My Tarot Card for this Love-Letter

I pulled this card to inspire me for what I might say today, and this is what appeared. I sure need this, as I have had a hella' week filled with medical mishaps and a healthcare system that is a joke. Hopefully, it will do its' job, and I'll be able to connect with my imagination and produce something worth reading.

Do We Have a Functioning Healthcare System in the US?

In my past and recent experiences, we do not. 

I have several medical issues which now seemingly require one medical professional for each:

• Hashimoto's Thyroiditis requires an Endocrinologist who turns out to be a Nurse Practitioner, not an MD specializing in this.  While she is a lovely person (I quite like her), all she knows is what drugs to push. She knows nothing about holistic or Functional Medicine and only discovered I had Hashimoto's as a result of my insisting on a specific blood test I had researched myself. And I've been seeing her for 6 years without being tested for this. Now I am spending loads of time researching what foods to eat, what lifestyle is best, how it's related to over-abundant estrogen, which is handled by supplementing with Progesterone, etc....you get the idea. 
• Rheumatoid Arthritis, which I've had for over 45 years, was apparently in remission until recently when gut issues made it come back for a few days. Wow! I had forgotten how painful and debilitating that is. Fortunately, it seems to be going away now. I don't see Rheumatologists because all they know is filling me with drugs with crappy side effects. I've staved it off with Acupuncture and other holistic methods, so I am able to live with it. I had to take charge and not rely on Western medicine.
• EOE, which is Eosinophilic Esophagitis, an allergic reaction to certain foods (as yet unknown), was diagnosed within the last 8 months.  It has progressed to my being unable to swallow easily, painful tightness in my chest, and having to test myself by my level of pain when I eat something as my medical "insurance". doesn't cover allergy testing.
• And, while having the Endoscopy last June, which discovered the EOE, they also found h.Pylori. Unfortunately, the brand-new Gastroenterologist who called me with the test results at 8:30 pm stated that I was in danger of developing cancer, so she'd called a bunch of prescriptions to the Pharmacy. My husband heard my side of the conversation and freaked out when he heard the word "Cancer". She wasn't even MY Gastro; she was new to the practice. Now, I was previously diagnosed with h. Pylori when I lived in California, and the drugs to treat it had weakened my GI system, so I developed Candida!
• Last Tuesday, I had an injection in my left eye for  Wet AMD. I've had several before with little issues, but this one was different. I developed a bloodshot eye with pain and blurriness and felt exhausted. 

Finally, I gave up and decided I needed to rest. Well, I spent two basically sleepless nights and called my Gastroenterologist for some help as I was getting worse. She prescribed Omeprozale, a PPI, and I was so desperate that I began taking it.

On day 1, I felt much better and finally slept through the night. However, on day 2 (today), I didn't feel quite as well as I had the day before. We went to breakfast with friends, and I found I couldn't eat very well and the food tasted icky. I also felt that exhaustion start again.

I began to wonder what the side effects of this drug were, and I discovered in less than 5 minutes online that I shouldn't take this within 3-4 hours of taking my Armour Thyroid as it will deplete Thyroid hormones! She hadn't had the Nurse tell me that, and I believe they didn't even check what other conditions I might have that precluded me from taking this drug or even modifying when I take it. This could have been very dangerous.

OK, we are done with those horror stories! I am still alive, and while I'm not "healthy" right now, I am grateful to be alive and able to share with you.

Here are some tips for navigating the "healthcare" system.

1. Get a reliable and easy-to-contact Primary Care Provider. These days, there is an MD shortage, and we often get FNPs (Family Nurse Practitioners). Now, I actually prefer them to MD's for my Primary Care. They are well-trained, and most are quite competent and actually dp NOT have a God complex. They are generally women and have a more caring demeanor and are better listeners. Be alert, though, that they don't just refer you out where you have to wait months for medical issues they may be able to address. We had one like that. She was sweet and competent but referred out for everything.
2. Do your own research about drug side effects and ask your medical provider about them because they may not (or probably) be up to date about them. If you begin taking a new drug, as I said, do the research...drugs.com is a great website for this. 
3. Research your medical condition and see what lifestyle changes may help with it. I researched what foods to eat (or not), whether exercise is helpful, and, if so, what kind. First and foremost, get good sleep. It is critical for health, especially as we age.
4. Medical costs are staggeringly high, and health insurers are not your friends. They are in business to make money for their shareholders, so look over each EOB (Explanation of Benefits) you receive and make sure they are paying what they should. If you need some help with this, I am happy to give you my 2 cents. I previously owned a medical insurance billing company and was the Office Manager for several medical practices.
5. Avail yourself of useful Alternative Medicine: Acupuncturists, Reiki Practitioners, Chiropractors, Naprapathic Physicians, and Ayurvedic Practitioners, to name a few I've used. They can help tremendously. Check their credentials and testimonials first.
6. Above all, be resilient. Take charge and listen to your intuition about what your body needs. In 2018, after returning from a long road trip to and from California, my lower back became excruciatingly painful, and it wasn't improving despite PT and meds. I couldn't sleep and had to stand at our kitchen island to eat because I couldn't sit down. One night, in desperation, because the pain was so intense, I had the realization I had always been fighting with my body, trying to make it do what I wanted, no matter what. I spoke to it and apologized for not loving it enough to listen to it and asked it what I could do to make the pain subside. I clearly heard a voice in my head that said, "Lie on your left side". I did, and the pain went away. So my advice is to love and respect your body even if it's painful, ask what it needs, and listen. Try doing what comes to you from this and see what happens.

Inspiration

MY GIFT TO YOU

Because you are a loyal subscriber to my Love-Letters, I want to gift you a complimentary 45-minute Call-A-Crone Virtual Chat. I promise this is NOT any kind of sales call; it's meant to give you some of my insights to shed light on any situation with which you feel you need some quick help. I love doing this work and have time in my schedule right now. So click on this link to schedule, http://bit.ly/3GEKV1h  or send me an email at  taru@tarufisher.com right away. It's going to be transformative!

Love and many Blessings to you - Taru

MY ASK...

If you know any women who would benefit from reading this, please forward it to them. And if you (or they) want to get my 10 Tips For Powerful Aging, click on this link: https://bit.ly/3RpkWQW

Love and many Blessings to you - Taru