Went to see the doctor Tuesday, she was very happy with the results of my labs. I have been off Statins for six months and she wanted to see if I would be able to keep my cholesterol levels down without medication.and I managed to do that.
My glucose levels also went down even though she cut my dosage in half on my last visit. She, therefore, took me off the medication...yeah!!!
I am back down to just taking my blood pressure pill. High blood pressure runs on both sides of my family and I am ok with having to take this medication for the rest of my life.
It has been raining daily and my nerves have been on edge, I do not want a repeat of last week.
Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.
NBA Corner
I can hardly believe the NBA Finals start tomorrow. I have not decided who I am going to root for, I disliked both equally during the regular season. However, after the dirty play by ZaZa on Kawhi Leonard, I have come to deeply dislike the Golden State Warriors.
The only bright side is that now I will be able to do what I could not during the regular season or the playoffs and that is to enjoy a nice cold beer :)
Terlingua Dreams
Governors Landing Campground - Lake Amistad - Del Rio, Texas
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Outrageous fees for Lab work
My doctor will not give you your lab orders until almost close to your appointment date. Her staff said this is because most patients tend to lose them so to call a week before. That is exactly what I did last Monday. Had to call them on Tuesday and again on Wednesday before they finally had them ready. I was pretty pissed off because on Wednesdays I buy a lunch plate from this lady that I have mentioned on prior blog posts. I wanted to eat it without it affecting my lab results, in particular, my cholesterol test. So no dice had to save my plate for another day and settle for yet another salad :-(
It is a good thing I went early to Val Verde Regional Medical Center as it takes longer to fill out the paperwork than it does to get your labs done. I was given the bad news that as of January 2017 they no longer offered labs at $40.00 each for people like myself that do not have insurance.
The doctor had never ordered five tests before, I will ask her when I see her but I think her nurse messed up. To make a long story short they came at a cost of $1,197.32 but if I paid using a credit card they would give me a 50 percent discount and it would only cost $598.00 ...she told this to me with a straight face! Are they crazy? Do I look like a millionaire? Told her I would have to go talk to my doctor because there was no way I could afford this with or without their generous discount.
That is exactly what I did but of course you only get to talk to the staff as she is with patients. They told me I did not have to get the test I was questioning but I needed the other four. I had already made up my mind to have them done In Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila, Mexico whether they liked it or not but she was agreeable.
Went home to pick up my passport and off I went on my unplanned trip to Mexico. The price for all five tests was $1,365.00 Mexican Pesos at an exchange rate of $17.00 pesos to one US dollar $80.29. By crossing the border I saved $517.71 US dollars.
It takes three hours to get the results so decided to treat myself to a trip to the beauty shop. I have been tinkering with the idea of highlighting my hair but chickened out at the end. She did give me some soft subtle ones and I am happy with them. Haircut, dye, style, facial wax and tip came to $500.00 Mexican Pesos for a US dollar equivalent of $29.41. I think I made out like a bandit on both instances.
Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.
It is a good thing I went early to Val Verde Regional Medical Center as it takes longer to fill out the paperwork than it does to get your labs done. I was given the bad news that as of January 2017 they no longer offered labs at $40.00 each for people like myself that do not have insurance.
The doctor had never ordered five tests before, I will ask her when I see her but I think her nurse messed up. To make a long story short they came at a cost of $1,197.32 but if I paid using a credit card they would give me a 50 percent discount and it would only cost $598.00 ...she told this to me with a straight face! Are they crazy? Do I look like a millionaire? Told her I would have to go talk to my doctor because there was no way I could afford this with or without their generous discount.
That is exactly what I did but of course you only get to talk to the staff as she is with patients. They told me I did not have to get the test I was questioning but I needed the other four. I had already made up my mind to have them done In Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila, Mexico whether they liked it or not but she was agreeable.
Went home to pick up my passport and off I went on my unplanned trip to Mexico. The price for all five tests was $1,365.00 Mexican Pesos at an exchange rate of $17.00 pesos to one US dollar $80.29. By crossing the border I saved $517.71 US dollars.
It takes three hours to get the results so decided to treat myself to a trip to the beauty shop. I have been tinkering with the idea of highlighting my hair but chickened out at the end. She did give me some soft subtle ones and I am happy with them. Haircut, dye, style, facial wax and tip came to $500.00 Mexican Pesos for a US dollar equivalent of $29.41. I think I made out like a bandit on both instances.
