August chitchat

[Jeanie Z]

:) Ann I am glad your Mom is better and that y'all are home. Sunshine I am sorry you are having such a hard time. You are in my prayers.

I had my last PT today. Next is the PT evaluator and I was told he will discharge me. My PT called a company about putting me on Part B for more PT. I hope that works.

I see my PCP tomorrow and after I will stop at my mechanics and they will come with me home and take my van back to fix it. AC sporadic, cruise control not working, oil change, lube, and tire rotation. My van is 20 years old but only has 130,000 miles on it.

My bladder control has improved after 5 months of having a catheter. Hopefully this will continue and I can dispense with diapers soon.

Today the feel like temp is 105 and we are still getting thunderstorms every afternoon. Lacy hates them and shakes and hides. Poor Andy works out in that daily. A man walking his dog had lightening hit his dog and he is in the hospital. The dog died.

Please check in if you have not posted lately. Jeanie :)

[Virginia]

Jeanie, so glad there is a good news from you. I wondered if you were going to drive yourself to your PCP, however I am sure you are since the mechanics are bringing you back home. Just don't know how you do it and especially in the heat. It is 97 degrees here now. I don't know what the "feel like" temperature is. I could not do what you do. It is just wonderful. I hope you can just keep going.

I cancelled dinner date with brothers yesterday. I am still tired after having my niece Saturday. I was tired before, but have been wiped out since then.

We are having a lot of thunderstorms also, usually in the late afternoon.

Howie, sorry you had computer problems. That is aggravating to say the least. I agree with Agate, if you have not received your electric bill I would call them, rather than take a chance on the electricity being cut off. Glad you got to the grocery store. I am not feeling that well, so I might have to do Instacart this week. I'll see how I feel tomorrow.

[agate]

It is 97 degrees here now. I don't know what the "feel like" temperature is.

Virginia, it might be better not to know...

[Howie]

I DID call the power co. today, and they said I will receive a paper bill in the mail towards the end of the month. We'll see.

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

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

Sunshine ~

You are enduring too much, and like everyone else, I wish that I could reach through this computer and help you. I was so hoping that the IVIg would help you, give you a boost.

If you don't have any on hand, please ask your DH to pick up some face masks. He or you can wear one, when he has a cold. Just trying to stay out of each other's way isn't benefiting either one of you. When I had a weird cold-like problem a couple of months ago, I wore a mask every time I was in Jim's presence, and I wore gloves to make his food and take care of his needs.

Masks and gloves are a very good investment. You might also want to get some protective gowns for any nurses to wear. We require our nurse to wear a mask, gloves and a gown, which we provide. Nurses have seen other patients, and their germs could well be on them. It's a good and inexpensive precaution for people, who are immune-compromised.

You are in my prayers.

Virginia ~

It's hot. You're tired. Just call Instacart, then you don't have to go out in the heat or exert yourself to shop. Please. That's what Instacart if for, and from what the multitude of shoppers I've had have told me, we are the demographic they serve: elders and disabled. It's there for you, and it makes my life a gazillion times easier. I will never set foot in a store again. Really. Think about the gas, the wear and tear on your car, in and out of heat and a/c, carrying and lifting your bags of groceries.

The more you use Instacart, the more familiar you will become with how to use it to its maximum benefits. Recently, a shopper couldn't find an item for me, and she messaged me that she'd stop at another store to pick it up on her way to our home. I said, "no, but thank you," of course, but this is the kind of service Instacart can provide.

You know I'm suggesting this with love and an understanding of how much work it can be to shop. Prayers for you to feel better and stronger.

Jeanie ~

Same advice to you about Instacart as I just gave Virginia. The oppressive heat and humidity, the exertion of getting in/out of your van several times. Conserve your energy now to achieve full recovery. Think: Reunion. You don't want any setbacks. So take it easy.

I do hope that you will be authorized to receive more PT. That should be ongoing, until you are completely recovered.

I hope your van can be well serviced for you. I need to take our van in for service and a new tire. Our van is 21 years old and has 24,000 miles on it. Unreal, I know. But we never travel more than a few miles at a time.

Healing prayers continuing for you ~

Howie ~

I'm glad you were able to get your computer under control. I hope that you get your bill sorted out without having to make more phone calls.

