Just a heads up-- this is going to be weird and filled with Too Much Information. Continue at your own risk.
I need to call the doctor tomorrow. There is something strange going on with my left breast. The nipple and areola are swollen and sore. Every once in a while I'll move and feel a sharp, tearing pain. Any pressure against the breast causes a slightly duller, aching pain. There's no discoloration or discharge. It's not warm to the touch the way you might expect from infection or inflammation.
So I did the dumbest thing a person can do-- I googled. My first thought, a yeast infection, sounds unlikely. If it were bacterial it sounds like I'd probably be having a systemic reaction, which I'm not. The thing that's left is inflammatory breast cancer, one of the most sudden and aggressive forms of breast cancer.
That's right, folks. I've diagnosed myself with breast cancer off the internet. To be fair, I have a family history of breast cancer, and the medications I've been on for Crohn's give me an increased risk of all kinds of cancer. And no, I don't really think I have breast cancer based on a few web pages. But it is concerning. Also, it really fucking hurts. So I'm calling my doctor tomorrow and getting it checked out.
FGBVs, please.
Update: I have an appointment to see my doctor on Friday at 12:30.
Showing posts with label WTF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WTF. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Friday, July 22, 2011
Getting Worried
My Social Security hearing is just less than a month away, and I'm really starting to stress out. Not because of the hearing itself, although that's scary enough. What's worrying me is the financial state of the union and how that might affect my chances.
As of this evening the Republicrats are still squabbling over the budget. If they haven't come to some sort of agreement by Aug 16 I'm afraid I'll be denied again, not out of merit, but because they can't approve anyone until the new budget is in place. In fact, since I doubt anyone considers Social Security adjudication to be a vital service, I wouldn't be surprised if my appointment was cancelled all together. And lord only knows when it would be rescheduled for.
So that's what's keeping me up at night this week. Stupid politicians who will never have to worry about where to find the money for food or medicine or anything else for the rest of their lives, fucking with mine.
Edit: And here's a little something directed to the politicians.
As of this evening the Republicrats are still squabbling over the budget. If they haven't come to some sort of agreement by Aug 16 I'm afraid I'll be denied again, not out of merit, but because they can't approve anyone until the new budget is in place. In fact, since I doubt anyone considers Social Security adjudication to be a vital service, I wouldn't be surprised if my appointment was cancelled all together. And lord only knows when it would be rescheduled for.
So that's what's keeping me up at night this week. Stupid politicians who will never have to worry about where to find the money for food or medicine or anything else for the rest of their lives, fucking with mine.
Edit: And here's a little something directed to the politicians.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Enough With the Tattoos
I've read two book recently, both published within the last year, with heroes who are presented as scary, intimidating guys. Why do the heroines feel this way? What's the cue that these guys are threatening, criminal, and/or low class? They have tattoos.
Really? Because I'm about as non-threatening, law abiding, white bread as it gets, and I have two of 'em. You can't swing a cat without hitting one of us tattooed weirdos. They're so routine on college campuses that they've practically become a cliche, and have been since the late 80s/early 90s. For God's sake, Jenny Crusie has a tramp stamp. (Which I read about on her blog once, but can't find the post now and therefore can't link to. I did however, spend a lovely hour rereading posts from 2008, and laughed so hard I scared the cat when I came across a reference to the Korean Restaurant Story.)
So please, authors, lay off the tattoos as Signs of Evil Intent. There's a pretty good chance that a large portion of your readership has them, too, and we don't appreciate it.
Lip Balm of the Day: Peacock Puffs (lime, blueberry, cake)
Really? Because I'm about as non-threatening, law abiding, white bread as it gets, and I have two of 'em. You can't swing a cat without hitting one of us tattooed weirdos. They're so routine on college campuses that they've practically become a cliche, and have been since the late 80s/early 90s. For God's sake, Jenny Crusie has a tramp stamp. (Which I read about on her blog once, but can't find the post now and therefore can't link to. I did however, spend a lovely hour rereading posts from 2008, and laughed so hard I scared the cat when I came across a reference to the Korean Restaurant Story.)