Sunday, May 21, 2017
Bailing water
It got very dark around two o'clock this afternoon, it looked more like 8:00 p.m. It did not take long for it to start raining cats and dogs. The leak in the kitchen that sprung up last year but had not leaked since started up again. The fireplace another culprit started leaking as well but we keep two containers in there in case it rains and we are not home.
The thunder and lighting began so I went to my room to watch TV knowing fully well that the signal would go out anytime. I barely slept last night and I got up early this morning, so decided to take a nap. Just then a bolt of lightning hit and the rain came down even harder. Decided to go check the leaks and then went to what was originally a reading room for my father but that since his passing has become a catch all room.
All of a sudden I see water on the floor, lots of water but this room has never had a leak and I do not see one in the ceiling. Then I see that the water is coming in through the window. I panicked trying to think what exactly I had in the boxes that were getting wet. Where are the towels? Oh yeah, they are in the trunk of my car in the garage. I then accidentally tripped over a bag of horse pine pellets I had forgotten I had. If you are not familiar with horse pine pellets it is used to make the chore of cleaning stables easier. I truly believe my dad had a hand in me stumbling into it. I spread it around and the water was easily absorbed.
I went outside and started bailing water to keep additional water from coming in. The rain was cold so I came inside threw on a heavy sweatshirt and put on my rubber boots. I was soaked from head to toe when I finished but felt a sense of accomplishment to have adverted a tragedy, well at least a tragedy in my book.
Three hours later it began to rain again! The windows are almost floor to ceiling and this had never happened before. Tomorrow I am going to buy some sand and some more horse pine pellets. It is almost 2:00 a.m. but I am afraid to go to sleep.
Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.
Spurs Corner
Who would have thought that the second oldest player in the NBA, Manu Ginobili would be the highest scoring Spurs in Game 3? I love you Manu, I have finally come to terms with Game 6 and 7 of the 2013 Finals.
If our luck was not bad enough we lose another player in David Lee :-(
The thunder and lighting began so I went to my room to watch TV knowing fully well that the signal would go out anytime. I barely slept last night and I got up early this morning, so decided to take a nap. Just then a bolt of lightning hit and the rain came down even harder. Decided to go check the leaks and then went to what was originally a reading room for my father but that since his passing has become a catch all room.
All of a sudden I see water on the floor, lots of water but this room has never had a leak and I do not see one in the ceiling. Then I see that the water is coming in through the window. I panicked trying to think what exactly I had in the boxes that were getting wet. Where are the towels? Oh yeah, they are in the trunk of my car in the garage. I then accidentally tripped over a bag of horse pine pellets I had forgotten I had. If you are not familiar with horse pine pellets it is used to make the chore of cleaning stables easier. I truly believe my dad had a hand in me stumbling into it. I spread it around and the water was easily absorbed.
I went outside and started bailing water to keep additional water from coming in. The rain was cold so I came inside threw on a heavy sweatshirt and put on my rubber boots. I was soaked from head to toe when I finished but felt a sense of accomplishment to have adverted a tragedy, well at least a tragedy in my book.
Three hours later it began to rain again! The windows are almost floor to ceiling and this had never happened before. Tomorrow I am going to buy some sand and some more horse pine pellets. It is almost 2:00 a.m. but I am afraid to go to sleep.
Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.
Spurs Corner
Who would have thought that the second oldest player in the NBA, Manu Ginobili would be the highest scoring Spurs in Game 3? I love you Manu, I have finally come to terms with Game 6 and 7 of the 2013 Finals.
If our luck was not bad enough we lose another player in David Lee :-(
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Where does the time go?
I can not believe we are 16 days into the month. Where does the time go? There was no way I was going to go either to a grocery or a big box store this past weekend so went today. We were practically out of everything since I have not had a chance to go shopping to Ciudad Acuna.
Went to Walmart and loved that they hardly had a crowd. I guess most people spent a pretty penny on mother's day presents this past weekend. They had a mark down on flowers to clear them out. A dozen roses were going for $2.00 and $3.00 certainly not what they originally sold for.
The last time I turned the car A/C it seemed to be in need of freon but today it worked just fine. Hope it was just a fluke.
Spurs Corner
What can I say? I am disgusted and appalled at the dirty play by Zaza Pachulia but not surprised. He is a dirty player and has a history of trying to injure other players in the league. Last year when he played for the Dallas Mavericks he was trying to take Kawhi down by forcefully pulling on his arm which could have dislocated or broken it.
