First,.. a little background. I was diagnosed a paranoid schizophrenic back in the mid-eighties. I was having big troubles finding work that I could do that would sustain me as an independent person(getting me out of my mother n step-dad's home). I had gotten out of the Marine Corps, where I was trained as a food service specialist, and couldn't find any work. The recession hit central Hellinois (yes,..I typed Hellinois) very hard, it seemed that a food service handling chit was too much experience for the fast food industry at the time -- all applications come back as 'overqualified for the position,' even though people with college degrees were being hired. I worked when and where I could but, with my limited knowledge, I would make mistakes, and the guilt from 'messing Up' was too much. I went to the state for help, there were jobs training opportunities, and I hoped I could be trained in home building or something,.. food service was a dead-end. I applied at 'Job Service,' as it was called, and they sent me for testing,.. to find out why I wasn't able to keep a job decently. One of those tests were psychiatric,.. and the doc's tests said I was suffering from the 'paranoid schizophrenia,' and Job Service turned me down for training,..suggested I get help,..sent me on my way.
Fast-forward a few years later to about 1992 or 1993 (My memory, when it comes to time and dates, is not very good). My mom and step-dad had decided to sell their home and do their own thing after my step-dad's retirement. I was able to pack up a truck my step-dad had given to me,.. and move out. I was able to secure myself a space behind a friend's home in Decatur,... slept, generally, in a tent and we talked n did stuff during the days [ by we, I meant my friends and I ]. My work, at the time, was watching my little sister's children while she went to college. A few hours a month, and minimal pay by the state (Yes, she was a single mom, her oldest being born with CP, and the state and federal governments were helping her better herself.). It was at this time that my mom took me to see a doctor n find out what my problem was. I obliged her, and we saw my childhood doctor in my old hometown. He sent me to see about disability,.. the meeting wasn't a long one, and I really didn't know why, but, he did. Mom took me to Social Security, and mom and dad, both, took me to doctors appointments that Social Security required (the truck had a huge hole in the gas tank,..and was pretty-much immovable at this time). I was , again, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and was approved for disability, even though the state decided I was not disabled at the time (yes,.. mom took me to see about getting help with food stamps and some sort of income,..I did receive food stamp help, though).
That's the background,.. My troubles are now known to you (the major one). These experiences may not be the same as others from here on out but,.. they give credence to this opinion piece.
A few years later, I was given a drug called 'Zyprexa' for my mind troubles. I was reluctant to take it but, eventually,.. settled into a morning routine, it's been long ago,.. .This, I think, was in the late 1990's.. after fast-track was approved for pharmaceutical companies by the Congress and FDA. The drug worked wonders, I tell you. I even stopped drinking like a 'fish.' One October, I went from about 24 litres of Vodka a month to 0. I just didn't need it, nor did I want it. I had drank for quantity, not quality but, I found that 'self-medicating,' as they call it, was no longer needed (I do, however, continue to make my own cigarettes,. So,.. not ALL self-medication has ended). This drug, Zyprexa, though, had some evil characteristics that the doc's,..nor I, knew about. I believe it messed with my metabolism, as I ended Up gaining about 200 lbs. while taking it. My diet hadn't changed, nor had my exercising (I walked about a mile a day, and also walked about town to the stores n such,.. loved the library and ancient histories there).
I also developed insulin-dependent diabetes while taking this drug. Two side effects, one drug,.. one side-effect needing medications. Drugs I began needing to take (I think I remember them all) at the first were : Metphormin, Glipizide, and, eventually, the Insulin. My doctor and I tried everything, changed my diet -- even going so far as to eat nothing but salads with a 'diet' Italian dressing for a month -- but, the blood sugars never responded well. My hip had begun killing me,..so's I had to stop my exercising routines. I developed a hernia on my stomach, and couldn't even do sit-ups. The diabetes effected me in another way,.. my mom had gotten me a kitten to keep me company, every time she scratched me, I would get infected, needing anti-biotics. Anyhow, My doctor at the time finally prescribed to me another 'wonder drug,' by the name of 'Avandia.' Need I say more??
A longer story shortened.. I now need 13 drugs to take care of the ailments,.. and side-effects, developed from taking the one drug I began taking so long ago - not including aspirin and ibuprophen for pains, and medicines to help stop other physical ailments which I get OTC. I have an answer as to WHY I'm at this point.
Our political friends,.. liberal and quasi-conservative alike, have allowed an industry to manipulate us for far too long, perhaps unwittingly but, I highly doubt it. That industry is the Pharmaceutical Industry, heavily anchored in the Northeastern US, and quite a powerful lobby.
Fast track was a gift to them, even I was fooled at the time, believing great strides would come from quickening the patenting and marketing processes. Boy, were we ever wrong !! You see, those companies took advantage of the lessening of their regulatory oversights, they researched the medicines, found cures n such, I know but, hid the ones away that actually cured or helped the 'patients' they were meant to help. Instead, they patented and marketed to us those drugs which induced other side-effects. (Perhaps a type of 'Jobs Creation Policy'??)
Why ?? For profitability.
Pharmaceuticals which cured an ailment without producing side-effects are, pretty-much, considered non-starters for marketing. The pharmaceutical Industry holds many such patents, keeping them hid away and unavailable to the people who would benefit. Those drugs which helped an ailment but, which induced side-effects, have been given (top) priority and made available for production and sales. For quite the higher price, here in the US.. in Canada (probably world-wide), price controls keep them from stealing taxpayer dollars. In the US, however, no such controls exist, and the companies drive our healthcare plans into insolvency by producing those (flawed) medications. I know illegal fraud and abuse costs the US taxpayer billions every year but,.. the abuse, fraud, and manipulation by these drug manufacturers and researchers has cost us even more, and they do it legally. Medicare part D, I believe, was another gift to them by the quasi-conservative President, Mr. George Bush.
In summary, the US healthcare 'crisis' is not at all a crisis if we were to, stop the 'legal raping' of the government's healthcare funds by the pharmaceutical industries. They receive grants and such from the government, tax incentives, and regulatory perks, which other industries do not. Their lobbyists see to that, and more-n-likely, more. Put an end to it, Congress !! Figure the costs of your medications, what you pay,..what your insurance pays,..what our government has to kick in, as well. Look and observe each medication. Write down the side-effects for each, estimate those costs, or find them out for real. What do they cost you?? Not just in other drugs but, in special diets, changes to your workout routines, etc. .
Ending the healthcare 'crisis' may be as simple as going to your medicine chest and doing those simple things, then writing your congressman/woman and asking why are we paying so much for this 'crap?'
My Thanks for your patience.
Rudolph VanVaulkenburgh
19 October 2011
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