INSOMNIACS place to talk in the wee hours

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  • susan3
    susan3 Member Posts: 3,728
    edited January 2015

    gotta post another picture of the new 2015 you smaarty :)

    I have to take a pic and post the gloves my daughter sewed for me, soooooo cute

    Night night ladies


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  • Rosevalley
    Rosevalley Member Posts: 3,061
    edited January 2015

    Blondie- I am so sorry. But with the care taking issues, food stamps, pain med availability problems, transportation blocks - perhaps this is the best way for you to heal, get rest, pain relief, meals and relieve yourself of the drama. Enjoy, think of it as a sort of unusual spa... just kidding. I am sure your ankle hurts like the dickens. Helluva way to start the new year. Glad you will be in a place to heal. Prayers for you. Hugs & love your way.

    Smarty- Sounds like a cool retreat! Monterey and sewing do you do it outside? Gorgeous place. Glad you like the new you.

    Hi to all the Owlettes!

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  • blondiex46
    blondiex46 Member Posts: 5,712
    edited January 2015

    Thanks all n rose u r so right, i am good bout this just hzve to find some place to go. But i will..

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  • Wren44
    Wren44 Member Posts: 8,585
    edited January 2015

    Blondie, I think the hospital has to help you find a place. Ask about social worker. Hope you feel better soon.

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  • Kjones13
    Kjones13 Member Posts: 1,520
    edited January 2015

    blonde--so sorry for everything going on. Hope the pain meds are helping and you are receiving the care needed. To my understanding (when I dealt with my grandparents) if you are in the hospital for 3 days, the next 20 days in rehab will be covered. Sometimes patients are sent to a skilled nursing facility to have access to the physical therapy needed. I'm not sure, but I think the cost was covered by private insurance, but also maybe Medicare? My grandma's was Medicaid. A social worker should be able to help out!----DO NOT go forward with paperwork with someone who is filling in....pure nightmare getting things straightend out. I wish for you the most simple and effective recovery possible. Hang in there.

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  • magdalene51
    magdalene51 Member Posts: 2,214
    edited January 2015

    Blondie, ((((((((((hugs))))))))))

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  • Chevyboy
    Chevyboy Member Posts: 10,786
    edited January 2015

    Dagnabbit Blondie! There are so many women with circumstances like yours.... I mean thinking they can rely on their "family" to help them out of a tight spot.... only to find out that isn't the case.

    And you are right.... things do happen for a reason... maybe we don't know, or can't see what it is right now, but I remember "them" asking me if it were possible for my Grandma to come stay with us, when she was getting out of the hospital after her heart attack...

    But we both worked... and I couldn't be with her every day... But I worked with the Hospital Social Worker, and she helped me get her into Assisted Living, "temporarily" until she could get back home... And I would run down the street every day, either before or after work to check on her.... I had her dog, and we would both visit, give her showers, and I "decorated" her room...

    In her case, she developed some sort of Dementia... and it was safer for her to stay there, and she couldn't go back to her home...

    I'm just sayin' this, because none of the rest of her family would step up and help! In fact, after awhile she forgot she even HAD any more family. The State finally helped me to move her to a nursing home... I had TRIED to sell her house... couldn't! Finally the State said I could rent it out, for minimal rent, to cover the taxes and insurance, and they would get her into a State run nursing home... for as long as needed, and she would get a minimum amount for her "up-keep"... I was her POA when she got to a certain point.

    She had run out of her savings... it wasn't much, but it was up to me to figure out what to do next... And it worked.

    Maybe someone in your family could act as an advocate for you? Or a Social Worker from the Hospital? I would keep trying.... You don't want to stay with none of those people anyway.... at least right now. Things COULD change with them....

    My Grandma was cranky and beligerent her whole life!!!!! And it was rough to be around her when she was well... And no-one else even wanted to be around her.... except me, and I really didn't WANT to, but I was all she had! She was my Dad's step-mother... So there were 4 other girl cousins of mine, that COULD have helped... My Dad was out of State...

    But after awhile I grew to love that little spit-fire! She needed me, and I learned to really love her! So it COULD change with your family....

