WTF

We brought Aunt Becky home this morning about eleven o'clock. When we walked into her room, she was wide awake, her eyes were bright and happy, and she was making jokes as usual. My cousin Sammie was in trouble with his boss, who requested "proof" that his mom was actually having surgery, for calling off of work last night, which is ridiculous, and Aunt Becky yelled, "Let's send him one of my boobs!" and then laughed hysterically. She cracks herself up. She's crazy! But happy, and for the most part, healthy.

Her surgery lasted about five hours, and even in recovery last night, she was cracking jokes and telling everyone she was fine. This morning, before she left, the nurse asked her to rate her pain, and she claimed it was a "one." I think her attitude and happy spirit helped to calm down Uncle Sam and Sammie, and you could see them physically relax as they become more comfortable with the situation.

Since our family has not had good news in a long time, it was nice to finally receive some. She is negative for cancer in her lymph nodes, which is wonderful news because cancer in the lymph nodes increases risk of it spreading. Her BRAC analysis was negative, as well as her Her2Nu test, which is a genetic test for a defective gene that makes the cancer more difficult to treat. Aunt Polly's cancer was Her2Nu positive. Mom's was not. We are still waiting to hear if she will need chemotherapy or not, which all depends on whether or not the pathology report reveals any more cancer in her tissues they removed yesterday. Other than that, all is well.

I just took a short break to empty her drainage tubes, which help her body rid of the blood and fluids while she is recovering from the trauma. She has two on each side, for a total of four tubes. On the end of each tube is a ball-shaped reservoir that holds the fluid. While she was at the hospital yesterday, a special oncology nurse brought Aunt Becky a special camisole that has pockets for each reservoir, pockets at the chest for implants, and it opens up in the front with a Velcro strip. It is the neatest thing I've ever seen! It is so clever and so perfect for someone who has had a surgery of that nature. What I did think was crazy, though, was that insurance only covers one camisole, and if you would like to purchase another, they are $60!

I do not understand why things that are so important for people that are in need of medical supplies like that are so expensive. It makes no sense to me. I don't understand how people without medical insurance can afford to be sick, especially with something as serious as cancer. I remember my mom telling me that she requested an itemized hospital bill when she was first diagnosed, and one of her chemotherapy infusions...brace yourself...was a little over $10,000. Of course, that was without insurance, but still. $10,000. For a bag of chemotherapy. Do you know how many bags of chemotherapy my mom went through? During one round of chemo, which lasted about a week and a half every month, she easily went through 4 bags a day, at 10 or so days...that's 40 bags of chemo my friends. 40 bags of chemo at about $10,000 a piece. Drum roll please. That's $400,000. In a week and a half. And that's just chemo.

Let's not forget they charge you for everything from the telephone in your room to the non-slip socks you're wearing on your feet.

And these things are a necessity. For life. Well, not the non-slip socks, but chemo certainly is. What is wrong with this picture? I feel the same way about vegetables. Why do we pay more for food that is grown in the ground, in the soil, with some water, add in a little sunlight, and you're paying $3.99 per pound? But! A box of processed, artificially colored and flavored snack food that is nothing but sugar and junk you can buy for only 99 cents. 99 cents!

I just don't understand. Things like vegetables, fruit, organic, non-processed items, chemotherapy, cancer wigs, items to help the body heal faster, should be accessible and affordable to everyone, similar to the prices of all the pizza and pop and chips and junk that require more processing than someone getting a bleach-blonde hair weave...and that are making us fat, giving us cancer, diabetes, heart disease...the list goes on and on. I am not some advocate for an all-organic diet, but I am in favor of going back to basics and reversing this ridiculous idea that JUNK is less expensive than things that are either 1. found in the ground, made by our earth or 2. necessary for a healthy life. What is wrong with the world?

There are so many things I will never understand, from the question I just posed to why my profession is not more valued in the health industry to prevent so many of the diseases I have discussed in this post to why so many of the women in my family have had to hear their name and "breast cancer" in the same sentence. I will never understand. I can ask all the questions I want, which I'm sure so many other people in the world ask right along with me, but we will probably never know.

We have it all backwards. Our insurance. Our health care. Our government. Our food industry. We have it all backwards, putting importance on things that are NOT important, by any means. I am not one to follow conspiracy theories, but I do know simple facts that many others in our country know, and I am completely baffled by them.

Why do we feed our cows corn instead of grass and let them breed E.Coli in our food supply?
Why does one bag of chemotherapy cost more than a lifetime supply of groceries filled with processed, artificial junk?
Why would our insurance rather pay for open-heart surgery than let my profession come in and prevent it before it ever happens?
Why are healthy, natural foods so expensive when they are the types of foods that prevent disease and promote health?

These are just a few of the things I don't understand, and I'm sure there are many who are on the same page with me. I'll get off of my soapbox now. I'm not even sure what provoked such a tangent. But, I said it. And I feel better, in case you were curious.

Point: Our world is crazy. We can fix it if we try. Aunt Becky is fine, sitting at the dinner table, ready to eat, and I have to go!