DAVID YOU ABSOLUTE TROOPER. IF YOU NEED A SPINE TRANSPLANT PLEASE LET ME KNOW. IM NOT A MEDICAL DOCTOR BUT IM SURE I COULD SOURCE A SPINE FOR YOU. I HAVE... FRIENDS. #spine
Kia ora and kia kaha! It’s your newsletter, it can become “David’s health” newsletter if you want it to. Considering it’s an election year and all we are hearing is how broken our medical system is (which it is), hearing about how broken the American system is in comparison is incredibly refreshing, and possibly needed. Knowing the grass isn’t greener helps. Doesn’t really sound like the “American Dream” being sold.
Thanks, Natalie. For my own sanity this will definitely not become a "David's Health" newsletter, but I do appreciate that you're here for it! NZ certainly has its issues, but good gosh, it's definitely not the fresh hell of America.
Oh god! David I’m so glad you’re getting the help you need with it! Also this shit just must be in the air? I’m having a laminectimy/discectomy on Thursday. I’ve never had major surgery before and am pretty damn scared (I wrote a will last night lol) but the potential for having instant pain relief (no more pain brain?!?) seems impossible and also ridiculously exciting!
I hope whatever treatment you have works well and your recovery as fast and complete as you need it!
To finding out what it’s like to have a leg again!! 🥂
Oh fucking wow! You and me both! Sending you all the vibes. If you can be bothered - email me who your surgeon is? Trying to see what names come up! davidfarrier@protonmail.com.
Jess, I have had a discectomy and fusion. It was a frightening surgery but I can tell you that the relief from the nerve pain... indescribable. All the best for your recovery.
Nau mai Haere mai David. Welcome back. Sorry to hear about your health challenges atm. I’ve had a few and was sitting up in a hospital bed here in Aotearoa a coupla months ago when a person I know was simultaneously sitting in a hospital bed in New Orleans. Her experience has been a nightmare and is ongoing. Mine, in contrast, has been exactly what I needed. People in Aotearoa love to bag our health system however my own multiple encounters have met my needs at the time with kindness and care. Sure things are slower than ideal but that lil ole worldwide pandemic has had an impact. I do not have medical insurance but my privilege is my ability to ask for what I need. I hope you get solutions and heal well.
Sort of amazing to have your two journeys happening in tandem, so you could keep an eye on things together. Feeling for your buddy.
Healthcare is so tricky; There are certainly people that have nightmares here in NZ - so comparisons can be tricky as I certainly don't want to diminish the very valid terrible times kiwis have had, trapped in ACC hell or at understaffed hospitals!
I think all we can do is be open about our experiences and rally behind those who are having terrible times. I hope your friend got the support they needed, but knowing America, I am kinda scared to ask. Much aroha their way, from me.
Thx for your kind regards for my USA counterpart who had a bad accident and initially got good care but once the insurance ran out they were on their own. Online fundraising has been required and they are not fully healed yet. I agree lots of stink things happen here in Aotearoa in the health system too but the callousness of the USA health system once the money runs out was quite a shock. I’m hoping for improvements here under the health reforms but I won’t be holding my breath! Hoping it all goes well in your health journey ahead David.
There’s always problems to be dealt with in our system but at least it’s a system that’s built for the people. It may not be as fair and equitable as we want but at least we try. The US system is built to reinforce the inequity - what’s the point in great doctors and healthcare if it’s not accessible.
It doesn't matter how good a health system is if you can't access it. I haven't needed the NZ one personally much, thankfully, but it was there when I did. Have supported others who would be dead, literally, if they were in the USA as received services far beyond what their income, ability to insure, would ever provide. I know someone who went from fully insured financially sound semi-retirement to bankrupt, dependent on welfare and charity, prematurely dead in the USA thanks to a heart condition exceeding their ability to pay.
The most annoying aspect of NZ private health is they claim to be, and are, more 'efficient' than the public system but only because they select their patients. If you have a chronic condition you will be dumped back into the public system or refused cover to start with. That's the difference between a health business and a health service.
