I Said, Hey... What's Going On?

[Tabe]

The night before Thanksgiving, and then Thanksgiving itself, I had a painful stomachache.  Different than any I'd felt before but nothing super-severe.  Didn't feel good though.  On Thanksgiving, my family told me to go to the urgent care.  I declined since It wasn't that painful but promised I'd go if it didn't go away the next day.  Went to work the next day and the pain came back.  So I went to the urgent care.  Doctor looked at me and says "you're jaundiced.  Go to the ER."  So off I went.

Got to the ER and they ran a bunch of tests and decided I had liver poisoning from overuse of Tylenol after first suspecting liver cancer.  That ended up being incorrect as well.  However, my liver was definitely malfunctioning - my urine was the color of maple syrup.  More tests and it was determined I had gallstones that were blocking other stuff and that my gallbladder needed to come out.  They told me I'd have surgery that Sunday.

Sunday comes and they tell me I'll be having it outpatient instead and tell me to call the surgeon the next day.  I'm then discharged.

Four days later, I'm watching TV after work and I get chills.  Then I get *CHILLS*.  I eventually warm up and am able to get to sleep.  I woke up early in the morning and I'm shivering again.  Violently.  I eventually fall back asleep but call in to work.  Wife comes home a few hours later and I'm now awake but miserable. Threw up.  Wife says enough's enough and back to the ER we go.

Get to the ER and it's determined that, yep, I need my gallbladder out.  And the staff are *ALL* asking me, "Why wasn't this done the first time you were?"  and "You should have already had this done!"  and so on.  Next day, I have the surgery, during which they had to cut me an extra time to remove the GOLF-BALL-SIZED gallstone I had.  I almost immediately felt better and was sent home that Sunday.  

After a couple days to get the plumbing sorted out, I was feeling better than I had in months.  No pain at any time.

And then the bills started coming. And that's why I'm posting this.

You see, I'm pissed.  I am pissed because I'm getting bills from all over the place and I have no idea when they will stop coming.  This doctor, that doctor, and so on.  How the hell are you supposed to plan financially if you have no idea when the bills will stop?  I just got a new one YESTERDAY - 44 days after I was discharged.  This is nonsense.  I didn't go to 37 doctors and labs and so on.  I went ONE place.  I should get ONE bill.  Maybe 2, if I should get one for each individual visit.  This is done intentionally to be confusing and difficult and it creates great opportunity for fraud and mistakes.  If you hired somebody to remodel your living room and they contracted out the carpet to somebody, you wouldn't pay that guy separately.  It's nonsense that hospitals do this.  And so, yeah, I'm pissed.  

I'm also pissed that I had two hospital stays to begin with.  Should never have been sent home in the first place.  As a result of that, I incurred extra days of illness, severe side effects, duplicated tests, and extra charges.  I have filed a formal complaint with the hospital and disputed all charges.  It's in the process of being investigated.  

So, yeah, I'm doing great and now I'm angry.  And I will not let this go quietly.  Just wanted to share.

 

[J.T.]

Yeah, medical expenses are bullshit, especially when it looks like fraud.

When we first had my dad put into an assisted living facility, the fucking place tried to charge my mom up the ying yang for meds that my father's doctor had prescribed and their excuse was that they had to order them in lots in order to satisfy their supplier's demands.  The living conditions at the facility were also kinda lax.

Eventually we found out that the place was selling the excess meds on the street, so we called the cops, had the place investigated, and moved my dad to another facility.  Mom sued the place and won, but the judgement money barely covered relocation costs to move my dad to another facility.

He seems to be happy at the place he's in now, but the rates are slowly going up there and my mom may have to decide whether or not to move my dad someplace else if his retirement funds can't cover expenses.  We're fortunate because some people don't have the luxury of having the disposable income necessary to take care of a family member with serious health issues.

I am not terribly fond of some of the provisions of the AFA, but I love the others and something more has to be done to reel in health care costs and there definitely should be laws with teeth to deal with medical fraud.