    Just do what you can to get better, and stronger... and always believe in miracles! xoxoxo

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  • Chevyboy
    Chevyboy Member Posts: 10,786
    edited January 2015

    image

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  • Teka
    Teka Member Posts: 10,052
    edited March 2015

    Lovely!

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  • Chevyboy
    Chevyboy Member Posts: 10,786
    edited January 2015

    Good MORning Teka-teka-tick-tak!

    I'm still fooling around with my Tablet, trying to see what I did, and if I have wi-fi on my Century Link modem, which I think I do, because the wi-fi light is on... But I have to wait until it gets light, to see if I can program the two together...

    I don't know what I am doing, but I'll never give up... at least today.

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  • M0mmyof3
    M0mmyof3 Member Posts: 9,696
    edited January 2015

    All my pre-op stuff is done. Got the bloodwork and the EKG done yesterday evening when hubby came home. The testing lab at the hospital was open til 6, so we went right away.

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  • Spookiesmom
    Spookiesmom Member Posts: 9,568
    edited January 2015

    Blondie, try to get a social worker to help you. Assisted living may be the best answer for you, given the situation with your kids. And for your pain meds.

    My mom had a fall, broke her hip. She wasn't as fiesty as CHEVY I had to put her in nursing home. Went to a lawyer, who got her on MediCADE. They got all but $30 a month of her SS check.

    Maybe something like that would be workable for you?


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  • Holeinone
    Holeinone Member Posts: 2,478
    edited January 2015

    Blondie......image

    So sorry you are weathering another crappy storm. Thinking of you & hoping you get what you need.

    Sas, not sure if I ever answered your ? About the Greek instrument. It is a 9 inch music box. It works.

    Chevy, can you help me with all my tech issues. I love that you don't give up. I get frustrated & say to myself, I do not need that.

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  • sas-schatzi
    sas-schatzi Member Posts: 19,603
    edited January 2015

    Blondie the Soc Worker is right there on the nursing unit, or at the minimum for the hospital. Good hospitals have SW evaluation on admission and are in the loop till discharge. There are rules that they have to properly discharge you to an "appropriate" level of care. Otherwise they are dinged by accreditation surveyors and Medicare. It has to do with the Law of Abandonment. They will get you taken care of, but it doesn't hurt to ask if they have been working on your case. Even if you aren't  covered under Medicare, the Medicare rules apply. Almost all (all) insurers follow Medicare guidelines.

    Chevy & Hi1  with your TECH question? when you get done working on it, could you C&P to Tech thread Thanks

    https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/26/topic/826154?page=1#idx_17


     

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  • sas-schatzi
    sas-schatzi Member Posts: 19,603
    edited January 2015

    Blondie, you may have been talking with a SW already and not realize it. If someones been talking about facility and coverage, Talking with your son Thomas. It's likely a SW. Nurses job in that re: is to make the SW aware the patient is there and needs eval, The nurses aren't involved in the actual placement process.

    Plus, good hospitals have someone on staff to get the Medicade ball rolling. The SW's can do it, but it's usually delegated to another person.

    They CAN"T just dump you. Again with your inability to care for yourself it would be abandonment, Plus, they want to assure you are set to avoid a readmission with in 30 days. If the patient is a Medicare patient and is readmitted within 30 days. Medicare won't pay for either admission. The hospital has an economic interest to make things right. Medicare made those rules b/c  of readmission problems.

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  • luvmygoats
    luvmygoats Member Posts: 2,942
    edited January 2015

    Sassy is absolutely right about discharge planning and the social worker role. Call your main hospital # or the hospital ombudsman #. (Calling the ombudsman # will put the fear of God into them, just saying. But it is extremely useful and they will pay attention.) Or just dial 0 on your hospital phone and ask for the SW for Room--- or the ombudsman. Blondie your floor nurse should know who the SW is. Rounds with all staff I think are required at least weekly with SW being represented and the nurse must of course participate as well. Pt may/may not see these rounds; we did invite pt to participate as able.

