Update:
I had a very busy day medically yesterday. I had a 10:15 a.m. initial appointment with
my rehabilitation physician, Dr.
Schmidt. We talked about the process of
being fitted for and learning to walk with a prosthesis; we discussed my
hobbies and what I would like to be able to do (bow and gun hunting, riding my motorcycle,
riding my bicycle, hike in the woods, cutting and splitting firewood, etc.); we
talked about a realistic time table for getting back on my feet. She did a few strength and mobility tests;
then got me set up with an initial appointment with my physical therapist for
next week; and got an immediate initial appointment set up for me with the lab
that will make my prosthetic. One of the
best things I learned today was to lay on my stomach for a few minutes to
stretch the one muscle/tendon that has given me discomfort after sitting with
my leg elevated. It really felt good to
do that!
At the prosthesis lab, I met with Leah a certified prosthetist and orthotist
(I didn’t even know that those were real words before today) who will be
working with me. She examined both my
feet and then showed me the parts of the kind of prosthesis I will be
getting. Leah explained in more detail
the steps we’ll be taking to get me walking again. She also made a mold of my right foot for a
custom insole and measured my foot for my new shoes. They look a lot like my current New Balance
walking shoes. They’re black and can be worn
with dress and casual clothes.
If everything goes well, I’m thinking I will begin learning how to walk
in March. It takes time to learn to walk
and build up time wearing my prosthesis before I will be able to go without too
many restrictions. Realistically, I should be walking fairly well
sometime this summer (maybe late spring).
The extreme cold was an advantage for me today. It caused cancellations at the prosthesis lab
so I got in today right when the doctor called to set up an appointment for me.
This was a very encouraging day to me. I
feel like I am making progress and took giant strides forward today. Yeah!!
Today, Karen and I left the house at 9 a.m. and didn’t get back until 3
p.m. We did eat a quick lunch at Panera’s
Bread (one of Karen’s favorite places to eat) and made a 20 minute stop at Sam’s
Club—but the rest was all medical appointment time. Whew!
Next Monday we get to do it again.
I meet with the physical therapist in the a.m. to design an exercise
program to strengthen my core and help prepare the muscles that I will use for
walking; we’ll have a quick lunch; and then I have an appointment with our
family doctor in the afternoon. I already have “double appointments” set up
on two other Mondays later in the month.
Both Karen and I have Monday off work so it works well so both of us can
go and hear all the information and make any decisions together.
The end of my amputated leg is a bit tender today after last night’s slip
and fall. It feels like any part of the
body that takes a hard bump—it’s tender but there is no bruising. It should be back to “normal” within a couple
of days or I’ll have to contact the surgeon.
Pray that everything is fine and I haven’t set myself back by this
happening. And as soon as I took my shoe off last night,
I changed into a sticky sock so I could not make the same error twice!
Thought for the Day:
In an NBC News Report (1/28/2014), Maggie Fox writes that “More than a
quarter of U.S. families are burdened by having to pay for medical care, and
almost one in six struggle to pay health care bills, federal researchers
reported on Tuesday… Almost 1 in 6 families (16.5 percent) had problems paying
medical bills in the past 12 months. And
nearly nine percent said they had medical bills they couldn’t pay at all… Other
reports have shown that costly illnesses trigger about half of all personal
bankruptcies in the United States.”
When a family is facing major illness or battling cancer, it is normal
to think about the physical struggle, how to get the patient to all the doctor
appointments, how does the family manage with only one parent to help while the
other takes on a greater workload, etc.
It is easy to imagine the emotional cost of having our hopes and dreams for
the future ripped away or the grieving that occur over the loss or
limitation. But a hidden reef that can
shipwreck families facing a major illness is finances. Health care costs are unbelievable! I still have bills coming in for my eight day
stay in the hospital, but right now I already have received over $40,000 in
bills for medication alone! That’s
$5,000 per day—now that is some expensive IV medications! And I’ll be the first to say that I happen to
believe that I am worth every penny of it.
I am thankful for the medication and what it did. It literally saved my life. I wouldn’t be here without it. But at what cost?
I really don’t have any answers.
I am the first to admit that I don’t know how our health care system got
this way or how to fix it. I just want
to point out this “hidden” burden to many families. I feel that it is insane how much things cost
when supplied in a hospital. With all
the other pressure that they face because of the illness, families don’t need
one more like this one. This doesn’t
happen to just families without insurance either. Many people have policies that cover the
catastrophic events; but even then, the family’s share of the bill is
astronomical.
This puts a terrible strain on already tight budgets. It increases pressure on the bread winner to
work longer, harder to get more pay meaning that the family gets to spend less
time together and perhaps the patient then is left on their own more than they
should be. Financial pressure can
produce sparks and produces fights about spending. It creates a tough balance between throwing
every penny you earn against the mountain of debt or using a portion of income
for some rest and refreshment.
I remember over 30 years ago watching someone pay for their groceries
with food stamps. Besides the good
things they purchased, there was also a “healthy” selection of junk food and
soda. I remember taking offense. Someone older, wiser and more mellow than I
was, suggested to me that maybe, those “unworthy” food items were the caregiver’s
only means of an escape; that it brought a moment of pleasure to those faced
with the burden caring for a loved one dying of illness and disease.
The medical advances we’ve made in the last generation are wonderful
but can be shockingly expensive. Perhaps
earlier generations didn’t have to deal with the ethical/medical/financial dilemma
that we face.
In principle, I think that people should live within their means. They shouldn’t purchase things that they
cannot afford. But when it comes to
lifesaving measures in the hospital—I have a different viewpoint. I don’t think we as a society should only
care for those who can afford it. I don’t
think that someone without financial resources or insurance should have to
check his wallet before getting the care they need. But it is also a shame that families are
destroyed financially by medical bills (I guess I should say by overly inflated
medical bills). I am not blaming or
pointing the finger at any one group or entity (I don’t even know who should be
blamed). But something needs to change
in our health system.
I don’t have any answers—I have more questions. I don’t know who or what to blame. It is all too easy to be okay with the status
quo when you are relatively healthy and haven’t been touched by the
problem. I’m less certain what I think
about the Affordable Health Care Act (except to say my health care is not that
affordable). Time will tell as we see
what it will really accomplish; however it seems to have skirted the problem of
actually lowering health care costs.
It is tough to know what someone is going through. Some people can handle stress and
difficulties better than others. Be
careful not to develop a judgmental attitude.
Have compassion upon those hurting and in need. As a society, we are joined together. The idea of neighbor helping neighbor is
appealing. Yet, I know that there is no
such thing as a free lunch—somebody always has to pay. I have this predicament of wanting people to
pay their own way (and not have the government force me to pay for others) and
yet having compassion and not wanting to deny people the care that they need
and the dignity they deserve as fellow human beings. Oh my head hurts thinking about it!!! Could I it be that I am becoming a more
compassionate conservative!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment