Speedling in hospital.....

[Speedling]

Just listen to your wife and you will be fine, am I right?

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She has been amazing but her driving makes me sick! You would think her name was speedling!

 

[buckbuck]

I hope she is not on this forum....

 

[Speedling]

I hope she is not on this forum....

Lol she actually looked over my shoulder after i wrote it. I tell her in the car too!

 

[Bruce]

Lol she actually looked over my shoulder after i wrote it. I tell her in the car too!

Susan could sign up for an account if she wants to keep an eye on you

 

[Speedling]

Susan could sign up for an account if she wants to keep an eye on you

That might be a bad idea. I get in trouble for not getting stuff done as it is, i don't need fuel for the fire!

 

[Speedling]

So update: I got permission from the doctor to drive this past Monday. Tuesday I drove to our shop and just said hi to some of the guys and gave them a hard time. Then I drove to the hardware store to get a couple things. Wednesday (today) I drove myself to therapy but my wife was late for dropping the kids off at school and asked me to bring our oldest. I did, but I was definitely the slow old guy on the road! I guess it may be a good thing but I am extremely cautious! Certainly not a natural thing to drive. After therapy I went up north and bought my wife a new grill for Mother's day. She asked actually! She had the cash from her babysitting and "paid" me to go get one. Looks like a cool model. One of these new gas/charcoal models. I will be able to reuse the propane tank, and the grill cover from the current grill so saved some money that way. I think she just wants me to cook, LOL! I do love trying my hand at cooking, although, she's my worst critic because she is such a darn good cook! Also today I visited my second job. The owner wasn't there but a few of the employees were and we basically gave each other hard times about this and that and had a good time catching up. I did try to pick up a heavy box that we always joke around about because the owner bought a ton of them and has had us move them a hundred times. I got it on my shoulder, but then instead of putting it where it goes it kinda dropped off my shoulder, LOL no harm done, but I am still weaker than I was for sure!
All in all, driving is a little scary yet and I'm not ready to go a bit further north where it gets really busy but I can certainly drive myself to work and therapy and most basic places. Probably not ready for highways.
But, I am enjoying the most time I have ever had with my family. They also drive me to go to work sometimes,HA!
I still have an issue with hearing. It's not that I lost hearing, it's how my brain selects. For example, it used to be that if I was talking to my wife, I couldn't block out the TV or kids playing in the other room or anything. Now, I can start doing that a little bit but now it's like if my brain has to block things out, it blocks EVERYTHING out. So when I am on the phone, and I am trying to block out ambient noise of any kind, it's like my brain literally turns the volume down on EVERYTHING to where it's very hard to hear the phone. Very frustrating especially with phone calls. Better than it was though, and typically when I am in person with someone, I do just fine. I also am still told I ramble and don't know when to stop. I know some people are like that anyways, but I am not one of those people. I probably start typing like that here now! I also don't always catch myself from interrupting people in conversations. All these finer things need to be re learned in the brain as basically it was deleted. It's kinda frustrating since I would consider myself one of the more conservative talkers, and have been chairman of several committees and things like that so not keeping things back at appropriate times well, is different to say the least!
I have a meeting with the Rehab doctor on the 18th and that will determine what I can or can't do for work and travel etc. This will determine a LOT in my life for the rest of the year.
I also have ONE bill sitting here in front of me not paid by insurance in full. Unfortunatly it is the helicopter from the one hospital near me to the one in Chicago. It's a big one. I guess insurance just sent them a denial but they filed an appeal. Basically it comes down to a doctor's note of necessity or something similar to that. An argument can be had that I could have taken an ambulance instead. However, a stroke is very time sensitive and they were worried about needing to manually remove the clot or putting a stint in my brain. Both of those things would need to be handled very quickly and the hospital near me is not equipped for either situation. So, once this bill is sorted out, I will breathe easier! Hopefully insurance pays all of it but the chopper company says that they are out of network from my insurance because they fly out of Indiana (where I live) but I have Blue cross/blue shield of Illinois. I have awesome insurance and like I said, I am well past 6 figures on the bills they have paid but this last one is like the cherry on top.
In the meantime, keep me in the prayers for recovery and strength because I really hope to be going back to work soon! Back to work means getting life back to normal one step at a time but it will be awesome! Even if they tell me limited hours or light duty, my uncle has been extremely encouraging and I couldn't ask for a better boss, but I also want to earn him money, not just live off the fluff of the company! We talked about working limited hours, like morning till noon so that I can rest my body and mind up for the next day. In other words, a few GOOD hours instead of running out of steam and possibly making mistakes by working lots of hours. I do need to start making some hours up before I run out of Insurance but I am good through August from all the hours I have already worked.

Really what all this means is I am ONE STEP CLOSER to BOATING! Now, if it would stop raining so I can pull the boat out and finish up some of the chores on it!

 

[bobbie]

As soon as you can throw a corn hole bag... Morgan and I want a rematch! @Speedling

 

[swatski]

Really what all this means is I am ONE STEP CLOSER to BOATING! Now, if it would stop raining so I can pull the boat out and finish up some of the chores on it!

@Speedling this is phenomenal progress!!! God bless your wife, you bosses and therapists (and your dedication to recovery) - doing a great great job.
I also love how you have become quite wordy!

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[Scuba_ref]

It is much worse than I thought...you are trying to tune out the TV to listen to your wife. No man can do that!

 

[Speedling]

It is much worse than I thought...you are trying to tune out the TV to listen to your wife. No man can do that!

My therapist is a wife/mom for that!

 

[Speedling]

As soon as you can throw a corn hole bag... Morgan and I want a rematch! @Speedling

As soon as the rain finally stops i should break out that set of mine!

