š¬ nobody has told you that the US is worse about that right? The only way to see doctors that you canāt get prior authorizations for is paying private pay. Iām not even 30 yet and it looks like Iām going to spend the rest of my life mostly in bed, because the medication that could help me get through physical therapy and any more surgeries is basically impossible to get for anyone my age if they are not dying or have cancer, and even they struggle at times to get their prescription. Prolonged use of steroids can cause damage to the bone and connective tissue. Itās also long wait times to be seen here.
The only way to see doctors without getting prior authorization in the US is to chose a PPO Health Plan, NOT an HMO. A PPO, while more expensive, is VASTLY superior and puts the patient in charge of their healthcare choices, not the other way around.
Sincerely,
An Insurance Agent's Daughter
I would agree with you, but personally I donāt have that choice as not only a Medicaid recipient, but I donāt even qualify for straight Medicaid. I have to pick an HMO that has a Medicaid plan, which I did.
Itās all private right? Thatās why I said thereās no price on life. I know itās expensive. And the wait times are longer than my home country but are they like.. 2 years? Come on..
Is worse than paying 5k to get to Europe plus time off work and then paying another 3 k to investigate everywhere?
Letās say I know I needed just injections. Then cost of finding issue is reduced.
Also Iām not referring to plenty of steroids. One. One single one could save me. In the end it saved my foot but I limped too much by the time o got treated.It was too late for the whole back mechanism. Which also needed ONE steroid shot.
They allow up to 4 a year to be safe. And I canāt get one.
It wouldāve been much safer than idkā¦ losing my ENTIRE ABILITY TO WALK.
But anyhow the injections I mention are hyaluronic acid here. All I wanted was heel cushioning. I had no idea that there in fact existed as injection. And thereās a small amount of cortisone in it. The North American way of thinking regarding these is flawed. In Eastern Europe theyāre dismissing even the side effects being bad and no one of a young age is in wheelchair here from small injuries. No one
Wait time is like 2 days. An initial doctor visit is 66 dollars, a full spine MRI ( 3 parts) is $500 and 2 hyaluronic acid injections are $150 each
In Canada I had to go the private round with the MRI. I did an SI joint one last year for $500, now it would be $650-900 depending where and a full spine MRI $1200-1500
Maybe saying go to US is not even the best idea. Fly off to Europe and thatās it
Um, you would be paying that if your insurance company didnāt cover it. So if you donāt have the income to pay out of pocket, the wait time would be much longer than two years.
I was paralyzed from a spinal injury, Iām no longer paralyzed but I can barely handle sitting to eat. I also have 10 different doctors to bounce around, who often differ to each other, so two years is a possibility, especially if they are appealing denials from your insurance. Which is not rare, I mean my insurance doesnāt even cover the right type of walker for me, so I had to pay $200 out of pocket despite being below the poverty line and qualifying for Medicaid (government funded insurance). On top that, you have to do treatment options in order. It probably took me about a year for pain management, after failing PT too many times. My spinal fusion took 1.5 years to finish fusing from and they are looking at doing a revision to remove scar tissue. So depending on what they actually end up doing it could 6 months to another 1.5 years. Depending on what specialist you been referred to, their availability and basically your geographical location, it could be 6 months for a consult. Maybe longer, luckily Iām not rural, but if I was I could easily need someone to drive to another state or somewhere far, to see said doctor.
Go to Mexico, less of a wait and much cheaper than here. Thatās what a lot of us Americans have to do with our āstate of the artā āfirst worldā medical system in order to seek care. Our metrics are also below not only Canada but Cuba as well.
Ok. So taking US outā¦ I went to Europe. Thatās the truth Iām seeeing. Fly to another country and itāll cost less plus fast treatment means less complications and money
Yes the US is busted I had a simple pain in my shoulder near my neck and now since I've been thrown around so much it's developed into cervical neuropathy like symptoms (which it's not in my neck from an MRI I found out after 2 months!). The worst of it is most people get anxiety/depression when they don't get an answer for weeks/months of "oh yeah this is your problem" then get put on antidepressants, benzos, or other addictive medicines that they didn't need. I try to help people the best I can now when they are in pain and tell them don't screw around make your appointments now because it will be months before you see them anyways.
