Today I go back to work. I had yesterday off to get my hair done, go to my doctor's appointment and hold the class reunion planning meeting as well as attend the church's Valentine dinner. It was a busy day.
Probably the most interesting part of all this was my doctor's appointment. My blood pressure was 168/83 and the doctor put me back on a blood pressure pill. Instead of 25 mg though, he is having me cut the pill in half. He wants me to drop into his office in two weeks to see how it is working. Then he wants me to come back to see him in one month so he can evaluate whether that is enough or if it does what it did before when Melissa had me on it and brought my blood pressure way down way too low.
He also wants me to have a mamography. The last one I had was 10 years ago. They hurt me so bad I swore I would never have another. He says they have changed the technology and they no longer hurt folks trying to get the breast flat. We'll see. My appointment at the hospital is March 9th at 11:00. Then he wants me to have a colonoscopy. The last one of those I had was without anesthetic and it hurt so badly that I swore never again for that too. I told him I'd wait to do that until I found out how "painless" the mamography was.
I got home in time to have my meeting.
Later Bob A. picked up Phyllis F. and me and we drove to Cherryvale to "Just Us" for the Valentine dinner. There were 17 of us. We had a very good dinner and got home about 8:30.
I missed the library board meeting because of the conflict in the schedule.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
No Work Tuesday
I do not work today. I have a lot of other stuff to do. At 9:30, I have a hair appointment. Then at 11:30, I have the doctor's appointment here. The doctor will not refill my prescription for thyroid unless I come in to see him. I had my blood work done before my other doctor gave up her practice to be the doctor at the Cherokee Clinic in Nowata, Oklahoma so that should be sufficient but this doctor wants his share of my Medicare coverage. I've got news for him. I'm healthy and I don't go to the doctor unless I'm sick. There's no place more filled with illness then a waiting room at the doctor's office unless it's a hospital. Anyhow, I'll give him one shot at me. I'm just aggravated enough to raise my blood pressure. He'll probably want to medicate me for that.
Then at 2:00 I have scheduled a class reunion planning meeting. I don't know how many will show up. It won't break my heart if no one does. I can use the down time. Tonight Bob A. and Phyllis F. and I will go to Cherryvale to have our church's Valentine dinner at Just Us. Now that I'm working more hours, I will not schedule so much in my weeks.
Since I had Slinky put asleep I have been sleeping like a baby. Last night at 4:00 Missy woke me up to go out. I left her out until 5:00 when I got out of bed. She has a litter box in the utility area of my kitchen. It was very cold outside but I wanted to try to teach her a lesson.
I told my supervisor yesterday that eventually I want to make Friday my regular day off. The first week of each month it will have to be Thursday because of Ministerial Alliance but otherwise I want Friday off to make a long weekend. Bob and I want to go to Silver Dollar City four times this year. We bought season tickets. Having a long weekend will keep us from missing church. I also will have Restoration Studies Symposium in April and John Whitmer Historical Association in September.
Then at 2:00 I have scheduled a class reunion planning meeting. I don't know how many will show up. It won't break my heart if no one does. I can use the down time. Tonight Bob A. and Phyllis F. and I will go to Cherryvale to have our church's Valentine dinner at Just Us. Now that I'm working more hours, I will not schedule so much in my weeks.
Since I had Slinky put asleep I have been sleeping like a baby. Last night at 4:00 Missy woke me up to go out. I left her out until 5:00 when I got out of bed. She has a litter box in the utility area of my kitchen. It was very cold outside but I wanted to try to teach her a lesson.
I told my supervisor yesterday that eventually I want to make Friday my regular day off. The first week of each month it will have to be Thursday because of Ministerial Alliance but otherwise I want Friday off to make a long weekend. Bob and I want to go to Silver Dollar City four times this year. We bought season tickets. Having a long weekend will keep us from missing church. I also will have Restoration Studies Symposium in April and John Whitmer Historical Association in September.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Snow Again
Last night it snowed. It doesn't look like it's too deep...maybe an inch but it could get deeper if it continues. The photos are the front yard and the back yard and at 7:00 AM it still looks dark. But you get the picture.I will need to be careful driving to work...not so much for my driving as to watch "the other guy". I hope it doesn't continue to snow because I have a very busy day tomorrow and we have the Valentine dinner tomorrow evening. I am hoping it will warm up a bit and melt the snow. We'll see.
It seems strange without Slinky. I am so use to coming in here, climbing over the barrier and feeding him in the mornings. I ate all my oatmeal this morning since I didn't have to share it with Slinky. I miss him. My kitchen floor is still clean since he isn't here to slobber all over it and even Missy didn't drag in dirt from the flowerbeds that I had to wipe up with paper towels. I have washed his bedding and put it in the den on the floor and she has appropriated it already. She's in there now.