So please, authors, lay off the tattoos as Signs of Evil Intent. There's a pretty good chance that a large portion of your readership has them, too, and we don't appreciate it.
Lip Balm of the Day: Peacock Puffs (lime, blueberry, cake)
Monday, February 7, 2011
Indiana is Pissing Me Off
Usually I avoid the news, because I don't have enough energy to waste any being annoyed. But I caught just enough of a news broadcast to skate past annoyed into pissed off. The Republicans are currently pushing an amendment to the Indiana Constitution to ban gay marriage. It's already state law, but they want to make really, really sure that no judge can overturn it. This piece of asshattery was particularly irritating:
Does he not see that his 98% (not that I believe that 98% is even in the ball park for those who support this amendment) don't have the right to define something so personal as marriage for that 2% either? Marriage, from the government's point of view, is a contract. That's it. As long as all parties are of legal age to enter a contract and freely consent, the government should be satisfied.
It's religion and the couples' beliefs about marriage that give it personal meaning. No one is saying you have to let two men or two women marry in your church, if your church does not accept gay marriage. (It's called separation of church and state. We'll keep our government out of your church policies, you keep your church out of our government policies, and everyone will get along just fine.) More than that, marriage is a union of hearts and lives. It's what each couple brings to the table that makes a marriage. You can't define that. You can't control it. And you have no right to impose your ideas on this most personal of relationships.
For anyone who wants to read a little bit more about the proposed amendment, here's an Indianapolis Star article that explains the situation in more detail.
I'd really like to end this with telling all of those GOP bastards where they can stick their stupid amendment. But I won't. I'd just as soon stay out of their bedrooms, and I wish they would extend the same courtesy to the rest of the world.
“Two percent of the population does not have the right to define marriage for the rest of the population,” said Micah Clark of the American Family Association, referring the minority of Americans who are gay and lesbian.
Does he not see that his 98% (not that I believe that 98% is even in the ball park for those who support this amendment) don't have the right to define something so personal as marriage for that 2% either? Marriage, from the government's point of view, is a contract. That's it. As long as all parties are of legal age to enter a contract and freely consent, the government should be satisfied.
It's religion and the couples' beliefs about marriage that give it personal meaning. No one is saying you have to let two men or two women marry in your church, if your church does not accept gay marriage. (It's called separation of church and state. We'll keep our government out of your church policies, you keep your church out of our government policies, and everyone will get along just fine.) More than that, marriage is a union of hearts and lives. It's what each couple brings to the table that makes a marriage. You can't define that. You can't control it. And you have no right to impose your ideas on this most personal of relationships.
For anyone who wants to read a little bit more about the proposed amendment, here's an Indianapolis Star article that explains the situation in more detail.
I'd really like to end this with telling all of those GOP bastards where they can stick their stupid amendment. But I won't. I'd just as soon stay out of their bedrooms, and I wish they would extend the same courtesy to the rest of the world.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Another Country, Part II
I started this as a response to Julie's comment on the last post, but it grew until it just seemed smarter to create a whole new post for it. So here you go. Visiting the Christian Book Store, Part II.
I try to keep my snarky opinions to myself in these situations, because as much as I think this stuff is ridiculous, the rest of my family has an honest interest in some of it. (Not the more junky stuff that I made fun of here, but the books, music, and movies are of definite interest to the fam. My brother and SIL stood around giggling with me at some of the more out there product offerings, so it's not like they hold the scripture covered lolly pops as sacred or anything.) They've all been amazingly good about not pressuring me to attend church. I don't want to repay that with even the appearance of ridiculing their beliefs.
