Home > Buenos Diaz > Colonscopy Awareness Bugs Columnist

Colonscopy Awareness Bugs Columnist

By Gloria Diaz

Check out Gloria's Blog — Edge of Gloria!

Fort Wayne Reader

2017-03-02


I’ve been seeing billboards up around town about the importance of getting a colonoscopy, and I’m not quite sure what to think. On one hand, having had a colonoscopy, they aren’t fun. I’m not good with anesthesia. Every time I go under, it means throwing up for at least a half hour or more after the procedure. The colonoscopy showed I had polyps. If they weren’t removed, I’d have cancer. So I had them removed. I also went bankrupt. My insurance, which was little more than preventative care only, paid for $19,000 of the costs. I was on the hook for $51,000. I didn’t have it. So I filed.

But it was either have surgery I knew I damn well couldn’t afford, or die. I’m due for another colonoscopy, but of course, I can’t afford it. Maybe the Affordable Care Act still covers it on my insurance. I’m hoping it does. Because if it doesn’t, I can’t afford to have a colonoscopy. They’re around $5,000. I wonder if the person spearheading this campaign is a supporter of universal health care. If not, and my insurance doesn’t cover it, would that person still want me to get a colonoscopy? And if so, how the hell do I pay for it?

So, I guess I sort of resent seeing billboards that assume that I have the means to have expensive health exams. I also kind of resent seeing a dead person tell me to have a colonoscopy. I’ve talked about my health problems in my column before, but I can’t quite put my finger on why this local billboard campaign bugs me. Hold up — after a few seconds of thought, it hit me. It’s the American tradition of telling people what to do, but not providing a means to do it, because the task is priced so high. I’m sick of seeing ads about how important my health is, while the powers that be want to take away the first decent insurance I’ve had in over a decade. This is America: “See your doctor.” “Get it checked.” “Get this test when you turn 40, 50, whatever.” Oh, you don’t have any money? Sucks to be you.

We’re hypocrites. We decry teenage pregnancy, while sex is everywhere in the media. If you don’t have sex, you’re a prude. But if you have sex, you run the risk of pregnancy. We push for education, but make fun of intellectuals. We are concerned about health, yet fat acceptance runs rampant. If being overweight opens the door to multiple health problems (and it does) why are we saying it’s okay to be heavy? We supposedly have the best health care in the world, but only if you can afford it, and if you’re a certain age. You can talk all you want about death panels, but I’m willing to bet long before the ACA was passed a few thousand, if not a few million older Americans were told their cough was bronchitis, when in reality, it was cancer. I know of at least one case where this actually happened. The patients weren’t told what was really going on because, well, we’ve got to cut costs somewhere, and Grandma isn’t getting any younger you know. It’s a pretty callous decision, but this sort of stuff has been going on, probably for thousands of years.

Maybe Linda Vandeveer gave her blessing to her husband to use her to spread the word about colonoscopies. If so, well, okay. But it still bugs me. I wouldn’t want to be honored this way. To each his or her own, I guess.

Be the first to rate this story!
Bad
1 2 3 4 5
Excellent
 
 
FWR Archive | Contact Us | Advertise | Add Fort Wayne Reader news to your website |
©2024 Fort Wayne Reader. All rights Reserved.
 

©2024 Fort Wayne Reader. All rights Reserved.