Love, hugs, prayers, and healing energy to all ~

Love & Light,



Rose

[stillstANNding]

It’s hot. Yesterday was a record for the day at 95 officially which is at the airport, on the water. It was hotter in the actual city. And very humid.

I went out early for an 11 AM haircut. My Uber driver mentioned that he goes to bed at 8 PM because he has MS. He was surprised that I have it too. We talked about weather and MS, rest, need for AC and the paradox of wearing a hoodie in the needed AC. It made me think of Renee’s fleece.

Keep cool and eat chocolate, your favorite kind.
ANN

[Howie]

Tootsie Roll minis.....mmmmmmm!

[agate]

Dove Promises dark chocolate with peanut butter.

Tootsie Rolls are chewy as I recall. But Howie doesn't have to worry about his teeth because he's his own dentist.

[stillstANNding]

Ah,it took chocolate to wake Howie up. Just reading your favorites provoked me to get up and get a Justin’s Milk Chocolate PB cup. I have tried their dark chocolate ones but prefer the milk chocolate.

Have I mentioned the heat? Oh, my! I spend some time in the garden pulling up some mint and pruning tomato plants. The mint was in a sunken pot but found a way out. Good that I pulled it out. It’s notorious for spreading.

ANN

[Jeanie Z]

:) I read everything but am lousy lately at recall. I went to the PCP today and they drew fasting blood. The doc will call me the results. He wrote out all my Rx's for 6 months. But he also told me my insurance cancelled him because of several expensive patients, of which I am one.

I have one more visit with the surgeon in October. I will switch then to the company my doctor thinks is better.

I called Instacart and they billed me $149 for last year and $49 for this year and I only EVER ordered once, which was supposed to be free. I can't place an order and I can't figure out why and they were no help.

I asked them to return my $198 then. They said they could only give me $99.

On the way to the doctors my AC would not come on. When I left his office it came on fine. I went to my mechanics and picked him up and drove home. He took the van back to fix it. His girlfriend broke the same leg I did but was only off of it for one month. MS caused me to have 5 extra months and still going.

I am going to go lie down, my feet are swelling from being up. Keep cool everyone. Jeanie :)

[Virginia]

Sympathizing with all who are in high heat--I am too.

Jeanie you did really good today. Sorry you are having to change Doctors. I don't know what is going on with your Instacart. Apparently, you (maybe without realizing it) agreed to pay an annual fee to get free delivery. I guess the $49.00 would be of half a year and the $99.00 for full year. I am only guessing at this because I do not get free delivery and I am really not familiar with how it works or what they charge.

Rose, especially for you I ordered on Instacart today. Now, please understand that I didn't do this due to any health issues or the heat outside - I did it for you. All went well except that I forgot to order any fruit, not even bananas and I had a list made. Also, I ordered 3 17oz containers of yogurt figuring it would last 6 days for lunch. She brought 1 container, so I have enough for two days. That was probably my mistake. I probably thought I ordered 3, but I looked at my cart when I got through and I am almost certain it was 3 or I would have noticed it. They did not charge me for the other two, so all is well. I did not ask her to hang around while I checked everything in. She told me about a substitute she had made and I thanked her. It cost $19.68 for me to order today, but I had upped the tip because it is so hot out that I just felt I should.

Ann, I assume you got your hair cut and colored today. Did Peter pay or did you have to pay your own way today? I still have not used Uber. I haven't been out much at all and so when I do go out I need to drive my car. It has been over a week and then I only went about 5 miles.

I don't think I have heard Agate complain about the heat where she is. I guess she must have perfect weather. Think I'll move to Oregon.

The chocolate I am eating is the Dove Dark Chocolate. Maybe I should try it with the peanut butter like Agate. I only eat one piece. Agate can you stop with one piece or would I just start eating more if I got that? Ann, the Justin's milk with peanut butter is really good, but that is another one that I find it hard to eat just one.

Nuthatch, where are you?

Cat, are you so busy playing with the cats that you don't have time to come on?

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

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

Jeanie ~

I'm so sorry that you've had this experience with Instacart. I was given a choice to pay $149, when I first joined in 2018, for free delivery for a year. I chose it, because I knew that I'd be shopping at least once a week. I haven't been charged anything since then.

