Healthcare

My absence yesterday was because I spent the day in the ER here due to intense stomach spasms and low grade fever (though I think I was just overheated by the pain). It sucked. I"ve had stomach pains for many years, few of which have been solved. This spasming has been going on for 3 weeks but very minutely. Pains here and there that pass but have been increasing over the past week.

At 6 am yesterday morning I start getting pains that increase in severity, to the point I'm tossing and turning, screaming, getting sick and just generally being very sick. Now, I've been through stuff like this before and it goes away after 6 hours or so but by 12:30 pm, it still wasn't letting up so I made the horrid decision to go to the hospital. I was hoping, praying because it was a Sunday, it wouldn't be too busy. I waited at least 1 1/2 hours to get in to get a bed. Then another hour to be seen by a doctor to get some tests ordered and thank god, an IV and anti-spasmodics. Wait around for another hour to get x-rays done and blood work done. Everything came back normal except for having a ton of very clear spasms and that's about it. So I get sent home with a bunch of anti-spasmodics and told to rest. Hmmmm... basically that was what I expected and I really wish it didn't take so long. 8 hours later, I got to go home with a relatively clean bill of health.

Ok so after that boo-hoo, poor me... I did have a reason to write all that. Ironically enough, I just watched Sicko on Saturday. In caaaaaaaase you don't know what that is, it's a bias documentary on the healthcare system in the USA by Michael Moore. Whenever I see something by him, it's always a stretch to eliminate his bias comments and try to glean the true facts out of what he's saying. But in the same stretch, I realize that there's not many people out there that are even SAYING what he has to say so at least I'm getting a view point. So, I watched the entire thing and took away the best from it.

The americans have this lovely privatized healthcare system where insurance pays for everything and you pay deductibles. The rich take care of themselves and poor people get nothing unless they can afford it and even then, they'd have to have money to pay for some of it. If you're poor, sick and need help? You're screwed. Much less the cost of prescriptions.

I look at what happened to me yesterday. I was sick. I needed help. Now I'm not "poor" by any means but I sure don't have money in my bank account saved up, I don't have a credit card (haha no identity theft for me) and I didn't have much cash on me. I would not have been able to go to the hospital and get any help. I wouldn't have been able to see a doctor or get any medicine. I would have put it off because I couldn't afford it and IF I had insurance, I would have worried that what happened might not get approved for coverage by my insurance. My blessing is that I live in Canada. Yes, I had to wait. But I got x-rays done, blood tests done, 2 doses of medication, an IV to get my rehydrated and medication to take home with me. Did I have to sign a piece of paper putting the bill to my insurance? No. Did I have to charge anything to a credit card? No. Give them anything at all saying I'd pay for any portion of my treatment? No. I just walked out of the hospital. I didn't once have to think about IF I should get those x-rays done, IF I can afford the medicine, IF I really need that blood work done.

I think that there are definitely things that need to be done to better our health system. The long waits, the lack of proper machines for testing, not enough doctors and nurses, etc. All the problems we have need to be addressed properly and solved so everyone gets the treatment they deserve. BUT from the flipside, everyone gets treatment. There is no bias on how much money you make and the coverage you have. I think that's a blessing and I'm glad I live in Canada.