OT October Chit Chat

[Virginia]

Thank you Cherie. Yes, it does make sense to me, since I have had some experience in dealing with a revocable trust through my second husband. I also have had experience with him in dealing with a irrevocable trust which concerned me, but was not to my benefit. He has a one million dollar policy on me which will be paid to a trust. The trust is owned by his daughter and his son. He had asked me to sign for a $250,000 policy to help pay the taxes on his estate when he died so that his children would not have to pay it. I was glad to do it, but after taking the health exam (before MS) and signing papers for them to release the infromation where I took it, I found out that he had indeed gotten a million dollar policy. What I got out of the marriage was the loss of my health care, left to me through my first husband who died. It was health care and covered drugs even after I went on Medicare. It was hard to take, but these things do happen and one has to move on. Everything I have left is from my first husband including my income.

I have some long term care, however it is not nearly enough and I had figured that my long term care plus income would cover the nursing home expenses. I am afraid that from what I have heard the nursing home would try to get all the money they could in case I died early. My long term care is for 5 years, however the yearly amount is not nearly what it should be. I sometime think I should go on a spending spree with what I have not locked up and maybe redo my kitchen and other things I would like, but I am really afraid that I might really need it some day. So, I will keep on trying to do the straight forward thing.

Thanks for all the information. It helped clear up some things in my mind.

[Howie]

I was out the door at 7:00 this morning. A sleepless night as it usually is when I have things to do early. I went to the ATM, and now have 3 dollars left in my checking account.

I also took my change from my change jar, and used the store's change counting machine. I now have not one penny in my pocket, but I am set until next Friday, PAYDAY!

[Sunshine]

Cherie, thank you, I will show the post to DH

[stillstANNding]

Hello all. I saw my internist/PMD yesterday. We resolved a lot of things:

The liver enzymes are coming down. Now under 100.
The ferritin came down 20 pts and, since I do not have hemochromatosis, it was probably reactive to a virus or some stress and we will just repeat it in 3-6 months.

The small renal artery aneurysm was an incidental finding. I have a repeat CT in 6 months and a visit w the vascular surgeon the same day.

My BP is normal.

I can not eat enough. I think about food, I’m hungry, I like the taste and smell of food. In fact, I have been passing the time watching YouTube videos about cooking, hot pots, Buddha bowls, grocery hauls from Trader Joe’s. I just can’t eat much. I have lost 14 pounds since May.

I have a GI appt Dec 17th! That was the earliest any one has. I am on the cancellation list and some other list. And the scheduler (sounded like a nurse) will talk to the doc about me to see if she can squeeze me in. I will be a noisy patient. I need help.

Prayers and thoughts welcome.
ANN

[Virginia]

You will have prayers and thoughts Ann. I have been hoping you were eating more. That is a lot of weight for you to loose, but just think of the fun you will have putting it back on when they find and correct what is wrong.

Glad you got to see one Doctor yesterday and wish the GI Doctor was sooner. Maybe they will get a cancellation. It seems to me that the appetite being good would be a good thing. Maybe you can just eat often. I have heard that six small meals a day is what we are suppose to eat anyway.

[agate]

Keep eating, ANN!

I hope you won't hesitate to remind the schedulers that you have MS. Sometimes it doesn't hurt to play the MS card.

[Sunshine]

Can your doctor called the G.I. doctor and ask him to get you in sooner?

[Virginia]

It is cold and rainy here today. I had planned to go out, but did not. It was such an ugly day from the time I got up on. I have not accomplished anything all day. I played on FB trying different profile settings, but finally left things the way they were.

Actually, I am accomplishing one thing - I am making a big pot of vegetable soup. I am looking forward to it.

[Lazarus]

Can your doctor called the G.I. doctor and ask him to get you in sooner?

Good idea. I hope you get help soon! When you are better we will all send you chocolate! How’s that?

[Lazarus]

Cherie,Our properties and accounts are all in the name of irrevocable trust. I was not aware that if your assets are in that type of trust, that nursing homes can’t touch it. Are you sure of that?

I am so sorry you were going through all of this. With respect to the work travel, you will know when you are at the breaking point and can no longer do it, and have to give up having an impact and such a large way. I went through the same thing. It is a very hard loss.

Cherie’s information about the trust was interesting. And your question was exactly the question I have. Cherie mentioned
An elder care attorney which I have never heard of....and I can not believe how stupid I have been about protecting each other if one of us goes to a nursing home. Both of us had parents who died at home or after a short illness and perhaps that has made us oblivious...need to do something.

[Catdancer]

We are in the middle of updating our wills and powers of attorney. We have no immediate beneficiaries or responsibilities (no children, grandchildren, other family). Our attorney therefore suggested we revoke the trust that we had -- established 20 years ago when we had the possibility that others might contest a basic will -- and simply draft wills and durable powers of attorney -- a "regular" power of attorney document, and then a power of attorney for health care. Those all seem to address our needs -- and cost much less than a trust. Our will designates specific gifts to people including the property and house.


Anyway, if these circumstances match yours, you might check out just establishing a will, and the 2 powers of attorney.


i

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((Hugs to All)))))) ~

ANN ~

So glad to hear that your tests are improving and to find out what you don't have.

While you're being a noisy patient, I recommend that you tell the scheduler that you were just released from the hospital and that you were supposed to meet with a GI the day you had your cardiac procedure. Up the ante on the urgency.

If you have a scale at home, you might want to weigh yourself every day to keep track of weight loss. That's something you can share with the GI's scheduler.

Along with your weight loss, I worry about your nutrition. Just a reminder: Orgain.

I just made Jim a strawberry/blueberry/banana/coconut milk/cashew "ice cream" smoothie. Delicious. That's something else you might consider to boost your nutritional status. Veggie smoothies, with avocado, greens, carrots, etc. That's the next one I'm going to make for Jim.

We tried a blenderized diet for Jon in lieu of G Tube formula. By blending a variety of foods together, he was able to get plenty of nutrition in small amounts. He has slow motility, so he has to have predigested formula now, unfortunately.

Healing prayers continuing for you ~ and prayers for a cancellation, so that you can see the GI very soon.

Love & Light,



Rose

[stillstANNding]

Hi Rose,

The scheduler knows about the hospitalization and the weight loss and the not being able to eat very much.
I am going to order some Orgain.

ANN

[Cherie]

Cat,
With only the two of you and no heirs, yours sounds like a sound plan. The Estate attorney (also known as elder care attorney around here) said that a lot of folks spend unnecessary monies setting up revocable trusts which do nothing to protect assets when a codicil to a will can do the same thing for pennies on the dollar of the trust creation. Our financial advisor said he has only recommended an Irrevocable Trust to three people in his entire career (we are one of the three) as it truly protects assets for heirs and can stem the tide of assets to provide long, long , long term care.

ANN,
Please continue eating and normalizing those labs.

[Virginia]

I am in the same boat as Cat and TC in that I have no immediate heirs and no responsibility to anyone as far as leaving anything. I had an attorney tell me pretty much what was said to them. I told him it might cost them a lot of problems to go through probate and he said that should be the least of my worries. He said revenue stamps for the house do not cost that much and pretty much all monies that they "might" get mostly has beneficiaries listed.