Earth Muffin's Mellow Coffee Shop

[Sharon]

DD brought the kids over today and we had a nice afternoon swim.  It is kind of muggy today and it felt good.  Towards the end DD even brought DGD2 into the pool for a few minutes.  She really enjoyed it and was kicking her little feet.

I need to be getting ready for the garage sale we are having at the end of the week.  A couple of weeks ago I was doing good and going through stuff and now it's like eh, who cares.

[busymom]

Jun 26, 2023 20:07:23 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

I don't understand the reason for this heart monitor. It's not at all like the previous one I had. This one only monitors for 24 hours. And I have to write down my symptoms and check the appropriate boxes on a list.
What if I don't have problems during this period? And how is this different from me describing my symptoms to the doctor(s) directly? Seems like a waste of time to me. But at least I cooperated with the dr's suggested care plan.
I'm supposed to return the monitor tomorrow, although she said I can mail it, if I want to.
However, when they study the results, the outcome is different if you return it in 24hrs, instead of waiting a week, or longer. That makes no sense to me either.

Then I have an appointment scheduled with my PCP on Thursday. So much fun!

At least I don't have to wait 6mo for an appt, I guess.

Back in February, they over charged me (more than double) for my copay.
An investigation was done and I now have a credit on my account. But they're not giving it to me because I have an appt on Thursday. The difference is, in February, the insurance I had, didn't cover my PCP. Since then, I have changed insurance companies/plans, to one that does cover my doctor and there is a zero dollar copay. 🙄

The people working at the front desk there, refuse to listen. They can make appointments, but anything else, you're screwed. Or at least it seems that way to me.
Ugh.

  Wow, that IS strange.  DS had to wear a monitor, but he had to keep his on for an entire month.  Only 24 hours?!?  If they don't find anything, I'd either ask for longer testing, or find a different heart specialist.  JMHO.

  Regarding the billing error, do they have a billing department you can call?  Most of the doctors we see now don't even have their billing department on the premises.  The medical world is definitely getting weird.

[toomuchreality]

Jun 26, 2023 20:40:36 GMT -5 busymom said:

Jun 26, 2023 20:07:23 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

I don't understand the reason for this heart monitor. It's not at all like the previous one I had. This one only monitors for 24 hours. And I have to write down my symptoms and check the appropriate boxes on a list.
What if I don't have problems during this period? And how is this different from me describing my symptoms to the doctor(s) directly? Seems like a waste of time to me. But at least I cooperated with the dr's suggested care plan.
I'm supposed to return the monitor tomorrow, although she said I can mail it, if I want to.
However, when they study the results, the outcome is different if you return it in 24hrs, instead of waiting a week, or longer. That makes no sense to me either.

Then I have an appointment scheduled with my PCP on Thursday. So much fun!

At least I don't have to wait 6mo for an appt, I guess.

Back in February, they over charged me (more than double) for my copay.
An investigation was done and I now have a credit on my account. But they're not giving it to me because I have an appt on Thursday. The difference is, in February, the insurance I had, didn't cover my PCP. Since then, I have changed insurance companies/plans, to one that does cover my doctor and there is a zero dollar copay. 🙄

The people working at the front desk there, refuse to listen. They can make appointments, but anything else, you're screwed. Or at least it seems that way to me.
Ugh.

  Wow, that IS strange.  DS had to wear a monitor, but he had to keep his on for an entire month.  Only 24 hours?!?  If they don't find anything, I'd either ask for longer testing, or find a different heart specialist.  JMHO.

  Regarding the billing error, do they have a billing department you can call?  Most of the doctors we see now don't even have their billing department on the premises.  The medical world is definitely getting weird.

My previous monitor was for 30 days, as well.

I don't think the billing department is on site. When the error happened, I refused to sign the paper, for the charges, because it was wrong. The girl knew it was wrong, but she just kept arguing with me about it. I think, because she didn't know how to fix it. But she refused to admit she'd made an error. I finally had to say I'd have my bank stop payment, to end the arguing.
I'll ask about it on Thursday, when I go in. But it probably won't do me any good.
It's like talking to someone who suddenly doesn't speak English, after they had been for 15 minutes.

And I hit the side mirror on my car today, backing out of my garage, breaking it. I was trying to avoid hitting a trailer, parked behind my garage. I'm more than a little pissed about it.

[TheOtherMe]

My doctor's office has a billing office.  They have been easy to work with when I've had issues.

The receptionists don't seem to know much about payments.  

[jerseygirl]

DD had heart monitor for just 24 hrs. Few years ago Jerseyguy had one for 3 days

[busymom]

Good Afternoon Kids!  Unfortunately, our air quality index is back to carp again.  Canadian wildfires.  You can see the haze, and my eyes have begun burning, and I have a bit of a cough, so the clues are there.  Other than a quick trip to the grocery store, we are stuck indoors once again.

