thread for middle age to older Christian women.
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Nancy, gross picture. I am sure we are all thankful for their long nesting cycle! I am not a fan of cicadas. We lived in Nashville when the last cycle came out and I still remember it! My son lives in MO and he said they went camping last weekend and couldn't sleep for all the racket… and it is not much better at his house although at least he can shut it out with doors and windows. He said the ticks were bad too and they are being ultra careful checking his three boys constantly for any lingering issues. I am thankful the cold here keeps them away (as well as many other annoying critters!)
Today is beautiful here. I'm just sad that I have to ruin it and get my monthly shots…
Those living near the storms, please stay safe.
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My goodness, Nancy. The cicadas are finding your birdbath irresistible! You are wise to postpone the fountain setup. We have noisy locusts from time to time, but I can't imagine the loud din from thousands of cicadas. Oh, my aching ears!
Chris, I hope you are able to enjoy some beautiful Colorado weather this week.
I have my annual Medicare wellness visit this afternoon. My PCP is very much by-the-book regarding the visit (i.e., no hands-on exam allowed). I haven't had an actual physical for at least 3 years. That makes me a bit nervous. Do your PCPs offer a wellness visit only, or do you receive a yearly physical instead?
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@hersheykiss I never knew there was a "no hands on allowed" rule for medicare. I am trying to think of my annual exam last month… I know he listened to my lungs and pushed on my stomach, ankles, etc. Is that what you meant?
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Chris, my PCP performs no physical exam at the Medicare wellness visit. She doesn't listen to my heart and lungs, examine my throat or ears, perform a breast exam, or conduct anything else that requires touching the patient. Her medical assistant will take my temperature and blood pressure and record my height and weight; my PCP and I review and update immunizations, medications, and family medical history. She has told me that management of chronic or new medical problems are not discussed at the wellness visit. It's confusing to me.
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Wow, makes you wonder whether they just want an additional appointment to bill Medicare. I wonder whether anyone else has any info?
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Hershey, I find it odd that these cicadas hate rain so why do they go to my birdbath base? I think my goldfinches have disappeared and it could be that all the birds are afraid to go in the bird bath. I did see some goldfinches in the evening one night on their thistle feeder. These cidadas we have hear now only sing in the day time and not in the evening so I do think some of the birds are scared of all the noise. I do have to fill my safflower feeder and frankly I am afraid to go out there after having one on my neck. People can tell me all day long that they are harmless but I haven't convinced my fight or flight part of my brain of that fact yet.
I have had many Medicare annual wellness visits at this point and I have never heard of a no hands on rule. I just had mine on May 6 and my pcp checked my lungs and my heart looked into my ears, eyes and nose. Checked my pulse and my abdomen. He even asked me if there were any other issues. When you think of that logic of no hands on that seems pretty counter productive in dealing with senior issues. I know Medicare Advantage programs can differ depending on what state you are in and I am not sure if you are on an Advantage plan but that just sounds inplausible to me. I only see my pcp twice a year and that is to monitor my chronic illnesses. To think we would only discuss those issues once a year seems wrong.
Do you have a lot of history with this pcp? Have you been on Medicare very long? I am not sure what to tell you but you can certainly Google Medicare policy to see what it says. I have other specialists so no breast exam etc. I hope this helps.
Love,
Nancy
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Chris, I am praying for your shots. I know they make you feel bad for a few days. I am glad to hear you are getting some nice weather now. Have your flowers been planted yet?
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy and Chris, the visit with my PCP was very informative yesterday. She explained that her clinic is quite conservative with regards to Medicare annual wellness visits.
Original Medicare doesn’t cover an annual physical (some Medicare Advantage plans do cover yearly physicals). Everyone enrolled in Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage is eligible for an annual wellness visit (no additional cost). In past years, some Medicare patients received "surprise" bills after their appointments charging them for a regular office visit plus exam plus labs. Depending on deductibles, copays and coinsurance, patients were receiving bills for $500 and more! Her clinic now strictly adheres to Medicare annual wellness visit guidelines (preventive care, health screenings, wellness planning).
I also found out about a useful resource. Anyone wanting to order their own labs without going to the doctor can do so through Jason Health: . My PCP uses this site for her own family. In my area, Quest Diagnostics is a participating lab location.
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Herhsey, I did an AI search on this subject earlier today. I never did see a no hands allowed during the wellness visit but it was pretty clear that the visit was not what you would get from an annual check up with your pcp. It did say you could schedule another appointment for those things. I guess every doctor or doctor's networks interpret this wellness visit differently. I have always had a lot of specialist so I have never had a complete physical from my pcp. I guess if I am charged for the visit I had I shouldn't be surpised.
