How Socialized Medicine Almost Killed Me

[Vulture]

I hear so many people talk about "free healthcare" and point to Scandinavian countries of how "it should be done".  It irks me beyond belief as none of those people have lived in Scandinavia and knows what they're talking about.

Socialized medicine almost killed me.  Here's how.

In 2021 they found out by happenstance that I had a "gigantic aneurysm" in my brain.  I was sent to the capital at the largest hospital a couple of times for cat scans with contrast.  Then it went quiet for a few months, got sent in again for more.  This repeated itself for quite a while.  My headaches were pretty severe, as were the phantom smells.  The smells were pleasent, I had phantom smells of 90's cleaning products.  No clue why.

Well, finally in 2023 they called me in for one last cat scan prior to a "bypass surgery".  The problem is, they told me they had no cat scans scheduled for me.  I was going to let it go and travel the hour and half back home but decided to confront them.  Sure enough, they found the order.  I got it and was sent home.

A week later, I get the final call to get my operation.  I was admitted and the operation scheduled for the next day.

I was sent in for operation, went night-night and the 4 hour operation ended up almost 8 hours.  Why?  Because the second they opened me the aneurysm burst.  In order to stop the bleeding they had to "sacrifice" a smaller blood vein that was so close to the affected vein that they had no choice.

This gave me a "minor" stroke, which I didn't know about before about three months later.  They told me if they had waited another week I'd have been dead.  Then about a month later I had my first seizure of about four which came from the minor brain damage I received.  

I'm on medication and thankfully have been seizure free* for a year and a half if not more.  *I get "auras" filled with extreme anxiety and fear due to the proximity of the brain damage to the area of the brain that causes such sensations.

They waited almost two years to operate on me in spite of knowing how risky this aneurysm was.  And because they waited so long it caused the aneurysm to burst.

Then about 9 years ago, I fell at work breaking my back.  I'm still able to function, somewhat.  I'm still waiting on help for that. 

It takes me 4-6 months to get a simple X-ray.  Thankfully I have a good doctor now, but many of the doctors are so overworked that they see you as a number and won't give you the time of day.  My old doctor was one such doctor.  He prescribed me various medications that I found out from my new doctor conflicted with each other.  Go figure.

Bonus:
I had a dear friend about 10 years my senior.  A really cool American living in Norway.  He started to cough blood, what did his doctor do? Nothing.  Eventually he started coughing so much blood that it could no longer be ignored.  By that time, it was too late.  The cancer had spread from his lungs into much of his body.  A short four months later, he passed away.

They did not attempt any type of treatment.  They basically doped him down and starved him to death in order to expedite his passing as he was "suffering".  Which unfortunately is the norm in Scandinavia, as they will deem your age and illness into what treatments you recieve.

While I agree the health care in the U.S. has some serious issues, socialism is not the answer.  Sure, I paid about 25 dollars to get this all done, but I paid a higher price - My health.

[argentus]

I am so sorry for the pain and crisis you have endured.   I thank you so much for taking the time to set us straight about your socialised medicine.   I have been guilty myself of compairing your medicine as the pinnacle of what health care should be.  I didn't know any better.  

I hope your quality of life will improve, and you get treatment for your back.   Yours is a terrible tale.  I wish I could do more than just commiserate.

[Vulture]

Thanks, in hindsight I should have just returned to the U.S. and had the operation here.  But no, I decided that I'd just stay put and let them work on me, they were so convincing that "everything will be alright".

Socialized medicine sounds like a dream, but in reality it's a nightmare.  You're placed in line, no matter what ailments you have.  An elderly lady I knew had a big infected eye socket after breaking her socket after she fell.  They sent her home with anxiety meds.  Like what?  Because that'd get her "out of the system" as fast as possible.

It's a nightmare, it really is. People die waiting for treatment and it's an issue now being discussed openly.

[Maxmars]

I feel for your suffering and grief...

As you probably already know, here in America the richer you are the longer you may live.

While the dreamy reality of socialized healthcare appears a step towards the ideal... the components of that system are forever hobbled by entrenched interests who worship revenue streams and fantasy economy-play over the point of healthcare...

You only have to listen to them to see it.

True socialized healthcare can't work because no one gets rich, becomes a 'celebrity' of healthcare, or can live fast and free investing in 'it' as a thing, nor could they 'use' it make sure the right people get care.

[Sirius]

yup..blessings on you friend

[ArMaP]

It looks like it wasn't socialized medicine that nearly killed but bad doctors, and those are everywhere.

