March 27, 2012
This morning I sat on the patio with my babies (Alex, Callie, Izzy, Grace, my cats, and Scout, my little dog) and watched the sun light up the sky with a dramatic pink-orange color. Beautiful. Weather was cool, so I wore a sweatshirt. The neighborhood was quiet. I love to watch my babies explore the yard. The cats hunch in a pouncing position while watching butterflies, birds, and anything thing else that moves or flies, invade their yard. They hunt, play, chase each other, dig, hide behind bushes and shrubs looking for a vantage point to catch unsuspecting birds who have gathered at the bird feeders for their breakfast. Scout peers through the fence to see if the neighbor’s dogs are awake to start his daily barking competition with them. They were not up, yet. He checks all the sites where he has bones buried, taking an inventory of each one. He knows where all of them are buried. I sip on my replacement soy shake that I make in a blender. It’s hard to believe that there is a place more beautiful than this where life is more glorious, peaceful, and everlasting. But there is such a place-Heaven. I will get to see friends, family members and pets who have passed before me. I will be waiting at the gates for those friends, family members, and pets who will pass after me.
I spoke to the people at the surgery center today. My surgery has been confirmed for April 2, 2012. I completed on line paperwork for pre op, made arrangements with my neighbor and friend to drive me to the surgery center, drive me home, and stay with me for the next 24-hour period. My surgery will take approximately two hours. I will stay an additional two hours in recovery. If the doctor feels I need to be admitted to a hospital, he will send me. My babies will be taken care of by my neighbor, if I have to be hospitalized. Hopefully, I will go home that day. My surgery will include making a wide margin incision around the site of the cancerous mole that was removed, to insure all of the cancer has been removed. Then, the lymph nodes, that respond to the surgical instrument that will used to locate them by the dye injected earlier, will be removed. I anticipate a good day with no problems. My surgeon is one of the best in Austin.
I often wonder what people who do not have health insurance do for medical coverage. I know I would not get the best medical care without medical insurance. Monthly premiums are high. Daily medications, also expensive. Co-payments can be expensive. I have a $3,500 deduction. What would happen to me if I could not pay for the surgery? What facility would I be sent to that would take uninsured patients? When I was a teacher, I saw many children with minor health concerns turn into more serious concerns because their families did not have medical insurance or the money to take them to a doctor. One year I had a student with severe ear infections that effected his hearing and balance. His parents eventually took him to a clinic to see a doctor and get medication. His ear infections did not improve. One day I asked him if he felt any better. He said he was getting a little better but had no more medication. I asked him what happened to the medication he was taken. He said his mother also has ear infections and used his ear drops so that she could go to work. Both of his parents worked. They could barely pay the bills and put food on the table, let alone afford a doctor or medication. I had another student who was playing on the floor with his baby brother on morning, when he was bitten by a Scorpion on the arm. His parents put a home made remedy on the bite that included a variety of ingredients fro their kitchen and a dash of tobacco rubbed on the site. He sat at his desk trying not to let me see him cry. When he told me what happened, I immediately sent him to the nurse. She called his parents but they could not do anything more that what they has done. They had no resources to get him medical attention. Scorpion bits hurt. Eventually, the stinging stops but the wait is painful. This is the same student (a fourth grader) who watched a car hit his dog as the school bus pulled away from his house about one month before the Scorpion bite. He came to class very upset. I asked him what was wrong. When he told me, I let him call his parents to see if the dog was alright. The dog was fine. Just a limp. If the dog had suffered serious injuries the family would have no other choice but to put the dog down. Or, in the case of poor country families, shoot the dog. Then we wonder why our test scores are low, our students stress levels are high, and their motivation is lacking. These children deal with them a variety of concerns and issues before the school bus pulls up to their houses. Medical care is usually on the bottom of the list of concerns.
I remember the year I started junior high school. During the first week of classes, I had a really bad toothache that kept me up for several nights. I was not taken to the dentist because dental care after hours was expensive. My parents both worked. My tooth hurt so badly, I could not concentrate in school. One day, I just walked out of school to a dentist office about one block away. If I had gone to the school nurse, she would have called my parents who were both working. I would have had to wait until I went home because they could not take time from their jobs. By the time they got home and took me to the dentist, the after hour fees, which they could not afford, would be charged. No telling how long I would have to wait to get dental care. So, I just walked out of school. I went to the dentist with eight dollars in my pocket. I asked him if he would pull my tooth. He said yes and took the eight dollars I offered him. I told him I would return to pay his the balance the next day. The next day, just like I said, I paid the balance.
I learned about the importance of being able to afford health care and making my health a top priority from that experience.
I am one of the more fortunate people. I have medical insurance.
