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Post by beyondredemption on Jan 25, 2011 0:30:26 GMT
I hope it's okay to start this ? I was looking for somewhere to post what was on our minds . So here goes , went on DA just now and someone asked me to post a comment of an opinion for his work for college and I couldn't because DA said it was Spam not cool of them to do that since there was only maybe 6 or 7 replies ..
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Possum
Apprentice
90 days without rabies !
Posts: 97
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Post by Possum on Jan 25, 2011 2:21:58 GMT
Rant: Soooooo many things, so little time.....
OK so here goes......
1. So I finally get this new computer after working out a deal with my last boss. (She retired at the end of the year) I got this grant that took a ton of time and I did most of the work on my own time. The deal was that I would spend most of the grant money on a new server for the new database system and then I could spend some money on a new laptop for myself. Pretty good deal. So after waiting three weeks for the new laptop and several nights at home setting it up with PdN and work software, I start having problems with it. I do a couple rounds of Dell Support chat and it turns out that the laptop has a bad hard drive. It has 13 bad sectors, some of which are in the boot sector. New hard drive is on the way. I have to start all over.
2. I was almost over the meningitis and I come down with this really bad cold. I've spent the entire weekend laying around feeling really really bad. Back to work tomorrow and I'm just getting to where I can get up and move around. I hate winter.
3. After quite a while of putting up with some medical problems, my doctor finally figured out what was wrong with me. One medication is expensive but if I go to the doctor's office, I can get a shot that is a lot cheaper. But I have to go every month for who knows how long. Then more blood tests every couple of months to see if it's working. The other medication that REALLY works great my insurance doesn't cover and there is no way I can afford it. He gave me some samples of it but he can only do that a couple of times. I really had my hopes up that things would get better. My wife is going to call the insurance tomorrow and argue with them to see if there is anything they can do to get me the medication. No one ever said life was fair. Does it have to suck so much of the time though? At least it's not a matter of life and death. I know there are so many people out there that have it much worse than I do.
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Post by barbieq25 on Jan 25, 2011 10:10:20 GMT
Possum I am so sorry to hear you are not well again. Rest is probably what you need the most.
I hope the insurance will get you the meds you need. A big hug to you!
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Post by TheBad1 on Jan 25, 2011 10:17:39 GMT
I can empathise mate. It's no joke when it's one thing after another health wise. I saw a consultant about something at the start of Jan, really excited that something was going to be done ... only to come crashing down when I'm told I need more diagnosis work on other areas before anything can get mended.
It's no joke living your life in limbo.
That's where our similarities end. In the past 12 months I've had every possible scan/ cameras you can think of, with a few more to be done again. I've been hooked up to monitoring systems, on 8 different types of medication a day ... all for, as the Tammy Wynette song says, No Charge
I have to pay a National Insurance contribution, but that's not a lot as I'm Self-Employed. Then prescriptions in Wales are free for everyone. Regardless.
I find it amazing that a Country/ government like yours that spends billions on space and billions more on a war for oil, that so many people can't get the care that should be a basic right for any citizen ...
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Post by Helen on Jan 25, 2011 15:04:57 GMT
You deserve all the rest and care you need. Please take things slowly.
Grrr...to those insurance companies who do no good. And I agree with Welshblue. No offense, but government spends money on pointless things, yet when it comes to healthcare, Pshaw. They don't give a hoot. Losers.
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Post by Sidneys1 on Jan 25, 2011 15:30:58 GMT
I'm not even going to get started on health care. Let's just say there are serious economic advantages to having healthcare stay privatized. But then ol' Obama comes around and, not knowing a thing about how economics really work, turns it into a government-run piece of junk.
Grr.
Have a nice day, ~Sidneys1
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Post by blackpenny on Jan 25, 2011 16:02:57 GMT
I live with a government run health care system, and it could be a lot better, but it could be a lot worse too. I have no knowledge of how it works, but it seems that the guys running it don't know what they're doing either. And insurance is just a pain in the backside. Sometimes I wonder, what's the point if they're not going to cover stuff you really need. And it's like they do everything they can to make things inconvenient for the customer, and when they screw up they blame someone else. Hope things work out for you Possum. Take care of yourself.
