Category: Healthcare

Categories
Healthcare

Image of a different kind

Lovely storm rolling through – more like ones we get in the Spring than the Fall.

In addition to the very welcome encouragement in the comments to my previous posting, I’m also getting some good discussion about photos and resolution necessary for publication. Among them, a suggestion for a PhotoShop plug-in that might help me salvage some of my existing photos for publication. It would be nice to do so, because there are some that I really like and are going to difficult to recreate with my film camera. Any and all suggestions, extremely welcome.

I spent the morning with a different type of photography – I had my MRI today rather than last Monday. The session was postponed from the earlier time because of a mixup in the sedatives, i.e. I didn’t get a chance to get the prescription for Valium filled from the doctor. Since the MRI is a closed one, I was strongly urged to get the sedatives if I have even the slightest tendency to claustrophobia.

Today, after taking two Valium, I felt I was ready to face the Machine.

I just know there are people reading this who have had MRIs and probably had no problems and slept through the thing. I wish I could say that you would have been proud of me, and that I was a brave little soldier, but I have to admit that Stavros is not the only Wonder Chicken around. I was okay until I was pushed into that long, dark, tiny tube and sedatives or not, I yelled, “Take me out! Take me out!”

The technician was wonderful, talked with me about what to expect, gave me a panic button and turned the lights in the tube on high. I laid back down and closed my eyes tight and this time I was able to stay in the tube.

An MRI isn’t a quick snapshot like an X-Ray – mine took 45 minutes, and several images were captured based on different magnetic frequencies. With each, the machine would measure my respiratory rate and then match it. As I breathed in, it would stop; when I breathed out, it would make The Noise.

And what noise – even with headphones playing my favorite radio station, the sound shakes your bones and you find yourself clenching your teeth, hands, and various other body parts. I now know why the doctor told me not to drink much before going in.

I was okay until the second to the last image. There was a longish time between pictures, and the silence was actually worse then the vibration. I hollered out, “Are we done?”

No answer.

“Are we through?”

No answer.

“ARE WE FINISHED, PLEASE!”

No such luck, two more to go. I breathed faster, thinking to hurry it along. Instead of:

****in**** beeeeeep ****in**** beeeeeep ****in**** beeeeeep

The pattern became:

*in*beep*in*beep*in*beep*in*beep*in*beep*in*beep

I got a chance to see the last set of images before I left. Question: are we the shape we are because this is the optimum package to hold all those odd organs? Or are the organs odd because of our shape? Regardless, it’s rather interesting to see what you look like from the inside out.

As for the test, no worries. Routine stuff, now out of the way and I can focus on photography that’s much more interesting – taking photos of my world, from the inside out. However, I’m in a writing mood, a major writing mood, so be ready for words coming your way.

Categories
Healthcare

A pink rose

I’ve been following Jeneane’s tales about becoming unemployed and having to deal with health insurance and possible lack thereof. My own option was to do without health care or insurance coverage, an option Jeneane doesn’t have with a small child and existing medical conditions.

The President will be at Boeing in St. Louis tomorrow and I’m tempted to go down with a big, big sign saying, “I have SARS!”, including at the bottom in teeny tiny print “Sick About the Reality of being Sick with no health insurance”. Bet that would be one fast trip back to Air Force One. If you don’t hear from me tomorrow, you’ll know I gave into my evil self.

I cannot understand how we can talk tax cuts when a fifth of the country has inadequate health care coverage. Just think what will happen if SARS grabs a hold of this country. Nothing shows up an inadequate health care coverage system more than a deadly outbreak of an unknown virus that has flu-like symptoms to start.

The states and counties and cities, and private organizations and universities do their best to close the gap between the insured and uninsured, though the effort is, at most, a treatment rather than a cure. Still, they’re doing the best they can and more power to them.

One hospital associated with a university in our area sends out “wellness” newsletters containing health tips, phone numbers, notice of free health classes and so on. Among the items will be any free or low-cost health care alternative for those who don’t have insurance.

One organization listed in the newsletter provides free mammograms and breast exams for women; but it’s not just a quick, cattle-car event you would expect from a “free” service. No, this is an all day event. When the woman arrives in the morning she’s sat down, and the procedures are explained to her, in detail. She’s then given the mammogram, and provided lunch while waiting the result. Following lunch, she watches a short movie about how to do breast self-exams. Once that’s finished, she meets with the doctor and finishes the exam. Hopefully all will be well, but if not, that’s when the gap between being insured and not insured will become most apparent.

