Anna Marie has Breast Cancer

[church_of_dog]

Ah thank you.  I've never been married and was worried there for a moment.  But I've worked enough to qualify for Social Security so I hope that means I will also qualify for Medicare.

[PennySycamore]

38 minutes ago, church_of_dog said:

Ah thank you.  I've never been married and was worried there for a moment.  But I've worked enough to qualify for Social Security so I hope that means I will also qualify for Medicare.

Don't worry, @church_of_dog!  You will!  I don't know how old you are, but I hope by the time you are old enough for Medicare, we'll have Medicare for All/single payer.

[church_of_dog]

Thanks @PennySycamore.  I'm closing in on 58 so I have a few years to go, but not all that many.

[SoSoNosy]

A single lady in my Sunday School class wants her Medicare, but doesn't want to start drawing SSA yet.  She has been told no problem.

Edited January 17, 2020 by SoSoNosy

[Coconut Flan]

Exactly.  SSA can't force someone to start taking checks.

[feministxtian]

4 minutes ago, SoSoNosy said:

A single lady in my Sunday School class wants her Medicare, but doesn't want to start drawing SSA yet.  She has been told no problem.

Medicare is automatic when you turn 65. Its not that great. My hub had medicare because he was on SSDI...and we found out it didn't pay for shit. He missed the cutoff for a medicaid supplement by 5 bucks a month. I'm currently on medicaid. It's better coverage than what I would get from the VA (CHAMPVA). 

[Coconut Flan]

Medicare covers 80% of their covered charge for most things.  I don't remember the deductibles for the ER and such.  They have rules and restrictions on things like durable medical equipment that can be rather arcane.  Regular Medicare does not cover prescriptions.  I'm not really a fan of Medicare for all without some other options.   I'd be paying a LOT for medical care if my work hadn't allowed me to keep their health insurance into retirement.  Between the two, I pay nothing except some  prescription co-pays.  It's a very good thing because my monthly medical treatment that I have to go to LA to get is billed at over $26,000 per treatment.  

[PennySycamore]

@Coconut Flan,  I hope that Medicare for All would truly be a single-payer system in the model of Canada's system where out-of-pocket costs are minimal.   I did get an email yesterday from John Delaney and he'd like a hybrid: a government run system for those who choose it and private insurance for those who want that.  Delaney has worked in the insurance industry, IIRC.  (He's not who I'm supporting, btw; I'm a Warren girl.)  I don't despise him though.  That is reserved for Tulsi Gabbard.

[Coconut Flan]

With Medicare, I think it's be careful what you ask for.  It might not be the panacea some people think it would be.  As it is currently it would definitely not be no or very limited out of pocket expense.  If my mother and I didn't have additional insurance, I'd have trouble keeping up with both of our co-pays.  Many, many claimants called complaining after they were on it.  It isn't as good as the insurance many people have yet it's much, much better than what others have.  So it would be good to have as an option unless it's a completely revised program. 

[Bestgma]

Between my husband and me, we pay over $800/month for premiums for standard Medicare, part D  (prescriptions), and a great Medicare supplement that pays 100% of the remainder of any covered service. We both have many health issues, and insurance has been billed over $500,000 this year for my care. Last year we paid $14,000 out of pocket for premiums, copays, and OTC goods. How do people manage with just Medicare? We dip into our retirement savings every month. 

[snickerz]

I wonder how Steve is handling this diagnosis. The man who freaks out over contrasting buttons now he has to think about and have conversations about his DIL's breasts. 

[OMG]

On 1/15/2020 at 7:58 AM, feministxtian said:

I'm not the world's greatest housekeeper, but my kitchen and bathrooms are pristine.

You do realize that your definition of "pristine" and someone else's definition of "pristine" can vary, sometimes greatly?

Do you have pets? Possibility of hair in food. Do you smoke? That's whole other different level of no-goddam-way-am-I-ever-eating-food-made-by-you.

I've also recently learned that people on this forum do not bathe regularly. Like, twice in seven days is 'normal' for them. So you see, there are many, many reasons people turn down home cooked food. Sorry, not sorry. *shrug* This really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, frankly.

On 1/15/2020 at 7:37 AM, HereticHick said:

Do you never eat a meal at someone else's house?

Good lord, no. People still do that? I mean, I understand having family over or going there but at least then you KNOW whether they are disgusting people or not. But eating at someone's house that I don't know that intimately? never. 