I don't think that Instacart can automatically charge you $149, unless they've changed their policy. Perhaps you can call again and ask to speak to a supervisor to see if you can get this sorted out. You can explain that you are a senior with a disabling condition, that you need the service and can't afford to pay more for delivery. Or maybe Andy could call them for you. Sometimes men can get a better response in these situations than we can. I know that's chauvinistic, but it's also true.

That's incredible that your insurance cancelled your PCP, because you're an "expensive patient!" Is this Medicare or your Supplemental Insurance? Sounds like discrimination to me. I'm thinking about how much Jim's insurance has paid since 2017, and if you want an expensive patient, he certainly qualifies. Have you called your insurance to discuss this cancellation? How long have you been seeing your doctor? That should be factored in.

Also, seeing a different doctor isn't going to make you a "less expensive patient." You have MS, and you're a Senior. I guess I'm missing something here, but to me, this isn't logical.

I hope your van A/C gets repaired properly and lasts this time. My goodness, it's just one thing after another. Keep on keepin' on, Jeanie. You're in my prayers.

To All Chocolate Lovers ~

I love all chocolate, but when I found Santa Barbara Chocolate, it was Nirvana. Several Christmases ago, I attempted to make white chocolate, pistachio nuts, and dried cranberries "bark" candy. Big project, but worth it. It was delicious. Next Christmas, I made some kind of dark chocolate/nut/cranberry candies. Next Christmas, I just gave everyone a small gift box of SB's ready made candies.

Prepare to salivate:

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

Jim and I wish that we could send all of you the cool, mild summer days we're having. The mornings are overcast (we even had fog a few days ago, and that's rare) with temps in the upper 60s and a sea breeze. I love my walks on these mornings. The sun arrives mid-day, and our temps haven't gone over 80. We just give thanks everyday, and we pray for all of you, who are suffering with intolerable heat and humidity. We know that our turn will come eventually. May cooler days bring you relief soon.

Love & Light,



Rose

[agate]

Virginia, if it was hot, I'd be complaining. You're right that I haven't been complaining--it just hasn't been very hot this summer except for one brief spell early in the season. It's only in the mid-80s today. That's too hot for me in the sun but I've been staying out of the sun, which is easy to do with the painters all over the place out there anyway.

I'd been wondering why my eyes have been burning and watering so lately and then I took a better look at their equipment. There's smoke coming out of at least one of those things they've been riding around in. And all day long one of those huge pieces of equipment is parked right in front of my windows and chugging away with its smoke.

I keep the windows closed all day when they're around but even so there is a layer of dirt deposited on the window frames and sills.

So they're churning things up and possibly filling the air with fumes. Maybe that's why my eyes are acting up.

Only a couple of more weeks to go, I figure.

Jeanie, I've used Instacart a few times, and recall that at first I almost made the mistake of signing up for the annual fee. I didn't want to do that as I wasn't intending to use it that often. But I remember it was very easy to sign up for it accidentally. I believe they say something about getting free delivery if you do that, and I was in favor of the free delivery but didn't quite realize what I was committing myself to.

They never did bill me for the annual fee. I've always paid just their usual fees plus the tip.

How unkind of a doctor to call a person an "expensive patient." Once my regular doctor in Tacoma, who was a very likable person, told me--in a nice way--that doctors lose money treating Medicaid/Medicare patients because the system is so slow to reimburse them and doesn't reimburse them as much as they would receive from private-pay patients. I'm sure she was just explaining something she thought I needed to grasp but it did feel a bit like being told I was a burden.

Yes, I am a burden. I don't like being a burden. But just about everyone is a burden on someone, and if a person isn't a burden right now, that person will probably be a burden eventually.

[Howie]

Sam is a burden to me, but I don't care a bit!

[nuthatch]

Did someone say chocolate? That will get my attention every time!
My son and family are coming up for a visit over Labor Day weekend and every time they come they bring me a different type of chocolate bar from a "boutique" chocolate company in San Diego. Good stuff!
Trader Joe's has specialized chocolate bars too, but not as many flavors.