PS: One suggestion, make this post open for sharing.
Hey Robin - you're kind to chip in for those stuck in a cracked system. It'a amazing in the US how you have these feel good stories about a kid fundraising for cancer treatment, and you find out it's for their mom, and you're like WHY ARE WE CELEBRATING THIS THIS IS A 6 YEAR OLD TRYING TO STOP THEIR MUM DYING THIS IS FUCKING CRAZY THEY SHOULD BE OUTSIDE PLAYING
Ugh.
I have opened the post up. My usual philosophy here on Webworm is to keep the more personal stuff behind the paywall - but this may help others, so I hear ya. As long as paying members are OK with this, I feel OK about making it "free".
I personally am ok with you opening up any post you wish.
I’m a paying subscriber because I can afford it and because I love your work and some of it has helped me immensely on my life’s journey. So thank you for all you do.
My well wishes go out to you and to anybody else living with pain/sickness/...
That’s bad in and of itself; having to fight the health”care” system on top of that is just horrible and nothing that should be as normal as it seems to be in many cases.
Not saying I speak for all Worms, but I don't subscribe for special BTS features or blooper reels. I subscribe because I support your work. Please don't overthink the "exclusive access" thing and let it cause you inner turmoil!
I work in the Australian healthcare system. Every time I get frustrated (several times a day) I remind myself it could be worse, I could be in America. Competition is suppose to reduce cost, but not it seems in the home of the free market where healthcare is the most expensive in the world.
That's likely the "list price", which is not the actual price that anyone pays, just to make it even more confusing. Insurance companies have negotiated rates somewhere below that (sometimes only 10% of that original amount). Everyone involved knows those are artificial rates, and for those without insurance there is going to be some sort of discount that theoretically brings them more in line with the rates that the insurance companies are actually paying, but without exposing what each insurance company has as their negotiated rate so they can keep that secret. All of this lets them pretend they're charging more, when in fact them spend a huge amount of time figuring out what they're actually going to charge each person and the huge overhead of administrators and billing people involved in that (who then cost them more as well).
One of the complexities to the US system is that it's pretending to be a competitive capitalist market, but it's not a two-party transaction. Where insurance is involved (private or government) there's a third party involved in secret negotiation between the medical provider and the insurance company regarding what they will cover and how much they will pay, for which the actual patient is often unaware. Then the "fake bill" comes from the provider, which magically changes after insurance is applied. Those amounts are often so hidden from the patient that there's no way to have any idea what's happening.
Years ago I tried to communicate with my insurance company about choices I had for prescriptions around a specific condition. We were on a small group plan, and I didn't want a spike in my costs to cause the premiums to go up for everyone involved with the plan. The drug options were all equivalent as far as I was concerned, and the amount insurance was asking me to pay for them was the exact same, so I wanted to know which had the best negotiated rate to save on their costs. They refused to tell me, even refusing to give any sort of feedback to my team that was responsible for paying the insurance premiums and would be negotiating with them on any rate changes they tried to apply to our group plan. That aspect of the secrecy involved in the midst of the US market model is a substantial contributor to the dysfunction, and the newer rule that hospitals have to post their prices for many procedures is a first step in the direction to stabilize those values and bring a tiny bit more order to the system.
Welcome home! If it helps I recently had successful back surgery (a discectomy because of a pinched nerve with sciatic pain managed with a cocktail of prescription drugs for years) so I very much sympathise with you, and you did bloody well on a 12 hour flight home! Can recommend my specialist/surgeon if you need! Good luck! :)
So glad you made it back! Hot tip - Peter Heppner in Auckland is a damn fine neurosurgeon with a spinal specialty. He aced my partner’s cervical disc replacement. Also a great communicator which is not always a given with specialists…
The real question is, how many of us can just pack up and come join you in New Zealand? I just went to a funeral of a 40yo man who died suddenly of a heart attack. The thing is, he knew something was wrong, he was trying to get to doctors, but basically got the run around. Went to work on a Monday and was found dead in his office. We can’t even go outside where I live because the air is toxic from the wildfires. Really struggling here to stay positive.
