Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Annual inspection...

I had hoped to put off my physical until after Dottie's vacation, but my prescription for my blood pressure med was exhausted and I'm not down to a weight where I'm comfortable going without it. My little excursion into the front yard last winter and the resultant back injury not only cost me what progress I'd made since retirement, but the ensuing depression over it all and watching the demise of all I'd poured my heart and soul into for 30 years along with worrying at every step about it's result on me had me seeking sunshine and other things and I haven't made any real progress towards dealing with it since!

That said, all the "numbers" were good except for the one from the weight scale; after they drew my blood last week they faxed in a prescription for my bp med. I got him to write two extra scrips, one for the cream the dermatologist prescribed for my eczema and one for the eye drops the ophthalmologist had prescribed last year as they had both expired and I couldn't afford the office visit to the dermatologist right now and have lost my vision care along with my dental.

The prescriptions that last month would have cost me $11/5/11 now cost $25/10/25; I'm grateful the bp med is a generic or it would have cost me $50.

2 years ago we had gotten 5 office visits a year paid for; when I retired last year they took those away from the retirees but told us that "your max annual out-of-pocket is $328" and that when we met that they would be paid for. My wife heard from the wife of another retiree the other day, one who has been trying to get things that were supposed to be paid taken care of, that they have changed that as well but haven't bothered to mail us the fine print. I guess that $300 bill we got for Dottie's office visit to the surgeon last month may be mine in it's entirety! I can't imagine what I'll owe by the time she's "put back together"!

Yet the Republicant's in D.C. think "stopping Obama" is much more important than stopping my financial bloodloss!

I keep getting letters back from my Senators telling me how much they value my opinion and that they will keep it in mind as they vote, then they proceed to tell me that they have concerns about "this" or "that" and that they are going to go right ahead and vote the way they intended to all along. My choices for representation in the Senate seem to be to move or move...

I know many of you are tired of the vitriol; tired of the words; tired of the pleas. But if you stop listening, stop writing, stop calling then nothing is going to change!

Please, keep an ear to the ground...if you live somewhere where an e-mail or a letter or a 2 minute phone call can change some Senator's mind, please; I'm begging; take the time!

May the week be kind to each of you!

alan

13 comments:

robin andrea said...

I just spent about 15 minutes on hold at the White House comment line, so I could tell them how important health care public option is. We have to keep at it, even when we feel tired and already beaten.

Anji said...

No wonder you need a prescription for blood pressure! we're slowly having the carpet pulled from beneath our feet here too.

I'll be having all of my tests over the next few weeks, it will be interesting to see how it has all gone up.

Teresa said...

Ah, yes.... the Republican't plutocrats have sucked us dry of everything they can expect to get, so now that you see their game please roll into the gutter and die.... :(

Riot Kitty said...

My dad says his generation - the boomers - are going to demand national health care, and I hope that's the case. No one in Congress can really give a shit when they get everything for free.

Lucie G said...

Given the massive size of the health care industry and the lobby that buys and the ideological opponant's I suspect even a modest reform will be a fantastic achievement. Keep on fighting.

Green tea said...

If the Media would get on board,they could show millions of stories of people in crisis because of their lack of health care.
They could turn this whole thing around.
Instead they give credence to stories about crazies who think Obama is a foreigner.
Or where to bury Michael Jacksons body.

Jennifer said...

Ditto all.

I hope the healing of your "hide" has improved pace. Neosporin is my favorite, for just about everything! Some extra vitamin C won't hurt, either.

Would that we could each go fishing with our fathers again...

I can't believe how much I miss when I drop off the face of Blogger for a few weeks!

CrackerLilo said...

And now it's not being voted on at all until fall. (Glad you have your blood pressure meds!) I wish you could go to DC to testify. I'm sick of political dick-measuring contests when lives are quite literally at stake. I'm not sure what exactly needs to be done, but I know that statements about "giving Obama his Waterloo" show a real skewed set of priorities. Especially when the wastes of carbon who say such things get full health benefits paid for by taxpayers themselves!

*hugs*

ryssee said...

Yours is a classic story. I get so mad at the nay-sayers that I'd love to be able to tell them "We told you so!" when stuff happens to them or their loved ones, but I'm not that kind of person to be able to wish that kind of ill will on anyone, so I'm just telling them to shut up and keep their private policies WHEN this passes.

Anonymous said...

I do not tire of hearing about it. I am shocked it can happen...

I think its time for a move to Canada my friend!

Anonymous said...

I do not tire of hearing about it. I am shocked it can happen...

I think its time for a move to Canada my friend!

Sassy said...

Gotta keep our fingers crossed!

Anonymous said...

i'm seconding breaththenexhale...but i think we're kinda biased... :)