Hey. I've actually left the country already, but I'm visiting for a time near the end of this year. I think I will try and get my records, though. I can tell them I've been out of the country for a couple of years and I don't think I'm going to be returning. And that I want my records to pass on to the doctors who are now involved in my healthcare, yeah.

> Usually, hardware is removed because it tends to want to wiggle it's way out anyway and cause protrusions much like what you experienced when shaving caused bleeding.

Yeah. I think that was because that screw was angled and so not hard up against the bone. I do think... That the main trouble with my injuries was that things didn't just fracture they literally shattered or disintegrated. As such, there wasn't really anything they could do aside from what they did. I was in a wheelchair for 3 months completely non weight bearing (with elevated legs, too).

Unfortunately... I don't have good health insurance yet. Have to pay 20% of specialist visits and stuff... Though... I will certainly check it out when I'm earning (and I'm certainly careful to keep health insurance). Trouble is 'pre-existing condition' clauses... Health insurance isn't as standard in Australasia as it is in the US... Maybe because the public system is better... Just different ways of distributing the health care is all... It does mean that I'd have more chance of getting this sorted if I had private health insurance in the US, though.

> In the US our medical records belong to us. Only you know what the laws are in your land.

Yeah. I don't know what the laws are on that in NZ. All I know is I asked for my records and they showed them to me (though didn't explain any of it to me), but wouldn't give them to me on discharge. When I'm there I'll put in a request for them... Trouble is that clinical notes can surely be copied / duplicated okay. Don't know what happens with CAT / x-ray / MRI imagine etc, though. Not sure they can be duplicated...