I definitely encourage you to explore your legal options, Tabe.  

Edited January 23, 2020 by J.T.

[OSJ]

On 1/18/2020 at 5:04 PM, Control said:

Are you saying your vet did drop-in euthanasia?

That's exactly what it was. We didn't want to traumatize the poor little guy with yet another ride to a strange place with cold uncomfortable furniture. So the vet came by the house and Spike passed with my wife and I holding him. 

 

To end on a cheerier note, Spike V 2.0 is five months of age and a perfect little hellion. We spent yesterday removing broken pieces of the blinds where he decided he didn't have a good enough view of the street so chewed pieces off... He spends most of the day tormenting his sister, we thought he might calm down a bit after getting fixed, but other than the one day he spent recuperating, it hasn't made much of a difference in his behavior... Why am I up and posting on the board at 6AM? Easy, Spike thought it might be a good idea to run back and forth across the bed until I got up, at which point of course he went to sleep.

Edited January 23, 2020 by OSJ

[CSC]

On 1/21/2020 at 5:23 AM, J.T. said:

You know me so you know that inappropriate humor is my chosen defense mechanism.  It usually betrays how much I am actually hurting.

I was hanging out with a group of friends last week, two of which are a mother and daughter.  They were joking around with each other eventually leading to the Mom saying she would disown her daughter to which I shouted out "Well I have an opening if you're looking for a replacement" without really thinking about it.

Man - you could hear a pin drop in the room full of people that had no clue how to react to my inappropriate grieving methods but I just don't really know how to do it any other way.  

Edited January 23, 2020 by CSC

[J.T.]

Gypsy has been moping around the house for the last couple of days.  I think she's finally figured out that she's the only pet in the house.

Looks like she and I will be having steak for dinner tonight.

Edited January 24, 2020 by J.T.

[OSJ]

On 1/18/2020 at 5:04 PM, Control said:

Are you saying your vet did drop-in euthanasia?

I should probably elaborate just a bit. As y'all know, the wife and I are crazy cat people. In this particular case (which was a very painful learning experience), my cat Spike, aged 11 developed sarcoma close to his spine. We spared no expense, we flew in one of the best surgeons in the country and at a cost of close to $5000.00 had the tumor removed. It was back within a month. Missing one cell is all it takes. Spike spent his last month absolutely miserable. I still cry when I think of how selfish I was trying to hang on to him long past when I should have said "Good-bye". I will never, ever put another animal through that sort of misery.  Our vet had known us close to twenty years and there are pics of us and some of the kitties on the wall of his office, when we called to make arrangements and I started hemming and hawing about bringing Spike in, he just said, "Say no more, I'll be there between 5PM & 6PM." 

[OSJ]

20 hours ago, J.T. said:

Gypsy has been moping around the house for the last couple of days.  I think she's finally figured out that she's the only pet in the house.

Looks like she and I will be having steak for dinner tonight.

I hope the steak was good, bro! Get Gypsy a playmate, so she doesn't get all bored to tears by herself when you're at work figuring out how to blow shit up and stuff.

[PetrolCB]

After 33 years on being a resident of South Jersey, I now live in South Florida.

My father drove up, we packed up his SUV with my essentials and made the trip in two days. From NJ to Lumberton, NC on day one and from there to Delray Beach, FL on the second.

To be honest, you'd think it would suck being in a car for that long, barring a stop to eat on both days. But, it was actually pretty fun. I enjoy road trips. I also hadn't seen the guy in 5 years.

So, yeah. I'm a Floridian now and to say that I have a lot of adjusting to do is an understatement.

New decade, new way of life.

I'm pretty sure I can do this. At least, I hope.

Edited January 26, 2020 by PetrolCB

[J.T.]

On 1/25/2020 at 7:29 AM, OSJ said:

I hope the steak was good, bro! Get Gypsy a playmate, so she doesn't get all bored to tears by herself when you're at work figuring out how to blow shit up and stuff.