The neighbor on the corner of our street texted everyone in the neighborhood at 5 p.m. today, to let us all know that she had just seen a huge mountain lion walking along her back fence. She was just about to take her new puppy out for a walk when she saw it. This is not the first time a mountain lion has been seen in the same area, just a few houses away from ours. Earlier in the year a small one was seen by two different neighbors, twice. We also found prints in the wet soil behind our fountain. Wonder if it's the same cat, all grown up now. The young ones are the most dangerous because they have not acquired a fear of humans yet, so I've read.
My DH goes for his walk around 5 p.m., passing that area, several times a week. Not today!!! He assures me that he looks around and up into the trees checking for a big cat lying in wait up in a tree.

Jeanie - regarding Instacart, I took advantage of a promotional offer of free delivery for for one month. If you did not cancel by the end of the free trial period, you were charged the yearly Express fee, which was $99. Since I was undecided if I wanted to subscribe, I canceled and was charged nothing for deliveries during that time. Even though it's a pain, it's important to read and understand the user agreement. Here is the portion that may explain what happened.

You can cancel your Instacart Express membership at any time in Your Account Settings under the Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register... section. You may cancel within the first 15 calendar days of your paid Instacart Express membership and receive a refund of the Instacart Express membership fee you paid, but only if you have not placed any orders using your Instacart Express membership. If you cancel at any other time, you will not receive a refund, but you can continue to enjoy the Free Deliveries through the end of your billing period.From time to time, Instacart offers some customers trial or other promotional memberships to Instacart Express. Such trial or promotional memberships are subject to these Terms except as otherwise stated in the promotional offer and are for new customers or certain members only. Only one trial or promotional membership is available per household. Instacart will charge you the applicable fee after your free trial period has expired to the credit card on file with Instacart. If you cancel Instacart Express before the trial period has expired, Instacart will not charge you. Instacart may change the monthly or annual fee charged for Instacart Express at any time, but any such fee change will not apply to current Instacart Express members until such time as your current membership expires and your membership is renewed for another term.
We may change other terms or conditions applicable to Instacart Express from time to time. Any new or renewed Instacart Express memberships will be subject to the terms of service active at that time and displayed when you sign up for Instacart Express. Instacart may also make such changes with respect to current Instacart Express memberships. In that case, Instacart will provide you with notice at checkout of the changes and when those changes will take effect. If you disagree with the changes to your current Instacart Express membership terms of service, you may cancel your Instacart Express membership.
Your Instacart Express membership cannot be transferred or assigned. Instacart reserves the right to accept, refuse, or cancel your Instacart Express membership at any time in its sole discretion.

DH made a trip to Costco yesterday, to pick up his new hearing aides. They have really improved since he got his last pair. Several different modes for different situations plus they have blue tooth in them that pairs with your TV so you can hear the TV, even with the volume turned down very low, through your hearing aides. We're $3000 poorer, but it's worth it.

For you foodies - While he was at Costco, he picked up a few things . . . a rotisserie chicken, some of that yummy tomato basil soup, and beautiful yellow & orange sweet (bell?) peppers. We had sliced chicken, patty pan squash and a small baked potato for dinner last night. Tonight it was tomato basil soup with cut up chicken in it and a salad. Maybe chicken tacos or chicken burritos tomorrow! Chicken salad, chicken sandwiches? We get a lot of mileage out of a rotisserie chicken.
He also brought home some beautiful raspberries . . . beautiful but tasteless! I wish I had some of the wild berries that grow around my daughter's yard in the mountains. She told me she and Tula went out to pick some to take to friends over the weekend and startled a big buck who was there eating the berries. Funny because her spouse was gone over the weekend for the first seasons deer hunt! The deer are no farther away than his own yard, munching berries while he's hiking all over rough terrain looking for deer!

When she got to her friend's house for their 2 year old twin's birthday party, her friend told her that her DH was startled to find a large mature buck bedded down inside the lower level of their children's play structure. So glad he happened to hear it move before all the little kids went charging out there to play! That could have been disastrous!
Those deer know where to go during hunting season!

Thinking of those struggling and the missing. Hang in there, Sunshine, Jeanie, Cat and Ann's mom too. Prayers for all.