Cyborg Ninja

syringomyelia
Crohn's disease
Graves disease
gallstones
scoliosis
intestinal stricture
tachycardia
myopia
chronic pain
myoclonus / myoclonic seizures
temporary paralysis/paresis
migraines

I'm sure there's more than that. Everyone my age that I meet is so... healthy. I feel bitter about it sometimes. I've met so many people with a minor condition that get better treatment and concern while I (and many others with serious conditions) are treated poorly. My pain is out of control and I have yet to meet a doctor who was as knowledgeable about my conditions as I am. There is rarely a moment that I don't feel like giving up completely. I haven't met anyone in person my age who can relate. Everyone I meet who is healthy seems to think it's so easy and you just need to have a strong will to survive and find a good doctor. *rolls eyes* I suppose I was that ignorant a few years ago, but I've seen for myself how terrible the medical system is today. Well, I just wanted to rant.

noodlebee

What country are you in? Does it make a difference between public doctors and private doctors?

I know this is maybe hard for you, but is it possible for you to do at least some small exercise? One friend who works in a hospital said that doing exercise can make you happier. Bad mood can make symptoms worse, so it is worrisome that you say "There is rarely a moment that I don't feel like giving up completely."

I wish I could be more help, but I know very little about all these physical problems.

spectre

It might not be in person, but hi. I'm 25 and I'm a three time cancer survivor, my gallbladder's been removed due to gall stones, severe nerve damage to my feet/lower legs, (barely) survived meningitis, chronic throat strictures, insomnia, and chronic pain. Luckily, I don't have the severe migraines any more.

In my experience, I've found it best not to compare my condition to anyone else's. Everyone has their cross to bare and no one's is heavier than anyone else's. I've just found it easier to live as if it's all normal. I know it's not, but it's just my life, and it's what I know as normal.

__________________
"Fuck these chains
No goddamn slave
I will be different" ~ Machine Head

Cyborg Ninja

I live in the US. I don't know what you mean by "private" and "public" doctors. I have health insurance so I have a large variety of doctors to choose. Few doctors outside of universities have the intelligence or expertise to handle anything. I exercise now and then by lifting weights, though technically I'm not supposed to do that. I keep it at a low load.

Quite a few health conditions you've got there, spectre. How did you get the throat strictures and nerve damage? Why did you decide to have the cholecystectomy? I do realize that we all have our own struggles, but I feel like my problems are trivialized. It is frustrating. I can't even get proper pain management.

Bear Cub

I can almost relate. 21 years old, have already had throat/nasal surgery, carpal tunnel surgery, gall bladder removal, and a total thyroidectomy, as well as partial parathyroidectomy, and multiple lymph nodes removed from the result of papillary carcinoma. That's just what I've had surgeries for. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder a few years back, which has thankfully subsided for the most part due to lifestyle changes, which also helped with the insomnia (how my GPA stayed as high as it did in school at those times is beyond my comprehension). Torn labrum in my right shoulder, as well as multiple back and knee issues keep me going to the chiropractor twice a week, as both my school and my job will keep me from having surgery on any of these in the forseeable future.

The key to everything is finding the right doctors. Someone who has a TON of experience in their field can sometimes trace down key things which are all interrelated, which was huge for me with the thyroid issues. Kind of tied all the loose strings together for me. That, coupled with a positive outlook on things can make it a lot better.

By no means am I a "happy camper" with everything. I just try to be far less of the miserable SOB I used to, and it's working. If you can make yourself feel better emotionally, you feel better physically, which in turn makes you feel better emotionally. The less you think about it, the more tolerable it is to live with certain things.

Willravel

Coarctation of the aorta, endocarditis, a deformed bicuspid valve (instead of tricuspid) in my heart, 2 broken ribs, cracked nose, and allergies so severe that I could die if I didn't have my meds near in case of an emergency would be my list. I can be blamed for the nose and one of the ribs, but the other things are pure chance.

The trick, I've found, is to have systems set up to make the conditions as unintrusive as possible. You've got an impressive list, but I suspect that things can be okay so long as you have your systems set up and you develop the patience of a saint. I'm 23, and I'd say I live a happy life, despite any medical problems.