Underneath all the eye rolling, I'm kind of disturbed by what stores like this represent. Christian merchandising is a multi-million dollar enterprise, and to me it just feels really cynical and oily. I can't shake the idea that the people who make and sell most of this stuff do it only because they know they can sell anything if they can find a way to make it "Christian." And a whole group of people who are too young in age, too new in their faith, or just gullible are gobbling it up as fast as they can crank out some new piece of crap.
I know that there are New Age stores doing much the same thing. It's not restricted to the Christian market. And maybe I'm letting my prejudices show here. But it just seems so much more overwhelming in the Christian community. Did you know that churches, especially mega churches (Texas is the land of the mega church, so I have some unfortunate experience of this), have gift shops now. You can get mugs or tshirts or bottled water with the church's name and logo on them. And signed copies of the minister's latest book.
The prices on all this stuff are outrageous, too. My parents joined a Bible study at church, and although there are three Bibles on the bookshelf in the living room right now, none of them are the translation they needed, and they have a couple of expensive study Bibles still packed somewhere, but who knows where they are? So Mom went to a different Christian store last week and bought two more Bibles, one for each of them. She lucked out and the store had some on clearance. She got two copies at 50% off. She still paid $50 for the pair. That means each Bible was originally priced at $50. That's a lotta moolah for a book that's been in print for hundreds of years and could be downloaded as a free ebook from Amazon. (That's not a judgement on how they choose to spend their money. That's outrage at greedy publishers and store owners who choose to ask that kind of money.)
I know I made fun of all of this yesterday, but it just makes me sick when I see people being taken advantage of in the name of faith. I know there are other things my parents could have done with that $50, but they felt they had to spend that money to participate fully in their faith. The lady in line ahead of me at the store last night bought $90 worth of stuff. I honestly have no idea what she bought, I was busy goofing off with my brother and SIL at that point and just happened to hear the cashier give her the total. But she definitely looked like she could have put that $90 elsewhere. Like maybe shampoo. (Not that I have a lot of room to talk. I woke up this morning looking like Helena Bonham Carter at the Golden Globes.) Again, I'm not judging anyone's choice in how they spend their money. I'm mad at the church culture that pressures people to have these books to participate in their religion, and the stores and publishers that set the prices so high, knowing that there are people who will pay their prices no matter what.
I try to keep my snarky opinions to myself in these situations, because as much as I think this stuff is ridiculous, the rest of my family has an honest interest in some of it. (Not the more junky stuff that I made fun of here, but the books, music, and movies are of definite interest to the fam. My brother and SIL stood around giggling with me at some of the more out there product offerings, so it's not like they hold the scripture covered lolly pops as sacred or anything.) They've all been amazingly good about not pressuring me to attend church. I don't want to repay that with even the appearance of ridiculing their beliefs.
Underneath all the eye rolling, I'm kind of disturbed by what stores like this represent. Christian merchandising is a multi-million dollar enterprise, and to me it just feels really cynical and oily. I can't shake the idea that the people who make and sell most of this stuff do it only because they know they can sell anything if they can find a way to make it "Christian." And a whole group of people who are too young in age, too new in their faith, or just gullible are gobbling it up as fast as they can crank out some new piece of crap.
I know that there are New Age stores doing much the same thing. It's not restricted to the Christian market. And maybe I'm letting my prejudices show here. But it just seems so much more overwhelming in the Christian community. Did you know that churches, especially mega churches (Texas is the land of the mega church, so I have some unfortunate experience of this), have gift shops now. You can get mugs or tshirts or bottled water with the church's name and logo on them. And signed copies of the minister's latest book.
The prices on all this stuff are outrageous, too. My parents joined a Bible study at church, and although there are three Bibles on the bookshelf in the living room right now, none of them are the translation they needed, and they have a couple of expensive study Bibles still packed somewhere, but who knows where they are? So Mom went to a different Christian store last week and bought two more Bibles, one for each of them. She lucked out and the store had some on clearance. She got two copies at 50% off. She still paid $50 for the pair. That means each Bible was originally priced at $50. That's a lotta moolah for a book that's been in print for hundreds of years and could be downloaded as a free ebook from Amazon. (That's not a judgement on how they choose to spend their money. That's outrage at greedy publishers and store owners who choose to ask that kind of money.)