Please take care! I wish you the best and a speedy recovery. When my husband had his diskectomy he felt immediate relief and was able to walk again. Still has some nerve issues but they’re manageable. Sending you lots of love 💕
This is horrific and I am so, so sorry. I am incredibly, incredibly privileged to be able to up and head to New Zealand. Deeply aware of it, and also aware that flying 12 hours is terrible for the planet and it's all just so *urghhh*. I hear you.
Thanks for sharing about your husband - this is encouraging. Thank you. I needed that.
I hope I didn’t make you feel guilty about going or the flight. I am deeply happy that you’re able to do that because this is your health and you’re so young. All my best ❤️💕
I'm so sorry our wretched healthcare system failed you so spectacularly. We're used to it, but somehow I feel embarrassed that an outsider has gotten a peak behind the curtain of bullshit. Do keep us posted! Hope they fix you up good as new, or better.
Take your time and heal, David ❤️❤️. Do not rush at all or you'll be right back where you started. Work can wait. We'll all be here when you're ready. Plus you get to see family and friends! We heal best when surrounded by our loved ones ❤️. Sending you lots of love and hugs!!
Welcome home, David. I'm sure you made the right decision. As you say, New Zealand isn't perfect and having a private sector means that the wealthy and influential, instead of making things better for all of us, just jump the queue. But at least being poor doesn't mean you end up with appalling mental trauma on top of your physical issues. Take care and have a rest.
Sadly true. Fortunately really urgent care for everyone, whether major accident, medical emergency or coronary care, is still dealt with in our public system, hence it maintains a very high standard. Another rort is as people age and earn less the insurance premiums increase and become unaffordable, just when they probably need most assistance.
The public system also picks up the mistakes or any ongoing issues from the private system.
I am very grateful for our public NZ health system and hope we continue to see the increased funding needed to improve it.
Yes indeed. I get really annoyed with people who whinge about NZ health care not being up to standard, and then voting for National or ACT because they don't want to pay a bit more tax!
I agree wholeheartedly with you Lyn & wouldn't be here if it wasn't for our amazing healthcare here in Aotearoa. I'd almost certainly be A very dead Fi if I was living elsewhere... let alone in the US.
There is a reason private Health Care is for Elective surgeries. It is because the private hospitals are not equipped for emergencies & life threatening scenarios. Those are for our amazing Public Hospitals to step up for and this they do extremely well. With half the funding Private Insurance funds pay their hospitals & specialists for.
Godforbid National or Act get back in this year because all the hard fought for gains & improvements in both infrastructure & wages will once again be stripped back to 3rd world standards.
Wishing you all the best David & welcome home ...enjoy those pineapple lumps & lots of Primo. I hope they make up for some of the disappointment & loss you are feeling having to leave the US
DAVID YOU ABSOLUTE TROOPER. IF YOU NEED A SPINE TRANSPLANT PLEASE LET ME KNOW. IM NOT A MEDICAL DOCTOR BUT IM SURE I COULD SOURCE A SPINE FOR YOU. I HAVE... FRIENDS. #spine
Do I need a referral?
No referral necessary. Balls already in motion. Spines already in procurement. Nudge is good as a wink to a fucked back.
I'm thinking of Ray Bradbury's short story "The Skeleton" right now. A reading of it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENqazBN8Xa8
Kia ora and kia kaha! It’s your newsletter, it can become “David’s health” newsletter if you want it to. Considering it’s an election year and all we are hearing is how broken our medical system is (which it is), hearing about how broken the American system is in comparison is incredibly refreshing, and possibly needed. Knowing the grass isn’t greener helps. Doesn’t really sound like the “American Dream” being sold.
Thanks, Natalie. For my own sanity this will definitely not become a "David's Health" newsletter, but I do appreciate that you're here for it! NZ certainly has its issues, but good gosh, it's definitely not the fresh hell of America.
