German/Nordic culture and IMO you don't belong in pseudo 3d world country such as USA, move somewhere else, it will be better for you.

Otherwise, I wish you get well soon and that you find a doctor, who can help you.

[thop]

Hmm whats a pseudo 3D world country?
Anyway i think you should move to Sweden KvH. Some things are quite similar to the US. They have wide roads, lots of space, big cars, large shopping malls, similar houses. I've been there a few times (more than 10 years ago though) and i liked it.

[Brian Ellis]

And the world's highest taxes and an ultra-green (to extreme excess) government and an economy that's driving away big players. Not everything in Swedish gardens are roses.

[CHHAS]

Originally posted by Brian Ellis
Not everything in Swedish gardens are roses.

That's true about any place though Brian, it's all about picking your poison.

[Technoid]

Originally posted by Brian Ellis
And the world's highest taxes and an ultra-green (to extreme excess) government and an economy that's driving away big players. Not everything in Swedish gardens are roses.

Interesting statement

More like it that we have the "enviroment party" (exact translation from swedish) and they are Green, unfortunatley they are also in a position to tip the balance in favor of a decicion, wich grants them some power unfortunatley, but saying that the goverment is Green is a big stretch (actualy they don't give a f**** about the enviroment as long as it goes undetected by the press)

[thop]

Maybe they don't want any big players polluting the environment.

[Brian Ellis]

KvH

I obviously cannot diagnose from here, but it sounds to me that you may have a post-nasal drip, caused by an infection in a cranial sinus. This is a chronic condition and antibiotics may reduce the suffering but will not necessarily cure it. I'll describe the condition to see whether it may fit your case.

If, for any reason, a sinus gets blocked, e.g., by a plug of mucus or a foreign object, such as a dust accumulation, liquid will accumulate in it, stagnate and be prone to bacterial and/or infection. This will cause more liquid to be generated, until it starts leaking out and infecting the nasal/buccal cavity which will generate vast quantities of thick mucus (naturally also infected). You will naturally feel this plug of thick mucus and you will have a natural reflex to use a swallowing action to get rid of it (it will have little effect, as the gastric juices will digest the infective agents). However, a small quantity will drip down the back of the nose into the throat, where it will cause an infection, hence your sore throat. If the sinus infection is severe, more infected mucus will drip into the trachea. This will react by perpetually trying to cough it back up. So where does this coughed-up mucus go? back into the sinus region. Catch 22. In fact, the initial coughing, which may be considered as a chest infection, isn't anything of the sort: it is a natural reflex for the diaphragm, below the chest, to go into spasm when you are trying to cough up something in the upper trachea (when something goes down the "wrong way", it is the same reflex, even though the cause is in the first cm of the trachea). Anyway, this tracheitis is a terrible, chronic condition. Of course, if going unchecked, it is possible for it to spread downwards into the bronchi, in which case, this starts becoming a real chest infection. If it gets further down (i.e., your coughing becomes too weak to expel all this 'orrible muck) and enters into the small passageways and eventually into the alveoli, pneumonia is inevitable, potentially resulting in death as you drown in your own juices. (This is the most common cause of death in the very elederly).

OK, if this description fits your case, you should take it seriously. Oral or intramuscular antibiotics are not enough. This requires a three-pronged attack but the causal infection should be identified. In most cases, it will be bacterial (sometimes as an aftermath of a viral common cold). Once the bacteria is identified from a throat swab, then the correct antibiotic can be administered. This requires the co-operation of a path lab (which have automated instruments for this which rely on applying the sample to a card which changes colour within a few hours according to the pathogen) and should not cost a fortune. The antibiotic can then be chosen and administered over a typical period of 10 to 15 days (do not curtail it).

The second line of defence is to administer a product to liquefy the mucus: there are a number of products that may help, with nasal drops or sprays.

The third line of defence is the trickiest and this is where you must have medical supervision. It consists of an aerosol spray, called a metered dose inhaler, similar to that used by asthma patients but with different products and a different aerosol particle size. This will contain a judicious dosage of both a suitable antibiotic and a cortisone, to reduce the iflammation in the nose, throat and trachea. Some such products may also be given in the form of an exteremely fine powder that forms a suspension in the air as you inhale, or you may be given both types.