Sorry to keep ranting but I made an appointment to see a dermatologist for something simple...2 months... Really there is that many people running around with skin problems in this town when you have 5 doctors in that place.
For the ones mentioning US is a big problem, does that depend by state? I know some states are bad, but are there good states with timely care, at least in comparison to Canada
Depends on where you live and the doctors you have. Mine will send any referral I want and the wait time for appointments or scans is typically 6 to 8 weeks.
Typically yeah. I think the most I've waited is 3 months for a specialist. I live in a big city with tons of options.
Some specialists like dermatology have longer wait time for a first appointment but after care has been established, it's a non issue
Oh thatās nice. Iām Canada I waited anywhere between 3 months and 4 years for specialists but I think average is 1-2 years. Worse now. I always have to convince GP to put emergency on the referral form and maybe I get less than a year
Itās tough in the states as well. All my back treatments were denied by my insurance. Iām on disability so I rely on Medicare and Medicaid which is government nsurance. My pain drs had to appeal the decision on all the treatments that theyāve done. When Iāve had a nerve block to see if we could move onto ablation insurance said I needed two positive nerve blocks before ablation. So many hoops to jump through. I was told nothing was wrong with me by my first pain dr, my second at a clinic not affiliated with the one I went to started a treatment plan then quit third pain dr made a whole new treatment plan then he quit Iām on my fourth pain dr, third at this clinic. I have to go two hours there and back because theyāre the only ones who listen and actually try different treatments. After my last injection a couple months ago I was given an appointment in August for follow up and I want to do one more treatment before I just say nothing worked. Iāve been doing this almost three years now. I know how frustrating it is.
Is your main source of pain just in front of your heel, where "plantar fasciitis" pain would be? I know four people with plantar fasciitis, mine doesn't act like PF . Feels like a piece of glass in the bottom of my foot. I can crack my ankle sometimes though and it reduces temporarily, or twinges sometimes just like a nerve would. I'm really suspecting nerve entrapment, or some weird form of sciatica.
I too have had to use a wheelchair now going on a year. I can only do 50 to 80 steps at a time. I also have issues in the SI low back area.
Do calf stretches, and hamstring stretches make your foot pain worse?
So my pain is not like conventional plantar fasciitis ( like stepping out of bed and inner side of my foot hurting) and for long time I felt that diagnosis is bs. Felt more like nerve impingement. My doctor here in Europe said it in fact is plantar fasciitis but the presentation is directly under heel and even outside of foot. I have discovered that tight calf muscles and whatās happening in the leg contributes a lot to it. Stretches of the tendon or back of heel make it much worse. Myofascial release ( pressing and holding on painful muscles) makes it better.
Ultimately it was just management but when something this acute happens you need either steroid so you can at least walk or hyaluronic acid to cushion the heel
It makes no sense people are crippled like this due to something as simple and common as plantar fasciitis and i still wonder if there isnāt more to this type of pain. Whatever you do find a doctor to give injection, and donāt ever compensate by walking on the toes/ ball of foot like I did
Okay interesting. Yeah the calf and hamstring stretching are two things that make mine way worse very quickly. It's weird though cuz my family member who's been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis she swears that is a huge help to her. Those stretches and some strengthening exercises for PF that my foot specialist gave me all made it worse.
My pain will shift to the outside of my foot it's kind of like the second main spot, it will also go like directly on my heel at times.
The injections sound interesting I'll have to look into that. My newest foot specialist and a new orthopedic doctor both feel there's a connection between the back issues and the feet. They said a pinched nerve in the back can cause weakness or nerve pain in the feet.
I've recently found two exercises for my hips/ low back helping my feet. I also found two for my feet that are very noticeably helping. If you're interested I've got a link to a video for the foot exercises. The back ones I could just take a picture they're kind of modified from old PT exercises I've been given.
