Travelling with a hernia for a laugh

I have had an umbilical hernia for 8 years YES 8
The hospital in Luton says that I am on the waiting list '3 years'
It has got so big that it looks like I have a bum bag permanently strapped to my stomach, it is so large I cant put the table down on planes to eat a meal and yes I have gone the whole 9 hours with not eating on a crowded flight.

But it also makes for some fun

I was travelling on AA last year and got to the check in and there was a security guy checking luggage on a few suspicious people
ME never

He called me over and said that he wanted me to open my case I dully agreed and placed my case on the table and waited for him to finish
When he finished he looked at me and said 'I need to see your strap bag' I said 'my what'

He said 'the bum bag what’s in it'
Light goes on
'oh' I said 'its my intestines'
'Your What'
'my intestines'
'I'm sorry sir I don’t understand'
I tell story to him
he looks at me - looks at bump - Looks at me
Pregnant pause and finally says
'sorry sir I have to see it'
'certainly I say'

Pulls up shirt SG says at top of voice

's--t that’s unbelievable Gary look at this'

At that I become aware that all the people that have passed me by are now in a position to see my hernia

Now that’s embarrassing

Funny side now seen

john boy you need the nhs

linguinal hernia diagnosed mid february 2004. appt for op 29 june 2004

just in time for a summer break!![msnwink]:D[8D]
trev

This is the NHS

Yours is considered a possable emergency mine is at the bottom of the list in fact it is people with your type of hernia that keeps me at the bottom:(:(:(

Want to say any more[msnwink]

well i never

i'm sorry to jump the queue old man

i never realised it could be so serious. when they started talking about this linguini stuff i thought they were suggesting i'd been eating too much pasta again, but it was no fun when the doctor had his finger up just to check. i can tell you!![:I][8D]

any way if its any help, i agreed to being treated at any hospital any time ,so i suppose thats what speeded me up. all this talk of food has made me hungry!

trev[8D]

Get some bad tummy ache on your hols, and have it done in style on your travel insurance :D
Or why not tell the Doctors of this damaging psychological effect, and the bad back your posture is giving you;)

Make sure the tummy ache is at the end of your holiday!!

Pity to recuperate during a holiday... May get a nice extension...

;)

I had a similar-ish story last year when I flew internal with Delta and had a bum-bag under my t-shirt. I couldn't understand why the cabin crew were giving me bad looks for ordering a brandy and lemonade until they later asked me when my baby was due[:0]. Obviously, they thought I was a pregnant heavy drinker (I have brandy to calm me down!).

:D:D:D:D Thats funny Gillian

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Gillian-B
I had a similar-ish story last year when I flew internal with Delta and had a bum-bag under my t-shirt. I couldn't understand why the cabin crew were giving me bad looks for ordering a brandy and lemonade until they later asked me when my baby was due[:0]. Obviously, they thought I was a pregnant heavy drinker (I have brandy to calm me down!).
[/quote]

That must have been one hell of a big bum-bag Gillian
Just how much money do you take with you
or is it for the family jewels

Sorry to laugh at your misfortune John Boy, but that story has had me crying with laughter!!
I really hope you get moved up the waiting list though - it must be very unpleasant.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by chris c
Sorry to laugh at your misfortune John Boy, but that story has had me crying with laughter!!
I really hope you get moved up the waiting list though - it must be very unpleasant.
[/quote]
Very pleased that it did have you crying with laughter, That makes me happy I like being able to see the funny side to such things.

I hope when it finaly gets done I will be in Stitches too[msnsmile2][msnsmile2][msnsmile2][msnsmile2][msnsmile2][msnsmile2][msnsmile2][msnsmile2][msnsmile2][msnsmile2][msnsmile2][msnsmile2][msnsmile2]

John
You need treatment!

Then you can get the hernia done as well:D[}:)]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by george
John
You need treatment!

Then you can get the hernia done as well:D[}:)]
[/quote]

Funny!! everyone who meets me says the same thing and now the same in virtual land must be serious

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by John Boy
This is the NHS

Yours is considered a possable emergency mine is at the bottom of the list in fact it is people with your type of hernia that keeps me at the bottom:(:(:(

Want to say any more[msnwink]
[/quote] Dunno what you're doing on a waiting list for the NHS? If you live in Spain you're not entitled to non-emergency NHS treatment so why not get it done in Spain?

