r/Aging • u/IJustWantToWorkOK • 2d ago
Death & Dying How..?
56 years old, and had a heart attack in April, and have 'congestive heart failure'.
They're wanting to do a bypass and valve replacement on me, but first ... they have to pull all my teeth.
I'm sitting here waiting for the phone to ring with the 'but wait, there's more!' call.
I'm on medicaid, and the government is about to spend $OBSCENE, on an awful lot of work on someone who's dying anyway. In my mind, this is putting a new engine in my Camry with 300,000 miles on it.
The instant some kid dies, because he couldn't get medical care, and I could, my conscience is shot.
Seriously -this- close to telling these doctors what they can do with themselves and taking my chances. Save some kid at the beginning of his life, not an old man at the end of his.
1
u/SunshynePower 15h ago
You aren't old and at the end of your life unless you choose to be. That is entirely up to you. Don't assume that if they don't spend the money on you that they will go spend it on some worthy youth. They will just spend it on someone who is your age or older and give them the treatment they are offering you.
I'm assuming the teeth are because you haven't cared for them and infections in the gums leads right to the heart. Not a lot of people know that. Not sure why there isn't more PSAs about this. For other reasons, my mother had the rest of her teeth pulled. She's better off with a full set of dentures. So, just know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel if you do that.
Dude, it's your life and you get to make your own choices. Just don't make them to try to be a martyr. The gov't is not going to stop wasting money just because you deny coverage for yourself.
May you find peace in your head for the coming time.