11/09/19, Saturday

1. Within Range: yes
2. General Wellbeing: 9
3. 10,000+ Steps: 4731
4. Fitness: housework
5. Self-Care: hair cut and color
6. Fun: bowling

My PCP gave me a clean bill of health ! The non-diabetic reactive hypoglycemia (in the future RH) needs to be monitored, but can be easily managed. Was AMAZED at the low cost of Medicare plans !! When I retired, part of my package was pool of $$ for my excessive monthly retired health plan contribution, until I hit 65. The Advantage Plan ( Part A,B,C & D) I am looking at is very reasonable ! Due to the traveling we do and hope to do, I want portability.

Ann, I loved my stops in Santiago and Ushuaia during my South American cruise ~2013. Coming around the Cape, I saw Antarctica but the closest I got was the stop in the Falklands. I was cruising at Christmas and Rio had some of the warmest weather I've ever experienced !

You guys amaze me with all you do! I feel like I'm condemned to a life changing diapers forever haha!

Weight: 162. Probably pretty realistic weight

Colonoscopy/EGD-Worst part BY FAR was not eating Wednesday. I didn't even mind drinking the drink--I rather looked forward to it as I was so hungry. Clearly, I have issues. And I was more anxious about the EGD than the colonoscopy because of my stomach. I just decided I would remind the GI dr. of my previous surgeries. What an AWKWARD exchange. I think it's probably a reasonable assumption/fear to have that a smaller, sleeved, stomach could pose a greater challenge during an endoscopy. Further, I assume a doctor with years of experience probably would have heard a ludicrous concern such as that and should not be offended. Well I was wrong. Because as soon as the concern left my lips, her face turned stone cold and she whipped around and asked me "well what do you think would happen?" very offended. So I responded "uh I don't know. I guess I worried there might be greater risk of perforation." To which she brushed me off and said "well you do know that perforation is a risk of both of these procedures."

Even my husband agreed that while I usually overthink things, in this case she totally changed her tune and it was bizarre because I said nothing that should have caused upset. From that point on she treated me differently. Almost as though she wanted to "get back" at me. For what? For reminding her of my health history?! I just don't think I can trust her now. That seems so unprofessional. I consider myself to be a fairly intelligent person. I'm going to advocate for my own health. That is my priority, not her overly sensitive feelings. She knows more about GI than I do--but then educate, don't chastise! If I were a doctor, the last thing I would want to do is create a chilling effect that deterred patients from offering what they thought might be relevant health histories.

And for what it's worth, doctors aren't infallible. I've seen in too often! And I don't even practice med mal! But man when they say stuff like that to me, I sure would like to answer with "well I had a case..." Then again maybe not. They are the ones putting me under and doing stuff to me.

Thankfully they found nothing. Nada. Not even the slightest little polyp or effects on the esophagus from GERD. Which of course is great news. Except it leaves me with no answers.

Diane O.-I'm glad Medicare is reasonable. My mom just started on Medicare this month and I think that will lighten their load a lot. It's pretty difficult to retire and pay for healthcare without being 65!

Speaking of, my husband met up with some people from his old company. Most of them were kind of forced into retirement in their late 50s. Eeeek so scary. And his current job is having more layoffs. I guess it's part of the nature of the oil and gas industry. He is 45 and so highly technical it's not like he can just leave and look for work in a different industry--at least not until we've exhausted every possible option. But the idea of him being forced into retirement in 10 years is terrifying. We'll have not even teenagers. I'm trying to learn to bury my head in the sand. Not much else to be done about it.

You all and your vacationing! I'm so envious! Antarctica! Wow. I think I mentioned to Ann that one of my professors was an expert on Shackelton. I cannot wait to hear.

It sure sounds like an unreasonable reaction by your doctor to me. I value the ability to have full discussions with physicians and I think good ones are open to this kind of concern and questioning. Maybe she was just having a bad day?

Yeah my mom theorized something must've happened earlier in the day to put her on high alert like that. Because I definitely don't think my question was so unreasonable as to set her off like that.

