What Really Grinds Your Gears?

[Pyu76]

Another grinding moment... begging ass family members; folks who only call when they need something. One perk about being paid once a month, the money isn't there. I actually enjoyed my phone not ringing. I don't have money trees in the backyard.

I do! But for some unfortunate reason it only sprouted monopoly money for me this year! Really grinds my gears!

 

[Dallas O Hog]

UMMMMMMM.... I'm on a fixed income.... a low fixed income. Do they have coupons I don't recall saying I'll pay for another guy's meal LOL

U said it's a date lmao

 

[QLR1]

U said it's a date lmao

A date and time hasn't been set. LMAO

 

[Dallas O Hog]

A date and time hasn't been set. LMAO

I got u bro

 

[kronin323]

Big heads need love, too...

 

[QLR1]

Big heads need love, too...

YES!

The tagline that'll live on.

 

[kronin323]

[DOWNER ALERT - YOU'RE PROBABLY BETTER OFF SKIPPING THIS POST]

I have a sister and BIL. The Sis is a couple of years younger while the BIL is my age (we actually went to HS together in the same class but didn't really know each other well). They hooked up back then, were mostly-on / sometimes-off for about a decade before getting married.

There was a time when we were all pretty close but they can be a little challenging to be with. We eventually had a falling out around 7 years ago. That's water under the bridge now but we've never really regained a regular communication connection. Slightly estranged.

This past late spring the BIL had a colonoscopy and polyps were found. Biopsy showed cancer. They freaked out. Understandably.

On a separate but eventually related thread, around 15 - 20 years ago The Sis caught something that put her in the hospital for a little while. She recovered but there were some heart-related effects. She hasn't been limited in any way nor has it ever been a problem, but it basically makes her uninsurable, at least outside of an employee program.

But they're self-employed. There was a time when they were doing quite well but some stuff happened and they ended up in personal bankruptcy, barely kept the business afloat. They're out of it now but cash is still tight, their business is small, and they can't provide company health insurance for themselves and their employees.

Then Obamacare came along last year. But they hadn't needed medical care in a long time and cash was still tight so they decided not to sign up.

So then the BIL has colon cancer and no insurance. They actually had surgery scheduled but it got canceled due to lack of funds. He found another hospital willing to do it for a reduced rate for people in his situation and he got it done. He had been afraid it'd be stage 4 end-of-the-line but it turned out to only be stage 2 and they thought they got it all. Nice.

And then he ended up qualifying for a program that covered most of his bill. Nicer.

Happily ever after?

He's been getting monitored and late last week results said his markers were up. More tests were given. Today he was told that he has cancer in his liver.

Cancer that originates in the liver is different from cancer that metastasized from somewhere else - a biopsy can determine which kind by checking from which tissue / organ the cancer cells originated. Logic would say this is the metastasized kind but they still check. Regardless, neither one is good. Actually, seriously not good.

After the earlier lesson learned, they'd now signed up for Obamacare. But it doesn't go into effect until December. Sure, that's only a couple of weeks away but that time might make a difference. Or maybe not. We'll see. Surgery and chemo scheduled for early December.

He just recently turned 42 (I will hit that in Feb). Not young but not old, either. If anything happens to him it would devastate The Sis. I mean, may-not-choose-to-go-on-living sort of devastation. Their relationship is deep and complex, and there's more to the background story than I'm telling here...

I know this is a touchy subject for some but affordable, accessible healthcare is a third world problem. It shouldn't be a first world one.

 

[OakleyFrankFMJ]

[DOWNER ALERT - YOU'RE PROBABLY BETTER OFF SKIPPING THIS POST]

I have a sister and BIL. The Sis is a couple of years younger while the BIL is my age (we actually went to HS together in the same class but didn't really know each other well). They hooked up back then, were mostly-on / sometimes-off for about a decade before getting married.

