My Personal Health Care Nightmare Story

I wanted to share with everyone my own personal health care nightmare story.

I already shared it with Barack Obama.

I submitted my story at the "Organizing for America Health Care Action Center" at

http://origin.stories.barackobama.com/healthcare/stories/update_landing/d61a5482d1/56286

Which is where my story and all its gory details can be found in its original version.

(Although I have never heard one single word back, nor even an acknowledgement that he received my story.)

Yeah! But it was ok to use MY catch-phrase!

Here is a faithful reproduction of what is written there, so you won't have to surf around to find it:

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I am a 52 yr old person who has several life-threatening illnesses.

Due to my illness, I have been unable to work for over 2 years. Thus, I have no health care insurance, and no money to pay for doctors, diagnostic tests, nor even for my medications.

Without insurance or money to pay, there is no doctor and no clinic who will take me. The one specialist who agreed to take me on a "charity" basis, treats me like garbage, refuses to listen when I try to tell him my symptoms, refuses to order diagnostic tests that I know I need (I am a Registered Nurse, and I know!), and has even been verbally abusive and threatened to refuse to prescribe my medications that I have been on for many years.

I have applied for Social Security Disability, but been denied.

This is my second go-around with the Social Security Administration - I applied 3 months ago and just received the first denial - Now I will have to hire a lawyer again. Last time it took me 2 1/2 years to get through the process. When I got to court, the judge agreed I was "totally disabled and there was no job I can do", but refused to let me have Disability, because I was trying to work 2 hours a day so I would not starve to death.

In the meantime, I am doing without any health care whatsoever, and also doing without essential medications that I need to live.

I have no money whatsoever, no income at all.

And consequently, all of my utilities have been cut off, including electricity, water, phone, everything, and I had to move out of my home, and I am now homeless, on top of being seriously ill and doing without medical care and my medications.

Also, I am going to now lose my home entirely.

We have trillions of dollars for the bankers. Billions for car manufacturers. Hundreds of billions for pre-emptive wars against non-aggressive nations to kill innocent civilian women and children. We have plenty of money for illegal wiretapping and other outrageous and unnecessary things.

But we don't have money for health care for American citizens???

It is bad enough that you have to wait about 5-6 years to get Disability when you are too sick to work. What's up with that?

Also: how are you supposed to have the medical records to support your disability when you can't go to a doctor, nor have any diagnostic tests done???

And while you are waiting for the Disability check that you can not ever get, you starve to death, go without medical care, and end up homeless, and lose your home. There is something very wrong with this picture.

HR 676 would allow me to have the medical care that I need. There is no other way I can get it. If I don't get it, I will die. I don't want to die because of a lack of medical care and the treatment and medications that I need to live.

You selfish Americans need to wake up and stop being so disgustingly cruel and selfish. You bitch about your tax money going to help Americans, but you don't even bat an eye when it is hundreds of millions going for wars and bailouts for big bank executives!

You are going to pay the same taxes anyway, regardless.

(I have paid them for 35 years, and believe me, they got PLENTY off my RN wages! Money that I paid out by the tens of thousands, that I want back now, when I can not help myself, and when I need it!!!)

Would you rather have your tax money go to killing people in foreign countries who have never hurt you, or to big bank and insurance CEO's, or to rebuilding Iraq, or buying useless crap the bureaucratic govt thinks it needs?

Or would you rather your tax money went to make sure all Americans have medical, dental, and vision care?

Over 50 million Americans are doing without medical care. This is a CRIME.

MEDICAL CARE IS A RIGHT - NOT A PRIVILEGE ONLY FOR THE RICH.

Sure it's nice if your job gives you health care. But in KY only about 5% of employers offer it.

AND WHAT IF YOU ARE TOO SICK TO WORK?????

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There it is. That's the story.

I uploaded it several months ago when I had to move out of my home because I could not afford to pay the utilities, and my lights and water were shut off.

It's all pretty much the same, only worse. I am now 53, not 52 anymore.

