Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

My Sudden Trip to Hell

linkedin.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

121–130 of 162 posts

Re: My Sudden Trip to Hell

#121

Post by NikkiA »

libria wrote: post #86
madaxe_again wrote: post #10

I was going to say “I recall when I had sepsis in my teens”, but the truth of it is that I don’t - there’s a six week hole in my memory, that skips straight from lying in a pool of blood and puss on the floor of the kitchen at school, having a mop thrust in my face, to lying in a bed in hospital with tubes snaking out of me. The weird thing is, despite being unconscious for over a month, I woke up feeling like I hadn…

> and the, what, 20g of daily antibiotics 20,000mg, am I reading that right? According to my non-medical background that's a shitload of drugs. Good to be reading this knowing you came out of it ok.

It's probably right, I had a strep B osteomyelitis when I was in my late teens and at one point was on a 2g/hr IV antibiotic IIRC.

Re: My Sudden Trip to Hell

#122

Post by christiansakai »

Raphmedia wrote: post #77
10122018 wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spoken like somebody who has money. Do you have any idea how much pain and suffering a person can endure due to having no money? I don't think it's your place to say that person's life is worth living.

Growing up in total poverty, raised by a single mother who fought cancers and died twice on operating tables let me tell you one thing. Money is nothing. Poverty won't make you unhappy. Humans are good at finding new baselines. Poverty will simply become your new normal and the little things of life will still bring you joy. Seeing a loved one will still make you a smile. Life is worth living even without any ressour…

What do you mean by your mother died twice? Serious question

Re: My Sudden Trip to Hell

#123

Post by Ididntdothis »

novaRom wrote: post #113
Ididntdothis wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the US the cost must have been in the millions. I know people who ran up several million dollar bills during cancer treatment.

But most will be covered by the insurance company, or not?

Be ready to spend months or years on the phone fighting with the insurance though. It’s not uncommon to receive a $300k bill that you then have to clear up with many many phone calls.

Re: My Sudden Trip to Hell

#124

Post by sixplusone »

jwr wrote: post #82
corry wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't want to spark a healthcare debate, but want to mention that I bet NONE of the non-US readers on HN would have given a single thought about the costs involved if this was happening in their countries. It's wild to me that the potential financial impact of this was part of the picture for many of the US people reading it (especially the startup founders who are probably without insurance right now, and this would…

I am from Europe and I can confirm that nobody would even consider the "costs involved". It's just not something you think about. I am puzzled by why the richest nation in the world prefers to spend 3.1 billions of dollars on arming Israel, or spend $700 billion military budget (even though its territory isn't being threatened in any way), rather than provide universal healtcare and education to its citizens, who liv…

> even though its territory isn't being threatened in any way

It isn't threatened because of its powerful military; also why Europeans can spend all that money on healthcare instead of defense: a benevolent democracy to provide safety. Not to mention it stokes the richest economy and innovation.

Re: My Sudden Trip to Hell

#125

Post by Raphmedia »

christiansakai wrote: post #122
Raphmedia wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Growing up in total poverty, raised by a single mother who fought cancers and died twice on operating tables let me tell you one thing. Money is nothing. Poverty won't make you unhappy. Humans are good at finding new baselines. Poverty will simply become your new normal and the little things of life will still bring you joy. Seeing a loved one will still make you a smile. Life is worth living even without any ressour…

What do you mean by your mother died twice? Serious question

One surgery had complications, they had to remove a large portion of her carotid artery during an emergency procedure. She was dead for a bit too long and suffered brain damage from it. The other time, she bleed out from a hysterectomy.

Re: My Sudden Trip to Hell

#126

Post by Bootwizard »

HNcantBtrustd wrote: post #73
bitexploder wrote: post #2

Stoics would encourage all of us to internalize our own mortality, not for morbidity’s sake, but because it helps live in the moment. The wake up call stories like this should be simulated by everyone. Imagine if this were you? Live with a fraction of that pain in your heart and try to internalize it. How does it impact our choices? Things like fingers and walking become amazing. I am always happy people share their…

Part of me thinks this person's job is complete. He started an idea, developed, and has a team to continue it. He did his role. What is next for him? Hopefully he has enough money to live without working. Then he can put his efforts into himself.

Well there's no way he gave up his entire stake in the company. I would assume he continues on as part of the board, or at least an advisory role.

Re: My Sudden Trip to Hell

#127

Post by Theophraustous »

dawhizkid wrote: post #8

for some reason I assumed that he would write about how this trauma would give him a new perspective on what was really important in life, but at the end it sounded like the experience didn’t really change his perspective on desiring to work all the time on his startup and that he was only stepping down because he couldn’t perform 100% and not because this experience changed anything about how he prioritized work/car…

I read this as him sharing this painful experience he had with us, but spinning it to show how devoted to his work he has been.

Maybe this is simply because anything I read on LinkedIn gives me that feeling.

Re: My Sudden Trip to Hell

#128

Post by pnutjam »

TotempaaltJ wrote: post #94
gamblor956 wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Universal Healthcare is generally only a thing in Canada and the EU. It's great if you need to wait a few months to see a doctor, but I know plenty of Canadians and Europeans who come to the US for medical care so they don't have to wait.

I'm Dutch, and I've never had to wait for more than a week to see my GP. Never more than a month for a procedure. Additionally, when I lived in the US, we got a special Dutch health insurance plan for temporary expats. They sent us a letter that if one of us ever had to go to the hospital, they'd fly them over to the Netherlands unless the situation required immediate attention.

I live in the midwest and it takes me about a month to get an appt with my GP. If I want to see an NP, and block out about 4 hours to sit in the office, I can be seen that week, usually.

Re: My Sudden Trip to Hell

#129

Post by fzeroracer »

realshowbiz wrote: post #44
twoquestions wrote: post #42

Considering the bills for a condition like this, I'd be wondering if it's even worth it to go to the doctor. My life isn't worth the destitution visited on everyone I know necessary to keep me alive, and I can't imagine the moral calculus his family had to go through. I'm glad this guy could get the care needed to survive, and I wish him the very best in his recovery.

Yes. You have one life, and it’s worth living with or without money.

Is your life worth subjecting your family to a lifetime of debt?

This is a serious question people ask themselves whenever they get sick. It's one no one should have to ask, but one many Americans have had to sincerely consider.

Re: My Sudden Trip to Hell

#130

Post by Raphmedia »

PhasmaFelis wrote: post #100
Raphmedia wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Growing up in total poverty, raised by a single mother who fought cancers and died twice on operating tables let me tell you one thing. Money is nothing. Poverty won't make you unhappy. Humans are good at finding new baselines. Poverty will simply become your new normal and the little things of life will still bring you joy. Seeing a loved one will still make you a smile. Life is worth living even without any ressour…

> Poverty won't make you unhappy. I'm glad you and your family managed to beat the odds, but this is demonstrably false on a statistical level.

From my experience, poverty do increase your sadness and make your life really harder. It yanks away a lot of control from you and your ability to exert your free will is reduced. It also comes with stress, especially in countries without social networks and safety nets.

It won't however make your positive moments any less important. You will be more likely to suffer from mental health issues but that's statistics and they don't represent daily life of people accurately.

If you are not suffering from something such as depression you will still find satisfaction from social encounters, from your community and your family. Unless living in a dangerous situation, your will still be able to feel content about your life. Love will still matter just as much.

That being said, this is my experience living below the poverty line in Canada where healthcare and social programs exists.

Post reply on HN