thread for middle age to older Christian women.

IntoLight

Hershey, you might inquire into Medigap also. Also, each plan has levels. I pay a little more (like $10 per month) but I have no co-pays, don't need a referral, and can go anywhere including out of state. I am very happy with my plan. Most of my prescriptions are three dollars or less except of course for my cancer drugs. That's where Medigap comes into play. It also varies by state which is why they wanted your address. For Colorado, I have Aetna for medicare, Humana for prescriptions, and Cigna for vision (which I haven't used yet so that I have to see) and dental, but again it varies by state so don't just go with that. Check which plans your doctor accepts (schould be on their website) and you can look up specific medications as that varies also. Your brochure should have provided a website where you can enter your prescriptions and it will show you what is covered. I will try to see if I can find it for you and send it a little later. I am very happy with what I have. I don't even have a co-pay for an MRI or CT scan. I think my ER hospital visit was like $65 or something. I have had a doctor visit everyday this week, including portal surgery yesterday, and haven't paid anything. Good luck!

Sunshine99

Good discussion on Medicare. When my girlfriends and I were talking about Medicare during our Yosemite trip (sheesh, are we really getting that old???), one strongly suggested I look into getting Medigap. Two of my friends are attorneys. One of them was the one who suggested Medigap. The other one gave us the number of a woman in the Napa, CA area who helped her navigate all the Medicare stuff.

Carol

HersheyKiss

I've spent most of this afternoon ... wait for it, wait for it ... researching Medigap policies!!

AARP and USAA have attractive policies in my state, but they are offered to members only (we'd need to join the organization). Blue Cross Blue Shield is attractive as well. Our prescriptions are all generic and covered under Tier 1 benefits. The best strategy is mail order with 90-day refills.

I've also done a deep dive into the dental and vision policies. Cigna for dental and VSP for vision seem the best suited for us. I currently have VSP through my employer so we are acquainted with its coverage.

This Medicare journey is turning into my full-time job! HA! ;-)

gb2115

Insurance is confusing and annoying for sure. Medicare sounds awful to deal with.

I'm in a struggle with (I guess) vanity. I'm not normally like that...have always been pretty low maintenance. But I went and got my new super soft chemo curls cut the other day. My hair is baby soft and very fine. She put some sort of styling aid on it, I think she called it curl foam. Now it's dry like straw, after washing the product out. I'm going to email the stylist and let her know, but I'm so upset. My husband says my hair still looks good. I guess I need to remember it will grow out. It's pretty short anyway. I believe it was an alcohol based foam, which now I know not to use, but I'm just beside myself that one application of something could cause damage instant. It's weird.

IntoLight

gb, definitely email and call your stylist. I am sure she didn't know. I have never heard about this but will be mindful in the future.

HersheyKiss

GB, I'm sad that the styling product may have damaged your hair. I have a lot of hair, but it's super fine and wavy. My stylist does not use leave-in or styling products on my hair. She uses shampoo and light-weight conditioners only. Sometimes I get a little heavy handed at home with the conditioner and end up weighing down my hair. Less is more for me, I guess. I think it's a good idea to let your stylist know how the product affected your hair so she doesn't use it on you in the future. She may have some helpful tips to make things right as well. Professionals appreciate feedback and work hard to have happy clients. I hope it all works out for you. There's nothing wrong about having healthy hair.

gb2115

I'm actually now wondering if it's just the way she cut it, rather than damage from the product. When I lie down the hair is prickly and stabby on my neck, but the hair looks nice and shiny. It doesn't look dry. I think she used a razor, I wonder if it made the ends really sharp or something. I don't know. Not all of it feels like this either. Some parts are still soft.

gb2115

Noooooo

Yesterday my hair seemed so important. Now I find out there was a water (? Sewer) leak into my office at work, that wasn't caught for 4 days. I came in this morning to an office that didn't smell right.