I know I made fun of all of this yesterday, but it just makes me sick when I see people being taken advantage of in the name of faith. I know there are other things my parents could have done with that $50, but they felt they had to spend that money to participate fully in their faith. The lady in line ahead of me at the store last night bought $90 worth of stuff. I honestly have no idea what she bought, I was busy goofing off with my brother and SIL at that point and just happened to hear the cashier give her the total. But she definitely looked like she could have put that $90 elsewhere. Like maybe shampoo. (Not that I have a lot of room to talk. I woke up this morning looking like Helena Bonham Carter at the Golden Globes.) Again, I'm not judging anyone's choice in how they spend their money. I'm mad at the church culture that pressures people to have these books to participate in their religion, and the stores and publishers that set the prices so high, knowing that there are people who will pay their prices no matter what.
 |
| Are those supposed to be dreads or what? |
Monday, January 17, 2011
My visit to a foreign land
Today I went out to dinner with my parents and brother and sister-in-law. But before we went to the restaurant, my SIL had coupons that were about to expire for a local Christian store. I didn't burst into flames upon crossing the threshold of the store, so I decided to look around a bit and report what I saw.
First of all, let me just say, there is a lot of Christian crap out there. There were a million books, including Christian weight loss and Sarah Palin's latest. My dad picked up a copy of George W's book, and I was a very good girl. I didn't once stick my finger down my throat and make gagging noises, even though I wanted to.
There were CDs and DVDs. There were wall hangings and statues and tchotchkes of all kinds. They had cards, which wasn't surprising, but they also had boxes of children's valentines. They had gift bags with Christ-centered messages on them. Children's toys. I spotted a box of Bible Scrabble. I'm not sure what the difference between that and regular Scrabble is. Maybe the dirty words don't count, or the "no proper nouns" rule is waved and you get to use names from the Bible, like Habakkuk or Abednego.
What was most odd to me were the items that were trying to ape secular crazes. Like Faith Bands- a Biblical version of silly bandz. This dog tag amused me. It says, "thelight", but the font used makes it look an awful lot like Twilight merchandising.
First of all, let me just say, there is a lot of Christian crap out there. There were a million books, including Christian weight loss and Sarah Palin's latest. My dad picked up a copy of George W's book, and I was a very good girl. I didn't once stick my finger down my throat and make gagging noises, even though I wanted to.
There were CDs and DVDs. There were wall hangings and statues and tchotchkes of all kinds. They had cards, which wasn't surprising, but they also had boxes of children's valentines. They had gift bags with Christ-centered messages on them. Children's toys. I spotted a box of Bible Scrabble. I'm not sure what the difference between that and regular Scrabble is. Maybe the dirty words don't count, or the "no proper nouns" rule is waved and you get to use names from the Bible, like Habakkuk or Abednego.
What was most odd to me were the items that were trying to ape secular crazes. Like Faith Bands- a Biblical version of silly bandz. This dog tag amused me. It says, "thelight", but the font used makes it look an awful lot like Twilight merchandising.
And this was quite possibly the weirdest item I spotted:
It's the Solar Powered Praise Flower! (The ones they sold had words like Love or Hope printed on the base, along with a scripture reference.) These flowers sit on your desk or windowsill and just sort of... sway. Bounce. Cute, but kind of weird. And other than the reference to the Bible verse, I'm not sure what makes it a Praise Flower as opposed to just a plain old flower.
So, that was my trip to the Christian bookstore. Nothing caught fire, and I entertained myself by laughing (quietly, I hope) at all the odd things that people will buy if you slap a cross on it.
Monday, January 10, 2011
It's a Sign
This video cheered me up immensely.
Also, the doctor's appointment went well. Antibiotics, but no lancing for now. I've named my abscess Farkle. Anything that big really ought to have it's own name.