The "one specialist who would take me on a charity basis" now refuses to see me, because I can not pay him. In the 2 years I had seen him, he never ordered not even one single diagnostic test! Basically I was not receiving any care at all, anyway - but it was an avenue for getting my prescriptions that I need to breathe. Now I have nowhere to get them at all. The local emergency rooms will not prescribe your routine medications for you - you are supposed to "get them from your regular physician". Well how are you supposed to do that if you can't have a "regular physician"?

I am presently living at a past employer's house - a person who has end-stage liver cirrhosis, with accompanying Korsakoff Syndrome, and who is very abusive. (In case you don't know what Korsakoff Syndrome is, it is alcoholic dementia that accompanies liver cirrhosis. It is similar to Alzheimer's disease, and the people who have it become very confused, agitated, lose control of bodily functions, experience memory loss, and become unable to control their emotions.)

Over the past couple of months, I have had to deal with all sorts of outrageously violent and abusive behavior, including being kicked, arms twisted, getting spit on in my face, choked, attempted to push me down the steps face first, tried to throw a pan full of hot oil in my face, been called every filthy name ever imagined, been threatened with all sorts of things including death, have heard all sorts of filthy sexual crap, and have seen my beloved pets abused by a frigging lunatic.

It's a good thing I am able to control myself. Because anyone else would have knocked this asshole's head off his shoulders by now.

Not to mention the fact that I am still expected to do all the same caretaking and housekeeping work that I used to do here 6 years ago, but got PAID for! It doesn't matter that I can barely even take care of myself - much less anyone else!

But I can't do anything about it. There is no where else to go. Not here there isn't.

There is a 6 month or more waiting list for homeless shelters here. And it is no place to be, trust me. Besides which, I am not giving up my precious little Foofy dog.

Annnie got hit by a car a week and a half ago because the jerk I am staying with will not let her come in the house, even though she is a house dog.

She is only 7 months old.

Her right hind leg and lower belly looked like a meat grinder got ahold of them. It was horrible. I had to "doctor" it myself, because I have no money to take her to the vet. It was a good thing I knew how and had the things to do it with. I did wound care on her twice a day for ten days and had to wrap her leg with an Ace bandage for 5 days or so because she had some tendon inflammation & the leg was swollen. I thought it might be fractured at first. She could not walk - I had to carry her throughout the day and night to the grass where she could use the potty.  She could not lay down by herself.  I had to pick her up and lay her down.  The wound became infected and I was afraid I'd lose her, but then it did heal. Nothing was broken and no internal injuries, fortunately.

She is fine now, thank God. Though she will be badly scarred forever and walks a little tippy.

But I am not fine. I am very angry that my poor dog was subjected to this for no reason. Such a beautiful pup & the very sweetest little dog I have ever had! She is almost human - "talks" to me!

Yeah, I'm PISSED!

Why?

Because there is nothing I can do about it. I am too sick to work anymore. And I am too sick to bounce around from place to place like I used to be able to do.

I wish to God I could. I wish I could breathe. I wish I didn't need to do 8-10 nebulizer treatments every day, and I wish I could get back up again when I sit down somewhere. I wish I didn't feel so weak and break out into a sweat all over anytime I try to sweep the floor or take a shower. I wish I could plant a garden again and walk my dogs. I wish I didn't wake up several times every night not being able to breathe. And I wish I could dance again.

But I just can't do it. So that means no money. No income.

I am still waiting for my Disability. I am ready to file my appeal now, because I have been denied twice now.

I don't have much hope. Remember, last time they denied me because I was trying to work 2 hrs a day, 5 days a week, even though they did agree that I was "disabled & there was no job I could do". (their words!)

What really angers me the most, is that I went to the Social Security office for the drunk I live with, to file his claim for Disability (since he is not able, because he stays drunk all the time!), and guess what? They sent him HIS check within 2 months.

Is that fair? That a person who is purposely killing themself with alcohol should get a free ride instead of treatment? And that a person who is truly sick should get no help at all?

WTF is wrong with this country?

It makes me sick.

Every time I get on this subject, I get furious.

I am not a lazy person, nor a lounger. I am an over-achiever who owned my own International Marketing Company when I was 23, and had 9 employees. I have worked 2 and 3 jobs at a time since I was 16 years old. I worked my way through college with 3 jobs and was a licensed foster parent who took in emotionally disturbed teen-aged girls. Yep. I did all that and went to college, too. Half my class flunked out - but I didn't.

