310 Comments

I meant no offense. I did a year in Edinburgh as an undergrad in 1979. I've been calling for NHS in the US ever since.BTM, I was leaving just as Thatcher was elected. I got arrested for throwing bottles at the National Front during one of their marches. The Police were pretty freindly as soon as the knew I was a Yank out against the NF. They only jabbed one kidney and both shoulders.

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Good for you. It pulls in about an extra $25 - $30k for his family. A decent part time job. It is almost as much as he made full time with a commuter airline

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No offense taken. It's important to have a discussion about these things. Ugh I was lucky that the National Front were dying out by the time I grew up enough to know what they were.We do still have far right racist groups like UKIP and Britain First, but they are always outnumbered at least ten to one by people protesting against them. Sorry that you had a bad experience with the police. I've got family in the police force and they would be way more on your side than racist idiots. Times have changed. (Only throw plastic bottles though).

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I was offered nerve blocks, which are injections into your spine, for pain, by the pain clinic I was going to. So, I tried them. They were painful, expensive($3,000+), and lasted about 6 months. A prescription of Norco costs me about $4.00, isn't painful, and lasts 30 days. Then I re-fill.

I don't know how it's done in places where there is a national health system, but in the US, several studies have shown that people in general are now chronically under-treated for pain, the elderly especially so.

I do know one thing, though. No one is EVER sticking a needle in my spinal cord while I'm concious, ever again.

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My understanding is opioids were prescribed for levels of pain significantly below what you experienced, which I believe would qualify as "last resort" in the context of the above sentence.

Levels at which less potent products might have been more appropriate, or at least more balanced. But I'm really not knowledgeable about US medical practice.

Of course, the cost of spinal injections would be entirely picked up by social security, at least in France.

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A large portion of it would be picked up by private insurance, and some from medicare. But there still is out of pocket, not much, which I am so grateful for. But one of the reasons I opted to not continue with nerve blocks is that the costs covered by insurance and Medicare would be better spent on someone else, when all it took to fix my pain was a norco. And marijuana.

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Thanks. I don’t blame the coppers. I was about 4 pints in and was throwing rocks and bottles. As I was being violent they needed to control the situation. Who’s to say I wasn’t a foreign troublemaker (I kind of was). I was locked up overnight with some mates. We were release on a £10 fine each (about $25 then) and that was that.That academic year was one of the best years of my like.

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I was making fun of your spelling.

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Sorry, i can't spell to save my life.

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I find that it helps to read what u have written b4 posting it. I make major fuck ups all the time and often see them only after posting. Then I edit the comment as quickly as I can. I meant you no harm or insult. I was making a silly little joke.

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The concept of an opioid epidemic was fabricated by chucki shoomer. They refuse to give up the war on drugs. Weed is now accepted by almost everyone. So they have to come up with something new. Can't lay off those ten thousand dea agents. They wouldn't know how to get a real job.

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So sorry to hear that. Blessings & hugs.

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Actually, it should be Make America Worse than China Again, but that doesn't sound right. Alternative reading, welcome back to the 19th century.

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Also, isn't there unemployment? why add to the labor force then?

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I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this insensitive shit. ~hugs~ if you want them.

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