Grateful for Great Health Care

My world has been turned upside down… my girlfriend/significant other/fiance/friend/sounding board*  was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia on July 19th. Since then, she has been through Round 1 of chemotherapy, in and out of intensive care, and suffered all of the indignities that come with hospitalization.

We have shared a lot of laughs together during this whole journey so far, which seems odd, because I am normally pretty emotional:  I am prone to crying at sad commercials, especially anything involving a puppy, baby or old person.  I prefer to watch ”It’s a Wonderful Life” (greatest movie ever) alone in a dark room so others cannot witness me sobbing.

My gfsoffsb** has received Great Care from everyone we have encountered since her diagnosis.  Everyone has been technically great: physicians, nurses, dieticians, and janitors. More importantly, everyone has been empathetic, considerate, compassionate, and inspirational as well.  I know we are lucky.

I believe that I appreciate the care she has received more than most people, because I have worked in health care for a long time, and I think I know the difference between great care and not-so-great care.  I have seen not-so-great-care and it is not-so-great.

I am also very grateful that I work for a great company and I have the flexibility to work from the hospital, my home, or at work.  I am very lucky.

I also feel a little guilty for being so lucky.  We are not worried about being financially ruined from this.  We have insurance coverage.  Other people do not, through no fault of their own. What if we weren’t insured?  Should people face financial ruin because they had the bad luck of developing a potentially fatal disease? It just doesn’t seem right. I am not offering an answer to the problem, only reiterating it.

Thank you for indulging me on this personal matter. I will return to writing about my passions; including physical therapy, EMR, clinical documentation, outcomes, and all of that stuff very soon.

*I hate the term “soul mate”, so I am not going to use it, but you get the idea.

**girlfriend/significant other/fiance/friend/sounding board