Also, the doctor's appointment went well. Antibiotics, but no lancing for now. I've named my abscess Farkle. Anything that big really ought to have it's own name.
Off My Game
I'm feeling weepy and out of whack today. Too much news, too much misery, not enough sleep. Troubbie the Wonder Cat woke me up at quarter to six this morning wanting to be fed. (Yes, he's still alive.) I have a doctor's appointment this morning, and I have something I'm scared to show her. Think it's an abscess that will need to be lanced, possibly requiring minor surgery and costing a million dollars. The book I've been reading, The Awakening by L.J. Smith, is angsty and depressing. Only 50 pages or so to left, and I don't want to go there today.
So what should I read? I'm seriously considering breaking my self-imposed book buying moratorium and downloading a book for the Kindle. What do you suggest? Something happy happy, please.
So what should I read? I'm seriously considering breaking my self-imposed book buying moratorium and downloading a book for the Kindle. What do you suggest? Something happy happy, please.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
I Swear I'm Not Pregnant
I felt a little off this morning. Not particularly hungry. And then this afternoon I was making a batch of toffee for my mom, and all of the sudden I was so nauseous. The smell of the butter cooking was just killing me. I ended up pulling it off the heat about 20 degrees early and sitting down with a few pretzels and a ginger ale. Once I settled down a bit I went back into the kitchen to finish up and raced right back out again.
While I'd been in the kitchen, Mom had been cleaning the bathrooms. I didn't get more than two steps into the bathroom before the smell of bleach chased me back out again, trying not to retch.
I got a little something in me at dinner and went back to my room. Mom wanted to make coleslaw for tomorrow night's dinner, and she was worried the vinegar would bother me. When I came back out a couple hours later to decorate the Christmas tree, I didn't notice any vinegar smell at all. But the cabbage smell was enough to gag a maggot.
I've got my period right now, and that always makes my Crohn's flare up a bit. Nausea and other unpleasant digestive symptoms aren't exactly unusual. But I've never had this sensitivity to smell before. I hope it goes away overnight, because I can't imagine the next few days will be pleasant if I keep feeling this way.
While I'd been in the kitchen, Mom had been cleaning the bathrooms. I didn't get more than two steps into the bathroom before the smell of bleach chased me back out again, trying not to retch.
I got a little something in me at dinner and went back to my room. Mom wanted to make coleslaw for tomorrow night's dinner, and she was worried the vinegar would bother me. When I came back out a couple hours later to decorate the Christmas tree, I didn't notice any vinegar smell at all. But the cabbage smell was enough to gag a maggot.
I've got my period right now, and that always makes my Crohn's flare up a bit. Nausea and other unpleasant digestive symptoms aren't exactly unusual. But I've never had this sensitivity to smell before. I hope it goes away overnight, because I can't imagine the next few days will be pleasant if I keep feeling this way.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Big, scary day
Today I had an adventure. I borrowed my dad's car keys and left the house by myself. It's the first time I've gone anywhere by myself since Labor Day weekend, when I drove to the airport in Houston and got on the plane. It's only the second time I've been behind the wheel since then.
It was pretty damn scary at first. Almost three months is a long time to go without driving on doing anything independently. I was way out of practice. The fact that I was driving someone else's car didn't help. (My car is long gone. sniffle.)
Mom was in a foul mood this morning, and apparently all day yesterday, too. (I missed yesterday. After all the company and Thanksgiving hoopla, I declared Sunday an I'm In My Room, Leave Me Alone day.) She was upset because she thought she would have all the house done, and there are still boxes everywhere, and she can't find her Christmas stuff, and she was MAD. So while the 'rents went to the Social Security office to get stuff straightened out, I went shopping.
The two things she specifically mentioned were her Christmas mugs, which she always puts out first thing and are very important to her, and the Advent wreath. I found some cheap mugs at Michael's, so I was able to take care of that, but the Advent wreath was a bust.
