Maggie's Farm

I have a serious sleep disorder that is causing a number of other health issues such as debilitating migraines, with risk of heart attack or stroke despite being in fine physical condition otherwise.

My treatment over the last nine years has been a case study of check-the-box, paint-by-numbers medicine. It has resulted in unwarranted surgery as well as ineffective treatment. The physicians and the medical devices supply company and the insurance company place the highest value on staying inside their comfort zones.

No new treatments can be considered until yet another superfluous test is completed so they obtain the numbers needed to apply for their next revenue event. The path of treatment is proscribed by probability trees. Obvious empirical evidence and patient reports are ignored so that treatment slowly progresses down the safest probability path.

And the patient gets no better, while wasting years and many thousands of dollars because neither the physicians, suppliers, or insurers have any incentives to deviate from the sequence of therapies charted by the best practices-no risk people.

I have had four hospital-conducted sleep studies and never have been able to even see the physician who interpreted the results, despite many demands for a consultation. The response is "we forwarded the numbers to the case physician, we do not conduct personal consultations." That's what medicine has become.