How To Be Prepared For A Health Crisis
Get your mind, body, and finances ready for an emergency
You never know when you’re going to suffer an injury or illness that can keep you down for a long time. It’s a good idea to be prepared for a crisis in the event that you suffer an unexpected health emergency. But how do you get prepared?
Some of the ideas that follow will deal with prostate cancer specifically or cancer in general, but others can be used to prepare for almost any illness.
One way is to keep yourself in good shape. In many cases, you will have better odds and an easier recovery if you were healthy before your accident or illness. In some cases, if a person isn’t healthy enough for surgery, it can delay life-saving treatment or make it more risky.
But be careful. Exercise can be hazardous as well. I tripped and fell while running a few years ago and broke my nose among other damage to my body and ego (true story). If you have any doubts, check with your doctor to find out what level of exercise is safe and appropriate for you.
Get regular checkups, even if you don’t feel sick. Make sure that the doctor does bloodwork and checks your PSA. You might also want to get a DNA test that shows if you have genetic markers that put you at elevated risk for cancer or other diseases. If so, doctors can do more specific tests to detect any problems early.
For prostate cancer, you can also do kegel exercises. I discussed kegels in an earlier installment and I do believe that they made my post-operative recovery much easier. Kegels can be beneficial for reasons other than preparing for prostate surgery, including enhancing sexual performance, and can be performed by both men and women, but I definitely recommend them for prostate cancer patients. Learn how to perform kegels here.
Preparing for financial problems is also a big part of being ready for a health emergency. If a health problem causes you to be out of work for a long time, you’ll lose at least a portion of your income while incurring medical bills at the same time. That’s not an optimal situation.
It goes without saying that you should get health insurance. For most of us, that is going to be provided through our jobs. When open enrollment comes around, look at the available plans carefully and understand what you are signing up for. Some plans have very high deductibles that can leave your share of medical expenses much higher than others.
Also, think about disability insurance. Your employer may offer this coverage as well, and if you suffer a long-term absence, as I currently am, it’s nice to have a source of income. The downside is that disability coverage only pays a fraction of what you normally earn.
My experience has driven home with the largest drawback to the American system of employer-provided health insurance. Namely, if you’re sick enough to be out of work for a long time, you stand a good chance of losing your job and with it, your health insurance. If that happens, you may or may not qualify for a safety net program. I’ve always thought that it didn’t make sense to tie health insurance to your job. My experience has confirmed that belief.
There are strategies to help deal with a reduced income but to make use of many of them, you have to start before the emergency. One way is to live within your means and don’t carry a lot of debt. If your income is suddenly cut by about 40 to 50 percent, you’ll have a lot more breathing room if you don’t have to make a lot of monthly payments. Even small loan payments can add up to a large chunk of your income.
A second strategy, which is related to the first, is to build up a nest egg or emergency fund. Financial guru Dave Ramsey recommends starting with a $1,000 nest egg and then building up an emergency fund with three-to-six months of household expenses.
You can also look into cancer insurance. Aflac pioneered the idea of cancer policies, but other companies such as Mutual of Omaha now offer the coverage as well. These policies are intended to supplement traditional health insurance not replace it, and typically offer a daily cash payment during hospital stays as well as other benefits to supplement the cost of tests, surgeries, etc.
If you have loved ones who depend on your income, life insurance is always a good idea as well. Beyond paying for your funeral and final expenses, you’ll want to have enough insurance to support your family after you’re gone. Consider mortgage and car payments, property taxes, and college expenses for your children as well as paying off any remaining debts.
If you have time, you can make some adjustments after your diagnosis. In my case, I worked for another month or so after learning that I had cancer. I used that time to trim my monthly budget and stock up on items that I knew we would be needing.
One of the first things that I did was make a list of our monthly expenses and figure out exactly where our money was going. I saved several hundred dollars by canceling streaming accounts and other expenses that we could live without. Like the small debts, all these small expenses add up. And there are so many of them that it’s easy to forget what you are paying for.
