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Yes insurance is a big pain!!! I was forced to retire at 59 when our airline merged with USAir and my department was moved to Arizona. My children and grandchildren are here and, more importantly, my mom needs me since my remaining sister has cancer and has had 2 strokes. In fact, im not sure if sister will outlive mom. I pay $488/month just to cover prescriptions....deductible of $1500. I hate losing so much of my fixed income on it, but am afraid not to have it for fear of something going really wrong with my own health! Am praying for Veronica...that shes turned the corner and will heal completely fromt this point forward. Im sure shes so weak from all thats happened. Sister had another MRI yesterday...hopefully the cancer is her lung and brain are being kept at bay. After losing my oldest sister 10 years ago, i know mom would go down even faster if sister starts deteriorating. Seems if Im not worrying about mom, then im worrying about sis...what will happen next, and to whom. Trying to take things just day by day, and appreciate each day, but its a hard thing to do!! Ive noticed mom has been having more irritable spells the last couple months, which i know comes with ALZ....i so wish there would be some kind of breakthrough with treatment before she gets a lot worse. She used to be such a happy and positive person.
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Book I thought of you when my husband and I took a mini vacation. An old school phone like you were looking for. It was cheap to $15. Was at an antique store. Was not sure if you found one or not.
We took just 5 days did stop at Dad's before we left and then later in the afternoon when we got back. Guess he didn't seem to notice I was gone that many days.
Hard freeze predicted tonight so I had to harvest what I could.
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Glad, no info on the feeding tube, but did receive another email from her hubby... Dr's will be doing a procedure Monday to eliminate a clot, and her husband is very confident this will improve her health over all, and in a short amount of time.... he did say he passed on all well wishes to her..... so that is the latest... Will let everyone know if I hear anything Monday about how she is doing after the procedure.... prayers for her hubby too... this is his first time for some real hands on caregiving.... he is tired.... and says he really appreciates all of us and what we do.... has given him a new insight into our lives....

Off the subject here, but every time I make up my mind, ok, this is it, have had enough of this job, the husband will do something so genererous that I always reconsider.... I barely got 20 hrs this week, with all the Dr's appt.... he paid me for all week..... my checking account is happy and I am grateful and of course told him that aslo... such a roller coaster ride I am on with this job.... don't know one day from the next what I am going to do... just makes me tired thinking about it....
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Ladee, they appreciate YOU! They want you and appreciate all you have done, and will continue to do, if I know you. Sometimes until it is shoved right in their faces they have no clue the stress of caring for the elderly dementia or no. I often wondered how if something happened to me how twisteds would respond/react. Then again that is probably what they were hoping for.

Thank you for the Veronica update.

NO word yet on this potential job. First the end of last week, then the end of this week. What the heck!
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Glad, maybe a short little prayer... OK God, this is all yours.... you know what I need and want..... thanks..... I have to do this on a daily basis about this job that I don't even want.... like I said, life is so strange.... they have started J on an antidepressant/anxiety med, which she is 10 months into recovery after the stroke, about the normal time for the depression to hit... so hopefully she will settle down, and I will get some answers about what ever is going on with me from the cardiologist, I think I am stressed about that and just haven't taken the time to acknowledge it ..... so that is in the back of my mind, so all sorts of stuff pissing me off right now... stupid stuff.... not just at work, in life.... that is why I have to keep saying that little prayer. Apparently I keep taking it back as soon as I let it go..... that 's why I said I make MYSELF tired.... lol..... you will hear something.. I would take it as good news... if you were out they would have already contacted you don't you think? But this is me talking here, who doesn't know what is going on in her own life, on second thought... don't listen to me.... LOL.... what do I know......???
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ladee1, Thanks for your kind words and concern. Hope the news is good from your cardio. Will be praying for you for that and less stress in your life. Life is like playing whack-a-mole when we get older. One problem knocked down and another one pops up. It gets tiring whacking down those darned moles. :)
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Hey, Book .. just so you know that you're not alone:

My personal habit is to 'throw away' compliments or positive gestures from other people, as though they never existed. Instead of taking what I hear and cherishing it and accepting it, my internal dialogue immediately runs one of these, "Oh, that's cr*p .. that was the daily obligatory" or "they wouldn't say that if they really knew me" or "what do I care what they think, I don't even like them" or (and this is the very worst of them), I hear "you're so STRONG (or whatever)" and I hear it as an insult, because what I really want to hear is "you're so sweet, nice, lovely... " There's a litany of variations on the themes. And I do it *so* unconsciously I never realize I'm doing it. It's a particularly vicious kind of self-rejection, cuz .. how do I STOP it, right?

