This surgery more work than I thought it would be, but I'm still glad I did it. I'm glad all that stainless steel/titanium is out of my system and that I don't have to worry about something breaking off in my leg bone and staying there forever.
( I know this photo is TMI - but as a scientist I'm fascinated by it. Like the fancy dinner napkin?)
Since I've been fairly immobile, it's been interesting to me to NOT draw (much) or quilt (much) or do much more than sit on the sofa with my leg up and a good book in my hand. I haven't done anything like that since...well since I broke my leg three years ago. I've been good and haven't sunk to watching daytime TV, and have been sticking to more of the marshmallow books. No cleaning (well, I'll amend that - I did clean the 'fridge shelves, just couldn't stand looking at them one day), no plant watering, no laundry, no driving. Frustrating in a way, but OK in another.
I'm going to try to drive today, just a short hop to the drycleaners. I'm going to try to go into work tomorrow for 1/2 day - I do have to get back into the saddle eventually.
The one thing that has been haunting me is the luckiness of me - having good health insurance, and good doctors nearby. What would have happened to me if I hadn't had health insurance? Would I be lame now? Would they have turned me away, turned me over to someone to learn on? Would I have been able to have these annoying bits removed? Probably not, and let me tell you - they hurt and needed to come out. I'm always upset that in this country, this great big rich (usually) amazing country that we do not have at least a basic health insurance available to everyone. I have friends who have lost their jobs, and financially can afford to coast for awhile looking for new jobs...but it's the health insurance that they need. T and I have always known that we needed secure health insurance and not one that was dependant on our jobs and have always kept two policies, one for him and mine thru work for both of us. This way, if I lost my job, he would still be covered and I could jump on his if I needed to. Financially it was probably a stupid move, we've spent thousands over the years, but it let me sleep at night and that's worth alot.
What are your thoughts on the state of health insurance in the US? I would feel so much better paying my enormous tax bill if I knew that it was actually going to help someone with basic, affordable, non-job related health insurance.
So there.
5 comments:
health insurance in the us is a retarded joke. but i'm glad you have it and that you are healing and reading and going to drive again.
I still have the first set of screws from my leg-I'm going to make something with them eventually-titatium is the strongest of metals. I took the screws to the office and no one cared that they all came out of my foot-the guys were passing them around going "oooooh titanium"..... I love the simplicity of males sometimes.
The Health Insurance thing is going to be one of those defining economic issues for our lifetime. Somehow the docs and the accountants got together to come up with a complex form of "rules" that keeps many of us chained to the big corporations, and victimizes those that can't even get a link in the chain.
My backup plan (for me) has always been euthanasia-and strangely enough, I appear to have less fear of the future than my friends who don't go there. Now, don't call 9-11, I sincerely and whole heartedly hope it doesn't come to that, but given the choice between rotting away in my own filth and a quick easy exit-quick and easy is the way for me.
In a way, Health Insurance may be the form of social control for the middle class. Religion quit working on those damn fool college kids, so we'll get them by their prostrate glands....LOL.
And, the situation also brings to light the fallacy of people (doctors) on pedastals. I'm here only to save your life, please don't question my motives beyond that? HAH-that's old as the human race, isn't it? You'd think we'd have learned by now.
"health care in this country" is an oxymoron. When I had cancer a while back, we had no insurance. Luckily for me it was easily treatable and one surgery took care of it all, but there I was with $42,000 to pay somehow. I did pay it off and it took 5 1/2 years of monthly payments of $715 through credit counseling. Today hubby and I have insurance but the deductable is sky high so we can afford to pay the $750 per month premiums. I guess we have what most consider as catastophic insurance. Some people don't even have that. I'll never be without insurance again, lousy as my policy is, it's still something. So many people have gone to financial ruin because of a lack of insurance. The big guys had better get this one right, and pretty soon!
Glad you're feeling better :)
Hot topic - ain't it?
here in the uk we have the nhs (yuk, spit, vomit, blah) useless totally useless!
so hubby and i have private health insurance which costs a fortune every month, but when i had back surgery 5 years ago, it didn't cost us £40,000,they paid! so we can also sleep at night (and then work hard in the day to pay for the sleep we can have at night....sigh)
i am so very glad that those bits are out of your little foot....my oh my!
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