I'd also like to add something to step 2: Sometimes others can see something wrong before you can even feel it. Be aware of people asking if you're feeling okay, or say if you look tired but don't feel that way. I could have caught my own sickness I have today if I had listened to a coworker yesterday.
Emergency room care is free for me, but I don't want to go for other reasons. Those being, you have to wait for hours, you are exposed to other germs and being around people in medical distress. As well, you have to explain to at least 3 nurses what's wrong with you and still about 3 doctors might ask you all the same stuff. Talking and interacting with folks is hard for me when I am well physcially, never mind when I am sick!
Oh my god - that's insane! O.O Who even goes to the ER anymore if that's what you might have to spend on that?! Just for comparison: I had surgery a couple of years ago. I needed to do several tests, ultrasound, MR, multiple blood tests - all that kind of stuff - in advance, had surgery and spent about a week in the hospital, complete with aftercare, a bunch of tests, physio, consultation of at least a dozen different specialists (btw: in a nice room with only one other person in it the whole stay), medication, food, drinks, all the usual stuff (towels, bathrobe, cosmetics...) even Internet were included and I paid zero for that whole stay. Not one Euro. My insurance paid it all - and I was unemployed and still a student at the time - my insurance cost me around 60 Euros per months back then. America is basically a third-world-country when it comes to healthcare. :(
As an US Emergency Room worker, I really appreciate the tip on not going to the Emergency Room for a minor illness. Cost is a key point, but for anyone who reads this, please think about the major illnesses and injuries that are happening at the hospital as well. Just like there's nothing your doctor can do for a cold/virus, there's little an ER can do too, and for most of the minor illnesses, we're going to tell you to follow up or just go to your Primary Care Provider anyways. Always try to see or call your primary doctor first and follow their advice. Many offices have an out of office number where they can tell you if your situation seems urgent enough for an emergency room visit.
I feel so bad for other people who live in the United States that have to pay thousands just to see a doctor I mean for goodness sake, come to Canada. Our doctors are really nice and we have free healthcare. Just a thought. Gonna leave this here
Oh, Canada ... we only wish we had your system! But even for people whose ER/doctor visits are free, it’s a good idea not to drag yourself out to a clinic or whatever if you don’t have to. Most colds are viral, not bacterial, and you’ll not only waste the doctor’s time, but you’ll expose yourself to more illness by sitting in a waiting room with a bunch of sick people. And you’ll feel better if you rest at home anyway. Resist the temptation and take care of yourself for a few days before throwing yourself on the mercy of any health care system, no matter how good.
Wolfferoni Yes, exactly! Mix half a teaspoon with half a cup of warm water and either sip it slowly (does no harm to the stomach, plus it's good when all the throat feels inflamated) or gargle and spit it out. A few times a day works fine, and it's real good before bed if coughing keeps you up at night.
Its sad that i have to do this all by myself at 16 Edit: its been 7 months just wanna say that i m doing a lottt better my health is better and i dont have any problems with doing things on my own anymore. I was extremely weak and mentally just low like 2-3 out of 10 low thank god things are better now
Wow, very american tips. O.o Going to the emergency room (or otherwise seeking medical help when sick) and having to consider the price in advance sounds awful. :( Also: not getting off from work when sick?! I understand that there are some things, you have to do, even when you're sick (e.g. if you have a little kid, you still have to take care of them), but pretty much noone is so important they can't stay home from work when sick. And those Neti pots seem to be a lot more popular in the US as well. (I'd suggest just inhaling - you only need a bowl, a kettle and some water and salt for that - anyone has those at home at all times anyways...)
The problem with staying home while sick (vs going to work) is a monetary issue. I live in Oregon, so I do get some sick pay, but it still not enough to cover bills I have to pay at the end of the month (And I have minuscule rent compared to others). It's unfortunate that most places with minimum wage jobs don't offer medical either; some states even require employers to offer it above a certain level of weekly hours (in Oregon, it's 30). But idk what what laws there are in other states about it.
Besides work, if you go to tertiary education, sometimes you just can't miss things or have an assignment to hand in or whatever. I'm sure different places have different protocols but mine only accepts staying home if you notify your teacher before the date and get a doctor's form filled out.
@angelindenile Wow. I live in germany and had to stay at home for 2 weeks because of influenza or something similar and (of course I thought) I got my full salary. If I'm honest, the older I get and the more I know about the US, the more I'm happy, that I don't live there.