[busymom]

jerseygirl, I'm sorry you had multiple family members who had to get heart issues checked out.  I hope they both are doing well.  Or at least, as well as they can under the circumstances. 

[toomuchreality]

Well, I'm returning the monitor today. I didn't have any issues, so I doubt it shows anything.
I don't know if that's good or bad.
I'm learning to adapt, so that I don't cause myself problems.

[jerseygirl]

Jun 27, 2023 15:49:32 GMT -5 busymom said:

jerseygirl, I'm sorry you had multiple family members who had to get heart issues checked out.  I hope they both are doing well.  Or at least, as well as they can under the circumstances. 

Thanks,

DD had terrible long Covid. She went from very healthy and active, skiing, award winning mountain biker, ice skater, runner. After 3 day mild Covid (she was vaccinated) in December she became an invalid. As her son said mom went from running up mountains to not able to walk up stairs. She was ill for 6 months during this time had many cardiac tests among them cardiac monitor. Heart and lungs were fine. She joined the Columbia Presbyterian long Covid clinic and received some advice that helped and began to have some non miserable (not good) days
Her husband was exposed to Covid in May so both got paxlovid . She is now good! She did a 10 mile bike ride Sunday!
We were grateful to know from heart monitor and other tests that her heart was healthy even though she was so ill

[TheOtherMe]

The air is so bad here that schools are canceling softball and baseball games for tonight.  

[busymom]

I'm sorry your DD had long Covid, jerseygirl, but what a blessing that she is recovering nicely.  Must be a huge relief!

[busymom]

Good Afternoon Kids!  I just let one of the dogs out, and wow, the air smells bad right now.  Like one of the neighbors is having a bonfire.  It's just wildfire smoke.  

[toomuchreality]

Yikes! Being so close to the smoke and fires, that it impacts your daily life, doesn't sound so good. Do they know when they'll get them put out?

[busymom]

Jun 28, 2023 14:32:46 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

Yikes! Being so close to the smoke and fires, that it impacts your daily life, doesn't sound so good. Do they know when they'll get them put out?

     The closest fires to us is in the Boundary Waters area, but the media is blaming it on Canada.  Last I heard, they haven't gotten those fires under control.  Of course, being in the US, we may not be the first to get news from Canada.     Sadly, it's going to be a long Summer if this keeps up...

[TheOtherMe]

Air quality here is terrible again because of the fires in Canada.  Getting texts on my phone to stay indoors.  

[toomuchreality]

I'm staying indoors for the a/c.
And I'm tired of dealing with people who don't know how to behave properly.

[Sharon]

I went to the grocery store today, all I have to say is YIKES I don't think I have ever spent that much at the grocery store, but I'm well stocked for the long weekend.

[toomuchreality]

Jun 28, 2023 19:01:29 GMT -5 Sharon said:

I went to the grocery store today, all I have to say is YIKES I don't think I have ever spent that much at the grocery store, but I'm well stocked for the long weekend.

Too bad, you're not well stocked for a long time, after spending so much.

Since Covid hit, I'm always surprised at how much I spent and how little I got, when I go to the grocery store. Every single time. And it just keeps getting worse.

[Sharon]

We are now into garage sale countdown and the temp outside just keeps rising.  It is supposed to be 98 degrees tomorrow.  DD and the whole family will be over this afternoon to help set up.  DSIL started work this morning at 1am and hopes to get off around 2pm today.  He volunteered to come over and help set up tables etc.  He has worked so many hours this week we fully expected that he would take advantage of a child free house to get some good sleep.

Tonights dinner will be chicken enchiladas.  They are all prepped and in the fridge, just need to be thrown in the oven this evening.  I also got all the fruit cleaned last night so we will have grapes, cantaloupe, and watermelon for meals and snacks. 

[TheOtherMe]

Good luck with the garage sale.  They are a lot of work.

Got blood test results back and my thyroid is into hypothyroidism.  Bad enough that I am being referred to an endocrinologist.  That would explain the fatigue and general muscle weakness I have been feeling.

That's without even discussing blood clots.  

[toomuchreality]

Jun 29, 2023 9:58:44 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Good luck with the garage sale.  They are a lot of work.

Got blood test results back and my thyroid is into hypothyroidism.  Bad enough that I am being referred to an endocrinologist.  That would explain the fatigue and general muscle weakness I have been feeling.

That's without even discussing blood clots.  

I hope they can help you.


Good luck with the garage sale Sharon. I hope it goes well.


I have an appointment with my PCP this afternoon. I just want to sleep.