One example I witnessed with my mother, some 40 years ago:
As some might know, Portugal's health system is owned and managed by the government, so we pay very little for it. My mother used to to the doctor after she had a mysterious anaemia for which doctors could not find a source (she stayed 3 months in school hospital, being studied from all sides and getting blood transfusions until they gave up, gave her cortisone and sent her home when the symptoms disappeared), but she wasn't happy with the doctor.
The doctor's solution? Pay for a private consultation and I will give you more attention.
The result? He still was a bad doctor (even his daughters said so) and my mother probably didn't get the right care.
11 years later a similar thing happened with my father, who had diabetes and should have been properly taken care of had an infection on the left foot that another doctor said was clearly a diabetic foot and should have been noticed by the doctor. The doctor also told my sister that there wasn't a thing that could be done for my father, as he was "old", so, basically, he should just wait until the prostate cancer (that should have been detected by the doctor) kill him, as it eventually did.

A few years latter we changed doctor and that doctor eventually retired and we got changed to a different doctor.
This new doctor prescribes blood analysis or ultrasound at least once a year to see if my prostate is OK (it is) and scolds me when my diabetes gets worse (as it does when I do fewer of my walks). A few years ago she was prescribing several tests until she said that she had reached the limit and couldn't prescribe more tests for me without a specific reason.

PS: many people in Portugal prefer to use private doctors/hospitals/clinics, but private doesn't mean better. My elder sister pays a small amount every month to the Red Cross, so we can have the possibility of home visits and other things. One time, she needed it, so she called a Red Cross doctor. When I saw the doctor's name I got curious, as it sounded like a Mozambican name, and went looking for it online. I found her (she is really from Mozambique), and I also found her name on a list of doctors that had applied to be part of national health care system. In her case, the results of her exam were below the minimum classification to be able to enter, so, apparently, she went to the Red Cross.

PPS: regarding side effects and medication interference, we should always read the paper that comes with the medication (I suppose that also happens in other countries). When we changed to this last doctor, she decided to change all my asthma and diabetes medication, so after I read all the five or six medication's papers and seeing that it looked like some could interfere with others or may not be the right ones for my case, I went to the trouble to schedule an appointment with the doctor to ask her about it.
She didn't like it a first, as she said that she had a lot of years of experience and she wanted the best for me, to which I answered that all the medications say that if we have doubts we should contact the pharmacist or the doctor, and that was what I was doing. Then she explained why she had chosen those medications and the possible problems did not apply to my case because my diabetes was not that bad (I only take two pills each day, far from bad).

[Steamer]

Howdy Vulture;
Delong
Full blast understanding plus feeling for all that you say. During my younger years brain problem cropped up ie AVM plus 2 ANEURYSMS etc. At one stage I was entered into hospital and brain surgery was on the plan. 2-3 minutes prior to the Operation, NEURO surgeon visited me on ward to explain, “Apologies for cancellation, but we decided such for your safety. The AVM prevents us from knowing which artery leads where etc. . If we did so operate, then wrong artery could4 be blocked and you would become a human vegetable.”.

  I was therefore discharged and regular visits plus CT-SCANS became regular. Approx’y 2 uyears later they decided to enter system via thigh artery, travel up through blood system until camerized probe reached AVM area. Still awake I was asked continue speaking as arteries were steadily probed. All seemed fine, until speaking became a problem, ears ability to understand entered and yes different odours started.  For a few minuets Surgeons retracted probe slightly, injections were given and I felt normality ereturn. 
    They had detected problem zone and gradually part artery system was carefully blocked off.  This happened on 2 seperate times and ‘THANK GOD’, They had put the block on convulsions. I still have to take daily tablets plus capsules, but to experience normality is a precious line of treasure. 

Age has created leg collapse and revealed a bone tumour, but that’s another story.

Glad to hear / read your lines of surgical miracles , and please GOD time will assist in very close return to Normal happenings. Please take things easy and thank you for careful, detailed, experience.

   You have our full time wishes and hopes for success when and where possible.

For now, “Farewell”.

[Vulture]

I'm sorry to hear that, Steamer.  I pray for you to overcome the issues you're facing.

@ArMaP, I appreciate your point of view however it's an "open secret" in the Scandinavia country I'm calling my home away from home.  It's been in the news several times, the doctors and the system in general is just over stretched and insufficient.  

However, private healthcare is a possibility and it's growing more and more popular as you're able to get in to get an X-Ray within a few days VS a few months for the public insurance.

While there are some bad doctors, it's only exacerbated by the "free" aspect of the health care as they try to push through hundreds of patients each month to meet quotas etc.

I suppose you'd have to live here on a daily basis and be in need of the medical services in order to understand.  As socialized medicine is a nightmare, and it falls flat on its face time and time again.

The lines you're placed in is too long, there is no time for your individual issues unless it's a common issue like a cold.

My neighbor in her 50's slipped on some ice and broke her shoulder and arm.  They pulled up X-Rays and things like that and totally ignored the arm.  So now, while her shoulder is 90% OK her arm gives her chronic pain as they totally ignored that part and it of course grew wrong.