 

[Beachbummer]

A humble suggestion if I may,

Medical billing is a dark art, and it takes months and years to get all the bills in place and get the insurance coverage applied.

Providers are also many times open to negotiation of you ever have to pay a portion out of pocket....

So, do your best to not worry about the bill yet. It will get resolved by insurance very likely, and worse case, if you end up with the bill, it can be greatly discounted with some negotiation....

So, there's plenty to worry about, don't sweat the bill yet. Keep working it, but do not let it rob too many brain cycles just yet.

Your progress has been so impressive, best of luck as you continue to improve. It sounds like you are well on your way, and barely anytime has passed, so while your may feel you have a long way to go, it seems clearly an option to make it back all the way to where you were. Don't let the bill distract you if you can.

 

[Speedling]

As soon as you can throw a corn hole bag... Morgan and I want a rematch! @Speedling

And what if i beat you? What does THAT say?!

 

[Julian]

I agree with @beachbum ! Don't pay any medical bills for at least 6-12 months....give the insurance company plenty of time to pay it themselves and/or negotiate it down to a much smaller number.

I'm still helping my dad with bills from when my mom passed away (Oct '16). I think I got the last one to be paid by insurance (ER doc that wasn't part of the hospital)...but still waiting for confirmation!

Thanks for describing your condition so well! My Dad had a stroke in January, and no one explained the myriad of other impacts that a stroke can have on someone! He has had a terrible time with hearing also, and is deaf in one ear from before the stroke, so I'm now thinking it isn't just his deafness....it is probably impacts from the stroke!!! (amazed at all I learn hanging out here!)

Take it easy, and look forward to seeing you tossing bags at Shelbyville!

 

[Speedling]

I agree with @beachbum ! Don't pay any medical bills for at least 6-12 months....give the insurance company plenty of time to pay it themselves and/or negotiate it down to a much smaller number.

I'm still helping my dad with bills from when my mom passed away (Oct '16). I think I got the last one to be paid by insurance (ER doc that wasn't part of the hospital)...but still waiting for confirmation!

Thanks for describing your condition so well! My Dad had a stroke in January, and no one explained the myriad of other impacts that a stroke can have on someone! He has had a terrible time with hearing also, and is deaf in one ear from before the stroke, so I'm now thinking it isn't just his deafness....it is probably impacts from the stroke!!! (amazed at all I learn hanging out here!)

Take it easy, and look forward to seeing you tossing bags at Shelbyville!

Well, i paid one bill that basically squared away my first hospital and the 2 week stay at the in patient hospital. It was pretty small after insurance negotiated it lower and then paid almost all of it. I still am waiting on a $7 bill and an $11 bill for a couple things but it's one of these deals where insurance said that would end up being my responsibility but i haven't actually seen a bill so i won't pay it till i need to!And yes, my hearing alone will give me a headache that requiresme to take a nap and let my brain reset. I actually have moments of such hyper sensitive hearing that it is amazing what i can hear! It's seriously like a superpower sometimes! I will hear the receptionist typing in the rehab office when i am in a back room through 3 different doors and down a hallway. Clearly enough that i could tap out when she hit the spacebar. Other distractions at that time was the air blowing through the ductwork and the fan on the therapists laptop. I think this is why my brain will sometimes block everything out in a way because there just isn't enough room to process it all!
The mind certainly is a mystery!

 

[Bruce]

This might be a helpful story about medical billing. In 2009 I had my gall bladder removed. I picked a surgeon that was a friend and the leading hospital in the area. After talking to the hospital and their talk with my insurance provider they said my bill would be $3,400 after insurance. They asked for and I paid $1,700 up front. In the months after the surgery I received $14,000 of bills that my insurance provider did not cover for the planned procedure. After negotiation I paid around $4,000.

Medical providers charge very high rates to insurance companies but will discount prices much lower. For example when Rana had Emma we had the option to pay ~$5,000 for the delivery in cash or have our insurance company billed $30,000 of which they would pay a portion.

This is a huge part of what is wrong with our healthcare system!

 

[Scuba_ref]

I work for a healthcare facility and I routinely pull data out of it for various reasons. I recently was asked to look for the reimbursement rate for a particular implantable birth control device. The device costs $650 in the US, we charge $2500 for it and are reimbursed between $350 and $500 depending upon the insurance company. Interestingly the device costs between $9 to $70 in most other countries. There are a lot of things wrong with our healthcare system!

 

[Speedling]

Your progress has been so impressive, best of luck as you continue to improve. It sounds like you are well on your way, and barely anytime has passed, so while your may feel you have a long way to go, it seems clearly an option to make it back all the way to where you were. Don't let the bill distract you if you can.

Still, if I had to leave today for Bimini, I would not be comfortable at all. Plus, the kids are too much for me to handle and I get frustrated with them so taking them all the way down there is stressful just thinking about it! Progress needs to be go FASTER! LOL

 

[Beachbummer]

As long as you see continuous improvement, It's hard to ask for more. Bimini seems a great goal for next year. It will be there still.

I'm in Houston and I can't see myself going anytime soon. So you got me beat.

 

[msavold]

Medical providers charge very high rates to insurance companies but will discount prices much lower.
...
This is a huge part of what is wrong with our healthcare system!

Yup. Drives my wife nuts. It's all part of the ridiculous game. Bill $100, get paid $40-$50 or worse. Try and stop the 'game' and say 'I'll bill $40 and save us both some dancing" and... they'll pay $20. Even crazier when you see the differences from market to market area - it's all driven by the insurance companies, of course, trying to pay as little as possible even when it's something previously agreed. I mean, when you have staff that gets bonuses for denials... And the patients (and doctors too!) sweat it out.