Another Doctor Visit, Another Prescription. Another Co-Op Board Meeting, Another Evening Dinner Delivery.

 

There was no chance that I'd spend any time as Marian for the next day or two, so I moved my license and insurance card into Mario's wallet, showered, shaved, dressed, and headed off to my doctor's office.  I always dread this, but today's visit was a little worse than usual.

Around 10:15 am, I drove to the doctor's office, and there were no parking sport near his office.  This was an omen if there ever was one.  I had to drive an extra 5 minutes before I could get a nearby spot on a side street.  Several minutes after I arrived, I was shown to one of his rooms where he took my weight, my blood pressure, and proceeded to check my liver and some glands on my throat.  Now, he wants me to get another ultrasound.  AARGH!  To make things worse, he prescribed a medicine that's going to run me another $200/month - without consulting whether I could afford it or not.  When I mentioned the outrageous GLP-1 drug price, he wanted me to spend another $500+/month on the drug, something I will not do.  Until doctors start pushing back on drug prices being charged to patients, there is no way health care prices in this country will drop.  They are at the front lines of health care, and they should be our primary advocates for what we must do to maintain our health AND to keep the overall cost of that healthcare down low enough for the average person to afford it.  (Although I will soon have another $700/month coming into my pocket, do I really want to spend it on 2 drugs?)

When I was done with the doctor, I went home to rest.  I had a co-op board meeting starting at 5:30 pm, and there would be a lot to do at the meeting.  One good thing: We should be able to sell an abandoned apartment as-is, and help deal with our financial issues.  But I knew I would be very hungry afterwards, so my plan for the evening was to use the Slice app to order Italian to go, and have some Chicken Parmigiana and Penne pasta delivered - I would be in mo mood to cook or reheat food.

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Tomorrow, I'll be heading to my tax preparer, and then back to Croton for the yearly co-op dinner.  Yes, it'll be Italian food again, but I'll order something very different from what I ordered tonight. 

    

Doctor, Car, Co-Op and DCD (the latter two being F****d Up messes.

 

I should start out by saying that I knew that this would be a busy day.  What I didn't know was how much this day would take out of me.

But first....

My doctor visit was scheduled for 10:45.  I knew that it would be a long visit, as the doc tends to run late with his late morning appointments.  Today was no exception.  Even though I arrived at 10:45, the doc didn't see me until 11:10-11:15 or so.  Again, the doc is changing my medication mix to get things where he wants them.  However, he didn't say anything about one of the drugs he wanted me to start on a while back - before we knew that it could be covered by my formulary.

After seeing the doctor, it was off to the deli for a breakfast sandwich, and then home to rest.  One problem - I thought my car service appointment was for 2 pm, and not for 1 pm.  So I didn't have much time to rest.  Luckily, I live 15 minutes away from the dealership's service department, and got there on time.  So, I was back home by 3 pm.

I couldn't take a nap.  So I ended up watching YouTube videos until the Co-Op board meeting started. Before everyone joined in, I found out the current state of our finances - and they weren't as good as I'd like to see them.  Later on, I found out how our former management company fouled things up.  In short, their arrogance and lack of adequate communication with the board and co-op shareholders is the root cause of our difficulties. All I can say about this is that I'm glad that we have a good accountant and a good lawyer we can count on if things go bad.

And finally, I got a text from DCD's ex-girlfriend (I'll call her N for now).  He really screwed up this time, and no one's going to help him get out of his mess.  DCD has been sleeping in his car for a while, and let his car insurance lapse.  N has been giving DCD work to pay some of his bills, and she wants to be done with him.  If N's boyfriend were to find out how much she still helps DCD, he'd leave her.  So, she keeps what she does for DCD a secret from her current boyfriend.  Recently, DCD received some money from his mom and gave N a token payment for all the money he owes her.  You'd think that with the rest of the money he had, he'd bring his car insurance up to date.  Wrong.  A few days ago, he had no money, and asked N for some money to get gas.  N gave him $20, and told him to take a gas can, walk a mile or two to the gas station, and return to the car with gas.  Under no circumstances should he call AAA or similar roadside aid for help.  DCD ignored her, and called for a tow.  Someone ran his plates, and found that the car wasn't insured.  DCD's car was towed to a pound, and he was left without transportation.  He now has 30 days to bail out the car and get it insured, or the car will be gone for good.  (And with that, there goes any chances I have of getting the $2,100 he still owes me for the car.)  To make things worse, he broke into N's place, and is now squatting in her garage. 

If it were me, I'd consider being honest with my current love, and telling the truth.,  If N's boyfriend were to leave, then he isn't worth her time.  She needs to kick DCD out of her place once and for all.  He is sick, and needs help.  He still uses N's place for his mail, so that he can keep Connecticut residency.  One problem - he shouldn't be listed as living there anymore.  What would you do if you were N?  What type of help should DCD's parents give him, even if it is to steer him to a shelter and public assistance.  (Remember, DCD has had two operations on his brain, and might qualify for public assistance, being physically/mentally unable to hold a full time job,)  It's a dilemma for which I have no solutions. And I can say that I didn't depend on him paying me off for the car....

A "Half and Half" day

 

I hate having to dress as Mario and then change into Marian (or, vice-versa).  Today was one of those days that I had to see the doctor in the morning, and then change into Marian before going to game night in Yonkers.  So, I had to partially make myself ready for the day to see my doctor. And then, I had to finish the job after I was home....

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My doctor has been looking for a way to get my blood pressure where he'd like it to be for several years now.  And today was a day that I knew he'd likely hector me a little about exercise and losing weight. What I didn't expect was that he ran a little bit late before seeing me, and that we'd be talking about vacations - specifically, him thinking of taking the same Hawaii cruise that I took.  The good news for the day was that the new medicine I am taking did what it was supposed to do with my blood pressure. This made him comfortable telling me to come back in a little over 2 months this time - something that I didn't expect.

Once done with the doctor, I picked up an egg sandwich at the local deli.  However, there was a minor mishap.  Just after I placed my order, a mob of teenagers came in to place their lunch orders (the high school is less than a block away) and that created confusion at the deli.  I was given the wrong order, and had to go back to the deli to get the right order.  Luckily, they didn't hand my sandwich to someone else.

I then went home and relaxed for a while before getting dressed as Marian for game night.  Luckily, I made it there early enough for me to play in the single game the group played this evening.  Although I didn't win, I wasn't in last place.  And that was a miracle for me.  When things broke up, I mentioned to the hostess that I finally have pierced ears, and will soon be able to wear the earrings that they gave me a few years ago.

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On the way home, I chatted with RQS and we discussed our plans for the next few weeks.  Yes, we will be quite busy going back and forth between our apartments.  But it will be fun....