A May poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that nearly half of Americans have deferred medical care because of COVID-19, and 11 percent of people who have delayed or skipped medical care since the outbreak reported their physical health has gotten worse. While this shows that a majority of people feel their physical health has stayed the same, this still amounts to a huge number of Americans who have jeopardized their health as a result of waiting. Millions more might be unaware of deterioration in their health or have yet to suffer the long-term consequences of missed appointments and diagnoses.
I, personally, am only too aware of what the delay in getting treatment cost me. After eight weeks of debilitating pain in my lower back down my leg to my toes left me unable to move, I finally sought help. Unfortunately, I thought the highest risk was that of contracting COVID-19, so I measured that danger against the pain I was feeling rather than the danger of what having the pain signified.
I have an autoimmune disease that affects my kidneys and lungs as well as other chronic health conditions — including ones that are heart-related — so I am the definition of high-risk for the coronavirus. I had been viewing any medical environment as a guarantee for contracting the virus and all the devastation that would bring. Once I began to get treatment, I felt like I was playing an extended game of chicken. With every appointment and test that followed, I felt like I was pushing more than any luck I’d been afforded.
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