Plodding on

Poor sleep, my ophthalmologist told me the other day, is one of the causes of ocular migraine. This led to her telling me the good news that sleep surveys can now be done at home! Yay. A fat lot of good that would be in this household!

Not necessary in any case, since I know what disturbs my sleep these days, – needy four-footed, furry creatures – but in the past the reason was unclear and on a couple of occasions I was persuaded to subject myself to one of the aforementioned surveys.

People who suffer such issues are unlikely to sleep any better in a strange bed, while tangled in the many wires they attach in order to monitor you. Additionally, who can sleep knowing they are being watched?

Leaving the clinic after the first of these surveys, I was a complete zombie. I’m not sure how I got talked into it a second time, many years later. Looking back I see that I was always far too willing to follow doctor’s recommendations, but as a child I had the impression that doctors were pillars of society one would never think to question. It got ingrained, I suppose.

At any rate, I went again, out in Seattle and this time, I was given a sleeping pill. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose? I think what those surveys hope to discover is that you suffer from sleep apnea, in which case they can prescribe a CPAP mask. Just as well I don’t need one because I could never sleep with such a thing on my face.

.

Due to insomnia, I had difficulties during the day, any time I was sitting in front of a computer screen, or driving back and forth. The former was a real nuisance, but the latter was a great concern, mostly because I was fearful of causing injury to another person.

After a long ago brain scan, a neurologist asked me how I had acquired scar tissue. News to me and I had no idea. Perhaps I was dropped on my head as an infant, but I had no such memory. It has never been mentioned since. As I recall, the man prescribed dilantin, which is for seizures. I was not warned about fairly significant side-effects. Somnolence persisted.

Years went by and a different sort of test was ordered. My brain would be evaluated in a sleep-deprived state, which involved staying up all night. Conveniently, I managed to work a double shift which kept me occupied during those long hours, but there was no conclusive result.

Some people just have trouble sleeping and this offers opportunities for others to make large amounts of money. Drug companies, manufacturers of CPAP (many types!), fancy earplugs and all sorts of recordings of white noise, etc…

.

Being so agreeable (easily manipulated), over the years since I came to the USA, I have been fed countless medications, most of which I would have been better off without. How much do all those chemicals affect a human body over a life span? My parents lived into their 80’s and 90’s on nothing more than the occasional Veganin (paracetamol) or stomach powder and I believe this was pretty much the case for most of their generation.

But pharmaceuticals and medical devices have become big business. Doctors work for medical conglomerates which are run – as businesses. Hospitals – businesses.

Healthcare should not be big business, run for profit.

.

It seems to me that with easy access to AI, we could mostly do away with doctors, since when you go to an appointment, all they do is sit in front of a computer typing information what you could just as well type in to your own PC and these days you seldom get to see an actual doctor anyway. Where have they all gone?

Last year I did see a specialist. He gave me all of about five minutes for which there was a healthy fee and afterwards I was asked to evaluate him. I did not.

Some medical statements dropped into my email recently. I don’t usually read them because they are complete nonsense, but it had been a while, so for fun I decided to take a look to see how much more ridiculous the fees had become. But this I was unable to establish.

What have become more ridiculous are the statements themselves. I get two, one from Medicare, for which I pay a monthly premium, contrary to what certain politicians would have you believe, and another from my supplemental insurance company (another premium).

When I compared the statements for the same date of service, there was a vast discrepancy in the amount supposedly charged and I am not prepared to drive myself mad attempting to get it to make sense. It will make no difference anyway.

.

What I discovered just by typing in my supplemental insurance company’s name is that “due to increasing costs…they will be reducing service areas and discontinuing select Medicare Advantage plans effective January 1, 2027.” Fantastic.

There are alternatives, of course and now is the time to make changes, but I haven’t the mental capacity to comprehend the ins and outs of the multiplicity of choices you are required to make. I only know that I would almost certainly choose the wrong one.

It is so tempting to tell both these companies to stuff it. The money saved would add up quickly. My parents lived “abroad” for many, many years without medical insurance and when Dad returned to the States aged 88, he had none here. But we are conditioned to believe that being without health insurance is catastrophic.

Indeed, it can be in many circumstances, but the premiums are fast becoming catastrophic in themselves, so what is an old girl to do?

.

Plod on and enjoy the scenery, hoping for the best.

.