my mom

[Drunk Monk]

Banjo talk was covered in the last Gathering.

That would be the NO YETIS gathering.

[Drunk Monk]

My mom issues pale in comparison to what tg & Greg have been experiencing but here’s a new one. 

I’ve been struggling with Sutter Health, my mom’s provider. Her care center needed a PNR for robutussin for cough since before Xmas - we finally got that a few days ago and discovered that she had been prescribed an Rx for her frequent night peeing (she’s always had a small bladder but she’s been getting up like 8x a night and had a fall just after thanksgiving). That script was made in 2023 but I was never informed and didn’t notice it until now. I requested a refill and they said they delivered but the pharmacy said it was too old. Then the provider said there were 2 orders (there was only 1 button) so the confirmation was cancelled. Today they said it was $300 because my mom is no longer covered. 

Apparently Medicare disenrolled my mom, either in august or with the turn to 2025. I spent well over an hour on the phone with 4 different reps only to be told I must call the govt on Monday. So frustrating.

[thatguy]

Today they said it was $300 because my mom is no longer covered. 

Apparently Medicare disenrolled my mom, either in august or with the turn to 2025. I spent well over an hour on the phone with 4 different reps only to be told I must call the govt on Monday. So frustrating.

Ooh, that’s a fun one! My mom’s Medicare got cancelled one year because her CalPERS pension went up -$25/mo for a cost of living increase. These land in May and take a little while for SS to get wind of it. When they did, they sent her letters asking her to document the increase, but she didnt understand the letters and just filed them away for months. Eventually, she got a letter saying that since she didn’t respond to the previous letters, they were going to assume she was getting max income and dropped her SS benefit to the minimum which killed her medicare. 

It took me forever to unravel that mess, partly because the SS refused to let me handle it on her behalf. I had to get on conference calls with SS, my mom and me. This is after waiting over an hour on hold and also before she got the new hearing aids… super challenging.

—tg

[Drunk Monk]

Well that’s encouraging 

x-(

[King Bob]

Good luck with that. You can probably get some work done while you are on hold though.

My attempts to call Social Security for my mom were never successful. I was always on hold so long that I eventually gave up. I finally went to the office, but they wouldn't let me take care of it, but the agent explained that she could create an online account, giving me a look that I assumed meant go online and just do it yourself.

[Drunk Monk]

Well, the medicare rep was very helpful. I only had to wait like under an hour to speak to her. Unfortunately, my power of attorney isn't on record with medicare so I either must submit a crapton of paperwork or have my mom call and authorize to establish that. The rep could not release any more information due to HIPPA. 

The calling means we'd have to wait on hold for who knows how long, and she's not good on the phone because she can hardly hear, but I'll try that tomorrow. I was hoping to sort her bonds tomorrow, but this might take priority. The rep told me that it's best to call on Sunday after 7PM, but I won't be available this Sunday or next. 1-800-MEDICARE is available 24/7 which is not what her AARP rep told us over the weekend (actually, I'm not sure who said that - it was the 4th person that I was handed off to when I was trying to sort this).

I'm told I cannot re-enroll her until I find out why she was dis-enrolled and I can't find that out without access to her information.

[Drunk Monk]

Almost sorted. Never did find out why she was dis-enrolled but I had along call with Medicare and my mom. 

Medicare was great. Picked up on the first ring, and the agent was very helpful.

My mom was challenging. She couldn't remember her address without prompting. And I wasn't supposed to prompt. Fortunately the Medicare rep was very compassionate and we slogged our way through a barrage of questions. 

The best that the rep could ascertain was that my mom's past provider stopped covering her area. They should've sent us notification but we never received that. Perhaps it got lost in the mail. 

My mom believes this happened to her before. She said she took care of it for herself back when her mind wasn't cuckoo (her words). Perhaps.

Medicare enrolled her with a new provider. We should get confirmation in 10 days. Fingers crossed.

[Drunk Monk]

Day 1 was a 10+ hour journey into the medical system via urgent care and then the ER.

Day 2 started with a telemeeting outside in El Camino's courtyard, which was pleasant but way too cold for my post-Mexico blood (my laptop did freeze up because it was on a metal table). That went ok and YMAA is understanding, especially since I killed it in sales in December, way over goal, although not enough to make up for some summer losses. 

Been bouncing back and forth between my mom's home where the electricians are busily working while our power is cut, and here.

My mom is in isolation so I must wear a mask with face shield, gown and gloves. Last night I was feeling weird and got paranoid that I caught the virus, but I think it was just post-yoga soreness. I feel good now, just exhausted. 

The nurses & aids have been helpful. My mom is mostly coherent, but her poor hearing is an issue. Her breathing is labored, but her vitals are ok. She's on a battery of steriods and antibiotics, plus respiratory therapy, mucinex, and meds for her eyes. Conversations are challenging.

Talked to Tara on the phone about it. She's so adult now. It's comforting. And I've been texting Stacy a lot. Plus my cousins in svale and her care center (I went by to pick up her dentures). 

Now I'm tackling odd work tasks and waiting for the electrician to be done. Looking forward to Jakes and then home. 

I'll probably come back tomorrow evening.

[Drunk Monk]

Not too much improvement. They’ve just taken her to a CT scan to try to understand why her lungs aren’t clearing.

[Drunk Monk]

Last night was miserable for my mom, but today she’s showing some signs of improvement. She went from needing 10 liters of oxygen to 6 this morning, and now 4. She’s more alert today, although she’s still positive for RSV and her pneumonia has slightly collapsed her right lung. She no longer has gurgling sounds when she breathes, just when she coughs. She begins a more aggressive respiratory therapy regimen this afternoon in hopes of clearing her lungs out.

Her doctor is optimistic that she may be able to be transferred to a nursing home this weekend, and perhaps back to her assisted living home in a week or two after that.

[Greg]

I'm glad your mom is on the mend.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

What G-Man said

[Drunk Monk]

She degraded some since last night. They had run some more tests, so she was exhausted when I was there today & my visit was short. She is still in isolation because of the virus. She still has a lot of recovery to do before we can get to the next step. She did poorly on a swallowing test and her doctor suspects there may be a neural disconnect. She may be facing a similar issue to tg’s mom. 

We’ll see what tomorrow brings.

[Greg]

I'm around if you need assistance.

[Drunk Monk]

Thanks

I imagine you have your own issues right now.

Not much to do really but wait. I’m trying to self care, and get little work tasks done in anticipation of more chaos.