NHS sucks

[The PIT]

Those in the UK knows it wank well totally crap to be honest.

My Mother had a series of TIA's four in five days. We managed to get the Doctor to visit and he correctly said time for Hospital to check it out.

He rang up and was warned the Hosptial was short of beds but they'd take her in.

We arrived at Four O'clock in the afternoon. By five thirty we had the first set of tests which wasn't bad. My Mother can't have anything to eat.

The Doctor conclcuded that My Mother needed more tests and had to stay overnight. ECG Brain scan Xray of her neck Blood tests. This was now six thirty. She would also have a drip fitted.

Seven My sister came in so I could go home get something to eat. I was told by the nurse they were getting a bed and it shouldn't be long.

9:30 My Sister rings still no bed but they doing some more tests.

I ring back at 9:50 no bed Mother is very tired stressed and they can't do a Brain scan or an Xray.

I drive over the Hospital is discharging her as she's expressed " a wish to go home"

Err I wonder why. She sat for six hours with no food or drink and she's 81 no wonder she wants to go home.

Hospital adds another tablet to list to thin her blood down to prevent another TIA. She'll get a letter from the TIA clinic so they can look at her.

So they've given a tablet that if she is bleeding in the Brain it will make it worse. They haven't scanned her Brain to see whats happening and nether have they x-rayed her neck to check the arteries.

She's still having dizzy spells and complaing of disoration. This maybe just "after shocks of the TIA's or it could more something else. I don't want to stress her out further by wasting more time at the hospital.

[Gurm]

And THAT is why Hillary Clinton will never be elected.

[Dr Mordrid]

Yup. Nationalized health care sounds great until you're the patient. Wish I had a dollar for every Canadian or European who came to Michigan for treatment @ the U of M Medical Center, Henry Ford Hospital, Oakwood, St. Joe's, Wm. Beaumont , St. Mary's etc. etc.

G'damn parade

One big complaint esp. from Canadians is rationing; IOW if you're over 50 expect 2 years wait for your bypass....they're betting you die before it's up.

[Gurm]

Yup. Nationalized health care sounds great until you're the patient. Wish I had a dollar for every Canadian or European who came to Michigan for treatment @ the U of M Medical Center, Henry Ford Hospital, Oakwood, St. Joe's, Wm. Beaumont , St. Mary's etc. etc.

G'damn parade

One big complaint esp. from Canadians is rationing; IOW if you're over 50 expect 2 years wait for your bypass....they're betting you die before it's up.

Yup, sounds about like living in/near Boston. We have so many world-class health facilities here that it'd blow your mind.

When we lived in PA, we had occasion a couple of times to get Logan checked out at DuPont Children's Hospital in Delaware. That was similar. Lots of kids from all over the world, seeking the BEST health care available.

[rylan]

Yup. Only problem is that our ERs are getting full of illegal immigrants leeching off the system for minor things and making people with real emergency problems get stuck in the waiting room.

[James_D]

Yup. Nationalized health care sounds great until you're the patient. Wish I had a dollar for every Canadian or European who came to Michigan for treatment @ the U of M Medical Center, Henry Ford Hospital, Oakwood, St. Joe's, Wm. Beaumont , St. Mary's etc. etc.

G'damn parade

One big complaint esp. from Canadians is rationing; IOW if you're over 50 expect 2 years wait for your bypass....they're betting you die before it's up.

Ah.. the old classic Nationalized or privatized health sector... first of, the Scandinavian countries have it working pretty good with a Nationalized health sector. With a better offer than the US.
Secondly lets talk about UK, first off, the treatment of Pits mother was appalling but the UK system has some problems, but it works for most of the time, and that is due to the undermanned staff doing a tremendous job.

The correct treatment of Pits mother if she would come to the hospital where I work would be to be taken inn by a resident, then sent to a CT scan if it was indicated, TIAs can be put off if there is a que. Then she would be sent to the Neurology department, for further evaluation and most probably done a doppler of the carotid and and vertebral arteries.

But if it was a TIA(meeting the classification criteria for a TIA) and she was fine when resident saw her, and CT was unavailable then starting her on platelet inhibitors(aspirin) are standard treatment, though we prefer to start it in the hospital. And if the CT would have been taken then perhaps Persantine or Clopidogrel might also have been started.

But of course not giving an old woman a bed and something to drink is outrageous.


JD.

