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[Iwan Terpalen]

Babies and bathwater. : /

[Vikarion]

Babies and bathwater. : /

Maybe.

I'll note that, however, the problem here is that Kat needs the money now. Instead of feeling for him, perhaps someone should change something about the situation.

[Lyn Farel]

Medical emergency. Where I live they would force you to at least see a doctor or to hospital right away 

Seriously, I've had a whooping cough for the last year (yeah, that shit actually makes its comeback around vOv), that's not even a broken rib or something more serious, and when I eventually went to see a doctor because I started to wonder why a weird cough like that was not going away, she told me "what were you thinking ?" and then got to take extensive examinations and medical care.

[Vikarion]

When I dislocated my shoulder as a kid, my parents waited a week, then brought me to a chiropractor who shoved it back in on the bench. When I somehow injured myself as a kid so that I was urinating blood, I just had to wait it out. When I broke my nose while swimming, I simply waited until it stopped bleeding, then went back to swimming. When I got bronchitis, I simply waited until it got better. Took about a year before major wheezing when I breathe out stopped, but I'm better. When I got a root canal, the painkiller failed to do anything (a common problem for me), but I had the dentist go ahead anyway.

The human body is tougher than it seems.

[Lyn Farel]

Until the time when it will prove inevitably fatal to you, or lead to severe complications that will lead to hospital and maybe permanent injuries.

I'm more inclined to trust actual doctors than yourself on the matter. That would be rather reckless.


EDIT : to further add on the matter, I will be the last one to defend the "go see the doctor for every little shit" mentality we get here, which is quite the opposite of what I see of the US system. The social healthcare worked perfectly fine in the past I believe - and I still believe that it should be part of any modern society - but we tend to see the cracks now, with the crisis being a huge strain on budgets added to the fact that a lot of people go to see a doctor for absolutely everything, which further drains on social healthcare as a whole, with doctors sometimes behaving like commercials and prescribing more to please their patients. It may be less true these days because the social healthcare covers less things (especially generic medication that got literally cut off the healthcare), and even if it's supposed to be mandatory for every worker to have a complementary health insurance in part paid by the employer, some people still do not have one (I don't have one for example... >.>). In any case, the fact that it does not cover 100% (fortunately), makes that the people abusing the system are not poor people, but another kind of people. It's less true now ironically since because of :crisis: and :budget cuts: people abuse it less, or I believe so. But yeah, I don't like to see people go seeing a doctor every time they catch a cold.

[Pieter Tuulinen]

Nietzsche said "That which does not kill us will only make us stronger." the problem with that sentiment is that Nietzsche was insane and it was a load of old arse.

A lot of conditions, if ignored, disimprove. Ignore influenza, you can wind up with Pneumonia. Ignore a twisted ankle and it gets worse. Ignore rabies and you're dead. Kat's issue is a mechanical one - one of the ones I actually trust doctor's on. Treatment can only be a good thing - we're not  talking about getting pills for feelings, here. Like it or not, our bodies were built to survive for about 35 to 40 years before wearing out. Anything that extends that warranty is good.

Incidentally, whilst your attitude towards solving the problem in front of us is very laudable, and will actually improve Kat's situation, your inability to be comfortable paying into programs you don't see direct benefit from or have direct control over is telling, given our earlier conversation.

Suffice it to say that the time when a government could work in that way is LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG gone.

[Nmaro Makari]

When I dislocated my shoulder as a kid, my parents waited a week, then brought me to a chiropractor who shoved it back in on the bench. When I somehow injured myself as a kid so that I was urinating blood, I just had to wait it out. When I broke my nose while swimming, I simply waited until it stopped bleeding, then went back to swimming. When I got bronchitis, I simply waited until it got better. Took about a year before major wheezing when I breathe out stopped, but I'm better. When I got a root canal, the painkiller failed to do anything (a common problem for me), but I had the dentist go ahead anyway.

The human body is tougher than it seems.

Ah, the famous American rugged individualism. I.e. Don't got cash? Suck it up and live with it. He said to someone with life-threatening disease or injury.

You know, every time minus the nose and dental problems, you we're basically rolling a medical dice in a game that is not that difficult to loose.

In real simple terms, you got lucky.

I don't think you can hold it against anyone for wanting their insurance to be something more than luck.

[Myyona]

I don't actually get any benefit from my tax dollars being siphoned to treat other people's ribs.

Well technically; if you do not live in complete solitude with the ability to cover all your needs yourself, you will inevitably benefit from your fellow citizens being healthy instead of sick. Regardless if that other person is a family member, co-worker or the supervisor at the power plant power that produces electricity for your computer to run.

No man is an island. Though sometimes we all wish we were.

[Katrina Oniseki]

Wow. Well this became political overnight. I suppose my situation does serve as a good example.