I recommend going over your credit card statements with a fine-tooth comb and making sure that you understand what every charge is. This is a good idea even in good times, but when your income is being reduced, you want to know how much you’re paying for monthly subscriptions and other expenditures.
I also recommend that when you set up a trial subscription or annual payment you create a reminder for when you need to cancel it or when to expect the next payment. Make this reminder a few days early in order to give yourself time to deal with the issue. You don’t want to be surprised with a large subscription fee when some service that you’ve forgotten you had renews.
Don’t forget about items that may not be paid on a monthly basis like auto and home insurance. And there are always unexpected items that pop up like the flat tire that had to be replaced on my truck last week (another true story) or the random charges that the kids have to pay at school. If you don’t include money in your budget for unexpected expenses, your budget won’t work.
Here’s another tip at no extra charge: Many newspapers and services will give you a hefty discount if you just ask. For example, when I called to cancel Sirius XM in my truck, I was able to get the monthly rate down to about $6. There’s no need to spend more money than you have to even in good times.
My wife and I also sat down and went over our accounts and made sure that she knew where our money was and what needed to be paid if something happened to me. Does your spouse know about your family finances? If you aren’t married or if your spouse isn’t able to handle financial affairs, who do you trust to do so?
This brings me to wills, living wills, and powers of attorney. If your finances and family situation aren’t complicated, an online service like Legal Zoom may be an inexpensive way to handle your estate planning. For more complex situations, you’ll need to consult an attorney or estate planner.
The possibility of death is difficult to face. For me, a big part of dealing with that anxiety came from believing that God was in control. If God didn’t choose to allow the doctors to heal me, then he could take me home.
It was difficult to accept that I had very little control over the outcome of my illness, but belief in something bigger made it possible. As I wrote last week, the prayers of my friends eased my anxiety quickly and, dare I say it, miraculously.
It may be that your health crisis is a short one. You may not be out of work long and your out-of-pocket costs may be minimal. On the other hand, as I’ve noted before, cancer often turns out to be a little worse than expected. My advice is to hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. It’s a lot easier to concentrate on recovering your health if you don’t have to spend time worrying about money.
With this post, I’m almost at the end of my planned installments in My Prostate Cancer Journey. I have a couple of other ideas such as dealing with the FAA and sex after prostatectomies, but those stories are still being written at this point.
There will be other installments in this blog, but I won’t be writing them as often as I have been. I’ll probably include some updates as necessary and appropriate as well. If you want to keep up with future updates, subscribe to have them delivered directly to your inbox.
I’d like to thank all of you who have already subscribed and especially those who have contributed by becoming paying members. Your gifts have been greatly appreciated.
Also, I’d like to thank everyone who has shared this blog. I began writing it partly to heal myself, and the process has been cathartic. But I also wrote for others who are going through what I have gone through. I hope that learning about my experience has been comforting to other prostate cancer sufferers and their loved ones.
Thanks also to everyone who has offered their support and prayers. I don’t know how I could have endured this trial without the support of God, my family, and both my online and offline friends. God bless you all.
Please continue to share this blog with people who need it. If any donations are received after I return to work, I’ll donate them to prostate cancer research.
I intend to make this blog free, but as I write this in April 2023, I am out of work and on disability as I recover from my cancer. I’m not broke, but I am on a reduced income. If you feel led to buy a subscription or make a donation, it will be greatly appreciated. To make your donation go further, you can also donate directly to thorntondavid@yahoo.com on Paypal or @captainkudzu71 on Venmo.
If you don’t want to send money, I also appreciate prayers, comments, and shares. If you know someone who has or may have prostate cancer or someone who loves someone with prostate cancer, feel free to share this blog with them.
Please keep in mind that I am not a medical professional and this blog does not provide individualized medical advice. If you think you are sick, you should seek treatment from a real doctor.
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My Prostate Cancer Journey is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Other Installments:
1 - The Diagnosis
3- Easter Special - An Apology to Apostle Thomas
4- My Treatment
6-Night is the Darkest Time - The Mental Battle of Cancer
7-How To Be Prepared For A Health Crisis
Resources: