Na Na pinches her pennies
Shh… don't tell anyone I'm poor. They all think I'm living frugal and green just like everyone these days. This is a blog about a senior citizen living a frugal life, on a fixed income, in a low income food desert, and passing along knowledge from lessons learned. Some she learned from her Grandma Mama many years ago and some learned only a few days ago.
Christmas
I hope everyone had a good Christmas. I spent the day in the ER with kidney stones. When the news reports say the hospitals are under staffed and over loaded believe it. It took almost 4 hours just to be triaged and another 2 hours before being seen by a doctor for maybe two minutes. If I wasn’t in such pain I wouldn’t have stayed. I was worried because no one was social distancing or sanitizing anything. I got a dose of morphine in an iv with fluids and then sent home for bed rest. All this week I’ve taken Tylenol PM and slept through the pain. I’ve been drinking so much lemon water I feel as if I’ll float away. I believe I’m finally getting over this current episode of stones. (Knock on wood.)
I was in taste bud heaven eating roasted vegetables several days in a row. Thank you ladies so much! I had enough money left to buy more vegetables to do it again for my birthday tomorrow. I took a little of the gift money and bought three things from my Amazon wish list that will make my life easier. Here is a short video showing my gifts. Including one gift from N.P. that was unexpected.
I haven’t worked on my 2022 budget yet although I finally got my Social Security income statement. The amount went up by $55 and Medicare cost went up $22 leaving me $33 increase for living expenses. My LG&E utility bill went up $53 a month on equal billing. The water and sewer bill is up but I don’t know exactly how much yet. Homeowner insurance went up. City, County, & State property taxes went up. Heck, even the cost of renewing a driver’s license has gone up. Of course we all know about the cost of groceries getting ever higher. My frugal living thinking cap is going to get a major workout this year for sure.
I’m going back to bed for awhile. Hugs from Kentucky,
Anita
Na Na pinches her pennies 
Anita and Pam , I hope you both are better now. Hugs a-plenty from Ireland,
Jasna
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Hi Jana, this is Pam. Wednesday a ureter stent was placed so the kidney can drain. Tomorrow I see a knee specialist. I am fortunate to have very good insurance. I still work full time at 69 and the reason is that insurance. Thank you for your healing wishes. I hope Anita is reading this and feels better, too.
Ps. Three years ago I was in Cork for two weeks. Lovely country.
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Hi Pam, yes I’m reading it. Glad to hear your stent went well. I’m feeling much better and been busy doing what I started two years ago (before pandemic).
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Given your monthly SS, I find it appalling that you don’t qualify for assistance with your Medicare supplement. No decent Medicare Advantage plans in KY? Likely a rhetorical question. What Louisville/state is charging is ridiculous. Time to stop subsidizing the wealthy/well off.
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I have original Medicare with no supplement. There are Advantage plans available but for me the Original is better. Original means I’m not locked into a network and don’t HAVE to see the doctors chosen for me by someone else. I can choose my own doctor or specialist where ever and when ever I want. The deductible for the Advantage plans is much higher than the deductible on Original Medicare. The money for all those so called “free” items in advantage plans has to come from somewhere. Care to take a guess as to who is paying for those hidden costs? For years I have been hoping the US would get universal healthcare like that of Canada or other countries. The greed of big business and political kickbacks keeps us from getting it.
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My state has a hybrid Medicaid-Medicare care that my uncle is on. Very wide network, no co-pays (drugs or hospital/office) as well as a set amount of money pr year for OTC items (available mail order to his home). There were six (I believe) companies from which to choose and the one he’s on (which was the default) provided the best options for him. There are hospital indemnity plans available to cover Medicare Advantage co-pay/deductible – the rate is reasonable. All depends on where you live and how motivated (aka not spiteful) your state politicians are.
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So true. As far as I know, we don’t have any of that here.
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Yup, everything is going up. I wrote out my bills for the month this morning, and find I have 22 cents to live on for the rest of the month.
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Know that feeling very well. The blessings from followers and the outdoor foodbank are what keeps me from going under.
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Ugg, not the best way to spend Christmas. Sending you lots of healing vibes.
Despite the challenges we all will be facing in the new year, I am also sending you a big fat wish for happiness in 2022.
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Wishing you a happy and prosperous new year too!
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Oh Anita, what a way to spend Christmas Day. Hopefully this will be the end of this bout of stones. I would feel unsettled too if I had to stay somewhere indoors where nobody was keeping their distance and nothing was being cleaned ><
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The stones are now looking more like lifetime issues after so many times of going through it. The hospital is scary for most reasons but during covid its like a nightmare roulette game.
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Yes I can only imagine. The airports going back was bad enough, I did my darnest to find a space as far away from the other passengers, just to sit while waiting to board etc.
Have they said what can be done about the stones if it becomes a more chronic issue? Is diet the only solution (so flushing it out) or can other things be done?
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I was told several years ago that surgery was my only option. I’ve since found out that citrus fruit helps break up the kind of stones that I have as well as help prevent them from forming. Drinking lots and lots and lots of water helps too. I just don’t like the chemical taste of our city water. When eating oranges, limes, and other citrus fruit it raises blood sugar. I was so happy about discovering the True company fruit powders. True lime, True lemon, etc are sugar free powdered real citrus for mixing with water. I get both the citrus and the water I need. IF I remember to drink it. I’m working on that because I’m so tired of being sick.
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My doctors have told me that kidney stones are a mystery. They just don’t know what causes them. For myself, I have my suspicion that diet soda is causing them. I can’t resist at least one diet 7-up a day. Being a fellow sufferer with Anita, it’s difficult to get away from the stones, no matter what holiday rolls around.
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Kidney stones. Horrible to get through. I have had 6 procedures where they knock you out and go up there and break the stones up with sound waves or a laser. Next Thursday I am getting my 7th stent. Last time they left scarring do the kidney swells up because the pee doesn’t go past the scarring. One time in the ER I had 4 shots of morphine. Yes, I know your pain! I have never passed one on my own since they are all big ones. I hope you pass yours with little pain and have a good rest. My best to you!
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Oh my Pam, I can’t imagine going through the procedure 7 times. I’ve had the lithotripsy twice and it was horrible experiences both times. The knock out drug burned like they had put liquid fire in my veins and both times I got a bad bladder & kidney infection requiring doses of antibiotics for several days. I’ve seen on youtube a new procedure where its done while the patient is awake and listening to music or CD books. Stints are not required because the machine directs sound waves directly at the stone with pinpoint accuracy to break it into tiny pieces small enough to pass without pain. The patient gets up and walks out of the clinic immediately after the procedure is finished. I don’t know about other people but I spend at least a few hours a month researching ways to prevent kidney stones. I figure prevention is much easier to live with than the cure. 🙂 I hope everything goes ok Thursday. Hugs from KY
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Thank you for your good wishes. I didn’t give you the overlapping drama, not for sympathy but almost to laugh at. Sunday I tore the meniscus in my right knee and haven’t been able to walk without a walker, if at all. It will be a real comedy when I limp in to get another stent with my little cane thumping away. I am turning 70 next month and am apparently trying to get the most out of Medicare. Lol, the problems we have as older people would knock a youngster right down. But we keep on truckin’ and looking to see what’s around the next bend. Happy New Year! 🕺🎶🎵🎶Just keep dancing till the music stops.🎵🎶🎵💃
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🙂 Yes, keep on dancing. LOL, you and me both are getting our money’s worth out of Medicare.
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