It May Be Over

$400 a month? Holy crap! In BC the basic coverage premiums were $31/month... in Alberta they're free now. Of course, that only covers family physicians, referrals to another doctor of some type (ie physio, podiatrists, dentists are not covered), and your hospital stay, but still, it's a pretty good plan.

And I would venture to say we spend less annually on our very expensive health care system than the US did in one year on the Iraq war.

Oh, yeah, to that, Mame, nodding. To me the barrier is the common here freaky fear of apparent "socialism".

The average family in the US has a policy that costs them $12,000 per year, before co-pays. Many don't know the total because the real cost is hidden by their employer. Many pay more depending on health, age or dependents. Many insurance companies give you a list of doctors you can use and you better hope the doctor you need is on the list. I had an HMO for awhile that would only let me pick from four hospitals within my region. If I ended up in an out of state of hospital they would refuse to pay for treatment. Every procedure had to be pre-approved or you were on your own.

Americans refuse to take health care into their own hands, instead they want the Nanny Corporation to do it for them. Better the guy you work for should pick how much coverage you can have or if they will offer you dental. Instead of all paying into a pool where it would guarantee at least basic coverage for all we prefer insurance companies to control our health and our wallets. Americans love to be afraid.

I'm with Mame on this. I live in Alberta too. You can buy basic drug/dental coverage plans from an independent insurance company like Bluecross for about $25 a month and up. On this type of plan, they would cover 80% of the cost, the rest would be out of pocket. Most good jobs come with benefits such as a drug plan, dental, eye glasses, major medical, long term disability, life insurance and in some cases, depending on the employer, a flex plan/health spending account that will cover your the above and give you the option of where or if you want chiropractic, massage, physio, laser surgery etc.
Many couples have coverage from two work places and pay no out of pocket costs at all for most drugs et al.
This is not to say we don't have our own problems up here, but the fear of going bankrupt it not one of them.

if i get sick i'll go to the emergency room.I'll pay what I can and they can eat me for the rest. that's the position many of us have been forced into. It does however have an upside. the holier than thou real American crowd can snipe and feel superior. If I get really sick, something that in all probablilty will be mortal.... I'll just ask for a shitload of pain meds, go find a coke dealer and live it up for the remaining time I have.

Stop being a pussy and get back on stage.

I'm no pussy big guy but I can't stand up straight or even bend over far enough to touch my knees.

Any chance of performing without the acrobatics? Maybe not immediately, but after you've convalesced a bit ...

beats me... I'm getting an mri mext week

because I know you are all so fascinated with my medical history I offer this update. Yesterday, after two solid weeks of pain meds, steroid shots, an oral course of prednisone and Soma (muscle relaxer) at bedtime I realize I am still stiff and in quite a bit of pain and discomfort, although I can get around, so I decided to tough it out and lay off the meds no matter what. All those meds, especially the oxycodone, make me feel oily, greasy and dirty on the inside.

So now, I have all the same symptoms but I'm also grouchy and shaky from stopping the meds. I didn't sleep well last night because my body was yelling for pain meds. Screw you body, I'm in charge of you. Squinney kindly put my last Lidoderm patch on my lower back for me and that helped a little.

I'm trying to stretch as much as I can every hour on the hour.

Plain truth is I don't have 1000.00 cash lying around for an MRI, much less any surgery in case a disc is involved, so I guess I'll tough it out until I can afford to seek treatment if it doesn't clear up on it's own.

Fortunately I feel better when I stand so I can still dj as long as someone moves my gear for me. I have a 50.00 helper for that.

Could this be the year I finally succumb to my age? No, No, No, No, No.

Sorry to hear this bear....I do hope you are feeling better soon.

Bear, I want to suggest a possible improvement in your pain that won't cost you an arm and a leg.

I had the same sort of severe pain for almost a year last year. My orthopedic doctor, on the staff of the best hospital in Albuquerque, decided after his treatments didn't work that I should be seen by an orthopedic doctor who specializes in spines. He referred me that that busy doctor. and it took about a month to get an appointment. The doctor took x-rays, not take an expensive MRI, and discovered the damage to my spine's discs in my lower back. He suggested that, instead of surgery, he start with inject a medication that he had good results with into the lower three disks in my spine. I agreed to the treatment.

Took another month to get on his schedule. I was in a wheel chair when I went to his surgery room in the hospital's surgery floor. He had large equipment that showed my entire spine on a screen next to my bed and where the injection needles should go. He used the equipment to know where to inject six places on the three discs while his assistant made sure I was comfortable. No pain resulted during the process. I was wheeled out of the room and Butrflynet drove me home. Within four hours, I began to feel pain relief. The next morning, I was pain free, I could stand up straight for the first time in months, and I could walk without pain. The doctor checked with me two days later and told me some of his patients have pain relief even faster than I experienced.

I had suffered for nearly a year and no doctor's treatments helped me. Then the spine doctor treated me and his exams and treatments finally worked.

You may want your doctor to refer you to a spine specialist orthopedic surgeon. It's worth a try.

BBB

sell i've done it now. reinjured it SEVERELY this am. squinney had to come pull me off the bed of my truck and walk me upstairs and assist me to bed. I can't walk unassisted. pain meds and muscle relaxers won't touch this pain... it's awful, and I'm no pussy. tomorrow a cortesone epidural and they're scheduling an MRI. I have to do it, expense or not. Thii not only am in indescribable pain in my lower back, but both my left leg AND arm are numb and tingling. Ths could be a career ender. not as bad as the pancreatitits though, so I'm grateful for that.

I have a big event Saturday and for the first time I'll be performing sitting down. I shouldn't perform at all but there are a lot of people depending on me because I'm also doing the production for the other bands on the bill.

B.loody backs...hope you feel better soo

Good grief, Bear. Hang in there.

Hang in there Bear. We are all pulling for you!

You're in my thoughts and prayers, Bear. Hang in there.

Yikes, Bear! Hope it resolves soon!

What does the production side of things involve, Bear?
Whatever it might be, I don't think anyone would expect you to push yourself if they had any understanding of the condition you're in.
Don't be brave. Call in the reinforcements. And perform sitting down, if you're up to it. But only if you're up to it, OK? No one would have any problem with that at all, if you explained the situation to them. No one would expect you to exert yourself in such circumstances.

Oh, you are Squinny's Blueveinedthrobber. I just said something crappy to you on another thread. Sure hope something works, fast, for your back. What a bummer, scary too. When you're so injured, heck with the money. Get it done.