A Reason For The Rising Cost Of Health Care

You can now partly blame me for U.S. healthcare costs going
through the roof.

In spite of my trying to live a reasonably healthy life, I could have most certainly done better with my diet and other health habits, and thus may have avoided some of the expensive heart problems with which I was recently diagnosed and treated.

In my latest healthcare scare, everything came up suddenly and without warning less than six weeks ago when I first noted some uncharacteristic shortness of breath on my daily walks. Ever since I've been subjected to ongoing pre-op tests and treatments at our local hospital, followed by a day of prep and an intensive four-day stay at the University of Virginian Medical Center. I still haven't the faintest idea what the total sticker price for my bypass surgery and associated health services might be, and maybe I'll never know.

Hospitals, health facilities, and medical centers are somewhat like around-the-clock assembly lines, where specialists efficiently provide 24/7 billable services, all vital and life saving ones, to be sure. I've experienced unbelievable care in the past weeks, including from Dr. Kern, my heart surgeon, and the ten people on his team involved in my 5-hour surgery. Then there was the amazing lineup of separate individuals providing care ranging from daily x-rays, regular blood tests and lab work, keeping track of vital signs every four hours, a nurse to dispense meds three times a day, plus other doctors and  nurse practitioners assessing my daily progress. And not least of all, many wonderful patient care techs to respond to every personal care need.

Now that I'm home, I'm blessed with two full time angels from heaven attending to my every whim, along with an occasional visiting nurse and friends who've brought us enough love (partly spelled f-o-o-d) and other blessings to last us for weeks.

So all I can feel today is gratitude, all going back to that dramatic moment when I was told I had gotten through everything OK and that they were removing my breathing tube and enabling me to begin to do less labored breathing. Strangely, I remember the first day, still under the influence of my anesthesia, as among my best.

At day six, I'm at home and experiencing a boat load of blessings from every side. Thanks be to God, and to all of God's loving people who have been like Jesus to me.