My Christian Democrat Dilemma

Recently a Christian friend of mine from church gave me a copy of an essay, presumably in response to my openness around him and his grandson about my democratic political views. Generally when I present myself as a Christian Democrat I get a lot of funny looks and become the butt of somewhat harmless jokes. Thus I wanted to set my own record straight and I hope it opens some eyes. For reference, here is the essay I was presented: http://www.whatiam.net/

Now, allow me to respond. I was quite impressed by Mr. Essef’s full page ad and the passion and values he obviously holds. Obviously I do not approve of, nor agree with Howard Dean’s statement about Republicans. I think Mr. Essef was quite justified in feeling deeply offended by those remarks. I am disappointed that in offering his response to negative generalizations of Republicans, he chose to use many negative generalizations of Democrats (such as the statement that Democrats only see negativity in America).

I think it is unfortunate that Christianity has been pidgeon-holed into Republicanism. There does not seem to be a place for a Christian like me who is pro-life, but who also believes that we must fix our horribly flawed health care system, immediately change course on our destruction of the environment, end our dependence on oil period (not just foreign oil), and treat other nations with respect through diplomacy and not the ‘superpower’ arrogance that the White House has shown in the past few years.

Both parties both use shameless attack ads and then whine about the other candidates’ attacks. Both parties are led by politicians whose integrity can be legitimately questioned. Neither party truly represents all of the values and desires of the majority of Americans. Where that leaves each one of us is with the solemn duty to examine the political landscape for ourselves and not blindly follow one party’s propaganda. We all must figure out for ourselves what party and candidate most closely aligns with the majority of our values and ideals. We must encourage our children and youth to engage in policy debates and not try to force them down one political path. On several instances my friend's grandson has bluntly said to me, “Obama is a Muslim”. This has been shown to be a lie over and over again, yet it persists because people refuse to believe that the Republican party and leaders might be using propaganda for political gain. I find it unfortunate that the Christian and conservative right has chosen to attack the faith of a man who has devoted 20 years of his life and treasure to a Christian church in Chicago. When this young boy has asked me about why I support Barack Obama I tell him the honest truth that I want to see environmental and health care reform. When he calls Obama a muslim I have told him that he should not spread lies and needs to find out the truth for himself. That may be hard for him to grasp at his young age, but I feel it essential that he knows that he has the God-given freedom to think for himself and pursue truth for himself (with some guidance of course at his age).

Because I believe in the sanctity of life I believe that health care is a right and should be provided to all citizens. Because I believe in the sanctity of life I believe that for our childrens’ sake we must immediately enact massive energy policy change to provide a healthy environment and a future free from ‘oil wars’ as other nations’ economies modernize and increase demand. Because I believe in the love and grace of God and Jesus Christ, I believe we must cease the Christian hatred & fear of homosexuals, pro-choice advocates, and muslims. Jesus was only harsh to the Jews, those of his own faith, who spread legalism and rules. He was always gentle to the lost sheep. We as Christians need to follow Christ’s lead on this. Those are the reasons why I identify more with the Democratic party. I only wish both parties would behave more ethically toward each other, especially during campaigning. I hope that helps all of you understand where I’m coming from.

The Rapp Family

Some Pics of the family and momma with baby Z.

Little Baby Rapp!

Ezekiel Thomas Cadman Rapp was born just before 8:00pm on Wednesday 8/20/08. The new little giant weighed in at 8 lb. 1 oz. and measured 21.25 inches. Mom is doing well and the baby is phenomenal :-)!!! Here are some pics:

Politics, Sweet Politics

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The Crazy Dream

A few nights ago I had this dream. Normally I don't remember my dreams but this one stuck and after telling a few people about it I was encouraged to share it here. So here it is.

In my dream a very pregnant Katrina and I woke up one morning and her first words to me were, "My water just broke!" She immediately started contracting so I remembered that I had some left over unused, non-latex rubber gloves from Anatomy lab last year which I found and put on. I checked her cervix and found her to be fully dilated and the baby descending. Knowing at that point that we were going to have to deliver the baby right there in our bed I went on a scavenger hunt for supplies in our apartment. Somehow my limited 1st year medical training and my experience delivering a couple robot babies in the sim lab came out. Here is a list of what I picked up.

1. The hand pump from our exercise ball. It has a reverse pump to do suction (which I would use to suction the baby's nose and mouth.
2. Potato Chip Bag Clips. I would use these to clamp the umbilical cord before cutting.
3. Scissors from our knife block. To cut the umbilical cord
4. A shirt of mine to wipe down the baby

With all that gathered I began the process of delivering the baby. Doing cervical and vaginal swipes with fingers to help the baby's head clear the "ring of fire". I assessed the presentation of the baby to prepare my hand placement. When the head crowned I held it in extension (heads flopping down cause tears in mom). Then I delivered the head, anterior shoulder, posterior shoulder, grasp the neck and pull baby all the way out, suction nose then mouth. I handed the baby to Katrina, never looked at the gender (and she didn't say either) and then proceeded to clamp and cut the umbilical cord. Then I went through the process of uterine fundus massage to deliver the placenta and checked the placenta to make sure of its cotyledons were intact.

