Stuff and things.

Thanks to Cake Wrecks for the photo.


So, I got my new neurologist today, and it's a woman! And she is fun and a recent graduate and is supervised by this other woman who wears 3" stilettos and has a blonde Bettie Page haircut. I have the two most fabulous women in the neurology dept as my doctors! YAY!

Funny thing happened as my previous doctor was leaving the country...

I'm trying to get into this employment resource agency for people with disabilities and it requires a basic assessment of my condition and approval to work. Yesterday, in the hour before he finished at the MS Clinic he filled out my forms and had them faxed.

The agency called me to tell me that my doctor hadn't approved my return to work. This surprised me because he wrote a letter to EI saying that I was ready for regular benefits about two months ago.

She then informed me that I've had MS for 6 years, I am anorexic, on anti-psychotics, have no mobility issues, but I can't read, write or talk properly.

This is all very much news to me. I think he may have got me mixed up with another patient. So as a result I got to meet my new doctor at the clinic today. We filled out the forms properly and I had the office staff at the clinic re-fax it.

I'm still weirded out by his confusion in my paperwork, but I guess that it doesn't matter now. He's gone back to Germany, and I have a bright, shiny new neurologist!

This means that I'll have a reason to leave the house soon. Working with a job developer and employment counsellor will be good.

I changed up my Wellbutrin dose to both pills at 9 AM and I'm sleeping better. No more than 6 hours at a time, but that's definitely better than the 3 or 4 I was getting before.

Additionally, I've been following the craptastic Republican stupidity about how the US Congress' health care reform bills are "Canadian-style" health care.

IT is NOT even close. In fact, it is the kind of care that Canadians have been fighting against for about 10 15 years. Two-tier is a bad idea, but I guess in the case of Americans beggars can't be choosers, right?

The Canadian system isn't perfect, but I've never waited for anything I've ever needed. The system is run on triage and the sickest get service first. I have MS and I've had an MRI bumped because someone with a brain tumor or something needed it more than I did. I'm cool with that, because I know that person was sicker than me and didn't purchase his/her way to the front of the line. I got in a few days later.

If I had to pay for every health service I've received in the past 10 months I would be declaring bankruptcy. I had no "employer" insurance with my last job. I have had 3 MRIs, 2 MUGA scans, an EKG, an EEG, seen 5 specialists, had 4 rounds of a chemotherapy drug, three bags of steroids and have used the services of the relapse nurse, social worker and physiotherapist at the clinic as well as two visits to my family doctor to get some of the side effects dealt with. I either wouldn't have got these tests/treatments/supports or I'd be in debt up to my ancestors ears as an uninsured person in the US. If I had even the most basic of coverage in the US, I'd be swamped with bills.

I lost my job and the ability to work because of MS. I'd be destitute if we were in the US, and every DAY I am grateful that Joe moved here instead of me moving there.

Single payer insurance is the way to go, but I doubt that the culture of the US will allow them to get there. The system is too race and class based for white suburban people to allow poor people get the same care they do. The place is so Calvinist it makes my head spin.

I am sure there's more, but this is long and offensive enough.