Well, I don't live in the US, so I don't know about details there, but where I live (Austria), for up to three work days in a row, all you have to do is call in at work in the morning and tell them you're sick, and that's that - no doctor's note or anything required. For staying home longer, you have to visit a doctor that then writes you a note, confirming you're actually sick, that you hand in at work, when you're well again - of course you get paid in full for the whole time in both cases. I don't know, what exactly would happen, if you had to stay home for much, much longer (like half a year or longer), but I know from experience, that three weeks to a month in a row are no problem at all. You get paid like normal, as long as a doctor confirms your illness. (Also: as everyone has good health insurance, you don't need to pay for a doctor's visit at all - you just hand in your insurance card and they pay for it - if you get prescribed medication, you might be required to pay for the receipe - at the moment it's 6 Euros per package - no matter what the actual cost of the medication is - if it's lower than the 6 Euros, you get the difference back, but you never pay more than 6 Euros with a receipe.) I'm sorry, you have it so much worse. :( It must be so awful, to have to think about money when you're already sick! I never experienced that dilemma, needing medical help but having to think first, if I can afford it. That's horrible! :( I can't even imagine how bad it must be, not to get paid sick days! I mean, no one can help getting sick! It's not like it's a choice! I'm so glad, I don't live in the US. Hearing about it makes me all the more grateful and thankful for my situation. I always took paid sick days for granted...
Hm, that's true, sometimes you still might have to study to make a due date. That is indeed one of the things, you might not be able to postpone - like taking care of kids or pets. (The system with the notification and doctor's note sound reasonable to me though.)
I really love this video! As a child of a narc mom i never really learned how to take care of minor things like yourself, it was all trial and error, this is soooo helpful!
Most of us in the US don't get sick time so we bring in our contagious illnesses to work and get other people sick too. The time people need to stay home and rest isn't allowed for a lot of us which causes more issues with productivity and such. I work in a hospital and still have to come in when I'm sick with something contagious
I HIGHLY recommend the legit sudafed that you can only get behind the pharmacy counter in the US. Stuff on the shelves doesn't actually have real pseudoephedrine in it and doesn't work nearly as well. When I take sudafed I barely notice that I have a cold! :)
I’m extremely sick, I feel: -Dizzy -Tired -Stuffy -sore stomach -headache -etc. I kept asking my parents to help me but they are watching fricking tv. They don’t give a damn. I keep telling them it hurts to move but they say “ Go grab your fricking pills on the counter.” Like tf excuse me people? I’m dying here, I can’t move. Haha thanks love you guysss yeah totally. I’m pissed
I was freaking out trying to decide if I should go to the doctor or not over a persistent sore throat. ( some google searches later and I don't think I need it) Why is medical stuff in America so complex? I've always thought of the ER as only for really serious stuff, but how else do you go about it if you do need same-day medical treatment, but it isn't something life threatening? How does that even work?
4:32 in this sense I feel so grateful to be Brazilian, bc we have free health care since 1.988!! I use private health care, but I also had to use SUS (our public health system) in the past and it worked (even though, like several public things, it has its cons)!
When I was little my parents had to take me to the hospital emergency room a couple times for SEVERE and debilitating earaches in both ears and set them back like 2 grand each time just to wait LITERALLY 5 hours in the waiting room and go into triage for 15 minutes, I still feel like I owe them for being sickly
I’m sick with the cold, I’ve been sick for four days now it just getting worse and I gotta go to work but I can’t and this is my first job and I’m already looking bad
A cold?? Try living alone with nobody to help when you have chronic pain disorder, chronic insomnia & on crutch for broken foot.. just a common cold would be heavenly 😂
I'm really disappointed you wasted the whole video on a common cold... Everyone knows how to have a cup of tea and lie down and rest. Everyone knows how to wash their hands. So many people suffer from chronic illnesses or illnesses that last a lot longer than a week or two. You can't just take a Tylenol and wait out cerebral palsy or epilepsy or bipolar disorder. I think the skills to deal with illnesses like these would have been a much better focus for this video.
I figure more...complex conditions, like the ones you mention, would probably be best dealt with in their own videos, so that each one could be given the time they deserve while what those are and what skills are needed are discussed at length, preferably with someone who is an expert on them to lend credibility.