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Post by Leif on Jan 25, 2011 18:01:02 GMT
Heh. Here we have a public health care system, but like everything else it only have so much money. Meaning you have to pay for part of your medication yourself. And the public usually wants you to use the cheapest medication. Meaning that you don't always get what the doctor ordered. Possum, i hope you get the medication you need; in someway. My rant: Some reason events in my family requires a loot of my attention, so sometimes i cant keep up with posting on the INTERNET. But family first.
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Post by Goonfella on Jan 25, 2011 18:51:57 GMT
I dread to think how much money I have forked out to my GP over the years. My condition is well controlled now and I`ve had a driving license for years but I still have to go to the Doc every 3 months and have a blood test each time to keep an eye on things. Prescriptions are free in Jersey but I reckon they just add it to the doctors bill. What bugs me is that I`m very often in there for no more than 5-10 minutes and it costs £35 a time! We do have an excellent free hospital though. You can criticise the Jersey States for so much but as far as the hospital is concerned they are doing a good job. It`s just the GP`s that rip you off. Possum so sorry to here you are unwell again. Just take it easy and get well soon
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Post by barbieq25 on Jan 26, 2011 10:12:21 GMT
Welshy, it isn't easy living in limbo like that as you say.
We have the choice of buying private health insurance but then you a qualifying wait period & you have to pay a gap between what you get charged & the scheduled fee. To me it seems like I am paying twice. We also have the option (for which we are taxed regardless) to use the public system. Yes, there are wait times but the times I needed surgery desperately I waited less as a public patient than a private full fee paying patient AND it was the very same doctor!
If I need new glasses, I pay - same with the dentist & everything else. My doctor only charges the scheduled fee & I don't pay - it goes straight to the government & the doc gets paid by them. Bulk billing - gotta love that for the once a year visit if that. I hardly get sick, take no medication.
I went to the optometrist & complained that I thought my peripheral vision isn't what it used to be. (Important when you are hearing disabled). He asked me if I was sure it was getting worse because the test indicates that it is perfect, not even taking age into account. Ok, so I am a freak. The old CRT monitors, I could always see as they rolled.
I was surprised to see that the fashion in glasses has changed back to the bigger ones. Yay! It was painful trying to use graduated lenses with those slits of glass they called spectacles.
One thing we all seem to agree on there is not perfect health care system.
My new rant: The blasted state government has decided that we need to pay $100 a year more registration for our vehicles. So now I am looking at about $750 a year rego for a small 4 cylinder car & I don't even want to think about hubby's V6 ute! Why do we need to pay more? So Brisbane can get better roads! What about the rest of the state? The solution is to put up signs telling us "Rough Road" every kilometre or so - just in case you didn't notice! That way the government cannot be held responsible for loss of property or lives.
Secondly, the state is charging every regional council an extra $35 per tonne for rubbish to pay for the water pipeline. Pipeline to where? Brisbane! What about the rest of the state that is struggling with insufficient water?
Thirdly, Ms Bligh wants to charge us Rockyites for the barrage that one of our more illustrious Councillors had the foresight to build. There is something just not right with that.
All of this on top of the massive cleanup bill for the recent devastating floods. No wonder our premier looked haggard on TV. Must have been up all night working out how she could use this to her advantage.
I am already paying 50% personal income tax + 10% GST + all the other hidden taxes.
I wish there were some Romans around to show the beggars how to build a decent road. Not to mention that I'd like to nominate a few people for cleaning the lion cages.
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Post by Helen on Jan 26, 2011 22:41:24 GMT
Blegh. That gets me so angry, barbie. This reminds me that we paid $200 for our water bill and now it's around $900. Plus, heating oil costs around $700, and so on and so on. The prices aren't dropping, but are rising like hot air balloons instead.
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Possum
Apprentice
90 days without rabies !
Posts: 97
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Post by Possum on Jan 27, 2011 2:15:39 GMT
Thanks for all the get well wishes and all the points to think about. This cold has settled in and made itself at home and looks to be staying a while.
