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Twixcookie, you say you are in healthcare, well so am I. I'm an RN and I've spent 34 years working ICUs, mostly CV-ICU. I'm not there now due to a workplace injury; I'm unable to return to the bedside now.
So you want to know why you should try to take care of yourself? Just go into an ICU and take a look at the patients there. The ones who are in and out of an ICU quickly have taken care of themselves. The ones who didn't take care of themselves are there for much longer; and you should see the bills wrack up then.
You think your piddley little $100/visit clinic visit costs money, well, I was hospitalized for 6 days recently (NOT in ICU!) and it was over $30,000. Yes, my insurance paid for part of it, but I was stuck with close to 1/4 of that bill too. I know an uninsured 25 y/o man who got stung by a couple of bees; his hospital bill for 3 cardiac arrests and treatment for anaphylaxis (a sever acute allergic reaction) and 2 days of hospitalization was $64.000. Because he's uninsured, he made a deal with the hospital and he will be paying about 1/5 of that amount. How, you may ask? Because all of us are subsidizing the rest of the bill. This young man was fortunate in that his life was saved and he is taking care of himself and trying to live a healthy lifestyle.
I just get really upset with the sick people who didn't take care of themselves and the the rest of the US taxpayers ends up paying the rest of the bill because the guy who didn't take care of themselves.
High tech medicine costs a bundle these days. Research costs money too. And I have news for you: the doctors aren't getting rich at this point; most are losing financial ground every year. Insurance companies and drug companies are the cash cows in medicine these days.
I'm an insulin resistant Diabetic type II; I monitor my glucose and A1-c closely because I don't want to have kidney disease, nor do I want to have a limb chopped off because I didn't take care of myself.
It's kind of like cars: DO the relatively cheap preventative exams (mammograms, pap smears, PSA's, etc) and you won't have to pay for the more expensive engine overhauls.
I work in medicine, and I do go up on the ICU floors in my work. I've seen it all...all the tubes, all the vents, people shunted, vented, intubated you name it.
I can't afford mammograms or other right now, because my part time job ended. And, if I got something, I figure, it's my time to die. If we halt one thing, we are just gonna get another one.
I am insulin resistant too. There isn't much one can do about it. I used to be able to go to a physician when I had one job with benefits. A lot of jobs now, don't pay it.
He basically didn't do much for it, just said I had a high insulin level, high blood pressure. The blood pressure meds don't always work well, and I think since now my drug is generic, i noticed a difference.
Twixcookie, it sounds to me like you are depressed. I am 75 years old. I have put up with High blood pressure, Fibromyalgia Syndrome and arthritis for more that half of those years. I take 2 differant typed of BP meds, and 2 types of prescription pain meds, besides lots of minerals and vitamins. I am a Christian, and consider the next life us much more desirable than this one, but I have responsibilities that I hope to live long enough to take care of. The main one is an aging husband who depends on me for so many things.
I checked your profile, and see you are divorced. I do not know how long ago that took place. Could it be part of your depression ? Do you have family that needs you ?
Do try to count your blessings, and I hope you find that you have a lot to live for. 55 is too young to wish to pass on.
My life has improved, over the dreadful times that I had physically...when I had no insurance to get medical care. My BP has been reduced in just the past year or so. I have a great doctor who works with me, not against me. She respects the fact that I do not want to take any prescriptions for meds that are probably going to do more harm than good.
May God bless you.
Marian
No, my divorce was long ago and since then, I have made my own life. I am not the kind of woman who thinks having a man is the most important thing in life. I have other interests, and gosh, if I had the money, I would pursue them!
Twix you are not alone here. I don't have all my stuff out here on the forum for everyone to read, but I can tell you that there are plenty of people "our age" struggling. I don't have health insurance either and at the moment I am racking up some pretty hefty bills. And how am I going to pay those medical bills? With my house, most likely. Now that's pretty sad. But good lord, I'm surely not going to let it take everything from me. It can't have my sanity or my optimism. So when you start telling everyone how unfair life is for you, I think you need to look at the whole picture. Times are unfair for a whole lot of people right now. And it's not aimed at you, it's not personal. But what you do with it is. If you want all these things to take you down, then it will.
Life isn't about all the cr*p you can buy, what car you drive, or who has what, or who goes where. Who cares. But how you wake up every morning and how you look at life in general is important. You need to find a better perspective. Right now you are looking through negative eyes. I'm sorry, but I mean to say this in a kind way. I hope that's coming through to you. I wish you well.
And do you want to know my philosophy, "Any day I wake up, is a good day!" http://bestsmileys.com/lol/5.gif (broken link)
Beth,
I am sorry to hear what you are going through.
I don't even have a house!
Maybe they would like my rock collection, just kidding.
I don't think I am being "negative"...I am being logical.
Life just is.
We work, or try to work, and pay the bills.
Somehow, being a drone just doesn't cut it for me.
I can't afford to do the things I'd like to do.
I am a closet geology buff, and the other night, I spent hours just reading about the new Supercollider in Europe.
See, I don't think waking up is a good thing, because it's another day of pushing the rock uphill.
I can't think of one thing to look forward to. And I know a lot of it is my age.
