h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Thank you for this entry, though it was quite painful to read it. And also it made me feel angry. You described how the healthcare system should work (or works in Great Britain), my experiences are different.
It happened more than 10 years ago. I was quite young and not very well informed. It was my first pregnancy and also there was nobody to support me. All the misery started at 13-14 week with strong pain and light bleeding. Still I was clever enough to go to the doctors. They kept me in the hospital for 24 hours and then decided to do D'n'C(in another hospital 30 km-s away). It was done without any general anesthesia and actually without any anesthesia at all as the nurse was not able to detect my veins. And the procedure lasted 50 minutes. The hospital was overcrowded so I was put on a stretcher in the corridor. Everybody was so hostile and I was taken as a young chick who got pregnant by accident and now wants to get rid of it. That was terrible. Only kind face I saw there was an old lady who was dividing the dinner. As I was not their patient, I was not on the soup-list. And I didn't want it too. But she insisted me to eat in this grandma-way where there's no problem which could not be healed with a good warm soup. Well, she failed. After 4 hours they gave my clothes back and showd me the door - bye-bye. There I was, 30 km-s away from home, bleeding and out of cash. Luckily I was picked up by a woman who was ordered off at the same time. The bleeding lasted for 3 weeks. Then it stopped. I guess that was anger what kept me going. And I didn't see any other possible way than just moving on.
I have 2 kids now and I'm happy and so on but I'm still scared to meet this kind of experience once more. Even though our healthcare system has changed a lot and these things can't happen this days.

Dear Hatifnat-

I'm so sorry that you had to endure all that.... it sounds like utter hell. But I am glad you told me about it, even though it must be very hard to relive these memories. It seems like such a travesty that such a difficult experience would be made even more traumatic by the very people that are supposed to be helping you. Its not supposed to be that way and makes me angry that it is/was. People need to hear these stories so that they will continue to work for change in the health care system... 10 years isn't that long ago that these sorts of things should happen. Thank you for the courage to voice your experience.. perhaps it will help someone else.

I'm so glad you're happy now and have two children... you are a very brave person. Thank you for sharing your story with me.

peace,
Ariel

10+ years ago we had USSR here - health care was free and sometimes quite brutal. Now we have to pay for it but it has become much better in quality. Though the system is weak and badly organized.