Loads of warm hugs winging their way to you. Was this behind your current exhaustion too? Keep taking the drugs !!
France has great health care too. 65 % of all costs covered by the government, and the rest is up to you if you want to pay insurance. That too is really low - 124 euros/month for three children and two adults. That gets me all my prescriptions back and free optics and dental for the kids up to 24 years old. And the waiting times are negligible. Was in Urgences six months ago with my son - the down hill racer- who had knocked himself unconscious on a bridge. Seen in 4 hours, scan and prescription for anti inflamatories with a bill two weeks later for 130 euros that my insurance covered.?

I'm currently fighting with a hospital over the amount I owe on a bill after my actually-pretty-good insurance covered about 12K on outpatient surgery. Among the items listed: $14.75 for a single Tylenol-3 tablet, $100 for an IV bag and the tubes/needle attached to it, and $10 for the saline solution inside that bag. I was also separately billed $25 for a "deluxe" arm sling that undoubtedly cost less than $2 to manufacture. The bill says "save a stamp! pay this online" and I've decided instead to force them to waste as many stamps as possible by setting up a payment plan and sending them checks for $5 each month.

Healthcare in America is a disgrace.

I've never had Stonehenge on a prescription though... Funny that

USA here, panicking about the cost. Mostly thinking about how much it would cost if it happened to me. Until I read to the end. hope you feel better!

Thank you all so much for kind words. I don't really do sick (as in common with many medical professionals, we make bad patients!) I was trying to illustrate Britain's one and only trully massive achievement. However, your kind words were really touching and help me a lot. Today I just feel sorry for myself. I had taken a day off and now I am too weary to do anything fun. Going to get on top of the laundry and make chutney. At least the 30/500 codydramol zonked me out!

Canadian here and I agree that Universal Healthcare is what civilized people provide for themselves and others, it's just a shame that there is a magic Xstian spell cast over the USA that prevents it from working in that particular country even though it works every where else.

I checked this post out because I was concerned, hoping you'll be ok. Turns out you're fine and you should be sending thoughts n prayers to the US lol. Good good. I haven't been to a doctor except for a weight loss clinic since I was a kid, knock on wood. I sure couldn't afford it if I needed one ?

I envy you having such good care. Here in the US we are still in the dark ages. I can't afford to be sick and I can't afford to die. Even the funerals here cost thousands.

It's not only the NHS.
I'm in the Spanish system. Very low waiting times, hi-tech care (When I had appendicitis it was whipped out, free of charge, using keyhole surgery.) When I had my 4 "strokes" they whipped me in, and then kept me in to hospital (2 beds per room, with shower and toilet) whilst running CAT scans, ultra-sound scans, MRI scans (2 of each on different days) and kept me in for 10 days whilst they were being carried out. However, I was allowed home over the weekend, whilst the hospital kept my bed reserved. Another brilliant system. What's more, I carry a card with a chip, as does everyone, and any doctor, anywhere, can read your card and immediately get a full medical history.
Meanwhile, I wish you all the best for a speedy recovery and return to doing NHS work!

It's the thing we can be most proud about. Excellent care, first-rate medicine... I'm happy to pay taxes to support it.

Trust the science and your healthcare rocks.

Wouldn't you have rather have waited an extra week, in excruciating pain, to go to the hospital because you were worried about how you were going to pay for it, even with insurance, just for the opportunity of living in the US, the envy of the world regarding health care?

I know someone who had an Ovarian cyst rupture while she was working (in a restaurant). Her description of it is so painful, so breathtakingly gutwrenching, that I cried when she first told me about it. I've had an inflamed appendix that had me in terrible pain, but her's sounded so, so much worse. I hope you end up okay. Sounds like you're taken care of, at least! Really glad you have that support, and wish we did here in the U.S., too.

I wish you a seedy recovery. Sending hugs!! You are truly fortunate to have the NHS.

Sending you mental rainbows of healing and love.

Hope you feel better soon.

Get well soon...

ouch cyst. i hope they take care of it as painlessly as possible (for you, i mean, not them lol). i have to have a hysteroscopy with d&c soon (been delaying it) to look for possible uterine cancer. i would rather they found a cyst but that's not likely as, oddly enough, whatever i have there doesn't hurt. anyway i wish you the very best of luck and least of pain! (i'll add that i am in a blue state and medicaid will take care of my medical bill.)

g