July chitchat

[agate]

Oh good grief. That laundering method has to be very hard on the back!! Is there a laundromat anywhere near you?

When I've used laundromats I would take something like a book along and just wait there in the laundromat until the laundry was done, or waited in the helper's car if that was how I got there. It would take an hour and a half or two hours but I never had to wait around for machines. I'm not sure how they operate nowadays--back then you had to have coins but there was often a change machine in the place. Now they probably accept a card that you swipe. All you need to be careful about is watching the time so you get your clothes out when the machine finishes its cycle.

You could look into any nearby laundromats and see what the setup is and how much the machines cost and pick one and try it out. Is this an idea you'd seriously consider?

There are people in this building who do their laundry in their bathtubs--so as not to spend the $2 it would cost them to do a load of washing plus one dryer cycle of an hour. I don't know how their backs are doing but I don't think I could do laundry that way at all.

[Virginia]

When I was first married I did all my personal things in the bathtub. I was young and my back could handle it then. If I tried now, I couldn't get back up. We would take the sheets and towels and things like that to the laundromat. I didn't want my personal things washed like that. I was very picky.

[Howie]

I've thought about doing the laundromat thing, but I just couldn't do that. I did it years ago when I had an apartment, but I'm too "old" to go that route again. To me, that would seem more like hard work than the way I do it now.

[agate]

Virginia, I think you're saying that you don't like the way laundry is treated in a laundromat? I agree that the machines there tend to be rough on clothes! Or maybe there are better-quality laundromats somewhere that don't shred your laundry and pull the buttons off.

But in a pinch, when you have no other option, at least there are laundromats. I did look into laundry pickup-and-delivery services recently, and I think I posted about it here--how costly it was. It would have cost about $30 to have one standard load of laundry picked up, laundered, and delivered (no ironing, just folding). Later on I did find a few places where the cost was only about $15 but still that's a lot, IMO.

Another option, if he isn't too reluctant to ask for help, is for Howie to apply for a "Brighter Tomorrow" grant from the MS Foundation and get a new washer (or get the old one repaired but I suspect a new one will turn out to be necessary). The deadline for applying is September 1, but they will give you up to $1,000 to use for things and services that would improve your life, things not covered by insurance. As someone with MS for a long time, living alone and on a fixed income, Howie, I think you'd be very qualified to receive this assistance.

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...I looked at the online application form, and it asks for your doctor's contact information. That's probably how they verify the MS diagnosis--by contacting your doctor. Otherwise it looks like a simple, brief form to fill out.

Here's a link that tells more about it and how to apply:

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

[agate]

For some people it's a matter of keeping their dignity and self-esteem intact, and so they don't want to take advantage of services that are there for them to use. They don't want to look weak, or needy, or as if they're taking advantage of the system.

But if you admit you do have a problem, like having had MS for decades (and it's not going away), why not use help that is available when you need it? Nobody needs to know if you don't want to tell them.

[Virginia]

Howie, I would apply for this in a New York minute if I needed to. Just think many years of being repair free if you had a new washer and no more clucking on here for a long time. I have to ask for assistance to get my Rebif. I don't see any difference. So many of us are in circumstances that we would not be in if we didn't have MS. Another thing is this is a MS Foundation, so if anyone would understand they would.

[agate]

Thank you, Virginia!

I'm assuming your dryer is working OK, Howie? Or isn't there one? Have you been hanging laundry out on a clothesline to dry? If you don't have a dryer, you might be able to get one along with the washer for $1,000.

And I know you don't have a neurologist but the application asks only for your doctor's name. That could be your regular doctor, who surely knows you have MS. If that has slipped his/her mind, you can show your MRI report, which I'm sure you have framed on the wall.

If anyone needs easy access to a washer and dryer, it's someone with limited mobility due to MS. People can get those grants for hobbies they'd like to pursue. Surely laundry is more than a hobby. Most people would say it's a necessity.

[Howie]

Agate, I DO have a working dryer still. When I wash clothes in the bathtub, I then carry it all to the dryer, and dry them.

And have you noticed I've stopped posting my MRI report? I really don't know where it is online. I ASSUME I still have the original one stuck in the folder with my films. Those things are getting old now. I wonder if they are still in good condition. I'll look.......some day!

[agate]

Howie, I think you had two MRI reports--one that was done not so long ago. I'm pretty sure your doctor won't need to see that as it's probably on file there, or at least the doc already knows you have MS, right?

So glad you have a dryer!!! You should be able to get a pretty good washer for $1,000. Most basic washers don't cost anywhere near that much. When you apply you might want to add some other item(s) and see if your wishes are granted. I understand that not everyone gets the full $1,000. I think they award you as much as you and they think you'll need for the items or services you'd like.

Is Maytag still the best type of washer on the market? It was for years and years and maybe still is. It's supposed to need fewer repairs than other brands but probably costs more.

No, this is not an ad for Maytag. But I've noticed that the building I'm in always has Maytag machines, and the previous building I was in for years always had them, and they didn't need repairs very often, considering the very heavy usage they had.

[Howie]

Maytag has been around for as long as I remember, and I'm sure they are a quality product. I'm not sure what brand I have without walking up to the kitchen to see. Maytag and Kenmore are the only brands I can think of.

[agate]

This might be of some interest:

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

[Virginia]

The only way I would give up my washing machine is if it was a choice between giving up my washing machine or my drivers license. Thankfully, that is not a choice I have to make right now.

Howie, your PCP has to know you have MS. Just fill out the form and let him/her take it from there. Make a game out of it to see if you win.

[agate]

The only way I would give up my washing machine is if it was a choice between giving up my washing machine or my drivers license. Thankfully, that is not a choice I have to make right now.

Howie, your PCP has to know you have MS. Just fill out the form and let him/her take it from there. Make a game out of it to see if you win.

You heard the lady, Howie.

I've moved a few times over the years, and every time I was checking out places to live, one of the questions I absolutely had to answer before making up my mind was how could laundry be done at this place? Twice I ended up buying a new washer and dryer and having them installed but both times it was surprisingly easy (the installers did everything), and those new machines worked well for the several years I used them.

[Virginia]

Can anyone answer a Medicare question for me? I have not discussed this aspect of my brother's surgery with him. I am sure we will before it happens but I have been reading up on this surgery. While, I knew it was no small deal I didn't quite realize what it does entail. He will be in the hospital for 4 days, maybe a little longer. When he goes home he needs shoes he can just slip his feet into without twisting or bending. He will have to have a shower chair (not a stool), he will not be allowed to pick up anything that weighs more than one gallon of milk for at least 6 months. Then he still will not be able to do much. He will not be allowed to bend over or twist at the waist.

Now my question - will Medicare pay for a home health nurse to help care for him? If so, for how long? His wife works taking care of their one year old grandson at their daughter and son-in-law's house. He will be in a lot of pain, especially the first six weeks, but even after that he will not be able to take care of his self. I wonder how much Medicare will do during this time. They only came for exercise for me so I don't know about these things. Will they come for 5 days a week and if so how many hours per day?

They would not qualify for any other kind of help, so anything Medicare doesn't do he will have to pay out of pocket. I think it could be very expensive for as long as this goes on. Anyone know about these things?

[agate]

It depends on the type of Medicare coverage he has, I think. This is a .pdf file but if you can open it, it has some information that might help you. Looks as if the home health assistance covered by Medicare has to be "intermittent"--meaning temporary, if I read it right:

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...