[Wulfman]

what would happen if anybody actually posted a positive story about nationalized health care?

oh, forgot. won't happen, satisfied customers don't write stuff online. and yes, there are positive stories.

mfg
wulfman

[Brian Ellis]

Indeed, one more tale of woe of the NHS, but it is very variable, according to the region. If she had been living in Scotland, for example, the outcome would have been very different. Tony Blair was boasting recently how the NHS had so much improved during his tenure, with a large number of new hospitals built, but what use are buildings empty of equipment and sufficient qualified staff?

You need have no worry about her medication: if she had a cerebral haemorrhage, it would have been more than a TIA at her age. Aspirin or even warfarin would be the correct treatment and I'm sure that the dosage was judged from the results of blood tests.

I don't know where the borderline is between TIAs and strokes. I've had two which were diagnosed as strokes, as they resulted in paralysis of the right hand and arm. The first time, I had the usual tests (in the home environment) and was put on 100 mg aspirin/day. By dint of hard work and perseverence, I recovered most of the use of my arm and hand over several weeks. The second occurred about a year later, with more severe paralysis in the same regions and slight loss of leg mobility. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to swallow 900 mg of straight aspirin (not coated) as soon as it happened and this possibly prevented further damage. Anyway, further tests galore. I couldn't have a MRI because of my pacemaker, but I had CT scans and ultrasound of the carotids and chest cavity, revealing no cause (carotids exempt of plaque and in normal condition for my age). This puzzled the cardiologist and he proceeded to an ultrasound from within the stomach. This revealed a small plaque deposit in the arch of the aorta and he guessed that small particles breaking off were carried into the left carotid and up and away to cause the damage. Treatment: up the aspirin dose to 325 mg/day and 225 mg of Persantin (now reduced to 150 mg). I had to reduce the aspirin to 200 mg after a couple of weeks or so because of urethral and anal bleeding (weakness resulting from RT for prostate cancer). Touch wood, no recidivation after ~5 years. Leg 100% OK. Arm slightly weak. Hand weak and intricate use, like tying knots, opening jars and, above all, writing is very difficult, especially when it involves signing cheques or credit card vouchers!

Disorientation is normal. I felt a bit like I'd drunk more than half a bottle of wine, without the pleasure of having done so. I think it's the brain's response to preparing you to live with the outcome. It wears off after a few days.

She may make a full recovery and wish her well.

[The PIT]

what would happen if anybody actually posted a positive story about nationalized health care?

oh, forgot. won't happen, satisfied customers don't write stuff online. and yes, there are positive stories.

mfg
wulfman

Thats the same for everything. In this case though they've also put my Mother at risk by not doing the proper tests.

They were quite happy for her to sit in that chair all night which is really poor care.

When I went for ecg and Brain scans they were very rapid but then I'm much younger and I can't help feeling that sicne my Mother is old she isn't very important and gets shunted down the list.

[The PIT]

Gets even worse.

See below

Apparently a clinical decision has been made that Mum should not go(or not directly) to the TIA clinic. She will, instead, go to the neurology out-patients. This could take some time and will not be actioned until a letter is received from the TIA clinic (it has already been sent). There could be quite a wait for an appointment according to the staff member I spoke to.

So tests delayed and a long delay before they even see her.

[Dr Mordrid]

IMO they're playing the odds like Canada does with far too many of their older patients. Seen so many medical refugees because of that it's depressing.

TIA = transient ischemic attack, AKA "mini stroke"

A temporary interruption of blood supply to a limited area of the brain resulting in short term neurologic dysfunction, usually <24 hours.

Many times caused by a small embolus, thrombus or sometimes an vascularl wall spasm at an existing plaque. Increases in blood viscosity can also do it in a vessel that is already strongly occluded.

The use of aspirin during a presumed in-progress "TIA" is a bit controversial here as it could cause >bleeding in a small cerebral bleed, which could mimic a TIA. Close medical call absent a CT or MRI that excludes a bleed. A vascular ultrasound is also often used.

Its use as prophylaxis before or after TIA's is another issue.

[NetSnake]

Gets even worse.

See below

Apparently a clinical decision has been made that Mum should not go(or not directly) to the TIA clinic. She will, instead, go to the neurology out-patients. This could take some time and will not be actioned until a letter is received from the TIA clinic (it has already been sent). There could be quite a wait for an appointment according to the staff member I spoke to.

So tests delayed and a long delay before they even see her.

My cousin (32yr, mother of 2) came for an operation (cancer) here in London about 45 days ago. Even though she is young, she was a paying out-patient and she came for the operation to the place were I work it still took some time before an initial appointment was arranged (I had to go in and speak to the doctor directly). After that, the surgery was arranged relatively fast (1 week from the initial appointment). So I guess delays are common but still a lot better than Greece (it took them about 20 days just for the biopsy).

Plus, they did an amazing job, so no complaints...