Personal Trainers

[gallsman]

Christ, I didn't even think about the costs in the south ffs.

Nah, the tablets on prescription set me back about €1.17 though. Bastards.

[clarshack]

The whole thing is f**ked. Can barely get near a GP never mind anything more serious.

I don't mean to sound like the smug fella abroad who shits on everything at home but I gave this example to a few lads at home (both North and South) and they genuinely didn't believe me. Spain is hardly a world leader in healthcare but the contrast with home shocked me.

Anyway, around the middle of August I slipped quite badly on the stairs down into my basement. They're concrete steps with a faux marble tile and a slipped quite neat the top. Managed to land the small of my back at a near perfect 45° angle onto the 90° cut of the step and then slid the whole way down to the bottom, about another 17/18 steps, bouncing the back off each one.

I was crocked for a couple of days. Getting up and sitting down was painful. Couldn't sit for more than 45 mins or so without needing to stretch out and lie down. A huge bruise on my back from my kidneys on round and the down the top of my arse cheeks developed. Being the idiot I am, I found myself getting a little bit better and a few weeks later I went on a stag. Was sore, but ok. Another few weeks later was feeling a bit of pain, about a month or 5 weeks after the fall. Decided I'd go to the doctor, for reassurance if nothing else.

Now I live in a back of beyond town in the arse end of nowhere about an hour outside Barcelona. Population a couple of thousand, max. We have our own little mini health centre with about 1.5 doctors and some nursing staff. It's a branch of a bigger centre in the nearest "big" town, population about 35,000. I decided I was going to go to doc late on a Tuesday night, so I used the public healthcare app to leave a note for reception to ask for an appointment. I got a call about 8.20 on the Wednesday morning asking what the story was and after telling her, had an appointment with the GP around 11.15. He did a few checks and figured I was largely fine and that pain and discomfort were all just deep tissue bruising and inflammation, but would need an x-ray to make sure no fracture in the coccyx. Booked me an x-ray that afternoon at the health centre (specifically not a hospital, like a massive GP but also has gynae care etc) in the equivalent of, I guess, a county town, population about 70-75,000 and a follow up for late on the Thursday morning to go over the results. Maybe a 20-25 minute drive from the house. Turned up on time, x-ray done, back home barely over an hour later. In for the results with the GP the next day, got the all clear, he prescribed some anti inflammatories and home I went.

So in the space of about 40 hours of having decided I wanted to see doctor, I'd seen my GP, had an x-ray, gone over the results, got my tablets and was back home with my feet up.

I have private health insurance through work, and pay for the rest of the family to be added to it. We almost never use it. Pregnancy and maternity care all through the public system.

It's 3 weeks to get the results of an x-ray in the North.

[imtommygunn]

It's not working at all. The thing that worries me more is things like having elderly parents and how it will impact them if something happens them. The after care etc is brutal.

[trailer]

It's not working at all. The thing that worries me more is things like having elderly parents and how it will impact them if something happens them. The after care etc is brutal.

Massive problem getting people out of hospital. Lots of families won't look after their elderly relatives and unless there is a domiciliary care package in place health trusts can't get them out of hospital beds. That just backs the system up.
Lots of other issues as well but this is a key one.
Although my friend insists GPs are lazy bastards and are constantly moaning looking more money. He says he they are far too well paid. He works in the silly service with them.

[Armagh18]

£31.67 p/m for a family membership at the local leisure centre is the best money you will ever spend. why would you pay a PT?

So that you actually go? So that you're doing the right stuff when you do go, you're lifting with correct form etc not going to wreck your back or something, also so you're improving week on week and noticing a positive change.

A PT isn't for everyone but if you can find someone who can get results in the area you want and they are reasonably priced then they are great investment. Agree though there are plenty of bluffers at it too.

[bennydorano]

Bureaucracy kills the NHS. Unless you work in the public sector you cannot understand some of the nonsense that goes on. Too many people protecting their own turf.

It'll be interesting to see if Sue Gray (ex senior civil service mandarin & now in the higher echelons of the UK Labour Party) will sort it out if Labour get in. The public sector does need reforming - but also properly financed.

[Tony Baloney]

Bureaucracy kills the NHS. Unless you work in the public sector you cannot understand some of the nonsense that goes on. Too many people protecting their own turf.

