Struck me today as the height of foolishness that I'm high-tailing it up to northwestern Massachusetts for my first writing workshop, yet in going on 600 posts I've been rather coy bringing up a significant something in my life. Before the Affordable Care Act was passed, I tagged myself as a poster child for the ACA. But I never really discussed why, or why I'm now the poster child for universal healthcare (making too much money for Medicaid - PA's GOP legislature won't expand the program & too little to qualify for the ACA).
The fact is that I have been less than fit for well over 10 years.
It was about 12 years ago, working at Panera/Willow Grove, that my foot or leg or foot & leg problem first bothered me. I was fine running back & forth baking bagels, but put me behind the cash register for a prolonged period of time & my left leg would start aching. Bye bye, Panera.
If you've seen me seeming a bit wobbly, that's because when I sit for as little as 15 minutes, it takes me a moment or two to get my land legs. Sit for a longer time - say, an hour composing blog posts - and I can struggle to get walking. Give me a few moments & all is well - well, just a slight hesitation. What a mess when I've been in the computer studio, forgot to bring the phone in, it rings & I try to make a dash to get it before the 4th ring. Defines pathetic.
It was eight years ago that the Philadelphia school system realized that the alternative school where I taught had never required teachers or staff to be tested for TB. With a tight turn-around time before school started, the doctor I sought out had me get a chest x-ray. Trust me, you never want to have the person who reads the x-ray tell you, "Take the x-ray & go straight to your doctor."
Of course, my doctor wanted me to get all sorts of tests & was not happy when I said, "Can't afford it."
In case you don't know, people who don't have health care coverage not only have to cover all expenses on their own, health care providers can charge the moon, and they do. The blood work I got at the same time as the chest x-rays was billed at $2,000.00. When I squawked, the staff told me, "You're not under contract with anyone; we can charge whatever we want." And boy did they!
About six years back, John & I reluctantly slept apart, him up in the Tower Bower, me down on the couch in the den, where I could more easily sleep propped up, because I had wretched breathing problems when stretched out. Praise be, about three years ago, horrific winter weather hit & we were without power for a couple days. Chilled to the bone, we didn't care if neither of us got any sleep, there was no way we were sleeping apart. Which was when we discovered that the problem had abated enough that we could resume falling asleep snugged up in the same bed! But I still sleep with 3 big pillows & the window open 1", even in the bitterest weather.
Over two years ago, we were in a minor fender bender - no apparent ill effects, but an opportunity to see the same doctor on the insurance company's dime. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. Since I couldn't afford meds (could afford the pills, just not the required regular bloodwork), the only alternative was going on a vegetarian diet. I changed & my blood pressure stabilized. No idea what it is right now, since my doctor said he couldn't see me until I get blood work done & I can't afford it.
And then there's his insistence that I see a gynecologist. For probably four years, have had what the Bible refers to as an "issue of blood" which has gotten steadily more serious. Could be a benign polyp. Or not. If nothing else, he's pretty sure I've got to be anemic, another reason for wanting blood work. But again - if I go to the gyn, that doctor will require testing. And why bother? It's not like I can afford treatment. Even if I was on the ACA, I'd be facing a $3,000 annual deductible. I don't think so.
The truth is that I've been dealt a hand of unfit cards, but I'll play with what I've got. Frankly, I don't have much faith in America's health care system - worked for too many years in the health care industry & know too much. People squawk about government coming between them & their docs, but mega corporations have been doing exactly that for decades.
If anything, being open should help me get my rear in gear, to get MOVING on the things that I'm uniquely positioned to make happen, like Cyber Access for the Technically Timid, the Senior Core Values Project, getting The Velveteen Grammie published. My hope is that the greatest consequence of sharing the truth will be in shifting into higher gear.
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