Perhaps I have a weak stomach.

 

On 1/15/2020 at 10:10 AM, Alisamer said:

I personally would just thank them profusely then toss it when they're not looking. It'd be really, really rude not to accept it.

Exactly. No need to ruffle anyone's feathers. I've often felt guilty having to toss all that work that they went to 

A thank you card will always be received from me. I do appreciate the thought and the work they put into it. Very kind. Just misdirected, imo. 

@feministxtian so I was right..?   There's a reason why it is illegal to have animals or cigarette smoke in restaurant kitchens -  even shitty fast food places. But you know that.

Edited January 17, 2020 by OMG

[Maggie Mae]

4 hours ago, PennySycamore said:

Don't worry, @church_of_dog!  You will!  I don't know how old you are, but I hope by the time you are old enough for Medicare, we'll have Medicare for All/single payer.

I hope so, but I also want a world to live in. I'm afraid that if it's not Sanders or Warren, it won't matter one bit because we'll be facing an environmental disaster that very few will survive. 

 

For all of you Social Security experts - I drew Social Security as a kid, as my Dad was disabled. Would that count against me when it comes to minimum earrings or whatever? 

[Melissa1977]

1 hour ago, snickerz said:

I wonder how Steve is handling this diagnosis. The man who freaks out over contrasting buttons now he has to think about and have conversations about his DIL's breasts. 

I suppose that Teri and him are so scared and sad that there's no energy to waste in ridiculous modesty standards. 

[nelliebelle1197]

4 hours ago, OMG said:

You do realize that your definition of "pristine" and someone else's definition of "pristine" can vary, sometimes greatly?

Do you have pets? Possibility of hair in food. Do you smoke? That's whole other different level of no-goddam-way-am-I-ever-eating-food-made-by-you.

I've also recently learned that people on this forum do not bathe regularly. Like, twice in seven days is 'normal' for them. So you see, there are many, many reasons people turn down home cooked food. Sorry, not sorry. *shrug* This really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, frankly.

Good lord, no. People still do that? I mean, I understand having family over or going there but at least then you KNOW whether they are disgusting people or not. But eating at someone's house that I don't know that intimately? never. 

Perhaps I have a weak stomach.

 

Exactly. No need to ruffle anyone's feathers. I've often felt guilty having to toss all that work that they went to 

A thank you card will always be received from me. I do appreciate the thought and the work they put into it. Very kind. Just misdirected, imo. 

@feministxtian so I was right..?   There's a reason why it is illegal to have animals or cigarette smoke in restaurant kitchens -  even shitty fast food places. But you know that.

Troll warning! Troll warning! Ignore it, downvote it into oblivion but don’t reply to it. I think it has a crack problem that keeps it up all night.

[SoSoNosy]

7 hours ago, Maggie Mae said:

 

 

For all of you Social Security experts - I drew Social Security as a kid, as my Dad was disabled. Would that count against me when it comes to minimum earrings or whatever? 

No.   You were drawing against his Social Security earnings.  When you get ready to draw, it will be against your own/your mate's.  I drew on my own for a while, but when my husband passed away, I switched to his.  If he had lived to draw SS, I would have been able to draw an amount equal to 50% of his, but it wouldn't have affected his.

[Maggie Mae]

11 hours ago, OMG said:

Good lord, no. People still do that? I mean, I understand having family over or going there but at least then you KNOW whether they are disgusting people or not. But eating at someone's house that I don't know that intimately? never. 

Please don't ever leave your little urban bubble, wherever it might be. When I used to travel to the bush, I'd have to sleep on the floor in the school library or an office. Those people were nice enough to feed me when my stash of food ran out when my plane was delayed for weather. No, people's kitchens weren't "pristine." No one was smoking or throwing hair into food, but it's the bush. It's cold, there's not always running water, food is expensive. I appreciated every bite of moose stew and reindeer sausages and even the peanut butter crackers, because people were willing to help a fellow human. 

[Coconut Flan]

14 hours ago, Coconut Flan said:

Between the two, I pay nothing except some  prescription co-pays.  It's a very good thing because my monthly medical treatment that I have to go to LA to get is billed at over $26,000 per treatment.  