Now I'm in a room with a coworker, so social distancing is no longer a thing for me. I've been distancing and masking this entire time. This might be God's way of telling me to let it go.

Sigh.

bandwoman1234

Hi ladies,

I have been MIA for a few days as some of my health issues came to a crisis level. In my real life I am a very private person. I probably share sometimes more with you all than people I actually "see". This is very awkward to share but I am sharing because I need prayer. I have been dealing with hemorrhoids for weeks and weeks. My efforts weren't helping. I changed up some things in my diet and that did NOT go well at all and sent me into days of diarrhea which just aggravated the pain and discomfort to the point that at 3 am on Friday night I got up and scheduled an apt with an oncologist who specializes in colon and rectal diseases and deals with hemorrhoids. The earliest I could get in is Oct. 12 which happens to be my Mom's birthday of all days. I did make the apt for that day. 31 years ago I had a procedure to burn off hemorrhoids and my doctor admitted after I was days in terrible pain that he burnt too much tissue. So I do have a history here and it was a nightmarish experience. When I saw one of my specialists the week prior we both contracted Covid at around the same time and she was asking me about if I had any GI issues which I did. Anyway long story short I told her about the hemorrhoid situation and she recommended this doctor who is in the same clinic as she is in. I didn't realize he was an oncologist at the time but when I thought about this I have to realize that anal cancer could come into play here. So I have doubled down on home remedies but having to wait for so long to get in is really hard to imagine since I have been in a lot of pain and discomfort actually for many weeks and getting worse the last several days. The best case scenario is that this would just go away but I am a bit doubtful at this point. I know I can call and see if he has a waitlist to get in earlier which I will do tomorrow. Unfortunately there is now a central scheduling which has become a real pain to get through to even make an apt. or to ask questions. So I would appreciate your prayers that I can figure out a routine which will help alleviate this pain and discomfort in the mean time.

Hershey, you are probably a walking encyclopedia (remember those) now on all things Medicare. If I have any questions I'll know who to ask. I know your workshop will be a great resource for you. Praying you can find the perfect plans for your needs.

Chris, I think today you had your visit with the radiation oncologist. I hope you have a good understanding now of what is to come. I loved my RO and she was so good. I am hoping yours will be as well.

GB, I have never actually played Whack a Mole but your issues that have cropped up reminds me of that. I guess someone could write a sermon that our lives problems are like playing Whack a Mole. We no longer get one issue dealt with and then another pops up. I am sorry about your hair and your work situation with the sewer leak. YIKES I sure hope that can be fixed asap so you can go back to your social distancing. I hope your hair is not as bad as you first thought.

Wheatfields, are you feeling any better after being on the acid blocking med?

Teka, how are you doing?

Carol, I remember shaking my head at the fact I was of age for Medicare. Sometimes I just asked people how in the world did this happen!!!!!! Now I am an old hand at Medicare. That is even more depressing. LOL

I got a letter from the City a couple of months ago saying they would be replacing sewer pipes in my area. Well the flags marking all things are now up and my whole parkway on the side and front of my house has flags of many colors all over. Then I saw flags appear in my front yard. Can you hear me screaming from IL. I just hope they get this done before the snow starts falling. I guess another Whack A Mole analogy.

Have a good night dear sisters.

Love,

Nancy

IntoLight

Nancy, I am so sorry to read about your troubles. You certainly have my prayers for a quicker appointment and relief from your pain. I personally know that one... Your sewer issues don't sound good either, but it is best to correct it now rather than waiting for something bad to happen.

GB, You keep me coming back to this site so I can update my prayers for you! I felt like that during my move from California. I will pray things will settle down for you.