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by blott
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by John Boy
This is the NHS

Yours is considered a possable emergency mine is at the bottom of the list in fact it is people with your type of hernia that keeps me at the bottom:(:(:(

Want to say any more[msnwink]
[/quote] Dunno what you're doing on a waiting list for the NHS? If you live in Spain you're not entitled to non-emergency NHS treatment so why not get it done in Spain?
[/quote]

Because this is an ongoing problem I have had for 8 years and I have been on the waiting list for 4 of those I am entitled to see this condition rectified by the NHS I also still pay my taxies to the UK but get no benefits from that at all except this.

Perhaps it my mother country tried harder to help its born and bred citizens no matter what creed or culture they are derived from, so many of us who are fortunate enougth to choose where they live would not be leaving.

I might also add that since the age of 17 I have never claimed benefits, have always paid my taxies in full and never had one day in hospital except to have my Sleep apnea diagnosed and even then bought my own machine and gave the NHS my one back for someone else to use

No I'm no Saint but I think I have earned the right to get this done don't you BLOTT

The pain in Spain !!!!:D[}:)]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by John Boy
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by blott
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by John Boy
This is the NHS

Yours is considered a possable emergency mine is at the bottom of the list in fact it is people with your type of hernia that keeps me at the bottom:(:(:(

Want to say any more[msnwink]
[/quote] Dunno what you're doing on a waiting list for the NHS? If you live in Spain you're not entitled to non-emergency NHS treatment so why not get it done in Spain?
[/quote]

Because this is an ongoing problem I have had for 8 years and I have been on the waiting list for 4 of those I am entitled to see this condition rectified by the NHS I also still pay my taxies to the UK but get no benefits from that at all except this.

Perhaps it my mother country tried harder to help its born and bred citizens no matter what creed or culture they are derived from, so many of us who are fortunate enougth to choose where they live would not be leaving.

I might also add that since the age of 17 I have never claimed benefits, have always paid my taxies in full and never had one day in hospital except to have my Sleep apnea diagnosed and even then bought my own machine and gave the NHS my one back for someone else to use

No I'm no Saint but I think I have earned the right to get this done don't you BLOTT

[/quote]Actually no I don't, not according to the NHS regulations! You have to reside in the UK to be entitled to NHS treatment actually and the fact that you've never claimed any benefits in the past isn't really relevant.

If you choose to live somewhere (other than the UK) where you have to pay for health insurance and you said to the health insurance company that you weren't paying any more premiums because you'd already paid for xx years and not claimed but you'd still be expecting to get treatment under that health insurance, I have no doubt what the answer would be!

It's exactly the same for the NHS - unless you live here permanently, you're entitled to emergency NHS treatment in an A & E Department only - if you're admitted or attend a clinic after that, then you have to pay.

As an ex senior NHS manager, NHS entitlements and payments used to sadly be part of my job...

Well until I am told by my specialist he can't give me anymore treatment I will carry on

As for the rest of it, it just goes to prove my point about the sorry state of the country and some of the people that live in it that backs up such stupid rules and believe them to be right.

If you tell your specialist that your home address is in Spain, he won't be providing you with any more treatment unless it's privately!

Those have been the NHS rules since at least 1979 when they were introduced so it's nothing new. If you think that the NHS has the facilities and funding to provide health care for everyone who was born here but no longer lives here then that's just your view.

Anyone who lives in the UK (who has no access to any other country's health care facilities) will tell you that it's hard enough to get the treatment they need from the NHS without having however many ex-pats on the waiting lists too! My local hospital is cutting its services to the tune of being £10 million overspent in 2003/4 and it won't be the only one.

Johnboy, if you are waiting for the luton & Dunstable you'll be waiting forever, i gave up in the end!!!!

I'm with Blott on this one.
If you live abroad, get treatment abroad.

I don’t usually like to get involved in these “disagreements”. My friends say that I must have thousands of splinters in my butt from sitting on the fence and trying to see both sides. However, on this occasion, I felt I had to give my two-penneth so please indulge me.

