Hooray! The answer was found!

http://www.walgreenshealth.com/whc/patientPortal/hcare/jsp/hcare_home.jsp

The above link is to my IV Angel’s company that finally made my life and medical problems more manageable.
You see, today after banging my head against the final wall and hopefully I thought for the last time since I thought that late last night I had my problem solved but actually my bubble was burst earlier this morning.
What happened was the fact that I realized that I had quite a bit of my non interest for two years credit care account available for me to utilize for my dilemma, voila!
And I truly thought my problem was to be solved by that realization and that I would call this wonderful hospital who was giving me this great discount down to only fifteen hundred for what they claimed was actually a forty-five hundred service!
And now I had the means to pay them too! Wow what a concept!

Unfortunately, when I called though they said that they did not have an account with CreditCare and unless you did they would not accept them or vice a versa.
So I was still in my same situation!
Then out of no where I thought why not call CreditCare and ask them who does cover my type of need, and they said perhaps my Ophthalmologist who did my cataract surgery and so I called them, and of course they DID NOT!
But they thought another eye doctor in Fort Myers might and they gave me his name and phone number, he DID NOT EITHER, although their office there knew of someone who did do infusions exactly of the type that I needed for optic neuritis!
And they gave me the name of the person; let’s say Ms. K, my now called IV Angel Lady!

She took all my info and also that about CreditCare to see if they would pay for the medication, but while she did try with them my curiosity and good business sense had to know how much their medication and the rest of it would be and she told me… Well, she said the one gram is the same as 1000 MG. of Solu-Medrol in IV form will be $63.11 per dose, and so I figured it out, and for three days it will be, $189.33! And the nurse who will be showing you how to do it will be $90.00 a day! So I figured it would be a total for three days at my home, yes they come here, at $459.33, but again I was wrong since she would only be there the first day and available if I needed her more! So my actual total will be….drum roll please…..$279.33 in total!!!! And so I said even if CreditCare can’t do it we can hooray! I had been saving and I did have a little bit more than that and so we were good once again. My biggest fear is that my illness will be responsible for us losing our home.
WOW what a concept; why at this rate I can afford to have OPTIC NEURITIS, almost five more times! Hopefully I won’t though!
Shame on you local hospital, when more than fifty million citizens are un-insured in America and many more are under insured! Padding those services for you’re over the top profit that is really repugnant in this day and age and not very nice at all!

The company is Walgreen’s Option Care and as I said I put the link to it on the top of this Blog for you all to access if your need is there, just copy and paste.
What apparently happened a little over a year ago there was a merger between Option Care and Walgreen’s that in my book appears to be a marriage made in heaven!
And so now if anyone out there needs assistance in any of their very long list of available medical options you can go to their site or call them on their toll free number which is there too, and find the local one nearby you!
I was so thrilled with my find that I had to let most of the nicest people who with honesty and compassion tried their hardest to help me out, and so I notified them of this incredible find just as I am you too!
Isn’t this what networking is all about, really?

And so on my happiness find I will tell you too to have a very happy night and to count those blessings and we will too!

Desperately needing some happy in our lives? Who doesn't?

Oddly enough if you ask people what makes them happy the answers you would get would run the gamut from materialistic objects of status to doing wild crazy sometimes dangerous fun sports or traveling. And or to what I like to call emotional happiness causing things from the warmth and fuzziness feeling of the fur coat of a pet or the smell of a baby, or even just the all encompassing joy of being with your friends or loved ones, which in some cases are the same people!

But honestly folks when we can’t get a hit of that all encompassing happiness all of the time; so what do we do?
As human beings we normally would busy ourselves with our work or some other necessary fulfillment; volunteering and helping strangers comes to mind.
Lest we never ever forget that happiness is the sanity of all humans’ beings’ nature.
Why without a dose of ‘happy’ daily we can become nasty heartless creatures.
And we all know that the world already has too many of those!

With the above said and discussed as much as I possibly could I will now carry-on with my reasoning… today after feeling that my cell phone was attached to my left ear and my house phone was getting too cozy with my right one due to my relentless need to accomplish what is beginning to appear the impossible dream of getting aid in paying for my eye treatment of IV 1000MG of Solu-Medrol for my Optic Neuritis in my right eye before I lose the vision in said eye!
One person actually from a MS organization said to go to emergency room at the hospital and then worry about paying for it later. I explained that I am still paying off my genuine hospital stay from a year ago last April! And the other one who was doing my financial information for another hospital rationalized since she thought I had such good credit that I should put it all on my credit card! I said that’s why I have such good credit I don’t charge more than I can pay off at the end of the month! CRAAZZEEE!!!
And so when it got to be noon-time I remembered that today was Hubby’s day for his free introductory dental appointment at two o’clock this afternoon and that before all this craziness started we had planned to go to the luau at the cultural center for lunch and so I said, “I really need to find my happy so let’s go!” And so we did.