That is probably why I am sick now. Because I over-worked.

But now I am too sick to do it anymore. I can hardly get the dishes washed.

Which is why I sit at this computer almost 20 hours a day, EVERY day, trying to figure out how to make enough money to get away from this lunatic and be able to support myself.

Because it's all I'm able to do.

It's also why I keep reading this blog:

http://makemoneyforbeginners.blogspot.com/2007/02/blogger-basics-making-money-online.html

To try and figure out how to make enough money on the internet to support myself and get myself and my beloved pet babies away from this lunatic I am forced to live with.

And also because my box of breathing treatments is almost empty and I don't know where on earth I will get any more. Or how I will breathe when they are gone.

I have no hope whatsoever that the US government (notice I did not say "MY" government!) will ever do the right thing.

I will be very interested to see what kind of comments I get here.

I wonder what kind of people make up the HubPages community?

Anyway.

I urge each and every one of you to do whatever is in your power to do, to force our government to make sure that everyone in this country is able to receive the same quality of health care, whether they have money or not, a job or not, pre-existing conditions or not, addiction problems or not, whether they smoke or drink or not.

We need to STOP being so intolerant of others' shortcomings and faults.

We are all human beings. And we are ALL entitled to proper health, dental, and vision care.

Why should someone who is rich be able to have dental care and glasses, but the poor person should have to suffer with dental pain and be blind?

Does the amount of money we have define us as a human being? Can you take it with you when you die and they put you in that coffin you take your last trip out of this world in?

Why should a person who has an addiction be barred from getting health care, or barred from having a home or a job? Aren't these the very people that we should be helping? Make them stronger, so we can ALL be stronger?

Why should the poor and the sick be punished? Aren't they suffering enough?

They are already homeless, hungry, and jobless. They have already lost everything.

Should they be kicked and ground down into the dirt some more on top of what they are already suffering?

Where is your compassion, Americans?

Quit judging others less fortunate and less perfect than yourselves!

It could be YOU!

When I graduated from college with my RN degree, I never thought I would get sick and not be able to work. I never thought I would be destitute. And I never thought I would be homeless and have to go without medical care to the point where I am afraid I will actually die from the lack of it.

It's a good thing I know about medical symptoms and what they mean, and a good thing that I am intelligent and can study alternative and herbal remedies, to try to heal myself, or at least to deal with some of my worst annoying symptoms.

Trying to be my own doctor.

But what about the people who don't have a college degree? And don't know enough to look for alternative treatments?

Why do you think there is such a massive demand for herbal remedies and health supplements? Because people are having to treat themselves - because they have no health care insurance, no money, and now no jobs, either, with the economic collapse we are living in. They have no choice but to try to take care of themselves.

This makes me be ashamed to be an American. How about you?

Think what you want to think about me spilling my guts and exposing myself.

It feels good writing it.

And maybe it will do some good for someone else.

There is nothing you can say to me to convince me that the big health care insurance companies and big pharma should continue to dictate whether Americans live or die.

So don't even try.

Just think about what I have said here. And do the right thing.


Educate yourself about HR 676:
http://www.hr676.org/

Read the bill:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-676

How you can help:
http://www.hr676.org/11.html

Then watch this video "Sick for Profit" and if it doesn't make you mad as hell, then there is something wrong with you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKI9be55N00

And here is the matching website for "Sick for Profit":
http://sickforprofit.com/

Do you want to help me? I need it.

Visit my websites/stores. Buy something if you can afford it. Refer other people there, maybe they will buy something.

http://angelina-ballerina.webs.com/ (This website was rated in the Top 1% of new websites uploaded to Webs.com in the past week! Not bad for a person who didn't even know what html was a few years ago.  Angelina Ballerina, of all things! What a person won't do to try to earn some money! Well, it's a fun place for little girls, anyway! Makes me feel good! Even if I am broke...)

http://WesternKyFisherman.bravehost.com/

http://WesternKyFishermanStore.bravehost.com/

If you think of something better let me know.