[Sharon]

Jun 29, 2023 9:58:44 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Got blood test results back and my thyroid is into hypothyroidism.  Bad enough that I am being referred to an endocrinologist.  That would explain the fatigue and general muscle weakness I have been feeling.

That's without even discussing blood clots.  

I'm glad your doctor caught the hypothyroidism.  I have been hypothyroid for 30 years now.  When mine was first discovered it was so far out of whack that they ran the test 4 times because the didn't believe the results.  Another one of the symptoms of being severely hypothyroid, at least in my case, was depression.  Now I just take my little pill about half an hour before breakfast and life continues on.

[azucena]

Jun 29, 2023 9:58:44 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Good luck with the garage sale.  They are a lot of work.

Got blood test results back and my thyroid is into hypothyroidism.  Bad enough that I am being referred to an endocrinologist.  That would explain the fatigue and general muscle weakness I have been feeling.

That's without even discussing blood clots.  

You're probably way ahead of me on this but I recently learned that thyroid problems can increase depression 
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9392461/#:~:text=Studies%20have%20demonstrated%20that%20somatostatin,increased%20risk%20of%20developing%20depression.
    "Studies have demonstrated that somatostatin and serotonin influence the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis, which links hypothyroidism to depression. Multiple studies concluded that     undiagnosed, untreated, undertreated patients with hypothyroidism are at increased risk of developing depression."

Both my doctor and DD14s doctor have recently ordered blood tests for us including thyroid. I think we're supposed to be careful to time it for a certain point our menstrual cycles but will need to re-read the order.

[TheOtherMe]

Hopefully once the dosage gets figured out, I will feel better.

[busymom]

Good Afternoon Kids!  Well, the rain missed us completely, and fired up East of us.  Not that I want heavy storms, but we need some rain, at it's looking like it could be another week before we get any.  If I understood the futures market better, I'd be doing some "playing the market", because frankly if this keeps up the harvest will be a poor one this year.


TheOtherMe, I'm sorry for everything you're dealing with, but glad your doctor caught the thyroid issues.  Hopefully once they get that managed, everything else will sort itself out.


The air is a wee bit better today, so DS & I made a quick visit to our favorite Scandinavian bakery.  Yum!  

[toomuchreality]

Jun 29, 2023 16:42:46 GMT -5 busymom said:

Good Afternoon Kids!  Well, the rain missed us completely, and fired up East of us.  Not that I want heavy storms, but we need some rain, at it's looking like it could be another week before we get any.  If I understood the futures market better, I'd be doing some "playing the market", because frankly if this keeps up the harvest will be a poor one this year.


TheOtherMe, I'm sorry for everything you're dealing with, but glad your doctor caught the thyroid issues.  Hopefully once they get that managed, everything else will sort itself out.


The air is a wee bit better today, so DS & I made a quick visit to our favorite Scandinavian bakery.  Yum!  

I saw a picture of how bad the smoke is, someplace in the USA, this morning. I was shocked! You could barely see the outline of a house, a few feet away.
No wonder they're telling people to stay inside!
Even when the bldg next to mine burned down and I could feel the heat from the fire, inside my apt, I could smell the smoke, but it wasn't as thick as light fog.
Stay safe!⁹

[toomuchreality]

I checked the price of replacing the mirror on my car today, while waiting at the doctor's office.
Price varied from about $22 up to $300!
I stopped at nearby auto parts store on the way home, to see if they have the mirror glass, which is all that broke. And I asked the guy that was helping me, how hard he thinks it will be to replace. He called it a DIY project, saying it shouldn't be hard. He said maybe one of the people who works there will be willing to help me, since it's fairly simple and shouldn't take long. So I ordered and paid for my mirror and will be very happy to get it replaced, so I don't have to be concerned about it any more.
The maintenance supervisor of my Apts also said it's easy and that he'll help me, if I need it. YAY!

I also spoke to the mgr and both maintenance men today, about the new tenant on the first floor and the issues I've had with him. He is not their favorite tenant either. I was encouraged to document my encounters with him, including him threatening me and his large dog being outside, off leash, with no collar and no one watching him, or paying attention to what he was doing, as he wandered around and then stopped in front of the stairs, so I couldn't get to my apt. He's a pitbull mix and I was carrying groceries, so I didn't want to deal with the dog, or it's owner. Finally, some kids got the dog to move. Tonight, the dad started banging on drums, he just bought, out on his patio. What an ass. Yet he says it's me and everyone else who is disrespectful to him and we are rude, for asking him to keep his noise down and for his 7-8 year old, to clean up his toys, chalk, pencils and crayons, left scattered across the breezeway ground, for multiple days. He was kicked out of a previous apt, for his noise and behavior. He and his son had to move into a homeless shelter Yet he still comes across as very entitled. He's definitely a male version of a Karen. Ugh.
I will be sending an email to the manager, documenting his behavior
and it's impact of me living my life peacefully. Hopefully, he won't be here long.

