I'm thinking one of those medieval torture racks so I can strap my feet to one end and head to the other.... then stretch and stretch and stretch till everything pops. Imagine the exquisite pleasure of having every spinal disc pop and then fall into place where it is supposed to be.

I think that last part where everything falls into place is the big ? question...

Whatever you do ,,,don't try it backwards..

(06-20-2018, 07:42 PM)GotSmart Wrote: The health monster strikes. 

Health care is one of the hardest things to find. There are plenty of practicing medical advisors, but few that have enough guts to be honest with the person in front of them. Especially when they do not have a clue. I had one person tell me i was going to lose a leg, and several others misdiagnosed simple problems. 

The worst is the way others treat me because my problems are not obvious. I have Spinabifida, and at my age the related damage is compound. I have three slipped discs with herniated and pinched nerves. I can not walk in a straight line. Insurance companies have a mandatory tourture system to get things done. All told with a health plan that covers me in most places will be about 25% of my income. Plus deductibles. Six months ago I stepped on a rock and since then I am unable to walk in a straight line. I have a high pain tolerance so I can keep on moving. Following a thought is harder.  I hate brain farts. Anyway 
Being unable to do things really sucks. If the pain doesn’t stop me, a brain fart does. 

Until I get the disc pain under control, driveing is out of the question. Good thing I have satellite maps that USUALLY tell me if I am on the road. Brain farts be dammed. 

I really hate being lied to, and to have a machine do it is worse  

I hope that I covered what I meant to in this post. But I am afraid that I missed it. I have been fighting the automated misunderstanding google on drugs corrections system. 

Today I tried to do a simple change of address form through social security. 5 1/2 hours later, seven dropped calls and one grumpy ass operator later I have to make a one hour trip to get a simple detail done. America needs a road trip to mellow out.

Gotsmart,

I know what you mean about the healthcare system in the U.S. In the US it seems that it's not only expensive but also nonexistent. So far in the last month I've had four bowel obstructions and with me they're very fatal. We don't have health insurance and it's quite expensive for me alone. blue shield and cigna will cover me for 900 dollars a month which means i'll still have out of pocket co-pays. We cant afford that. The less well known health insurance will cover me for 400 dollars a month but the coverage is very poor with alot in copays. So Mo and I have decided to pack up and move back to Oz for my health. We've just spent thousands of dallars in getting me my greencard and now i'm going to have to relinquish it as my health is more important. Healthcare back home is free and you don't go bankrupt if you get sick and need surgery and the doctors are more direct with you and tell you how it is as far as your health is concerned. Hope your health improves and gets better, I know how much it sucks being sick. Anyway take care.

(06-21-2018, 10:38 AM)Gary Wrote: i'm going to get me one of those teeter hang ups and give it a try,i see problems with the design though,it hooks on to your feet which means my ankles,knees and hips need to dislocate before anything reaches my back,need something to go around your hips to avoid that

Friend tried bungee jumping. Guess they tied both ankles. Said his back never felt so good after the jump and he's 60, 5' 10" and 280. Said he was to big for the teeter. 
A year or so later he wanted a second go but the jump company refused him.

Sorry your plans have been upended like that, Anna. Hope you can get your health under control.

Anna,

When I was in OZ and NZ and SOuth Africa, i was amazed at the procedures fror seeing and receiving care from the doctors, and the prices.
I had a suspicious hairy and growing mole on my left shoulder, I got it removed and biopsied for 35NZ$, where I doubt I could have gotten it done for less than 10 doctors visits and 2.5K dollars in this country.

Health care This country is all abot extracting as much money and misery as possible from those already suffering.

Only time I was irritated with a doctors in west OZ is when I had another bad ear infection from advanced surfer's ear, when the ear canal is basically occluded, and he told me to quit surfing and gave me some antibootic ear drops that were so thick that once I got them into my inner ear they stayed there for 3 weeks, and all I could hear was my own heart beating. Thinner viscosity antibootic ear drops had me happy and surfing in a few days, and I was livid at the thick ear drops which had me so miserable for so long, unnecessarily.

But that was 19 years ago. I;ve had my left ear canal drilled out since. That cost 11K dollars from the only doctor that did not hang up on me whan I asked for a no insurance cash price.

For a year afterwards I was getting medical bills from random health establishments claiming I owed them money. I researched them, and then told them to pound sand. 4 of 5 of them had absolutely nothing to do with my procedure in any way, but somehow saw I paid cash, and sent me a bill for services not rendered. A few sent the bills to debt collection services which eventually gave up, the others never responded to my 'pound sand' reply.


Fvck the heathcare system in this country. It is run by and infiltrated by a Bunch of greedy dishonest pricks who laugh at the hippocratic oath.

Go North if you like Anna. The process is not that difficult and you can still be close to America and all of us. To be clear we have lines and a few quacks like every country but the immigration process is not all that expensive, it is possible to do it solo without a lawyer. However, it is still a process. Might be easier than a big jump across the Pacific. We speak the same language and health care is free.

(06-22-2018, 01:56 AM)sternwake Wrote: Fvck the heathcare system in this country.  It is run by and infiltrated  by a Bunch of greedy dishonest pricks who laugh at the hippocratic oath.

I stay away from doctors if possible- My father got cancer and they just milked his insurance while they killed him.
One nurse, who I thought was a real B**** at the time, basically said the meds would kill him. Turns out she was right.

Glad I have the VA. All I hear are horror stories about people's health care costs.

(06-22-2018, 04:22 AM)Scott7022 Wrote: Go North if you like Anna. The process is not that difficult and you can still be close to America and all of us. To be clear we have lines and a few quacks like every country but the immigration process is not all that expensive, it is possible to do it solo without a lawyer. However, it is still a process. Might be easier than a big jump across the Pacific. We speak the same language and health care is free.

Yep, head up to BC. My BC Med plan is $37.50 a month but only is good in-province. I used to get travel medical from CAA for down here but now don’t even have that.

Actually TWIH it is good in Alberta, Sask....the country.

I carry another extra carrier too but then I am usually travelling distances farther than an eight-hour flight. For trips South, I never bothered. Made for a long drive home with a broken leg from a bad fall at Baker mountain. A less than a fun flight from NYC to Montreal with a nasty blood infection. But you pays your money you take your chances.

Point is you are not one serious illness from the street.