Well, then!

 Remember that full day of CT scans, MRIs, and a bone scan that was supposed to be tomorrow?

Yeah, it isn't. 

OU Health sent me an email -on Friday AFTERNOON- showing a dollar amount, and a button to "click."

The link took me to a page on the My Chart website, stating that I was required to pay an 'estimate' of what my insurance would leave to my responsibility BEFORE arriving for the tests on Monday at 7 am.

Um.  What?

The estimate was for $1768.00

The words were "You Must Pay This Amount before your appointment on Jan. 29th."

They don't do the tests, and submit the claims to insurance, and bill the patient AFTER insurance processes the claims.  They bill the patient FIRST, or they don't do the tests. 

If the insurance processes differently, and the patient needs to be refunded, they do it that way.  It's ridiculous, and creates extra work for the billing department.

Believe me, the billing department has enough work to do.  That's what I do for a living!

Anyway, my health savings account through work only has $1000 in it, and I use it to pay co pays, and any bills I might incur, until it's gone.  

I can't afford to have more than that taken out of my pay.

Because I was unable to pay the money they demanded, (because I had NO idea that was going to be the case, LESS THAN ONE BUSINESS DAY AHEAD OF TIME), I had to cancel the day of scans.

These scans were scheduled OVER SIX WEEKS AGO.  You would think they could have notified me a LITTLE earlier about the cost I would have to bear!

Then, after all of that was sorted out, I got another 'estimate' for the cardiac ultrasound on Tuesday for $800.00

There goes most of my HSA money, but at least I can get that test done, and will see the doctor that afternoon, as planned.

When I meet the new doctor, I will tell her what happened, and ask her to prioritize which tests need to be done first, and to please schedule them one at a time, so that I can figure out how to pay for them.

I will mention to her that there is an assistance program for my chemo, as well, that she has to approve and have the billing department implement.

One of the benefits of being treated in a smaller kind of clinic was that at least I didn't have to pay for services that had not even been done yet.

Yes, the billing at the last clinic was as clusterf&ck, messed up MESS, but at least they would work with me to get things paid. 

Not so with OU!

Anyway. 

I am SOOO relieved that I don't have to go through that day tomorrow. 

I've been dreading it, and filled with anxiety over it, and now it's not happening!!  I can breathe easy until I see the doctor, and find out which test she will order first.

Also, I never got to ask my questions of the interim doctor....so I will ask her.  

Why do we need to do the CT and bone scans SO SOON?  We just did them 3 months ago, and in nine years of treatment, I have no recollection of having to be scanned any more often than every 6 months.

AND, why do we need to do CT AND MRI of the same area?

It should be interesting to see what she says.

Dave and I are off on a day trip today.  I need to get out of the house, and the sun is shining for the first time in a long time.

It's nothing special, just a drive up north to see some different sights.

Have a great week! 

Survived another deep freeze

 It wasn't QUITE as cold last Tuesday morning as they'd said it would be, but I worked from home all week anyway, without any issues.

Tonight, on the other hand, we're supposed to have an ice storm, so that will now keep me from going to the office tomorrow.  

However, it's to be warmer by tomorrow afternoon, and overnight tomorrow, so I will go to the office on Tuesday.

It's going to be almost 60 degrees by the end of the week.  Such a roller coaster.

Had my treatment on Thursday, and got to see Justin again.  You may recall he's the nurse who went to OU when everyone left the first clinic I was sent to, back in 2015.

The first night was rough this time.  I woke up at least 8 times in a cold sweat.  Ugh.

No appointments this week, and then, on the 29th and 30th, I will have all of the scans, and am hoping that we can STOP treatment for a while!!

The weather this past week was really cold, but we didn't have any issues, thankfully.

The only thing that happened was merely a coincidence, and that was that our kitchen garbage disposal sprung a leak, and had to be replaced.  The water on the kitchen floor was NOT from a broken pipe!

We went to the hardware store and bought a new unit, and our handy man came and installed it the next day.

Easy-peasy!

Our outdoor kitty tribe all made it through the deep cold, and have been accounted for.   Scamper is still very sweet with us, and tries to come into the house.

The presence of so many kittens and cats, right at our doorways and windows, has reduced substantially, though, and Annabel seems to be doing a little bit better.

The combination of her increased Prozac dosage, and the removal of two of the kittens, has to be helping.

I am off to get my day going.  There will be a pot of butter bean soup cooking this afternoon!

Dave is going to make sure that the generator is in place, and ready to go, in case the ice gets serious, and we lose power.

Have a good week. 