And then... I woke up. Crazy huh?

And I never saw the gender... but the baby was pink, healthy, and crying.

The Patient Viewpoint

As you know, this blog is often a forum for health policy and other similar issues. On occasion though I do desire to get personal and share with you something from the heart. Today is one of those days as I have spent much of the day reflecting on a current health battle. To be honest, I must say that I am a little scared but also a bit relieved...

For those who know me personally you are likely aware that my gastrointestinal tract leaves much to be desired. Throughout my teenage years and adult life I've had a wide range of chronically moderate to acutely severe GI problems. Over the past year though I've experienced a slow, steady increase in heartburn and acid reflux, to the point that now I have a constant, dull burning sensation at all times. All foods, yawning, laying, coughing, etc exacerbate the symptoms and over-the-counter treatment has become virtually useless to me. Now, reflux just happens randomly every few minutes. The level of discomfort and type of discomfort, coupled with my medical knowledge is what finally scared me enough to see a doctor since I've been trying to deal with the discomfort with pending pregnancy/labor/delivery costs on the horizon.

So I did see the doctor yesterday who did a phenomenal job taking my history and giving me some treatment options. What she did though that has not been done for me yet in life is offer to actually go in and take a look around. What I have been wanting for some time is to know the actual cause of my health issues, not simply to treat symptoms. So sometime soon I'm going to get scoped which is a relief to me.

There is a lot of discussion in the medical community about the ordering of expensive diagnostic tests that may not be necessary. This is called defensive medicine which doctors practice to avoid lawsuits. Anyhow, my case could be argued either way and for me at this moment, I'm glad I have a doctor who wants to take the cautious road. Maybe that is because I know more now than I did before about my risks with these symptoms. What I think my doctor picked up on (whether she realized it or not) was a patient who historically does not take great care of himself actually seeking care, and thus must be pretty concerned and in need of detailed answers.

Ultimately I feel comforted. I feel like I received quality care. That's why I want to be a doctor, and now why I'm happy to be this doctor's patient.

Remembering Childhood Joys

So yesterday I decided to try riding my new bike to school. Yes, I know I'm almost 29 years old but I'm trying to be more environmentally and health conscious. Our new apartment is 8 miles from campus. Coming to campus in the morning was nice for the first 5 miles until I reached what I'm dubbing "The Hill" which is a good, steep half-mile rise from the Raccoon River Valley up to the Windsor Heights neighborhood where the school is located. Being out-of-shape I had to walk my bike up the second half of the hill, but I made it to school and felt great! What I really enjoyed though was the ride home.

Remember being a kid riding around your neighborhood? I'm sure all of you had 'that hill' that you never wanted to go up, but you loved going down. That's what I re-experienced yesterday for the first time in years... that long, fast descent with the cool breeze, no cars. Beautiful!

Fresh Band-Aid for Medicare...

Recall this December 2007 blog post?

Band Aids are NOT good healthcare for Seniors

Well, yesterday the U.S. House of Representatives passed yet another piece of band-aid legislation to prevent the 10.6% cut in physician reimbursement from Medicare until the end of 2009. The Senate is likely to vote on this legislation within a week and then it goes to Mr. Bush to sign (who has threatened a veto, details at Washington Post.

You know, I honestly am wondering if it might be better for this pay cut to happen... here's why:

Massive Collateral Damage! If the pay cut happens then many doctors will cut back on seeing Medicare patients, some will stop participating in Medicare all-together, some will leave their small town or urban practices for better practice environments, and some will quit medicine entirely. It will essentially be a non-unionized, non-organized strike, and boy oh boy would the fallout cause some heads to roll. Patients and their families would start a grassroots campaign of political revenge like no other.

However, the damage this would do to our seniors, their families, physicians (and their families) would be too great.

You know, despite the humanitarian values of medical students, we have to consider entering specialties where we can actually make money to pay off our student loans, buy houses, etc. Choosing a Medicare dominated specialty right now is a major risk. Physicians automatically lose money on most medicare patient visits, period. They make that loss up by billing more for services to other non-medicare patients. They have to or else they go out of business.

The system needs surgery, not a band aid. It will get surgery if we elect a President who cares about Health Care. We need a President who understands that we are THE ONLY industrialized nation without a Universal Healthcare System. We need a President who understands that you can't have a free market in health care because you lack an informed consumer (do you know if you have gall stones?), and the willingness to price shop (are you going to haggle with your surgeon over the price of your gallbladder surgery? Do you want the 'Closeout Sale' on last year's pacemakers?). Those two requirements of a free market do not exist in health care and thus any statement that market forces will drive down health care costs is a very risky statement.