So as of yesterday, with the exception of getting a permanent crown on one tooth and an implant for a missing tooth, all of my dental issues are FINALLY fixed.
Dental issues that, with our past insurance, would have taken another 3-4 years (at best) to fully fix. Because our old insurance had an insanely low amount they were willing to spend on fixing my teeth. I would have to get the absolute worst thing fixed and then prioritize what was next to get fixed the next YEAR when insurance rolled over and I could start over. It took me TEN YEARS to get to this point because of shitty insurance.
But with our current insurance, I was able to get all but one thing fixed in one freaking go.
ONE. FREAKING GO.
Yes, my dental issues were entirely my fault….I will not deny that. But they were fixable…mostly cavities, some of which needed root canals and crowns. But the fact that it took me TEN YEARS to get to this point, where all but ONE thing is really fixed, blows my mind. It’s not because I didn’t WANT my teeth to get fixed, because cavities SUCK. Insurance said, “You can only fix one thing per year.” essentially and that’s what I had to go by. Because that’s what was in our budget.
Healthcare in this country sucks donkey butt…anyone who lives here or has lived here for any period of time will tell you that. I wish it didn’t. There needs to be healthcare reform, but it’s probably not going to happen in my lifetime. Maybe in my son’s. I don’t know. I can only hope that it happens sooner rather than later, because I already have a crapton of health issues and if my mother is any measure to go by, they’re going to only get worse to the point that I cannot leave my house, eat anything flavorful (her kidneys are shot so she can’t have salt) or really enjoy any of the things I enjoy the most right now. And if that’s the case, just go ahead and shoot me. Because life won’t be WORTH living at that point.
I hate that I have a thyroid gland that doesn’t do it’s dadgum job, but at least I can afford to treat that. I hate that I have to keep an eye on my blood pressure to make sure it doesn’t dip into the dangerously low range (thanks, Mom. I hate it.). I have to make sure I stay on top of my RA, so I’m not crippled by the pain and stiffness that comes with it. I have to make sure I stay on top of my depression and anxiety because while those things won’t ACTUALLY kill me, they have the very real (and scary) potential to make me want to murder myself.
I am thankful and grateful that I can mostly afford to keep these things from becoming overwhelming. I can’t FIX any of them, because they’re not that kind of disease/issue. But I can keep them from overwhelming me and making my life worse.
Not everybody can do that, for whatever their illness is. But they should be ABLE to. Healthcare and care for mental issues is a basic human frigging right.