February and the first part of March are looking to full of doctor’s appointments and family visits. Hubs will be home later tonight. His flight arrives at 9 PM. Before going to the airport, I’ll stop and get the groceries we will need for the week. So far, I’m at $165 for the month. It sure seems a lot for just me, but that includes things like laundry soap, health & beauty, paper products, etc., so I guess that amount isn’t terrible.
Three days after Hubs leaves, I plan on going downstate for my dad’s care plan meeting. The nursing home does these every six months, and being the health DPOA, I feel I should be there in person — the last one I attended via speakerphone. It wasn’t ideal as it was difficult to hear. I know that given his decline, one topic of conversation will be hospice. My dad will be 92 next week. When I saw him last November, he could no longer come up with my name, but at least he did recognize me.
I have yet to meet my new grandson, so I also want to do that while I’m downstate. Since I will only have a couple of days, I am still trying to figure out the logistics of my quick trip. It sure would be a lot easier if all my relatives lived near each other!
Two days after I get home, my daughter, son-in-law, and their five kids will be coming for a visit. By this time, Hubs will be back to work. Since I’m already taking time off to go downstate, I’m not taking additional time when they are here. We will have one full day when I’m not working, and for the rest, the kids will be busy playing in the snow.
I finally got around to scheduling an appointment with the oral surgeon to have my wisdom tooth out. I’ll have that done on March 2. I called our dental insurance, and they will cover 80%. Had the surgeon been in-network, they would cover 90%. I’m opting to forgo the $69 nitrous oxide (laughing gas) since I’d have to pay for that out-of-pocket. I’m frugal, and don’t have a $69 fear of the dentist!
The day after my appointment, Hubs goes for a routine colonoscopy. Lucky him! Taking this day off is another reason I didn’t request time off when my daughter and her family come. I had a dental cleaning scheduled for the same week, but with the extraction, I gave my appointment to Hubs. I know, so kind of me. Haha. My hygienist recommended waiting for a month to let my mouth heal. I’ll reschedule then.
At some point, I also need to see my doctor for my RLS. Unfortunately, the new med I am taking, along with the increased iron, isn’t doing much to relieve my symptoms. Even if it were, though, I’d still need to see my doctor to get a med refill. Management of RLS is often not too well understood by primary doctors, and as it progresses, it can be challenging to control.
Typing all this out, I realize I forgot one more appointment. Hubs sees the dentist next week for a cavity. Good grief. We usually aren’t ones to see so many doctors, especially in such a short amount of time. I’ll be glad when all these appointments are over. At least having Hubs home more and seeing family will brighten up this time!
I am thankful to have a cushion in our checking account. We will likely need it to cover the decreased income from extra time off, plus the time with family. As for the appointments, the colonoscopy and dental cleaning are covered at 100%, and we will take care of the rest with our FSA.
I’ll be thinking of both you & your husband on March 2 & 3, as my routine colonoscopy is also on 3/3. I had a dental cleaning scheduled for 3/2, but that has been postponed a week. I feel for you with your wisdom tooth. I have had to spend thousands on my weak teeth, but luckily I am healthy otherwise. I hate going to the dentist, & it’s SO expensive. Best wishes to you & your family, especially your dad.
Thanks, Mary. I’ll be thinking of you, too, when you are having your colonoscopy done. Not fun, but getting screened is so important. I’ve also had a lot of trouble with weak teeth. Even with dental insurance, the amount of money I’ve spent over the years makes me cringe.
Wishing you continued good health!
Best to spend the money and take care of all the medical/dental issues before they get really bad!!!! I’m lucky that my teeth are in pretty good shape (which is strange considering I never went to a dentist until I was on my own) and I’m still able to do the poop tests by mail instead of the colonoscopy…although I know that won’t last much longer :(. Good luck with everything and enjoy the time with your family!!!
That’s what I figure, too! Consider yourself fortunate to have good teeth and be able to do the (cough) lovely poop test via mail! Haha.
I never comment (just read!) but as someone who has had 2 wisdom teeth removed, if you’re anxious about having it removed the dentist should be able to give you an anxiety med to take day of that will make you loopy and not caring as to what is going on, for a cheaper cost (not sure on your prescription coverage). I had extreme anxiety about having them removed and also didn’t want to be knocked out for it. I was given an anxiety med with 1 dose I took the morning a few hours before my appointment (and an extra dose if I needed it when I was there, I didn’t) – I literally did not care about anything. (That said, I also definitely couldn’t have driven myself on it, I wasn’t walking straight haha). All I had was that anxiety pill and then the regular numbing to remove the impacted wisdom teeth. If you aren’t having any anxiety about it you’ll probably be fine with nothing but just throwing that info out there.
Thanks for your comment and for being a reader! As of right now, I’m not too anxious, but I’ll keep your suggestion in mind as the date gets closer!
My annual dr appts (visit. blood draw and mammo) are coming up next month. I also really need to get an eye exam and new glasses.
This getting older business isn’t for the weak! Fun times, indeed!
We are like vehicles, still dependable but need a little more maintenance.
Ooh, I like that!
Great read. Thanks for all the work you put in!