Well, let me tell you what happened.
On May 4, 2006, I woke up with chest pain, and pain that extended to both arms and up to my jaw. If you haven't guessed it, then I'll just tell you, I had a heart attack. I got myself to the hospital, and because I paid attention to my symptoms and reacted instead of waiting it out, the damage was minimal.
A word of advice though. Do NOT attempt to drive yourself to the doctor, hospital, or anywhere else if you are having the symptoms of a heart attack. Call 911 instead! Stupidly, I decided to drive myself to the ER, then decided to stop at the local fire department instead, and they took me to the ER. The possible accidents that could have occurred scare me now.
I was in the hospital for 4 days, one of those days in the heart tower at Memorial Mission Hospital in Asheville. I now have a stent, and am on three medications, as well as a daily aspirin regimen. I am walking every day, and I quit smoking. Let me add that I quit smoking without medications, nicotine replacements, or going nuts.
The hospital has a smoke cessation program, which I am sure is found to be very helpful by many who have quit smoking, or who are trying to quit. However, the lady who came to explain the cessation program only succeeded in making me angry (the day after a heart attack, and they send ME someone with no apparent common sense) with the last statement of her little talk. She was talking about the struggles and challenges of stopping smoking, and how in some cases people have different emotions and experiences in their efforts to quit. What made me angry though, was when she said this: "Now, there will be times as you are trying to quit, when you are going to become very angry and frustrated. When you get angry, go to your room, and beat up your pillow. Beat your pillow, and not a woman, child, or animal."
Did you have to read that last statement again? When the part about not beating a woman, child or animal had left her mouth and assaulted my ear drums, I politely thanked the woman, and told her she could go. She then asked me if she had done or said something to offend me. I told her I couldn't believe she had to ask, and that yes, she had indeed offended me. I went on to explain, that although I don't know what type of experiences she has had in the past, I am not now, nor have I ever been, nor will I ever be, an abuser of women, children, or animals. I also said that not every male of our species is, contrary to her apparent belief. She stumbled through an apology, said that the statement was part of her humor (huh?), and asked if she could give me a hug before she left. I declined the hug, forgave her, and sent her on her way. I still think what she said was inappropriate, and I don't appreciate that being a male automatically stereotypes you into being an abuser in the eyes of some people.
Now, let me tell you this. Do not...I repeat... do NOT have a heart attack if you do not have health insurance! (Not that you'd want to have a heart attack at all.) Where I work, they do not offer health insurance to any of the employees there, and we all know how expensive and cost prohibitive individual health insurance is, especially when your salary is under $20,000 a year as mine is. By the time I buy groceries for myself (single man that I am), pay my electric, phone, and cable bills (basic service), taxes, insurance, rent, buy gasoline, and my heating/cooling costs, I have nothing left to pay for my own health insurance and I now also have to add $365 a month in medications. I am actually going to go in the hole, and unlike the government, deficit spending for an individual is a no-no.
I was in the cardiac care unit of the hospital for one day, and then in a regular room for 3 days, and my hospital bill, doctors bills, and all is well over $40,000 dollars. That's my entire annual income for 2 years. I shudder to think what it would be if bypass surgery had been required!
Yes, and now good people, I find out that I am just not poor enough to get any help. I make too much money. I don't qualify for any programs except from one pharmaceutical company (AstraZeneca) did put me on their program for one of the meds I am now required to take for life. The two remaining meds are going to cost $365 a month as I stated above, and I have no choice but to not buy the more expensive one of the two, the Plavix being more necessary than the Mevacor. The maker of Plavix said my income is too high for their program, and apparently Mevacor's manufacturer has no program.
I just wonder, how many people would be saved from becoming homeless, from becoming destitute, if there were programs in both the governmental and private sectors to assist people before they become poverty stricken. Would it not be cheaper to help out before a situation becomes desperate? Any ideas? Anyone?
On May 4, 2006, I woke up with chest pain, and pain that extended to both arms and up to my jaw. If you haven't guessed it, then I'll just tell you, I had a heart attack. I got myself to the hospital, and because I paid attention to my symptoms and reacted instead of waiting it out, the damage was minimal.
A word of advice though. Do NOT attempt to drive yourself to the doctor, hospital, or anywhere else if you are having the symptoms of a heart attack. Call 911 instead! Stupidly, I decided to drive myself to the ER, then decided to stop at the local fire department instead, and they took me to the ER. The possible accidents that could have occurred scare me now.
I was in the hospital for 4 days, one of those days in the heart tower at Memorial Mission Hospital in Asheville. I now have a stent, and am on three medications, as well as a daily aspirin regimen. I am walking every day, and I quit smoking. Let me add that I quit smoking without medications, nicotine replacements, or going nuts.
The hospital has a smoke cessation program, which I am sure is found to be very helpful by many who have quit smoking, or who are trying to quit. However, the lady who came to explain the cessation program only succeeded in making me angry (the day after a heart attack, and they send ME someone with no apparent common sense) with the last statement of her little talk. She was talking about the struggles and challenges of stopping smoking, and how in some cases people have different emotions and experiences in their efforts to quit. What made me angry though, was when she said this: "Now, there will be times as you are trying to quit, when you are going to become very angry and frustrated. When you get angry, go to your room, and beat up your pillow. Beat your pillow, and not a woman, child, or animal."
Did you have to read that last statement again? When the part about not beating a woman, child or animal had left her mouth and assaulted my ear drums, I politely thanked the woman, and told her she could go. She then asked me if she had done or said something to offend me. I told her I couldn't believe she had to ask, and that yes, she had indeed offended me. I went on to explain, that although I don't know what type of experiences she has had in the past, I am not now, nor have I ever been, nor will I ever be, an abuser of women, children, or animals. I also said that not every male of our species is, contrary to her apparent belief. She stumbled through an apology, said that the statement was part of her humor (huh?), and asked if she could give me a hug before she left. I declined the hug, forgave her, and sent her on her way. I still think what she said was inappropriate, and I don't appreciate that being a male automatically stereotypes you into being an abuser in the eyes of some people.
Now, let me tell you this. Do not...I repeat... do NOT have a heart attack if you do not have health insurance! (Not that you'd want to have a heart attack at all.) Where I work, they do not offer health insurance to any of the employees there, and we all know how expensive and cost prohibitive individual health insurance is, especially when your salary is under $20,000 a year as mine is. By the time I buy groceries for myself (single man that I am), pay my electric, phone, and cable bills (basic service), taxes, insurance, rent, buy gasoline, and my heating/cooling costs, I have nothing left to pay for my own health insurance and I now also have to add $365 a month in medications. I am actually going to go in the hole, and unlike the government, deficit spending for an individual is a no-no.
I was in the cardiac care unit of the hospital for one day, and then in a regular room for 3 days, and my hospital bill, doctors bills, and all is well over $40,000 dollars. That's my entire annual income for 2 years. I shudder to think what it would be if bypass surgery had been required!
Yes, and now good people, I find out that I am just not poor enough to get any help. I make too much money. I don't qualify for any programs except from one pharmaceutical company (AstraZeneca) did put me on their program for one of the meds I am now required to take for life. The two remaining meds are going to cost $365 a month as I stated above, and I have no choice but to not buy the more expensive one of the two, the Plavix being more necessary than the Mevacor. The maker of Plavix said my income is too high for their program, and apparently Mevacor's manufacturer has no program.
I just wonder, how many people would be saved from becoming homeless, from becoming destitute, if there were programs in both the governmental and private sectors to assist people before they become poverty stricken. Would it not be cheaper to help out before a situation becomes desperate? Any ideas? Anyone?
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