There was a time when we were all pretty close but they can be a little challenging to be with. We eventually had a falling out around 7 years ago. That's water under the bridge now but we've never really regained a regular communication connection. Slightly estranged.

This past late spring the BIL had a colonoscopy and polyps were found. Biopsy showed cancer. They freaked out. Understandably.

On a separate but eventually related thread, around 15 - 20 years ago The Sis caught something that put her in the hospital for a little while. She recovered but there were some heart-related effects. She hasn't been limited in any way nor has it ever been a problem, but it basically makes her uninsurable, at least outside of an employee program.

But they're self-employed. There was a time when they were doing quite well but some stuff happened and they ended up in personal bankruptcy, barely kept the business afloat. They're out of it now but cash is still tight, their business is small, and they can't provide company health insurance for themselves and their employees.

Then Obamacare came along last year. But they hadn't needed medical care in a long time and cash was still tight so they decided not to sign up.

So then the BIL has colon cancer and no insurance. They actually had surgery scheduled but it got canceled due to lack of funds. He found another hospital willing to do it for a reduced rate for people in his situation and he got it done. He had been afraid it'd be stage 4 end-of-the-line but it turned out to only be stage 2 and they thought they got it all. Nice.

And then he ended up qualifying for a program that covered most of his bill. Nicer.

Happily ever after?

He's been getting monitored and late last week results said his markers were up. More tests were given. Today he was told that he has cancer in his liver.

Cancer that originates in the liver is different from cancer that metastasized from somewhere else - a biopsy can determine which kind by checking from which tissue / organ the cancer cells originated. Logic would say this is the metastasized kind but they still check. Regardless, neither one is good. Actually, seriously not good.

After the earlier lesson learned, they'd now signed up for Obamacare. But it doesn't go into effect until December. Sure, that's only a couple of weeks away but that time might make a difference. Or maybe not. We'll see. Surgery and chemo scheduled for early December.

He just recently turned 42 (I will hit that in Feb). Not young but not old, either. If anything happens to him it would devastate The Sis. I mean, may-not-choose-to-go-on-living sort of devastation. Their relationship is deep and complex, and there's more to the background story than I'm telling here...

I know this is a touchy subject for some but affordable, accessible healthcare is a third world problem. It shouldn't be a first world one.

That is unreal.


Ya know. A friend of mine said recently he goes "home" to get cured of whatever he has. He knows that here they won't cure you. Here they just keep you alive and on meds for the money. Here they don't approve meds that actually fix your problem. Here they approve meds that fix your symptoms while giving you others. In his country they give medical preference to the younger healthier generation who will live much longer that they fix. When you are really old you end up at the back of the line. There it isn't about the money, it's about fixing your issue and keeping you alive and healthy. Here, it's about what prescription they can write you.

What is wrong with this picture?

 

[qtrain23]

That is unreal.


Ya know. A friend of mine said recently he goes "home" to get cured of whatever he has. He knows that here they won't cure you. Here they just keep you alive and on meds for the money. Here they don't approve meds that actually fix your problem. Here they approve meds that fix your symptoms while giving you others. In his country they give medical preference to the younger healthier generation who will live much longer that they fix. When you are really old you end up at the back of the line. There it isn't about the money, it's about fixing your issue and keeping you alive and healthy. Here, it's about what prescription they can write you.

What is wrong with this picture?

Id believe that. I have a large distrust towards the government/big business just for that reason. You'll never see a cure for cancer, aids, diabetes, etc.

 

[QLR1]

Customer service reps whose first language isn't English. I may have an accent, but when I spell out a name and and you get a completely letter of the alphabet, we have a problem. Me: D-i-a-n-e
CSR: D-r-a-...
Me: No. D-i-a-n-e
CSR: D-r...
After a repeated exchange where I tried to tell the woman there is no r:
Gotta go, bye.
Thank God that some of these stores have mobile optimized sites. Placed the gift order, and I'm done.