It's scary to hear all these stories about the bad health care in the US! I live in Norway, and the conditions here are way better. We have free health care, free dentist to the age of 18, and if you get disabled or are born disabled the government will buy you a high tech car so you can get around! In addition to all the other equipment you'll get. And cancer patients are treated VERY seriously! And of course you don't have to pay for any examinations/treatment! :)

She was a habitual visitor drug addict. Read the rest of the story. She killed herself by constantly being on drugs. Could the dr's have done something? Maybe. But crying wolf every time you OD on street drugs doesn't make a dr too happy.

When I was a woman, I was told that I should take zoloft for premenstrual asthma attacks.

i am very sorry for your illness experiences. my wife has metestatic breast cancer, took zometa for over 4 years and now she has dead jaw. solid food for her, is now a delight of the past. thank god for ensure and ice cream. i do not know how much time she has left but constant pain is her hourly companion. our healthcare experience has been a nightmare.

I don't expect surgeons to administer chemo--any more than I expect my cardiac surgeon to handle follow-up preventive cardiology visits. BUT I do expect doctors who refer other doctors to have a reason for doing so and a plan for the patient's care, not simply refer because "we send everyone for ___" or for treatment that is contra-indicated.

Then you get two visits after chemo, one of which could be solved with a take home Neulasta shot and another which you wouldn't need if your doctor was there for your infusion. Add to all of this the fact that some of the drugs cause long-term damage and it begins to appear to cancer patients like me that since they don't know what causes cancer, the treatment is smoke and mirrors.

My description about "doctor upon doctor" has to do with the visits to several that are not necessary and the problem with treating all breast cancer patients the same. It is like the oncologists are plugging in a formula--you get mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, and oral agent even if you are node negative and have a heart condition.

Of course it won't fix ALL the problems, but Jesus Christ, man, you want this shit to get worse? Something's gotta be done. OMG!!! I'm so outraged by the hospital in LA that let the woman die in the emergency room. WTF? Those doctors should get the death penalty for killing her, which they did by doing nothing

There are always exceptions, after my experiences I insist on women. As long as they are respectful then they are a good doctor regardless of gender.

Just so you will know that I am well acquainted with the medical system, I will tell you that my first husband nearly died from Lupus. My second husband died from Lymphoma. My nineteen year old daughter has severe Crohn's disease. I only wish that her father had seen specialist upon specialist. Might still be alive. He only saw one internal medicine dude who told me that his lymphoma was not aggressive. He died a year later.

He is a surgeon only. I am not against the idea of universal health care but I hope people will realize that it will not FIX all the problems in medicine.

My in laws have the NHS and you only get to see one specialist. You cannot hop around seeing specialist after specialist. It depends though, if you need a ENT or an OB/GYN then of course you will see a different specialist.

He is a surgeon only. I am not against the idea of universal health care but I hope people will realize that it will not FIX all the problems in medicine. Given the complexity of medical care for a catastrophic illness, I am not sure that one can expect all of the details to be handled by one or two people.

As long as there is a system of specialists, anyone with a serious illness is going to be referred to specialist upon specialist. I can understand frustration with this but the surgeon who does your mastectomy does not administer chemo nor does he treat cancer.

I have worked in family practice for thirteen years with several doctors of varying skill. I can honestly say that, in my experience, I have never seen a woman treated as though she was hysterical. I have seen gross errors in diagnosis in both genders.

They believe that it does not exist because there is no diagnostic test to scientifically prove it. It is still difficult to prove Systemic Lupus. The tests for Lupus have not changed much since my first husband was diagnosed in 1978. He was deathly ill and in the hospital before he was diagnosed.

That is somewhat true but not entirely true. I have had several patients complain about female OB/GYNs and have asked to be sent elsewhere -- not necessarily to male practitioners but to anyone decent.

They believe that it does not exist because there is no diagnostic test to scientifically prove it. It is still difficult to prove Systemic Lupus. The tests for Lupus have not changed much since my first husband was diagnosed in 1978. He was deathly ill and in the hospital before he was diagnosed.

I thought that reconstructive surgery was done only when the wounds from the mastectomy were healed. Will having to go from specialist to specialist change with universal health care?

Terrible story but what I want to know is how will universal health care change things OTHER than not having to pay out of pocket costs and premiums?

Sorry to bother you but just thought you'd like to know that our postings as a response to Michael Moore's plea do get a response. See our good news by going to you tube, typing my name in the search area, Clayton Redfield, and then going to the second choice down which has Michael Moore's picture above the words, SiCKO - Flint Couple Says Moore Saved Home

Yea, I just went through extremes with my insurance company insisting on a female doctor, both PCP and OB/GYN I actually said that if they substituted at the last minute due to illness or whatever that I would leave the appointment, and I would! When I had my biopsy on my cervix the male doctor said I would be pain free, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I was throwing up it was so bad.

Same here, although some tend to be a little arrogant at least they aren't like the male drs i've had who think they are God's greatest gift. I had a test done on my arms in high school to see how bad my carpal tunnel was. The guy electrocuted me to see how the current travelled through my nerves. When I started crying he told me to stop being a baby, it couldn't hurt that bad! I haven't willingly made an appt with a male physician since then.

I only go to female doctors now, they tend to be better about not talking down to other women. I have experienced the same problems

when you have mysterious and crippling pain, sometimes its good to know it has a name. Of course theres no treatment as it affects mainly women. When they told me I was hysterical.. I informed them that my uterus was removed hyster = uterus therefore, I can no longer achieve hysterical-ness.