Atomictumor

Boy, I’m entering into something that I normally stay very, very, very far away from, but it seems that its something worthy of discussion.

I missed the news yesterday about the S.C. rubber stamping Bush’s smack down on partial birth abortions, regardless of anything.  Now, I’m strongly of the opinion that the fact that I don’t have a uterus means that I keep my nose out of any kinda abortion talk, and I think that the world would be a bit easier if everybody followed this.

What I’m against, however, is Whitey telling me what to do.  Now, by the same token, personally, I find partial birth abortions deporable.  As described, its barbaric.  While I wouldn’t go as far as to say ban all abortions (because I don’t think forcing people to have children ever does the world any good), its hard to get worked up against a sensible ban on PBAs.

However, as described, the presidental edict doesn’t even allow for the procedure to be done in the event that the mother’s life would require it, and, in my opinion, this is backasswards.

Marginalize abortion, sure.  Provide enough education and birth control, and teach kids not to have babies, sure.  Preaching abstinince is obviously like spitting in the wind, so lets just slack off on that from a government level, let parents handle it.  However, man, keep tools available to doctors to save lives.

Speaking as a man who’s lost a wife, it’d be pure hell to lose one (or a daughter, or friend), because the .gov told her doc that they couldn’t do a procedure that might save her.

Discuss.

The medical bills have been good to me, and I’ve been careful to keep up with them.  In fact, the only thing thats come out of pocket out of this whole thing is about $20 or so.

In the week or two before BJ got really sick, she was having some pelvic pain.  Ultimately, in hindsight, its that kidney infection, but we didn’t know that at the time.

She went to the OB/GYN for a regular checkup kinda thing, and to talk about it (she was always bad about going for checkups, and this was the first time she’d be in since Pigpen was born).  She came home completely pissed, because the doc evidently didn’t have any bedside manner, and made it known to her that her troubles were caused by being overweight, and that she’d never keep a husband if she didn’t lose some pounds.

Gee, thanks Doc.

Today I got a letter from them, the first one that I’ve received.  It shows she paid a $15 copayment, but that we owed $3.74.  It also had a note in it that told me that they’ve been trying to collect this pocket change for some time, and that I have 10 days to pay before they lay it on the collectors.

Course, I called today to pay over the phone, and they’re closed.  So I wrote them a letter.

I was pissed when I wrote it, and didn’t save it to share with you people, but in essence it mentions the fact that BJ, now dead, went to the hospital no more than 2 weeks after seeing their office, that the hospital was in communication with the OBGYN clinic to see if they could shed any light on the mysterious nature of their illness, that I haven’t gotten shit from them as far as payments, and that sending a collection notice for pocket change is deplorable.

And it is.

And sometimes, just sometimes, I start to think “Hey.  I bet a lawyer could get me some money over this.”

But that’d be wrong.

TXT MESSAGE SENT 3/16/07 1:18 PM

From: Sumgirl

Callback: (well, thats a secret)

___________________________________

hey. this seems 2 be a virus. he’s here overnite. assuming he’s well-hydrated in the a.m. we’ll b home 2morrow.

——————–

Thanks for all your well wishes guys.  I’ve been a basketcase, myself, over this today.

Get well, Rhino. Keep your chin up, Sumgirl and Hubsley

Guys, I want to take a sec to have you consult your God or diety or prayerbeads or totems or whatever for Sumgirl’s kid, Rhino (also one of Pigpen’s good buddies).

He went to the ER at Methodist last night for severe diarrhea and stomach cramps and is now at Children Hospital in Knoxville, because Methodist didn’t know what to do.

Rhino, like Pigpen, is 4.

“AT, I can’t believe it, and it frustrates me.  You haven’t been to the dentist in over a decade, and theres nothing wrong with your teeth.”

-The hygienist

OK, go ahead and curse me in your infinite jealousy, internet…