Firstly, I don’t know the full details of John Boy’s medical condition or financial status so wouldn’t like to make assumptions out of turn but I [u]am</u> sure John Boy said, in an earlier post, that he was still paying UK taxes. Wouldn’t this entitle him to receive some form of benefit from the deductions made by our government? I’m a mere mortal who pays ordinary taxes but would like to think that while the government are taking their share of my money that I’d get some sort of benefit from it.

In any event, I don’t think John Boy should be penalised because of massive NHS waiting lists. If you going to compare private health insurance to the NHS, then you surely must agree that even if you don’t presently pay “premiums” to your private health insurer, you are entitled to complete the treatment claimed for under your earlier fully paid up “policy”. It’s not the claimant’s fault that the insurance company has mismanaged the funds and is delaying your treatment nor is it John Boy’s fault that the Government aren’t apportioning enough of our money on the NHS to allow his operation to have taken place eight years ago, when diagnosed.

Phew! Well that’s one splinter I can get rid off![msnwink]

I don't think I'm going to go into this any more as I'm not sure how I can put it any more clearly than I have already. It's not something anyone has against John Boy personally (or anyone else for that matter) but it's the basic principle and these are the current rules.

Paying UK taxes is absolutely nothing to do with eligibility for NHS treatment (it just means that you have some income from the UK and at least £4+k at that or you wouldn't be paying taxes) but residing here is - no matter whether anyone thinks this is right or wrong, this is the situation with current Statutes in the UK. These rules were introduced in 1979, for whatever reason, by a different government than the one we now have here.

It seems mightily unfair to me that people who actually live here currently are waiting for treatment on the NHS but perhaps people living in other countries, who could perfectly well obtain treatment there, are maybe making the wait for UK residents longer or getting in first and for free! I know we live in the 'Welfare State' but that's verging on the ridiculous isn't it? If everyone who was born here and had ever lived here, for any amount of time, was entitled to free NHS treatment when they no longer live here, the people who actually live here wouldn't be able to get it! Fine, if UK residents choose to pay privately, that's their individual choice. But those who can't afford to do that are left with the NHS.

Now, let's just say you'd paid for private health insurance in the UK for many years and never made a claim. This year, you decided you weren't going to live here any more and stopped paying your annual premium. Later on in the year, you found you had a medical problem but you had to pay for treatment yourself in the country in which you were living. So, you came back to the UK just for treatment and gave a UK address but you intended going back to live in the same place abroad. You say to the insurance company - but I've paid in all those years and never claimed anything and now I want you to provide me with treatment. What would the insurance company say to you? They would say that unless you pay your premium each and every year and you live in the UK, you can't claim.

It's a 'free' country and people are entitled to choose to live where they wish and good luck to them, I agree with that principle wholeheartedly. But, along with that freedom of choice comes the responsibility for providing for yourself in that country, not bogging down the NHS getting free treatment to which they're no longer entitled. You're meant to hand back your NHS card when you emigrate - I wonder just how many people do that? When you return here to live, you get supplied with another one - I bet everyone does that!

SARAH,
Thank you so much for your support yes I do still pay my taxies in the UK and receive no benefit whatsoever from them
Yes I also have private medical care for me and my family but unfortunately this was taken out after the hernia started so had to go on the NHS In fact I have today worked out that I have paid in the region of 220,000 Pounds in taxies in the past 8 years and have taken very little from them in return. That’s quite a bit of your wages there Blott.

Anyway I must now thank Blott because he has done more for me than the whole system has in 8 years, Let me explain

For all my bravado in my return thread to you Blott you did get me very worried with what you said and I am sure that someone would have already notified the L&D hospital of this. It’s just the nature of some people to do such things, would you not agree?
So I phoned the NHS and asked them what would be my position and was told the same as Blott has indicated.

So I phoned to make an appointment to see the hospital here in my town (well my wife did as she speaks Spanish)as now I am really woried and was seen that afternoon. WOW NHS IT IS NOT.

So that afternoon I arrived at Hospital and was shown in to see the consultant within 15 minutes of arriving WOW NHS IT IS NOT.