Michael's had undecorated, do-it-yourself Advent wreathes for a while, but they were sold out when I got there. And they had one pre-decorated one, but it was way over the top and fugly. The whole things was covered with purple flowers and white things crusted with glitter. She would have appreciated the thought (and she damn well better if I'm spending 25 bucks for the ugly thing), but she'd rather die than have something that over done and ugly on her table.
I went to four other places-- four!-- and none of them had ever heard of an Advent wreath. Even Hobby Lobby, which is Christianville USA, didn't have them or know what they were . I was beginning to feel like a freak. I'm not the only one in the world, aside from Michael's Happy Glue Gun Lady, who knows what these things are, right?
One of these puppies. Light a candle every Sunday in Advent. You've seen these, right? I know a lot of people don't go in for the religious aspect of Christmas. I can't say I worry about it too much myself. But I grew up with one of these on my table for as far back as I can remember. My family can't be total weirdos. There have to be Advent wreaths out there somewhere. It's just so bizarre to me that I spoke to at least 7 people in 4 different stores, stores that carry all kinds of Christmas decorations and people who work in and stock those departments, and not a one of them even knew what an it was. Very strange. I knew that Indiana was the Twilight Zone, but come on.
Anyway, even though I couldn't lay my hands on a non-fugly Advent wreath, I did find a few other Christmassy things to brighten up the place. One was a small pillow that says "Those who don't believe get underwear." I was highly amused and had to have it right away. The fact that it was on sale helped. I got a magnet with a snowman on it that says "snow". (I collect magnets, so it's always exciting to find a new one.) And I bought a set of blocks that spell out the word "joy". Mom has a set of acrobatic elves that spell "Joy" that she always puts on the piano. My brother and I delight in scrambling them, so that they say "oyj" instead. One year I hid the J, so it just said "oy!", which I found highly amusing. So I took the blocks and put them on the piano, out of order, of course. So far Mom has noticed the mugs, which she couldn't help but notice since I put one at her place at the table, and the pillow, which she also couldn't help but notice because it was on the couch right where she planned to sit. No one has noticed the magnet or the blocks yet.
The weather is supposed to be cold and crappy for the next several days (plus I totally wore myself out shopping and will need a couple of days of rest to recover), so I think that's all the stealth decorating for a little while. I may call Michael's and see if a new shipment of the undecorated Advent wreaths have come in. If they have, I may pick up one of their decorated wreaths for the front door, too. There was one there that I liked. And maybe I'll get a fake poinsettia, if I can find one that's bushy enough. (Not a real one if I can avoid it-- they're poisonous to cats, and Trouble is dumb enough to eat the whole damn thing.)
This place may start to look a lot like Christmas, whether Mom finds any of her decorations or not!
It was pretty damn scary at first. Almost three months is a long time to go without driving on doing anything independently. I was way out of practice. The fact that I was driving someone else's car didn't help. (My car is long gone. sniffle.)
Mom was in a foul mood this morning, and apparently all day yesterday, too. (I missed yesterday. After all the company and Thanksgiving hoopla, I declared Sunday an I'm In My Room, Leave Me Alone day.) She was upset because she thought she would have all the house done, and there are still boxes everywhere, and she can't find her Christmas stuff, and she was MAD. So while the 'rents went to the Social Security office to get stuff straightened out, I went shopping.
The two things she specifically mentioned were her Christmas mugs, which she always puts out first thing and are very important to her, and the Advent wreath. I found some cheap mugs at Michael's, so I was able to take care of that, but the Advent wreath was a bust.
Michael's had undecorated, do-it-yourself Advent wreathes for a while, but they were sold out when I got there. And they had one pre-decorated one, but it was way over the top and fugly. The whole things was covered with purple flowers and white things crusted with glitter. She would have appreciated the thought (and she damn well better if I'm spending 25 bucks for the ugly thing), but she'd rather die than have something that over done and ugly on her table.