Interesting thing about the one med I couldn't afford. My wife called the insurance and got in touch with a lady there who actually seemed to know what she was doing and she said if the doctor would write a letter to the insurance company that the meds are a medical necessity, they would cover them. Amazing ! I would have thought that if the doctor wrote out the script, it would be a medical necessity. What the hell is he, a plummer? My wife is also on a medication that requires a letter every year so that the insurance knows that it's a "medical necessity". So humorous, it's beyond belief. Anyway, waiting on the doctor to have the time to write the letter and fax it in to them so I can get the meds. The shot that he gave me is actually working. I would feel it more if not for the cold, but the thing I have noticed more than anything is I now walk like a normal person again. And I sweat like the dickens in the morning while I'm getting ready for work. It's the strangest thing. I do feel like it's started something inside my body that had stopped working long ago. I have less pain and less numbness in my feet. I think I'm gonna like this.
Update on the computer. I swapped out the new hard drive Dell sent me. Funny, it didn't work at all. At least the original one would eventually boot up. The new one completely refuses. I was at wit's end today and was about to call someone at Dell and unload on them when I decided to send an email to the nice young lady who helped me order it in the first place. I had four people give me the run around when I was trying to order the dang thing and then I got her number when one of the dunces left for holiday and she made the whole process so simple. What a great employee she is for Dell. So anyway, I sent her an email and told her I was having problems and wondered if she knew anyone in Customer Support she could hook me up with who might be able to help me fix my problem. She called me back. SHE CALLED ! I about fell out of my chair. She told me that she was sorry that I was having all these problems and that she was placing an order for a new laptop to replace the bad one. She said as soon as I get the new one, just send the bad one back. No problems and sorry for the bad service. What a peach ! Why can't more young people be as great as this young lady is at her job. I'm gonna find a way to write Michael Dell and tell him about this young lady. She deserves to be recognized for the great job she does for his company. This is the fifth Dell laptop I've had and I really love them. This one was just a lemon. Hey, that happens. So I'm back on my tiny 14" lappy for the next couple of weeks. After the 17" beast, this seems like a toy. It's still a sweet little machine though.
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Post by Goonfella on Jan 27, 2011 6:10:50 GMT
I have had two Dell laptops so far and they have both been excellent. Sorry to here about your probs with yours though but at least someone at Dell actually cares. That was so nice of her to get in touch. Hope your cold clears up soon Possum.
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Post by barbieq25 on Jan 27, 2011 6:20:17 GMT
Good to hear things are getting better for you
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Post by j.d.melek on Jan 27, 2011 10:56:17 GMT
Glad to hear things are getting better for you all..slowly but surely does it.. RANT= why cant ALL cars be automatic?..arrrgh! regards j.d.
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Post by barbieq25 on Jan 27, 2011 12:07:47 GMT
RANT= why cant ALL cars be automatic?..arrrgh! regards j.d. What would I drive then? Hubby chose an automatic but I chose a manual - 5 speed. Guess I am dyed in the wool hoon
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Post by blackpenny on Jan 27, 2011 16:46:19 GMT
I need orthotics but even if I send the insurance company a letter from the podiatrist, they still don't cover them. They absolutely do not pay for orthotics. But they will pay for a pair of custom made shoes every year, which cost more than three times as much. Good to hear things are getting better Possum. The girl at Dell sounds like a real gem. Why can't there be more employees like her?
