Ah crap

I got the news from the doctor that I didn't want to hear- not a sprain. The ultrasound scan of the soft tissue confirmed that the other ligaments are all good but the fact that there's still swelling nearly 3 weeks post injury they reckon that there's something internal going on- not like pcl or acl going but more cartilage stuff could be bruised or torn.

This is where I crack it at the privatisation of the Australian Health Care system. For those who don't know we have a universal health care system here, which means I can get treated anywhere in the country if I have an accident or get sick and I don't need private health insurance to get treated. However over the last 20 years or so governments infatuated with the American system, which research shows has worse health outcomes per dollar spent than Australia, has slowly privatised more and more aspects. Usually by starving it of funding and then pointing at it and saying look how poorly its performing better privatise it because they can do it better. when the reality is that it just slows up the entire system making it more expensive in both time and money. *rage intensifies*


In my instance because I don't have private health cover (uni students rarely have funds for that, its so expensive!) I'm stuck with the public system. Medicare is wonderful, don't get me wrong I'm glad it exists even in its current underfunded form. for those of us on poverty wages or close to it, medical care for the most part is free or at least heavily subsidised which is great if I need to see a doc about my asthma scripts or get an infection and need anti biotics a lot of pathology and the most common medical imaging is covered too. Its fine until you break yourself and need any major exploratory scans done or a major elective(AKA: you probably won't die or suffer any major loss of function if you don't get it done) surgery. I had to choose to get an xray and an ultrasound over an MRI simply because the doctor did not suspect that what I've done to it is one of the 2 things that they cover: ACL/PCL tears/ruptures or a tear in the meniscus and I can't really afford 300 bucks at the moment to obtain an MRI.  After the results of the ultrasound basically recommend the MRI it would have cost everyone less in time and money if they just covered MRIs for all knee injuries (or just everything in general).

The doc advised me that basically my injury is a wait and see. If its not better in 4 weeks, I need the MRI- still not clear if I would then have to pay for it or it would be funded because the there's the "suspicion" of a meniscus tear. If there is surgery is the next thing and that on the public system could be a 1-2 YEAR wait. Or I could find the money some how and elect to go private and get it done much sooner- how much that would cost I don't know. with private health my wrist reco cost me around 3k without it who knows.

 My rant about the politics of Aus health care aside, the doctor told me no competing- looks like I'm not headed to AUGs after all. Mega depressing. But like I said would rather pull out and lose a few dollars than destroy my knee and not be able to use it properly ever again.