Pure escapism; since there is so little to do around here during the summer months; mostly due to our normally hot weather and the fact that our largest population for shindigs having decent turnouts are in the northern winter months when the Snowbirds return. At least that seems to be the reasoning for street fairs, art and home shows to be here in the fall and spring more often than not. It is always the busiest here from October to late April, usually.
Almost like clockwork they fly, drive or whatever mode of transportation fill in the blank, but indisputably they enjoy coming on down to help our economy and the businesses love them, but us locals complain we have to wait for this or that in lines for the theaters, restaurants, groceries you name it… but this year with the way the economy has been and us getting the double whammy with people unjustly thinking we have oil ridden beaches we as residents of the all year round type will find ourselves being much more capable of waiting with patience for those extra people to help get the jobs back on track, lower the crime rate, help our tax base so the taxes don’t fluctuate so much where we have to pick up the empty homes slack of payments! Lawns will be mowed and maintained, noise, crazy drivers you name we look forward to it, and if anyone reading this doesn’t truly believe we need those people I do really think you are not all there!
Our happiness is based on less stress and so when taxes go up, crime does also we end up having fear and sadness all too prevalent.
Be welcoming, kiss them and hug them, share the road with them; seriously I can’t wait for them to come back here!
You see, we have made friends with them over the years and do miss them all as if they were family or friends or at the very least good neighbors who make my taxes manageable and homes lived in and cared for; you name it, nothing bad with those temporary residents helping us out, huh or is it eh?
Since a majority of our Snowbirds are from 'CANADA', and are here for six out of the twelve months of the year!
So the next time someone seems like they don’t know where they are going or cuts in front of you in line, be nice they are helping you in ways that you might not realize…economically!
Grab them and hug them!
Nah they might call a cop, but be nice and pleasant and then you will find your happy and they will comeback and see you real soon!
Personally I can’t wait… one less worry is worth all the rest!

Happy night to all and to all count those blessings and I will too!

Black hole or third world country?

Come on over to my dark side of life…
Hellish is the only way to describe my day!
Have you ever felt as if you were constantly trying to bang your head against the wall?
Not literally, but figuratively, although the feelings are not that much different.
I definitely feel as if I went through the mill today!
I spent it not unconnected to my cell or my house phone for any short period of time, for I was on a mission.
My objective was the same all day, to try and find someone to help me resolve my need to get the infusion of my IV of 1000 MG Solu-Medrol paid for or at the very least discounted and affordable.
But, I was either way too wealthy for such help or not trying hard enough?
Financial questions all day long…
Was I on food stamps? No.
Was I on Medicaid? No.
Are you married? Yes.
Do you have a pension? No, but my husband does.
Do you have Social Security? No, but my husband does.
Do you have Medicare? No, but my husband does.
Do you own or rent? We own.
We have running water, indoor plumbing and even electric that they expect to be paid for so we indulge them and do it as they request.
We do like to eat and have some prescriptions too! LOL
What are your monthly expenses? Medical payments to the hospital and for my surgery last January; most of the rest I will keep private; sorry folks! But some things are sacred, but I did tell them.
Well, then you should have such and such left at the end of the month.
But the air-conditioner broke and we had to fix it, and the water heater also went and that had to be replaced, and the flood needed to be cleaned up.
Well, that’s just the cost of home ownership, so they say.
Duh, yeah thanks for telling me, since this is our fifth home in forty years of marriage!
Why if you didn’t say that how would I have known, gosh, Geez oh mighty!

Whenever we get that money set aside something like the above happens or then I get sick needing medical intervention.
And no I am not on disability I goofed thirteen years ago and will pay for it the rest of my life, all right?
Yes, I have tried several times but they said N-O!!!!!
No I don’t have insurance, yes I tried with several notable healthcare companies but for the last time I AM PRE-EXISTING!!!!!! And COBRA wanted $1200 a month when my Hubby became disabled nearly four years ago!
And the insurance companies don’t want me, not even our state system, since they had said that they would take even pre-existing people, but the ‘Catch 22’, is that you have to be HEALTHY for at least two years!
And no, sadly I have NOT been!
Fifteen hundred dollars to not lose the sight in my right eye?
Sounds like a bargain, but if you don’t have it, it might as well be a million dollars!