Winter has come

 Dave contacted another cat rescue on Monday to ask if they'd consider taking Scamper.  

A woman came to the house, while I was at the office, to meet Scamp, but, of course, Scamp ran away.

Dave explained everything to her, and showed her the spay and vaccination paperwork, and she said she'd try to get Scamp into their program.

She agreed that Scamp bit the tech out of one moment of fear, because she couldn't see or smell Dave.

But.... then, the woman texted on Wednesday that they would not be taking the kitten.  She said Scamp was too feral, had been on the street for 6 months, and that the socialization process would require more than their fosters could give.

We call "bullshit," because she never actually met Scamp, or saw her with us...but that was that.

So, it was 1 degree last night, with brutal winds, and Scamp still lives in our back yard.

Sammie goes somewhere else at night.  We have seen her go back through the back yard, and over the fence after eating dinner. This means that Scamp is now alone at night, in the shelter we have for her.

Both of them showed up for breakfast today, though, so they survived the coldest night in 3 years.  Sammie stays here with Scamp during the day. I just wish she stayed with her at night, too.

In OTHER kitten news, STRIPE HAS BEEN ADOPTED! 

Neither she, nor Joe, lasted more than a few days at the adoption center, because they were so perfectly socialized.

We DONE GOOD!!!

I know my last post was titled "Last Kitten Update," but... well... it wasn't.  HAHA!

So, once again, the dangerous cold has come back to Oklahoma, where homes are not insulated, and people don't necessarily own parkas and mukluks.

We went around the living room, and Dave cleaned off the cob webs before I caulked the windows shut.  This is helping a LOT with keeping the brutal wind outside.  

The windows on the front of the house are 1927 original equipment, single pane, and very loose/drafty.

So, they're now sealed shut, but that's okay.... There was only one we could open, in the first place.  

We have a storm door with a screen, so when we can get fresh air into the house, that's usually what we use anyway.

There is a prediction of snow today, but the amount has changed over and over, so we will just wait and see.  It's too cold for me to shovel, though, which kind of bums me out.

I LOVE shoveling snow, and going for walks in that lovely, insulated silence.  Since the high today will be 7F, with windchills in the -25-30F range, there won't be any walking, either.

This is supposed to last until Wednesday, so I told my supervisor that I would be working from home next week.  

Tomorrow is a holiday, which is great... and Tuesday morning, it's supposed to be -7F at the time I would be leaving for work, so.... just... NO!  

Wednesday, Dave needs the car, and Thursday is my next treatment.

SO, I didn't ASK her, I told her, and she was fine with that.

The big news for OKC, other than the killing cold, is that there was a swarm of earthquakes between about 9:30 Friday night through yesterday.

20 in total.  

One of them woke me up at 5:35 on Saturday morning, and I never went back to sleep... This was after we stayed up late on Friday, watching movies.  

Some homes in the area closest to the multiple epicenters (all clustered in one spot) have new foundation and wall cracks, and some of the home security system videos are pretty scary.

There were two quakes that measured 4.4  The rest were between 2 and 3, which is more normal for the fracking quakes that have become pretty common in Oklahoma. 

Anyway, I had planned to make New Mexican pork for a friend, and have her over for dinner last night, so I did my chores, and cooked the wonderful dinner, and she stayed until almost 9.  We had a lovely visit!

I had planned to nap in the afternoon, but when I finally did lie down, I couldn't actually nap, so I gave up.

By the time she headed home, I was too tired to sleep.  It took me 3 or 4 hours to FINALLY fall asleep, and that was because I took a Sominex.

Once I slept, I slept really well, but did not get up until almost 9 this morning.  

Then, I wanted my yummy old fashioned oatmeal, so I made breakfast, and we ate.... and now I am finally here!

I am telling you all of this, because this post might be appearing for you a little bit later than usual, HAHA!

Since it's so cold, we planned ahead, and have nowhere that we have to go today.  The groceries came yesterday, and we're stocked up on cat food.

We WILL be going out to warm up the car periodically, though.  Dave also got the oil changed, the tires rotated, and splash guard replaced (making it much harder for any future kittens to get into the engine of the car), and the BATTERY replaced, all in advance of this deep freeze.

The car started right up yesterday, no problems, but it was 17F yesterday.  Much less cold than today.

My cooking project for today is chili, which is MUCH easier than the somewhat labor intensive Pork Adovada. 

That being said, I might also bake some oatmeal breakfast bars.

I also hope to get out needles and thread and learn some embroidery stitches.  I have been wanting to do this for months, since a dear friend made me a really cool linen dress, and she also sent me a bunch of embroidery floss, needles, and fabric remnants to practice on!  