Several conditions you have might require surgery. Are you getting the necessary treatment? If the answer is no, then malpractice lawsuit would be best. If your doctor isn't doing his or her best to keep you well, they're breaking their oath.

ngdawg

My nephew is 24 and was diagnosed with Crohn's at the age of 12. He has an extremely severe case due to misdiagnosing for two years as it ran rampant. Is the intestinal stricture related to the Crohn's or scoliosis?
Were you on steroid therapy for it that affected you by causing your other maladies? I know that in my nephew's case, the prednisone caused osteoporosis and he got fat so rapidly that his skin tore, leaving stretch marks over much of his body.
I'd suggest finding a support group, at least for Crohn's. If you are in college, there may be something of that sort.
I know that sometimes we feel that no one could possibly be in the same predictament and, while it's true that some of us have not had to go through what you, Spectre, my nephew and others have, in some ways, you all are the stronger of the lot. You've crossed through tunnels and come out the other side, a bit battle weary, covered in the scars, but you're here. New appreciations for the delicacies and fickleness of life, even if right now you feel life sucks.

Edit: wow! in the time it took to proofread myself, look at all your cohorts!!!

__________________
Don't blame me. I didn't vote for either of'em.

spectre

Both were side effects to the cancer treatments, as is the chronic pain and most of the things listed.
I didn't have a choice. I was in severe pain and the docs basically told me it had to come out, and at that point, I wasn't going to argue.
I know it can get frustrating, especially with the pain management, but a lot of times, doctors, especially the younger ones, are going off of textbook definitions of how everything works and should work, so when things are different, they don't always understand it. At this point, I've tried almost every pain killer out there, and I just adapt to them very quickly, so they lose their effectiveness too easily. After a while, it wasn't worth it, so at this point, I don't bother with them any more. With pain, I've always found it best to find something to completely lose yourself in. For me, it's loud, heavy music. That's always worked very well for me. Good luck and keep fighting.

__________________
"Fuck these chains
No goddamn slave
I will be different" ~ Machine Head

snowy

Almost 25 years old, and I have severe acid reflux disease (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome, spinal lordosis, and scoliosis. Until I got my ass in gear and lost 30 pounds, my conditions tortured me on a daily basis. Now my GERD is under control with the help of medication, my IBS is mostly gone, and my spinal lordosis issues are lessened with the help of lots of core exercise.

The fact is...physical exercise and watching what you eat WILL help, unless your Crohn's is so bad as to need medical/surgical intervention. There is a member who has this condition who can add his opinion. But I believe he'll agree with me on the diet point; if you've done all you can medically for your conditions, the best you can hope for is to keep yourself in the best of health and manage your conditions via that.

__________________
If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Martian

Like ngdawg, I'm reading between the lines and suspecting that a lot of your list is caused by your Crohn's. Pred did some seriously fucked up things to my body, along with several fellow sufferers that I know.

I suppose at this point it's pretty much obligatory for me to share my list.

Crohn's Disease
Bilateral rheumatoid arthritis in both my hands and knees
Myopia (I normally wouldnt've even included this, but since you did...)
Chronic insomnia
A large duodenal stricture, surgically bypassed
Chronic diarrhea, vomiting
Lactose intolerance

Yeah, I've got stretch marks. Yeah, I'm pretty much always aching in some part of my body. I have some nasty scars, some from surgery. Having Crohn's complicates my life. I'm nearly 24 years old, I've adapted. Such is life.

The message to take away from this thread, Cyborg Ninja, is that you are by no means unique. I've been avoiding posting in this thread and may have continued to do so indefinitely, had onesnowyowl not intervened on your behalf. So here I am and I've got problems too. So do a bunch of people; some are worse than mine, some are worse than yours.

The good news is, nothing your suffering from is likely to kill you. So, basically, you can sit around and have a pity party or you can just deal with it. Pain sucks. You adapt. Myopia - half the fucking adult population is myopic. If you don't like glasses, wear contacts or get laser corrective surgery. Crohn's, Grave's and scoliosis are all treatable and most the rest of your list are probably symptoms of those three. So get the treatment. Take the thyroid pills. If they don't work, get the radioiodine. Talk to your gastroenterologist about treatments for your Crohn's. If your GE won't do what you need him to do, get a better one. Don't tell me you can't, because I've been there and done that. If you've got a stricture, you may need surgery. Is resection an option? Have you looked into any of that?