Oh the grass is certainly NOT greener here in the states. Of course, I’m also a Ringer so Middle-ear, I mean New Zealand, sounds like paradise!
Shit reason to be back but hey.... pineapple lumps and mince pies?
Damn straight!
Try the Hokey Pokey lumps. Trust me x
They are so good!!!
Oh god! David I’m so glad you’re getting the help you need with it! Also this shit just must be in the air? I’m having a laminectimy/discectomy on Thursday. I’ve never had major surgery before and am pretty damn scared (I wrote a will last night lol) but the potential for having instant pain relief (no more pain brain?!?) seems impossible and also ridiculously exciting!
I hope whatever treatment you have works well and your recovery as fast and complete as you need it!
To finding out what it’s like to have a leg again!! 🥂
Oh fucking wow! You and me both! Sending you all the vibes. If you can be bothered - email me who your surgeon is? Trying to see what names come up! davidfarrier@protonmail.com.
You will be just fine. Thinkin of ya
David, I've emailed you the details of the surgeon that did my discectomy and fusion, two years ago.
Positive thoughts for your surgery Jess! Surgeries are always scary, but I hope once it's done you will be very glad you did it :)
Sending positive thoughts and love for your surgery xx
Sending you good vibes!!
Jess, I have had a discectomy and fusion. It was a frightening surgery but I can tell you that the relief from the nerve pain... indescribable. All the best for your recovery.
Aaaah im so glad you got relief! That’s really heartening thank you!
And thanks to everyone else for their well wishes. Really really lovely!
Hey Jess - I had a micro discectomy ten years ago, and it was life changing. Pain gone as soon as I woke up.
Rest easy, you’ll be fine 🙂
Nau mai Haere mai David. Welcome back. Sorry to hear about your health challenges atm. I’ve had a few and was sitting up in a hospital bed here in Aotearoa a coupla months ago when a person I know was simultaneously sitting in a hospital bed in New Orleans. Her experience has been a nightmare and is ongoing. Mine, in contrast, has been exactly what I needed. People in Aotearoa love to bag our health system however my own multiple encounters have met my needs at the time with kindness and care. Sure things are slower than ideal but that lil ole worldwide pandemic has had an impact. I do not have medical insurance but my privilege is my ability to ask for what I need. I hope you get solutions and heal well.
Sort of amazing to have your two journeys happening in tandem, so you could keep an eye on things together. Feeling for your buddy.
Healthcare is so tricky; There are certainly people that have nightmares here in NZ - so comparisons can be tricky as I certainly don't want to diminish the very valid terrible times kiwis have had, trapped in ACC hell or at understaffed hospitals!
I think all we can do is be open about our experiences and rally behind those who are having terrible times. I hope your friend got the support they needed, but knowing America, I am kinda scared to ask. Much aroha their way, from me.
Thx for your kind regards for my USA counterpart who had a bad accident and initially got good care but once the insurance ran out they were on their own. Online fundraising has been required and they are not fully healed yet. I agree lots of stink things happen here in Aotearoa in the health system too but the callousness of the USA health system once the money runs out was quite a shock. I’m hoping for improvements here under the health reforms but I won’t be holding my breath! Hoping it all goes well in your health journey ahead David.
There’s always problems to be dealt with in our system but at least it’s a system that’s built for the people. It may not be as fair and equitable as we want but at least we try. The US system is built to reinforce the inequity - what’s the point in great doctors and healthcare if it’s not accessible.
And the ridiculous thing is that - as a country - they pay MORE for that! Blows my mind 🤯
It doesn't matter how good a health system is if you can't access it. I haven't needed the NZ one personally much, thankfully, but it was there when I did. Have supported others who would be dead, literally, if they were in the USA as received services far beyond what their income, ability to insure, would ever provide. I know someone who went from fully insured financially sound semi-retirement to bankrupt, dependent on welfare and charity, prematurely dead in the USA thanks to a heart condition exceeding their ability to pay.
