God Help Us....

I would invite all of you into my world... then we can hear you criticize trying to give healthcare to everyone.
Do you remember my patient who got his leg hacked off cause he was diabetic and had a bad toe? Stump left open to heal on its own? Yeah, never got him in to see ortho, and it's been healing on its own... surprisingly doing okay. People with insurance would have moved heaven and earth to do everything to save that toe for vanity's sake.
My patient named Juan who had an aortic aneurysm rupture so severely he was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down... gradually getting back better the sensation in his leg. Fixed the aneurysm in Houston due to emergency basis. Did I mention he still has one more than needs to be fixed but can't yet because he needs to heal for a year first? He can't get in to cardiology because his wife makes too much to support their family of 5 making 10.50$ an hour as a medical aide... owes a million dollars in hospital bills. We're pulling strings to try to get him seen... And oh yeah all you "he's illegal" assumers - he's a black man.
Ever had to face a patient who accused you of "never having bad teeth" because you could afford to go to the dentist. As they complained to you that when you don't have money they just pull them out.
My patient with pancreatic cancer who I got in to MD Anderson through emergency medicare.
My other patient with pancreatic cancer who died unable to get treatment.
All my patients with hepatitis C who can't get the treatment they need cause they have no money... so they end up back in the hospital repeatedly when they get critical. Their spouses who did nothing wrong but sleep with their husbands, have hep C, and now have to wait for their turn.
Go to the ER - you have a fractured bone, follow up at our clinic, "I need to go to ortho", "I'm sorry we have no where to send you"... have you ever had to heal on your own without proper casting?
Our patient at the clinic who had uterine prolapse so bad that her cervix hangs out of her at all times... can't afford a hysterectomy? You think about that one...
My patient who watched his best friend get shot down in front of him while he himself was gunned down requiring emergency surgery... one year later still suffering from post traumatic stress disorder that I have to congratulate him for being able to step foot into the grocery store or out onto his front porch. Our state resources won't see him because he's not severe enough.
How many times have I told people "If the pain gets worse, you need to go to the emergency room" --- "they won't see me... what else should I do?" --- shrug?
My patient today who is homeless - aka lost job - severe onset abdominal pain requiring surgery unable to follow up with the specialist cause she doesn't have money... I invite you all to a homeless shelter - you'll change your minds a lot quicker about what "homeless" really looks like. You ever tried to tell a patient she needs to be careful lifting after surgery when she replies she has to cart her belongings around between shelter and has no choice?
Or a patient who walks 25 blocks to your clinic from the Salvation Army after having external fixation pins placed in her arm after a fracture because she couldn't afford the pain medicine and needs you to write it for her? And have no where to go during the day until the SA reopens in the evening? You ever had pins sticking out of your arm and not had pain medicine? Ever not been able to afford the 5$ bottle of tylenol? Ever had to face your doctor, tell them you don't even have money for supper and ask them if you have the medicine at the clinic? Ever been discharged out of the hospital with pneumonia (or worse) and had to go several days without antibiotics because you couldn't afford them?
Ever got a piece of metal in your eye during work and not been able to afford to go to the opthamologist to get it out?
Did I tell you I almost got sucked into a vaginal exam on a 10 year old whose mom's boyfriend molested her? The world is an awesome place.

Granted, then there are some patients who are just lazy and fat... manage to get on disability and want to milk it... "unable to work".... manage to have money for stupid stuff - good thing all of us are wise with our spending habits and prioritize our health.
Kinda like do you not give money to the man begging just in case he's a faker or do you give him the benefit of the doubt just in case...

I can't fix this mess... don't know what can... but just ask you all to remember is that all it takes is one lost job, one medical emergency to make you bankrupt, one day without health insurance... and this could be you. Don't judge from your college educated, insured, employed, nice homes. Remember those who are too sick to work but "make too much money" to get their illness cured. Those whose homes are lying to the side of the causeway and now homeless because they didn't have insurance on their houseboat. Those who perhaps weren't educated enough to take their illness seriously, or "too busy", or "too depressed"... and now it's too late to fix it - so we spend the big bucks making them comfortable. Those who left their country to try to make a better life for themselves, are happy doing the cheap jobs we all depend on and won't do ourselves, don't qualify for insurance, get judged for "not knowing the language"... to sit back and suffer while all the lazy bums around them qualify for free crap? Or to have to apologize for your coworkers who don't treat them as well as English speaking patients, have no tolerance or patience for translating, and brush off their symptoms?

Did you hear they are taking health classes out of schools for financial reasons? Asked my patient yesterday how many times a week she had PE at school and she told me 3... good thing everyone is teaching their kids good health habits on their own. One of my coworkers had a 12 year old today with a BMI of 80. Look that up people - I'm obese at my BMI of 31. And good thing my patients get such good sex ed at home that some of them wait until they are 14 to start having sex.

All I'm saying is take a look around you. Stop taking what you have for granted. Be grateful but at the same time realize something has to change. At least some are willing to talk about it.
Good thing Jesus was just like us - rich, white, educated, hung out with all the cool kids, didn't hang out with any trouble makers, always in the right place at the right time... Oh, wait... I think he preached against those people, right? "Whatever you do for the LEAST of these..."
UG!