It'll be interesting to see if Sue Gray (ex senior civil service mandarin & now in the higher echelons of the UK Labour Party) will sort it out if Labour get in. The public sector does need reforming - but also properly financed.

The filling in of forms does my head in. Had the youngest in Craigavon a few months ago and I'd say we answered the same questions and had a form filled in by someone about 5 times in over the course of 24 hrs. Surely to goodness all this stuff could be filled in once and doctors have it all at their fingertips through a mobile device including their full medical history. The Unions play a large part in this - they'd rather paper is shuffled around and perpetuate inefficiency than modernise and potentially put admin jobs at risk. And nobody will ever sort it out and instead government after government will pour money into the leaky bucket.

[JoG2]

Here's a goodin... Pack of paracetamol is about £1 if not less. These, along with dozens of other cheap medications are available for free on the NHS.
By the time it goes through a health centre, admin staff, GP, script printed, collected and gets sent out to the pharmacy of choice, that £1 costs the NHS (us) £58.
The system is broken beyond belief.
Great for acute issues, anything else, a disaster

[LC]

We run a "fitness" camp every January and February, Ballygalgets biggest loser it's called.

At it's peak we'd over 200 people paying £5 a week to be put into groups of 10 or 12, assigned "motivators" who'd take them on walks, runs, boxercise etc etc with weekly weigh ins and at the end of the 10 weeks the winners, male and female were those that lost the most weight. There was also a team prize for the overall best team who won the most Sunday morning challenges..


Our neighbouring clubs got in on the act and they run similar schemes at various times of the year and make a few bob from them as well.

But out of that has sprung up a cottage industry of personal trainers doing well for themselves off the back of it. One of our camogs runs boot camps where she's takes 20 people for 6 week blocks, does the before and after stuff and the last time I was talking to her she's thinking of packing in the day job.
Another of our lads got into the spin, kettle bell HIIT stuff as well as a bit of massaging and he's doing well, so well he hasn't the time to be our medical man the bollox..

Middle aged women in particular have money to spend and they go for this stuff in a big way.

Cost of living crisis my arse!!!!

Nails
Weekly hair appointments
Boot camps
Pilate classes
Pampering weekends

I could go on

Don't forget the botox! Seeing plenty of women now with the joker smile.

Plenty of fitness videos on youtube that you can get for free - if you've a couple of kettlebells you're sorted and doesn't need to be more than a 20/25 min workout.

The small group training has really taken off at the minute, realistically if you're joining a gym like this then it's a min £100 for 3 sessions a week.

Years ago you might have only found clinics doing this on the Lisburn Road and such places, now a lot more common.
There is a clinic in the small town nearest me, the missus showed me the price list....wtf. 

[Eire90]

probably better to go for a walk with just a t shirt on but people too scared to do that because someone might look of there window.

[JoG2]

Getting arrested would prob be the bigger issue

[manfromdelmonte]

Currently paying €52 for the club yearly membership which includes access to a top class gym which is open once no teams are using it.

[square_ball]

Currently paying €52 for the club yearly membership which includes access to a top class gym which is open once no teams are using it.

Some of the gym set ups that clubs have nowadays are superb.

[tonto1888]

The whole thing is f**ked. Can barely get near a GP never mind anything more serious.

I don't mean to sound like the smug fella abroad who shits on everything at home but I gave this example to a few lads at home (both North and South) and they genuinely didn't believe me. Spain is hardly a world leader in healthcare but the contrast with home shocked me.

Anyway, around the middle of August I slipped quite badly on the stairs down into my basement. They're concrete steps with a faux marble tile and a slipped quite neat the top. Managed to land the small of my back at a near perfect 45° angle onto the 90° cut of the step and then slid the whole way down to the bottom, about another 17/18 steps, bouncing the back off each one.

I was crocked for a couple of days. Getting up and sitting down was painful. Couldn't sit for more than 45 mins or so without needing to stretch out and lie down. A huge bruise on my back from my kidneys on round and the down the top of my arse cheeks developed. Being the idiot I am, I found myself getting a little bit better and a few weeks later I went on a stag. Was sore, but ok. Another few weeks later was feeling a bit of pain, about a month or 5 weeks after the fall. Decided I'd go to the doctor, for reassurance if nothing else.