I am hanging on... Friday they put in a port, and all went well except they used surgical tape which I am very allergic to. Saturday morning I was inflamed almost to bleeding. So upsetting. I should have gotten up in the middle of the night when I first felt it and ripped the bandages off then. My daughter helped me Saturday morning and we put on a "sensitive skin" bandage. Well, that caused problems too. So we decided to leave it uncovered and be very careful. The actual incision looks fine: it is the skin around it! Fortunately it is about an inch away from the incision. When I showed my radiologist today she apologized profusely and said she would make a call... I do like my RO already. She reminds me of my former oncologist. We decided to wait until after my PET scan scheduled for next week to decide whether I need pallitive radiation or a stronger ablation. If the PET scan shows no additional lesions other than the two on my spine, we will try to get rid of them. Otherwise, we will use a gentler approach and target it because of my pain. It is actually the smaller lesion that is causing the problem and that is her intention just to radiate that one if there are additional lesions..go figure! So right now I am just trying to figure out my schedule which has become almost a fulltime job!

I know you all have been through chemo before, but it will be the first for me. I am trying to relax and have peace about it, but it is hard. It is like I have moved into a new era--from oral chemo to IV chemo. It is a paradigm shift for me.

Take care. Chris

Sunshine99

Nancy, I'm SO sorry! Hemorrhoids are no joke and can be horrible. And you just can't stop "everything" while they heal. I truly hope you get some relief soon. And I hope the repair work on your sewer pipes happens and is completed quickly.

Chris, wow, I'm sorry for the surgical tape fiasco. And I'm sorry about the shift from oral to IV chemo. I'm glad you like your RO and have confidence in her.

GB, I'm sorry about your hair, and now a water/sewer leak at your workplace.

To all my other sisters, sending gentle hugs and big prayers!

Carol

bandwoman1234

Chris, I'm so sorry you had such an awful reaction to the surgical tape. I am allergic to it also and I know how awful it can be. Hopefully your skin will quickly heal. I have never had a port or chemo so I don't really quite understand how that all works as far as the port. I can certainly understand your apprehension and I will certainly be praying against fear and that you will do well. That is a head scratcher on the radiating only the one lesion. I am glad you like your RO and she sounds very compassionate. Are your two lesions in completely different places? I know you have your women's retreat with your daughter. Is that this coming weekend ? Do you know when you will start the treatments and will they both start right away? BTW It is the City putting in new sewer pipes and it is not a problem with my sewer line. Even though I have recently had issues with mine and I have never had problems before. I actually got to see my sewer line inside when I had to have my porch lifted and they required a sewer line check first. The guy doing it showed me on his computer and it was very clean he said. That was just five years ago.

Carol, it is always interesting why this subject seems to be the butt of jokes ( No pun intended} because if anyone had them really badly they wouldn't be laughing. How are you doing?

I found out my zoom class for tomorrow night has been canceled because the head of the group has water damage in her house and apparently can't get to her office. I actually am a bit relieved as it will give me less pressure until I can find my equilibrium.

Have a good night dear sisters.

Love

Nancy

HersheyKiss

Nancy, I'm so sorry that you're experiencing painful hemorrhoids. I really hope that the wait list opens and you are able to be seen very soon.

Chris, I'm so glad that you like your RO. That can make a world of difference. Will you see her each week after your treatment?

GB, I hope the water/sewer leak has been resolved by now.

IntoLight

Nancy, I pray you are feeling better today. My bandage irritation woke me at 6:00 this morning, but it does look better. Yes the retreat is this Friday and Saturday. We are getting excited. It sounds real loose with timing, etc., which is good because I have to go in for labs in the morning before we get there. Fortunately it is on the way. Then I start chemo on Monday. There are two lesions for radiation: one is on the T5 vertebra and is 11mm. That is the one that is causing the pain. The other is on T12 and is 1.7cm. There is no pain so far with that one. She doesn't want to just radiate it because she said you can only do a radiation cycle twice or you cause more problems and she would rather save it for when it causes problems unless there are no other tumors anywhere else. She wants to let the chemo handle it if it will. Since I historically get multiple tumors in my liver I have a feeling we will be waiting on that one. I will continue to see her as needed. This is becoming a fulltime job!

bandwoman1234

Hershey, with all the discussion about Medicare plans I just opened an email and got a huge shock. My state plan is changing to Aetna starting on Jan 1, 2023. My head is spinning at this point! This will cause a disruption in meds and scripts and so many issues. I just hope they made the right decision but I am a little skeptical that their motivation was THEIR bottom line and not necessarily our best healthcare. It sounds like it might be cheaper but does that me less care than we got. I guess time will tell.

