Oh my gosh! I DO believe spring has finally arrived. Check out this video that I took this morning. Sun, warmth, color and wind. Spring is here!
I see my last posting to this blog was last Saturday. Looks like I'm going to default to a weekly posting, at least for the foreseeable future.
You may ask "What's going on Ron?" Just too busy with daily like folks.
The past two weeks I had to arrange through the Veteran's Choice program to have an outside provider see Bill for his leg problems. Bill had a bad case of edema. I would post pictures but they're too gross. Take my word for it, he has a bad case of edema. His legs are infected and oozing a clear liquid. The Veteran's Choice program is a great program but I do have to jump through a lot of hoops to get him treated. First I have to arrange an appointment with his provider at the VA Outpatient Clinic in Georgetown. They evaluate his condition and then decide to issue a "consult" for Bill to see an outside provider. Then I have to wait for that consult to "populate" through the VA system and then HealthNet, which is an outside provider to coordinates the appointments (and payments) with an outside provider. In the past Bill would have to make the ninety mile trip to the VA main facility in Wilmington Delaware. In addition to being many miles away there was always a long wait of several months. With the Veteran's choice program, Bill is eligible is he is more than forty miles away from the VA facility and has to wait more than two weeks. Of course Bill also has to be a veteran. Bill meets all those requirements. One big sticking point is that each condition has to have an authorization number before he can proceed to be treated. This is unlike the Medicare that I have, which I just see a doctor. My conditions don't require an authorization number in advance. And I can't get ahead of the procedure like I did with Bill's cataract surgery. I arranged his eye appointment before I had the authorization number and thus had to pay the $180 from our funds because HealthNet doesn't back date. I learned my lesson. Now I wait until I get the authorization number before any appointments are kept.
I got so caught up in getting Bill in the system last week that I missed my own VA six month checkup appointment. I got an automated called reminding me of an appointment. I thought it was for Bill. I called and they said Bill didn't have an appointment. I thought they (the VA) screwed up so I didn't keep the appointment. Turns out that call was for MY appointment. Darn! I pride myself on always keeping my appointments, especially with the VA since they have signs all over their facility reminding us old vets to keep out appointments . I will call them on Monday and apologize profusely and make arrangements for another appointment.
I'm back on the Medical Treadmill with my appointments. This month I have a follow-up with my urologist for my kidney stones. Then my dermatologist for that "thing" that is itching like crazy on my lower back. And of course my regular six month appointment that I keep track to make sure my prostate cancer hasn't returned.
So there you go folks, a blog posting that turned out to be a medical update.
I was going to write a blog rant about Trump but I am restraining myself. Lots of other things going on in my life which will have to wait for future blog postings. We're just trying to keep ourselves together here folks.
In the meantime, looks like our long, cold spring has finally left our lovely home here in southern Delaware. Bill's outside working now, I will go out later to let those warm breezes wrap around me. Sort of reminds me of Palm Springs. Nice!