Friday, March 20, 2015

What's Another Ten Bucks?.......

I was surprised to see that my last post was five days ago.  Not in the, "Holy cow, how did I let five days go by without saying anything!" sense, but in the, "How is it possible that we have only been home FIVE DAYS?" sense.  It feels like a full week at least, ten days maybe. 

Sunday's discharge from the hospital took over three hours.  I finally went out to the nurses station and asked for a Band-Aid so I could take out her IV and go home, since we had a four hour drive in front of us and we wanted to get home before dark, and we really didn't need any papers.  That got people moving. 

I'd already taken Monday off because of the potential biopsy, so I spent the entire day catching up on laundry and making dozens of phone calls:  Follow up with neurology.  Reschedule long-term follow up with nephrology to match follow up with neurology.  Arrange short-term follow up with nephrology and decide what day they want us to do blood work locally, and do we need to go to Syracuse for it or do it here?  Contact the local doc to get follow up for the asthma and sinuses.  Check on medication supplies and phone in refills.  Reschedule missed appointments for me and Hubby.  Arrange nurse visits and physical therapy for Mom.  Pay bills and figure out the taxes (finally).  Pick up bread and milk at the store.

Tuesday morning we went to see our local doctor.  His decision:  Increase the prednisone for three days,  add a steroid inhaler twice daily and add some to the blood work to assess for inflammation to see if the infection is less severe than when she was admitted last week.  A stop at WalMart for some diet ginger ale to help with the fluid intake, and then back to work for me.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were busy work and catch-up days.  And Hubby was ill all week, whatever we've all had finally catching up to him. 

On Thursday I sent him to the pharmacy to pick up all of Babygirl's medications.  The total price of the copayments? $476.  Four. Hundred.  Seventy-six.

It's been three years since the transplant.  According to Medicare guidelines, kidney transplant patients are covered for three years after transplant.  We got a letter saying her time was up February 28th.  And this was our first medication pick up since.

Ouch.

Mind you, this won't be the monthly total.  It included three each of two inhalers that she likely won't need long, and that was more than a third of the total.  But holy freakin' COW on the day before payday. 

Tonight we went to a local diner to eat, and as I sat looking at Babygirl, she looked....odd.  "What's up with your eye?" "I dunno.  It was full of boogers this morning, and when I got up from my nap."  Criminey.  First strep throat and now pinkeye?  How in the name of ALL that's holy does a kid who lives in complete isolation come down with this stuff?

For those of you who haven't been to the new walk-in on Shipper's Road I highly recommend it.  We got there at 7:30 and were out, pharmacy visit for eye drops included, by 8:10.  Oh, and for a mere $10 pharmacy co-pay.

Babygirl wants to shopping at Target tomorrow.  I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

DeeDee

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