Not to make this all about me, but I just received a new EOB.  The treatment is now billed at over $37,000 per treatment (every four weeks).  My copay with Medicare would be over $1200 a month.  That's a great deal of help both with reducing the overall charge and paying a good chunk of what's left which is well worth it.  However, it still leaves a really big bill every month that I'm extremely thankful my other insurance calmly pays. 

[HoneyBunny]

I have been traveling in the hinterlands of the world, and just today found some WiFi to check in with my gateway fundies. Oh my. This is such horrible news. Despite the fact that we agree on not much, I kinda like non-reversal Anna. Say what you will, she gives it her best, all the time. All that sewing with all those little ones?  She is the least lazy of the Maxwell bunch. 
 

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer two and a  half years ago, I had prepared myself with why it wasn’t going to emotionally wreck me:  I was educated, I had seen much of the world, I had a wonderful husband and support group, I had amazing health insurance (husband is retired military and retired federal employee), I didn’t have little ones depending on me for love and care. It may sound trite, but I actually had made a written list of what I had going for me between the time of my diagnostic mammogram and my biopsy. It saved my sanity.

 I can’t bear the thought of those kids dealing with this. Those little girls, especially, will be forced into early sister-momship.  It’s so sad.

 But those are just some recurrent thoughts. What I really want to say is that I wonder how Anna will find care she is comfortable with.  I chose a largely female medical team from our state university.  I needed their nurturing, I needed their hugs, I was baring my sagging DDs to them daily and needed to be as comfortable as possible.  Yes, I had the occasional male doctor or resident, but they were the exception.  Will Anna be more comfortable with men touching her repeatedly, or will she opt for the many ebil wicked women who are in this profession?  How will this affect her misconceptions about working women and mothers? 

Sorry for the ramble  I am sitting on a dirty sidewalk as I type this, using WiFi from a local cell phone store, so I have no time to edit.  Just wanted to weigh in. I fervently hope this turns out as well as it can but I have a bad feeling about this.  

 

[Jigsaw3]

My thoughts are with Anna and her family.

I do wonder about the homeschooling. I have a relative who has been homeschooling and was diagnosed with breast cancer about two years ago. At this point the prognosis is good, but it's been two years of surgery, radiation, chemo, appointment after appointment, reconstruction, treatment, appointment, etc. Completely understandable. But .... while I'm glad her family is prioritizing her health, homeschooling has been ... let's just say, lacking. In addition to whatever lessons she set at home, the oldest kids participated in a co-op that meant that they got a decent education and were quasi ready for a respectable university. However, I don't think the younger kids (high school age) are getting much if any education at the moment. They haven't been involved in the co-op since the diagnosis, and I haven't heard much about the subjects being taught at home. My relative hasn't homeschooled and the kids aren't getting any education, and I'm really afraid they've fallen a lot further behind than anyone realizes.

Anna's kids are younger and there are lots of relatives around to help out, so I do hope that the kids get the support they need to continue with school and to help them deal with the stress of their mother's treatment (should it be cancer.) I don't want them to fall behind.

[Maggie Mae]

I don't know how people can find someone who upholds patriarchal society by keeping her girls ignorant, away from the "corrupting influences" and not believing in the value of education is at all "likeable." she's not likable. She's a Trump voting, anti-choice, anti-woman, anti-education person who I guess some here find attractive and smiles a lot. Cancer sucks, but I hope this somehow puts her on the path to put her kids into school so they can have a future. 

[mango_fandango]

Sadly the ChrisAnna family strikes me as the least likely of the “mini families” to put their kids into school. There is zero way they’d go to public school, and I doubt they have the money to send all six kids to private school for several years each. 
I imagine they may well set up a little Maxwell homeschool co-op, with all the grandkids together, with teaching split between the moms (including Anna Marie if she’s able/up to it). 

ETA: Anna is being induced. It’s on the blog.

[mango_fandango]

Just to let y’all know, Anna Marie has begun the induction process. 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

5 minutes ago, mango_fandango said:

Just to let y’all know, Anna Marie has begun the induction process. 

I hope she gets the best possible care.  This kind of thing can be life changing in ways one would never expect.  To piggyback on @Maggie Mae 's on Anna Marie's thread I do hope this results in a change in their outlook toward education for their children.  There will no doubt be multiple medical professionals who are women tending to her, and hopefully that will open their eyes that women can be valuable in all walks of life, not just inside the home.

I hope she and the baby are safe.

[SPHASH]

Sounds like Amish Anna is homebirthing.  I don't like that.