Tyson is Tougher than the Toilet Paper

The food solution the hospital is feeding Tyson costs $1,200 a day.

Yes, you read that right.

Now, I could scream that the manufacturer is doing the typical thing every medical supplier does and is raking in outrageous profits. Or, I could loudly lament how the hospital is marking it up a ridiculous amount to get its huge profit from the insurance company.

Instead, I am only going to say four words: thank God for Anthem.

I am a notorious hater of insurance companies. Have been since I was 24 and my insurance company dropped me after three accidents in a span of a couple years. All the accidents were someone else's fault. Excuse me, but I thought that was the definition of insurance? It is there when you need it.

My hatred has only grown deeper over the years as I have seen people with cancer or other serious diseases dropped from coverage while watching insurance companies rake in HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS in profits in a SINGLE year.

But today, I am only happy to be insured. They are there when I need them. In the best-case scenario, it looks like my son's first stay in the hospital will be at least three weeks in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. If he ends up needing that first operation, it will be worse. Then, he has a pretty major operation about six months from now.

Can you say half a million? Let's say he spends a total of 60 days in at an average cost of $5,000 a day (the going rate?). That's $300,000 right there. Throw in a couple surgeries by one of the best pediatric health surgeons in the world and you're looking at half a mill.

Thank God for Anthem.

What if I worked at Wal-Mart? Or Papa Johns? Or one of the hundreds of thousands of businesses in this nation that doesn't agree to split the cost of group (ie cheaper, because you buy it in bulk) health care with its employees?

I'd be up poop creek without a paddle. All because I didn't have my crap together coming out of high school and skipped college (or couldn't afford it), instead choosing to go to work for one of the largest corporations in America and maybe work my way up the ladder.

Thank God for health care insurance. I'll pay my deductible -- not an easy task in itself -- and go on with my life. I can't help but feel empathy for others who may be in this situation but not have the same peace of mind.

By the way, everything in this hospital is top-notch. Every doctor and nurse so far has had tremendous knowledge and bedside manner. The equipment is state-of-the-art. The facility is modern and clean. Even the cleaning folks stop and talk to you and ask how the boy is doing. It is easy to see why this is rated the third best Children's Hospital in the nation. I LOVE Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

But about the toilet paper.

I used to work for the county, and in an attempt to save money, administrators made a decision to go to cheaper toilet paper. It is the kind that tears as you are rolling it off the spool. It disintegrates in your hand and you have to use three times as much just to ensure a good wipe. Not sure how that saves money.

When I got a new job, one of my greatest joys was saying goodbye to that toilet tissue.

Not so fast. It has returned to haunt me at Children's. I'm spending many hours bedside in the CICU. That requires an occasional trip to the bathroom. This top-notch facility in every way is letting me down on those occasions.

I have a few friends who work here. I can only hope the administration has higher quality toilet tissue.

For those who dialed in for a Tyson update and not a speech on health insurance or toilet paper, he is holding his own. They are now feeding him and are going to take a few weeks to determine if he can live with the narrowing in his aorta, since it is not as bad as they once thought. Basically, it has to be wide enough to ensure blood is distributed equally between his body and lungs. If that happens, he can go home and they will make any necessary repairs when they do the big surgery in 6-8 months.

If his body cannot handle it, they will either go in and surgically repair the narrowing or they will place a band on another part of his heart that will apply a corresponding equal restriction, thereby equalizing blood flow.

The bottom line is the kid has fought his way to best-case scenario so far. I can't begin to explain how that feels. Doctors are very happy with his progress. 

He still has a big hill to climb. I am not getting over joyed on this -- he still will have open-heart surgery where they will literally change the anatomy of his heart with a scalpel and other material. That's scary. 

But he has proven to be strong and a fighter in every way. That gives me great hope that he shall overcome. 

Thanks for all the prayers and good thoughts. 

They are working.