Malpractice
After today, it's what I think I'll refer to the health care system as, especially in Frederick, Maryland.
So, first I go to my usual Urgent care: I've got a back and abdominal pain, that feels like gallbladder, except I had that removed. The wait there was over three hours. I went back then next day. The wait was three hours. Today, I took off work, figuring that thelines wouldn't be so long on a workday. Wrong. Three hours. So, unable to handle the wait, i went to "Immediate care' which is the public health version of Urgent care. I wait for an hour. I finally see a nurse who doesn't know what's wrong with me, and has no equipment to find out. So, I'm sent to the Emergency Room. I have a bad feeling about this. After waiting for over an hour, during which time I watch a man have a heart attack, and a young lady's appendix burst, while they are waiting to be seen, I give up. I tell 'em that I'm either going to go to Virginia, or I'll show up to the ER at 3 AM, with my own burst appendix. But, unsatisfied, i drive over to my primary care physician, the guy who I know ain't the best, but might be able to see me. I now have an appointment to see him tomorrow. I'm pretty sure he's just going to order a catscan, and I'll find out in a week or more whether I'm going to live or die. in the meantime, I'm still in pain, still untreated.
I am middle class, with insurance. Go on, tell me that health care works in America. When I was in a third world nation, I could see a specialist within minutes of a problem developing. In Europe, the same deal. Our system is malpractice. Flat out malpractice. Our health care system will kill people. Whether by not getting the care they need, or by exposing them to hazardous chemicals, or by treating them improperly. All of this happens frequently.
But, do whatever you have to do: just get to a research hospital, like Hopkins. That's the only way you'll get any care at all.
Comments
Good grief, Max! That bites~
I hope your pain has at least abated some. A friend of mine broke down and went to the emergency room this weekend, citing severe pain (he's an orange-haired, Viking-looking something-or-other with a very high pain threshold!). They have him some pain pills, told him it was a kidney stone, and sent him home with a screen through which to pee for the next few days.
Geez, just imagine how they'd ignore ya if ya didn't have insurance!
Could yours be kidney stones? Back pain, ya know.
Talk to ya soon--
Garland
Well, having had kidney stones, I'll say : anything is possible.
I think, however, it's most likely related to the gallbladder, still. It feels EXACTLY like the last gall stone I had. But, I don't have a gallbladder. So, we'll see....
It is possible to have gallstones after your gallbladder has been removed.
Approximately 3-4% of people who have had their gallbladder removed will have stones in their bile duct sometime later in life. Sometimes these are tiny stones left in the bile duct at time of gallbladder removal that grow and become a problem. Sometimes the stones are formed anew in the bile duct.
The common bile duct is the main pathway of bile drainage from the liver into the small bowel. Stones in the common bile duct can cause symptoms similar to the symptoms caused by stones in the gallbladder. Common bile duct stones can also cause an obstruction, by blocking the flow of bile from the liver into the small bowel.
Certain blood tests and an ultrasound are the best initial tests to evaluate for the presence of stones in the bile duct. Sometimes a special test called an ERCP is necessary.