Follow-up to Surgery Routines

Dawndedoe said:

Thanks Everyone

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome.  

This is definitely a tough journey.  Wondering all the time what my outcome is going to be.  I also have 4 kids, some young some not so that makes this journey tough. 

I love living up in the Great White North.  We have had an exceptionally warm summer.  That is going to make preparing for our wintertime deep freeze hard this year.  We have also had a higher number of bears in the city this year.  We actually had a grizzly chasing 2 13 year old girls on their bikes up a major road.  Drivers had to intervene as the grizzly was gaining on them.  We have a map now that shows us where the bears are so that we are careful while outside. Lots of berries this year, hence the increase in bears. If you wish to travel here, do so in the summer and don't expect really warm temperatures like the rest of Canada or the US. Summer is better, we have almost 24 hours daylight and it is great for fishing, rafting, camping, hunting and hiking if you are into that kind of stuff.  

Resources here aren't bad but our city only has a population of 27,000 people and we are the capitol of the Yukon. We do have family Doctor's and such but we do not have the specialists that are required for any special conditions.  We do have a nurse here that can administer chemotherapy for cancer patients but any additional surgeries, radiation and other cancer therapies, we have to go the BC Cancer agency in Vancouver.  I definitely makes life more difficult but the Government pays for all travel related costs for medical issues.  

I will practice the secret handshake....lol

Dawn

Dawn, 

It must be great to live in a country where the Government cares about the welfare of its citizens, especially  those not close to specialized medical care. Hopefully when and after Obama Care is implimented it will expand to include all the perks you have in Canada.

Back in the 1930's the Repiblicans ranted against Social Surgery saying it would lead to Socialisn. They did the same in the 1960's with regard to Medicare. The most startling observation is that those who oppose progress in these areas as well as Obamacare have the most to lose in the long run.

Icemantoo

jknorth said:

Canada healthcare is way over rated

As a dual citizen Ive seen both sides. Its in the news today, a guy in Winnepeg was in the emergency room waiting for over 36 hrs to be treated. He died silently in the waiting room of some bladder infection, was totally treatable. They just let him wait forever to die, its so busy from the immigration here its unreal. Some go in for anything minor and abuse the system, just for something to do during the day. Its not free either, your taxes here are like 40% of your income. Also a family doc visit is like 5 minutes max, its like a cattle drive. I would rather have my Kaiser medical anyday of the week, no waits, MRI in a few weeks and cost is reasonable per month. Better than the hidden tax in canada they call free healthcare. But....they do have some very good surgeons here, if you ever get that far. Just my opinion.

I guess it all depends on where you live.  I live in a remote area and to encourage citizens to live here, they provide us with benefits not normally associated with mainstream Canada.  We do pay high taxes but they are for more than our medical system and even with our high taxes, I still live a very comfortable life style with no complaints other than my illness...I have never felt that my medical concerns were neglected.  I had my ultrasound for gallstones and before I could get to work, the drs. We're trying to call me to come back for a ct scan.  I had the ct scan the next day and was given the results the next.  The wait for surgery was a bit longer.  I was contacted by the surgeon himself and scheduled for surgery 6 weeks later.  I then was called in and had surgery one week Earlier than originally expected.  Everything was done so that my husband and I had to fly down once.  My followup care has been great.  No complaints there either.  I think that with everything in life, there are ups and downs.  I have been one off the fortunate ones.  Good luck to everyone.

Dawn

icemantoo said:

Canadian Health Care

As pointed out by JK North nothing is perfect. I however believe that Obama Care will be a lot better as we retain our prior insurance. For me that is Medicare some thing I have paid into for 45 years now. Those States that do not get on the Obama Care bandwagon will find their sick and uninsured broke and not properly cared for when they become sick and uninsured and I am not speaking of the poorest who already qualify for Medicare.

I think the Republicans biggest fear is that Obama Care will suceed and their lies about it will be proven wrong and they can no longer hold the budget hostage by their threts to defund the Government.

 

Icemantoo

There's a clear danger of our over-stepping the mark here, with the neutral remit of CSN and this theme probably won't be allowed to run. 

So, in anticipation of intervention here by moderators, I want to make a record of my support for iceman's analysis and views, motivated as they are by his (to me, anyway) admirable compassion for the less fortunate members of our society.   His concern rises above politics to the humanitarian values that are at the basis of policy and I commend him for it. 

As a UK citizen I have no involvement, but one can admire care for the welfare of the underprivileged wherever one sees it.   Good for you iceman!

Texas_wedge said:

Healthcare

There's a clear danger of our over-stepping the mark here, with the neutral remit of CSN and this theme probably won't be allowed to run. 

So, in anticipation of intervention here by moderators, I want to make a record of my support for iceman's analysis and views, motivated as they are by his (to me, anyway) admirable compassion for the less fortunate members of our society.   His concern rises above politics to the humanitarian values that are at the basis of policy and I commend him for it. 

As a UK citizen I have no involvement, but one can admire care for the welfare of the underprivileged wherever one sees it.   Good for you iceman!

I could not agree more!  As in Canada, there is nothing to say you can't maintain the insurance you have for the "get what you pay for" service if you have the resources.  But at least the millions without care can be seen, and receive some kind of treatment.

In some areas, we ARE "our brother's keepers."