There are some good answers to that question, but I'll save 'em for later. This isn't a lecture, lol .. it's meant as a sharing moment .. I GET it!! {{{{hugs}}}}

LadeeC

PS .. glad to be back. Didn't seem like I'd been gone so long, but I sure was. Time flies ...
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I don't have a problem accepting compliments... It makes me feel good that others notice things about me that I don't pay attention to....One is about my hair... I am 65 and have about 10 grey hairs, and do not color my hair... so that is always nice to hear... the only one I have problems with is ... but you are such a GREAT CAREGIVER, you can't quit.....I take the first part as a compliment and the second part as guilt, or shame, or I'm being selfish that I am killing myself and don't want to do this anymore.....I usually say thank you, and then deep sigh....
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My internet keeps going down - for several hours now. It goes up for a minute, then down for 30 minutes. I posted a few to each of you, hit POST - and it was down.

Short note - LadeeC - Exactly how I am about praises. I didn't realize doing this is Self-Rejecting. New concept for me. I think this is an easier to goal to work on - than that cognitive therapy therapist wanted me to do. I should have told her that when given an assignment, and see ALL that I need to work on - I panic and flee the opposite direction.

Veronica - I'm really worried about her. So glad that hubby is really appreciating what caregivers go through. Please say I said Hi. Thanks, Ladee1. When she has time, I have sent her some private messages in her wall.

Ladee1 - Trust me, I know what you mean about your job. Hate it. Want to quit. For me, the money is always a consideration. I want to quit, then I don't want to quit. Drives me nuts. I don't know how many times I wanted to tell my boss, this past week, that I quit. Then, I remember that $6000 loan - and renew my desire to pay more than the minimum monthly.

As for that loan, I'm thinking of touching my emergency savings to pay off $1000 BUT, what if the bank decides to apply that $1000 to the interest and NOT to the principle? Then I wasted my emergency money.

I do appreciate all of you guys. I don't want to name names because I might miss someone. Just know that I really do appreciate you all. Thank you for the encouragement. {{{Hugs}}}

Let it work... (internet).. about to hit the Post Comment..
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Windy.... Whack a mole, a perfect analogy!!!! But the game isn't fun anymore...it's real, waaaay to real... thanks for the concern with cardio......... just want to know what is going on... so I can change what needs to be changed... have been loosing weight for months now without trying... almost 50 lbs.... don't know what that is about either.I do smoke, so know he will go after me for that.... just tired all the time, and a pressure on my chest, but no pain except for that one day... ahhh, all the unanswered questions about LIFE.....
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Just catching up about Veronica, keep the updates coming, thanks.
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book, it sounds to me like you need to find our how much interest is currently due on that $1,000 loan and take out enough money to pay off the interest and the principle from your emergency funds soon. Otherwise, you will end up spending almost as much in interest as for the principle.

I'm sorry to hear that your dad's medicare part B premiums are going up 52%. From what I've read online, that is happening to 30% of social security recipients. From what I've read, that applies to people who have other income that is above a certain amount.

I read this in the USA Today online article "Medicare Part B premiums to rise 52% for 7 million enrollees" Robert Powell, Special for USA TODAY 11:27 a.m. EDT October 14, 2015

I looked up the current part B premiums. For those with and individual tax return of $85,000 or less and those with a joint tax return of $170,000 or less, the premium for 2015 is $104.90.

When I compared that chart with the one from the USA Today article, it appears that some will continue to pay $104.90 in 2016 while for others it will increase to $159.30.