More later....
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Another Busy Day
It will be another busy Monday. I will work all day tomorrow and then be off Tuesday because of a tight schedule.
I will have my hair appointment at 9:30 and the doctor appointment at 11:30. I will grab a quick lunch somewhere and get back home in time for my class reunion meeting at 2:00. Then at 5:30 Bob A., Phyllis F. and I will leave for the Valentine dinner at Just Us. I wil have to miss the library board meeting this month because it is the same night.
Wednesday after work I will have the PINCH meeting at the Church of God in Christ.
More later....
I will have my hair appointment at 9:30 and the doctor appointment at 11:30. I will grab a quick lunch somewhere and get back home in time for my class reunion meeting at 2:00. Then at 5:30 Bob A., Phyllis F. and I will leave for the Valentine dinner at Just Us. I wil have to miss the library board meeting this month because it is the same night.
Wednesday after work I will have the PINCH meeting at the Church of God in Christ.
More later....
A Health Care Flap
The President has stepped into a mess on this one, and there is some conflict between religious freedom and human rights here. But there is also too much misinformation going on, particularly in these two areas:
1. A majority of states already have some form of prescription equality legislation that applies to the public operations of churches (like schools and hospitals that employ or serve non-members). In addition, since the early days of the Bush administration, there have been federal equal access rules, and indeed several Republican senators, like Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe were co-sponsors on legislation to require prescription equity across sexes (e.g., if you cover Viagra, you cannot deny women equal access to birth control).
Many large Catholic universities currently cover birth control for staff in their plans, and if they don't they are already likely in violation of existing rules. In short, since the churches have not shut down operations or terminate coverage in these situations, they are not likely to do so now, except to cut off their nose to spite their face.
2. The new rules do require zero co-pay rules to apply to many preventative medical treatments, and birth control is one of them. This gives equal access to poor people and saves $20,000 to $100,000 or more per prevented pregnancy, and likely prevents many abortions (isn't this the goal?).
The argument that, if no co-pay is required, the institution is subsidizing birth control reveals nothing more than an ignorance of how private health care is currently being funded, and will continue to be funded under the Affordable Care Act.
Institutions even as small as community colleges and small universities usually save a lot of money on health care costs by putting all university and employee contributions into a shared pool, from which claims are disbursed. The insurance company's role is as an administrator and negotiator with the health care providers. There is an insurance policy written, but ONLY for the event that the shared pool is depleted in a given year. Good insurance companies, however, know how to set the contribution level so that this rarely happens.
Since almost no employer contributes the full cost of health care anymore, the shared pool is this mix of what individual employees put in and what the institution puts in. The co-pay does not cover the full cost of the birth control, but it usually DOES fall beneath the level of the employee's contribution. All the rules say is that a woman's access to birth control (over 98% of childbearing-age Catholic women) is as important a health decision as the zero co-pay blood screening a man might get. It is no more the right of the church to deny a non-member's (or even a member's) access to birth control as it is to deny me access to blood screening. If I contributed to the health plan, then I have a stake in its application.
So if I work for a Jehovah's Witness employer, can he deny me access to blood screening on religious grounds? If I work for Brigham Young University, can they deny me coverage for an alcohol-related accident? I don't think so.
This simply has become a political football for the Republicans.
1. A majority of states already have some form of prescription equality legislation that applies to the public operations of churches (like schools and hospitals that employ or serve non-members). In addition, since the early days of the Bush administration, there have been federal equal access rules, and indeed several Republican senators, like Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe were co-sponsors on legislation to require prescription equity across sexes (e.g., if you cover Viagra, you cannot deny women equal access to birth control).
Many large Catholic universities currently cover birth control for staff in their plans, and if they don't they are already likely in violation of existing rules. In short, since the churches have not shut down operations or terminate coverage in these situations, they are not likely to do so now, except to cut off their nose to spite their face.
2. The new rules do require zero co-pay rules to apply to many preventative medical treatments, and birth control is one of them. This gives equal access to poor people and saves $20,000 to $100,000 or more per prevented pregnancy, and likely prevents many abortions (isn't this the goal?).
The argument that, if no co-pay is required, the institution is subsidizing birth control reveals nothing more than an ignorance of how private health care is currently being funded, and will continue to be funded under the Affordable Care Act.
Institutions even as small as community colleges and small universities usually save a lot of money on health care costs by putting all university and employee contributions into a shared pool, from which claims are disbursed. The insurance company's role is as an administrator and negotiator with the health care providers. There is an insurance policy written, but ONLY for the event that the shared pool is depleted in a given year. Good insurance companies, however, know how to set the contribution level so that this rarely happens.
