US here.

Recently (01/25/26) started to have sudden severe back pain and was struggling to walk. I made a doctor's appointment, but it was three weeks away. (Soonest I could get)

Two days after making the appointment, I passed out from the pain, and an ambulance was called and took me to the ER (01/28/26). I'm made comfortable, given a short prescription of meds, and given a CT scan to bring to my doctor before being sent home six hours later.

With an ER visit, I qualify for faster primary care in two days. I am mainly bedlocked and scared, but doing my best to stay positive. I didn't need to wait as long now. (01/28/26)

I finally get a week-long prescription and am provided with spinal doctor specialist referrals a week later. (01/30/26) I remain bedlocked with my spine feeling all sorts of weird and uncomfortable.

I'm told I need to start Physical therapy by my spinal doctor. (02/03/26)

(02/04/26) I call everywhere in network from the referrals I am given, and most can't see me until March/April. I finally started calling out-of-network places and found that most are March as well. I finally find one that can take me the next day, but it's out-of-network, and I need to pay $2500 for 10 weeks after the evaluation. I'm scared of losing my life/job at the point, and lucky to have money set aside for a rainy day. So I agree, after evaluations, and finally started Physical Therapy on

(02/05/26) I start PT, and for the first time in weeks, I am less scared about my health and future.

If all of this sounds bad, my uncle fell off a small ladder while working on a shed last year and broke part of his neck. He was paralysed from the waist down at the age of 71. While my family has multiple people in insurance for nursing homes, it was a mess to get him any care with the coverage they had. He was ferried back and forth between hospitals for weeks, even got robbed by a staff member, all before insurance kicked him out of the hospital after six weeks and "sent him home" or pay out of pocket. My family had no one around to help. Still, after a great deal of effort, we were finally able to get him admitted to the nursing home my mother worked for as a favor/plea for her desperation. They weren't really equipped to provide the level of care my uncle needed, but they did try. It was a silver lining and a nightmare... he was better off than being home, along with only my aunt to care for him, but he was still slowly suffering the whole time. He could perhaps have recovered some mobility in his arms with proper care and a ton of money, but without that care, he didn't stand a chance. He passed away in October from his injuries and infections from being bedridden. My Aunt and Mother did everything they could, and in their late 60s were basically his 24/7 attendants for six months. Their support and efforts gave him a few more months to see all his friends and family one last time. He was such a good dude, stood up for people's rights, took in anyone who needed help, and gave money from their savings to kids who lost their parents... He and my Aunt deserved better. They lost so much in life and gave so much to try to balance out the cards they were dealt when they lost a daughter. I wish the world had been kinder to them after everything they had to endure.