I did an Advantage plan for DH which is low premium. I didn't really understand the differences between Advantage and supplemental plans when I made the choice. It has copays, deductibles on a lot of things and we have been restricted on physician choices. Advantage plans are HMOs and most don't have foreign travel insurance. Overall it wasn't a bad choice for DH. But I found out that if you start with an Advantage plan and want to move to a supplemental plan that you may not be able to if you have a pre-existing condition. I can't change DH now because of his Alzheimer's.

My company will pay quite a bit toward my Medicare, so I'm going to do a UHC/AARP supplement plus choose a part D probably via CVS. My SIL and some close friends have this and they pay nothing in addition to premium. I'm sure SIL has racked up some large expenses with her cancer treatment and complications but she has not had to pay anything.

Not easy to figure out what to do though!

It is 25 degrees with the wind chill making it feel like 18! I don't think we felt this kind of cold at all last year when we were home in Massachusetts for two weeks at Christmas. I can't wait for 80 degree weather in Florida in 8 days.

Today we need to get everything in shape for DH's drop-in birthday party tomorrow. I hope he does okay. Yesterday he was more out of it than I have ever seen him and couldn't focus on anything (we tried looking at pictures, Jenga, and riding the stationary bike). He kept falling asleep.

One shocker yesterday. In early September we went to a dinner hosted by one of our support group friends. It was the early stage group we used to attend until we "graduated" to a group caring for individuals further along. I remember thinking that my DH was so much further along in the disease than the others. The hostess' husband was much more engaged and functional. He is also one of the younger ones like DH. Apparently he had a major downturn and is in hospice. You just never know with this disease. Others can stay in a semi-comatose state for years. I guess I'd rather the former rather than the latter for DH.

Have a successful Saturday!

Is that the weather on the Cape? DH is in Boston visiting our daughter. She told him to bring warm clothes. I guess it's no worse than here.

Yes Cape weather but Boston is usually about the same. It is supposed to be in the 50's tomorrow though.

Very quick post this morning ... weight was 141.6 (which is up, thanks to yesterday's benefit luncheon pasta and pumpkin pie menu).

Today will be busy -- weather is gorgeous and will hit 60 degrees (before next week's freezing temps and predicted snow), so I'm going to be running around and outside as much as possible.

Quick comment re Medicare "Advantage" vs. Regular Medicare + "Medicare Supplemental" plans. I have always gone the regular Medicare + supplemental route, because (like several of you have said) although it's more expensive the benefits are so much better if you want to have access to any doctor(s) you want or need. That benefit is particularly important to me given that so many old-age health issues, e.g., cancer, invite / require second opinions. I also think HMOs suck--a strong opinion, but that's how I really feel about 'em. EDIT: Also, HMOs can and do change anything and everything AFTER you sign up with them, reducing the benefits you originally assumed you would always have available. Booo!

Everyone have a good day. Stay warm! Enjoy the weekend!

Good morning!

Bonnie I find your exchange with your doctor so...weird. Good grief, the fact I had a VSG is even noted in my dentist's file. My WLS clinic told me to do that. I hope you never need to see that doctor again.

As I have done nothing but drink tea and read the paper, I don't have a lot to share this morning. The little high school meet up last night was pleasant. People wanted to meet up again next month. I think my BFF finds this attractive, because she would like to build a community aside from my family when she's here in Minnesota. We were a small high school, 120 in my graduating class, so that does create a certain level of intimacy. We were in church groups, and plays and choirs and jobs together. Still not sure how much I will invest.

So question, as we get older, it does seem we start reaching back to people in our past. Why? Are we revisiting our past selves? Nostalgia? Trying to reconcile/integrate our younger personas with who we are now? And if we let them go once, why are we now drawn back? Some, I've initiated, some contacted me. Some I've felt, that was fun, my curiosity is satisfied. Others have become a more regular part of my life. One friend and I theorized that when we were working and raising our kids, we were so focused in the moment, maybe even some days just trying to survive, there was no room for more people. It's a new season. And if I will allow myself to go there, despite my goal to lead my best life even when I was obese, I might have been passive about reconnecting with people who had last seen me when I was a 135 pounds weigh****cher/aerobics class queen. I either didn't trust them enough or want to see them enough to deal with "the look". I think I'm going to have to unpack this a bit more...