I went to four other places-- four!-- and none of them had ever heard of an Advent wreath. Even Hobby Lobby, which is Christianville USA, didn't have them or know what they were . I was beginning to feel like a freak. I'm not the only one in the world, aside from Michael's Happy Glue Gun Lady, who knows what these things are, right?
One of these puppies. Light a candle every Sunday in Advent. You've seen these, right? I know a lot of people don't go in for the religious aspect of Christmas. I can't say I worry about it too much myself. But I grew up with one of these on my table for as far back as I can remember. My family can't be total weirdos. There have to be Advent wreaths out there somewhere. It's just so bizarre to me that I spoke to at least 7 people in 4 different stores, stores that carry all kinds of Christmas decorations and people who work in and stock those departments, and not a one of them even knew what an it was. Very strange. I knew that Indiana was the Twilight Zone, but come on.
Anyway, even though I couldn't lay my hands on a non-fugly Advent wreath, I did find a few other Christmassy things to brighten up the place. One was a small pillow that says "Those who don't believe get underwear." I was highly amused and had to have it right away. The fact that it was on sale helped. I got a magnet with a snowman on it that says "snow". (I collect magnets, so it's always exciting to find a new one.) And I bought a set of blocks that spell out the word "joy". Mom has a set of acrobatic elves that spell "Joy" that she always puts on the piano. My brother and I delight in scrambling them, so that they say "oyj" instead. One year I hid the J, so it just said "oy!", which I found highly amusing. So I took the blocks and put them on the piano, out of order, of course. So far Mom has noticed the mugs, which she couldn't help but notice since I put one at her place at the table, and the pillow, which she also couldn't help but notice because it was on the couch right where she planned to sit. No one has noticed the magnet or the blocks yet.
The weather is supposed to be cold and crappy for the next several days (plus I totally wore myself out shopping and will need a couple of days of rest to recover), so I think that's all the stealth decorating for a little while. I may call Michael's and see if a new shipment of the undecorated Advent wreaths have come in. If they have, I may pick up one of their decorated wreaths for the front door, too. There was one there that I liked. And maybe I'll get a fake poinsettia, if I can find one that's bushy enough. (Not a real one if I can avoid it-- they're poisonous to cats, and Trouble is dumb enough to eat the whole damn thing.)
This place may start to look a lot like Christmas, whether Mom finds any of her decorations or not!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Why I Hate the Drug Companies
This afternoon I crossed state lines in an attempt to buy prescription medication. In the good old days (you know, like August) I could go down the street and get a prescription from my local pharmacy for $30 because I had prescription drug coverage through my insurance. Now I am uninsured, but I still need medicines, this one particularly, because it's a steroid and you can just stop those puppies cold turkey.
So I called around last week to find out who had my prescriptions for the best prices. Target was the winner with this one at $1011 for a one month refill. That's right. One month. So, plan B. I remembered I had a card from the drug company that would help me pay for this medication. So I took it to Walgreens, where I was picking up another prescription at the time, and asked them to check it out. Turns out the card is worth $500. Woo hoo! But it's good everywhere but Massachusetts, where I currently live. sigh. Time for a new plan.
So I take my prescription bottle with all the info on it and my magic card to a Target across the state line in New Hampshire. No big deal. It's not that far away, and my parents had errands they wanted to run in the area anyway. I give the bottle and the card to the pharmacist, explain that I'd like to transfer my prescription to Target and get as many pills as the $500 card will allow. Call me if there are any problems.
An hour later I'm sitting on a bench in the mall, waiting for my parents to do something or other, when I get a call from Target. They're very sorry, but they can't get the card to work. You must have primary insurance that will pay for at least part of the prescription, and then the card will cover the rest, up to $500.
Hell.
After suppressing the urge to throw things, I asked her how much one week of the prescription would cost. $232.26. Fortunately, steroids require tapers, and one week of the prescription as written is actually three weeks of medication for me. (You're supposed to take 1 pill a day for 6 weeks to safely taper. It's going to be more like 30 days.) So I gritted my teeth and bought the damn drugs.
