I'm Tired Of Hospitals
And yet there is another one in my immediate future. Not counting the second Cataract surgery coming up on May 3rd, there is a hip replacement in my immediate future. May 25th to be exact, I will get my second new hip.
What was so shocking to me today was how quickly by Canadian standards this is happening. The usual wait list here in Ontario is anywhere from 6 to 8 months and I was already Googling this surgery in India where it could have been done immediately at a cost of U.S. $12,000. I had pretty much decided that if my wait was more than two months that I would seriously consider India.
My Orthopod knows me well and knows my generally high tolerance for pain. When I told him I could no longer tolerate the pain, that my DH on occasion had to carry me to the loo at night because I couldn't put my foot down, that and the x-ray results was enough for him to put me in the first available spot. He also told me he would try very hard to get me two weeks of rehab although he couldn't guarantee it. The thought of coming home after four days and trying to negotiate the stairs in my house scares the bejeesus out of me. With my first hip I had two weeks in rehab and I was pretty terrific. It makes all the difference in my view.
My friend in Germany had one just recently and spent nine days in hospital and three weeks in rehab. I think the German health care system is one of the best in the world. I think if I ever win a lottery I would move there in a heartbeat. I've pretty much had it with Canada...
Labels: Health, hip replacement
posted by Rositta @ Wednesday, April 14, 2010
4 Comments:
I'm so glad you don't have to wait too long. Is there a wait list to be bumped in case someone else cancels?
It's possible Rudee, but I need to have the eye done first on May 3rd which requires some recovery.
Wow, I'm sorry you're having to have all this surgery, but that is REALLY fast. My mother in Vancouver had to wait something like 9 months for major back surgery and was in agony the whole time. And May 25th is my birthday so I'll be thinking about you and your new hip! :-)
And yes, 8 or 9 days is pretty standard for a hospital stay in Germany. That's how long they kept me in when I had my hysterectomy even though I probably could have gone home way sooner. I'm dealing with more medical problems now and the docs are really fast and efficient here and we're grateful for that.
Good luck to you!
Christina, back surgeons are in high demand here, there are so few good ones. The same with Retinal surgeons, which is why I had to wait so long for my surgery last year. I knew when the surgeon was looking at the x-ray so seriously with his colleague that I was in trouble. I just think it should have been done a year ago before the cortisone shot. Now the bone is so deteriorated that it will have to be a cemented hip, there's just no bone left. No matter how good things are in Germany, people still complain. I consider it one of the best systems. The only people who truly appreciate it are the expats.
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