    Also hospital does not want a readmission. That is a big no-no for reimbursement esp. if it's something they could have taken care of my adequate discharge planning.

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  • sas-schatzi
    sas-schatzi Member Posts: 19,603
    edited January 2015


    Mommie what did I miss? what sx?

    I off to MO's. Body has decided to fall apart. Likely will have oodles of tests scheduled. Stuff has been happening for awhile. I moved up late Feb appointment till first available appt. which is today. Worked out, a couple more things fell apart since I did that. Rather have them fall apart before the appt. than the day after.

    Heard from Phyliss, but waiting for another call. She's got a new node inher back that they are trying to decide what to do with it.

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  • luvmygoats
    luvmygoats Member Posts: 2,942
    edited January 2015

    Sassy - great minds think alike. A bird list I'm on calls this "Snap". lol

    In another vein the big golden globe - I think they call it the sun - is out and it is 56 degrees.

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  • luvmygoats
    luvmygoats Member Posts: 2,942
    edited January 2015

    I believe that Mommy is having implants placed.

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  • Smaarty
    Smaarty Member Posts: 2,951
    edited January 2015

    ok Susan, this is me now. I don't do selfies very well.

    image

    Blondie, do think of it as a spa. Just think, you don't have to cook, clean or even wipe your own asxxxxxx! What more could you hope for. Hopefully it won't take long for you to heal up enough so that you can go home. At the least, your kids can have meals waiting for you when you do. Heal quickly. HUGS

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  • Rosevalley
    Rosevalley Member Posts: 3,061
    edited January 2015

    Sassy is absolutely right with the new rules a readmission right after discharge and then no payment for either! It's a penalty that appears to work in stopping patients dumped when their insurance says out of time. Don't know how successful it is when patients game the system and are wacko! I remember one guy who refused his IV be replaced after he pulled it out, hence his IV antibiotics went on hold. I went in and said "of course you have every right to refuse any treatment you feel uncomfortable with." He snapped "that's right!" I said, "we will get your discharge papers ready so you can go." Then he said, "what do you mean?" I said, "if you are not getting any treatment then you need to leave, this is not a hotel with free internet, cable, hot showers, clean sheets and 3 meals." (see note below) Needless to say the IV went back in. So sorry so sad... You can not imagine what some people will do!! Every nurse has a pile of stories to tell!!!

    Sassy I hope your MO gets you all patched up. My brother said the old Columbia is restaurant is wonderful. I can't wait to try it.

    Note: You know I thought perhaps what I wrote might sound harsh, so clarrification was needed. I think I was about the 3rd or 4th person to have gently approached this person( telling him you need treatment, why, timed, most effective route is IV etc..), who was then rude and nasty to staff. I don't remember if he was homeless, but marginal living situation. Sometimes you can sweet talk a refusal and sometimes some folks just want to see what they can get away with, power struggle. Sometimes you have to tell it like it is, you can refuse but you can not just camp out. I have no idea what got me off on this tangent. sorry!

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  • Rosevalley
    Rosevalley Member Posts: 3,061
    edited January 2015

    There is an interesting article in the NY Times opinion section called, "Why Drugs Cost So Much." It is written by Peter Bach who works at Sloan Kettering. Lots of mention of Europe getting price breaks we never see here, especially with regards to cancer drugs. Wish there was some way the public could see a cost benefit between the universal managed care that the world enjoys (Europe, Canada etc.) and their costs to run the programs and the patchwork quilt we have here with individual insurance/ gov. insurance medicare etc. It would be interesting to see how they compare side by side.

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  • Wren44
    Wren44 Member Posts: 8,585
    edited January 2015

    If I remember right, Congress passed a law forbidding Medicare get bids for meds. Even the drug reps think it's stupid. They give discounts in other countries. Think maybe drug companies contributed heavily to some congressional campaigns?