I am glad Kawhi is going to get a chance to rest until Game 3 but this certainly changes the dynamics of this series. Now is LaMarcus Aldridge's turn to step up to the plate, this is going to be the most important playoffs series of his career.
Go Spurs Go!!!
Went to Walmart and loved that they hardly had a crowd. I guess most people spent a pretty penny on mother's day presents this past weekend. They had a mark down on flowers to clear them out. A dozen roses were going for $2.00 and $3.00 certainly not what they originally sold for.
The last time I turned the car A/C it seemed to be in need of freon but today it worked just fine. Hope it was just a fluke.
Spurs Corner
What can I say? I am disgusted and appalled at the dirty play by Zaza Pachulia but not surprised. He is a dirty player and has a history of trying to injure other players in the league. Last year when he played for the Dallas Mavericks he was trying to take Kawhi down by forcefully pulling on his arm which could have dislocated or broken it.
I am glad Kawhi is going to get a chance to rest until Game 3 but this certainly changes the dynamics of this series. Now is LaMarcus Aldridge's turn to step up to the plate, this is going to be the most important playoffs series of his career.
Go Spurs Go!!!
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Expensive medication / Spurs rose colored glasses
It has been in the 90's for the past couple of days. Have not turned on the A/C because mother has been coughing and I do not want her to get sick. At night I open the windows and close them in the morning so the house stays cool. It helps that we have several shade trees and strong winds that do not seem to want to subside.
Got up early so I could go pick up some medication at HEB. Last week the doctor ordered an eye ointment but insurance would not pay for it, asked how much it would cost if she paid for it...$240.00 he said...called the eye doctor back and asked him if he could prescribe a more affordable medication. He did so Thursday and HEB never filled it. Today I went to see why and the pharmacist said she could have it ready in an hour and a half.
Not wanting to have to drive back to town went to have breakfast at Chik-Fil-A and took advantage of their free WI-FI.as I killed time. The first and only time I have been to this fast food chain was twenty years ago in Houston. I had no idea they had a children entertainment area like McDonald's. There were a lot of screaming kids, do not think I will be back unless I use the drive-thru window.
Gasoline prices have gone down some. Stripes was selling regular unleaded for $2.04 per gallon if you paid with their credit card or $2.07 if you paid with cash or another credit card.
Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.
Spurs Corner
I am so sick and tired of national media disrespecting the Spurs. All I heard after the game Thursday night and all day Friday had to do with Harden. Not a single sports show or sports analyst gave the Spurs any credit for having won without two key players and on the road.
No one is giving us any chance in this series against the Golden State Warriors. I beg to differ and think we have a good chance. I may be accused of having Spurs rose colored glasses but I take the Spurs in 7.
Got up early so I could go pick up some medication at HEB. Last week the doctor ordered an eye ointment but insurance would not pay for it, asked how much it would cost if she paid for it...$240.00 he said...called the eye doctor back and asked him if he could prescribe a more affordable medication. He did so Thursday and HEB never filled it. Today I went to see why and the pharmacist said she could have it ready in an hour and a half.
Not wanting to have to drive back to town went to have breakfast at Chik-Fil-A and took advantage of their free WI-FI.as I killed time. The first and only time I have been to this fast food chain was twenty years ago in Houston. I had no idea they had a children entertainment area like McDonald's. There were a lot of screaming kids, do not think I will be back unless I use the drive-thru window.
Gasoline prices have gone down some. Stripes was selling regular unleaded for $2.04 per gallon if you paid with their credit card or $2.07 if you paid with cash or another credit card.
Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.
Spurs Corner
I am so sick and tired of national media disrespecting the Spurs. All I heard after the game Thursday night and all day Friday had to do with Harden. Not a single sports show or sports analyst gave the Spurs any credit for having won without two key players and on the road.
No one is giving us any chance in this series against the Golden State Warriors. I beg to differ and think we have a good chance. I may be accused of having Spurs rose colored glasses but I take the Spurs in 7.
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
May 2017 trip to San Antonio
Got up at 4:51 a.m. so we could get an early start for our trip to San Antonio. Rain was predicted in the morning but glad it did not come to fruition. We had overcast skies all the way and it made for a very pleasant drive.
We had an appointment with the ex-Uvalde, Texas doctor for whom we usually have a long waiting time. In case we could not make it back in time to watch Game 5 between the Spurs and Rockets, I packed an overnight bag so we could stay at a hotel.