You're right, you do need more than a good will to survive and a good doctor. You also need the drive and the motivation. This is your body and your life. It's hard and it sucks. Welcome to the world. Making sure that you get the proper treatment is your responsibility.

I can speak to the Crohn's since that's a relevant condition that we share. Why can't you lift weights? Studies, anecdotal evidence and personal experience all indicate that light to moderate strength training can actually help to moderate IBD. If it's due to the scoliosis, fine. What's to stop you from going for a walk after dinner every night? Take a half hour, tour the neighbourhood. You'll feel better about yourself, it'll help your digestion and it will improve your overall physical condition. And what are you doing in terms of diet modification? You can be all self-pitying about this too, or you can just accept it as part of your life. I haven't eaten a steak in over eight years. When people around me talk about how good a nice juicy steak is, it's like they switch to Swedish; it's been so long since I've had one, I don't even know what they're talking about. Red meat is one of my triggers. Carrots are one of my triggers as well and I have to be careful in restaurants. I avoid these foods and I eat small meals more frequently. These are the concessions I've made to my illness in order to live an otherwise normal life. And you know what? Because I don't make a big fuss about being sick, most people who interact with me on a day-to-day basis have no idea that I have Crohn's at all. In fact, someone who saw me at work or with my friends might wonder why I get to be so healthy while they have to deal with x. If you get what I'm saying.

You want people to relate to? Do something about it. Here's a list of folks around your age who suffer from conditions of varying severity, including a few who share illnesses with you. You can also find support groups and get in touch with organizations dedicated to helping people with your conditions. Have you contacted the CCFA at all? The NGDF? Or anyone?

I'm not trying to trivialize your issues. Really, I do empathize, having gone through my own problems (including my own this-sucks-why-me phase). All I'm saying is, you've got these problems and they're not going away on their own. The way I see it, you can either sit around and bitch or you can get up and do everything in your power to make your life the best it can be. There's some things you'll never be able to do and there are some problems you'll never be able to eliminate completely. So do what you can and learn to live with the rest.

__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

little_tippler

diagnosed at 17 but had since 14 - chronic ulcerative colitis
lactose intolerance
diagnosed at 4 - myopia
chronic rhinitis
scoliosis
cyfosis

It really is a myth that everyone around you is perfectly healthy. Sure, some people are healthier. I know what it's like, at 17 I had to start taking cortizone and now I still take at least 8 pills a day, and probably will do for the rest of my life. I still feel like a freak sometimes. All you can do is deal with it. I think you've just been unlucky with the people you've spoken to so far. There are people who can relate. Of course others won't, and sometimes it sucks to have to missi out or rearrange your life because of illness. But that's the way it is. And I agree, doctors suck and it takes time to find one that you like and actually chooses the right treatment. Each body is different and will respond better or worse to different treatments. Keep looking for the right doctor for you.

I don't have crohn's but ulcerative colitis is also an IBD. Unlike Martian, I have yet to find the right balance. It's really hard, I'm not the most in tune person with my body and it takes real effort to find out what works for you. I avoid certain foods but sometimes it's not the food, it's stress, nad other times I have no idea. But I agree with Martian, it really is about making time for change and making a real effort and accepting what you can't change. It won't go away completely but it can be controlled.

__________________
Whether we write or speak or do but look
We are ever unapparent. What we are
Cannot be transfused into word or book.
Our soul from us is infinitely far.
However much we give our thoughts the will
To be our soul and gesture it abroad,
Our hearts are incommunicable still.
In what we show ourselves we are ignored.
The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged
By any skill of thought or trick of seeming.
Unto our very selves we are abridged
When we would utter to our thought our being.
We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams,
And each to each other dreams of others' dreams.

Fernando Pessoa, 1918

Dilbert1234567

I’m not sure you will be able to find one doctor for you. What you may want to consider doing, is asking each doctor you visit for recommendations for doctors that specialize in your conditions. You may have to settle for several doctors treating you instead of just one.

Right now I have 3 doctors, my general practitioner, my dermatologist, and my urologist. My GP has little experience with prostate trouble, so i had to get a specialist for my prostate infection.

