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Breast surgeon appointment
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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 342304" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>I think I've been lucky in getting this surgeon. It's funny - I was berating myself for stepping outside the system last Friday and going to see my GP for the results instead of the clinic surgeon. But when I met her yesterday (the private doctor my GP referred me to), I discovered it is the SAME clinic doctor who did the breast exam on me! So it's the same person the clinic would have had me see on Friday anyway!</p><p></p><p>So even though I've chosen to go private, I'm back in the "routine", the carefullyset up system with BreastScreen designed to ensure fast treatment.</p><p></p><p>In Australia, our health care system on a national level is funded by the Federal Government from a tax levy on every person who earns over about A$20,000. The levy is something like 1.5% of gross income. It covers all doctors, all medical procedures, all hospital. It doesn't cover things like dental, physio, chiropractic etc but a new system under our national health system means that if the GP orders a Care Plan for the patient, even these things can be covered. The price for the extra cover is that all your medical details are on file and shared with everybody, including the government's Health Insurance Commission if they want to check up and make sure your doctors aren't ripping off the system. It also means that each participant in the Care Plan is fully aware of what everyone else is doing; the main reason for this is to feed it all back to the GP and frankly, it's what I prefer in my health care. It keeps everyone in the loop. Patient confidentiality is still respected when it comes to anyone outside that Care Plan.</p><p></p><p>Private health insurance steps in for extra help with private hospital admission. Public hospitals have much longer waiting lists. Some specialists only operate in private hospitals, although the standard of treatment you get in public hospital is just as good. Because we have private insurance as well, we have the option of saying to the doctor, "if the waiting list is shorter for the private hospital, let's go there."</p><p></p><p>As a general rule, if I have an emergency medical problem that requires an ambulance, I'll be taken to the public hospital. I may even get admitted and treated in a public hospital. mother in law has Gold Card medical because she is a war widow. Gold Card means she gets all her health care, including the full extent of private insurance's extras and more, paid willingly and enthusiastically by the Federal government.</p><p></p><p>Even though the public component if our health insurance is federally funded, at the moment it's administered state by state. I live in NSW. My brother with prostate cancer lives in Queensland. And the Queensland public health system is considered to be one of the worst. I know in my brother's case, he is poor and can't afford any private health insurance. Plus he got mucked around a lot more than I think is usual - when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he had to wait about 18 months for urgent surgery. As a result, by the time they got in there they had to take a lot more than they would have if they'd operated within a month of diagnosis. He's got a lot of problems and he tells me his cancer has now returned (according to rising PSA levels). He's a darling bloke, a bit of a difficult child in that he won't fight for himself as he should.</p><p></p><p>it's because of problems like this (and other problems to do with long waiting lists and desperate need for upgrades in other states' public hospitals) that the Federal Government is threatening to take over administration of the state-based health care.</p><p></p><p>Someone asked how difficult child 3 is coping with this - we thought he was doing OK until last night, he came in and said, "I've not been able to get my schoolwork done, I just can't concentrate on it. I think it's because I've just been too worried to think straight."</p><p>That is information I need to pass back to the school so they won't get too demanding for a while about getting the work back to them.</p><p></p><p>Now I know what is happening with the treatment timetable, I can start organising various other appointments that I have had to put on hold. A few emails have come in concerning another acting job I hot involved in with easy child 2/difficult child 2, there are bad problems brewing which I COULD step in and help sort out, but this time I'm going to sit on my hands and do nothing. In some ways a rescue job could be very good for me professionally, but the personalities involved are volatile and I think I could do without it. As it is, rehearsals will be scheduled during the latter part of my radiotherapy, so I'm not telling them anything except I'm having a "day surgery procedure" a few days before the first rehearsal. If and when I need to tell them anything, I'll tell them as little as possible. I've been burned before from sharing even need-to-know info on health problems with an acting troupe - of all professions, they are the most superstitious, the most paranoid and the most rejecting of anybody, when it comes to health problems. Like the other minor cast members I have about three or four small roles, each of them only for about five minutes on stage. easy child 2/difficult child 2 has one of the more important roles plus a couple of others. I really want her to stay involved, it's more important for her career-wise. Me - I just want to work towards voice-over work, I don't need to be physically in the limelight.</p><p></p><p>Whatever I can do income-wise, it needs me to be working from home and with control of my own hours.</p><p></p><p>I need to go and settle difficult child 3 and get him to do some work. I've not been able to be home with him during the school day as much as he needs, that could be a factor as well. When I'm here, he works better. I'm also here for him to see, touch and feel reassured by. If I'm not here and he knows I'm seeing doctors about cancer, he worries about what he doesn't know.