It was a good steak, but I don't think my mom is in the frame of mind to get Gyp another co-conspirator right now.  

You are correct in your assumption that Gypsy is smart enough how to figure out a way to blow something up. 

Thank God she seems to be fascinated by HGTV, so I can usually leave her in the house by herself to run an errand and she will chill out on the sofa and watch Property Brothers or House Hunters until I get back.

[Nice Guy Eddie]

On 1/25/2020 at 1:14 PM, PetrolCB said:

After 33 years on being a resident of South Jersey, I now live in South Florida.

My father drove up, we packed up his SUV with my essentials and made the trip in two days. From NJ to Lumberton, NC on day one and from there to Delray Beach, FL on the second.

To be honest, you'd think it would suck being in a car for that long, barring a stop to eat on both days. But, it was actually pretty fun. I enjoy road trips. I also hadn't seen the guy in 5 years.

So, yeah. I'm a Floridian now and to say that I have a lot of adjusting to do is an understatement.

New decade, new way of life.

I'm pretty sure I can do this. At least, I hope.

I would have commented sooner had I seen this, but it was cool getting to chat with you during the Royal Rumble. It was also cool that we both got to watch using my account. Let me know when you're running for condo board president of Del Boca Vista, and whatever you do, don't go barefoot in the clubhouse.

Edited January 30, 2020 by Nice Guy Eddie

[The Natural]

This week I've had two great very busy shifts at the charity shop I volunteer for. I did well Monday considering I watched the Royal Rumble as it went out live! Today I bought what look to be brand new ASOS full zip hoodies, one black and one maroon. Never heard of ASOS before.

This charity shop is different to others in my town as it's for those with mental health issues, which I have in depression mainly and anxiety. I sort out stock particularly DVDs and man the till. I really enjoy it. My body feels it after though with the CP.

[Mike Campbell]

I got pinged for jury duty! I received a letter last Wednesday informing me that I had until the end of the day on Thursday, to go onto their website and fill out their survey. If I wasn't able to do it online, I had to go to the courthouse and do it in person. And I also have to call after 5 every Thursday night until May 1st to find out if I'm needed at court. I wasn't needed last Friday, but I got an email telling me I"d be needed tomorrow, and to still call tonight, in case it was cancelled.  I called when I got home from work., and no such luck.

[Execproducer]

7 hours ago, Mike Campbell said:

I got pinged for jury duty! I received a letter last Wednesday informing me that I had until the end of the day on Thursday, to go onto their website and fill out their survey. If I wasn't able to do it online, I had to go to the courthouse and do it in person. And I also have to call after 5 every Thursday night until May 1st to find out if I'm needed at court. I wasn't needed last Friday, but I got an email telling me I"d be needed tomorrow, and to still call tonight, in case it was cancelled.  I called when I got home from work., and no such luck.

Damn that sucks. The way it works here, you get a summons in the mail, usually about 30 days out. You're supposed to go online to check-in ASAP, but there isn't a strict deadline for doing so. You can postpone it for up to three months. Once you have a date set, you call the night before to see if you are needed to go downtown for selection. If you go for selection and aren't taken or if you're excused when you call the night before, you're out of the pool for at least 18 months.  

[OSJ]

13 hours ago, Mike Campbell said:

I got pinged for jury duty! I received a letter last Wednesday informing me that I had until the end of the day on Thursday, to go onto their website and fill out their survey. If I wasn't able to do it online, I had to go to the courthouse and do it in person. And I also have to call after 5 every Thursday night until May 1st to find out if I'm needed at court. I wasn't needed last Friday, but I got an email telling me I"d be needed tomorrow, and to still call tonight, in case it was cancelled.  I called when I got home from work., and no such luck.

