I'm Back

In August, I broke my hip—an injury I recommend that you all avoid, if possible. While the forced inactivity of recuperating from a broken hip might seem like an ideal time to blog, the injury had an unfortunate effect on my morale.

The experience hasn't been a total loss. I learned how unpleasant it is to be partially helpless. Being an invalid is at least a part-time job. My physical therapy routine takes a couple of hours each day, and routine tasks like showering and dressing were originally a chore. Most importantly, you need a lot of help and support. Thank you, Tina.

I also learned a few things about our health care system. I'm finding out how much everything costs. (Fortunately, it will almost all be covered.) I received a fair amount of overtreatment. Some of it can be attributed to an excess of caution, i.e., my hip was X-rayed far too many times. Other charges are simply bill-padding, i.e., the general practitioner who sticks his head in your hospital room for 15 seconds each morning to ask how you're feeling. Cost: $115 per day, $68.39 of which was actually paid ($54.71 by Medicare and $13.68 by me).

Finally, this was my first sustained experience with opiates and their side effects. While it's unrealistic to think I could have gotten through this injury without painkillers, at some point you have to stop taking the medication. I finally broke the habit due to a misunderstanding with my doctor. He implied that after I stopped taking the pills, he would allow me to drive. He didn't, but being able to feel my pain—and when it was going away—was a good thing at the time.

I've been driving for quite a while now, and I'm getting around pretty well with the aid of a cane, but when I go without it, I still walk with a limp. Full recovery is supposed to take 6 to 8 months, so I'll be seeing some of you in the Spring.

As in the past, I will cross-post any blog entries on Thinking Slowly that deal with health care policy here on the PUSH website.  In addition to resuming Thinking Slowly, I'm also hoping to realize my intention of starting a blog about jazz and blues music. I call it Blues and the Abstract Truth, and here's where you can find it. My posts may be intermittent for a while, but I hope to eventually get both blogs up to speed. Please bear with me.