The most annoying aspect of NZ private health is they claim to be, and are, more 'efficient' than the public system but only because they select their patients. If you have a chronic condition you will be dumped back into the public system or refused cover to start with. That's the difference between a health business and a health service.
PS: One suggestion, make this post open for sharing.
Hey Robin - you're kind to chip in for those stuck in a cracked system. It'a amazing in the US how you have these feel good stories about a kid fundraising for cancer treatment, and you find out it's for their mom, and you're like WHY ARE WE CELEBRATING THIS THIS IS A 6 YEAR OLD TRYING TO STOP THEIR MUM DYING THIS IS FUCKING CRAZY THEY SHOULD BE OUTSIDE PLAYING
Ugh.
I have opened the post up. My usual philosophy here on Webworm is to keep the more personal stuff behind the paywall - but this may help others, so I hear ya. As long as paying members are OK with this, I feel OK about making it "free".
Hi David,
I personally am ok with you opening up any post you wish.
I’m a paying subscriber because I can afford it and because I love your work and some of it has helped me immensely on my life’s journey. So thank you for all you do.
My well wishes go out to you and to anybody else living with pain/sickness/...
That’s bad in and of itself; having to fight the health”care” system on top of that is just horrible and nothing that should be as normal as it seems to be in many cases.
Take care!
Not saying I speak for all Worms, but I don't subscribe for special BTS features or blooper reels. I subscribe because I support your work. Please don't overthink the "exclusive access" thing and let it cause you inner turmoil!
I work in the Australian healthcare system. Every time I get frustrated (several times a day) I remind myself it could be worse, I could be in America. Competition is suppose to reduce cost, but not it seems in the home of the free market where healthcare is the most expensive in the world.
8 grand A NIGHT to stay in hospo? 8 GRAND??!??!??! even the most expensive brothels are only like half that!
That's likely the "list price", which is not the actual price that anyone pays, just to make it even more confusing. Insurance companies have negotiated rates somewhere below that (sometimes only 10% of that original amount). Everyone involved knows those are artificial rates, and for those without insurance there is going to be some sort of discount that theoretically brings them more in line with the rates that the insurance companies are actually paying, but without exposing what each insurance company has as their negotiated rate so they can keep that secret. All of this lets them pretend they're charging more, when in fact them spend a huge amount of time figuring out what they're actually going to charge each person and the huge overhead of administrators and billing people involved in that (who then cost them more as well).
Blimey. It sounds positively Byzantine. I always remember the "wallet biopsy" scene in the Sopranos and thought it was fiction.
Well that blew my mind about brothels 😮
One of the complexities to the US system is that it's pretending to be a competitive capitalist market, but it's not a two-party transaction. Where insurance is involved (private or government) there's a third party involved in secret negotiation between the medical provider and the insurance company regarding what they will cover and how much they will pay, for which the actual patient is often unaware. Then the "fake bill" comes from the provider, which magically changes after insurance is applied. Those amounts are often so hidden from the patient that there's no way to have any idea what's happening.
Years ago I tried to communicate with my insurance company about choices I had for prescriptions around a specific condition. We were on a small group plan, and I didn't want a spike in my costs to cause the premiums to go up for everyone involved with the plan. The drug options were all equivalent as far as I was concerned, and the amount insurance was asking me to pay for them was the exact same, so I wanted to know which had the best negotiated rate to save on their costs. They refused to tell me, even refusing to give any sort of feedback to my team that was responsible for paying the insurance premiums and would be negotiating with them on any rate changes they tried to apply to our group plan. That aspect of the secrecy involved in the midst of the US market model is a substantial contributor to the dysfunction, and the newer rule that hospitals have to post their prices for many procedures is a first step in the direction to stabilize those values and bring a tiny bit more order to the system.
Welcome home! If it helps I recently had successful back surgery (a discectomy because of a pinched nerve with sciatic pain managed with a cocktail of prescription drugs for years) so I very much sympathise with you, and you did bloody well on a 12 hour flight home! Can recommend my specialist/surgeon if you need! Good luck! :)
Please do! Drop me a line - davidfarrier@protonmail.com. Hugely appreciated.
