The Outsider!

[Guest guest]

Hi Barry

Well I do not reside in America. I reside in a small place, an Island called

Ireland.

However, I do try and keep an 'open mind' and believe that life is one big

learning curve. I think I am safe in this statement, " The majority of

members reside in America " and you have different medical system to I. From

my point of view, some e-mails can be confusing, especially when you change

Insurance Policies. Terms like HMO/PPO meant nothing to me.

Now I was walking Hermes in the Town Park last night, when an American

Tourist came running out of the Children's Play Area, cradling a toddler.

The child was screaming and the Mom brought him to me? She then said, " Can

you tell me where I can locate Primary Care? " My brain engaged, the thought

process: Primary Care equals a General Physician. I looked at my watch, it

displayed 8pm. No GP will be open at this time of night? Unless you are

resident in the area. " Where are you staying? " I asked. " Killarney " was the

reply, thirty miles down the road. No point in given you the local telephone

number of a GP, because he will not drive out to Killarney? Therefore the

only place A & E. I then said, " At this time of the night, unless you are in

a local hotel, which you are not, you will not locate a GP. Therefore you

best bet, A & E. " Well now I realised I made a blunder, so said, " You call

it ER, at the local Hospital, come on I will show you " .

The toddler had fallen off the climbing frame, broken the wrist, they saw to

him straight away and it was free of charge.

Now unless I had asked the simple question about the system in America,

received all those answers, which I then printed off, I would NOT have been

able to help this family on vacation.

After I left the Hospital, the Mom said, " Are you a Nurse by any chance? "

I assume she said that, because I was able to point her in the right

direction for medical treatment so FAST!

I also got to sign the child's plaster cast!

As to if the information I requested was sent to the list, or privately?

I am sure that many members reading that message about Insurance Policies,

thought, " I will not reply to that, someone else will! " The members that did

reply and I am extremely grateful, along with a little toddler and Mom,

would not know if I have received any answers, unless they posted them to

the MAIN list. Sure I do it. I assume that other members will reply to

certain posts, that I have no experience on, PRIVATELY! I assume Privately

because I never see any of those ANSWERS posted to the list.

Could be, that people who ask certain questions NEVER get any reply,

therefore wonder why they bothered joining the list in the first place.

That thought saddens me. Some new member posts an odd question, we all

assume someone else will answer, so do not bother. That new member then sits

at the PC and thinks, " I am alone with this symptom? "

In truth they are not, just that we have all 'assumed' that someone will

answer via private e-mail, and no single member does reply. That is the

reason why these messages to the main list, keep us ALL informed about what

topics are being covered and what answers are being received. Failing that,

we just e-mail the list and say, " I replied to Gillian request on Health

insurance " .

One thing I do know, for this e-mail support to be SUPPORTIVE for every

person with PA, it is important that we ASSUME nothing! If the question

fails to be answered on the main message system, we should not assume that

person received private e-mail dealing with it. And that is just what

happens.

Love and God Bless

Gillian

A friend is, as it were, a second self.

[Guest guest]

Bravo, Gillian,

Very well put.We all need all of the information we can get. The

discussion about HMO's could well inform me (who has an HMO) that I

can do something I didn't know I could do. Like request a non-HMO Dr.

In a lot of ways, a private reply is a little selfish. It deprives

the rest of us of information we could use.

in Illinois