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Gershun, I know it varies by province, but it is probably more an issue with your doctor that you can only talk about one thing per visit? They do like to make sure they will be paid for every little thing though, when I asked for the results of my blood work my doc immediately turned to her computer and looked up the code to bill OHIP.
As for an in depth physical, what's that? I've never got much more than check lymph nodes, listen to chest and by the way, it's time for your pap test. I used to go to a clinic that trained resident doctors, so because I don't go often I never saw the same one more than twice. Since my Mom lost her eyesight at 75 I used to drive to her doctor appointments and I know she never even got that much, just treatment for the immediate problem and prescription renewal, never a physical exam. What about preventative medicine?
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Speaking of docs, I had posted elsewhere about my moms leg cramps and got several very good responces from people. I don't want to rehash the issue here, but in addition to advice about hydration, calcium, fruits and veggies (she's doing all this now) so suggested blood tests, trip to ER, clinic etc. FINALLY he got through to her doc who said, through staff lady of course, that she was taking Lyrica and that was all that could be done.

About six months ago I had called his office, left a message for him to cal me so we could discuss my dads dementia. I wanted him to be the bad guy when it came time to take the car keys. Never heard from him but in the meantime dad had a checkup and the doc told him I had called and was concerned about him. Dad comes home (I'm 600 miles away) goes off on mom about why was I calling his doc and telling him he was crazy, am I trying to get his money and on and on.it took all day for him to calm down. I never brought it up with him hoping he would forget all about It soon, which is exactly what happened. But good lord, this doc deals with all sorts of ederly patients. How could he not understand how to help me here instead of making a big friggin mess! When he finally called me we had quite a throw down. He did not see anything at all wrong with his action, just told me he would be remiss if he did not tell dad that I was concerned. What BS! Been a bad year for me and docs.........
I
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Went to see Mom this morning, and she immediately said she had decided to go with the semi-private room instead, because she wanted a roommate. Then the staff informed her that the roommate she would be getting is definitely someone who keeps the curtain pulled between the beds all the time, so Mom would not be gaining much - she'd still be in a dark corner of the room with no sunlight and no access to the window. So then she flip-flopped again and said she'd try the private room. I reassured her that I would tell the staff that she wanted to be out of the room during the day, not left alone all the time. So I guess we'll see how it goes...I suspect another move is in her future if a room with a window bed becomes available.

Spoke to the accounting person at the NH today, and there's a program that allows me to keep some of mom's income to maintain the home if there's even a slim chance that she could come home in 6 months. This would allow us to buy some time and get the house and vehicle paid off, so that when the co-pay on the private room does kick in, I'd be in better shape to handle that.

Too many things to think about...sheeesh. Think my head is going to explode.
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What seems amazing is that to go to a doctor now, it feels like we need to already know our diagnosis before we go, because once he or she gets in there with us, we've got about 5 to 15 minutes to cram all the info in and then we get a handfull of scripts and get shoved back out the door...That'll be $500 ..pay at the door as you slow down....

I have made myself a long overdue doctors appointment while Mama is in respite and my nurse has already told me I have several lumps on my lymph nodes...so we'll see where that goes....I wonder if that has anything to do with my severe headaches....

On a bad note, Mama may have c-diff...how many times have yall heard me say something about this??? so if she is confirmed..which they came this morning and got the samples they needed, but if she's confirmed I was told she can't go to resite until that is under control. My nurse is concerned though about me and said she would push to get her put in GIP under hospice care so I would at least get a small break while we aim for respite....so now we wait.........
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$500 for a routine consult, Hope? [faints dead away…] My God. There has been talk round here of introducing a nominal, means-tested £20 fee for GP appointments in the hope that this would reduce the number of people booking appointments and then not bothering to turn up or even to cancel; and you wouldn't *believe* how often that does happen, or, frankly, the sort of people who do it who you really would have thought ought to know better; but anyway it'll be a courageous health minister who pursues the idea. From all the squealing every time somebody punts it you'd think the entire country had had its toes set on fire.

I hope you at least get a complimentary mineral water for your money?

I also hope the C diff sample comes back negative. But either way you can polish your shiny halo and be proud of yourself for being a good citizen: as with head lice at schools, far too many people would rather cross their fingers than actually check. I'm glad you've got a good nurse watching your back.
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head lice??? oh Lord, I thought I said lump on my lymph nodes....lol...that's what I meant....
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But yes, $532 for my doctors' general check up ...and I didn't even take off anything...He'd have had to pay me to make that happen....