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seretogis

I am failing to see how our medical system is "terrible." It sounds like you have a lot of ailments and should be consulting more than just general practitioners. If university doctors are those who are most helpful to you, perhaps the are who you should be seeing? I've had pleasant experiences with university doctors, and don't really understand why you seem to see it as a poor alternative due to our "terrible system."

If you want to build a house you don't hire a bunch of guys who do "everything" -- you get an electrician, plumber, carpenters, roofers, etc. No one person will be able to sufficiently help you with everything.

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seretogis - sieg heil
perfect little dream the kind that hurts the most, forgot how it feels well almost
no one to blame always the same, open my eyes wake up in flames

World's King

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax


I had a large section of my left lung removed when I was 18. It just kind of popped. Released air into my chest and collapsed my lung putting pressure on my heart which in turn simulated a heart attack.

And let me tell you. That fucking hurt like hell.

I had to learn how to breath again. Spent two weeks in the hospital.

I did get a sponge bath from a hot nurse though...

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heavy is the head that wears the crown

medlar

Wow! There are some serious medical conditions here..good thing you are here to be able to list them.

Compared N.Ireland, the Canadian medical system is a gift. I'm covered through my Uncle's plan, where as before you paid dearly for meds and treatment.

I was diagnosed with typ 1 diabetes when I was eight, I've been sick with viral encephalitis at twelve, caused from a cold sore. was four months in hospital and have had seizure disorders since and am on meds for that though I've been seizure free for four years. Oh..and lactose intolerant as well..Other than that pretty trivial stuff compared to some of you and am relatively healthy enough.

Cyborg Ninja

Eh, Martian, you missed the first disease on my list apparently. I guess because you've never heard of it. And I only included myopia because I got yelled at by a doctor for not telling her. / I wouldn't have included anything beyond the top three because I don't consider them to be important, but other people always list them.

Ngdawg, my Crohn's is usually under control but I had a flare recently and a lot of obstructions. I probably should've gone to the hospital but I hate going. You're right, my stricture is caused by the Crohn's. I didn't get diagnosed until I got appendicitis and by then it was pretty bad. It's not that I was misdiagnosed or anything, I just never mentioned any bowel/digestive problems with my doctors. I hope your nephew gets better. I don't use steroids often because of what happened to your nephew -- they are difficult to wean off of and cause osteoprosis with long-term use. It's risky in someone as young as your nephew. Some doctors don't realize that.

Seretogis, I don't know why you're assuming I only see general practitioners. That's pretty absurd so I don't know what made you think that. I have a GP, neurologist, neurosurgeon, general surgeon, GI, endocrinologist, pain management doctor, etc.

A lot of replies... while I'm certainly not a constant pity-party, I have my moments. Especially when I get sick, have a flare of whatever, and can't function. My work and school place are not understanding.

seretogis

So.. how is our health system terrible?

__________________
seretogis - sieg heil
perfect little dream the kind that hurts the most, forgot how it feels well almost
no one to blame always the same, open my eyes wake up in flames

ngdawg

Nephew will probably have to have a resection of his large intestine at some point, but, at 24, he's coping pretty well. He was put on a Remicade trial that did wonders and learned how to put a tube down his own gullet into his stomach to feed himself medicated liquid nourishment once or twice a year.
It is unfortunate that workplaces are not tolerant of those that are not 'perfect'. When I had pneumonia and was first on sick leave for two weeks then limited part time for another 6, my boss, a school principal, didn't like it at all, asking when did I think I was going back full time. Huh? He had the report from the doctors. Same with my infertility surgeries(3) and constant stopovers at the doctors(different job)-my 'need' to be late or absent was questioned.
By the way, I wouldn't call Myopia something major-I've been nearsighted all my life, damn near blind, as is my son now. I liken it to my acne and crooked teeth-no big thang, certainly not life-altering or life-threatening. But I can't wear contacts because of severe dry-eye and allergies. I can relate to digestive issues, though...IBS, lactose intolerance, hiatal hernia, a wonderfully named malady called the 'Dumping Syndrome', GERD and/or reflux disease....all nuisances more than anything. I consider myself pretty healthy otherwise.

