The Thai Hospital Experience part 2

Every efficiency was geared toward the patient...

I had gone a little over 20 yrs without a physical. (don’t panic at that idea.. I know 3 doctors who have gone decades without a physical, as well, preferring to live normally until there was a need to intervene.)

I had learned early on that I would have to take the lead and the responsibilty for my health. I will summarize briefly here, but if you want to hear the details, I’ll link the story at the end…

I came up in the era when you went to the doctor when you needed to….and you paid for your care as you went. Simpler times.

There was a sort of self-reliant attitude…which served us reasonably well for a long time. Health insurance was available, but most folks typically didn’t think about getting it until they were past the age of 40, when things might start going downhill. If you were in good health, you really didn’t bother. There would be Medicare when we reached retirement age. We’d hope for the best in the interim.

I watched with some curiosity, which led to bemusement, before gradually turning into concern and alarm as Americans iincrementally slid down a path that led to fear, higher costs and more reliance on health insurance.

If you had a great job, say with union benefits, you were awarded access to health insurance. It was trendy…a sign of success and achievement. But it also signalled an encroachment of a mindset that placed doctors at the helm of our health. It deified them.

They now stand between us and our common sense…between us and our own lived experience in our bodies! They stand between us and our innate God-given self-healing abilities. Doctors felt the need to insert themselves into our lives and bodies at every turn. Their motives are often questionable. (consider Bill G with his plan to vaccinate in utero)

At this point in time, health ’care’ is imposing itself into our lives relentlessly. They have literally invaded our homes, insisting that we be monitored at all times for our own good.

Now they want us to believe that we will nearly all suffer from cancer, diabetes and heart disease and ONLY their pre-emptive testing can save us! Don’t forget to add dementai, depression, anxiety and the diagnosis de jour…autism.) They are in non-stop FULL ON hypnotic suggestion mode.

(Try asking yourself how much of it you already believe is likely to happen to you)

As noted above…even doctors know better!

I will also say, on balance, after watching my patients for 20 years, that those with the best insurance, tended to have poorer outcomes. Over-medicated, over-tested, resulting in more surgeries (mistakes were made). Sometimes it looked like a feast of vultures,…everyone going for their bite of the insurance pot….alarmingly so at the end of life. I did not envy the superbly insured…

We have such a heavy reliance on healthcare ‘benefits’ now that we were eventually delivered to our current state…where people are actually now terrified of being without insurance from cradle-to -grave for themselves and their families.

When you think about it, it didn’t take very long for this massive cultural shift to take place. All things medical gobble up increasing amounts of our time and attention. We have a large population of the ‘WORRIED WELL’ now. This may be the biggest runaway train in our economy. And now, many people actually feel that they are in the cross hairs of a medical system that wants to kill them! We have some evidence to support their views, unfortunately.

I think, historically, it was always thus… We just have to be aware of those human tendencies toward power and meddling…and decide as intelligently as we can where our boundaries should lie.

I tend to hold to the old values for several reasons. It is common sense to live our lives freely and not be overshadowed or overburdened by such considerations. You go to the doctor when you’re sick! Learn as you go. Be self-responsible.

You don’t obsess about every little detail, all the little ups and downs of regular life in between. The old doctors used to utilize the ‘3-day rule’, where for most injuries or illnesses, you would observe for 3 days. If things were improving, if things were ‘on the mend,’ the body was likely going to manage on its own. But if things stayed the same or were going downhill, you would seek out the appropriate helper.

These days we are all pseudo-specialists in nutrition, diet, supplements, watching nervously every sneeze, every bout of constipation…. You get the idea.

How, when and why did we get so OBSESSED? Where has our common sense gone? Real illness and true debilitating conditons deserve our care and attention, but most things are transitory,

In my case, I was very healthy and active (despite some significant stress growing up, a mom who offered little in the way of good nutrition, holding down 2 jobs while going to school) We are generally pretty resilient at the outset.

But I got into trouble when I succumbed to the advice of getting extra calcium for my bones ( a Dairy Council in-bed-with-the-government ruse) A year later at the ripe old age of 22, I was diagnosed with arthritis (calcium deposits) ie: too much of a good thing.