But on a serious note, all he did was ask a few questions...and I asked for blood work. he wasn't even going to do it..but I did ask for it...and when the bill came that is what it was...now remember this was the place I have to go because I don't have insurance..because no doctors here will take me on because I don't have insurance, so I am stuck with this place, which, while not the health department, is like a public type assist where they charge you on a "sliding scale"...because I have no income, they give me a break....haha...I'd hate to know how much it'd be without the break...and my doctor is a nurse practitioner....which granted imo nurses know more than most doctors and I'd rather be seen by them because they care more...

but no, I don't have head lice...
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Hope, thinking of you and your mom and hoping that c-diff test comes back negative. That is one nasty bug and hard to get rid of.
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I can't imagine being forced to discuss only 1 issue at a time at the Dr's office. Good Lord, I'd have to make 8 appointments in a row, better yet, just pen me in for the entire day...haha

Thankfully I like my Dr. She's in her 30's, straight forward, tell it like it is kinda girl. She listens and hands me tissues when I start bawling... made me schedule an apt with the therapist and wouldn't refill my Percocet prescription (hehe)

hope, you don't have insurance?? OMG! Obama is going to get you!! LOL!! He penalized my son for not having insurance on his taxes...really? If he can't afford insurance he sure couldn't afford to have some of his return taken from him. duh
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Yep, he'll have to penalize me then. The cost of insurance for me per month..was going to be right at $400 and that was the cheapest basic policy...and that was with me letting them know I have ZERO income because I am caring for Mama 24/7...They said I did not qualify for a discount...ok..thanks...

Considering I usually go to the doctor once a year...twice at most, I can't see paying $4,800 for it....I know I'm rolling the dice...and the times I did have medical expenses, I set it up on a payment schedule and aid them off...but once I had to leave my job, the insurance went with it....just another fun note of caregiving
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Thanks Susan....where did she pick this up from ? I'm not too in tune with that so not sure how you catch it...Praying it is not from faulty caregiving....
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Im not looking for sympathy,I am hurt and mad again.I dont know why the so called men in my life love to cause me more pain and make a hard time harder but they do.My 61 year old brother was fired last Monday after 13 years so he is hiking even more and the other brother was jealous because he had to work,so he took off today from work and they both went hiking then together wiith their dogs.He ofcourse showed Mother pictures on his phone when he dropped by to eat his lunch in front of Mother,which he considers a visit.Last night,I got to hear the other one talk about the fun they had at the pool.I just wish they would show me a little respect.
Got through the nurse and the bathaid.Mothers lungs are still half full.I am worried as usual.Missouri is hotter than you know whatWe have to stay inside.
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Gershun thats madness in itself sometimes a whole picture of what is going on is needed to make the right diagnosis. It was only when I went with mum armed with probably about 10 different things that they realised she had dementia not just general raging and now she is on donepezil (I think you know it as Aricept) the nurse says she doesn't have dementia any more. SO I (UNTRAINED AND UNQUALIFIED) sat with said person (FULLY TRAINED AND FULLY QUALIFIED NURSE SPECIALISING IN GERIATRIC CARE) and explained what donepezil was what it is used for and when, its short and long term effects as well as side effects. Now I have to say if I was paying for that service I would be putting a bill in for my training time and trust me it would be bloody steep
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Hope -

CDiff is *very* contagious - it could have come from anywhere, really. The problem is that some of the staff that are caring for those that have it are woefully uneducated about it. I've seen levels of care for CDiff ranging from full gown/glove/mask precautions to simple gloves only - which I definitely wouldn't recommend. I've heard that you have to come in contact with the actual waste matter to be infected with it - which I believe to be completely false. Any contaminated surface is suspect for an infection risk. And that means the following scenario could happen: Resident in NH is infected with CDiff from a recent hospital stay, where they came in contact with it somehow. They have a BM in a bedpan, and the staff (most likely an overworked, rushed CNA) comes in to clean up. They remove the bedpan, clean up the resident, put them back into their Depends or whatever they're wearing, and back into bed. The bit of waste that dripped onto the bed sheet goes unnoticed by the staff member and the resident swipes their hand through it. Then the resident touches their phone, their bed railing, the tv remote, the call button and their bedside table. Company comes to visit the resident and is told no precautions are necessary. Company touches the resident's hand, the bedside table and the bedrail. Company is now contaminated. *Usually* CDiff only causes a problem for those with compromised immune systems (so the elderly are particularly at risk) and it is antibiotic resistant, so it's difficult to get rid of.

To say it's from faulty caregiving is a little hard to pin down. If the staff doesn't know someone has CDiff before it's diagnosed, it's hard to blame them for not taking the proper precautions. Go to the CDC dot gov website - search on C Diff - that gives more info. The main issue with defeating C Diff is the fact that it comes back after you think it's gone and it can live for a very long time on contaminated surfaces - so if proper cleaning is not done *every single time*, it's almost impossible to eradicate it.