Is this Jason Health a lab where you would pay out of pocket and order without a prescription? I used to have many tests that were "not the norm" when my alt. doctor was still living. For those things, they were in some cases very expensive and sent out to special labs usually someplace out of state. I am not choosing to replace this doctor so I don't do those type of tests any more.
Thanks for that link and the clarification. I am supposing the Jason Health lab might have lower prices than some labs. I used to use Quest with my alt doctor and now our doctor's network has their own labs that I use.
I am building up courage to work in my yard. LOL I bought a couple more planters and will venture onto my patio in my backyard to plant them. I had my zoom Bible study last night and it seems that the consensus was my yard won the prize for the most cicadas. One of our neighbors that lives a few houses down walked by today with an umbrella. She is very active and a runner. It was not raining BTW. I told my sister maybe I should do that to fill this bird feeder that is where many cicadas are singing right now. My sister told me just know they are going to get on you and deal with it. LOL She sent me pictures a couple weeks ago and was all excited that she saw her first cicadas. She had a couple on her fingers and took the pic and sent it to me. I replied with a gif of Sponge Bob shaking in fear!!!!! My sister is a master naturalist and loves this type of thing. Even though I am a natue photographer and do photograph bees I am usually not a fan of bugs in general.
Take care.
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy, EWWWWW! That would freak me out! I think I'd stay inside until they were gone!
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Nancy, no doctor's Rx is needed to place an order for bloodwork through Jason Health. Anyone can choose their test(s), pay online, and take the order to the lab.
I mentioned Jason Health to my chiropractor and his response was, "Oh my goodness. This is how ordering bloodwork should be." He has many patients with high-deductible medical plans, and lab costs are very expensive. He considers 4 labs to be essential for annual physicals, and Jason Health charges $5 for a CBC, $8 for a Comprehensive Metabolic Panel, $10 for a Lipid Panel, and $15 for a Hemoglobin A1c test.
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Carol, my sister tells me that they fly on her all the time. She pretends like they are butterflies. I was starting to feel more brave as I was planting more pots a few days ago. I was ready to put the plastic things in my garbage bag and there was a cicada in the bottom of it. I took my trowel and tried to coax it out on my patio wall where there were plenty of his friends hanging out. He started making this awful sound at me. It happened several times and that really freaked me out. I went to the Butterfly House yesterday to catch a break from them. The cicadas stay around from 4-6 weeks. The problem is they were still emerging a few days ago so I figure by the 4th of July the worst will be over. It was mainly the back and side of my house that they were flying and now they are in the front yard too. I'll be 89 when they emerge again unless I have a heart attack when another one lands on me!!!!!
Hershey, can you order online with Jason Health? I have never heard of it before so I am figuring it is not in our area.
We have non stop rain all day and for several days so it is dealing with inside cleaning.
Have a great weekend dear sisters.
Love,
Nancy
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Hershey,
I did that earlier and several Quest locations popped up. The one you have mentioned is the same lab I used to go to. So I would order through Quest online, have the blood draw there and then have them send it to Jason Health. Is that correct? I know I am probably sounding like a half brain here but the whole concept is new and confusing to me. 🙄
Thanks for the info I do appeciate it! Could I ask you to delete your post for privacy concerns. Thank you.
Love,
Nancy
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Hi Nancy. Start at . Choose a lab location, and then select the test(s). Pay using Visa, MasterCard, AmEx, or Discover. Go to the lab location for your blood draw. The results are emailed to you in 1-3 days.
My PCP is really sold on Jason Health. She works part-time at the clinic and doesn't qualify for the medical and dental plans. Her husband's medical insurance is a high-deductible plan ($7,000 PER PERSON, not per family). She orders all the labs for herself, her husband, and their two young sons through Jason Health.
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Hershey, Okay I FINALLY GOT IT. LOL Thanks for the clarification.
Teka, OH MY GOSH!!!! Who do we have to thank for the creative cookies? Too cute and creepy all rolled (no pun intended) into one!
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Here is an unusual pic of one of my butterfly photos that I took this weekend.
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Nancy, that is an unusual and beautiful photo. It nicely captures the detail of the butterfly and leaves.
I may be reaching out to you for some tips. I have an old meniscus tear and will see an orthopedic surgeon later this month. My PCP tells me that my knee is not arthritic (which is good), but I may need some "clean-up." Oh, the joys of getting old. 🙄
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My DH cooked bacon and eggs on the outside grill and we enjoyed eating on our new deck for the first time. Sorry for those who are struggling to eat. The second pic is our view.