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  • sas-schatzi
    sas-schatzi Member Posts: 19,603
    edited January 2015

    Rose thanks, Lots of tests and referrals made. Hopefully the one for Tampa coincides to your visit. We have us nurses here. Can't miss with that. :) Love the story about the guy trying to run the show :)

    Jwooohooooo. Thinking about your question and my response. Stressed and I said prayer or meditation. Reminded me of a study

    Study took stressed patients and did functional MRI. In a functional MRI certain isotopes are used to see what is lights up a portion of the brain as the MRI is being done. Then they ask subjects to do something to see if things change. In this study it was identified that the connecting portion of the brain was "effectively" overloaded. The goal was to unclog the area, which would allow for free unfettered communication between the right and left side of the brain. They had the patients focus on thinking one thing repeatedly. The area that was clogged, opened up. The brain and the person became less stressed i.e. relaxed.. The study conclusion was :To relax the brain when stressed, think repeatedly of one thing. They then playfully added "counting sheep works". Unusual to have anything like that said in a study, but it was there.

    I laughed. Humans by observation for several thousand years had learned this. How humans did this was prayer and meditation. Finding that it worked, it was taught to others. Science now has proven how the brain physically responds to prayer and meditation at least for this section of the brain.

    My playful analogy was thinking of Lily Tomlin's skit as the telephone operator. Think of the telephone switchboard that is clogged with phone line connections. Concentrate about unplugging one phone line at a time. One ringy dingy....two ringy dingy.............


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  • sas-schatzi
    sas-schatzi Member Posts: 19,603
    edited January 2015

    http://www.wimp.com/ballbach/

     

    LMG Thanks :)

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  • Spookiesmom
    Spookiesmom Member Posts: 9,568
    edited January 2015

    Wow Smaarty, you have a Lot of hair!!!

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  • Enerva
    Enerva Member Posts: 3,162
    edited January 2015

    blondy, I hope all get sorted out soon, :( I am sending you strength and hugs

    Smarty great picture.

    Good night ladies I am back at waking up at 3 am then not able to sleep till 6 when I need to go to work :( so tonight I am taking a pill


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  • Rosevalley
    Rosevalley Member Posts: 3,061
    edited January 2015

    Sassy you can get tests and referrals with a phone call? I would keel over dead if that happened to me... yep died of shock. Save a ton of money. :-) You are lucky.

    Enerva sorry about the insomnia. I feel your pain.

    Sometimes it helps to listen to meditation tapes. I have them on my Ipod. Easy.

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  • Blessings2011
    Blessings2011 Member Posts: 4,276
    edited January 2015

    Rosevalley - your story about the patient who yanked his IV out then realized he wasn't staying for a free ride made me laugh. You weren't harsh at all! You just told him the facts of life in the hospital!

    When I had my BMX, my PS told me I would be staying one or two nights in the hospital, depending on how I did. Well, I never got my pain under control, mainly because I refused to use my PCA full of Morphine. Morphine and I don't get along, but the nurse told me the alternative was Dilaudid, which was even worse.

    So the next morning when the doctor came in to examine me, he asked if I was ready to go home. I was so tired from not sleeping, and in so much pain, I said "I think I'd like to stay another night if that's o.k." My reasoning was that I was so weak and in such pain, DH wouldn't have to take as much care of me if I recovered another night in the hospital before I went home.

    The doc said "Fine - I'll just go write up the order" and left the room.

    Well, not 3 minutes later, the Charge Nurse CHARGED into my room and said "WHAT'S THIS I HEAR ABOUT YOU NOT GOING HOME? YOU HAVE TO GO HOME!" Seriously, she was yelling at me.

    She told me that hospitals were not for recuperating - that I needed to go home to my own bed where it was safe. She didn't want me to pick up any infections or get pneumonia, and that was always a risk being an inpatient. She said that no matter what the problem was, she'd find a way to help me, but I HAD TO LEAVE THE HOSPITAL!

    Sheesh!!! So I told her to go find the doc and have him complete the discharge papers. At first, I was miffed because she gave me the Bum's Rush, but she was absolutely right, and I'm glad she made me leave.

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  • M0mmyof3
    M0mmyof3 Member Posts: 9,696
    edited January 2015

    Sas, I'm having the tissue expander surgery in 13 days.

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