Here I am again, 2 am this time. I am tending the fire tonight, low of 4 or so. It is cold out, Shasta is in the laundry room. Shasta and Roger are both sleeping. I have Turner Classic Movies on the TV, love old movies. Tho I don't pay much attention to the TV. It is quiet in the house. It is good. Have cleaned up most of the kitchen with Caldera- lemon, sea salt, neroli cleaner. It is good. It smells wonderful. I love cleaning without interruptions. Although, I do have to keep it quiet, so as not to wake either of the sleeping giants (Roger and Shasta in case you did not catch that.) Lot of thoughts go through my mind, but alas, when I finally get to put words down, they allude me. If you have not tried Caldera cleaning products, you should. They are VERY expensive, but I found some at Dollar Saver in Rogers, at 1/2 cost and another 20% off some time ago. $8 for a quart of concentrate. Makes about 64 gallons, lasts a long while. Good stuff.
Roger is starting to have problems breathing again. Gets out of breath easily, tried to load the wood in our indoor cart and had to take a break getting it loaded. Feels bad about me having to do so much around the house. He does not like being dependent on anyone much less being dependent on a woman. He has not had a cigarette since the hospital stay in December. He is using his e-cigarette tho comments about how he would like a Salem cigarette. The statement from the doctor about drowning in his own juices, really made an impact on Roger. He is good about taking his breathing treatments and I try to keep tabs on his meds, between the two of us, he rarely misses any doses of all the things he is taking. He is a good example of staying alive with modern medicine. Each time he has had prostate cancer issues, there is a new treatment to try and there are more in the works. The prostate cancer is the least of his problems now. It is what it is.
Don't know what tomorrow will bring, just day to day matters.
God's grace is with us.
Love to all.
Roger and his sister, Becky relax by the creek
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Early Sunday 1 am
Pat is up tending the fire tonight. We keep the woodstove going on nights when it gets below 32 F. The heat pump relies on electric strips to heat below 32, greatly increasing the electric bill. The man who sold us the unit has the same unit with no other source of heat and his electric bill was over 400 one month this winter (our house is about the same size as his and our electric bill runs around 140 and even with the cost of wood, it is far from 400. It has been a winter with some really cold nights.
So, I am here at 1 am tending the fire. I like the wood heat, it takes the chill out of your bones. True, it is very drying for your body, just drink lots of water and use a good lotion.
There are days, here at home, when I wonder what I am doing. I find it hard to keep up with anything, much less everything. Some days I am worse at taking my meds than Roger is at taking his, simply because I am more adept at taking care of him than I am myself. It has come to my attention though other caregivers, family, friends, and my doctor. At least I am still at the point of only having to deal with one doctor, I would prefer to keep it that way. Roger has 6 on the present roster,4 other doctors are in his background, having been replaced or out of their care for one reason or another. And each of those doctors has his/her set of drugs- for cancer, heart, lungs, sleep, and aches and pains that occur with each of those and the interactions of those. It is confusing and to add to the pile, there is the dealing with health insurance, medicare (for Roger) and prescription coverage.
Roger received a letter from medicare stating his current sleeping medication was not on the formulary list. I call the number on the letter to find out what I need to do. The first person takes the info, then transfers me to another person "a dedicated team member for AT&T", who then suggests 2 other drugs for Roger to take. I then call the oncologist, who is currently prescribing the sleeping meds, and talk with the phone nurse about the situation and she calls in a prescription for one of the new drugs. I have to call 2 different pharmacies to find the prescription and I find it and go pick it up. And a couple of days later, Roger gets another letter. The new drug is not on the formulary. I call back the number on the letter, talk with the first person, who transfer me to the second person. This time the second person tells me the AT&T coverage pays for the drug and even tho medicare does not, it will still be available for Roger, and so will the drug he was taking previously. I think to myself about the hours on the phone, the drive to town to pick up the new drug and more hours on the phone, well, I just don't know what to think...
And now since I am getting bleary eyed, I bid adieu. The fire needs tending.
So, I am here at 1 am tending the fire. I like the wood heat, it takes the chill out of your bones. True, it is very drying for your body, just drink lots of water and use a good lotion.
There are days, here at home, when I wonder what I am doing. I find it hard to keep up with anything, much less everything. Some days I am worse at taking my meds than Roger is at taking his, simply because I am more adept at taking care of him than I am myself. It has come to my attention though other caregivers, family, friends, and my doctor. At least I am still at the point of only having to deal with one doctor, I would prefer to keep it that way. Roger has 6 on the present roster,4 other doctors are in his background, having been replaced or out of their care for one reason or another. And each of those doctors has his/her set of drugs- for cancer, heart, lungs, sleep, and aches and pains that occur with each of those and the interactions of those. It is confusing and to add to the pile, there is the dealing with health insurance, medicare (for Roger) and prescription coverage.
Roger received a letter from medicare stating his current sleeping medication was not on the formulary list. I call the number on the letter to find out what I need to do. The first person takes the info, then transfers me to another person "a dedicated team member for AT&T", who then suggests 2 other drugs for Roger to take. I then call the oncologist, who is currently prescribing the sleeping meds, and talk with the phone nurse about the situation and she calls in a prescription for one of the new drugs. I have to call 2 different pharmacies to find the prescription and I find it and go pick it up. And a couple of days later, Roger gets another letter. The new drug is not on the formulary. I call back the number on the letter, talk with the first person, who transfer me to the second person. This time the second person tells me the AT&T coverage pays for the drug and even tho medicare does not, it will still be available for Roger, and so will the drug he was taking previously. I think to myself about the hours on the phone, the drive to town to pick up the new drug and more hours on the phone, well, I just don't know what to think...
And now since I am getting bleary eyed, I bid adieu. The fire needs tending.
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