Luckily, my scare with cancer turned out to be a false alarm.
Luckily, thanks to the VA, I am being seen there, and a local hospital, and several diligent doctors have worked me over in many ways to insure my survival.
Meanwhile, a friend of mine who does have cancer, is facing all those bills. She is married, has small children, and sons on the military.
It is tough all the way around for her. A cancer foundation has contacted her, and she can receive some help from them. Other than that, she, her little ones, and the medical bills must be covered by her husband’s one job.
Before I moved, the VA facility I depended on for care stank.
I fall a lot, and one fall was pretty bad. I might have been unconscious for a few minutes. It was after dark, on a sidewalk, nobody around. I had to fumble for my cell and call for someone to come get me. He took me to the VA emergency where I waited for at least a couple of hours, with a throbbing head and a neck in terrible pain. Finally a nurse called me back to get my vitals. She put on a neckbrace. It hurt more than before. I told her, and asked her to take it off. She told me to leave it be. I was then sent back to the waiting area until a doctor could see me. After an hour, the pain was so bad, I could not hold back loud moans. They finally put me in a cubicle just to muffle the noise. When finally another nurse saw me, I told her how much worse the brace made my pain. She took a look and laughed. She took it off as she explained it was on upside down. She then left to laugh with the stupid nurse who put it on wrong.
The doctor told me to take Tylenol for the pain, and sent me home.
That was typical of the “care” I could expect there.
I spent some time there as a volunteer. I couldn’t push any wheelchairs, so I went room to room to see if any patients wanted to play cards, or have me read that sort of thing.
That hospital had inpatient care only for the terminal patients.
I visited one man who was very pleased to have me visit. I read a letter he’d had a few days and couldn’t see.
He nearly squirmed with delight when I asked if he played Cribbage. I told him when I came back I’d have a deck of cards with the big print numbers, and a cribbage board.
When I visited a few days later, he was gone.
I really hated that the last place those men would see was that damn hole.
They were sweet. All of them.
AND, they all served during a time when the draft was the in thing.