Sunday, June 15, 2008

On The Mend - Day 26

Note: I have been uber busy so here is an update. There will be several posts today, but they are from the past few days - Got it? Good.

Well we have word now that I will not be crippled for the rest of my life, but I won’t be running anymore and not even walking any races. That is a bit disappointing, but I look at the bright side – My ankle should be better in a few months and I will be back to working out. Now I am wearing a soft cast to keep my ankle stabilized and to keep me off of it as much as possible. Next will be a boot and then, hopefully, orthotic inserts.
I was browsing on-line for cute orthotic shoes, and actually found a few, though these will be a bit pricey and I am not a pricey shoe shopper. Mary Janes and a few sensible pumps seem to be my future in footwear, but I can make do. I love Mary Janes so adapting is a breeze. I just regret that I can’t be the cute shoe girl anymore.

This event did allow me to have an experience that brought everything back into perspective. I am pretty lucky that way. Usually when I get angry, upset or some such emotion about my own plight, the Universe sets me straight. I was pissed about the crappy insurance I have through work and how it has really screwed me – insurance only seems to be good for people who don’t need it. As I waited in line at the pharmacy to get my prescription filled, I was behind a woman who had to choose from three prescriptions she had since she couldn’t afford them all. I am not sure what her illness was, but she didn’t look too great and here she was, in a wealthy country like ours, having to choose which drugs she could afford. What if the cocktail of prescriptions were all supposed to work in unison? How would this negligence on the drug companies’ part affect her health?
Yes, I blame the drug companies for not doing what they should be doing – making cures for people and making them affordable enough for people to get them. And what about a country that allows this to happen. My anger translated into something more real that moment and I wanted to help this woman out. I asked her if I could help, not wanting to embarrass her, and she told me that it was OK, her daughter would come back later and pay for the other two. I think it was a fib to make herself feel better, she just had that look. I hobbled home and took my place in front of my TV and laptop to work as I recouped. But I can’t get her out of my head.

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