Here’s my dark side… why did all those Ophthalmologists go to Afghanistan to help those people; so they could be killed? Sadly, I think not really, but just imagine if…
They had stayed here…
We need that type of altruism here.
So many doctors go abroad to help people, doctors without borders and the like etc.
I do believe they are wonderful decent loving giving unselfish human beings to the fullest extent of what that means.
But folks I know I may get hate mail, but I wouldn’t mind some mail even hate to be true, but why don’t some of these wonderful doctors see the need here for free care or in my case just discounted, huh?
I would pay, but a percentage of what those jacked up insurance prices are.
You see as we all really do know the doctors, hospitals etc. pad those bills and then settle on accepting just percentages, well folks I am here to say, why can’t they just be honest with the under-insured or not insured folks and let us pay the true real amount that the services are actually worth! Why; is that not too logical for them and simple enough?

I cried a bundle with each turn down of my unrelenting desire to maintain the sight in my bum eye, but to no avail. Thus the sensation of head banging against a brick wall…figuratively of course but exhausted from my emotions going all out on this non accomplished trek of trying with all my might to not lose what I do need.
I know an eye’s loss of sight isn’t lethal or not like loosing a limb or my life itself, but it is my ability to see…in the distance, from afar…out there!
And it means one more concession of not having me whole me ever again.
I have lost the ability to walk without an aid, also my balance is basically gone, or to stand for any length of time for my legs will go numb so it is limited now my sight is only half there and only close up?
I’m in my own ‘Black Hole’ of no return, and the third world country I am living in is ….my beloved US of A!
At least the way we treat health matters of those of us who fall between the cracks I do believe at this very moment of no success in helping myself!

SMASH BANG CRACK!!!!
My head is overwhelmed with frustration and deep feelings of not wanting to exist this way! I can no longer stand it! All I want is some help, a hand up; not to buy the fish but to teach me how to fish, so to speak, got that?
Is that too much to ask?

Happy night to all and to all count those blessings and I will too! Or at least I will try.

Righty isn't so right anymore and the eyes don't have a thing...

What the heck; I hear you all saying!
To be clear I am having eye troubles with my so-called good eye, the right one.
It appears not to have a cataract or as my Dad used to jest, a Cadillac. I think he was channeling Norm Crosby while he was still alive; both of them that is, he and my Dad.
Any-who, Hubby also had an eye issue today that besides going to my neuro’s office we went back to his eyeglass distributor with his complaint of foul, he was not happy with his new eyeglasses that he just purchased last week.

Apparently, the bifocal part was not located in the right place he thought, but when checked by the eyeglass person it turns out the bifocal prescription part was actually the wrong prescription, way too strong for what he needs. And so now we will have to return to his eye doc to have that fixed.

Me, on the other hand found out that my eye problem is fixable with medication, but not the pill type, the IV type, yep folks back on those wonderful STEROIDS that we all love so much in 1000MG Solu-Medrol form, like I had in the hospital a year and half ago!
The correct treatment for optic neuritis, which I appear to have after three docs determined it was not a cataract, now I almost wish. The best part of this treatment is nothing; it is costly money-wise and causes me to temporarily have diabetes, and plumps me up to even larger, and let us not forget it knocks out your immune system not unlike a chemo therapy, but only until it is over with fortunately, but then for a small additional time you must take two weeks of the pill form of the medication to step you down!
I am just too thrilled for words.
If this hadn’t been going on now for nearly six weeks I guess I would be more hesitant to be concerned.
But foolish me I thought it would go away or maybe the new injectable Copaxone would fix the problem, but alas no it’s not for that! But it is to protect me from more relapses which is a good thing really!

Right this minute we have a heck of a rain storm coming in, actually it’s already here!
And so I am saving this over and over again, I learned my lesson when I lost too many of my little verbiages from not doing just that!

Tonight’s Blog should be a wee bit shorter due to my fear, honestly there is no other way to explain it; I am concerned that lightening will strike me while on this thing!
And living in the lightening capital of the world doesn’t make me feel that I am the least bit irrationally wrong!

