My 2009

Relaxing, waiting for the New Year. Not much choice as I am partly deaf due to a sinus infection.

This is the time of year when the media review the past year and make predictions for the new. In addition, we get a decade review and projections of what will happen in the next ten years.

My 2009:
Started off terrible. I was in the middle of a battle with my employer to resolve my "duty to accommodate" request, which came close to becoming a grievance. I lost six months of pay due to extreme fatigue, caused by the aggravation of my MS. I wasn't sure if I could go on. I wanted to quit working only to have it over and done. My employer refused to acknowledge my MS. They picked on one tiny part of a Health Canada report to insist that I MUST seek psychiatric treatment before they would even consider accommodating me. I'm telling you, there were times I felt like I was in the 1950's Soviet Union. Nothing is more evil than the person who smiles at you and then proceeds to try and destroy you.

Please, Please, if you are not trained in medicine or psychology don't try and impose your half baked ideas about therapy and drugs on someone. And if you no nothing about an illness; either educate yourself or shut up!!

Fortunately, providence rescued me in the form of a court case that ruled in favour of another woman who was going through similar hell. The attitude of my employer at the time was to impose accommodation rather than accommodate. There is a big difference. I don't know why they had that attitude and I don't care. I'm just glad that a judge had enough brains to review policy and give them all a legal slap!

Even after I received my accomodation it was a tug of war. This one person just couldn't stand being bested, even though allowing me to work at home was the right thing to do.

Then in the summer something strange (but good) happened. I made peace with a relative. End result of that is I came into some unexpected money, which I used to fix up my dilapidated house.

What I want to say is things can get better. You must hang in there. We all of us go through trying times and things can look bleak but we must not lose hope.

When things are better, remember the bad times but don't dwell on them. Use them as a lesson and savour the good. Oh ain't I the little philosopher!

I want to say Thank You to the following :

My Son. Kid, without you I don't know how I would have made it. You're awesome.

My Dad. Thanks for accepting my wanting to make peace. Oh and thanks for the money too. My house feels more like a home now.

Mom Thanks for the cross and your blessings. Keep praying. I think it works.

Frank. You kept telling me things would get better and they did. Your positive attitude was and is a tonic. You're one interesting guy.

Cathy, The Debbies, Joanne and Marta. You helped me out and prevented my cracking up. Thanks girls.

Postcards. Yeah my hobby was a good distraction from all my misery. Love ya, postcard pals.

The beautiful nature trails of Hamilton. Those walks restore my soul.

The birds in my backyard. Even though I spend too much time daydreaming when I watch you from my office window. Yeah even you crazy woodpecker!!

Dr. Paulseth. For being such a calm, cool, collected, doctor. You assured me I wasn't nuts when others were trying so hard to make me feel that I was.

Oh and thanks to all the bloggers out there who helped me unravel the crazy mystery of MS. Your advice,your stories, are an inspiration.

Here's looking to a truly Happy 2010 for all of us.

Out With The Old...In With The New

Continue to stay POSITIVE in 2010

Not Even 1% Fun

The old expression about traveling "getting there is half the fun". If ever there was anything so far removed from the truth, it is that statement.

I decided to go away for Christmas. I never said before, but my son has been away doing volunteer work for the past three months. There is also lots of feuding in my family. Had a lovely time visiting friends in the South West of the U.S. Had a delicious traditional Mexican Christmas meal.

The day after I arrived the failed bomb plot occurred. Yeah you know the one. The guy paid cash for a one way ticket to the U.S., his only luggage being explosives stuffed in his crotch. His father had warned authorities about his radical beliefs, he was on a watch list etc. etc. A dozen red flags.

My nice trip marred by 24/7 reporting of new airport security. There I was, already so tired from my trip down; that I couldn't even imagine what further annoyances could be put in place to make air travel even more irritating.

Every trip the flying experience gets worse. There is no communication between the various entities that are needed to get me and my fellow passengers off the ground. Every airport has their own rules, which seem to change with every flight.

All the billions spent on warfare, on intelligence, on security, yet still these evil fanatics can figure out ways to terrorize us. The only reason we got lucky this time is due to the fact that this nut was inept. Yeah lucky us.

