With all the knowledge of modern medicine chronic illness is still one of the hardest things to deal with I am thinking. I was thinking that Ed had just been in the hospital for his tonsil operation when he was 23 but he also had a hernia operation in 1996 when he was 53. He was in and out the same day but it was a struggle for him to come out of the anaesthetic and get the strength to get up and go home. I finally brought him a bottle of coke and that did it. Amazing stuff actually. We do not drink it very often but it does have a really potent energy surge especially if you do not drink it a lot. Funny that I would be thinking of that but I guess whilst I can not go and see him I wonder how he is doing. Usually he calls me every morning but today was an exception. So I called to see how he is doing but have not heard back from the nurse yet. Really I like to talk to him but he could be tired; had a restless night. I always tell him to just call me but I was getting pretty tired the last few weeks before he went to hospital so he thinks I need to rest likely.
COVID-19 is certainly creating havoc in the hospital system. So many deaths still and young people sometimes. So many in the ICUs and I keep wishing Ed was here. Too bad I couldn't convince him when I was there for one hour that he should come home. Unfortunately we got interrupted part way through by a procedure so missed some of that time but I did try to persuade him. It must be lonely to be there on Easter Day although he has two others in with him and they do chat.
But chronic illness was the subject matter. One wonders is there a way to head off some of these chronic illnesses. First you need to know that you might suffer from it and there wasn't anything in the DNA testing that Ed did that would have pointed to any of the illness he has been plagued with the last ten years. But then these DNA kits do not test for everything. I am becoming somewhat convinced that DNA from a medical viewpoint testing of an infant has merit. Knowing possible medical issues at birth would allow the streamlining of healthcare. Nature decrees what DNA you receive but does not determine how that DNA affects you; you do, lifestyle is so very very important. What has staved off Ed's problems all these years was his very active lifestyle walking, biking to work, downhill skiing, canoeing and ice skating. He isn't really into team sports but he really does enjoy sports. I couldn't get him to do my calisthenics which might have helped him now as it would have kept his muscles toned during these last couple of years.
That is likely pretty futuristic because of insurance concerns I suppose. What we need is a health care system that manages all of health care including medical insurance. Doctors know what patients need and eliminating commercial medical insurance would make the system more equitable and possibly more sustainable because of the premiums that we pay for medical insurance (the tiered system of insurance could still exist which I guess does take away from the idea of universal medical care but in the long run I rather think people would benefit). All of that money going into health care would certainly augment the system just as the Health Tax in Ontario was so beneficial and continues to be beneficial to the Health Care system here and it is tiered.
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