All of this is the result of not getting a cost of living increase in the social security payments according to what I read online.
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Thanks, Cmag, about the Medicare. Dad no longer really makes sense logically. With his refusal to give POA to anyone, I can't reason with him to why change this or that. I don't know if he should be getting social security checks. I wanted to walk him through social security office by phone- and he doesn't know what social security is. When I explain it, he insists he never got a social security number, etc.. So, with his current medical status, I can't change anything but just let it fall, where it falls.
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3:46 am. I was so tired lastnite, I slept early at 11:00pm. I'm wide awake and dad is talking. I'm going to close my eyes and try to sleep. Later.
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Ladee1, ask them to check your thyroid. Not the regular test they give you yearly because that's not always accurate. (Example a regular xray the doctor orders vs that catscan the ER doctor orders.) I read or saw on TV (HLN) when they would bring in their regular 2 doctors to discuss a medical condition asked by their viewers. One doctor was an internist and the other was a surgeon (forgot his specialty) . Sometimes interesting how 2 of these doctors approach the problem differently. Anyway, I learned that the thyroid test given yearly is like a general test. There is a more accurate test for thyroid (which they named but I don't remember the name). It's just one more blood work to do.

Our former IT guy was losing weight. Every time I saw him, I noticed it. It got to the point that he was skin and bones. I really thought he had cancer. Later, months later he dropped by our office. He had spent months going to the doctor trying to find out what was wrong with him. Everyone thought he was anorexic/ bulimic. He finally found out it was his thyroid and went to the Philippines for treatment.... Remember, ask for that test specifically for thyroid.

Time to get up. 7:27am.
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I will do that Book, but I needed to loose weight anyway..... it has helped take some of the pressure off my knees that hurt all the time....no telling what all the cardio will want to do..... just want to get the heart thing tended to... I have a lot of living to do yet... and will surely be pissed if I die at work !!! lol
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Before I had to do my medically needed hysterectomy, I tried ways to avoid this. In the end, suddenly getting severe pain over 10, shaking violently, excess sweating where my clothes were soaking wet in seconds, doubling in pain and needing to throw up and BM at the same time was scary and excruciating. I swear I thought I was dying. That's what decided me to stop alternative treatments and do the hysterectomy one year later from diagnosis. In that one year period, I was researching online the pros and cons of hysterectomy for someone at age 40. The thyroid is one of those affected by it. From what I recall, the regular test will show the thyroid is normal. But if you take that other test specifically for thyroid, it can show that your thyroid is low, etc....

It doesn't hurt to have it checked. {{{{hugs}}}}
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Before BN changed their website, I would choose a Free Ebook and 'Download' now. It no longer gives that option. Now I have to put it in the cart and then try to SUBMIT ORDER. It won't sell these FREE ebooks to me because they don't send digitals to international addresses! The customer service Claims that I can still order Ebooks even with an international address. They recommend that I redo my address and credit card payment and it should work. Silly me, tried it 3 times before I realized that i can do it 50 times and it still won't accept because... my address is INTERNATIONAL and they programmed their system to NOT accept International orders on Digital Items!

So, I have texted older sis in Colorado if I can use her mailing address. I hope she says yes. It's ONLY Free Ebooks.
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Well. mom is all ready to go visit Aunt for a week, hubs is taking her tomorrow while I work. Some of you may remember it was supossed to be an every ,about 6 week switch off (aunt has 7 kids... I am an only) Hubs and I have not had any private time since before dad passed in Feb. Aunt has come here several times, she loves it here and we take them to casino, vacays, etc. I don;t blame her!!. They are both still sharp, and have a blast togetner. But this time I told them the date Mom is coming ( Aunt was here 2 weeks ago). Hubs and I will have 4 days off together, and a few more evenings when I work., we are so excited! Going to go for a an overnight or two at the river house , and some day trips from there. Put the place in order for the winter. Won;t know what to do with ourselves! Hubs keeps asking what I want to do.. I told him it would be OK with me to just lay around and watch TV...LOL.. With no one else to worry about! I am actually thinking about calling out of work for a day!! Go Me!
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I say lay around in your jammies, eat junk food, watch t.v. and definitely call in sick.
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Pamz, YEA FOR YOU AND HUBS! You so
deserve a Nice Break from Caregiving, and I'm so Jealous! No, not really, but I sure wish I had a break to look forward to also! It's been a really long time since my hubby and I went away for a couple of days, and we need to do something about that! I sincerely hope that you have a FANFREAKINTASTIC time, and really enjoy yourselves! Have a Blast!
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Pam, great news! Most of the time, when I can get away - as in a trip - I try to do everything that I can. I'm from a small island. In my 49 years, I have been to Hawaii 5 times (being closer to home), Houston for training 1 time (doesn't count - land before classes and flew back home the next day class ended), 1 time to Colorado and just this year to Norfolk. So, you can see why I want to see all these places while visiting.