Chris, I do understand about the radiation and I thought for breast radiation we could only do it once in one breast. I am glad you have your retreat this weekend. I have to believe that was meant to be. I do hope that your treatments will resolve this pain you are in. I am getting ready to take my bath. I mixed things up a bit and tried to time things today around my bathroom trips. I will feel better after my bath. I was happy to see that this surgeon was added to my list of doctors in MyChart so I was able to send him a personal message asking about a waitlist and if I could get in earlier. Being a surgeon I don't imagine I will hear anything right away.

Take care everyone.

Love,

Nancy

bandwoman1234

I have some good news. The new surgeon's office reached out to me and I am getting in to see him on Friday, Sept. 30. I had to cancel a dentist apt but that was the least of my concerns. Ten days still seems like a lot but it is certainly better that waiting til Oct. 12.

Thank you all for your concern and prayers. I appreciate all of you very much and pray for each of you all the time.

Love,

Nancy

IntoLight

Nancy, that is good news. Glad they are responsive and moved you up.

To whomever said frantically their state is moving to Aetna (sorry I can't find the post): I am on Aetna and it has worked well for me. Of course I live in a different state so that may make a difference. It is so confusing!

bandwoman1234

Chris, yes, I was thrilled they called. Gives me hope that maybe this will be over sooner than I expected.

How is your skin doing? My sister has to wear a heart monitor that sticks to her skin and she is having similar issues. She can move this around but eventually she will run out of places to put it.

That was me that found out today that our State plan is moving to Aetna. Of course I could chose whatever plan is offered in my area but I will go with this plan and see how it works. I am glad to hear you are happy with yours. Of course we have no specifics of the plan at all at this point.

I guess I better fix dinner. I have been so worn out I fell asleep at my computer and just now woke up. It is late even for me!!

Take care. Praying for you.

Love,

Nancy

Teka

Nancy,

Pleased the new surgeon's office gave you an earlier appointment on September 30th.

Husband & I are doing okay!

Busy time with family.

In my prayers one and all.

gb2115

Wow, everyone has a lot going on. We are all being refined by trials, that's for sure.

Nancy, sorry about your issues. I've been there. I had one start bleeding at work once. Ugh.

Nothing is resolved at work. Servepro is involved. My office was at the end of the leak chain...and because of the way the furniture is set up it's hard to tell how much carpet is involved or if it just destroyed the wall. But they found moisture and it smells bad after sitting all weekend. No one thought to check my office (I was off when the leak happened). Anyway, my computer is captive behind industrial fans so it's made getting my work done very difficult. I can't access email or other things I need very easily. Once the fans are gone and they go in there to move the furniture to start the cleaning and repairs I hope someone will help me rescue my computer and relocate it. If they had just issued me a laptop during chemo like I asked, this would not be a problem.

At least the person I'm sharing a room with now is nice and a friend. But we have a meeting today so I have to sit in there with all of them (5 of us) for hours. I guarantee masks (other than mine) will be off. Well, I need to drink water so mine will be off at times. I'm trying to think of this as desensitization therapy. But the hard way.... Haha