I'm sorry Mario, the healthcare is in another castle
Welcome home, David. Hope everything goes well for you here and keep us in the loop!
So glad you made it back! Hot tip - Peter Heppner in Auckland is a damn fine neurosurgeon with a spinal specialty. He aced my partner’s cervical disc replacement. Also a great communicator which is not always a given with specialists…
The real question is, how many of us can just pack up and come join you in New Zealand? I just went to a funeral of a 40yo man who died suddenly of a heart attack. The thing is, he knew something was wrong, he was trying to get to doctors, but basically got the run around. Went to work on a Monday and was found dead in his office. We can’t even go outside where I live because the air is toxic from the wildfires. Really struggling here to stay positive.
Please take care! I wish you the best and a speedy recovery. When my husband had his diskectomy he felt immediate relief and was able to walk again. Still has some nerve issues but they’re manageable. Sending you lots of love 💕
This is horrific and I am so, so sorry. I am incredibly, incredibly privileged to be able to up and head to New Zealand. Deeply aware of it, and also aware that flying 12 hours is terrible for the planet and it's all just so *urghhh*. I hear you.
Thanks for sharing about your husband - this is encouraging. Thank you. I needed that.
I hope I didn’t make you feel guilty about going or the flight. I am deeply happy that you’re able to do that because this is your health and you’re so young. All my best ❤️💕
A horrific story about your 40yo friend, so sorry to hear that!
That is awful Alicia!! All of it! Sending some good energy your way!
I'm so sorry our wretched healthcare system failed you so spectacularly. We're used to it, but somehow I feel embarrassed that an outsider has gotten a peak behind the curtain of bullshit. Do keep us posted! Hope they fix you up good as new, or better.
Take your time and heal, David ❤️❤️. Do not rush at all or you'll be right back where you started. Work can wait. We'll all be here when you're ready. Plus you get to see family and friends! We heal best when surrounded by our loved ones ❤️. Sending you lots of love and hugs!!
Welcome home, David. I'm sure you made the right decision. As you say, New Zealand isn't perfect and having a private sector means that the wealthy and influential, instead of making things better for all of us, just jump the queue. But at least being poor doesn't mean you end up with appalling mental trauma on top of your physical issues. Take care and have a rest.
Sadly true. Fortunately really urgent care for everyone, whether major accident, medical emergency or coronary care, is still dealt with in our public system, hence it maintains a very high standard. Another rort is as people age and earn less the insurance premiums increase and become unaffordable, just when they probably need most assistance.
The public system also picks up the mistakes or any ongoing issues from the private system.
I am very grateful for our public NZ health system and hope we continue to see the increased funding needed to improve it.
Yes indeed. I get really annoyed with people who whinge about NZ health care not being up to standard, and then voting for National or ACT because they don't want to pay a bit more tax!
I agree wholeheartedly with you Lyn & wouldn't be here if it wasn't for our amazing healthcare here in Aotearoa. I'd almost certainly be A very dead Fi if I was living elsewhere... let alone in the US.
There is a reason private Health Care is for Elective surgeries. It is because the private hospitals are not equipped for emergencies & life threatening scenarios. Those are for our amazing Public Hospitals to step up for and this they do extremely well. With half the funding Private Insurance funds pay their hospitals & specialists for.
Godforbid National or Act get back in this year because all the hard fought for gains & improvements in both infrastructure & wages will once again be stripped back to 3rd world standards.
Wishing you all the best David & welcome home ...enjoy those pineapple lumps & lots of Primo. I hope they make up for some of the disappointment & loss you are feeling having to leave the US
Cheers Fi
I hear you Fi. A change of govt would be disastrous.
From a long time listener and watcher, a relatively short time subscriber, and a first time commenter:
sending love and strength and healing your way!
Moi - thanks for being here. The community here is pretty great, and I hope you enjoy your time here. Welcome!