This poor woman, who we'll call *Jane, went into hospital for a hysterectomy; a pretty standard procedure these days. Surgery isn't so standard for Jane though because, she suffers from a rare condition called Pyoderma Gangrenosum. What this means is, your immune system is so compromised that your body cannot heal itself like it should. Your body tissue becomes necrotic and painful sores and ulcers can form on the skin which the body cannot heal. Jane was unfortunate enough to go through a traumatic bout of breast cancer, chemo and radiation when she was younger and this is possibly what compromised her immune system in the first place.
Jane informed her doctor of what COULD happen if they operated on her. The last time she had complications arising from Pyoderma Gangrenosum, she ended up spending 3 months lying in a hospital while doctors performed several painful, complicated procedures to try and cure her. Unfortunately, her gynecologist arrogantly disregarded her fears. Not long after her hysterectomy, the Pyoderma Gangrenosum returned, just as she feared. 10 weeks, approximately 10 blood transfusions and 3 more bouts of surgery later, she is STILL lying in the surgery ward, of a hospital, with an open wound on her abdomen, which is bleeding all the time, while the doctors try and figure out how to fix her.
The scary thing is, they don't actually know exactly HOW to do that. They've been experimenting from the start. The doctors have refused to have her moved to the hospital she was in when she last had Pyoderma Gangrenosum, even though they are now experienced in the treatment of it. As per the usual arrogance of doctors, they are disregarding the patient's needs. Her case has become the talk of the hospital and she has become almost like their guinea pig as they try this option and that option.
Meanwhile Jane has been unable to go to work for 10 weeks. Fortunately for her, her work loves her and they have been really understanding and good to her, but everyone has their limits and it's a worry for her. She's been unable to go about her daily life and just be at home in her space. She hasn't seen her cat for 10 weeks. These are things that we all take so much for granted, until they are taken away from us. Her partner has spent every one of those 70 days going between home and hospital. Her family and friends are rallying around her. But imagine spending every day of your life in a sterile environment, having to be woken at 5am to be poked and prodded before eating a bland, unhealthy hospital meal, and then spending the rest of your day doing pretty much the same, day in and day out for 70 days and counting?!
It's not her fault she's there. If anyone should take blame, it's actually the doctors. They've apologised for not heeding her warning but really, how will that ever make up for the amount of pain she's experienced, and the 10 weeks of her life that have been wasted lying in a hospital bed, not to mention the trauma to her body?
Jane is a member of Discovery Health. Fortunately, being on a good medical aid means that they have paid her hospital bills unless the doctors charge above medical aid rates. (Unbelievably, the gynecologist who messed up in the first place, sent her a bill for R6 000 because medical aid didn't cover all his costs?!?! Can you get over the audacity of that?!) Given the amount of money Discovery Health makes off of her on a monthly basis, for the last few years, they SHOULD be paying all her medical bills. She's on the same plan as I am and that costs R3 241 a month. It's not cheap.
Here's the thing; she's on Vitality as well and she always makes sure she reaches her fitness quota per month to maintain her gym contract. But she's been stuck in a hospital bed for 10 weeks... Discovery don't actually seem to care though. Despite their knowledge that she is in hospital, they are penalising her for NOT going to the gym 3 times a month. They refuse to put her gym membership on hold, and have upped her monthly payment from R90 to R203 because she isn't doing her required monthly gym visits. They will only lower the amount again when she increases her gym visits...
Now I know it seems like a small thing in the midst of all she's going through, but really?! Why not stomp on a person while they are down?! I am angry because this is so typical of big corporations. I have said it time and again in my blog. They don't give a hoot about you and your health, no matter WHAT their adverts say. It's just propaganda. At the end of the day it's all about the money. It always has been. You'd expect a little more from a company who's business appears to be people and their health but that's not the case.
I question a company who would put a few rands ahead of a person's suffering. Jane has so many extra costs thanks to this nightmare and she also has the spectre of being jobless hanging over her head if she is in hospital for a few more months. This issue may not be the fault of Discovery, but how is it that they are willing to pay for the mistakes of doctors (which they are obligated to do) and when it actually comes to helping the people who suffer BECAUSE of those mistakes, they turn a deaf ear, because "it's not their problem."
I am incensed. These are GOOD people. They haven't sued the doctor for the part they played in this debacle. Jane has taken all of this in her stride, even though it must be hell for her. She's sore, she's stressed and she's lost all her power because the doctors around her have taken that from her. She relies on them for everything from food to baths. She needs help wherever she can get it but some are just determined to shoot her while she's down.
I have blogged about this today in the hopes that someone somewhere, knows someone, somewhere, who can plead her case. I've also blogged about it because I think it's really relevant to my blogs. Big corporations do NOT care about the little people like you and I; be they food producers, medical aid companies or beauty product manufacturers etc. They care about money. That is all. I blog to warn people about the dangers of chemicals in foods, and the possibility of developing cancer and various other awful diseases if you don't look after your body and your health. It's my personal belief that Jane can beat her Pyoderma Gangrenosum with a total reworking of her lifestyle ie. her diet and the amount of chemicals she's exposed to on a daily basis through her beauty products and other chemicals. I blog about this because I believe in the power of food to cure. I find it frightening that, even in a hospital, they are feeding her tramezzinis made with refined flour, filled with processed cheese for lunch, and they think this is NUTRITIONAL?! How is she ever supposed to heal if they are not giving her body the right kind of fuel? Even Discovery Vitality Foods penalises you for buying full cream dairy products instead of low fat. All the people in the "health" business, have NO idea about what's healthy!
I blog about all of this because, if I can reach just ONE person and affect positive change in their lives, I have achieved my aim.
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