A good point about living in the U.k.

[bluelammy]

Hi everyone,after reading some of the posts on the forums it made me realise how lucky i am living in britain and suffering from epilepsy.I have had to live with this condition for over 35 years and have unlike fellow epileptics around the world never had to pay a penny out of my own pocket for any of the treatment i,ve recieved for the condition.This includes seeing my specialist,eegs,ct scans and the medicines i require.I know a lot of people complain about this country but i think we have got a brilliant national health service and just wish it could be shared with you.I was just curious about how much you have to spend in the country where you live to treat your condition for a year.And how much would i have to spend on my medication if i was living with you? At the moment i,m taking 400mg of phenytoin and 2500mg of keppra daily. Thanks, I hope you dont think i,m being a nosey so and so.

 

[dfwtexas]

I pay $60 a month for insurance. My Keppra has $15 payment from me. Going to the doctor cost $20> My EEG and MRI each cost me $50.
Some countries do a better job with national insurance....but American is notrious bad when it comes to any thing goverment run...the poor veterans have "free" government health care and it is a nightmare. My uncle died waiting on a list to be seen. Ex husband was veternan, it was very bad...and this is how we treat the people who have served our country. I pray we never go to that system.
Does everyone in the country get free health care or is it related to how much you make? There was a lady on here from new Zealand and said she had seizure and was on waiting list to have EEG...and they told her that it would be a 6 month wait. Do you have to go on waiting list for treatment? Do you have freedom to go to any doctor or specialist?

 

[Crazy Monkey]

The National Health Service in the UK is excellent as we do not have to pay a penny for meds or treatment.

BUT that is it, if you are on the waiting list for an operation, then waiting is exactly what you have got to do and a lot of it. Getting to see my Neurologist is an absolute nightmare, everytime my appointment gets near I receive a letter saying that it has been changed. I was meant to see my neuro in Aug for a med review, then Sept, then Oct and now Jan 09, I do not call that an acceptable level of service (even if it is free), if I paid to go private I would see the same neuro on a next day basis.

I lost my meds when I was travelling a couple of years ago and had to go to a hospital in Washington state to get a prescription for some Lamictal, when I went to Walgreens to collect the meds I nearly fainted when they rung up $120, luckily my travel insurance covered it but that did make me wonder how much my monthly bill would be without the NHS.

Blue has a point, I am now curious also to the costs of meds around the world

 

[Meetz1064]

Lollol

You don't want to get me started on how much I have to pay every year......

Let's see.......Carbatrol & Topamax copays (monthly EACH) are $40; clonazepam (monthly) is $10. My other meds for other medical issues brought on by the E (including vitamins and supplements) runs up to about $300 a month now....actually it's closer to $400, I think...I'll have to go check my math.

4 day EEG.........don't have the bill for that yet....it was a portable one, it will probably run about $4000.

Blood tests.....$500

MRI.......$2000

VENG......about $1000 (balance test)

EMGs (upper & lower) because of damage done due to seizures.....oh, I haven't seen the bill for these either......I think they're about $750 each.

Trigger point injections....to TRY to calm the nerve damage down....$125 each shot. Usually 12 shots each time, every 3 weeks or so. Sometimes I get lucky, and only have to have 5 or 6.

And then there's the OTHER doctor's visits.......*SIGH*

I have a $15 co-pay every time I go to the doctor's office; and it's a different amount for when I go to the ER/urgent care ($150/$50).

I have a $1000 deductible, and the premium is $400 for the family per month.......
:soap::soap:

I think I'm going to go shut up now....

 

[stilldancing_98]

When my brother and his wife lived in London the epilepsy foundation via internet saw me writing about my brothers sister-in-law who is now passed on. Well she was from Russia and had Brain cancer. They kept trying to get her help. The help was wonderful but it was taking a while. I got in touch by e-mail with a neuro-oncologist. Because I had one here in the states he wrote me and got her right in. She was well taken care of . And she was taken care of by one of the best Dr.s in the world.You have very good care.

 

[bluelammy]

Hi crazy monkey:lol:
I,m sorry to hear you are having problems with getting your review appointment with your neurologist but thankfully i can say i personally have never had any problems.I dont know what hospital you have to attend with yourself living in Norwich and me living in Liverpool.I think i can count myself more than lucky because i attend the Walton centre for neurology and neurosurgery a specialist hospital based in Liverpool about 5 miles from where i live.I know they do a great deal of research into epilepsy in conjunction with Liverpool university and is a brilliant hospital A+.:clap:Another point i,m more than grateful for is the neurologist who,s treating me. His name is Professor David Chadwick who is a world authority and lead researcher into epilepsy and neurological conditions.I know he,s wrote a lot of reseach papers and studies into epilepsy, he,s based at the walton neuro centre and has helped me greatly with my problems just by talking to me. I,ll tell you about some of interesting eyeopening chats i,ve had with him in later posts. If anyone wants any more info on the walton centre or prof D Chadwick just look on google as there,s quite a bit of info on there. Bye for now,hope to hear from you soon.

 

[brain]

Lesson for Americans ...

Begin of :hj:

Well, one thing I know about folks in UK is ...

NEVER CHALLENGE THEM TO A DART GAME!



They will BEAT "us" Americans every time!
(It doesn't even matter if my darts are from
"Great Britian" and of superior quality, they
will still beat me!)

:giveup:

End of :hj:


:roflmao:


(got the point?)