I went and got some various sizes of hoops, and a "chalk pencil" to draw designs.  

SO, we shall see!  I used to do embroidery as one of my living history demonstrations, but I was never very good at it, and didn't study "real" stitches.  

Thankfully, there are a LOT of You Tube instructional videos available for free!

Wherever you are, if you're in the U.S., you are likely also having unusually cold weather....  I wish you all peace, comfort, safety, and warmth.  

Until next time....

Last kitten update

 We had an appointment for Saturday at 11 to bring Stripe and Scamper to the adoption assessment person.

I mistakenly scheduled the groceries to be delivered at the same time.  When I realized it, and tried to change the time, I discovered that the time CAN'T be changed, once scheduled.  

I can modify anything else about my order, for several hours after I click "submit," just not the delivery time.

On the night before their appointment, I sat outside with them for quite a while. Stripe kept getting into my lap, and Scamper looked like she was thinking about it, but never quite accomplished the feat. 

In the morning, I helped capture the kittens. In fact, I picked Scamper up, for the first time, to put her into the carrier.  She was totally calm about that process.

We had to wrangle them a bit earlier than we wanted to, though (because they were wandering), so they had to sit in the carrier for about 45 minutes. 

Scamper was fine with it, but I was afraid Stripe would hurt herself in her panic to get out, so I sat outside with them.

That kept them calm, and they appeared to be listening to me.

I cried when Dave left with them.

All went well at the assessment, until it was time for Scamper to get her microchip implant.  

This was done outside of Dave's view, and Stripe did just fine, but Scamper, afraid of the tech she had never met before, attacked the tech when she tried to get Scamper out of the carrier.

There was blood on Scamper's chest.... 

SO.... she was rejected from the program at the last moment.  

After months of our diligent care and socializing, one moment of fear has ruined her chance of being adopted.

(you may recall, gentle readers, that this was the ONLY program we could find that was even able to consider taking any of the kittens)

Scamper is back in our yard, with Sammie.  

Annabel will just have to continue to deal with them being out there all the time.  We've requested an increase in her anti anxiety medication.

Our long worked-for hopes to help her anxiety, by removing the stimuli, have been thwarted. 

Our hearts are broken, as we spent a lot of energy on the hope that ALL of the surviving Kittenea Kittens would find forever homes --SOMEWHERE ELSE!  

It was also to be hoped that Sammie, on her own again, would start to spend some of her time elsewhere, as she did before.

Looks like they're both here to stay, and Annabel will continue to be mostly bald, unless the increased dosage starts to help her stop over grooming.

The great news is that Stripe was easily accepted, and we will go visit her today at the adoption center.

Oh, AND Joe was adopted a couple of days ago!!  Success!

There's not much else to report.  We might get some rain, or light snow, this coming week.  The rain we were supposed to get last week never really materialized.

It rained lightly for about an hour.... but the forecast was that it was to rain all day.  We got about a tenth of an inch, instead of the inch and a half that was predicted.

My supervisor is on vacation, so I can look forward to lots of phone calls and distractions to keep the work week interesting.  When people have questions, and she's not there, they turn to me.

Including the director!

I know NO job is secure, but this does help me to feel a bit more at ease.

Next weekend is a three day weekend, so that will be nice.  I'm hoping to make pork adovada for my friend who was raised in New Mexico, and see how she likes my version.

Have a good week!

Happy New Year's Eve!

 Well, this past week was a challenge.

I saw the PA at the oncology clinic, and got word that my Doc has officially retired.  He did not go to the VA, or anywhere else, apparently.

What a loss.  They do not make doctors like him anymore.  It's heart breaking.

I was VERY fortunate to have him as my doctor for all of these years.

So, since the interim doc has gone back to his department, there IS NO DOCTOR at the breast oncology department right now!

The upshot for me is that I don't have to see a doctor again before my next treatment.  I just need to get my labs drawn, and go for my next treatment on Jan. 18th.  One less appointment is FINE with me!

Then, on the 29th and 30th, I have every scan imaginable scheduled.  The interim doc ordered all of these before he went back to his department (I think his specialty is gastro cancers).  I have no idea why he ordered both CT and MRI of the same areas.

This two days of CT, two MRIs, bone scan, and a cardiac ultrasound - taking place a week after my first treatment of the year - will result, no doubt, in my full annual deductible, and out of pocket, coming due all at once. 

 $3500.00 in bills to start out 2024.