To Vikarion; while I do appreciate the offer of support, I can probably manage to scrape together the money for a clinic visit myself if I can find one of the low in-come places like what was talked about earlier on in the thread. The problem is that while the visit itself might be $100, doing anything about the issue is not going to be that cheap. Doing anything but talking to a doctor is going to be expensive.

For example, $3,000 for an X-ray was the price quoted to me back in 2005, and we all know they're going to want to do one. $120 for two Tylenol pills (not a whole bottle). If they give me a chest brace, that costs more. If they vote for an MRI, that's even worse than the X-ray. All of that adds up very quickly during treatment, and it's a horrifyingly deep hole of debt to be in for something that may just turn out to be, "You probably sprained a muscle, just rest and make sure you take full breaths for a few weeks." As Ollie and others have said, even if it's a cracked rib, there isn't anything that can be done about it except treating the symptoms (pain), and reducing physical exertion there.

Now, on the other hand, I'm keeping a very close eye out for other symptoms. If I have trouble breathing, if there's any sign of bleeding, if I suddenly get a fever. If the pain suddenly becomes exponentially worse (total fracture). Any change in my condition toward the worse will be met with a thoughtless trip to the emergency room.

I don't want to stifle a political debate, because I think my situation is exactly the sort of thing that needs to be changed in America, but I should be okay I think. For those friends of mine who may worry ( Pieter), I WILL seek immediate medical attention if anything gets worse. That I can promise you.

[Jekaterine]

I'll not drag this further off topic by fueling the "let the lazy die/lets nurture everyone regardless" discussion.

Your mom is correct Kat. Ribs are usually left alone to heal on their own. You either get a brace/bandage/tape or nothing. Strenous activity is frowned upon of course. It's a bastard of an injury as laughter, tight hugs and coughing hurts like hell.
If the fracture is a bad one then it might be needing resetting though I can't see it coming from you coughing. You'd have to aggravate it on top of such an injury. If it's as bad as needing resetting then the risk would be you doing something that would make the brokwn rib puncture your lung.
That I'm not really seeing in this case.
Wear the brace, try not to cough or laugh and don't get into tight bear hugs that involve your lower chest.
This information and advice come from personal experience as well as basic medical training YMMV.

[Lyn Farel]

What the... a MRI costs 250 € here...

Why is that so expensive in the US ? Are you sure you got the price right and it was not actually 300 $ ? 

Anyway, as someone said above, just go see a doctor and see after if it's worth it or not imo.

[Katrina Oniseki]

I'll not drag this further off topic by fueling the "let the lazy die/lets nurture everyone regardless" discussion.

Your mom is correct Kat. Ribs are usually left alone to heal on their own. You either get a brace/bandage/tape or nothing. Strenous activity is frowned upon of course. It's a bastard of an injury as laughter, tight hugs and coughing hurts like hell.
If the fracture is a bad one then it might be needing resetting though I can't see it coming from you coughing. You'd have to aggravate it on top of such an injury. If it's as bad as needing resetting then the risk would be you doing something that would make the brokwn rib puncture your lung.
That I'm not really seeing in this case.
Wear the brace, try not to cough or laugh and don't get into tight bear hugs that involve your lower chest.
This information and advice come from personal experience as well as basic medical training YMMV.

Yeah, that's the plan so far. I think it should work itself out. A fracture will mean I'll be sore for a couple months, and a sprain will stop hurting in a week or two. So, come two weeks, we'll know what it is.

What the... a MRI costs 250 € here...

Why is that so expensive in the US ? Are you sure you got the price right and it was not actually 300 $ ? 

Anyway, as someone said above, just go see a doctor and see after if it's worth it or not imo.

No, I'm quite serious. The cost of a procedure is typically an order of magnitude higher than the technical and labor cost of it. An X-ray should only be $50, but it's much much much higher because of... reasons. I don't really know what the reasons are, but it has something to do with insurance and subsidies.

http://www.newchoicehealth.com/MRI-Cost
http://www.newchoicehealth.com/X-Ray-Cost

Here are some updated prices. I aimed a bit too high for the X-ray, but I'm glad to see the price could be lower. Granted, it could be higher too.

[Sofia Roseburn]

What the... a MRI costs 250 € here...

Why is that so expensive in the US ? Are you sure you got the price right and it was not actually 300 $ ? 

Anyway, as someone said above, just go see a doctor and see after if it's worth it or not imo.

Nope, the US has ridiculously high costs on standard non-invasive medical procedures.

I had a comparison, but I lost it.

[Lyn Farel]

 

[kalaratiri]

An English comedienne does a bit about having gone over to America to work, and while she was there severely spraining her ankle. She had to spend a night in hospital.

That single night in a bed cost her $2000.