Howdy from hot, humid East Texas, where you feel as sticky as a Hot Shot No Pest Strip! But I am grateful that we did not suffer from flooding like so many folks in other Texas counties.
It has been quite a while since I blogged, so I thought I would give you an update on Dad's cancer journey. He just finished his third cycle of Padcev/Keytruda chemo/immuno- therapies. Thankfully, he has not experienced any negative side effects. On the contrary, some encouraging things have resulted! Dad’s heart is back in normal rhythm after being in constant a-fib for 2+ years! The pain in his abdominal/pelvic areas has lessened considerably. So, pain is manageable with only his holistic remedies (wild lettuce tea, frankincense, and myrrh) and a rare Tylenol, all of which have been approved by his oncologist.
With pain reduced and managed better, Dad’s appetite has returned, so his weight has stabilized. He has a lot more energy and has increased his activity level substantially. He is sleeping better, which means Mom is too, though she still looks exhausted. But that is attributable to the frustration and stress of dealing with providers whose staff are unfamiliar with/misunderstand the nuances of our faith-based health-sharing plan. Combine that with the use of third-party billing companies, the required use of portals to communicate with providers, and language barriers that hinder proper communication when you finally reach a live agent, and you’ve got Mom spending hours on the phone while pulling out her hair—and her New Jersey attitude.
It is disgusting that the Hippocratic oath has been replaced with the hypocritic oath and that providing healthcare is no longer a vocation but only a job. Many moons ago, healthcare was a non-profit business, operated predominantly by religious organizations. Now it is a multi-billion-dollar industry, with the health of a patient secondary to making money. We had a bad experience in 2017,
(https://ramblingrvrat.blogspot.com/2017/11/)
but this one topped it. We handed in our faith-based health plan card when Dad had his Emergency Room (ER) visit in Lake Havasu Regional Medical Center in AZ. It was not until minutes before Dad was discharged in the wee hours of a Friday morning that we were informed that our health plan would not be accepted as payment, and we would need to pay out of pocket. We were presented with an “estimate of charges”—which was over $20,000. Oh, but out of the goodness of their hearts, they would cut that bill in half because we would be self-paying. We had 7 calendar days (NOT business days, mind you) to pay it in full to qualify for another small discount. If we opted to put it through our health plan and make the provider wait for payment, all discounts would be off the table, and we would be balance-billed for anything our plan did not cover. So, feeling pressured with a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't scenario, Mom made the decision to pay the discounted cost personally and send the expense to our health-sharing plan for reimbursement. In the long run, it turned out to be the most cost effective, even though out of the nearly $10,000 that we paid, our faith-based health plan deemed only $3,800 to be “reasonable and customary”. We hold nothing against them for their determination. It was obscene what the ER charged, even at the discounted rate. Mom learned later that the hospital is owned by the providers who work there. Yet, these same providers are NOT employees but instead contract workers provided through a third-party employer. Guess that is their way of alleviating any conflict of interest.
In between dealing with medical-related issues
for Dad, Mom is in training. She is learning tasks that Dad would handle normally
like monthly maintenance of our water softener, semi-annual water filter
changes, and pumping fuel in my Rambling RV Rat Pack Rubicon. I know the latter sounds trite. However, Mom lived in New Jersey for 3/4 of
her life, where it is UNLAWFUL to pump your own fuel! Crazy, ain’t it! One thing Mom realized she could not take on
was filling the 40-pound propane tanks.
She is “strong like bull” and could probably get the tanks in and out of
the Jeep. But
there was no way she would be able to lift a filled tank into the RV drawer. And
while a local propane company will come into the RV Park for tank fills, they
do not do so for small tanks. So, she
spent $2,000 purchasing and filling a 120-gallon tank delivered right to our
site. That’s enough propane for a couple
of years, so we are all set!
It is so encouraging to see Dad more like his normal self. We won't know definitively how effective treatments really have been until his next scans in early September. But we are grateful in the meantime for his improved quality of life, and we are taking part in more of our regular activities like line dancing and pickleball in Cold Spring, TX, though significantly less often (and with less intensity) than we once did. We have continued our weekly commitment volunteering at the Mannafest Food Pantry. Dad has been attending his Masonic Lodge meetings consistently and is getting more involved, now serving as “Tiler”. Though Mom supports Dad in all his efforts, she is not a fan of fraternal organizations. So, she refuses to join the Eastern Star (his Masonic Lodge’s all-female auxiliary). Instead, she helps the FAITH Military Support Group with assembling monthly care packages for members of the armed forces stationed throughout the world.
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| Dad's installation ceremony for new Masonic Lodge officers. |
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| Mom on the assembly line for military care packages. |
We have been participating in more activities within our RV Park, too, including potlucks and the golf cart parade to celebrate our country’s 250th Independence Day.
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| Luau-themed potluck at the Park Clubhouse... |
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| ...was enjoyed by all. |
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| Dad got out his jumbo flag for the USA 250th! |
Speaking of July 4th, we enjoyed viewing the newly-released movie, Young Washington. The theater was packed, with us snagging 3 of the last 6 seats, albeit in the cranked neck section (first row). We also participated in the holiday festivities at Livingston’s Pedigo Park, which included music, vendors, bounce houses and other kiddie activities. Mom and Dad helped at the FAITH Military Support Group table, which accepted donations for the hot diggity dogs they served. That evening we visited Lake Life Brewery which featured musical entertainment by a talented young local artist, Anthony Walls, and some great fireworks along the waterfront. We are thankful that the holiday was safe and enjoyable for us. Hope it was for you, too. And I pray that we can all put aside political differences to realize that despite our country’s flaws, we are blessed to live in the United States of America.
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| What fun I had on this slide! |
Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to express my gratitude and that of my parents to all of you who reached out, whether through a FB or blog post, phone call, or text, to offer words of encouragement, to lift up prayers, or to send a virtual hug. We truly appreciate your kindness and moral support.
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