The Best Health Care in the World ?
by Cindy Stiteler
HARDLY!!! The US ranks 37. There are 36 countries with better health care and I believe it.
My daughter-in-law was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer in January of 2009 after complaining of chronic abdominal cramping. Her GP ordered a scan and found a nodule on her thyroid which turned out to be cancerous He did not refer her to an endocrinologist but sent her to a general surgeon who removed her whole thyroid gland. Then she fell through the cracks in Denver. Thanks to family intervention, she was finally treated with a radiation pill to remove any leftover cancerous tissue 7-8 weeks after surgery. (the norm is 4-6 weeks) Because she went so long with out a thyroid gland or meds, she became extremely loopy. Her boss (and doctors) apparently didn’t understand what the lack of a thyroid or thyroid meds does to a person, and she was working 10-12 hours a day when she should have been home. She was finally given temporary disability after the pill and met her radiation oncologist who was amazed she had yet to see an endocrinologist. FINALLY, in September she was referred to an endocrinologist who specializes in thyroid cancer.
She lost her job the day she went back to work in May. Due to the radiation treatment and 2 follow up scans, she went several more weeks without meds. She had a very difficult time with her 3 year old and an equally hard time trying to apply for jobs while on unemployment. Her husband dealt with a loopy emotional wife as well as he could during all these months.
Today, 11 months after diagnosis, she is finally getting back to her normal self. I believe that if her GP had referred her to a specialist from the start, she would still have her good paying job and would have recovered much sooner. She is just now feeling well enough to schedule interviews for a new job.
Last year a friend in Taos got sick with what she thought was the flu. It got so bad that she couldn’t keep water down. She drove herself to the ER in Taos, NM and was diagnosed with pancreatitis. She stayed there for 6 days, seeing a different doctor each day, still not keeping any food or liquids down. The next day a doctor gave her Imodium D, which finally helped her. She realized she could have tried that at home and decided to check herself out of the hospital. Before she left, a doctor drew a line around the IV site infection and said to call if the redness spread. She’ll never return to that hospital. We all try to avoid that hospital in Taos.
Another Denver friend came to Taos last week to visit her parents. She’d been recovering from pneumonia . She ended up in our Taos hospital with complications from the pneumonia. The staff in Taos said she would receive better care in Denver so they sent her via ambulance all the way back. The Denver doctors found a spot on her lungs but couldn’t quit figure it out so they said they would send her home and “watch” the spot for a few weeks.
What is going on here? The amount of insurance paid out from these three people was enormous. GOOD health care? I think not.
What have I learned? Do your own research or get a friend or family member to help. Don’t let your GP treat cancer. Get a second or third opinion. Get a health care advocate if possible.
Get your immune system up to speed.