There has been very little written from this quarter lately, and that rather rambling, because I have been-not to put too fine a point on it-sick. This is a strange set of affairs for me, because I am so rarely ill that I can’t really recognize the condition. Typically I doubt my own motives-am I really sick, or am I just looking for an excuse not to work? Well, in this case if I was trying to avoid work I paid far too high a price, as I was running fevers way past 100 and climbing. Given the weather these days, it’s hard to tell whether you’re feverish or it’s just hot, but there was another sign that was a dead giveaway that I was sick. I ate almost nothing for about five days.
Turns out I have babesiosis, a tick borne disease, which, according to Wikipedia, is sometimes known as the Malaria of the Northeast. I appear to have gotten the disease in its full flower, with high temperatures, shaking chills, fitful sleep- the works. I’ve really been quite miserable, but-Glory Hallelujah, it appears that the medications the doctor prescribed are working.
The medication in question (or one of the two) had to be pre-approved, meaning my doctor’s judgment wasn’t good enough for the insurance company. This is a situation in which it’s hard to blame the greedy government protected and soon to be subsidized insurance company, because it was only trying to protect itself from the greedy government protected and already subsidized drug company. The medication in question costs $500.00 for 20 tablespoons of liquid.
But I shall not dwell on the iniquities of our medical care system. I can now believe that a time will come when I will actually want to eat, I can begin to believe that one can have a full night’s sleep unburdened with fever dreams, and I can foresee a time when it will not be a chore to navigate from one room to another.
If this keeps up I may even get back to writing about politics.
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