Twixcookie, I think I 'get' what you're saying and I'm kind of on the same path, too.
I have made lifestyle changes in diet and exercise and also don't want to get hooked on multiple medications. My course is kind of middle path..I take one medication for my blood pressure, exercise daily (most of the time), avoid salt and limit my caffeine and keep my weight down. Despite this, my blood pressure is still high, but not extremenly so.
My doctor would like me to take more medication(s) for my blood pressure but I've read recent studies about many instances where blood pressure lowering is resistant to multiple medications and then there are those wonderful side effects to consider...not my path, not my choice.
What's helped me most is yoga...my instructor has taken my blood pressure reading before and after an hour of yoga and the difference is astounding...I'm beginning a meditation/deep breathing routine which she thinks will help, too.
I must say that I feel very healthy and there's joy in my life. Simplicity is key, for me.
If I might make a recommendation, it would be to seek out a holistic or naturopathic medical expert/doctor and see if they can formulate/recommend supplements you might take. Trying on your own and not sticking with it isn't the ticket--some of the results can take months to be experienced. And since your body's chemistry is unique, you might need different supplements in different combinations and strengths than some one else..it's not a cookie-cutter approach like "take these pills 4x/day for 10 days."
Herbal remedies are more subtle and slower-acting than the very strong Western pharmaceuticals.
Perhaps your resistance is the same as mine--I just want to support my health in a natural way rather than the pharmaceutical path...each of us has our own belief system when it comes to our health.
For instance, my MIL has been plagued with very high blood pressure for many years now..she takes 8-9 medications daily and had a recent pace maker installed--and she's soon to be 90 years old. She's living, yes, but is it life? Her life centers around doctor's visits and tracking her Medicare payments and bills.
Each of us must answer our health question and support on our own, eh? Not an easy solution or decision to make.
I can't afford yoga. I don't think it will make me want to live life into being old at all.
Healthy people don't go to doctors, sick people do
I totally agree with that statement, and I would add that healthy people are those who LIVE a healthy lifestyle.
Twix. It seems like you've already done some good things for your health. Just keep going. I'm wondering if you've completed any cleansing programs to undo the damage that resulted from your unhealthy practices ( we all have them to varying degrees ). Here's a link to the website of Andreas Moritz, a medical intuitive, practitioner of Ayurveda, Iridology, Shiatsu and Vibrational Medicine. Check it out. You might find something of interest.
I will check it out and thanks...but I think everyone here but Beth missed what I was saying. I don't care if I am healthy or not. I basically have no future except to work to pay bills. Maybe I wanted more in life than others, but if just working and paying your bills is enough for you, more power to you.
Twixcookie, you say you are in healthcare, well so am I. I'm an RN and I've spent 34 years working ICUs, mostly CV-ICU. I'm not there now due to a workplace injury; I'm unable to return to the bedside now.
So you want to know why you should try to take care of yourself? Just go into an ICU and take a look at the patients there. The ones who are in and out of an ICU quickly have taken care of themselves. The ones who didn't take care of themselves are there for much longer; and you should see the bills wrack up then.
You think your piddley little $100/visit clinic visit costs money, well, I was hospitalized for 6 days recently (NOT in ICU!) and it was over $30,000. Yes, my insurance paid for part of it, but I was stuck with close to 1/4 of that bill too. I know an uninsured 25 y/o man who got stung by a couple of bees; his hospital bill for 3 cardiac arrests and treatment for anaphylaxis (a sever acute allergic reaction) and 2 days of hospitalization was $64.000. Because he's uninsured, he made a deal with the hospital and he will be paying about 1/5 of that amount. How, you may ask? Because all of us are subsidizing the rest of the bill. This young man was fortunate in that his life was saved and he is taking care of himself and trying to live a healthy lifestyle.
I just get really upset with the sick people who didn't take care of themselves and the the rest of the US taxpayers ends up paying the rest of the bill because the guy who didn't take care of themselves.
High tech medicine costs a bundle these days. Research costs money too. And I have news for you: the doctors aren't getting rich at this point; most are losing financial ground every year. Insurance companies and drug companies are the cash cows in medicine these days.
I'm an insulin resistant Diabetic type II; I monitor my glucose and A1-c closely because I don't want to have kidney disease, nor do I want to have a limb chopped off because I didn't take care of myself.
It's kind of like cars: DO the relatively cheap preventative exams (mammograms, pap smears, PSA's, etc) and you won't have to pay for the more expensive engine overhauls.
By the way, I am over 45,000 in debt from mostly medical bills. No, I am not a frivolous spender. No, I do not have a new car. No, I do not own a home. No, I don't eat steak every night.
Since when are mammograms, Pap smears cheap? An office visit alone is over $100 now.
See, I am not advocating being a societal burden at all here. I would not want to be kept alive if I had something. DNR would be there for a reason.
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Now that's pretty sad. But good lord, I'm surely not going to let it take everything from me. It can't have my sanity or my optimism. So when you start telling everyone how unfair life is for you, I think you need to look at the whole picture. Times are unfair for a whole lot of people right now. And it's not aimed at you, it's not personal. But what you do with it is. If you want all these things to take you down, then it will. 
