Womans Day 2010

Well the official day was March 8, but I missed it. Bloggers Unite had another day where they called for bloggers to post about woman who inspire us, or about ways to improve the life of women in the world. There are always several women in the past to write about.

Plus we can write about women who are suffering around the world and even in wealthy nations, women suffer. It is a sad part of the world conditions that women still do not have adequate health care.

I have watched what my mother has been going through with her series of heart attacks in December and witnessed the health care. I saw what she needed and would and could not get to prolong her life. Because of her age they limited what they would do.

They sent her home too soon. When I called for help they did not give us the easy help, like come back to the hospital. The advice was make a doctor appointment. The trip to the doctor office was so difficult on her and I think that lead to more heart attacks.

I have so many questions about the “why” of it all. When someone has heart failure and blocked arteries and has regular doctor checkups, why did it go un-noticed or not diagnosed before it got to this level? This is the USA. She had health insurance, yet, she was not even diagnosed with having a heart condition.

However my father has been having his health monitored more closely it seems. When he had his heart problems they were able to put in stints.

For months my mother was being treated for indigestion problems. They could not give her an immediate EKG at a doctor appointment. They had to schedule one through the HMO. I know Kaiser can give Immediate EKGs because I have had one there before.

Ladies, take control of your health care. Insist on preventative treatments. Insist on thorough checkups. We need to have more knowledge of our rights as patients. Sometimes I feel I know more about what they are doing to my car than I do with my own personal health. It should not be that way.

Also understand your insurance policies when it comes to long term care and disability care. It is scary stuff not to know what to expect.

Hospitals treat you nice but they do not want to keep you. They release too soon. Make sure you have people who will fight for your rights if you are not able to.

All my life my mother fought for others rights. She was a social worker and a fund raiser for United Way charities. She helped people to find food and shelter and even cars. Sometimes she paid out of her own pocket. I remember her coming home and asking us to find clothes we could give to a needy family. She cared for so many, and now I feel she was abandoned by the health care system that should have taken better care of her.

Right now my mother is receiving hospice care that is fine. My brother pays for the day care while we wait for Medical to help, if they will. A nurse comes twice a week.

I am glad my brother saved money, or my mother would be in far worse shape.

Ladies, we need to wake up and find a way to be able to take care of our parents and find out how we will not be abandoned when we have medical emergencies that make us completely disabled.

When I find solutions I will definitely post about them.