That's the norm unfortunately.  People online will often boast about it being the "best in the world" which may have been true at one point in time but that time has passed decades ago.  In fact, the health care in Norway (the country I reside 50% in) is falling compared to other countries.

The health care is top notch for basic illnesses.  Need a brain surgery? Have cancer? Broken bones? Or something else requiring more than 10 minutes at the doctor you are honestly screwed.

I genuinely wish I could say otherwise, but once you're here and have to rely on it you'll quickly come to understand the absolute shortcomings of the system.  But some people won't believe me as they are so set on pushing free healthcare and overlooking the glaring faults.  I also forgot to mention, we're taxed beyond belief.
 

Pushing for free healthcare is pushing for death.

[sahgwa]

It looks like it wasn't socialized medicine that nearly killed but bad doctors, and those are everywhere.

One example I witnessed with my mother, some 40 years ago:
As some might know, Portugal's health system is owned and managed by the government, so we pay very little for it. My mother used to to the doctor after she had a mysterious anaemia for which doctors could not find a source (she stayed 3 months in school hospital, being studied from all sides and getting blood transfusions until they gave up, gave her cortisone and sent her home when the symptoms disappeared), but she wasn't happy with the doctor.
The doctor's solution? Pay for a private consultation and I will give you more attention.
The result? He still was a bad doctor (even his daughters said so) and my mother probably didn't get the right care.
11 years later a similar thing happened with my father, who had diabetes and should have been properly taken care of had an infection on the left foot that another doctor said was clearly a diabetic foot and should have been noticed by the doctor. The doctor also told my sister that there wasn't a thing that could be done for my father, as he was "old", so, basically, he should just wait until the prostate cancer (that should have been detected by the doctor) kill him, as it eventually did.

A few years latter we changed doctor and that doctor eventually retired and we got changed to a different doctor.
This new doctor prescribes blood analysis or ultrasound at least once a year to see if my prostate is OK (it is) and scolds me when my diabetes gets worse (as it does when I do fewer of my walks). A few years ago she was prescribing several tests until she said that she had reached the limit and couldn't prescribe more tests for me without a specific reason.

PS: many people in Portugal prefer to use private doctors/hospitals/clinics, but private doesn't mean better. My elder sister pays a small amount every month to the Red Cross, so we can have the possibility of home visits and other things. One time, she needed it, so she called a Red Cross doctor. When I saw the doctor's name I got curious, as it sounded like a Mozambican name, and went looking for it online. I found her (she is really from Mozambique), and I also found her name on a list of doctors that had applied to be part of national health care system. In her case, the results of her exam were below the minimum classification to be able to enter, so, apparently, she went to the Red Cross.

PPS: regarding side effects and medication interference, we should always read the paper that comes with the medication (I suppose that also happens in other countries). When we changed to this last doctor, she decided to change all my asthma and diabetes medication, so after I read all the five or six medication's papers and seeing that it looked like some could interfere with others or may not be the right ones for my case, I went to the trouble to schedule an appointment with the doctor to ask her about it.
She didn't like it a first, as she said that she had a lot of years of experience and she wanted the best for me, to which I answered that all the medications say that if we have doubts we should contact the pharmacist or the doctor, and that was what I was doing. Then she explained why she had chosen those medications and the possible problems did not apply to my case because my diabetes was not that bad (I only take two pills each day, far from bad).

You can say there are good and bad doctors everywhere, which is true, but this does not in any way somehow defend the failings of the socialised health care systems we are seeing around Europe, and especially in Portugal.  Same thing is happening in all the other countries too, like England.
My father-in-law waited over half a year just for x-rays while he was in excruciating pain , wasn't able to wait any longer and had to turn to the private sector.  And it turned out he had herniated discs. No one would help him out, he just had to 'wait his turn.' And then he was referred back to the public care for a long time yet again.
And people in Portugal are often, literally dying in corridors while waiting for treatment.  
There is an obvious and protracted push for private healthcare, as there are not enough people working and paying into it, as are using it, and furthermore, doctors are incentivised to practise privately for more money. 
People are assigned one family doctor under the socialised system, and this person often doesn't care and is overworked and can switch practises whenever, so you often have one new doctor each year. 
Either the government needs to make people work more to pay more into the system, stop giving immigrants free and often preferential treatment or they just need to give up and switch to full private.

[Vulture]

And people in Portugal are often, literally dying in corridors while waiting for treatment.  

As is the case in Norway, Sweden and Denmark just to name a couple.  I'm sorry Portugal is facing that issue.  No health care anywyere is "the answer".  And it appears that all health care sucks no matter where you go.

I've experienced both sides, being American I've had to deal with insurance here.  Living in Norway I've had to deal with the "free" healthcare there.  While I pay out of pocket for the insurance in the U.S. I get the help I need saving my health.  I don't pay much out of pocket in Scandinavia, but I pay dearly with my health instead.

I'd rather be broke and healthy, than sick and rich.