Meanwhile back at the hospital… I have been searching for the right price for this procedure to take place since it is coming out of our pockets with me being ‘pre-existing’ and non insurable once again! First quote was fifteen hundred not counting the insulin shots or my additional pills after. Might as well be a million, since I already paid most of this month's bills and a few more should be arriving soon, and our balance is not even close to that number! UH oh, well I did do Hubby’s suggestion and called the clinic that I went to a few weeks ago and so far they appear to be on board just fax the prescription, but my doctor’s office closed an hour and half before I was able to reach my IV Angel MS. "L", we will call her, and so I now must wait until eight thirty tomorrow morning, no problemo, I do believe! And so that is where we stand now, wait and see.
Although, once again I will have to fill out another financial report this with the hospital where it will be done, but gosh I am getting real good at this!
On that possible solution to another day in my life, hey I am back on topic; how about that folks?

On that hopeful note of resolve I will wish you all a good night and to all count those blessings and we will too! Let’s face it sometimes its all we got!

Sunday, Sunday can't beat this day... la,la,la ...

You do know that everyone that you say TGIF to always welcomes those feelings of what may come of the weekend i.e. its anticipation I would think, which to some who may have already made some plans and others that enjoy just going with the flow and the surprise of whatever the end of the week may bring for them personally. Although, you do all know that in actuality Saturday is considered the last day of the week and that in reality Sunday is the first.

And so being one who occasionally takes joy in bursting people’s bubbles, nah not really that would be way too evil and mean and I would never ever do that, but I will elaborate, since when I worked in the retail field we worked seven days a week! The only time I had Sundays off was when I worked in a town who still maintained the ‘Blue Laws’ (closed on Sundays for religious purposes) for six years of my working career or when we had one Sunday off a month in our restaurant business when we finally hired a manager who we eventually had to fire since he was stealing from us, oh well…trust is a weird two way streak, huh?
And weekends were for more customers to come and eat or shop!
Real-estate too is a seven days a week business, and to be honest there isn’t many fields of business besides office workers who I can think of actually work only nine to five, lawyers’ offices and courts are closed weekends, as so are doctors’ offices and the like that I can only think of. And so why would we say TGIF in this day and age?
When the truth is by far and in the majority we Americans are hard working souls.

So it stands to reason that most enjoy looking forward to their retirement.
By the time you get there and have figured out if you will have enough saved to keep you going in the lifestyle that you have become accustomed to without working your butts off anymore, you could be either quite old or sick and tired!
And so even though so many plan to relax at a certain age they ruin it for themselves by expecting it to be other than what it should be…and what is that you are all wondering?
Why my friends it means the time to truly relax and take it easy and that also means not worrying about this or that!
When you are younger and enjoying all that life has to offer traveling here there and everywhere and doing things that you only thought were in your dreams; dear peeps I truly believe that’s the best time for it all and its when I did almost all of that!
Before I married I had been to eight countries and forty states, and before and during I worked in all different fields of enjoyment for me and to be honest to this day I feel like I missed nothing!
And that is when you know that you’re ready to relax and turn all those TGIF’s into TGIW’s, yes each week is now in your master plan to enjoy and look forward to and not just pray for TGIF to come soon as possible, so you can do what you as an individual, not a worker, owner or anything but you by definition your very own self that you own all your time and its not salable for any price!
What a stress proof joy to behold!
And well worth the hustles and bustles and joy of finally getting there.
But some of us found out that retiring is not for sissies some of us have medical issues that have caused us to slow down and realize lesser dreams to go on… but when you live already in paradise and you have all your needs met why be upset or miserable in any way? And so being the realist that I am personally I accept my challenges as just a new and different way to handle life and try hard not to make them into more than they actually are. Finding new ways to do things is not boring by any means. And being able to still voice my opinions and complaints on this medium is rather exhilarating!

And do you know something I just acquired another follower on this Blog of my very own and I am thanking her very sincerely right now for taking that plunge into the black hole that I call my life!
You are a true brave soul, Brava!

‘Opinions are us’; I should have named this thing.
But I didn’t and little did I know at the time how often I would go off topic of my actual ‘day in my life’, which would be way too boring to constantly divulge.
How do I know this you ask?
Well, to be righteously honestly on target I do, on occasion, feel the necessity to stay on track with moment to moment accountings of my day’s movements and reaction to that has not been overwhelming, but to be honest I haven’t gotten too much feedback at all from what I write. I do notify people I mention with a head’s up when I do, but I don’t mention anyone by name; wouldn’t want them to feel embarrassed or anything like that!
Sadly not only do I bore the pants off my readership I do also bore myself at times!
So why continue; you all must be wondering? Simply it’s become a nasty habit.

Any-who…
Most of this afternoon it has been raining so I suppose you could say how normal for Southwest Florida to have in the rainy season!
See, boring.
Gosh, I am good at writing about nothing!
When tonight’s Blah oh that should be Blog is done I will have written over a thousand words, ha, guess I made up for last night’s shorty!