After the doctor had listened to my story (he speaks good English)
He was quite mortified I asked what the cost of the procedure would be and he asked if I was resident I said no but I have lived here for quite some time and he explained that as I had been here for more than 6 months under the EU law I was classed as resident and he could have me in within two weeks and get it fixed WOW NHS IT IS NOT.

Ah but problem I pay tax in the UK and therefore do not qualify for State Treatment 'DARN'
But WAIT he now says that if I see a lawyer and get registered for tax here I can have it done once I have made 6 months payments to the state WOW NHS IT IS NOT.

So today I have seen a lawyer and guess what my TAX bill will be 40% less than it is in the UK and if I register as a company I can get it lower than that OHHH YESSSSS UK THIS IS NOT.

SO THANK YOU BLOTT within 3 days you have helped me do what the NHS has failed to do in 8 YEARS

You should set up as a consultant and make some money out of it, think what you could earn if you did it for a percentage. But then again I think I have already paid the price.

Now to all you patriots that read this and think I am being smug I am not I love England but I don’t like what these politicians are doing to it and doing it with my hard earned money.

I feel like it was no longer the place for me because all I was doing was complaining and every time I complained to a person in authority I just got a knock back so in order not to depress myself and my family any further I have been lucky enough to do something about it so we left.

And now thanks to Blott I can cut all ties with it for good.
No the grass is not greener but it has less insecticide being sprayed on it

Just a final note on this my daughter woke up this morning with both eyes puffed up like golf balls.
Now in the UK I would have taken her to the doctors where I would probably have had to wait an hour to get seen as I had not made an appointment 3 weeks in advance and I would have been presented with a prescription for some eye drops.

I would then have to go to the pharmacy and pay, what!! 6 or 7 pounds for the prescription

Well I took my girl down to the pharmacy at 8.30 this morning as I had an appointment with a Lawyer at 9am and the nice woman there sat my girl down on a seat looked in her eyes checked her temperature and gave me a tube of eye drops and said this would clear it up

Now how much do you think that cost me?

€1.28 less than a quid

Say no more.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by ujpest doza
I'm with Blott on this one.
If you live abroad, get treatment abroad.

[/quote]

SORRY Should that not be
Live in the UK, Can only get treatment abroad[}:)]

Glad to have been of help John Boy and now you know that you've confirmed I was telling you the truth all along! What does worry me is that you didn't find all this out before you went to live in Florida and then Spain and save yourself a lot of discomfort (and money from the tax situation).

I'm looking forward to your report of how much better you feel when you've had it done in two weeks time.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:For all my bravado in my return thread to you Blott you did get me very worried with what you said and I am sure that someone would have already notified the L&D hospital of this. It’s just the nature of some people to do such things, would you not agree?[/quote] If you are inferring I might have done that, then the answer's a definite no as that, too, is also against my principles - I don't think you mentioned a hospital before so I doubt anyone else would have done either!

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by ujpest doza
I'm with Blott on this one.
If you live abroad, get treatment abroad.

SORRY Should that not be
Live in the UK, Can only get treatment abroad [}:)][/quote]

No, from what you've said about how marvellous it all is in Spain, I think you'll find that Ujpest Doza was right as you do live abroad and you have him to thank for excellent advice too! [msnsmile2]

I'm really pleased that it's worked out for you, John Boy.

Obviously, mea culpe, I have NO idea how the tax system works when you are talking about that kind of money but I am amazed that you could pay so much tax to our Government and have them consider it a gift. Naive I may be, but I thought that you wouldn't be paying all that tax if you're weren't a resident/citizen of the UK and entitled to the rights & protection that our government affords.

I completely agree that no sensible Brit/UK'er wants to entertain "treatment tourists" or ex-pats who have severed all ties with the UK but still expect to get free non-emergency medical treatment (damn this fence is high!). I obviously didn't make my point clear but I mean't that if you're a resident of the UK when you need treatment, you should get it. You shouldn't have to be on a waiting list for 8+ years and then get told... Forget it, you've moved.... you might still be paying us huge wads of money but that's tough luck....