</p><p></p><p>I'll keep you all updated.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 342304, member: 1991"] I think I've been lucky in getting this surgeon. It's funny - I was berating myself for stepping outside the system last Friday and going to see my GP for the results instead of the clinic surgeon. But when I met her yesterday (the private doctor my GP referred me to), I discovered it is the SAME clinic doctor who did the breast exam on me! So it's the same person the clinic would have had me see on Friday anyway! So even though I've chosen to go private, I'm back in the "routine", the carefullyset up system with BreastScreen designed to ensure fast treatment. In Australia, our health care system on a national level is funded by the Federal Government from a tax levy on every person who earns over about A$20,000. The levy is something like 1.5% of gross income. It covers all doctors, all medical procedures, all hospital. It doesn't cover things like dental, physio, chiropractic etc but a new system under our national health system means that if the GP orders a Care Plan for the patient, even these things can be covered. The price for the extra cover is that all your medical details are on file and shared with everybody, including the government's Health Insurance Commission if they want to check up and make sure your doctors aren't ripping off the system. It also means that each participant in the Care Plan is fully aware of what everyone else is doing; the main reason for this is to feed it all back to the GP and frankly, it's what I prefer in my health care. It keeps everyone in the loop. Patient confidentiality is still respected when it comes to anyone outside that Care Plan. Private health insurance steps in for extra help with private hospital admission. Public hospitals have much longer waiting lists. Some specialists only operate in private hospitals, although the standard of treatment you get in public hospital is just as good. Because we have private insurance as well, we have the option of saying to the doctor, "if the waiting list is shorter for the private hospital, let's go there." As a general rule, if I have an emergency medical problem that requires an ambulance, I'll be taken to the public hospital. I may even get admitted and treated in a public hospital. mother in law has Gold Card medical because she is a war widow. Gold Card means she gets all her health care, including the full extent of private insurance's extras and more, paid willingly and enthusiastically by the Federal government. Even though the public component if our health insurance is federally funded, at the moment it's administered state by state. I live in NSW. My brother with prostate cancer lives in Queensland. And the Queensland public health system is considered to be one of the worst. I know in my brother's case, he is poor and can't afford any private health insurance. Plus he got mucked around a lot more than I think is usual - when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he had to wait about 18 months for urgent surgery. As a result, by the time they got in there they had to take a lot more than they would have if they'd operated within a month of diagnosis. He's got a lot of problems and he tells me his cancer has now returned (according to rising PSA levels). He's a darling bloke, a bit of a difficult child in that he won't fight for himself as he should. it's because of problems like this (and other problems to do with long waiting lists and desperate need for upgrades in other states' public hospitals) that the Federal Government is threatening to take over administration of the state-based health care. Someone asked how difficult child 3 is coping with this - we thought he was doing OK until last night, he came in and said, "I've not been able to get my schoolwork done, I just can't concentrate on it. I think it's because I've just been too worried to think straight." That is information I need to pass back to the school so they won't get too demanding for a while about getting the work back to them. Now I know what is happening with the treatment timetable, I can start organising various other appointments that I have had to put on hold. A few emails have come in concerning another acting job I hot involved in with easy child 2/difficult child 2, there are bad problems brewing which I COULD step in and help sort out, but this time I'm going to sit on my hands and do nothing. In some ways a rescue job could be very good for me professionally, but the personalities involved are volatile and I think I could do without it. As it is, rehearsals will be scheduled during the latter part of my radiotherapy, so I'm not telling them anything except I'm having a "day surgery procedure" a few days before the first rehearsal. If and when I need to tell them anything, I'll tell them as little as possible. I've been burned before from sharing even need-to-know info on health problems with an acting troupe - of all professions, they are the most superstitious, the most paranoid and the most rejecting of anybody, when it comes to health problems. Like the other minor cast members I have about three or four small roles, each of them only for about five minutes on stage. easy child 2/difficult child 2 has one of the more important roles plus a couple of others. I really want her to stay involved, it's more important for her career-wise. Me - I just want to work towards voice-over work, I don't need to be physically in the limelight. Whatever I can do income-wise, it needs me to be working from home and with control of my own hours. I need to go and settle difficult child 3 and get him to do some work. I've not been able to be home with him during the school day as much as he needs, that could be a factor as well. When I'm here, he works better. I'm also here for him to see, touch and feel reassured by. If I'm not here and he knows I'm seeing doctors about cancer, he worries about what he doesn't know. I'll keep you all updated. Marg [/QUOTE]
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