Dear Dr My GP,
I am writing to you today about my ankle. I hope you don’t mind, but I am writing to you via my blog, as I have already whetted my readers’ appetites for news of the Baroque appendage. Unlike you, they are interested.
The history: as I told you two weeks ago, I twisted it on July 30th. I tried to let it mend. After a month, when it seemed to be getting slightly worse rather than better, I went to A&E. They strapped it up, made me buy some trainers, said I should definitely swim on it, and told me to come see you and get referred for physio.
Now here’s the thing. When I came to see you I had had the injury for over six weeks. I had had it strapped up for two weeks, and it was still swollen. Is that normal? I put this question to my brother, the macho nurse who used to be an improvisational comedian, and he said NO. He said if I had hurt myself more than ten days earlier, and it was swollen, I should go to the doctor!
Well. There they are, over there in America, saying the NHS is shit, and here we are over here telling them how flipping great it is compared to the American system. And yet. I was forced to tell my baby bro that I had already been to the doctor.
How does that make you look? Eh?
Let me just refresh your memory, Doctor dear. You felt my ankle. You said, “there’s no ligament damage” (which is because it had healed, what with the straps, the trainers and several weeks of doing feck all), and you said to me – me, a mother of three, including one who managed to get himself into Accident & Emergency twice before his first birthday – who has spent one and a half decades eyeing people up with a thermometer in my hand – you said, “there’s some inflammation in there.”
No shit. That was why I came to see you.
Well, now A&E have told me I should have come back to them earlier. I had to tell them, “But I went to the GP two weeks ago! He didn’t seem concerned! He only even referred me for physio because I said it FIVE TIMES. I was waiting for the appointment to come through…”
YES, it was a Saturday. How much were you getting paid for that half a Saturday, Doctor?
And now, having had two (more) horrible weeks, I am to be referred for physio which I am assured will be even more horrible now, because essentially my soft tissues are hardening up inside there due to the ongoing injury and the lack of physiotherapy, you berk.
And there was me, thinking it was due to a gypsy curse.
They gave me a blue form, on which they have circled the bit that says I am unable to work because of the injury (due to it having got worse when I had those interviews, and also the rest-elevation-&-ice thing). This is something I remember telling you. I mean, it’s a bit of a worry. They told me if I come in this morning I’ll get seen, maybe given a scan. They didn’t just tell me I had some inflammation and shrug.
Looks like the macho comedy nurse from Woodstock was better at his job than you, eh? In fact, ALL the nurses were. Food for thought there.
Thanks a mill.
Lotsa luv,
Ms Baroque
PS – DISCLAIMER
And to my American readers! Don’t worry, this is an entirely personal vendetta against my useless dweeb doctor. The fact remains that I will not have to pay any sky-high medical bills, or fill out pink and yellow forms, or deal with any debt-collection agencies, or fear any long-term financial ramifications or penalty as a result of my injury. My sprain will not be put on a list of “pre-existing conditions” making it impossible to get physio if it ever happens again. Nor can I be held in any way liable for not seeking treatment sooner, etc, in case that has contributed to the extent of it, etc.
The fact remains that, although we live in an imperfect world which is unfortunately run by people – even the NHS, suprisingly – 61% of US bankruptcies are because of medical bills. And most of those people had insurance. The US ranks 37th in world health. This gives the lie to everything children are told about the place as they are growing up in it.
Although I think my doctor is, on this occasion, a dweeb, I fully support the system in which he is a cog. Not a GREAT cog, maybe that’s why he’s a locum.
And thanks Baby Bro.
Frustration understood. My son has a nasty hole under his foot, which I won’t describe in case you’re having your lunch; local GP surgery treatment was achieving nothing; he was sent to a podiatry clinic which turned out to have closed down months ago; meanwhile foot worsens; but this morning he’s just back from another podiatry clinic where a young and saintly doctor seems to relish the mess and things are turning around. Many other such tales. There are some GREAT people in the NHS; the links between them are hit and miss.
America: a friend was knifed in a mugging; en route to the hospital in a police car, a friendly cop advised her to think carefully about her name and address. Uninsured and penniless, she gave the hospital a made-up name and address. The number of medical bills posted to fictitious people must be huge; but I assume the hospitals insure against this.
At least if we have insurance we would have more confidence
Tonkosen, if you are in America without insurance I feel for you. My family is rife with anecdotes about babies never paid for, ulcers put up with, teeth not filled, operations after which the prescriptions are too expensive… it’s just not on. For years, people would say to me, “but why do you live in England if you could live in America?!” And I’d answer, “the NHS.”
Charles, yikes. On both counts.
Dear Katy
Sounds nasty! You do have to watch these seemingly low-level injuries. A couple of years ago I had a severe pain in my left thigh which just got worse and worse. By the time I visited my GP I could hardly walk. I spent the next six months supine on our sofa, munching painkillers. Luckily the problem eventually self-corrected and I was more or less back to normal. The next time you visit your doctor, I’d insist on seeing someone else.
Wishing you a speedy recovery from Simon
Just to give you one American’s perspective – I have just been offered a generous and attractive retirement package. However, while my own health insurance will continue at no cost to me, keeping my husband covered will run me $900 per month. And, while there are less expensive insurance plans available from private companies, my husband has had cancer twice and either (1) not be approved at all or (2) be approved but NOT for any cancer-related expenses ever in the future. This makes my “generous” retirement offer FAR less generous than it may appear!
I’m sure you have issues with NHS, but I don’t begin to understand Americans who seem to think private insurance is a better way to go!
Hi Jeanie, welcome! Well, I am American, though I’ve been in London for – er – quite a long time now… For years, people would ask why on earth I lived HERE, when I COULD live there, & I would answer quick as a flash: the NHS. My mother tells me she feels the relief of the NHS whenever I tell her anything’s happened to me or any of my kids, just knowing we’re not going to be facing a financial nightmare on top of it. My family isn’t very corporate – lots of artists, self-employed cousins, etc. My graphic designer uncle had a hernia for two years once. He had a small heart attack at 63, was given surgery, and then, as my aunt put it, “we’re just waiting for him to turn 65 so we can get his prescriptions.” Four pills, one of which was $150 a month. And that’s after all the repossession jokes about all the family children who were “not yet paid for.”
So I do understand – and I hope your retirement package works out okay – $900 is such a lot of money! It is a worry. And insane to think anyone thinks it’s all right to deny a man his cancer treatment.
Hope to see you again