You can also help by maintaining the back of your throat in a very moist condition, to dilute the descending mucus, so that it is more easily swallowed. One way, which is harmless and even pleasant is a very old-fashioned "remedy" called lemon linctus. You may be able to get this at the pharmacy for very little: if not, don't despair. It is made with equal quantities of fresh lemon juice, glycerine and honey and should be a light amber viscous liquid. Take one teaspoon at a time, but don't swallow it. Move it round the mouth (the lemon will cause you to salivate, so it becomes diluted). Give a little gargle to try and get it up as far as possible into the nasal cavity. After a minute or two, you can swallow the excess. You can repeat frequently, say every 30 to 60 minutes. A little frequently is better than a lot at one go. This has relatively little therapeutic value, but it can alleviate symptoms.

If this sounds like your case, there is a good chance you know what is wrong, and you can find out the type of pathogen before a single visit to a GP. He should be able to prescribe for the three pronged attack and the rest will be up to you.

Hope this helps.

Brian

[GNEP]

Hope you get better KvH. I'm not a doctor so can't talk medically, but I feel for you.

[Jammrock]

It also depends on the doctor. My wife's ob/gyn did about 15 c-sections (about $3k a pop just for him) and 5 natural births (about $1500 a pop to him) in the weekend we were there when Javan was born. That's roughly $52,500 just to him in a single weekend. Mind you he was there about 18 hours a day from friday to subday.

Now that I have seen how the billing works, and various bills and notices have been coming in for almost two months now, I kind of see how things work.

IMO, every bill a patient gets is automatically jacked up on purpose. The reason being that insurance will "negotiate" the price down, so doctors artificially raise their prices. So when their bill is negotiated down they are getting the money they normally would charge. So one of our bills was supposed to be $3k, but insurance negotiated it down to $1500 before they paid it.

Th second problem is malpractice insurance, which varies from state to state. In some states the malpractice insurance rates are so high, that even charging these exorbant rates do not cover the bills. And I'm not talking a $6000 mortgage, I'm talk equipment costs, assistant and admin fees, lawyer fees (talking about blood suckers) and insurance fees. This is why Pres. Bush is pushing the law that would limit 'pain and suffering' pay-outs to $250k (this does not effect costs to repair the medical damage, lost wages, etc.). To put in perspective how much this could help insurance rates, and thus reduce or at least curb medical costs, my friend who owns a company that sells insurance to hospitals says that the AVERAGE 'pain and sufferung' reward is $5 million USD! Some juries reward up to $50 million just for pain and suffering.

Anywho, KvH, if you know a doctor well, call ahead, tell him your plight and ask him for the insurance rate for an office visit and some samples. My mother-in-law, an expert haggler, has done this many times with great success, chopping bills well in half.

Jammrock

[ZokesPro]

Hey KvH!!!

Come down to St-Jean and I'll let you use my health card. All you have to do is grow a goatee and that's it. It's not like they check to see if it's the right person or anything. So you'll be able to get free medical care but I can't help you get free drugs, at least not yet. Once I'm in the union then 100% of my medical expenses will be paid for.

Wanna give it a try?

[GT98]

Yeah I'm in the agreement that doctors aren't the ones making $$$ off everyone...malpractics suits like Jammrock was talking about is huge expense to doctors. There where Doctors and what not going on strike in NJ a couple months ago due to the extreme costs of the insurance.

Makes you wonder about the US...jobs are getting sucked out due to companies wanting to make a profit at any cost and relocating their factories to China and what not (its even too expensive to make stuff in Mexico anymore ), don't these people realize that you need good paying jobs in your home country so people can afford to by your products? and the health care system is so ****ing broken to the point that its keeping certain industries from being competitive with companies from Japan or what not (auto industry comes to mind) due to the huge costs of health care. I'm not sure a Nationalized Health care is the Answer, but someone needs to figure out something.

[gt40]

There is a great deal of talk here that many of our doctors are migrating to the US because the money is better, as with nurses and other health care workers. You will probably see many doctors there opposed to public health care - as this would allow the gov to set thier fees.
Just my opinion, you can correct me if I'm wrong.

[az]

Jamm, I think 250k is still way too much for alol but the most serious injuries. But it's a step in the right direction.

AZ