Just before leaving, the staff gives her a single pink rose. While it’s the exam that might help save her life, it’s the rose that helps save her dignity.

 


flowergift.jpg
 

Categories
Healthcare

War on health coverage

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

There’s been discussion throughout weblogging about whether people would vote for Bush again or not. Many of the postings I’ve read said that the webloggers would primarily because of his policies regarding Israel, and his “handling of terrorism”.

To vote for Bush solely because of terrorism ignores so many other issues that are critical to this country. Issues that also cost lives, daily.

For instance, there’s the issue of health coverage in this country. My friend Chris recently posted some statistics about American life at his weblog. Among these was one that I felt was particularly relevant to my own situation — the fact that 40,000,000 people in this country don’t have health insurance.

If you want something to back up this statistic, then will a press release from the US Census Bureau do? According to the press release, we’re actually improving our lot in life, as the number of people without health insurance coverage in our country dropped to “only” 38.7 million in 2000. However, this number has changed drastically due to the current recession and higher unemployment. Other publications now put the number at 44 million.

This is only about 15% or so of the populace, but considering that the US is the richest country in the world, wouldn’t you all agree that any amount over 0% is a cause for shame?

Instead of dealing with the health care crises effectively, George W Bush tries to put through a health plan based on tax credits, an approach that’s been proven ineffective in the past. In addition, Bush also wants to put through an “intermediate” pharmacy discount plan that could, at most, reduce prescription drug costs by only about 10-25%. With prescription costs exceeding thousands of dollars a month for some illnesses, saving a few hundred dollars is not going to make a difference.

I have a close friend in Oregon who works for the Job Corps, teaching carpentry to displaced kids. He doesn’t make the bucks a master carpenter would make in the public sector, but he loves his work. He’s past retirement age, though, and needs to think about quitting. He isn’t able to because of health care coverage.

My close friend’s wife has severe emphysema that requires drugs costing thousands of dollars a month to keep her alive. If he quits, he loses his personal health care coverage, and Medicare doesn’t provide coverage of most of the costs of the drugs. If he quits, he’ll quickly go through all of his savings in order to buy the drugs his wife needs to stay alive.

This is a real person. He goes by the name of “Red”. He has a wonderful smile, a great sense of humor, an enormously huge heart, and he used to be my father-in-law. And if he retires, which he’ll have to someday, he’ll be financially destitute within one year.

I suppose, though, he could get “lucky” and his wife will die before he’s forced to retire. By the way, she goes by the name of “Bert”. She’s firey and tempermental, with an incredible laugh. She loves her kids and her grand-kids and she loves to travel. With adequate medication, and some restrictions, she can still travel.

She and Red had always planned to travel when he retired.

Without health insurance coverage, people in this country are making decisions daily that result in early or immediate death. They’re literally gambling with their lives because of the cost of medical care.

How many people are dying because of inadequate health coverage and care? I couldn’t find a statistic on this, but as a conservative guess, if only 1 percent of those uninsured in this country die because of lack of easily accessible medical care in a year, thats over 400,000 people a year. And that’s over 1000 people a day.

To be blunt, you’re more likely to die in this country because of inadequate medical coverage and care than you are from being killed by a terrorist. Regardless of your religion, race, sex, or any particular orientation.

You might want to consider this the next time you say you want to vote for Bush primarily because of his handling of terrorism.

Categories
Healthcare

Not having health insurance

If you don’t have medical insurance in the United States, then you had better be healthy or homeless, because you’re screwed otherwise.

Not feeling that well and may be quiet for a bit. I’m currently trying to find medical assistance, but without insurance it’s not easy. I had made an appointment at one of San Fran General Hospital’s open clinics before I went on my little journey to St. Louis. However, when I called to confirm the date and time of the appointment, they had no record of it. And every other doctor in town charges 350.00 an office visit, and is booked for a month.

Such is life in the big city of San Francisco.

Categories
Healthcare

More knee problems

I’m barely able to walk today. In fact, my lack of mobility is a bit scary as well as frustrating as walking and hiking are some of my favorite activities. Not to mention essential when you’re living alone. Tomorrow I’ll call the PT and tell her we have to act quickly. In fact, we might be too late for therapy — thanks to the wonderful insurance company that refuses to answer its phone, and sends providers on wild goose chases when getting authorization for payment.

I don’t have medical insurance, so I can’t get treated and then tell the various providers to duke it out between ’em. Neither the Orthopedic surgeon nor the PT will start any treatment without getting pre-authorized payments. Don’t ya love our medical system?