Medical Advances

Nobody wants to get sick.  Nobody wants to go through medical tests or surgery.  But it often can't be avoided.  And most will agree that our health system is in a real mess.  It is expensive and Obama Care appears to be making it worse rather than better.  But over the years technology and medical research have made many major improvements in care.  About 50 years ago I had a myleogram and it was a terrible, painful experience with a long period of recuperation.  A few years ago I had a second one.  It took less than an hour and I walked out when it was over with no after effects.  Many years ago I had a catscan of my kidneys.  It took about an hour and it was so slow that I remember counting the holes in the ceiling tiles to see if I was even moving.  Recent catscans of the same thing have taken just a few minutes.  Years ago a friend of mine had gall bladder surgery.  He was hospitalized for several days and had to recover from the wounds required to remove it.  A few years ago I had mine.  I was in and out in three hours and went home with three band aids on my stomach. Remarkable!  When I was a teen I remember an elder in our church going through cataract surgery.  I recall that he was required to lay flat for several days and they used sandbags around his head to keep him from moving his head.  Last week I had my first cataract surgery.  Before I could have it I was required to have a physical from my doctor.  I also had to fill out medical history forms for the hospital and I had a telephone interview concerning the anesthesia they would use. I also was given several days worth of special eye drops because medicines I am taking for my prostate cancer create a much greater chance of complications in cataract surgery.  I arrived at the health campus at 11 am.  I was checked in, given an IV and they placed a band on my right leg.  Then the anesthesiologist came and checked me out and put another band on my right leg.  At 12:30 I walked to the operating room. The surgeon put a third band on my right leg and a mark above my right eye.  I guess they didn't want to make a mistake and do the wrong eye.  Six times I was asked my name, my birth date and what  I was having done.  A few years ago they put my wife out for this surgery.  This time they just  gave me something to relax me and I was wide awake for the surgery which took about 15 minutes.  When my wife had her surgeries they put a black shield on her eye following the surgery.  For me they used a clear shield that I could see through.  After a few minutes in the recovery room I walked back to a booth to have a cup of apple juice, to have my IV taken our, to get my instructions and to get dressed.  By about 1:30 I was taken by wheelchair to our car.  And then we headed home.   I had two follow-up visits scheduled and instructions for 126 eye drops that I must take over a three week period.  The surgery was incredibly simple but the recovery is more complex.  It will take several weeks for the eye to heal and as a result my sight is blurry.  I probably will not be able to see well again until my glasses can be changed.  However, as folks told me, the colors - especially the whites - are incredibly brighter.  Now I am scheduled for my left eye next week but I'm not sure if I am going to go through with it now.  It's not the surgery that concerns me, it is the fact that I fear not being able to read or write for about a month until both eyes can heal and my glasses can be changed.  I see the surgeon today and I guess a decision must be made then.  As I originally stated, while we hope that we never need to use it, medical improvements are impressive and much more advanced than in our parents' days.  But, unfortunately, the costs of such care has also exploded and the growing bureaucracy threatens the entire system.  Hope to be able to "see" you soon!