__________________
Don't blame me. I didn't vote for either of'em.

Martian

I didn't miss the syringomyelia, I just assumed it was related to the scoliosis. And anyway, it doesn't change what I said. There will be times when you'll want to sit around and mope, but self-pity is destructive. You have to always be working to improve your condition.

Out of curiosity, what treatment options have you considered? Its my understanding that syringomyelia has to be treated surgically, but Crohn's and Grave's can both me managed medically and scoliosis can be treated orthopaedically. What options have you tried or considered? What other options do you have? All four can also be treated suirgically; have you looked into the various procedures?

Workplaces and/or school will not be understanding. This is not their illness and it's not their problem. Look at it from the other side; if you're a manager and you have an employee who misses a lot of time, you're not going to be happy about it regardless of the reasons. So it's up to you to make sure you keep your ass covered with documentation.

Funny, that. I was in a clinical trial for Remicade too. I remember mum being amused that they were going to be pumping me full of mouse protein. Unfortunately it didn't work for me, but I'm glad it worked well for your nephew. How often does he go for infusions?

__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

guthmund

It's hard sometimes, brother, no doubt about it.

My niece was misdiagnosed and bounced around from doctor to doctor for months before finally being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. It's been a hard road--made harder by her young age (7)--but her mother finally found a doctor who just gets it, for lack of a better phrase, and it's all starting to come together.

Hang in there and keep your head up. Keep involved. Eventually you'll find a doctor--or two or three due to your number of illnesses--that will get it and while an outright cure may be out of the question in some cases, they'll certainly help you manage them effectively.

Wow. Just read that again and it sounds like some "power of positive" thinking shit... Then again, sometimes that's just what the doctor called for, right?

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No signature. None. Seriously.

seretogis

So, is our healthcare system actually terrible, or was the comment made by the OP just blind agreement with whatever Michael Moore chooses as his soapbox for the month? I work in the healthcare industry now, and am interested in hearing specifics if anyone wants to venture into the realm of reality regarding the quality of US healthcare.

__________________
seretogis - sieg heil
perfect little dream the kind that hurts the most, forgot how it feels well almost
no one to blame always the same, open my eyes wake up in flames

ngdawg

He was going every 3-4 months during the trial, which is when he learned to put the tube down his throat-the Remicade was part of a whole cycle of treatment, including the liquid meds/nourishment. I don't know if he's still doing any of it-that was two years ago(long story, but since his recent marriage, he's basically disowned us all, thanks to his blushing bridezilla)

__________________
Don't blame me. I didn't vote for either of'em.

Cyborg Ninja

LOL, yeah the only people who hate the US healthcare system must have watched Sicko. Sheesh.

The only ones that matter out of my list are the top 3. The rest are secondary. I listed the rest because everyone else mentions them. My syrinx cannot be treated surgically, and I wouldn't call eventually becoming crippled or worse "minor." Reading one article on something you had previously never heard of doesn't put you in a good position to suggest treatment options. Also, I am not complaining about employers not wanting to hire me, but I am looking for options to survive in the workplace. Anyway, this topic should have never been shifted in a way that just became me having to defend myself. That was not what this topic was about but sadly some people did not interpret it correctly.

Willravel

It surprises me how rude people can be sometimes. We have a thread about Sicko that you're more than welcome to post in. Lashing out at someone because they're sharing their experience with horrible circumstance and inadequate health care isn't an open invitation to start a political bash contest. This is General Discussion, not Politics.

Maybe you can share with us all the experience you've had with the health care industry. Can you, as a self described worker in the health care industry, explain why I wasn't give the second coarctation of the aorta repair surgery because it wasn't cost effective, and now I have severe, detrimental health effects that make my regular exercising a tightrope walk between staying healthy and having my aorta pop out into my chest like a garden hose? Explain to me why Kaiser, a non-profit, decided that they'd rather pad the upper management's pockets instead of opening me up and fixing me, while I pay exorbitant costs for me medical insurance.

The_Jazz

Cyborg Ninja - I don't know what you really expected here. People posted their own experiences and opinions, but you now you're upset because of that. No one is asking you to defend yourself - they are asking for clarifcation and details in order to form their own opinions.