This does not please me.  I messaged the billing department to ask them about the Enhertu copay assistance program, and, as expected, did not get a reply.

What else didn't please me was that they scheduled the full day of tests on the 29th in such an order that I was looking at having to fast for ELEVEN HOURS.  

They put the NON fasting test (the bone scan) in the MIDDLE OF THE DAY, without even thinking about the fact that I would have to fast from 5 am until 4 pm.  

No.  Just. NO!  

SO, I started out using the messaging tool on the patient portal.  Back and forth, back and forth.... NO Progress.  

The nurse who was responding to me could NOT understand that the bone scan does NOT require fasting.  You'd think they would know!! 

Finally, a supervisor messaged me with the phone number for central scheduling.  I called, asked if we can move the NON fasting test to either the beginning, or the end, of this arduous day.

2 minutes later, it was done. 

NOW, I can eat a good breakfast, get my bone scan first, then fast/wait for 3 hours before the tests that require fasting.

Anyway, the visit with the PA, and my treatment on Thursday, both went well... AND, after three failed attempts (by phone)  to get scheduling to change my next treatment appointment to the afternoon, it took approximately 15 seconds to get it changed when I was there in person. 

I finally got to see the nurse I knew back at the very first clinic.  It was great to see him, and he was also heart broken about things not working out with Doc.  He, too, was really excited that Doc was going to be at OU Health.

We both said we wished we knew what really happened.  OH well.  Maybe we will some day.

I also had my former nurse come talk to us during my treatment, so that was nice!

There will be a new doctor in the breast oncology center by the time I have my test results visit on the afternoon of Jan. 30th.

In other news, the Kittenea family was scheduled to go to the adoption intake center on Thursday at 11 am.  

After them being here for all of their previous appointments.  After them being here, in our yard/on our patio/using our shelters, 24/7 -since AUGUST- they chose that day to disappear.  

They were nowhere to be found.

They did not appear when their favorite food was put out, they did not come when called, or when the bell on their toy was jingled.  Gone.  

Dave called and made a new appointment, and off we went to my chemo appointment.

The kittens were back when we got home around 3:30.  (rolling my eyes)

Their new appointment was set for the next day at 2 in the afternoon. It was the Friday before New Year's weekend, so that was the latest appointment available. 

They disappeared again, so we started going outside, every few minutes, an hour before the appointment (we were both working from home).

Finally, Sammie, Socks (the kitten daddy), and LITTLE JOE showed up.  SO, we got Joe into the carrier, and Dave took him to the adoption intake appointment by himself.

Poor baby... he was so afraid to be separated from his sisters.  BUT, they acknowledged that Joe was absolutely ready for adoption, and they took him immediately into the program! SUCCESS!

We went to visit him yesterday while we were out doing errands, to give him some reassurance.  He nestled into our arms as we each held him, and even put his nose in my ear as he was purring furiously.  He was clearly very happy to see us.

SO... now, we face the challenge of getting the girls over there next week.  

Hopefully, we can get a late afternoon appointment (latest available is 4 pm), and will just have to wait and see if they come back in time from wherever it is they are going now, during the day.

They were here most of the day yesterday, which was Saturday, and the adoption intake office was closed.  

It's like they KNOW.  

What they don't know is that we are really needing to get them off of the streets NOW, because, thanks to all of our work, they trust people.  

BUT- There are mean people everywhere-one of whom, in our neighborhood, traps cats, and takes them out to the country to die, or to be eaten by coyotes.  

That's probably what has happened to all of the ones we have known, and who we have tamed/socialized, who have simply vanished.   

Remember Silver? 

Yeah.  She probably fell victim to that evil human.

There are also news stories every week, lately,  about packs of roaming dogs. 

These dogs attack people, and also kill smaller dogs, and cats, for fun.   

This past summer, we saw a pack killing a smaller dog in the middle of the street we were driving down. It was horrible.

There are also plenty of people who poison cats, and run over them on purpose, and even shoot them.

The weather is also changing to winter at last, too.  It will be very cold at night all next week.

SO, since I will have the car on Tuesday to go to work, we will try for next Wednesday.

They need to show up for their intake appointment!!!  It is critically important that this last step of our long, and expensive, process be completed successfully!

Anyway, have a happy New Year celebration, if you celebrate.  We are just doing our usual stay at home stuff.  Appetizers and watching "Harvey" tonight, and black eyed pea and Virginia ham soup tomorrow.

May 2024 go easy on all of us. 

Merry Christmas Eve

 The ham my brother sent weighs FIFTEEN POUNDS.

