The Real Cost

09/13/2009 Human Observations
There is disagreement with The President’s plan to reform our nation’s Healthcare System. The successful defeat of his efforts will provide a financially secure future for me and my co-workers because the costs of our services are climbing out of control. If this is your desire, continue to operate as you have.
I am a hands-on healthcare provider, a Certified Respiratory Therapist. When your heart stops beating, they call me to do the work of circulating your blood. When you can’t breathe well, they call me to do the work of ventilating and oxygenating your body. When you are to have surgery, they call me to instruct you in certain exercises that will prevent you from catching pneumonia, when your post-surgical pain might prevent you from breathing properly. When you require testing to determine blood oxygenation, pH levels, ventilatory efficiency, why you stop breathing while you’re asleep, and a myriad of other things … they call me to figure out how do the work that you body had failed to do. I’ve been doing this work for more than 25 years, and the proof of my competency is the population of people who continue to thrive because of my medical intervention.
When, not if, you find yourself in need of the care provided by me or my co-workers, you will remember this moment. I am not selling a book, magazine article, or trying to get you to watch a certain media program. I’m simply telling you that you have acted against medical advice, and subjected your body to an over-indulgence of fats, salt, and sugar, while depriving it of adequate water, sleep, and exercise. You mistakenly believe that in spite of years of abuse, we will fix you when your body fails to support your irresponsible self-indulgence; and we will certainly try because that’s who we are. But our efforts are only as effective as your body will receive. We treat the symptoms so that your body will heal itself, but it is your body that must ultimately do the work of healing. Consider my free words now, or pay my bills later. Eat a BALANCED diet, hydrate well, exercise regularly, and rest appropriately. If I could, I would take away the “car-keys” of your lives to prevent you from hurting yourselves further; because you are my friends. However, all I can do at present is advise you to act in wisdom. Happy Sunday.