Wild ride: Flu turns nasty with appendicitis

[octavia]

Originally Posted by jayman

I had mine yanked out at 8. I don't even remember that procedure, my folks claimed it was pretty exciting for them

"exciting". What a nice way to put it.
I do believe I will take to drinking a bit more after this.
That and moved to Canada.

[daniel]

I'm glad it all came out well for your boy in the end, Octavia.

I left California while I was young enough that I'd never had any medical experience but routine check-ups and vaccinations. In Fargo, Seville, and Spokane I've had the occasional trip to the hospital and always encountered friendly and professional service. I've waited over an hour past my time for an appointment for something routine, but never had to wait excessively for emergency care.

On a couple of occasions when I went to "urgent care" because it was outside regular clinic hours and I didn't think I wanted to wait until Monday, I was told to go to the emergency room because urgent care didn't have the necessary equipment.

I think the advantage of living in a smaller city, like Fargo or Spokane, or a country with a rational health-care system like Spain, is that you get better treatment from a less-crowded system. Of course, except in Spain where I paid cash, I've always had health insurance.

[daniel]

Originally Posted by octavia

I do believe I will take to drinking a bit more after this.

And be too drunk to get the poor kid to the hospital next time there's an emergency? Alcohol never solved anything. Yeah, I know: you're joking. I've just seen too many lives destroyed by drinking to be able to laugh at that kind of joke.

Originally Posted by octavia

That and moved to Canada.

Canada is a great place. I love it there. I seriously considered moving there several times, but it always seemed inconvenient for one reason or another.

Edited to correct spelling typo.

[fuzzy1]

... Our problem is the cost is so horribly high, that we use emergency rooms and emergency clinics as our only form of medicine. Instead of scheduling an appointment with a doctor after feeling symptoms ... we wait until things are so horrible, so unbearable that our only recourse is to seek immediate help, overloading our emergency rooms. ...

The emergency system isn't the only portion that is overloaded. I can afford the cost of a standard non-emergency visit. But the providers are booked so far in advance that the first available appointment often occurs after the point where I will be either dead, or recovered.

[octavia]

Originally Posted by San_Carlos_Jeff

I'm curious, do the docs think the flu somehow caused the appendicitis, or was the timing a coincidence?

They said it is not uncommon to get appendicitis after a viral infection.

[daniel]

Originally Posted by fuzzy1

The emergency system isn't the only portion that is overloaded. I can afford the cost of a standard non-emergency visit. But the providers are booked so far in advance that the first available appointment often occurs after the point where I will be either dead, or recovered.

This probably comes of living in a small city with a good health-care system for those of us with insurance, but my experience is that if I want to schedule a routine check-up I may have to wait a long time, but if I phone and tell my doctor (or his nurse, more likely) that it's something that really cannot wait, they'll usually fit me in within a few days. They often (at least here) save a little bit of time in their schedule for that sort of thing. But you have to have an established relationship with the doctor. They won't squeeze in a new patient that way.

Otherwise, Urgent Care is for matters that are NOT emergencies, but which cannot wait for a regular appointment.

OTOH, a friend of mine told me this story, from when he lived in San Francisco: His friend (my friend insisted that this happened to his friend) fell and cut his head. He went to the emergency room and took a number. He waited and waited and finally got tired of waiting and went home. The following morning, unable to find his wallet, he decided to go to the emergency room and see if he had dropped it there. While he was looking for it, they called his number. Big-city public-hospital emergency rooms are very overloaded.

Of course, the solution to people using the emergency room for routine care is a universal one-payer system.

[octavia]

Originally Posted by daniel

And be too drunk to get the poor kid to the hospital next time there's an emergency? Alcohol never solved anything. Yeah, I know: you're joking. I've just seem too many lives destroyed by drinking to be able to laugh at that kind of joke.


Canada is a great place. I love it there. I seriously considered moving there several times, but it always seemed inconvenient for one reason or another.

I try to find humor in most things. It makes the good parts of life better and the bad parts bearable.

[hyo silver]

At least he's recovering now, if you can look on the bright side yet. As a parent, I have some idea what you're going through.

Funny, I don't find anything inconvenient about Canada. People don't usually drive 80mph bumper to bumper with one hand, changing CDs with the other, like I did most of yesterday, but I'm getting used to it. What are those speed limit signs for if everybody ignores them?

Psst...Don't tell anybody, but I'm starting a new underground railway for US refugees. Let me know when you want a ticket.

[eagle33199]

Underground railway? I'd rather just hop on my kayak and cross the boarder whenever i want. The Boundary Waters are great for that!

[dogfriend]

Originally Posted by hyo silver

Psst...Don't tell anybody, but I'm starting a new underground railway for US refugees. Let me know when you want a ticket.

I'll take a raincheck. If they ever elect Sarah Palin or Jeb Bush (or any other Bush) as POTUS, I'll be heading your direction. Vancouver seemed like a nice place when I was there in 1990.