Very simple, just ask if hanging is still legal in New Mexico and you will be excused. Another good one is to tell them that you are a Moslem who believes in Sharia law and ask if it's possible to have thieves get their hands chopped off. Chances are pretty good that you will be excused. Chances are also pretty good that you will be under police surveillance for a time. 

[Kuetsar]

Say you can tell people are guilty just by looking at them.

[Zimbra]

I have never been called for jury duty and it really bums me out.  I want to get in there and just nullify the hell out of some juries.

[OSJ]

1 hour ago, Kuetsar said:

Say you can tell people are guilty just by looking at them.

Qualify that by saying that you  can discern the low criminal mentality by such features as shifty eyes and a weak chin such as that man over there and point at the judge.

[AxB]

Why are you all so obsessed with not doing Jury Duty? Do you really want to leave the justice system in the hands of people who are not yourself?

I did it once, like 20 years ago. Didn't send anyone down. One was blatantly innocent and shouldn't have been charged, the other was probably guilty, but not beyond reasonable doubt. And the victim pretty much deserved it anyway. A friend of mine got summoned while we were at school, when he was supposed to be doing his exams. Managed to get out of it though.

[Tabe]

If you want to get out of jury duty without being dishonest, most places you can agree to duty but request a specific time.  Request the week of Christmas.

 

That said, AxB is right.  When I was younger, I wanted to get out of jury duty.  Then I realized that, if I were ever falsely accused, I'd want somebody like myself on the jury.  And so I stopped trying to get out of it.  I've since been called twice and served once, for an appeal where I ended up being the foreman.  It was an excellent experience and I highly recommend it.  It would definitely suck to be selected for a long trial where you're sequestered though.  And potentially financially devastating, too.

[Mike Campbell]

Out of all the people that could have been chosen for the same panel that I was, I wound up running into a coworker that I'm pretty friendly with. We saw each other and pretty much said "OK, we'll be out of here quickly!" Unfortunately, it didn't get that far. The case got delayed, so we've all gotta go back at some point.

[Execproducer]

6 hours ago, AxB said:

Why are you all so obsessed with not doing Jury Duty?

I think I was more being sympathetic about the idea of having to call EVERY WEEK for five months to see if they need you. Kind of hard to make life plans that way. I assume it must be a very small pool to draw from where he lives.

[Eivion]

Been called for jury duty probably a good 8-10 times at least since I turned 18. Only time I ever got picked was for traffic court. The people chosen with me were not the brightest and made happy it was for nothing serious. Only time I ever tried to disqualify myself was for a drunk driving case. A friend of the family had a niece who died from a drunk driving case the previous year. It was a little too soon for me to judge fairly. I partially knew the mother as well since she subbed for some of my high school classes.

Edited February 1, 2020 by Eivion

[Ace]

I've been called for jury duty probably 7-8 times. I've only had to go to the courthouse three times, and only made it inside an actual courtroom once. Still never served.

 

[OSJ]

13 hours ago, Execproducer said:

I think I was more being sympathetic about the idea of having to call EVERY WEEK for five months to see if they need you. Kind of hard to make life plans that way. I assume it must be a very small pool to draw from where he lives.

It's New Mexico, once you eliminate convicted criminals it's a pretty small pool to draw from. 

[AxB]

On 1/25/2020 at 6:14 PM, PetrolCB said:

After 33 years on being a resident of South Jersey, I now live in South Florida.

My father drove up, we packed up his SUV with my essentials and made the trip in two days. From NJ to Lumberton, NC on day one and from there to Delray Beach, FL on the second.

To be honest, you'd think it would suck being in a car for that long, barring a stop to eat on both days. But, it was actually pretty fun. I enjoy road trips. I also hadn't seen the guy in 5 years.

So, yeah. I'm a Floridian now and to say that I have a lot of adjusting to do is an understatement.

New decade, new way of life.

I'm pretty sure I can do this. At least, I hope.

Well, if you're going to be a Floridian, Terry Funk has some words of advice for you: