I told myself the pain in my lower abdomen wasn’t a big deal. After all, I had just changed jobs and the insurance at my new job hadn’t kicked in yet, even though my prior insurance had already lapsed. I didn’t need another medical bill to pay at full price. So, I just kept working through the pain, day after day.
I had pain, some low-grade fevers off and on, and diarrhea. It also hurt like a bladder infection, so I convinced myself that's what it was. I did what you do when you don’t have insurance, or can’t afford the insurance you have, and I drank some cranberry juice and took some Azo. Those first few days, I was certain I’d have whatever this was licked in a few days.
I’d feel pretty bad in the morning, but the pain would improve as the day went on, so I kept ignoring it. I told myself it was no big deal, as the words you don’t have insurance pounded in the back of my brain like a drumbeat. I worked through the pain, the low-grade fevers, and the bathroom issues I was having. For over a week.
Finally, last Friday, I broke down about halfway through my workday and asked my boss if she’d mind if I went to urgent care and then worked from home. I was nervous, being a brand new employee, but she was fine with it, thank goodness. So I took off for the clinic, sure it was going to be something silly, and I’d collect an antibiotic and be fine.
To my surprise, the doctor was concerned, which scared me pretty good. He thought maybe I was fighting a bout of diverticulitis but thought there was also something else going on, so he ordered a CT scan. At this point, my fever was about 100 degrees and he could barely press on my abdomen without me crying out in pain. Just wearing underwear hurt, so I agreed to the CT scan, pricy though it may be.
Until last Friday, I’d never had a doctor walk into a room and give me a look that meant bad news. I can no longer say that. I knew immediately it was bad news, and the doctor confirmed when he said I needed to go to the emergency room. Now. Apparently, the pain and fevers I’d been having were more than diverticulitis. I had a perforated bowel, which had been leaking infection, bacteria and everything else that hangs out in your intestines into my abdominal cavity. It had also caused an abscess that had grown to the size of a golf ball, and was pressing directly on my bladder.
My fever spiked while I was in the ER to 103 degrees and I was admitted to the hospital, getting four days of broad-spectrum antibiotics by IV. I wasn’t allowed to eat or drink, and am still on a liquid diet. Luckily, the abscess did not need to be surgically drained.
So, now I’m anticipating a large hospital bill, a large emergency room bill, an urgent care bill with a CT scan, and a bill for several oral antibiotics. The surgeon recommends removal of a section of my intestines.
All because I had no insurance and did not call my doctor as soon as the pain started.
How many people do not call their doctor for the same reasons? How many small problems turn into larger issues, simply because cost is a concern? How much better would our healthcare system be if, when we didn't feel well, we could go to the doctor without worrying that we will be able to pay for our other necessities?
Other than Medicare for All, or some sort of universal coverage, I don’t have the answer. But I do know that people get sicker or die when they don’t get the proper care right away. I could’ve died if my abscess had ruptured, and it was just blind luck that it did not. Will you join me in demanding Medicare for All or universal healthcare from our government? I don’t want anyone to suffer as I did.