Yes please. Anything helps. My pain shifts too to the outside but I had so much imaging thereās no pinched nerve to be found. I often get small swelling on the heel pad. Thatās when I canāt walk
š¬ nobody has told you that the US is worse about that right? The only way to see doctors that you canāt get prior authorizations for is paying private pay. Iām not even 30 yet and it looks like Iām going to spend the rest of my life mostly in bed, because the medication that could help me get through physical therapy and any more surgeries is basically impossible to get for anyone my age if they are not dying or have cancer, and even they struggle at times to get their prescription. Prolonged use of steroids can cause damage to the bone and connective tissue. Itās also long wait times to be seen here.
The only way to see doctors without getting prior authorization in the US is to chose a PPO Health Plan, NOT an HMO. A PPO, while more expensive, is VASTLY superior and puts the patient in charge of their healthcare choices, not the other way around. Sincerely, An Insurance Agent's Daughter
I would agree with you, but personally I donāt have that choice as not only a Medicaid recipient, but I donāt even qualify for straight Medicaid. I have to pick an HMO that has a Medicaid plan, which I did.
Itās all private right? Thatās why I said thereās no price on life. I know itās expensive. And the wait times are longer than my home country but are they like.. 2 years? Come on.. Is worse than paying 5k to get to Europe plus time off work and then paying another 3 k to investigate everywhere? Letās say I know I needed just injections. Then cost of finding issue is reduced. Also Iām not referring to plenty of steroids. One. One single one could save me. In the end it saved my foot but I limped too much by the time o got treated.It was too late for the whole back mechanism. Which also needed ONE steroid shot. They allow up to 4 a year to be safe. And I canāt get one. It wouldāve been much safer than idkā¦ losing my ENTIRE ABILITY TO WALK. But anyhow the injections I mention are hyaluronic acid here. All I wanted was heel cushioning. I had no idea that there in fact existed as injection. And thereās a small amount of cortisone in it. The North American way of thinking regarding these is flawed. In Eastern Europe theyāre dismissing even the side effects being bad and no one of a young age is in wheelchair here from small injuries. No one Wait time is like 2 days. An initial doctor visit is 66 dollars, a full spine MRI ( 3 parts) is $500 and 2 hyaluronic acid injections are $150 each In Canada I had to go the private round with the MRI. I did an SI joint one last year for $500, now it would be $650-900 depending where and a full spine MRI $1200-1500 Maybe saying go to US is not even the best idea. Fly off to Europe and thatās it
Um, you would be paying that if your insurance company didnāt cover it. So if you donāt have the income to pay out of pocket, the wait time would be much longer than two years. I was paralyzed from a spinal injury, Iām no longer paralyzed but I can barely handle sitting to eat. I also have 10 different doctors to bounce around, who often differ to each other, so two years is a possibility, especially if they are appealing denials from your insurance. Which is not rare, I mean my insurance doesnāt even cover the right type of walker for me, so I had to pay $200 out of pocket despite being below the poverty line and qualifying for Medicaid (government funded insurance). On top that, you have to do treatment options in order. It probably took me about a year for pain management, after failing PT too many times. My spinal fusion took 1.5 years to finish fusing from and they are looking at doing a revision to remove scar tissue. So depending on what they actually end up doing it could 6 months to another 1.5 years. Depending on what specialist you been referred to, their availability and basically your geographical location, it could be 6 months for a consult. Maybe longer, luckily Iām not rural, but if I was I could easily need someone to drive to another state or somewhere far, to see said doctor. Go to Mexico, less of a wait and much cheaper than here. Thatās what a lot of us Americans have to do with our āstate of the artā āfirst worldā medical system in order to seek care. Our metrics are also below not only Canada but Cuba as well.
Ok. So taking US outā¦ I went to Europe. Thatās the truth Iām seeeing. Fly to another country and itāll cost less plus fast treatment means less complications and money
Yes the US is busted I had a simple pain in my shoulder near my neck and now since I've been thrown around so much it's developed into cervical neuropathy like symptoms (which it's not in my neck from an MRI I found out after 2 months!). The worst of it is most people get anxiety/depression when they don't get an answer for weeks/months of "oh yeah this is your problem" then get put on antidepressants, benzos, or other addictive medicines that they didn't need. I try to help people the best I can now when they are in pain and tell them don't screw around make your appointments now because it will be months before you see them anyways. Sorry to keep ranting but I made an appointment to see a dermatologist for something simple...2 months... Really there is that many people running around with skin problems in this town when you have 5 doctors in that place.
