The stats are: I broke a total of seventeen bones in my lower body.  My right foot was virtually severed; the bone in my right ankle came out, flipped around, and went back in.  The two bones in my left shin were particularly hard hit; there was talk at first of amputation.

We aren’t out of the woods yet of course, but so far, so good, thanks, again, to the brilliance and diligence of the Vanderbilt trauma center.  I have two surgeries under my belt with two remaining: one next Wednesday to fix the big bones in my left leg, and one the following Wednesday to fix the big bones in my right leg.  Eventually, when I can actually walk again, it’s onto rehab.

It’s fascinating to see how a trauma center works, and even more fascinating to be the beneficiary of medical technology.  As I write, I am hooked up to a machine that constantly monitors all of my vital signs.  A blood pressure monitor is wrapped around my arm, and it automatically takes mine periodically.  My oxygen intake and heart rate are monitored by a device hooked to my finger.  Every now and then, a nurse comes into my room and checks those or other vitals depending on what the machine has relayed to them.  A hypochondriac like me can relax in such an environment.

Such progress in medicine can’t be attributed to “government” health care; someone interested in making a profit brainstormed the technologies that are being used, in this case, to save my life.  And a staff filled with people interested primarily in helping people utilize the technologies along with their ingenuity to make decisions about what the next move is for me.

If ObamaCare were fully implemented, and it lingered, and I were to have such a life-threatening accident again, the odds would be against me.  The key to understanding the shortcomings of socialized medicine is in recognizing the distinction between health care and health coverage.  Obama’s plan ostensibly guarantees coverage for all, and along the way, it virtually promises to drives those capable of providing the best care out of the industry.  Combine that with Obama’s general hostility toward profit, which discourages the invention of new technologies, making good care more difficult, and you have the universal administration of sub-standard care.

A team of doctors just came in to check me out, so I must run.  More later.