I was diagnosed with leukemia on the 8th of Oct. And was admitted into a hospital that night.
On the 12th I had a Bone Marrow aspiration and a biopsy. And from that they narrowed it down to Burkitts Leukemia
I was moved to another hospital specializing in Cancer care, and got a private room with all the fixings, TV, Telephone, Fridge/Freezer, big lazy boy and an excellent outside view
There's probably a dozen nurses I can call on anytime, and doctors aplenty
I've had my 5 appetizer chemotherapy treatments and 2 of the harder ones, got a couple days off and then I hit the chemo again.
I have nothing to complain about and actually am just amazed at my treatment after all the horror stories I've read here on P&N
Through all this everything has been taken care of, I've got a social worker who stops by and makes sure my home life is all well (bills etc)
No worries, no stress, I think I may be getting a little spoiled
I love my Socilized Medicine
The problem with all this is that you're (I believe) in Canada, not the US. In the US, what would happen, depending on where you're at, is the inept and lazy AHA (Americans Helping Americans, that's what they'll name the bill for nationalized HC in the US, or some other catchy type slogan) worker will finally get around to getting your results to your primary doc. Then the inefficient system they have there, completely following the Fed. regulations, will have your results wait for 2-5 days. Then, if they actually get in contact with you for the results, you'll wait to be admitted to a hospital when the beds open up. Why wait you ask? Because there'll be no beds available, those will all be taken up by everyone else there. Of course, they normally
could discharge those folks when needed, but, due to federal regulations, won't be able to since the genious's that dreamed them up will have dreamed them up to get away from 1/2 the US population (legal and illegal) suing the Federally run health care locations.
When you finally get a bed, it'll be in a room likely with someone else, not your own. It may have a window (both my mom's and dad's did, but, only because they were on that floor. Others did not), may not. The view will be meaningless, because federal regulations will require in window shades to prevent damage from animals that can't treat property not their own with respect (so as to reduce maintenance and/or replacement costs), and also to reduce the amount of lawsuits from when said idiot or idiots kids decide to pull on the shade and it falls on them, giving them a bump on the head which will prompt another lawsuit for "emotional trauma" or some other such BS....which means the shade, which will be in window, will end up being broke because we'll source it from the cheapest place we can get it, and/or, the maintenance guy is the brother of the lazy HC record worker above, won't have dry lubed the shade mechanizm as instead, he needed a smoke break to shoot the sh1t with his other lazy cousin who would normally be on his/her way to change the linens on your bed, but, that can wait, you can sit in p1ss and sh1t for a while without any problems.
You won't be having the test on the 12th of course because of the records F-up, but, you'll have it on the 15th...of next month? Why you ask? Because the other 40 million people who have been added to the HC roles in the US, and the 40% of the US that doesn't pay taxes, have jammed up the system who has had no additional capacity added to it.
Now, when you get enraged by all this, you can press that nurse oncall button. And, the nurse
will eventually get around to coming to you. Then she'll just nod and say, Yes, it's so messed up, Yes, I agree, Yes, mmm hmmm....then she'll go and do something else.
When you finally get around to getting your results on the 30th of next month - what, you think the records folks will be any better for the other test, or those places won't by anymore backed up? - you'll find out you needs some more tests, which will be scheduled - at some point, because again, you've got the same admin people, and the person doing the admin hiring is a F'ing idiot, but hey, you can't fire them because they're on the Gov regulation system - in due time.
Then you'll die or be pronounced advanced Stage IV, and sent to hospice. Bye Bye.
People keep thinking the average lazy dumbf*ck that is going to be hired in the US to do this Fed HC system utopia is going to be as competent and have the ethics and/or morals that these other folks in other more homogenus countries have: They won't.
Go to the F up DMV: That'll be your HC worker.
Chuck
P.S. Don't get me wrong....the horror stories with privitized care, just/almost as bad. It's a catch-22 IMO....