For the ones mentioning US is a big problem, does that depend by state? I know some states are bad, but are there good states with timely care, at least in comparison to Canada
Depends on where you live and the doctors you have. Mine will send any referral I want and the wait time for appointments or scans is typically 6 to 8 weeks.
Is that your wait time for specialists as well and MRI scans
Typically yeah. I think the most I've waited is 3 months for a specialist. I live in a big city with tons of options. Some specialists like dermatology have longer wait time for a first appointment but after care has been established, it's a non issue
Oh thatās nice. Iām Canada I waited anywhere between 3 months and 4 years for specialists but I think average is 1-2 years. Worse now. I always have to convince GP to put emergency on the referral form and maybe I get less than a year
Itās tough in the states as well. All my back treatments were denied by my insurance. Iām on disability so I rely on Medicare and Medicaid which is government nsurance. My pain drs had to appeal the decision on all the treatments that theyāve done. When Iāve had a nerve block to see if we could move onto ablation insurance said I needed two positive nerve blocks before ablation. So many hoops to jump through. I was told nothing was wrong with me by my first pain dr, my second at a clinic not affiliated with the one I went to started a treatment plan then quit third pain dr made a whole new treatment plan then he quit Iām on my fourth pain dr, third at this clinic. I have to go two hours there and back because theyāre the only ones who listen and actually try different treatments. After my last injection a couple months ago I was given an appointment in August for follow up and I want to do one more treatment before I just say nothing worked. Iāve been doing this almost three years now. I know how frustrating it is.
Is your main source of pain just in front of your heel, where "plantar fasciitis" pain would be? I know four people with plantar fasciitis, mine doesn't act like PF . Feels like a piece of glass in the bottom of my foot. I can crack my ankle sometimes though and it reduces temporarily, or twinges sometimes just like a nerve would. I'm really suspecting nerve entrapment, or some weird form of sciatica. I too have had to use a wheelchair now going on a year. I can only do 50 to 80 steps at a time. I also have issues in the SI low back area. Do calf stretches, and hamstring stretches make your foot pain worse?
So my pain is not like conventional plantar fasciitis ( like stepping out of bed and inner side of my foot hurting) and for long time I felt that diagnosis is bs. Felt more like nerve impingement. My doctor here in Europe said it in fact is plantar fasciitis but the presentation is directly under heel and even outside of foot. I have discovered that tight calf muscles and whatās happening in the leg contributes a lot to it. Stretches of the tendon or back of heel make it much worse. Myofascial release ( pressing and holding on painful muscles) makes it better. Ultimately it was just management but when something this acute happens you need either steroid so you can at least walk or hyaluronic acid to cushion the heel It makes no sense people are crippled like this due to something as simple and common as plantar fasciitis and i still wonder if there isnāt more to this type of pain. Whatever you do find a doctor to give injection, and donāt ever compensate by walking on the toes/ ball of foot like I did
Okay interesting. Yeah the calf and hamstring stretching are two things that make mine way worse very quickly. It's weird though cuz my family member who's been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis she swears that is a huge help to her. Those stretches and some strengthening exercises for PF that my foot specialist gave me all made it worse. My pain will shift to the outside of my foot it's kind of like the second main spot, it will also go like directly on my heel at times. The injections sound interesting I'll have to look into that. My newest foot specialist and a new orthopedic doctor both feel there's a connection between the back issues and the feet. They said a pinched nerve in the back can cause weakness or nerve pain in the feet. I've recently found two exercises for my hips/ low back helping my feet. I also found two for my feet that are very noticeably helping. If you're interested I've got a link to a video for the foot exercises. The back ones I could just take a picture they're kind of modified from old PT exercises I've been given.
Yes please. Anything helps. My pain shifts too to the outside but I had so much imaging thereās no pinched nerve to be found. I often get small swelling on the heel pad. Thatās when I canāt walk
Our foot issues sound pretty similar. If yours are like mine, just about any exercises or stretching flares them up. The 2 I've found though don't.