SO far, it looks like we will have three guests at our table. I hope they bring big containers to take left-over ham home with them!

It is about time to get the ham going.  It barely fits in my big roasting pan.  It will boil all day long, and the only other project I have for cooking is the spoon bread.

One guest is bringing the vegetable dish, and another is bringing the potato dish. Both of them are bringing sweets as well.

Dave still has his chores to finish, but my day should be pretty relaxed.

But first, cinnamon rolls and bacon for breakfast!

My winter solstice feast was a complete success.  I planned my menu, and my prep, perfectly.  The food was absolutely delicious, and I was NOT exhausted by the time we sat down to eat!

It's been SO NICE to be off work for three days so far, and knowing that we have off through Tuesday!  I've been able to pace myself with cleaning and tidying, instead of having to do it all on Christmas Eve.

In other news, I got a clean bill of dental health last week.

My visit with the PA (no doctor available) is on Tuesday, and my treatment is Thursday.  Next week is also the Kittenea kittens appointment for their second set of shots, and their trip to the Humane Society to be entered into the adoption program.

We will surely miss them, as we have fallen love with them, but this is what we have been working toward for months.

I had hoped that they would take them on the same day as their shots (Tuesday), because I could go along to take them.... but no.  They won't take them until Thursday morning, and I have to work.  Plus, my appointment with the PA is at 9:45 am, and their shots are at 8:30, so there would not be time, anyway.

Those details just didn't work out.  

SO, I will have to say good bye to them as we load them into the carrier. Thankfully, I will be working from home next week.

Anyway, I hope that you, gentle Reader, have a lovely day, whether or not you are celebrating anything.

Count down!

 I finally got my "Festivus" letter written, and cards sent out, this past week.

The tree isn't up yet, but that's mainly Dave's doing.  It's so hard for him to complete tasks sometimes.  Depression is a weight on him.  

He's always excited and satisfied when he gets up, and gets things done, but he has a very hard time with the getting up part.

I am so glad he is going to therapy, though, and have hopes that he will conquer certain aspects of his depression and anxiety through the hard work he is doing in therapy.

Anyway, he has promised to get out to the shed today, and to pull out the Yule boxes, and set up the tree for me.

I have my basic menu planned for my Yule feast. You may recall that I have a great deal of fun preparing a "medieval" style feast for Winter Solstice.  This year, I am going to be cooking quail, and HOPEFULLY using my new firepit.

However, the forecast keeps increasing chances for rain JUST ON THAT DAY, so I am not sure I will be able to do the outdoor cooking part.

I succeeded in getting the day off, and the day after that, though.  Since my office is then closed on Monday and Tuesday next week, I am looking at a "SIX day weekend" next week!

My brother has provided a full sized Virginia Ham, and our friends from Switzerland will be joining us on December 24th.  This will be the first full sized, bone in ham we have had since 2019.

Another friend and her significant other may join us as well.  I sure hope so, as we will have a LOT of ham to send home with everyone!

The kittens have been treated for fleas, now, and continue to thrive, and be happy.  Their appointment with the Humane Society is ten days from today.

Their fur is so lush and soft from being outside 100% of the time, and they RUN to us any time either of us goes outside.

One of the tasks Dave accomplished yesterday was to go out and get a fresh bale of straw, and to re-do the shelters that the kittens and their momma use at night.

The shelters are now full of fresh straw that they can burrow into to stay warm.  It was below freezing last night, so his timing on that task was good.

We have "regulars" who show up at meal time, now.  The male cat from across the street, who is definitely the daddy of the striped kittens, comes every day.  He hangs out with Sammie and the kids much of the day.  He MIGHT even be staying here at night... not sure.

He will be our next TNR, hopefully.

He's pretty tame around Dave, so he MIGHT allow himself to be picked up an put into a carrier... Not sure.  

AND, the best news, is that our eldest feral, Luke, has been coming around for breakfast.  We had not seen him all summer, and were afraid that he had met his demise elsewhere.  He is 10 years old, after all.

But this past week, he started showing up every morning, and hanging around for a while every day.

Next week, the only appointment I have is my bi-annual dental cleaning and check up.

Then, the week after Christmas, I see the PA (not the doctor--who may be gone now, who knows?) on Tuesday, and then my treatment is Thursday.

Hopefully, I will get them to fix the scheduling of my January treatment.  Maybe it's just best to do that sort of thing in person, since the phone calls obviously accomplished absolutely nothing.

Today, I have a gathering with my international spiritual community, and hope to get those festive decorations put up!  It should be a pretty lazy day, for the most part.

Have a good week!