That's not to say it *can't* be cured - it's just difficult. I hope your mom is able to overcome it and the staff is on top of their game in terms of treatment and procedures for cleaning.
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Oh, and that case I cited about the resident having CDiff and it spreading - that actually happened, with my father. He contracted CDiff in the nursing home and it spread like wildfire because the staff wasn't cleaning properly. When all was said and done, it had infected 3 staff members and 10 other residents.
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((luckylu)....wish I could offer more than that. Thinking of you.
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Windyridge Its funny what you said about your Dad being mad cause you had gone to his doctor. I felt the same way with my Mom. My Mom made me feel guilty like I was conspiring behind her back (not intentionally) but I felt that way. Her Doc on the other hand looked at me suspiciously like I was trying to have her committed or something.

I understand some families might be trying to dump their parents into nursing homes, memory care facilities but it sure is hard sometimes when you have your loved ones best interests in mind and the doctors make you feel like a bad person.
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I used to have a great doctor. But she up and retired on me. She even cried with me when my brother died.

Its very hard to find a doctor here in Vancouver. I'm seeing someone in the interim until I find one I like. This guy has the personality of a brown sock. On a positive note I never have to wait for hours in the waiting room. But I always leave thinking I'd of liked more time.
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OK my whine today is if you log out of this discussion you have to scroll through 8000+ post to see the most recent unless you pot a new comment. Crazy should show newest to oldest or am I just not using it correctly. I want to see what everyone is talking about today not last April....whine whine whine
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Yes! That one thing, right there, what SusanA43 said: There is a program that allows one to keep some income if there is a chance they will return to their home, say, in 6 months, after entering a nursing home. Otherwise the Nh gets the money, minus the small personal allowance for the patient.
Wish I could remember that, because after attending a lecture by an eldercare attorney, I could only remember "Always tell the nursing home you plan to return home". Thanks to Susan, we all know why. We all should be writing this down for future reference.
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Gershun, I didn't go to my dads doc I only called the office. The dumba** doc told my dad I had called and set off the dementia fueled firestorm. My Dad absolutely refuses to let me go to the doc with him. He insists that the doc would be insulted. I had a huge fight with him bout 2 years ago. (Have since learned not to waste time arguing with him) When he returns from the doc he doesn't have a clue as to what was done or said and it's like pulling teeth to get the doc, or his minions to give me any info.

My Mom is getting pretty cagey. She's learned to call the docs office and tell them to send Dad home with written info. He won't let her go to the appointments either. So she calls the office the minute he leaves the house and let's them know to send the info home.

I understand that it's the dementia but good god, sometimes I want to break out my eldercare choke hold!
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Ramiller, click on PREV,. FIRST, LAST to navigate the thread. Or you could click on "more", then Activity", which will show where you've been recently. See? Above, top page, to your right, near NewsFeed?
Others can show you better than I could. Just learning this myself (I had to have help too.)
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Hope22, have u applyed for medicaid. If you are in a state with expanded Medicaid I am sure u might qualify if you have no income. They don't look at assets anymore like money you have in bank so give it a try. That way you won't have to pay penalty for being uninsured.
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Thanks sendme2help, I'll give it a look see. Maybe because I'm on mobile site it shows different. I'll check my desk top. Appreciate the help.
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Signing up for insurance for myself was hard enough, but when they said they wouldn't talk to me, just my husband, he handed the phone back to me. They said I would have to fill out a form with his signature to be able to talk to them, the people on the phone were mailing it, TO THE WRONG ADDRESS, which is what I was trying to change when I called. SILENCE FROM THIS END, filed that form along with so many others that I never had time or the remembrance or the signature to complete. I tell AT&T the same, if you won't talk to me, then who, oh who do you think will be paying your bill? Then I hang up, and won't talk to them either.
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Oh don't you just hate that. I get around it many times. I pretend to get my husband, lower my voice and go for it, people on other end have never once caught on just asked date of birth and maybe ss# if you have that and a deep enough time your golden
Just remember to pretend to put wife ( you) back on phone. Lol
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Love to whine with you some more, but have to make dinner. As mom always says no rest for the wicked and the good don't need it....not sure which I am..talk to u all later
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omG, found myself on the whine thread! It is so interesting here, just hanging out.
Going back to: " These are a few of my favorite things", get there by entering favorite things, spelled favorite, not favourite, but the latter is so much prettier, into the search bar above. Or, click CAREGIVER SUPPORT, then EMOTIONAL WELLBEING, then scroll down til you find what you are looking for.
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Bye ramiller, nice to meet you on here. You are the cook. Not wicked but good?
Of course today's terminology says if you are "wicked", that is a good thing to be if you are cooking.
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That is SICK! Believe your grandchildren when they say SICK is good to the extreme. We all know better, but go along with them anyway.
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