DM...i'm glad you're going for another opinion and that's it will be soon. i can't wait to hear the news. can i ask a Q? if your mil has metastatic CA and with all her other problems, why do they want to put her thru another surgery? it just seems like so much more pain for her. probably none of my beeswax tho.

sandy...i hope jim's infection gets better. this just seems never ending, doesn't it?

i stayed home today. i went to that workshop last nite. it was very good.
this consultant is a LCSW and has her own case care management team that acts as a person's medical advocate in places all around the country. she works thru my financial planner. and of course charges an hrly rate but boy does her service sound great. helps the pt and the family in any stage of medical care needs or community services.

one thing she said after i asked a Q was that the medical care in FL is "antiquated". that doesn't make me feel any better about moving there. i pretty much felt that way already. and she did validate that my fear of not finding a pcp to take me with medicare may be real.

i just have to pray that things will work out.
tomorrow i have to go out and sat is my massage.
hope your wk is going ok.

Hey Judy, Jim is still feeling pretty good. He's a stubborn ol' goat. He's not drinking his water like I am telling him to. Think if I slipped an IV needle in his arm he's feel it? lol

I just finished cleaning the bathroom up from the massive overhaul. What was I thinking? It looks good though! lol My solo tub is not draining well on one side so I need to call the repair people. It never has drained right from the start.

With all this construction I should be down a pound or two since I am not eating but once a day. I know, shame on me but I am drinking my green tea.

Judy, I am having a brain "toot." What does that mean for Florida? Does it mean you can say what you want but that doesn't mean it will happen? I definitely relate to the medicare issue as well. My mom found a great neuro to take care of her but we fear he may say no when she starts medicare in May. What supplement did you use? She's currently with BC/BS for Cobra and we're thinking it may be cheaper to stay with them since her medical condition is for the pits.

sandy...i'm not sure what your FL Q is about. say in what? sorry.
i chose original medicare instead of an HMO because i wanted more choice and freedom to see who i wanted. that's automatically more expensive.

then, i signed up for a supplemental plan with AARP. i chose a middle of the road plan and pay $150/mo for it. but, last yr it definitely helped with all my cancer expenses. i believe it paid 20% of the 20% medicare didn't cover. or, something like that. my out of pocket medical expenses last yr was a staggering $23,000! that's why i pray this yr will be stable, and boring.

i also pay a lot for my meds. i'm on a lot of them. now i'm in the donut hole and have to pay $4000 before i get out. it all really adds up. it isn't cheap.
i'm going to have to find more ways to cut expenses this yr.

i'd love to cut my food expenses but i'm not doing very well. seems like every time i go to the store it costs more $$$.

Judy, I was referring to your comment about Florida being antiquated. "one thing she said after i asked a Q was that the medical care in FL is "antiquated". that doesn't make me feel any better about moving there."

I didn't understand what that meant. I am sorry your supplement socked it to you last year. That's my fear for mom. I told her to take the best one out there and pay monthly whatever it is because if she got sick again it could put her in major debt. She pays $378 now for Cobra so something not over that would be nice.

On a lighter note, Jim's still feeling good. I did have to break down and put a patch of duoderm on his bumm. It's not broken or anything but was getting sore. I don't like duoderm for open sores but for a cushion on the area it works good for him.

Have a good day everyone and stay healthy and well. I need to call ss and bc/bs for mom to check on her medicare coming up this May.

Enjoy your massage today...a massage sounds good

hi sandy. i hope i can answer your Q.
when i asked about moving to FL she told me the healthcare delivery system in FL is antiquated. i may not have a big say in the choice of what state we pick to move to because there are 6 other people involved in this move.

cathy's sister and her friend already live in FL. evidently they investigated a bit in NC and GA and didn't like it. i don't have all the details but cathy and i will talk about it when she comes.

and, since some live in the area it's more economical and easier for them to look "in their own backyard".

i went out today. met my FA for my yrly appt for this yr. i'm going to decrease the amt of my monthly withdrawals even more. he thinks the market will start to recover a bit in the next 2-5 yrs. i have to try to limit my withdrawals to give my $$$ a chance to make back the losses.

then i went to lunch. then i went to the container store to look for a few things. then i ran a couple of errands. then i came home and watched Dr. Phil because it was day 2 of his interview with the octoplit mom. if she doesn't get some help from outside sources i don't think all these babies will be released to her, if any. they're too fragile. and very susceptible to infections from the other kids who will bring it home from school. what a terrible situation.

now i'm going to watch survivor, then er. so, no one call me.

today is going to be a wimpy day.
i woke up at 0400, didn't see DM in the hallway and couldn't sleep.
so stayed up from 0400-0600 and went back to bed from 0600-0900.
now it's 1330 and i need a nap. i think i'll lay down.

my butt is really hurting today too. i'm doing all i can not to sit but the bed is calling me. this is a real pain in the butt!

tomorrow is my massage. i had to put it off 2 days because of my financial planner mtg. i'm ready.

they just announced yesterday that one of our 2 daily newspapers is closing, as of today! and, it's the one i get. i like the size better.
at least we have one left but it will be a big change as i've read the other one for about 35yrs. and, i HATE the full size. i can't see or handle it very well. i may have to just get the sunday paper. i'll save $$.

Enjoy your massage Judy and have a wonderful weekend "see"
you on MOnday!!!!

Wimpy day in MI, too, dear Judy. Back spazzes are doing their thing with a vengeance again.

I just spoke with my brother and he endorsed a book for pain management that has worked for his injured spine. He is so sold on this guy's work, I have to take it seriously; my brother is nobody's chump. I put a thread up in here so others can check it out.

I'm please to report that the muffintop is more like that of a minimuffin these days and that I was able to get my fat-girl jeans closed on the first try. A few more days and they might even be loose enough to go back to skinny-girl jeans.

i'm sorry about the spazzies cin.
but, glad you've almost got your jeans on.
what's the timetable on the bot?

i went for my massage today. i didn't realize how bad my bod was. my legs and back were bad. and, she checked out my butt pain and found that i had a lot of tight muscles down there and the attachment was involved. don't what it attaches to but she really T barred it. i hope tomorrow it will be better as that's usually the case.

then i got my hair cut. i sure needed it. didn't want to go to my neuro appt monday looking like a cat that put it's paw in an electric socket.

have a good wk/e all.
cin, i sure hope you feel better. these spazzies are lasting way too long.
how are you coping with ADL's?

DM, how are you? the family?