Greetings
and blessings to one and all! Whether this is the 1st time you’re
reading my blog or have been with me from day 1 when I started in Gambia, West
Africa, I pray that my words touch your heart and mind: that you be encouraged,
enlightened and entertained as you walk with me on my journey.
One thing I
have to admit is that I have been inconsistent with writing every week as I was
in Gambia. Seems I’m distracted with the goings on in my daily life of getting
resettled back in Chicago.
I came back
on all around zero, so I’m working hard at filling up that which was empty!
That includes but not limited to my energy, my own place to stay, a car,
grounding and developing my organization here as well as maintaining it in
Africa, being the matriarch for my family and making sure my health is in
order.
Let me fill
you in on the healthcare exploits since my return. I commented in one of my
blog post when I was in Gambia that I did not go to the doctor there unless it
was an emergency. It’s not the fault of the system or people it’s just that
certain things there are limited in more ways than one. So one of the 1st
things on my “to do list” when I got back here was to schedule my annual
physical. Now I must say, thank GOD I have health insurance, but what’s with
the referral system in healthcare? Geez!!!!
Since I’ve
been back I’ve been in a hospital or clinic setting 7 times. Yep 7 times in 76
days, whoa! Mind you I’m fairly healthy,
praise GOD, but I do have an ache here and a pain there! So it seems to me
wherever there is an ache or pain you’re referred to this doctor or that doctor
for each thing. Huh, what!? What happened to the days that you GP took care of
all that? My GP could not even interpret a test result from another doctor I’d
been referred to. And oh yeah, those referrals are ten times as much per visit
than that of a visit with my GP. Is there a kickback scheme to this referral
thing I wonder, especially since they’re usually all in the same network!?
Hmmmm....
Here’s an
example: at my stage in life a colonoscopy is recommended every 5-10 years as
part of a wellness physical. Ok that means a referral to a GI Doctor to
schedule the procedure at the cost of $40.00. Mind you he didn’t touch or
examine me. The crisp white paper on his exam table didn’t get sat on or
wrinkled. He just scheduled the procedure. I started to just rip off a sheet
and ball it up for the heck of it to get a piece of some $40.00 paper! Hahahahaha!!! Now in order to get the
results of the procedure I have to go back to him to give me those results and
spend another $40.00, Dang!
Not to
mention doctors that will give you a prescription for only 30 days and tell
you to come back in 30 days for a refill. Huh, what!? That means another fee
for him or her. I tell you folks it seems like a racket to me and I’m a nurse!
Now I’m far
from being financially rich and thank GOD I don’t have to take a lot of
medication, but $40.00 here and $50.00 there takes a chunk out of my finances. But what about those that are facing health challenges, elderly and
infirmed that do need constant medical follow up and medications. This is a maze that needs to be straightened out with a
quickness. Ok, I won't rant, but this is a truth about a system that is faulty
and broken.
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I’m just
saying!
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