Paul was back in the clinic last week. He needed his insulin
and a refill on his medications. We had talked to him a couple of times – he
was finally discharged from the hospital, only to come home to frozen, burst
pipes. That is not an uncommon problem in this climate when the temperatures
are so low and a home is inadequately heated.
He had some family that was able to help him with the
necessary repairs so that he could have running water.
He is getting all of his nourishment from his feeding tube;
that makes regulating his blood sugar pretty complicated. All things
considered, when he came in last week, he didn’t look too bad.
But, that belies the situation. He has a diagnosis of
esophageal cancer (one of the most deadly) with metastasis to the liver. His
prognosis is not good.
And, because he is uninsured, getting the treatment he needs
is very difficult. He has very few resources; he is alone – the family he has
lives on the other side of the state; and transportation is a problem as it is
for many living in isolated rural areas such as ours.
I don’t know what is going to happen to Paul. He will have Medicaid soon and will be able
to access some treatment. Probably, it will not change the outcome at this
point.
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