I was trying to say that if the NHS is to be compared to a private insurance company, then that insurance policy would have paid out at the time, not expect you to wait XX years and then refuse you because your life has moved on. If the NHS wasn't so poorly funded, then John Boy would have had his surgery when he first needed it and we wouldn't be having this discussion. The NHS is amazing, it's just a pity that the Government doesn't seem to appreciate it. It could be so much more.

First: absolutely not I really do believe that your principles would not allow you to do that but I have been around long enough and experienced some very bitter people to know that there are those that would just for the fun of it.

Secondly: I have never said that Spain is marvellous but yes my family and I do have a much better lifestyle here than we did in the UK.

Thirdly: As for my tax situation don’t be worried I never really had the push to cut all ties with the UK But our little conversations here gave me the reasons to make that final cut of the umbilical cord another thing to thank you for

Fourthly: Live in the UK, Can only get treatment abroad!!!!
No I was right in what I said I was referring to an article in a British paper about the amount of people having to have operations abroad on the NHS because it was quicker and considerably cheaper.

And I really do mean THANK YOU

John

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Sarah Seaman
I'm really pleased that it's worked out for you, John Boy.

Obviously, mea culpe, I have NO idea how the tax system works when you are talking about that kind of money but I am amazed that you could pay so much tax to our Government and have them consider it a gift. Naive I may be, but I thought that you wouldn't be paying all that tax if you're weren't a resident/citizen of the UK and entitled to the rights & protection that our government affords.

I completely agree that no sensible Brit/UK'er wants to entertain "treatment tourists" or ex-pats who have severed all ties with the UK but still expect to get free non-emergency medical treatment (damn this fence is high!). I obviously didn't make my point clear but I mean't that if you're a resident of the UK when you need treatment, you should get it. You shouldn't have to be on a waiting list for 8+ years and then get told... Forget it, you've moved.... you might still be paying us huge wads of money but that's tough luck....

I was trying to say that if the NHS is to be compared to a private insurance company, then that insurance policy would have paid out at the time, not expect you to wait XX years and then refuse you because your life has moved on. If the NHS wasn't so poorly funded, then John Boy would have had his surgery when he first needed it and we wouldn't be having this discussion. The NHS is amazing, it's just a pity that the Government doesn't seem to appreciate it. It could be so much more.
[/quote]

Basically Sarah I have been paying the higher rate of tax 40% for all those years but that is just a guess as tax is worked out over several bands but its close enough

There are a lot of people like me that get taxed but don’t get any benefits from the system these people have private medical care and send kids to private school but still pay high tax and NIS contributions but I have never considered it a gift

AS for rights and protections that is now in the hands of the EU not the British government and for that the UK pays 50 million pounds a day to Brussels.

The rest is my thoughts exactly but you put it so eloquently

havent heard from you in a while john boy

anyway i'm off to get my nhs hernia stitched up in durham amoro:D:D

lets hope thats all that gets stitched up?!!


trev

I'll just add my two penneth worth, my parents moved over to Spain, my father having paid the highest rate of tax more or less all his working life (army officer). They came back after a couple of years - yes having still been paying tax at high rates etc. and for first 6 months were not entitled to any treatment on the NHS - this was 11 years ago. But he did have his quadruple bypass on the NHS as was determined not to have it in a Spanish hospital!

BTW - Blottie is a lady[^].

Is anything in life fair? One thing we can all be sure of, taxes and death - they tax you til you die, and then they tax you again. OK so why aren't we all off to Italy where there is no inheritance tax!

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by fiona

BTW - Blottie is a lady[^].
[/quote]

She sure is[msnsmile2][msnsmile2]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by trevlad
havent heard from you in a while john boy

anyway i'm off to get my nhs hernia stitched up in durham amoro:D:D

lets hope thats all that gets stitched up?!!


trev
[/quote]

Trev have they stitched you up or did you get wheeled to the operating theatre only to be told that the surgeon would have to cancel because he could not find anywhere to park his Bentley

Let me know

John Boy

no i'm good matey.
ended up at the university hospital at durham. excellent all new. no cobwebs!

stitched me up good and proper:D i had a few probs with the blood thining injection - passing out?, but 2 days on i have 3 small butterflyed holes and one el of a stomach ache. still gatwick flight jul 11 is on the horizon:D:D

havent seen you on , you been working too hard?[8D]

trev