Saturday, July 31, 2004
Obviously...
...I need a drying out period after this week, culminated by yesterday, so this weekend is going to be very low key. I am keeping my expectations regarding my mother's ability to mobilize on her own to a minimum and wait and see what happens. Last night she seemed to be recovering some of her strength. Her blood pressure, as well, slipped back to normal throughout the afternoon and evening, the 120s over the 50s.
I have decided that, the next time she collapses (although I'm going to try to keep this to a minimum) I'm taking her into the ER. I'm prepared, now, for the ridiculous medical situation in this community. In fact, as I was telling my mother last night, although I hope she doesn't collapse, I kind of hope she does because "I'm itching for a fight". I'm ready to deal with these doctors and hospitals who are holding patients hostage, here, in an attempt to manuever insurance institutions into fairly lining their pockets. I don't have a problem with physicians and health care institutions getting their due. I have a problem with the way they're going about it.
It's funny, one of the sub-rants of the ER doctor's monologue, yesterday, was that he's been trying to encourage patients to write their representatives in congress and the senate, etc. In my sleep deprived state this sounded good to me, and then, later, after a few hours sleep, I realized, hey, you guys, your insurance buddies, and your congress/senate buddies got us into this mess, and you expect your patients to get you out?!? Up yours! I'm going to push you, all of you, by using anger and shame, back to what should be your true calling, the calling of the healer, and I'm going to force you, one way or another, whether it takes you negotiating with the veteran's hospital up here to take her over their congress/senate approved denial (which I'm sure you somehow managed to finagle in order to increase your power in the wildly out of kilter doctor/patient ratio here), you recoding her paperwork to get paid in an amount you think is fair, you arranging med-evac transport for her down to the valley, to get your hands dirty on your own behalf and stop relying on your victims for help.
Fuck this country's medical crisis. Fuck the professionals that got us here and are now crying, "Foul!" Fuck all of you who stand in my way. One way or another, I'm going to attempt get my mother taken care of adequately and compassionately and I'm going to get you to do it, because you're the ones who are supposed to do this and you're the ones who created this situation, in the first place.
Well, that felt good. I wonder how long I'll be able to hold up.
I have decided that, the next time she collapses (although I'm going to try to keep this to a minimum) I'm taking her into the ER. I'm prepared, now, for the ridiculous medical situation in this community. In fact, as I was telling my mother last night, although I hope she doesn't collapse, I kind of hope she does because "I'm itching for a fight". I'm ready to deal with these doctors and hospitals who are holding patients hostage, here, in an attempt to manuever insurance institutions into fairly lining their pockets. I don't have a problem with physicians and health care institutions getting their due. I have a problem with the way they're going about it.
It's funny, one of the sub-rants of the ER doctor's monologue, yesterday, was that he's been trying to encourage patients to write their representatives in congress and the senate, etc. In my sleep deprived state this sounded good to me, and then, later, after a few hours sleep, I realized, hey, you guys, your insurance buddies, and your congress/senate buddies got us into this mess, and you expect your patients to get you out?!? Up yours! I'm going to push you, all of you, by using anger and shame, back to what should be your true calling, the calling of the healer, and I'm going to force you, one way or another, whether it takes you negotiating with the veteran's hospital up here to take her over their congress/senate approved denial (which I'm sure you somehow managed to finagle in order to increase your power in the wildly out of kilter doctor/patient ratio here), you recoding her paperwork to get paid in an amount you think is fair, you arranging med-evac transport for her down to the valley, to get your hands dirty on your own behalf and stop relying on your victims for help.
Fuck this country's medical crisis. Fuck the professionals that got us here and are now crying, "Foul!" Fuck all of you who stand in my way. One way or another, I'm going to attempt get my mother taken care of adequately and compassionately and I'm going to get you to do it, because you're the ones who are supposed to do this and you're the ones who created this situation, in the first place.
Well, that felt good. I wonder how long I'll be able to hold up.
