Tonight's picture was taken in August of 2008. That was our first month in the hospital. I remember this photo and moment in time like it were yesterday. Mattie's cousins came into town and visited him at the hospital. It was Labor Day weekend, which is the WORST time to be at a hospital because weekends and holidays are like a ghost town. Mattie's nurse allowed us to go outside to the hospital rose garden on the second floor of the complex. This outdoor space was our only escape from the smells and noises of the hospital. In any case, Mattie was standing outside the medical library, which had all sorts of rocks around the entrance. Mattie picked one up and was showing his cousin. To this day, I have a very large stone that Mattie took from that garden. It props open my bedroom door! Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't let Mattie take the stone, but having cancer, made many of my typical rules and guidance go right out the window.
Quote of the day: The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses. ~ Hanna Rion
Each morning this week, I wake up and feel like I won't be able to function today. However, thankfully once I get moving, that feeling passes. I had to take my dad to the foot doctor today so he could get measured for shoes. He qualifies for shoes once a year through Medicare because he has diabetes. That may sound nice, but the hoops and hurdles I have to jump to comply with their regulations make it almost NOT worth doing. Medicare requires that my dad be assessed by his primary care doctor 30 days before applying for the shoes. My dad can't see the doctor virtually and the appointment can't address anything other than his diabetes. So in essence I have to drag my dad to the doctor's office for this one specific appointment. What I find beyond hysterical is that there is a whole paper trail from all my dad's recent hospitalizations that verify he has diabetes! Does Medicare honestly think that at age 91, his diabetes is going to spontaneously disappear!? Okay, so once that hurdle is behind us, the next one ensues. I then had to take my dad to the foot doctor to get his feet measured (using an i-pad, which makes a 3-D mold of his feet). This appointment has to be a separate one from his September nail care appointment. What Medicare has no appreciation for is how difficult it is to move my dad from one place to other, just to get their paperwork completed. I think it is criminal, because by the time a patient gets into their 90s, it would be very easy for Medicare to pull my dad's records and see..... indeed he has diabetes and is being treated for it.
In addition to balancing everything else, I now have a list of plumbing issues that I want to get addressed. They aren't big, but annoying enough. Such as, my dad's toilet no longer refills automatically (and we bought that toilet in 2022!). I tried to google why this is happening and what to do about it, but I concluded.... nope! I do not know what I am doing and I need a plumber. I loved my plumber, Cody. However, he has left the company I have a service contract with, so today, whenever I am in a quandary, I reach out to Bob, my electrician. I met Bob in 2021, shortly after we bought the house. Bob and his team spent months at my house, correcting all the faulty wiring. My joke was I saw him more than my own family! Any case, within seconds, Bob text messaged back and I have him and my new plumber on the books for September 22, as Bob had to come back this month anyway to fix all my under counter kitchen lights. I am so grateful that I have a team of amazing guys to help me with the house, because otherwise I would be up a creek.
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