I am writing this essay from the relative comfort of a borrowed recliner chair. The chair was borrowed from a gracious friend upon my return from a week-long hospitalization for emergency spinal surgery. I arrived home only to discover that I could not sit on any of the furniture in our house. Of course, there are those who have visited our house recently who can quite understand why I would not be able to sit comfortably on any of our furniture!

My back problems, disc herniations at L4-L5 and L5-S1, have been steadily worsening for more than one year. I was referred for surgery about this time last year after all attempts at conservative treatment failed. Unfortunately, shortly after I was referred for back surgery last year my wife, Terri, experienced a significant complication with the cancer she has been battling. Terri’s condition quickly de-prioritized my own health care needs. Consequently, my back problems have been escalating in the time since.

Do-it-yourself health care is a growing trend, according to Cara Buckley, writing in the NY Times yesterday. Increasing numbers of uninsured, young adults are relying on Internet research from sites like WebMD to self-diagnose medical problems, borrowing or swapping prescription drugs from friends to treat ailments, and stockpiling needed medication and supplies whenever they are able. Skyrocketing medical insurance premiums put coverage well outside the reach of nearly everyone without employer-subsidized insurance (and a growing number of those with employer-subsidized insurance) while rapidly rising medical costs prevent many uninsured adults from seeking medical care.

My first reaction while reading this article was to empathize and relate to the situation. The only difference is that I am a decade older than most of the people profiled in the Times article.