[Pope]

You guys want a joke? I am one right now. I am sick as all get out. I mean ear ache, congested and a cough from hell. I could not get a doctor's appointment until tomorrow. Although, this is not the joke. I just finished putting Blake down after cooking dinner, playing a game and just being Papa. Well, I am exhausted and I walked into the guest bedroom to get on the computer when I saw the bed. I decided to plop down on the bed, but did a face plant on the foot board. I was seeing stars and thought I knocked my eyeball out of the socket. I never sleep on this bed and had a sheet over the foot board, so I did not realize it was elevated that high. Now, I am sick with a nice royal shiner. At least I can still see. Lets hope the swelling goes down over night.

 

[bighead]

Here's a virtual steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup and a chilled beef steak for you Brandon. Get well soon dude!

 

[Bret]

Dang Brandon.. sick and have a shiner, to boot.. now dont that beat it all??
you had better get well soon.... we have some fishing to do next weekend....

 

[Pope]

Thanks for the steak and chicken soup bighead. I have fished through worse and will be ready spackle the deck with blood next weekend. I mean spackle too. We can't afford to spill an ounce of blood during the tournament. Head shots on the gaff jobs!

 

[Minnow]

Brandon,

get well soon.

 

[Ragman]

Get better soon Brandon!

On the bright side, at least it waited until after your trip to Hawaii!

Faceplant on the foot board is over the top! Like being sick as he** wasn't enough.

 

[Pope]

Thanks fellas. The swelling has gone down, but man is does it hurt to touch. I think my body is fighting off the weakness by itself, but I am going to the doctor to get stocked up on antibiotics for the next time.

 

[MrBill]

Being sick in the summer months sucks. It's very hard to get rid of congestion this time of year. Watch out for those Doctors and the bills. They try to screw you every time.

I just finished signing a check for $10,380.35 for one month at a Skilled nursing center. That's a nursing home that is for people that require 24-7 care. That check is written every 30 days. You also have to pay them one month in advance. If you have a stroke and you are not responding to therapy, Medicare will pay nothing. The sad thing is you want to die, but your not hooked up to anything to unplug.

A living will does nothing in this case. You can also live for many years in this condition. If your heart, lungs, liver and other vital organs are OK, you better have deep pockets. Along with this you still have a household to maintain with taxes, utilities, yard care, personal bills, etc. It's very easy to burn 15 grand a month. You will also have to go back into the hospitle every once in a while with another mini stroke. That really is a wallet drainer.

Figure 5 grand a day for a hospitle stay. It is very easy to stack up a quarter of a million dollars in one month at a hospital. Medicare will pick up 80% but not on everything. Getting old is a horrible thing.

Enjoy your youth while you can and save up as money as possible for the big wallet drain. Otherwise you will be in a State place that is absolutely disgusting.

 

[Pope]

I have power of attorney for two people in my family. I am very aware of the nightmares associated with poor health. That is one reason I stay in shape, eat well and exercise every day. I don't want my son to suffer due to my needs as an old man.

Sounds like you are taking care of a parent. A visit is worth a million dollars any day. You can't put a price on knowing you are loved and cared for by those who love you.

 

[MrBill]

Sounds like you are taking care of a parent. A visit is worth a million dollars any day. You can't put a price on knowing you are loved and cared for by those who love you.

I couldn't agree more.

Let me give you another scenario. Your father and mother in law are also up there in years. The man has been stuck at home for 7 years taking care of his wife. All of a sudden, he takes ill and is hospitalized for a month. She then has to be taken to a nursing home while he is recuperating. When he finally gets out, he can't drive.

Somebody has to get grocery's, cook for him and drop in every day. Somebody has to take them to a doctor at least twice a week. Somebody gets a phone call in the middle of the night at least once a week from one of the nursing homes about a problem. Your In laws have two other daughters that live out of town and can't help. You constantly hear about the cost of the nursing home and it's time to bring the wife back home. He thinks he can handle her at home, but he can't.

You are used to having your weekends for hunting and fishing. Suddenly it's gone. You don't see any hope on the horizon. The possibility of digging into your own pocket for years to come could happen at any moment. It's frustrating and the only thing you can do is keep trying your best to keep all of them comfortable and happy. To top this off, you are self employed and your company is the busiest it's been in years. You are understaffed and can't find decent help so it all falls on you. Getting 3 hours of sleep a night is now the norm.

Hope you get well soon and catch some fish at the round up for me. I've had a cold in the summer and this will help. When you get offshore, stick your head in a bucket of saltwater and suck it up your nose. You will start blowing out all the crud. Repeat all day long. Next thing you know, your back to normal.

 

[Pope]

Bill, PM sent

 

[Ragman]

MrBill - You are the man!

As tough as it is, you're doing the right thing.

 

[MrBill]

Ragman and Pope thanks for the kind words. I just deleted my previous two post because I don't want to sound like a complainer. Just need to get a few things off my chest.