There are a number of things that irritate me, that get under my skin, that annoy me. But there is one that I absolutely haven’t been able to get past lately.

I loathe, to no end, when people with access to health care are sick or in pain, with something that’s treatable, and do not seek treatment. Especially if they bitch about it.

And obviously, this is a little personal since I’ve had a headache for eleven months now, one that I’ve thrown EVERYTHING EVER at (including the new med which I haaaaate) and one that has not responded to anything. But it’s also just a common sense thing. If you’re sick or in pain and you have the ability to stop it, why on earth wouldn’t you?

I have two theories:
1) You love attention and whining and this is a great way to get and/or do that.
2) You love being miserable

And for the record, both of those are stupid. Yep, I said it, freaking stupid.

But what really REALLY gets under my skin is when you have a contagious disease, a contagious disease that is TREATABLE, that your insurance will cover at no cost, and you choose to not treat it. And when you have said disease and then you call and complain about it. Because WOE IS YOU, you’re still sick. Well no shit. OF COURSE you are. You didn’t treat a treatable condition, most of these don’t go away with fairy dust and friendly thoughts.

GAH.

In the course of the past year, I have met and corresponded with individuals with chronic pain, with chronic diseases, with psychological problems that are, at best, really freaking hard to deal with and harder to treat, all of who would kill to trade places with most people. There are hundreds of thousands of people who are suffering, who would give all the world for a pill, for a prescription, for a quick fix that would stop everything. There are people with conditions that may be treatable who don’t have access to healthcare and must suffer for it.

And then there are people who have no idea how lucky they are. Who refuse to take a medication that will stop the pain and the germs and the ugliness, people who would rather lie around, miserable and complaining, than use the resources they are blessed to have.

And sure, I think everyone of us is guilty of this to a certain extent. I’m married to a doctor who won’t take an Aleve for a headache unless I nag him. My mother has migraines, but won’t take her migraine meds until she’s absolutely sure that no other thing could possibly be the cause of what is obvious to the rest of us as a migraine. I get hesitancy, I really do. I always hesitate trying a new drug until I’m aware of the side effects and what to be watchful of. That kind of hesitancy makes sense to me.

But waiting days, weeks, even for a treatment that you know will work, that doctors have told you will work, that may very well save your freaking life without side effects is just stupid. I’m sorry it is. I’m not talking about chemotherapy and radiation, I’m not talking about medication that will make you violently ill, I’m talking about a simple prescription whose side effects aren’t even half as bad as the condition they’re treating, if that. A simple prescription that is affordable and easy to get.

I’m talking about wasting health care opportunities. I’m talking about ignoring a cure when there are so many people who would kill for one.

So next time you have a headache or a backache that will respond to Advil, take one unless you have a really good reason not to. Next time you have a sinus infection or step throat that will respond to antibiotics you can afford, take them.

And if you won’t, if you CHOOSE misery over health, then please have the common curtesy to not call repeatedly to complain about how horrible things are when you’ve made no attempt to help them. Because you may not realize that the person on the other end of the line spent the last 11 months wishing, praying and hoping for a pill that would fix things for her, too.

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