And then I had a perfectly miserable time thinking of all the things I could have bought with that $232.26.
Bastards.
One good spot in all this mess-- I got a $10 Target card from the pharmacist. I think she felt bad for me. I'm going to save it just in case I need more of this medication. It will almost buy me one pill.
So I called around last week to find out who had my prescriptions for the best prices. Target was the winner with this one at $1011 for a one month refill. That's right. One month. So, plan B. I remembered I had a card from the drug company that would help me pay for this medication. So I took it to Walgreens, where I was picking up another prescription at the time, and asked them to check it out. Turns out the card is worth $500. Woo hoo! But it's good everywhere but Massachusetts, where I currently live. sigh. Time for a new plan.
So I take my prescription bottle with all the info on it and my magic card to a Target across the state line in New Hampshire. No big deal. It's not that far away, and my parents had errands they wanted to run in the area anyway. I give the bottle and the card to the pharmacist, explain that I'd like to transfer my prescription to Target and get as many pills as the $500 card will allow. Call me if there are any problems.
An hour later I'm sitting on a bench in the mall, waiting for my parents to do something or other, when I get a call from Target. They're very sorry, but they can't get the card to work. You must have primary insurance that will pay for at least part of the prescription, and then the card will cover the rest, up to $500.
Hell.
After suppressing the urge to throw things, I asked her how much one week of the prescription would cost. $232.26. Fortunately, steroids require tapers, and one week of the prescription as written is actually three weeks of medication for me. (You're supposed to take 1 pill a day for 6 weeks to safely taper. It's going to be more like 30 days.) So I gritted my teeth and bought the damn drugs.
And then I had a perfectly miserable time thinking of all the things I could have bought with that $232.26.
- 1/3 of a month's medical insurance premium
- a car payment on my beloved Toyota that I had to sell when I moved here
- one of the super fancy Tivos that I was drooling over the other night
- a month's supply of three other prescriptions put together
- almost 5 months worth of cell phone service
- 29 books for my Kindle
Bastards.
One good spot in all this mess-- I got a $10 Target card from the pharmacist. I think she felt bad for me. I'm going to save it just in case I need more of this medication. It will almost buy me one pill.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Great Googly Moogly
I spent part of the day today calling pharmacies and pricing my most urgent prescriptions now that I don't have insurance or prescription drug coverage. Never do this. It's too depressing for words.
I only priced the four that need to be refilled in the next two weeks. No point in going through the hassle if it doesn't need to be refilled yet, because the prices might be different in Indiana. One of my prescriptions-- just one prescription, for one month-- is $1011.49. And that's the cheapest price I could find for that one. It's a steroid, and I've been weening myself off of it anyway, so I may just take my last nine pills and hope for the best. I have a bottle of Prednisone for emergencies. It plays merry hell with the body, but it's cheap. If I start to crash and burn without the other steroid I'll just start up on the Pred. I could buy a couple of years' worth of Pred for the price of one month of the other stuff.
I will say one thing for my thousand dollar steroids. They make my $130/month Savella look mighty cheap in comparison. And the Savella, at least in the short term, would be much more miserable to go off.
I only priced the four that need to be refilled in the next two weeks. No point in going through the hassle if it doesn't need to be refilled yet, because the prices might be different in Indiana. One of my prescriptions-- just one prescription, for one month-- is $1011.49. And that's the cheapest price I could find for that one. It's a steroid, and I've been weening myself off of it anyway, so I may just take my last nine pills and hope for the best. I have a bottle of Prednisone for emergencies. It plays merry hell with the body, but it's cheap. If I start to crash and burn without the other steroid I'll just start up on the Pred. I could buy a couple of years' worth of Pred for the price of one month of the other stuff.
I will say one thing for my thousand dollar steroids. They make my $130/month Savella look mighty cheap in comparison. And the Savella, at least in the short term, would be much more miserable to go off.
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