"Fay-yoo? Ah... ah... OK, she won't be winning any beauty contests anytime soon, but she is solid. Ship like this, be with you till the day you die.""Because it's a death trap."
Well shit, I'm convinced. We should scrap this government program.
Let me say this for the rest of the people in the USA need to hear it: YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY PERSON THAT MATTERS GET THE FUCK OVER YOURSELF AND LEARN TO LIVE IN A COOPERATIVE SOCIETY YOU SELF-CENTERED FUCKS.
I did drink a lot of water but otherwise felt really good with fresh oil. I donated 32 times the first year I was diagnosed. Weekly was the most frequent I could do it, sometimes if my vitals or hemoglobin were off I would have to skip. My ferritin was 2700ng/mL when I found out. The normal range is 30-400. When I had a liver biopsy it showed my bile was carrying iron, something my hepatologist had never seen.
Once I got my ferritin down I was able to donate less often but whenever my count gets higher I have to donate more frequently. Unfortunately I no longer can see the doctor who is familiar with my case and can't afford the time off of work to find a new doctor covered by my insurance.
Backstory:
I have hemochromatosis. My body doesn't eliminate iron like most people's. As a result I am at risk of getting iron deposition in my organs; most commonly the liver and kidneys are affected. The simple treatment for hemochromatosis is therapeutic phlebotomy; bloodletting. When my ferretin (iron) count in my blood gets high I have to donate blood to get it lower. This wouldn't be an issue except I need to do so weekly/bi-weekly and not the requisite waiting period blood donor centers require. Because of this I have to get 'therapeutic phlebotomies' ordered by my hepatologist.
I could not afford to pay my entire balance with the healthcare provider my doctor's office is part of. Their system would not allow me to make a partial payment and would not allow me to check in for my appointment unless I paid the amount in full ($450+). Because of this I could not attend my doctor's visit and because we did not have a visit they cannot prescribe the routine maintenance my condition requires.
TLDR: I have a genetic condition with one of the easiest treatment plans which is giving my blood away, something that saves lives, but I cannot receive treatment because I cannot pay my full balance with the healthcare provider.
Functional government with a solid social safety net.A country which doesn't have a culture of greed and psychopathy.