Last week I twisted my knee when I was getting up after sitting on an unsteady rock to remove a mesquite thorn from my hiking boot. I managed to walk back to the house and figured I'd ease up a bit on my morning walk to let it heal for a few days. Then I was out in the coop and tripped over some of the chickens that were scurrying under my feet. I must have done a little jig in an attempt to not step on them, while avoiding a big rock, and to keep from falling into the Bird of Paradise bush. Needless to say, grace and coordination are not my strong suits and I'm very grateful the chickens were the only witnesses to my flailing limbs as I was unceremoniously planted in the dirt, again twisting my knee.
As I lay in bed that night, I wondered how I was going to get around. I remembered someone had left a pair of crutches in the bunkhouse before we moved here, but I knew I couldn't make it to the bunkhouse and I didn't want to wake DH. Then I remembered we had hiking sticks and they just happened to be leaning against the wall and within arms reach. Yay. DH fetched the crutches for me the next morning so I could go in to work, but I came straight home after work without running any errands. Crutches are cruel. My armpits hurt so bad that I almost cried putting on deodorant the next day. 😄
I did call a sports medicine clinic for an appointment, but they can't see me until next Thursday. They told me I could go to the emergency room. Um. NOT. First off, it's not an emergency and second, who can afford that?! I even thought about going to the vet. We were really good friends with the vet in Texas and if I was closer, I would be paying him a visit! I still may!
Just the other day I received a bill for a simple outpatient procedure in December:
Yep, you read that right and why did it take 9 months for me to receive it? Plus, I already paid $800 to the doctor. And yes, I have insurance. The hospital and I are about to have a come to Jesus meeting.
Now, I don't want to make this political, I'm fed up with politics, but dang it! We work hard for our money and we don't have a lot of it. We don't run to the doctor for every little thing - in fact I don't even have a regular doctor. The price of medical care is not affordable for folks like us, who work until April 15th just to pay our taxes. Yet others receive free health care. I don't get it.
I'm just praying that my leg heals, that I don't have to keep that appointment next Thursday, and that Jesus will help me mind my manners when I visit the hospital about that bill.
24 comments:
Sorry about the Humpty Dumpty but as years go buy you will learn MORE about what can happen. It either falls down or off! Feel better soon and take some time for yourself. Hope the pedal for the machine is feeling just fine and probably could use some exercise.
know the feeling well! we both worked all of our working years and others draw as much as we do and drive new cars but we pay out the wazoo for insurance
I don't get it, either, and yes, crutches are cruel! I hope your leg heals long before your doctor's appointment. I'm like you -- I'll wait things out for a long time before I head into town. And I have to make My Cowboy have those "meetings" for me, cos I canNOT control my tongue. He's much more diplomatic than I am!
Wow, $18K for a bill!! That is terrible! I'm so sorry and will definitely be praying for you. I would request that you sit or lay down and put the leg up! Yes elevate that leg. Also, lower those crutches so that they do not go into the armpit. You should use your arms and they should be 2 inches from the pit!! I learned all this while floating around a medical center. Please have DH make grilled cheese sandwiches or get something from the freezer until you can walk better. I remember not having ins. I would order my meds from another country as I wouldn't go to the doctor. I do understand. It's horrid to be old but we do have some help from medicare. Take care now.
Welcome to my world! Remember this:
R-rest
I-Ice
C-Compression
E-Elevation
All of those components are essential. No skimping!
Hope you heal well and fully. :)
Double Ugh!!!
Ice is your friend - use it and keep resting the leg.
My sympathy on your knee injury.
For us right now, it's a matter of being able to pay the insurance premium but having nothing left for the deductible.
Keep us posted on your meeting with the hospital.
WOW, Karin......so sorry!! Hope you have some binding to do or a pad and pencil for new ideas! It disgusts me that it takes me so long to heal anymore from everything!!! Leg up and ice. Weird about the bill. Maybe someone filling in for a vacationing billing clerk got a little over zealous!
I don't get it either. My insurance is not as good as those on medicaid. Hope you heal up soon.
Do you possibly know someone that might have a knee brace or one of those boots that you could borrow for a while? Might help immensely if you would try one or the other. I know I ripped my calf muscle and they put me in a boot and I actually could walk without pain. And when I messed up my knee the brace helped but not a lot. Ended up having to have surgery.
Ice and elevation do help.
Prayers you get to feeling better soon.
Marie
I'm going to jump on the soap box with you. We pay thousands of dollars in insurance a year, a copay for an emergency room visit is $650.00. Primary care physician says go to ER when he doesn't want to be bothered and it is not an emergency. Am still paying for a 2017 procedure. When I received an incorrect bill (I owed less than $25.00) hospital told me I owed $32,000.00 because a billing clerk did not know how to read account. Grrrr. Enough already.
