Welcome to life in purgatory, and I’m not just talking about the election. Sure, that’s a heavy concern, but at this juncture, we can only speculate about what might happen and when. This is America, and life, on hold. I’m waiting to hear back from Insurance. Kat’s waiting to hear back from her PCP. G is waiting for his birthday. Tipper’s waiting on life. No one is happy. The holidays look bleak. Hope is hanging by a thread in the few places it exists.
Today is a day where I will walk as little as possible. I don’t know what happened during the night, but my right kneecap suddenly decided that it doesn’t want my leg to bend. I’m sitting here with my leg extended, trying to keep the pain down. I’ll have to use a cane when taking the dogs out.
I did get some clarification as to why I’ve not been hearing back from Assisted Living facilities. When the state of Indiana switched its Medicaid/Medicare arrangement back in July, it shifted responsibility for Medicare housing wavers to the three insurance companies managing the new plan. The insurance companies weren’t set up to address the wavers and that has resulted in a severe delay in approving them. I have to have the waver first before talking to any of the Assisted Living facilities. I’ve contacted my insurance company and have been told a case manager will call me today or tomorrow. We’ll see if that actually happens.
Kat is just stuck. You know how you’re supposed to have a follow-up visit with your PCP after a major hospital stay? No one in her PCP’s office has responded to her request for an appointment. Complete radio silence. She’s talked to the hospital and they’ve shown concern, but as of this morning, nothing definitive has happened. This is concerning. She wakes in the morning with severe pain in her chest. She doesn’t know what, if any, OTC meds she can take. She’s out of the meds prescribed when she left the hospital. I’m concerned that if someone doesn’t start paying attention to her soon, she could end up back in the hospital.
G is disappointed in some changes at school. He chose the lab because of its emphasis on individual learning, working at your own pace. However, recent changes have seen all the students gathered in one room, moving from table to table, with strict parameters on what they do during the day. He complains that it feels too much like “regular” school and that he’s not having the opportunity to collaborate with other students. The Lab is still a new concept. I understand trying to work out bugs and address the needs of all the students. G is increasingly frustrated, though, and I worry that may slow his progress.
Tipper says she’s trying to get her grades back up but I’m not seeing that reflected in her daily reports. Instead, it seems as though she’s just existing, exerting a minimal amount of effort and energy into what she does. Her engineering teacher has been out all week and that has been disappointing for her. She’s really enjoying the engineering class, which is potentially exciting, but she’s not carrying through with the fundamentals such as math and world history. How does one motivate a 14-year-old girl who is more interested in Furry matters than keeping her GPA at a reasonable level? I’m open to ideas.
I suggest keeping an eye on Hurricane Rafael as it enters the Gulf. It swept across Cuba yesterday as a category 3 storm, taking out the country’s power grid yet again. Two days ago, most forecasters were going with a model that showed the storm not growing larger than category 1. Now, as it warms and grows in the gulf, it appears as if it will make landfall somewhere between Houston and New Orleans potentially as strong as a category 4. And get this: Rafael may not be the last storm of the season. Waters in the Caribbean are still warm and there’s every reason to be concerned that we could see storms forming into December.
All of those stories are concerning. I’d comment on each one but… I’m struggling to form complete sentences here. This probably isn’t the best day for me to be alone, but what choice do I have? The entire nation is in limbo.
Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I always am. I’ll just put everything on hold for another day. I’m sorry.
Welcome to life in purgatory, and I’m not just talking about the election. Sure, that’s a heavy concern, but at this juncture, we can only speculate about what might happen and when. This is America, and life, on hold. I’m waiting to hear back from Insurance. Kat’s waiting to hear back from her PCP. G is waiting for his birthday. Tipper’s waiting on life. No one is happy. The holidays look bleak. Hope is hanging by a thread in the few places it exists.
Today is a day where I will walk as little as possible. I don’t know what happened during the night, but my right kneecap suddenly decided that it doesn’t want my leg to bend. I’m sitting here with my leg extended, trying to keep the pain down. I’ll have to use a cane when taking the dogs out.
I did get some clarification as to why I’ve not been hearing back from Assisted Living facilities. When the state of Indiana switched its Medicaid/Medicare arrangement back in July, it shifted responsibility for Medicare housing wavers to the three insurance companies managing the new plan. The insurance companies weren’t set up to address the wavers and that has resulted in a severe delay in approving them. I have to have the waver first before talking to any of the Assisted Living facilities. I’ve contacted my insurance company and have been told a case manager will call me today or tomorrow. We’ll see if that actually happens.
Kat is just stuck. You know how you’re supposed to have a follow-up visit with your PCP after a major hospital stay? No one in her PCP’s office has responded to her request for an appointment. Complete radio silence. She’s talked to the hospital and they’ve shown concern, but as of this morning, nothing definitive has happened. This is concerning. She wakes in the morning with severe pain in her chest. She doesn’t know what, if any, OTC meds she can take. She’s out of the meds prescribed when she left the hospital. I’m concerned that if someone doesn’t start paying attention to her soon, she could end up back in the hospital.
G is disappointed in some changes at school. He chose the lab because of its emphasis on individual learning, working at your own pace. However, recent changes have seen all the students gathered in one room, moving from table to table, with strict parameters on what they do during the day. He complains that it feels too much like “regular” school and that he’s not having the opportunity to collaborate with other students. The Lab is still a new concept. I understand trying to work out bugs and address the needs of all the students. G is increasingly frustrated, though, and I worry that may slow his progress.
Tipper says she’s trying to get her grades back up but I’m not seeing that reflected in her daily reports. Instead, it seems as though she’s just existing, exerting a minimal amount of effort and energy into what she does. Her engineering teacher has been out all week and that has been disappointing for her. She’s really enjoying the engineering class, which is potentially exciting, but she’s not carrying through with the fundamentals such as math and world history. How does one motivate a 14-year-old girl who is more interested in Furry matters than keeping her GPA at a reasonable level? I’m open to ideas.
I suggest keeping an eye on Hurricane Rafael as it enters the Gulf. It swept across Cuba yesterday as a category 3 storm, taking out the country’s power grid yet again. Two days ago, most forecasters were going with a model that showed the storm not growing larger than category 1. Now, as it warms and grows in the gulf, it appears as if it will make landfall somewhere between Houston and New Orleans potentially as strong as a category 4. And get this: Rafael may not be the last storm of the season. Waters in the Caribbean are still warm and there’s every reason to be concerned that we could see storms forming into December.
Okay, I’m struggling to remain coherent here. Let me give you a few headlines that are worth chasing and then I’m going to have to stop. Protests continue in Jerusalem after Netanyahu fires Israeli defense minister. Federal Reserve is set to cut interest rates again as post-election uncertainty grows. Abortion rights advocates prevailed in ballot measures in seven states, but that doesn’t resolve the issue. Scientists said 2024 will be the first year in which the planet is more than 1.5C hotter than in the 1850-1900 pre-industrial period. Germany’s Coalition Collapses, Leaving the Government Teetering. Nissan plans 9,000 job cuts, slashes annual profit outlook.
All of those stories are concerning. I’d comment on each one but… I’m struggling to form complete sentences here. This probably isn’t the best day for me to be alone, but what choice do I have? The entire nation is in limbo.
Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I always am. I’ll just put everything on hold for another day. I’m sorry.
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