Except that last trip to Hawaii. I was so totally exhausted and didn't even know it until I got to Hawaii. I felt so bad because I used my miles to fly older sis to meet with me in Hawaii. And the whole week were there, I go so tired by midmorning. I was dragging my feet. We always had to stay near the hotel because the exhaustion would hit me, and I had to go and rest. Even though I wanted to do so many things, I just couldn't. My brother told me that older sis told him that all we did was stay in the hotel. I felt so bad but .. my body/mind was just so exhausted.

So, base your trip on your body. If it needs relaxation - so be it. Enjoy yourselves!!!
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Older sis said it's okay to use her Colorado address. I added on the BN a 2nd mailing address under my name with a Colorado address. I was so excited that I will finally get the FREE ebooks. I tried to 'purchase' the freebies. And it popped up that they don't send digital items to an international address.

Oh, my credit card is still under my real address. Really?! To buy "FREE" ebooks, BN requires that I use a credit card?! .... IT IS SO ILLOGICAL !!!!
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I found a new author that I like. I think I have all the books now - to read it straight through. There's about 15 ebooks in the 3 series - all inter-related, and Very short stories (from 25 to 62 pages!) Between Amazon and BN, I was able to download a lot of them for Free. (Hence my trying to buy the Free Ebooks in BN.) I will need to also carry the Nook with me because some of these books are in BN and not in Amazon.... Author is S.A.Archer with S. Ravynheart. Fantasy stories regarding the Sidhe.

I will also need to put aside time to re-listen to the Negative Audio book.
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Dad has been pretty good with getting some chores to do at his AL(help carry trash bags). They are having Halloween costume party and I have to come up with something simple.
Was going to see him today but have a bit of a cold. Tomorrow as my sis sent some pictures for his room.
Have been doing yard clean up and vegetable freezing and sliced my left thumb and pinched a finger on my right hand with vacuum cleaner pipe. OUCH!!

Book you could ask if the $1000 could be applied to the principle of the loan.
Would any of your siblings know if your dad has a social security number?
Unfortunately without a POA social security will not talk to you.
If he has a bank account they should have one on file.
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Mom is safetly delivered to Aunts.., Party on!!! OK.. Pajamas on and TV on.. plans on for tomorrow in the works!
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57twin - can't ask personal questions on dad's accounts since I have no POA. I had tried to talk to baby bro (lives in Virginia) to try to get POA from dad -since dad would NOT see him as a threat. Bro lives off-island. Whereas, anyone here on island - can steal from him. Bro said that POA must be on the island and not far away. We're really down to fave sis and her hubby. They are the ONLY ones that are not blackmarked by dad. They don't really want to be POA, so....

I'm still debating about paying $1000 towards the loan. Or use it for my free trip next year. It's from my tax refund.

Pam - great! Time to party! Enjoy yourselves!
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I am soooo into the new books, that I had a difficult time concentrating at work. I'm so curious in what's going to happen next. I read about 4 books before I realized that it was connected to other series and that what I read is more towards the end of the 3 series! I had to spend several days trying to find the Sequence of the books. I can't believe how disorganized the writers are! I mean, you have to read book 1 and 2 from Series 1, book 1-3 from Series 2, and book 1 from Series 3. Then it continues with Book 3-4 in Series 1, book 4 in Series 2, Book 2 in Series 3, Book 5 in Series 2, and then book 3,4 in Series 3. ... As you can see - It was confusing! Why take a book here and there from this and that series????

Anyway, I told myself no reading until I come here. Text congrats to nurse niece who just gave birth to her 2nd child. Quick peek in FB (haven't been on it for over 4 days.) And I'm hungry.... I think I will close now and eat a Cup-o-Noodle soup. Well, boil the water and give me more time to see what's happening on the other threads here.
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Well J's antideprssant/anxiety meds have kicked in,maybe I can now find parts of my head and my a$$ that she has snapped off the past few weeks.
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Sometimes I don't even feel like a person, I just feel like a worn out giving machine, I wish someone would give back to me sometimes, I wind down eat chocolate and watch DVDs,
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