I was partially deaf for the last couple of years • Hacker News Board

Re: I was partially deaf for the last couple of years

#41

Post by kaybe » Mon, Feb 24, 2014, 3:40 PM UTC

darklajid wrote: post #27

kaybe wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

German law states it can be used as a signal before passing. Nobody does it though, which is a good thing.

Sure about that? You can use your lights to indicate that you're planning to take over, but the horn? Never heard about that one. Interesting.

"§5 StVO Überholen (5) Außerhalb geschlossener Ortschaften darf das Überholen durch kurze Schall- oder Leuchtzeichen angekündigt werden. .."

"§5 Passing (5) Outside of cities/villages it is allowed to notify of a planned passing by short sound or light indicators. " (Uff, legalese is hard to translate.)

Re: I was partially deaf for the last couple of years

#42

Post by k-mcgrady » Mon, Feb 24, 2014, 3:55 PM UTC

thelogos wrote: post #36

k-mcgrady wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this is a problem in places with free health care too (so money isn't even a reason for a lot of people). It doesn't cost a penny to see a doctor or get treatment here but I know plenty of people who avoid going to the doctor until a problem has gotten out of hand.

Procrastination plays a part too. It's a big effort to, 1.Find a good doctor (not all of them are equal) 2.Call to make an appointment 3.Take time off work/classes 4.Get there and wait, wait, wait Really, all this could be solved if more medical school were allowed to be opened and get rid of the arbitrary ceiling on the number of students med school are allowed to accept . This is only the easy part. If you don't ha…

Good point but I have to say these reasons don't really apply to me.

1. We have a local doctors surgery which has offices for around 5 GP's and 2 nurses. You can request an appointment with a specific one but most people just take whoever is available soonest. Although I've come across a few bad doctors for the most part people seem to trust the system to weed them out.

2/3. For me this means calling a number and asking for the next available appointment. If work is a problem they have a few nights where they work late and you can request the next available appointment on a late night. No need to take time off unless it's imperative you get seen quickly.

4. This is true but I find with an appointment that hasn't been arranged last minute I get seen within 10 minutes of turning up.

NB: I'm in the UK so obviously there are differences to how the systems we're both describing work.

Re: I was partially deaf for the last couple of years

#43

Post by GotAnyMegadeth » Mon, Feb 24, 2014, 5:04 PM UTC

shanselman wrote: post #5

It always strikes me how often we hear that folks either won't go to the doctor to get something looked at, or they go to the doc and get the answer and then simply aren't compliant. If it's broken, fix it. I've never understood the logic behind avoiding the doc.

I am concerned that I am a hypochondriac, and I don't want to waste the (UK NHS) doctors valuable time. I usually end up waiting too long and going in with more serious symptoms than I if I had gone in earlier. Then again I often go in and get told to go away. What is it called when you worry that you are a hypochondriac?

Re: I was partially deaf for the last couple of years

#44

Post by bitJericho » Mon, Feb 24, 2014, 6:36 PM UTC

Forplax wrote: post #37

bitJericho wrote: post #32

500 rs?? Good thing you don't live in the states, would have been a 5000 dollar operation!

Normally I'm happy to jump into a "bash US healthcare" conversation, but as someone who recently experienced exactly this issue off-insurance, I can tell you that office visit + procedure runs anywhere from $200-$400 out of pocket. Since it's a 5 minute in-office thing, most of that cost would be hidden behind a copay to those with decent insurance. Nothing like 500Rs, to be sure. But not quite four figures yet.

As most people don't have 500 dollars to pay the clinic up front, this would have been an ER visit for the majority of Americans.