Over the last month, I have had two of the worst medical issues I've possibly ever had in my life. The first, which resembled a cold, turned into an awful upper respiratory infection that sapped my will to live for 3 weeks. The second, a toothache, has gotten so bad that tomorrow I am going in to get the tooth removed and am currently taking vicodin because the pain is so unbearable I cannot sleep.
On the surface, it seems like these are awful things - and they are. Close friends, and FB, have heard me complain about them. But under the surface, the Buddhists say that every one of these challenges is an opportunity - and in this case, I see their point. In my life, I have been very charmed, health-wise. No serious diseases, no broken bones. And while I've always considered myself very sympathetic and empathic, these two problems have really opened my eyes to what it's like to be sick. And it's made me realize two things: one, that nobody should be asked to go through what I'm going through without benefit of the best care they can get, and two, that health is the most important thing. I've always been a fan of universal health care - but now I am a serious fan. Even in my extremely privileged scenario, I found myself sitting at the endodontist today on the phone with my dental insurance, while my teeth literally screamed at me. When I should have been worrying about healing, I was instead thinking about diagnostic codes and yearly limits. I will readily admit that my current situation is the result of some very poor planning and mistakes. But at no point do I feel that those mistakes merit this level of pain. This kind of pain is something nobody should have to go through. And of course, I will sometime very soon get to stop experiencing that pain. It will cost me money and time, and I will suffer for a bit, but eventually, I will get to stop suffering because I am lucky and privileged. Some people in this country are not so lucky - and that's not OK. It's just not OK.