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"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
"There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush
"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo

Martian

If those are the ones that matter to you, then why even worry about the others? I mean, clearly they do impact your life, but outside the direct impact they have on you, I would try not to think about them too much. If you keep thinking about yourself as a sick person, it's going to be harder to find ways to help yourself get better.

You're right, I'm not an expert regarding treatment options, which is why I suggested that you need to explore as many options as possible. Why is your syrinx inoperable? Have you had a second opinion? Maybe another neurosurgeon will be able to offer something more.

I don't recall anyone saying, at any point, that syringomyelia was a minor condition.

As a point of interest, I had a friend in high school who suffered from syringomyelia. While this in no way makes me an expert on the subject, I'm basing my opinions on my experience there. It was helpful for me then to compare and contrast her condition with mine and it was my understanding at that point that if it continued to grow a syrinx would necessitate draining and possibly the use of a shunt. I mention this now, lest you continue to think that my uneducated opinion on your obscure condition is based on reading one article.

And the answer has been provided. The only real way to survive when suffering from chronic illness is to have documentation coming out your ass. If these conditions affect your attendance and/or performance, you need to prove to your employer that these problems really do exist and exactly how they affect you. Of course, if you live in an at-will state and don't have a contract, there's only so much you can do. I know it's a crappy answer, but it's a crappy situation. I'd be lying to you if I told you that employers are always going to be understanding and supportive. If you want to continue with gainful employment, you'll occasionally have to get in their faces a bit.

So, what was this topic about? You're the one who's gotten defensive, my man. The rest of us have tried to offer helpful suggestions and comparative experiences. You're not alone; there are people who've gone through similar experiences and some of them are here. We'll do our best to help you, but only if you let us.

__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

tenniels

Just a random comment on healthcare systems. I live in Canada, and am thankful for the healthcare system we do have, but of course feel that there is room for improvement. But most things have room for improvement, so that's to be expected I guess. I work in an extension of the healthcare field (I'm a support worker in a group home with mentally/physically disabled adults) and I think there are a lot of things wrong with the politics of it all and would love to be able to evoke change in the system.

I'm just wondering seretogis why you seem so angry at the fact that some people are unhappy with the state of healthcare? Is it because you work in the field? I don't know an awful lot about the American healthcare system, so I can't really comment. I just know that when people complain, you can't take it personally, it's not you (the worker) that people complain about, it's generally the system as a whole.

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seretogis

I dislike the generalizations and unsupported statements about the healthcare system which are thrown around as if they were fact. The doctors, nurses, and pharmacists I work with put forth a massive amount of time and effort to try to make clinical encounters efficient (some more than others.) There is also a lot of work going on behind the scenes by both clinicians and non-MDs like me which many people don't see and therefore can't appreciate. There is certainly room for improvement in terms of doctor-patient efficiency, but on the whole it is not a bad system if you make the effort to care and become informed about your own healthcare.

I dislike the assumption "oh yeah the US healthcare system sucks" which is backed up largely by "oh Michael Moore made a movie about it." This phenomenon occurred after his other movies, and was equally as flimsy then. The OP who stated how terrible our healthcare system is still hasn't answered my simple question of "why?" so I don't think that I am very far from the mark when I assume that such a statement as that made in the OP was made out of angst, not reason.

I am not interested in discussing Sicko in particular. I asked "why?" and was not answered, so I countered with an assumption of my own that the lack of reason was due to the "terrible" statement in the OP being made as emotional hyperbole.

Who decided it was not cost-effective? A doctor you saw, your insurance company, the company you work for?

__________________
seretogis - sieg heil
perfect little dream the kind that hurts the most, forgot how it feels well almost
no one to blame always the same, open my eyes wake up in flames

LoganSnake

At 22 I have:

- mild scoliosis
- mild ADD
- intermittent severe gall bladder complications
- irritable bowel syndrome

Nobody's as healthy as you might think they are.