On that rude awakening of mine and totally nonsensical offering (Tomorrow I will hope to be much more entertaining, must be the rain causing this, huh? Oh that’s another thing… when you’re retired you have a tendency to make up things! Now some might think it’s the beginning of dementia but I would like to think it’s all the time you’ve got on your hands to be more creative!)), got you all I will wish you all a very happy night and to all count those blessings and so will we!

Tonight I may be calling it quits early...

I did not sleep well at all last night I tossed and turned most of the night all due to my right hip acting up.
Knowing that the ROM exercises should be helpful, all the professionals say, in that tepid water of our pool now hovering these days at a toasty eighty-seven degrees I did attempt an exercise program but even that was cut short due to pain in only twenty minutes' time. Oh yeah, the other thing they say is listen to your body.
You are all saying what a wimp?
Nah, I once walked around on a broken leg for two days; honestly it hurt and bad.

Any-who the only reason I brought it up is because the worst position for me is the sitting position and so I may be calling it quits earlier than usual on my writings tonight.
Who on this planet enjoys falling apart physically or mentally?
But some days are just not too good.
Yes, I do know that we all have them.

Today I did get an interesting delivery from Shared Solutions part of the pharmaceutical company Teva, the company involved with the distribution of my injectable medication, Copaxone. They sent me hot or cold packs, since they can be either, and one of those ties to wear around your neck that when submerged for about ten minutes in cool water and put on will keep you comfortable for hours. You see, one of the real problems with MS is temperature contrasts which tend to make you go into muscular spasms, the medication for that is Baclofen but taking charge of those fluctuations also helps.

Slowly, my hip and shoulder both on my right side are starting to hurt in such a way that this might be the end of my rantings for tonight.
Since I am right handed I guess that means …

Happy night to all and to all count those blessings and we will too!

What is the meaning of life, friends?

Huh?
Not for me to say but if we want to try and figure it out….nah…too brainy for my little one that I have to use; if you want to go on ahead!

Moving right along…
What was the highlight of your day today?
Did you solve the all important question of what makes your business better than ever?
I can recall way back when I was in the game of working that when the times were hard in business that was the most important time to advertise!

Think of it this way the old adage you have to spend money to make money… well, it used to be true!
I don’t think so anymore, really?
But being too frugal in the world of business could backfire.
People in the world at large become uneasy when you are too cheap.
Solvency depends on letting everyone know things are really good for you for that confidence builder!

Marketing anything in this economy is a crap shoot to say the least, but when hasn’t it been?
The housing market could be considered bad or sweet deals waiting for the right buyers.
Not to mention stocks and bonds need to be thought of again for the long haul, panicking in the world of finance has never been a good thing.
Retail, has been taking a heavy hit too, but for us consumers there are a lot of great bargains there too to be had!
And the auto industry is making a fine comeback and with the foreign manufacturers taking a big hit with recalls, buying American looks better than ever again.
People are slowly learning what good money management really means…having that nest egg? Not so much of that immediate gratification with things to outdo the neighbor ‘Jones’.
Suddenly being thrifty is fashionable; well I say it’s about time, what says you?

Any-who, as I have said so many times before enough is enough, and it appears that you have all been listening! And for that I am thankful your sake as well as mine; it’s nice to be right on occasion.

We have always previously been a nation of overabundance and unnecessary things, why even our billionaires have seen the light, and are donating half their wealth to charity!
Wow what a marvelous concept, don’t you all think?

As you must have figured out by now I had for myself another ordinary quiet day.
Not that unusual and what many would strive for at times for that I am sure.
Craziness has been left in my wake of how I used to live with juggling all of life’s stresses on these slight shoulders.
There is something to be said for peace and quiet more often than not.
Not so much to complain about although you all know that somehow that doesn’t stop me!
I did get involve with something old and familiar today though, and it was kind of nice.
A letter sent to a senator for advocacy purposes to do with an act being voted on concerning MS.
It was so simple to just use their form letter and allow my name to be involved in my very true concerns; I did so enjoy it, being politically active once again.
As with so many other things on the net there is always the small possibility that you might annoy someone with your whole hearted caring concerns for whatever you strongly believe in but… hey… is that the true meaning of life?
Caring enough to do something about something?
Who knows…? I will leave it up to all you brainiacs out there.

On that not knowing a damn thing ending to my prose I will wish you all a very happy night and to all count those blessings and we will too!