Been a while
Haven't posted since the 10th. Have a couple of drafts in progress, but at 2:30 AM on July 16th I found myself in the emergency ward of the nearby hospital with what I believed to be a gallstone attack. I returned home that same day at 6:00 AM. Not bad. Only 3.5 hours in the hospital. Pain had receded. Tests had been run. Good result for a government run healthcare system. In fact, at the initial triage stage, I was immediately moved to an observation room (i.e. I didn't have to suffer in the waiting room).
Tuesday, though I had some residual pain, went by without much of an issue. Then that evening, I had another attack. By 4:00 AM Wednesday morning the pain was such that I went back to the hospital. Once again I was immediately moved to the observation room, and within minutes found myself in a bed hooked to an IV (saline solution). I remained in the hospital until yesterday afternoon. Diagnosis: pancreatitis caused by a gallstone. I didn't eat or drink anything until Sunday afternoon (when I had some cranberry juice and some jello). I ate some "soft" food for the first time yesterday before leaving the hospital.
Seems I will have to make an appointment to have my gallbladder removed in 4-6 weeks.
Now the cost to me was about $60 for the television and personal telephone. I wonder how much a 7 day (8 counting the Monday stint) would have cost me in the States? A friend of mine spent 7 days in a US hospital when he moved down there to work and it cost him $30,000. Hmm...$60 vs $30,000...yeah, I'll pay the higher taxes.
Tuesday, though I had some residual pain, went by without much of an issue. Then that evening, I had another attack. By 4:00 AM Wednesday morning the pain was such that I went back to the hospital. Once again I was immediately moved to the observation room, and within minutes found myself in a bed hooked to an IV (saline solution). I remained in the hospital until yesterday afternoon. Diagnosis: pancreatitis caused by a gallstone. I didn't eat or drink anything until Sunday afternoon (when I had some cranberry juice and some jello). I ate some "soft" food for the first time yesterday before leaving the hospital.
Seems I will have to make an appointment to have my gallbladder removed in 4-6 weeks.
Now the cost to me was about $60 for the television and personal telephone. I wonder how much a 7 day (8 counting the Monday stint) would have cost me in the States? A friend of mine spent 7 days in a US hospital when he moved down there to work and it cost him $30,000. Hmm...$60 vs $30,000...yeah, I'll pay the higher taxes.
Comments
As to the cost here in the States, when I spent 6 days in the hospital earlier this year, the bill was $15,500. Insurance paid all but $490 of that.
The doctor bills -- from the non-stop train of specialists who came in to conduct tests and/or read the results -- came to another $5900. Insurance paid all but $350.