Jo's Off Topic Rant

[AgingMinotaur]

Wow. Glad to hear it, Jo. All the best to you.

As always,
Minotauros

[Krice]

Went back on the dairy last night, no problems, so it's got to be the wheat.

It may also be yeast. My stomach gets crazy if I eat white bread or buns, which has yeast. But I can eat other types of cakes with no yeast used as ingredient.

[guest509]

  I'm also having trouble with corn, so maybe that's also it. I'll be getting a full battery of tests soon. In the US that means I need to have around $300 cash up front. I imagine in Finland people are able to seek medical help when they are sick, and not just when they have money. Is that true?

[Fenrir]

Pffft. Sick? Finns don’t get sick. They laugh at your frailties.

[tuturto]

Finland has pretty cheap healthcare, but unfortunately it also means it can be pretty crappy sometimes (this varies a lot from place to place and from day to day). I'm really glad I have a dental plan from work and can use a private dental clinic of my choice, instead of a public one. But if the choice is between almost free and no healthcare at all, the almost free one is great of course. And getting a CT scan for 30 euros is much nicer than paying for the full cost (of course we pay it eventually in the form of taxes).

Best of luck to you Jo, hopefully they can figure things out and it gets easier for you.

[Krice]

I'm also having trouble with corn, so maybe that's also it. I'll be getting a full battery of tests soon.

I think celiac disase is difficult to test reliably, so I've heard. Even if you don't have it according to tests it may be good to leave wheat out of your diet. I don't have celiac disease, but when I stopped eating white bread it was a good idea.

I imagine in Finland people are able to seek medical help when they are sick, and not just when they have money. Is that true?

Yes and no.. some procedures cost a lot, but basic health care is pretty much free. However it means we do pay a heck lot of taxes and public health care is inefficient, especially because you sometimes have to wait a while to get in doctor. I was waiting for my hernia operation for almost a year. They try to get things done with least amount of doctors etc. to save money. I think the quality of health care is still good.

We also have private sector of hospitals so if you are rich you can skip the line. I know that hernia operation would have cost me about 1500 euros in a private hospital.

[guest509]

  1500? HA!

  You can't set foot in an American hospital without at least that much.

[Brigand]

Sorry to hear it, Jo. I honestly hope things work out for you.

[jim]

Personally, I'm tired of seeing a guy at the grocery store pay for his food with food stamps, and then watch him walk outside and get in his $70,000 Cadillac Escalade...

Finally, someone is telling it like it is! I hate when I see those things in my imagination, too!

[Krice]

Cheap health care is cheap in both quality AND cost.

Health care funded with taxes is not "cheap". It's just a socialistic way to fund something. It allows poor people to have more equal rights. However there can be huge problems with taxes, how all that money is distributed etc. European Union changed things from bad to worse, because it's corrupted and money is spent in crazy ways that can't go on forever. EU will fall if corruption can't be solved, it's just the matter of time.

[Brigand]

I apologize Jo. I hope things get better for you.

[guest509]

Edited out my post so as not to feed an obvious asshole troll.

[Krice]

Who was the troll.

[Brigand]

I was for having a dissenting opinion.

[guest509]

  You were a troll for soap boxing. Your opinion is hardly dissenting as it was not made in opposition to anything. I don't necessarily disagree with your opinion either, but it was poorly made and poorly placed. That's all. So I overreacted and wrote a big ol' nasty reply, which I deleted, but for some reason still felt it necessary to call you an asshole.

  That's my bad. I get carried away.

EDIT: As for my health, it continues to be solid