Last- my doctor appt seemed to go well today. My dr said she expected my heart monitoring to be for more than one day too. So we'll wait and see if anything shows up on the test I had done, then schedule another, longer one, if needed.
The only bad thing was, they refused to refund my overpayment, because although my payments have all been made, at the time of service and the money shows as a credit, my overall deductible for the year, has not been met, so they're keeping it!
That doesn't seem legal to me. They don't know that I'll even require that much service. It's an overpayment, based on an error they made. Yet they're refusing to return my money, based on my total deductible due for the whole year?
I'm not letting this go yet. That has to be wrong. Especially when I asked for the money to be returned. They've already had the extra money, since February, when I could have used it to live (groceries etc). It doesn't belong to them.
I spoke to the receptionist and her supervisor. I have now been referred to the billing dept, who is who told them I can't have my money back.

I need to report this to someone. I just don't know who. Maybe the BBB?

[Sharon]

Wish me luck for today.  I was glad to see DD leave yesterday and take the kids with her.  They were tired so they were extra loud and then one or another of them was having a meltdown every couple of minutes.  On Wednesday night I guess they did some front yard camping and slept in the tent.  Which was wonderful fun but they were up late so extra tired.

We are mostly set up but it just reached a point where everyone was so hot and dirty that DD and I agreed that a swim was needed.  This swim did help as everyone got cooled off.  We had some dinner which the kids hardly ate.  They just wanted watermelon but Mom said they had eaten enough fruit and needed to each a few bites of enchilada also.  Five of us ate half a 14lb watermelon yesterday, plus the kids had also had some cantaloupe.

My co-worker had some issues with jobs last night so I was up until 10pm helping him last night.  That means Grandma is tired today and will have less patience to deal with the kids today.  I'm hoping that when the two littlest ones go down for morning naps that the two olders will go in the backyard and play.  DD is also going to bring the two dogs over today due to the heat. 

[TheOtherMe]

Didn't you you had acquired nightmare neighbors toomuchreality     They can be such a pain.

I am glad my doctor's appointment is this morning, so I don't  have to wait around all day.

At the moment, there is no warning about the air quality.  I hope it stays that way.

[toomuchreality]

Jun 30, 2023 7:32:27 GMT -5 Sharon said:

Wish me luck for today.  I was glad to see DD leave yesterday and take the kids with her.  They were tired so they were extra loud and then one or another of them was having a meltdown every couple of minutes.  On Wednesday night I guess they did some front yard camping and slept in the tent.  Which was wonderful fun but they were up late so extra tired.

We are mostly set up but it just reached a point where everyone was so hot and dirty that DD and I agreed that a swim was needed.  This swim did help as everyone got cooled off.  We had some dinner which the kids hardly ate.  They just wanted watermelon but Mom said they had eaten enough fruit and needed to each a few bites of enchilada also.  Five of us ate half a 14lb watermelon yesterday, plus the kids had also had some cantaloupe.

My co-worker had some issues with jobs last night so I was up until 10pm helping him last night.  That means Grandma is tired today and will have less patience to deal with the kids today.  I'm hoping that when the two littlest ones go down for morning naps that the two olders will go in the backyard and play.  DD is also going to bring the two dogs over today due to the heat. 

Good luck in all you do today.

How long has your DD lived in the area? Have they never had a/c? Yikes!

When I was growing up, my family was the only one I can remember, who had any type of a/c. We had a swamp cooler. But unless you were sitting right under it, I didn't feel like it helped a whole lot, although I'm sure it did. The girls all slept upstairs, above the garage, which was extremely hot in the summer. Especially if you were the one on the top bunk.
We played in the sprinklers a LOT.

Your DD and her family are lucky you moved near them and that you share with them.

I didn't sleep last night, at all. I'm going to watch the girls today. And the dog trainer is supposed to be coming over, for another session with puppy #2.
DSIL is still recovering from his hip replacement. They're hoping that the new hip will help his body get back in alignment, so he'll have less back pain.
I hope I can talk the girls into either playing outside, or in their finished basement, where the toy rooms are, while the dog trainer is there.
I got some new nail polish and some tiny fingernail stickers, for one type of entertainment today. They love getting their nails done.
And I'm taking leftover pizza, pasta and cheese sticks, along with sodas and tiny cherry pies, for lunch.

Have you seen Hostess cherry pies recently? I bought 2 boxes on clearance last week. I was shocked at how small they are now. I don't think they're quite half the size they used to be! Although they're probably perfect for toddlers and young kids. Me, I usually eat 2! LOL