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Thanks Hershey. I'm sorry to hear about your meniscus tear. The fact you have no arthritis in your knee is awesome!!!! I had a lot of arthritis and my surgeon was very honest with me telling me my surgery might not work. I have heard of one lady older than you that was able to ward off a knee replacement after having PT. However if it was a choice of having PT before surgery I don't think I would recommend that because my knee was so incredibly stiff a few days after surgery I don't think I could have dealt with that effectively without PT after surgery. Do you have a lot of pain? I used a knee brace and had a cortisone shot about a year before my surgery. My surgeon wanted to take a conservative approach first which I was fine with but after almost a year I just wanted to have the surgery because I felt like I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I would be glad to field any questions.
Chris, your breakfast looked phenomenal and I bet it was especially delicious. The icing on the cake was eating it on your beautiful new deck. I especially love your blue rug and blue paper plates. Blue is my favorite color and I have a feeling it might be yours too. It has been a long time coming but I hope you can enjoy many meals on your deck this summer.
Love,
Nancy
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Chris, that's a very lovely view from your deck of Pikes Peak. Ooo, and please pass the platter of bacon! 😉
Nancy, my knee is not painful. The tibia and fibular head are not moving well, so my knee feels "stuck" when it straightens. I don't wear a brace and have never had a cortisone injection. Surgeons are trained to operate, so I'm not sure if she'll recommend trying PT first or not. Thank you for being open to answer questions. I bet I'll have them after my appointment.
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Hershey, I had the opposite issue. My leg would get stuck in the bent position and it was excruciatingly painful until I slowly inched my leg to straighten. Prior to surgery it could have been the torn meniscus or the arthritis causing that but post surgery I was told it was from the meniscus. I hope your apt goes well. My surgeon was very conservative in his approach to me. I am the one who made an apt and said I want surgery after waiting almost a year.
I guess that office will think I can't stay away. I have an apt tomorrow in the same office with a hand surgeon.. I have seen this surgeon before and got cortisone shots in a couple of areas involving my right hand finger and thumb. It was interesting because I put up with so much pain because my retired pcp said things had to get really bad before they would do surgery. After a long time of dealing with this this pain I made an apt with this surgeon I am seeing tomorrow. It was a very simple fix of a couple of cortisone shots in my finger and thumb and that absolutely solved the problem. Now I am having what I believe is pretty bad arthritis in my other thumb and my pcp felt it and said it felt like arthritis. I am hoping for a quick fix like before.
Today was supposed to be severe thunderstorms so I had planned on indoor cleaning. It turned out that there is NO rain for today and now my indoor cleaning is still waiting on me. LOL I am dragging my heals but I did get groceries without letting any cicadas in my garage. Now it is dealing with cleaning the bathtub. The worst for me post knee surgery.
You might appreciate this. My good friend told me she visited the Morton Arboretum with family yesterday. Her great niece had to get ear plugs which apprently they were handing out for those who needed it. I have been anxious to drive through the arboretum only. The cicadas here are growing in number and it is pretty deafening when outdoors. I finally realized that Cammie was hiding under the bed to get away from the sound. I don't blame her.
Have a good night.
Love,
Nancy
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I got the results of my MRI today…there are numerous lesions on both lobes of my liver. My oncologist hasn't discussed this with me yet but it usually means a change of treatment. I have been here before but I didn't expect it since my CT scan was clear everywhere else. I appreciate your prayers.
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Oh Chris, I am so sorry to hear this especially after your CT results were so good. I'll be praying for a new treatment that will work and have less side effects if that is the usual route.
Love,
Nancy
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@intolight, we're sorry to hear this, and we're thinking of you! Best wishes for the new treatment.
The Mods
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Chris, I'm so sorry that you received this report. I will pray that your oncologist's treatment plan successfully treats the lesions without harsh side effects.
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My oncologist just called. She conferred with other radiologists and they all think it is just a finer resolution of what has been there before. Different types of scans show things clearer and in different types of tissues, etc. So she wants me to keep on with my current treatment and she will rescan in three months. I am good with this. I have had liver metastasis since my first scan eight years ago so I think this may be right. My cancer also seems to grow slowly and my markers are unchanged with no new symptoms to point to a need to chang anything. Different scans have showed different things in my liver in the past. Thank you for your prayers and letting me take you with me on this wild journey.
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Intolight, I am praying for you. Let's hope for nothing new.
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Chris, I was so lifted by your oncologist's view of these latest scans. A wild ride indeed. I can only imagine you feel like a limp rag at this point. I know I would. Of course I will be praying for no changes and good scans in three months.
Greatly Blessed, feel free to post any time. It is always nice to "see" a new face.
I just finished my Zoom Bible study. I saw my hand surgeon today. I may need surgery if the conservative approach doesn't work but I am believing it will. I got a cortisone shot in my left thumb and hopefully this will help. I have been dealing with this for probably two years and now that my knee PT is over I felt like it was time since my PT exercises really inflamed my thumb. I know, go figure.
Have a good night dear sisters.
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy, thank you.
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