__________________
Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past. Wisdom is knowing that you'll be an idiot in the future. Common sense is knowing that you should try not to be an idiot now. - J. Jacques

Willravel

It's not emotional hyperbole if it's reasonably supported by factual evidence.
It was a combination of things. There was a board that was called together, and they made the ultimate decision, and my cardiologist probably broke protocol explaining this to me. They are asked to weigh the cost benefit of procedures such as the one I needed. Who asks them I'm not 100% certain, but I have my suspicions. While it was important for me to get the surgery at the time, it was not enough of an emergency to pay for the $100,000 procedure. This type of decision would be understandable if Kaiser were some rickety, poor organization that had no extra money, but Kaiser is a non-profit that's the most successful HMO in the US, by my understanding.

I pay for my own insurance, not my company. Kaiser is both doctors and insurance.

seretogis

Right, but the OP's one-word-summation of our healthcare system is not supported by any evidence, factual or otherwise, by him. That's the entire point of the last few posts I've made. If you're going to rail on a broken system, be my guest. If you're going to say something silly like "A is terrible!" be prepared to back it up with some evidence because chances are there is someone who will disagree with you and have had no problem at all with A. Whether a problem is situational or systemic is impossible to judge if the person making the accusations refuses to support them in any way.

It's clearly not a privacy issue since the OP has spilled his guts on all of his conditions already, so it makes me wonder if the thead in general is motivated out of self-pity. If so, the emotional hyperbole makes some sense. I've certainly been in situations in the past where I've wanted to shift blame and avoid accepting that which I could not change. /shrug

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seretogis - sieg heil
perfect little dream the kind that hurts the most, forgot how it feels well almost
no one to blame always the same, open my eyes wake up in flames

tenniels

Seretogis, I just want to clairfy I never had said anything bad about the US healthcare system. I understand that working in the industry, it's frustrating listening to people bitch about it all the time. I still think it's not the workers people have a problem with, but the system in general. As I said, I myself work in an extention of the healthcare field (albeit in Canada) and have a lengthy list of complaints about the way everything works. It has nothing to do with my co-workers or the clients we serve either, so when I bitch about it, it's the politics of it all.

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ItWasMe

Now, why did I expect that last comment WK? LOL

Glad you did survive Spec.

GERD, high school football injury that caused the cartillage in my chest to separate from the chest wall (hurt like an SOB, and never completely healed), two surgeries, migraines. Two kids with asthma and diabetes (shots every day)...and if I could add thiers to my list so they'd be healthier, I would do it in a heartbeat. I'm not your age, but all of this started when I was, or younger. I hope you're feeling that you aren't as alone or singled out as you originally seemed to feel.

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"Ok, no more truth-or-dare until somebody returns my underwear" ~ George Lopez

I bake cookies just so I can lick the bowl. ~ ItWasMe

Shoowop

At 21 I was symptomatic to heart failure and had to have a pacemaker implanted at 7 months pregnant. I have what's called a Third Degree heartblock and an anurysm in my heart. And last year Easter weekend I had a heart attack (couple months shy of 26) Also, I suffer from PTS, severe Asthma, ADD and Depression. I guess I should be bitter, but I'm not. Not at my conditions, but at the fact that I am consistently turned down for health insurance and I have to have my Pacemaker's battery changed next year, which isn't cheap to put it lightly. I'm already 65k in debt due to medical bills. I'm bitter that people say medical bills do not affect your credit. To them I say, BULL SHITE! When you're as far in debt for medical bills as I am, you can't finance a toothbrush.

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"They say it is better to be poor and happy than rich and miserable, but how about a compromise like moderately rich and just moody?"

Nimetic

Sorry to hear that.

Man... I think doctors are as stupid as everyone else. Just like a plumber or mechanic, you have to add your own judgement into the equation.

If it helps... despite the glossy brochures that arrive in my (physical) mailbox each day - real life is complicated, painful and sometimes short. It's just that most young adults have not realized it yet. Hold in there.

tenniels

I think most of maladies are in my head, which can be just as difficult to deal with as anything physical, especially when the symptoms manifest physically. I'm not "crazy" or anything, in the sense that I need to be locked up, but I have dealt with anxiety and depression for quite some time. Had panic attacks since I was a young child, although I wasn't aware of what was happening to me then. I think all of you dealing with illnesses are strong and courageous people. I think something that we all have in common though is that we are not "perfect" human beings and all have things that ail us. Stay stong everybody, especially through the rough patches. Okay, that was lame, but still... hehe

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