Now I live in a back of beyond town in the arse end of nowhere about an hour outside Barcelona. Population a couple of thousand, max. We have our own little mini health centre with about 1.5 doctors and some nursing staff. It's a branch of a bigger centre in the nearest "big" town, population about 35,000. I decided I was going to go to doc late on a Tuesday night, so I used the public healthcare app to leave a note for reception to ask for an appointment. I got a call about 8.20 on the Wednesday morning asking what the story was and after telling her, had an appointment with the GP around 11.15. He did a few checks and figured I was largely fine and that pain and discomfort were all just deep tissue bruising and inflammation, but would need an x-ray to make sure no fracture in the coccyx. Booked me an x-ray that afternoon at the health centre (specifically not a hospital, like a massive GP but also has gynae care etc) in the equivalent of, I guess, a county town, population about 70-75,000 and a follow up for late on the Thursday morning to go over the results. Maybe a 20-25 minute drive from the house. Turned up on time, x-ray done, back home barely over an hour later. In for the results with the GP the next day, got the all clear, he prescribed some anti inflammatories and home I went.

So in the space of about 40 hours of having decided I wanted to see doctor, I'd seen my GP, had an x-ray, gone over the results, got my tablets and was back home with my feet up.

I have private health insurance through work, and pay for the rest of the family to be added to it. We almost never use it. Pregnancy and maternity care all through the public system.

It's 3 weeks to get the results of an x-ray in the North.

bust my knee in the summer. Went to A&E in craigavon. They sent me to minor injuries. Got an xray done there and they had the result in less than a half hour

[general_lee]

The whole thing is f**ked. Can barely get near a GP never mind anything more serious.

I don't mean to sound like the smug fella abroad who shits on everything at home but I gave this example to a few lads at home (both North and South) and they genuinely didn't believe me. Spain is hardly a world leader in healthcare but the contrast with home shocked me.

Anyway, around the middle of August I slipped quite badly on the stairs down into my basement. They're concrete steps with a faux marble tile and a slipped quite neat the top. Managed to land the small of my back at a near perfect 45° angle onto the 90° cut of the step and then slid the whole way down to the bottom, about another 17/18 steps, bouncing the back off each one.

I was crocked for a couple of days. Getting up and sitting down was painful. Couldn't sit for more than 45 mins or so without needing to stretch out and lie down. A huge bruise on my back from my kidneys on round and the down the top of my arse cheeks developed. Being the idiot I am, I found myself getting a little bit better and a few weeks later I went on a stag. Was sore, but ok. Another few weeks later was feeling a bit of pain, about a month or 5 weeks after the fall. Decided I'd go to the doctor, for reassurance if nothing else.

Now I live in a back of beyond town in the arse end of nowhere about an hour outside Barcelona. Population a couple of thousand, max. We have our own little mini health centre with about 1.5 doctors and some nursing staff. It's a branch of a bigger centre in the nearest "big" town, population about 35,000. I decided I was going to go to doc late on a Tuesday night, so I used the public healthcare app to leave a note for reception to ask for an appointment. I got a call about 8.20 on the Wednesday morning asking what the story was and after telling her, had an appointment with the GP around 11.15. He did a few checks and figured I was largely fine and that pain and discomfort were all just deep tissue bruising and inflammation, but would need an x-ray to make sure no fracture in the coccyx. Booked me an x-ray that afternoon at the health centre (specifically not a hospital, like a massive GP but also has gynae care etc) in the equivalent of, I guess, a county town, population about 70-75,000 and a follow up for late on the Thursday morning to go over the results. Maybe a 20-25 minute drive from the house. Turned up on time, x-ray done, back home barely over an hour later. In for the results with the GP the next day, got the all clear, he prescribed some anti inflammatories and home I went.

So in the space of about 40 hours of having decided I wanted to see doctor, I'd seen my GP, had an x-ray, gone over the results, got my tablets and was back home with my feet up.

I have private health insurance through work, and pay for the rest of the family to be added to it. We almost never use it. Pregnancy and maternity care all through the public system.

It's 3 weeks to get the results of an x-ray in the North.

bust my knee in the summer. Went to A&E in craigavon. They sent me to minor injuries. Got an xray done there and they had the result in less than a half hour

Just like the lottery, sometimes you get lucky!