Ciao from another American in Italy! In 2020, pre Covid, I had a lipoma removed from behind my femur bone. I had been in pain for a couple of years, and was told it was my hip... until they finally found the lipoma by doing a different kind of exam. When they did find it.... they operated quickly as it was large. After reading your story, thinking it might be time to have them “look again” .
"After changing into PJs, I went to another room to be prepped"
Did they use shaving cream at least?
I'll tell you about my experience when I was a student in Rome and fell and broke my head. I was taken to pronto soccorso where they determined I'd need stitches and a stay overnight. The nurse took a razor to my hair in that spot without any shaving cream or numbing agent. I can still hear the "Krrr krr krr" of the razor scraping my scalp in my nightmares. But I survived the ordeal with no bad aftereffects. And at no cost to me. Evviva Italian healthcare!
A few months later, at the parucchiere, the stylist asked me if I had cut my own hair. I said no, I needed stitches in that spot. The nerve!
I had 2 surgeries (knee and hip replacement) 4 and 1 years ago in the US. The procedure matched perfectly with your description of your Italian, and did not resemble the description of your US surgury. I suspect that a major difference is progress in the intervening years between your surgeries. Also, you clearly had a very poor health care provider in the US. I say all this only because it is important that your readers do not think that your two examples compare prevailing procedures in the US and Italy today. That said, the US system is definitely less reliable and more expensive than the Italian system.
Validation from a fellow American who recently had surgery. Maybe we should move to Italy 😫
Ciao from another American in Italy! In 2020, pre Covid, I had a lipoma removed from behind my femur bone. I had been in pain for a couple of years, and was told it was my hip... until they finally found the lipoma by doing a different kind of exam. When they did find it.... they operated quickly as it was large. After reading your story, thinking it might be time to have them “look again” .
Grazie mille for this glimpse into the Italian health care system.
Get well soon Cheryl and thanks for sharing your experiences.
Get well soon
Good one Cheryl. Lol, love ya´, mean it! Wishing you well with speed healing!
I could not have said it better myself. Healthcare is in a sad state of affairs stateside and has been for quite sometime.
God help you if you get sick in the US! Scary but true. If the incompetence/lack of communication doesn´t kill you the cost will!
Unreal what you went through however unsurprising.
We are always happy to see the state of the art medical and dental facilities here in Portugal as well.
The SNS (Nat'l health system) messages us reminders to get our shots as needed and they are free too.
We are good dogs and have had all our shots, I am happy to say! ;) Best wishes to you, tudo de bom!
Buona convalescenza, Cheryl! I hope the histological examination confirms it was benign, and that COVID also effs off quickly! Get well soon!
Feeling that the only way to survive in USA is preventative care to never get sick
"After changing into PJs, I went to another room to be prepped"
Did they use shaving cream at least?
I'll tell you about my experience when I was a student in Rome and fell and broke my head. I was taken to pronto soccorso where they determined I'd need stitches and a stay overnight. The nurse took a razor to my hair in that spot without any shaving cream or numbing agent. I can still hear the "Krrr krr krr" of the razor scraping my scalp in my nightmares. But I survived the ordeal with no bad aftereffects. And at no cost to me. Evviva Italian healthcare!
A few months later, at the parucchiere, the stylist asked me if I had cut my own hair. I said no, I needed stitches in that spot. The nerve!
I had 2 surgeries (knee and hip replacement) 4 and 1 years ago in the US. The procedure matched perfectly with your description of your Italian, and did not resemble the description of your US surgury. I suspect that a major difference is progress in the intervening years between your surgeries. Also, you clearly had a very poor health care provider in the US. I say all this only because it is important that your readers do not think that your two examples compare prevailing procedures in the US and Italy today. That said, the US system is definitely less reliable and more expensive than the Italian system.