Wednesday, September 10, 2008

What do I have in common with a highly paid athlete?

Well, it is not my athletic ability.
We both can get a cat scan in less than 12 hours....
and in Canada that also means FREE of charge.

I just had to go to the hospital, by ambulance, in the middle of the night, with a BP of 85/50, to get mine. The paramedics were so wonderful, I was terrified I was having a heart attack.

If you want to be entertained in your agony go to the London University Hospital emerg on a Sat night. To the right of me I had a British import student. They found him "legless" (translation below) stretched out on the common with his bank card on his chest. To the left of me I had a little Canadian boy away from home for the first time, he couldn't understand why he didn't have any shoes....He had puked in them and the nurse had sealed them up in plastic and kindly requested that he take them with him when he left. I saw him scurry past the end of my bed clutching the hind end of his gown with one hand and the IV pole with the other.

Talk about Greys Anatomy reality......I was in a teaching hospital with more residents and interns than I could count. More young men had their hands on my body than I have EVER had in my life.
I am sorry I let them down ....it turned out to be a rotten appendix....for all the wonderful care I received I could have at least had something exotic to brighten their learning experience.

Now, I will have to pay for the ambulance ....but ......the blood tests, X-rays, Cat Scans, the IV's ( I had 5) assorted drugs including morphine, the superior nursing care, room and board for 2 days on the 8th floor, ( the bed was high tech and sooo comfortable) attendance from assorted different doctors, the surgeon to remove the lousey appendix, the anethesiologist to make sure I was unaware......for all of that I will pay NOTHING, I do not have health insurance
I live in Canada where health care is free!
*legless: pissed to the gills

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