I was well-cared for in the Canadian health system with meds and therapies. The result? 4 yrs. later, I had 4 kinds of arthritis, was in pain atround the clock, quite crippled and deformed. I was written up in the Canadian Journal of Medicine as having the most rapid, violent onset of arthritis ever seen and a wheelchair and disability were urged upon me. It was terrifying to go from riding a bike 40 miles a day, etc to that condition in 4 short yrs. I was 26. I left the doctors office that day…never to return. I figured it out (before internet lol) and regained everything in about a year and a half.

Ah! So the good doctors didn’t know everything!

A shift in perspective…

i could…and should involve myself in the proecess…

They are too focused on treating symptoms rather than exploring and addressing the causes. They do not recognize the body’s incredible ability to heal. (see ‘These Hands’ below)

Depression…(born to a severely depressed mom), eating disorders, hypertension, a heart attack at the age of 41, the return of arthritis at age 50 and a stone-laden gall bladder were the other challenges that I had to figure out after dipping my toes back into the medical profession.

What did they know? What did they have to offer? How effective were their measures? How had I contributed to the problems? What else needed to be learned and applied? And so I made my way forward, more or less successfully…more, actually 😊 .

That was the state of things when I presented for my physical in Thailand.

I had what I would call, a presiding physician, who took a careful and very detailed oral history. (I was not just checking off boxes on a form). It was very comprehensive. He asked questions along the way, bringing new things to light (like a congenital heart murmur) and clarified issues and answers. I had his full and undivided attention. There were no other patients lined up outside the door. No rush…

We discussed a number of things and he said he would be inclined to recommend an ‘Executive Physical’ in light of my history (I had been an overwrought, overweight, type A, stressed-out executive once or twice) This would be a quite detailed physical, taking the better part of a day. It would be tailored to my particular history.

“Alright” I agreed. His plans were set in motion accordingly.

Now…in the interests of full-disclosure, I told the doctor everything…everything, that is...except for the heart attack.

At the time of its occurrence, I was caught very much off-guard. I had been under a lot of pressure for a long time and was starting to address the issues. Easing up on the throttle, less caffeine, weight loss, walking that led to running a couple of miles daily…the basics. Then I went on vacation finally…and had a heart attack while I was relaxing in the pool! It was painful, unmistakable…terrifying. You don’t see that coming at the age of 41!

At the time, I didn’t have insurance. I also had a fairly good idea of what our medical establishment would want to do…very little of which appealed to me. So I took myself in hand and started to deal!

“What did I do to cause myself a heart attack at 41?!”

I hit the books, I figured things out and I changed my ways! And I hoped for the best. I’m not a perfect person, by any means, but I tried to bring myself back, tone down the type A aspect, get some chelation therapy, magnesium gel, rest, etc.

But, in truth, I was running a little scared.

I took a seat in the waiting area. This was a different experience in every way. I warched as Saudi sheiks, the diplomatic corps, and a whole host of other cultures passed by. This was indeed a world-class hospital!

The nursing staff were dressed impeccably…much like ours used to be…with pride of vocation.

I sat briefly. Before I could even reach for a magazine to pass the time, a nurse came for me. Smiling brightly and giving the traditional Thai greeting of the wai…and this is a smile from the heart…she said “Good Morning, Ms. Robinson! How are you today?” She had come to take me to the 1st testing area.

Everything was prepared, staff courteous and attentive to their jobs. Then I met with the doctor in charge of that section. He went into deeper detail about the testing and handled any questions or concerns. There was a cheerful cordiality as evidenced by the conversation. ”I see you’re from the States…Indiana…I’ve been there. Where in Indiana?”

I was a bit wide-eyed as I answered ‘Anderson’. More so as he actually knew where it was! (in fact, three of the doctors that day knew where Anderson was!) I finally asked them how they knew. “As part of our training, we observe and experience various medical systems around the world.”

I sat momentarily in the reception area again, when I was graciously greeted by another nurse and escorted to a different floor. This same scene was repeated throughout the day.

Smooth as silk…

It was then that I began to realize that EVERY efficiency was geared to the patient…

to be continued…(it gets better…much better!)

Thanks for reading….as always, feel free to share the information, subscribe for free, like, comment and restack…

These Hands...Debra Robinson·September 2, 2024Read full story