wheatfields

Wow, I've been gone a couple days and a lot has happened! Nancy, I'm sorry to hear about your pain, those are very painful and I'm praying that your doctor can resolve the issue right away. GB, I'm sorry about the hair situation and now at work too! I'll be praying for you. Chris, I'm praying that the treatment goes smoothly with the least amount of discomfort. Hershey, I hope this all works out smoothly for you as you retire and transition over to Medicare and a supplement. We will be praying for you. The clinic called yesterday with a biopsy report and nothing was out of the ordinary, no celiac or gluten intolerance, and no H Pylori. So hopefully the Omeprazole with calm it down. Once in awhile I think it may be helping a little bit. The doctor didn't say anything about a particular diet, I did ask about my morning cup of coffee and he didn't object to that. I don't understand it, but the coffee in the morning seems to stop the burning and keep it satisfied till noon. I do eat mostly a nutritious cereal in the morning for breakfast but within an hour it is burning and then I am eating something again to stop that for a little while where with coffeeI don't have the burning pain till closer to noon. Praying for each of you!

Love, Wheatfields

zjrosenthal

hi ladies it's Jean. I haven't posted in a while but I am reading daily and I just prayed for all of you. My only new issue is lymphedema in my left arm where I had an axillary dissection. I've been to the lymphedema team at Sloan Kettering and had PT to teach me how to manage it at Helen Hayes which is an excellent rehab place. So far it's manageable.

IntoLight

Hi Jean, it's nice to hear from you. Glad you are managing your lymphedema and doing ok.

HersheyKiss

Wheatfields, I'm so happy that the biopsy report indicates nothing concerning. I hope the Omeprazole successfully treats the stomach acid and gives you long-lasting relief.

Nancy, I'm thankful that you were given an earlier appointment with the specialist. Mid-October is a long time to wait when in pain.

Jean, it's wonderful that you're receiving expert care from Sloan Kettering lymphedema therapists. They will be fantastic resources for you.

The Medicare workshop was a bit of a letdown. There were two presenters, and it felt at times they were just going through the motions. They wrapped up the workshop very quickly and left little time for questions and answers. They did pass out the Medicare & You 2023 books, and those are very helpful indeed.

bandwoman1234

GB, I hope this leak will be fixed and the fans do their job of drying out all the mess. Sorry this is happening. I would keep wearing a mask as well no matter what others are doing. Yeah, many years ago I started bleeding and scared myself to death until I was told it was just a burst blood vessel. I ended up having to have a lower GI which was just awful. I would prefer a colonoscopy any day over that test. I have not experienced any bleeding with this but just a lot of pain.

Teka, glad to hear you both are doing okay. I did sent a PM which you may not have seen.

Carol, is SD still experiencing the awful heat? I suppose your experience at your Dad's was like a boot camp prep!!!!

Wheatfields, I am glad the biopsy showed nothing serious. I do hope your meds will work for these ulcers. I imagine it will take a bit of time to see just how effective your med will be but I am praying it will totally resolve the ulcers. I know you have been going through this for a long time and will be so thrilled once you are out of stomach pain.

Jean, glad to hear from you. It sounds like you have been in good hands with your LE treatments and therapy. It sounds like things are manageable. Always good to hear from you. I do pray for you often.

Hershey, that is really a shame that this workshop turned out the way it did. The whole point of these information meetings IS for questions I thought. I used to be on this patient advisory council that formed for our huge doctor network. We discussed Medicare issues and the need for workshops which they did. They were really good. I am glad you at least were given a booklet which will help. I imagine I will be going through all of that soon once my new insurance gives us info. I wish that the State would have given us a more of a head's up on this huge decision and change. Unless things look really different I will just go with the new State plan and hope for the best.

Chris, how long is your retreat this weekend. You may have said already. I think it was two days and one night but I may be wrong. I do know you start treatment on Monday. Praying for you as you mentally adjust to this big shift in your care. I really pray that this retreat will be an uplift and encouragement to you.

Have a good night dear sisters. Thank you for your prayers.

Love,

Nancy

HersheyKiss

I forgot to add that one of the workshop presenters said the county hadn't received numbers just yet, but they were hearing Medicare costs are expected to go down for 2023. That would be wonderful if it comes to pass.