Since almost no employer contributes the full cost of health care anymore, the shared pool is this mix of what individual employees put in and what the institution puts in. The co-pay does not cover the full cost of the birth control, but it usually DOES fall beneath the level of the employee's contribution. All the rules say is that a woman's access to birth control (over 98% of childbearing-age Catholic women) is as important a health decision as the zero co-pay blood screening a man might get. It is no more the right of the church to deny a non-member's (or even a member's) access to birth control as it is to deny me access to blood screening. If I contributed to the health plan, then I have a stake in its application.
So if I work for a Jehovah's Witness employer, can he deny me access to blood screening on religious grounds? If I work for Brigham Young University, can they deny me coverage for an alcohol-related accident? I don't think so.
This simply has become a political football for the Republicans.
A Quiet Sunday
I had a very good night's sleep last night with no interruptions. Missy slept with me right at my side. She did not wake me up. I guess she knew it was very cold outside and wanted to stay in the house. I guess Getting a good night's sleep is the payoff for what I did yesterday morning with Slinky. I sure miss the old critter. About 5:00, I awoke hearing what I thought was his yelp. It must have been a dream. I went right back to sleep until 5:30.
Today I will have church and then we will eat out as a group afterward. Bob and I and Denise have the support group at Windsor at 2:30 this afternoon. Then I will have a quiet evening at home. If there's nothing on TV, I have a video to watch.
More later....
I went to the support group and Bob A. was there. There were a couple of new people. I came home about 4:00 and finished my letters. Now I will watch TV this evening and then probably go to bed early again. I work tomorrow.
Today I will have church and then we will eat out as a group afterward. Bob and I and Denise have the support group at Windsor at 2:30 this afternoon. Then I will have a quiet evening at home. If there's nothing on TV, I have a video to watch.
More later....
I went to the support group and Bob A. was there. There were a couple of new people. I came home about 4:00 and finished my letters. Now I will watch TV this evening and then probably go to bed early again. I work tomorrow.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Saturday Again
I will meet my brother-in-law for breakfast later on this morning. After that, I'm taking Slinky to the vet. He is having a problem staying asleep and I suspect a bladder infection. He also has a large tumor on his breast and I want to see what Dr. Barta has to say about that. I now have enough money coming in to have that taken care of with my longer hours.
After we get back home I will put him in the garage and possibly go to Bartlesvile. It is very cold today and the garage is much warmer because of the hot water tank out there and the large bulb I keep on my water line to the frig.
I met my brother-in-law for lunch at Arby's yesterday. I had a couple of coupons that came in the e-mail. We had their new fish sandwicch with curley fries. If I ever eat at fast food places, it is either Arby's or Braums.
I took Slinky to the vet and sure enough he had a serious bladder infection and that's why he was getting up all night long to go pee. But Dr. Barta said as old as he was he would just get one after the other and the tumor on his breast was another concern. He suggested at his age, it would be more humane to just put him down. So I had him euthanized and then cremated. Then I cried all the way home. I called Scott to tell him. He evidently called Leslie and she called me. Then Christina, my granddaughter in Kuwait called. Then Keith called. I couldn't stop crying. He was my connection to Bob and I had kept it together for all these months until I lost Slinky. Then the gusher began and I could not seem to get it stopped for any time at all. First I lost Bob and now I've lost Slinky. Missy is eight years old. Hopefully she will live for several more years. She is lots of campany too. ...just grouchy company.
Oh well....
After we get back home I will put him in the garage and possibly go to Bartlesvile. It is very cold today and the garage is much warmer because of the hot water tank out there and the large bulb I keep on my water line to the frig.
I met my brother-in-law for lunch at Arby's yesterday. I had a couple of coupons that came in the e-mail. We had their new fish sandwicch with curley fries. If I ever eat at fast food places, it is either Arby's or Braums.
I took Slinky to the vet and sure enough he had a serious bladder infection and that's why he was getting up all night long to go pee. But Dr. Barta said as old as he was he would just get one after the other and the tumor on his breast was another concern. He suggested at his age, it would be more humane to just put him down. So I had him euthanized and then cremated. Then I cried all the way home. I called Scott to tell him. He evidently called Leslie and she called me. Then Christina, my granddaughter in Kuwait called. Then Keith called. I couldn't stop crying. He was my connection to Bob and I had kept it together for all these months until I lost Slinky. Then the gusher began and I could not seem to get it stopped for any time at all. First I lost Bob and now I've lost Slinky. Missy is eight years old. Hopefully she will live for several more years. She is lots of campany too. ...just grouchy company.
Oh well....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