Gee, is this the right time to talk about the Canadian health care system...yes, we DO pay higher taxes, but we ALL get decent care when needed. My husband fell and thought he had cracked a rib (thanks to Dr. Google), so off we went to an emergency room for x-rays in Vancouver. Had we not had health insurance from our own province (Alberta, next door), the basic fee would have been $1040.00, then Dr. Fees, etc., on top of that. As it was, we got what we needed, and pain meds, and left without any extra fees to pay. Because we have “socialized medicine” we don’t see the bills, unless it is a specialist of our choice, for an elective surgery or procedure, so we aren’t always aware of the fees charged to non-insured people (read Visitors from another country, or someone who isn’t in the system yet) I just visited a dermatologist to have three suspicious spots removed from my back, and again, no extra billing, lab fees included. If I were to want eyelids lifted, or Botox injections, or other procedures along the line of cosmetic treatments, then I would pay. ‘Nuff said.
Good luck on healing, and dealing with the billing! Jill in Calgary/Phoenix
Oh NO!!! I have no clue how people manage with crutches. I fell directly on my knee a few years ago and DID go to the emergency clinic. They did nothing except take some xrays and TRY to give me an up to the thigh brace PLUS crutches to which I said NO THANKS. I wrapped it with an ace wrap for a few days to stabilize a little and bought a knee brace at the store. Hope you feel better soon and get off those crutches. ugh
Besides the crutches, you might want to invest in a knee support from the pharmacy. A good sturdy one costs money but it's a LOT cheaper than a doctor and they work. Trust me, been there, done that. Hope you can work the medical bill out ok.
So sorry about your knee ! The crutches are not adjusted for your height and that is why they are hurting your arm pits ! Stand the crutch under your arm and adjust it so the crutch stops just short of the armpit. They should NEVER be against your "pits". It could cause nerve damage. If there a way to adjust them then please do.
I'm so sorry. You are correct in your opinions on free medical care for certain groups...I think most Americans would agree. And don't you hate not being able just to get up and do for yourself? I'll be praying that the leg heals and you will be able to get that hospital bill straightened out. I had to use crutches once and I remember having to be measured for them. The man said they weren't supposed to be right up under the arm but a few inches below the underarm. Well heck - that made them even more difficult to use! So they were tossed. I'm grateful you weren't more seriously injured.
I agree about insurance! It sucks for self-employed. I pay over 10k/year to insure myself and daughter. I tore my meniscus last year, and cannot afford to have the surgery to fix it. My dr. asked me what I was going to do..told him I ran the numbers (copay and deductible) and it was cheaper for me to buy a zero turn lawnmower for this summer...so that's what I did. Hope your knee feels better, I agree about getting a brace of some sort.
Oh Karin, I'm so sorry you are hurt. I pray that your knee heals, do the RICE and maybe use an ace bandage to keep it wrapped. I pray you can do something about that bill too, I hate medical money issues. Sit down and play with your fabric ;) Take care my Friend.
I would really get it checked. Coming from a older lady 77 to be exact, you don't want to deal with something later in life. Believe me things show up as we age from injury's. I would definitely find out why you have such a large bill waiting to be paid. The health insurance is the pits, and the government is no help either. they are the problem. It is a shame young people have to go through these things. we never had such problems in the old days. We didn't have the red tape like now days. Take care and I hope all will be okay
Hi Karin, so sorry to hear about your accident. I sure hope you're doing better now. Sometimes just not using the leg for a while helps, walking can and will make the condition worse. Camping out in your sewing room may be
just what you need. (lemon aid from lemons) Yes, medical insurance is very
expensive, I'm so glad we had it when Ken was sick, the bills were in excess of $300,000! Between medicare and insurance, we were covered. I'm saying
some prayers for you.
OH NO!!!! I am with you on the ER - plus - its kinda scary in there! I hope you are all healed and that you are off crutches!! they hurt a lot!!!
Oh, awful. All of it! The falls, the crutches and the sore armpits, the week's wait to get to a doctor, the pain, the outrageous medical bill. I'm so sorry. I wish I could help. I can't really help but I can make a suggestion about the crutches. We always think we're supposed to rest our armpits on the top of the crutches, but really, we're not. While we're moving our bodies, we're supposed to be holding ourselves up with our hands and arms. So, the trade off in doing it this way is that our armpits don't hurt but unless we've got really strong hands and arms, they hurt like heck! This link (https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-to-use-crutches-2549326) says, "Move both crutches together a short distance in front of you (about 18 inches). Always take short steps when on crutches. While supporting yourself with your hands, allow your body to swing forward as if you were going to step on the injured leg, but instead of placing weight on the injured leg, rest your weight on the crutch handles. Do not allow the crutch top to touch your armpit; keep your body supported with your hands."
I think today was your doctor's appt. I hope you got good news and that your knee is feeling better. Prayers for you!
Just read this post and being a Canadian I am BLOWN away at that bill! Seriously, I do not understand this at all. Praying that all is well with you and that the insurance company gets a shake of the head and pays the bill!
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