Fortunately, we were able to get out of San Antonio before rush hour. We stopped in Castroville for a bite to eat as I did not want to heat up dinner when we got back to Del Rio. Figured I would miss the first half of the game but it does not matter how we start the game but how we end it and boy did we end it on a positive note!
Gasoline prices keep on creeping up. Uvalde, Texas had the lowest price between Del Rio and San Antonio. I filled up at $2.11 a gallon for regular gasoline.
Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.
Spurs Corner
I absolutely LOVED watching the game last night. Manu Ginobili turned back the hands of time.
Turns out I did not miss out on watching the first half as they rebroadcast the game. Stayed up until the wee hours and relished every minute of it though I only had three hours of sleep the night before.
GO SPURS GO!!!!!
We had an appointment with the ex-Uvalde, Texas doctor for whom we usually have a long waiting time. In case we could not make it back in time to watch Game 5 between the Spurs and Rockets, I packed an overnight bag so we could stay at a hotel.
Fortunately, we were able to get out of San Antonio before rush hour. We stopped in Castroville for a bite to eat as I did not want to heat up dinner when we got back to Del Rio. Figured I would miss the first half of the game but it does not matter how we start the game but how we end it and boy did we end it on a positive note!
Gasoline prices keep on creeping up. Uvalde, Texas had the lowest price between Del Rio and San Antonio. I filled up at $2.11 a gallon for regular gasoline.
Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.
Spurs Corner
I absolutely LOVED watching the game last night. Manu Ginobili turned back the hands of time.
Turns out I did not miss out on watching the first half as they rebroadcast the game. Stayed up until the wee hours and relished every minute of it though I only had three hours of sleep the night before.
GO SPURS GO!!!!!
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Walmart Vision Center / IHOP
We had not had a chance to order new eyeglasses for mother after her cataract surgery. We did not fill the prescription in San Antonio to avoid a return trip to pick them up. Not to mention that they were way too expensive at that high price clinic even using her own frames.
In Del Rio, we do not have many options so we ordered them from Walmart Vision Center. The tech told us that being that she had had cataract surgery on both eyes Medicare would cover a portion but it would take a week for them to authorize the payment. Had I known that out of $149.00 they only approved $39.20 I would not have even bothered.
They called yesterday to let us know that they were ready but there is no way I was going to Walmart on a Saturday. We went early this morning only to find that they did not open until noon. Decided to go have breakfast at Chik-fil-A where we have never eaten before. Was surprised that they are closed on Sunday...how odd!
Went to IHOP instead where I really do not like to go as it is always packed. I have not been able to find my camera in days so took pictures with my phone but I am having a heck of a time downloading them to my old computer. I swear I should be banned from using any kind of electronic gadgets :-(
As we waited for the Vision Center to open decided to use their WI-FI to watch the soap opera I missed Friday only to get a message saying my "authentication failed". I just can't catch a break!
Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.
Spurs Corner
I am very nervous in anticipation of tonight's Game 4. Perhaps all the coffee I had at IHOP might have a little to do with it too.
I am so disappointed that the Toronto Raptors got swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Was hoping they would split the series like they did last year. I was rooting for Cory Joseph a former Spurs.
In Del Rio, we do not have many options so we ordered them from Walmart Vision Center. The tech told us that being that she had had cataract surgery on both eyes Medicare would cover a portion but it would take a week for them to authorize the payment. Had I known that out of $149.00 they only approved $39.20 I would not have even bothered.
They called yesterday to let us know that they were ready but there is no way I was going to Walmart on a Saturday. We went early this morning only to find that they did not open until noon. Decided to go have breakfast at Chik-fil-A where we have never eaten before. Was surprised that they are closed on Sunday...how odd!
Went to IHOP instead where I really do not like to go as it is always packed. I have not been able to find my camera in days so took pictures with my phone but I am having a heck of a time downloading them to my old computer. I swear I should be banned from using any kind of electronic gadgets :-(
As we waited for the Vision Center to open decided to use their WI-FI to watch the soap opera I missed Friday only to get a message saying my "authentication failed". I just can't catch a break!
Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.
Spurs Corner
I am very nervous in anticipation of tonight's Game 4. Perhaps all the coffee I had at IHOP might have a little to do with it too.
I am so disappointed that the Toronto Raptors got swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Was hoping they would split the series like they did last year. I was rooting for Cory Joseph a former Spurs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)