COVID taught me the consequences of putting off medical care

COMMENTARY

The prevalence of the private health insurance industry arguably does more harm than good as it serves as an unnecessary middle man that sometimes forms a barrier between patients and the care they need. But as I've learned, you still have to work within the system as it currently exists; you cannot reject health care altogether, as your health is too important.

One of the major lasting consequences of the pandemic is the large contingency of Americans who put off routine medical care - a group I was among until around three months ago, when I had my first primary care visit in at least five years.

"Delaying medical care can exacerbate existing medical conditions and may increase risk associated with preventable medical conditions," reads a study published by the National Institutes of Health that explored people delaying care during COVID.

For me, this certainly was true. During my long hiatus from the doctor's office, I had developed health complications for the first time in my life including high cholesterol and likely nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

When the pandemic hit, I was two years out of college and still figuring out the American health care system's tangled web of in-network primary care providers, deductibles and surprise medical bills - the last of which proved a huge setback for me. I received a surprise bill in 2019 that I initially was told I did not have to pay, and it shattered my trust and confidence in health care, which has since taken a while to build back up. I felt lied to, but it served as my crash course on the pitfalls and dysfunction of our health insurance system.

Since the pandemic started, a few changes in the world and my life made my health turn for the worse. Especially during the first few years of the pandemic, I was prone to long periods of inactivity inside. I also started stress eating, finding comfort in the greasy, fried food often available through a few button clicks on apps like Door-dash. I've always worked late, and unhealthy fatty foods are one of the only things readily available in the county at night, so those made their way into my daily diet. Come 2023, I had gained a lot of weight and knew something was wrong with my body; I just didn't know what.

In a way, my diagnosis was somewhat of a relief - the unknown became known and I was incredibly lucky that I didn't develop more serious health complications. Arguably the hardest part of these last few months of changes was making that initial appointment, especially after being spurned by health care before. In the end, it was something I had to do for myself and those that care about me. Nobody knows how much time they have left, but if you want to maximize it, you have to take care of yourself.

The pandemic was difficult for everyone, and we all did things to make its tumultuous first years easier for us. I am not the only one that did it through food. One poll found that in the first year of the pandemic, 42 percent of adults in the country reported undesired weight gain - but a global crisis is not an excuse to neglect your body. It requires regular maintenance and care, no matter what's going on in the world.

Since that visit, I made a plan with my doctors that I've followed and have been able to lose about 24 pounds, while greatly improving my condition. For me, the key was finding a routine where I went to the gym regularly and controlled my intake of things like red meat and fried foods. I started paying attention to the daily value nutrition labels of the food I eat, or the "stats" as I call them. I sought out foods high in protein and fiber that made me feel full in order to avoid binge eating. The beginning of forming new habits has always been the hardest for me, but after a while, they became second nature; I've learned that I'm someone who thrives under a schedule.

Especially when compared to nations that have single-payer or otherwise universal health care, America's system does not cut the mustard. The prevalence of the private health insurance industry arguably does more harm than good as it serves as an unnecessary middle man that sometimes forms a barrier between patients and the care they need. But as I've learned, you still have to work within the system as it currently exists; you cannot reject health care altogether, as your health is too important. The best you can do as a consumer is look for the best quality of care you can for a reasonable price and be prepared for unforeseen costs.

Perhaps the most important thing I've realized in these last few months is that being healthier is a choice - one that I was deciding against for three years. My inactivity, complacency and reliance on convenience were all choices I was making every day, even if I didn't give them much thought, and they were ones that I could stop making - and I did.

Every day brings a new set of choices to make, and as such every day represents the opportunity for a fresh start. Change is often slow and requires commitment, but any day can be your first day of improving something about yourself. For me, just over three months ago was the first day I started working toward improving my health.

Sometimes that first step can be both the most difficult and important, and I think it consists of committing to a simple statement: I will be better.

Mitchell Chapman is The Eagle's night news editor.