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Post by oma on Jan 27, 2011 16:59:22 GMT
well tell them you need to book your self a nice trip to Italy and get some fancy leather shoes made. ;D Maybe they will amend the policy to cover them for you. know the feeling, dealing with company health policies was a real pain before we retired but now its near impossible. Go figure they will pay $1000's of dollars out for a medicine. and I'm talking 2000 every 8 weeks for us but won't cover a $6.00 tube of cream for irritation it causes in the nose. Makes one scratch their head. ciao OMA
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Post by TheBad1 on Jan 27, 2011 22:50:08 GMT
... Or one's nose ... (sorry Oma I couldn't resist ) It is crazy what they'll pay out on and what they won't. In my case old existing conditions are starting to outweigh any new ones ;D ;D I can't really complain about insurance companies. It may have taken a long time sometimes, but they've always paid up in the end I'm glad that in Oma's case and Possum's case they haven't tried to wriggle out of their obligations. I moan about what Britain is becoming, but I can't praise my Doctor and Local Health Authority enough. @ Goon' ... my son in Ireland pays 55.00 Euros to see his doc. So about the same ? ( I've just worked out, in the 12 months they were battling my blood pressure, I saw my doctor about 20 times ... holey moley, that would have been £700 ) ------------------------------------------- A rant ... @ Possum ... ask your lady friend @ Dell if she'll get a job at Vauxhall (General Motors in USA ?) My car has to go in for the fifth time since September, tomorrow. It's getting frickin' ridiculous. It wouldn't be so bad if fuel wasn't £6.00 a gallon ($9.60 US/ $9.60 Aus/ $9.60 Can/ £52. 00 DKK ) The price of Petrol is a whole heap of rant in itself (especially with 63 % of it being another tax) ... It seems like our governments are screwing us all ... don't vote or else they'll get elected
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Post by lancemcknight on Jan 28, 2011 1:04:24 GMT
I usually refrain from commenting about stuff like that cuz I have become a conspiracy theorist myself, but I just can't hold back anymore.
The reason I think the health care is such a hot button topic is because the government wants to make sure we are still productive or else we are kaput. Perfect example would be the H1N1 virus that was being trumpeted as the biggest threat to health last year. The government and a single (single!) drug maker was pushing for everyone to be vaccinated. My wife and I were among the many to refuse to do so. I told my wife and father-in-law that I suspected the H1N1 virus was a man-made flu, a suspicious combination of strain of bird flu virus and common flu, and only one drug maker claimed to have the vaccination against it. How much notice has the H1N1 virus got in the press recently? *whistling sound* Nothing! I strongly believe it was a conspiracy between the government and the drug company to make profit. They create a "crisis" to see how the population would respond. I bet the executives were disappointed at the low turn out. In addition, the pharmacy industry are being hammered hard by lawsuits, and those suits cost million of dollars in litigation, jury awards, and fees to pay their high powered attorneys. So, they needed a fast way to raise their capital. Their solution? Enter stage left, the H1N1 virus. Bah!
It does not make sense for the government to try to regulate health care and the insurance procedure because we can shop for automobile, house, life, and death benefits insurance, but we can't shop for health insurance? Something is wrong with this picture. The government simply need to make sure nobody- doctor, hospital, specialists, and patients- are being screwed by ambulance chasing lawyers, like a certain president nominee once was...
On the other hand, the price for gas price is ridiculous. And I can tell you who to blame. Wall Street. That's right, W A L L S T R E E T. Their constant making "speculations," whatever the hell it means, is driving up the price of gas because they aren't sure how stable a region, like Iraq, would be in 5 months from now. How stupid is that? Nobody can predict the future, so they make "educated" guess, and thus driving up the price. For all of their MBAs and fancy college education, they are killing our future generations, and killing thousands of other people in 3rd world countries by keeping our soldiers there to ensure the supply of oil won't be disrupted.
Okay, I've rambled on too long, and I'm getting off my soap box.
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Post by barbieq25 on Jan 28, 2011 12:47:26 GMT
Lance, that is exactly what I suspected too! Good to know that I am not the only one who thinks the same.
Welshy, we pay about the same for fuel. I have screamed long & loud but the government does nothing. We have given up trying to get anything done about it. Guess that was another one of their experiments to see what would happen...I am getting quite jaded & cynical in my old age.
I agree about the taxes too. There are so many hidden ones too. Sometimes I think I should just go & live on the riverbank & be done with it. Why do we go to work so that the government can take most of it away again? Then they tell you people should save more...really? Tell us all how because I am sure there are very few who don't wish to know.
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Post by chrisco97 on Jan 29, 2011 2:09:52 GMT
Rant: Someone just posted in my tutorial on the main forum saying this:
"this is rubish tut didnt help at all. dude if your gonna give a tutorial atleast explain wat to do, you abreaviated the whole tuorial. this is so rubish -_- "
Does anybody think it is rubbish? I put a lot of work into it...But then again, this user only has two posts.
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