So there I was getting ready to come back home. Glad that I only had a suitcase and my purse to take with me, albeit a very large purse. The media had said that no carry on bags would be permitted. Then the story changed to only one piece of carry on luggage. You would not be allowed to have anything in your lap, you would not be allowed to get up from your seat one hour before landing(great news for the incontinent) No liquids of any kind would be permitted. There would be thorough body searches.

I packed my bag, thought twice about having a small bottle of hand sanitizer and my lip gloss on me. Decided to go ahead and include them as these items are not sold in any airports. You can buy booze, cigarettes, perfume, fancy bags, and overpriced souvenirs, yet the only lip balm I have ever seen in an airport is the cheap, waxy, medicinal brand. Oh yeah you can also buy $4.00 bottles of water because you can't bring your own eco friendly water bottle with you.

Forget about me hiding this stuff in my panties. For some reason I am always the one who gets the pat down and the wand treatment when I go through security. I also get the third degree from immigration: Why am I visiting the U.S.? Who am I visiting? Where do I know these people from? What is their address? How long am I staying? (Hey you yelled at me to see my itinerary, check it out) Yeah, they shake down old ladies and let the bad guys sail through. And why don't the airports have any hand sanitizer? Everywhere you go now malls, offices, there are huge courtesy bottles of it, yet not at the airports.

Things went very smoothly at the El Paso airport. They had the same vigorous security in place, only this time I went through with no body search. Carry on bags? People had the usual ton of stuff. They did pull random people from the line to search them prior to boarding. That was the only difference I saw. Procedures on the airplane were the same as always. There were no restrictions on moving about the cabin at anytime, except when the seat belt sign was on. You could use your laptop, snooze with a blanket, and use the bathroom as much as you wanted.

At Houston I can't say what new measures they had in place, as I was already cleared and was just passing through for my connecting flight.

I can't say what security would work to keep us safe. Yes it's true that if a person has evil on their mind they will figure out a way, however, this time we really were asleep at the wheel.

I don't mind the delay for extra security. I appreciate that they are trying to keep us safe. I am baffled that in this so called information age, a bungler like this guy, who did a dozen suspicious things, could get on a plane and try to blow it up.

Air travel is already so difficult what with flight delays, unannounced gate changes, missed connecting flights, bad expensive food, gross bathrooms, crying babies, and lines, constant waiting in lines.

Instead of hassling innocent travelers, let's by all means have effective security.

Oh yeah and I had to pay $20 to check my bag!

A Strange Sort Of Holiday

Here I am posing with the case for the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima.
Yeah, it's been a weird holiday so far. Do you know where this picture was taken? I'll send you a postcard if you do.

Copaxone Price Shock

Presently, I cannot complain with how much I pay for prescription medication, but it is just a matter of time I will have huge out of pocket deductibles for my medications. I am fortunate to have the benefit of getting most of my prescriptions filled at a Military base pharmacy at no charge. However, I noticed prescriptions I take are slowly being phased out and I have no choice but to go to an outside pharmacy. In the past my co-pays use to be $3.00 generic and $9.00 brand. My co-pays are now $3.00 for a generic, $9.00 for a brand formula drug and $22.00 for a brand non-formula drug. If you are thinking most of my drugs are now brand non-formula...ding ding you are correct!

I made a conscious decision to not become dependent on the many drugs MS'ers are prescribed for every nuisance the disease bring our way. Yes, my neurologist did not like me taking most of my drugs as needed. My rationale to her dislike is...I am the one living with MS and I know my body better than anyone. I am not trying to play doctor, but I do know that I feel a lot better taking medication as I need it than taking it every day when the MS symptom or symptoms are no longer present.

However, Health Care Reform is definitely needed in America. Although, IMO what is being called Health Care Reform is a bunch of BS...KO eloquently tells you WHY! Washington needs to stop the RAPE of American citizens from the fraud and abuse of the Health Care and Big Pharma Industry...AND Washington needs to stop the BS political games at our expense! We are being raped with higher deductibles and co-pays because of the bullshit I just discovered. It is a damn shame how one pharmacy chain can charge almost twice as much for Copaxone and not be held accountable to WHY they are charging more than another reputable pharmacy chain.

Case and point, for years I have been filling my Copaxone prescription at the grocery chain Kroger Pharmacy, until December of 2008, I decided to have my Copaxone filled at Walgreens. Now I know how Walgreens can afford to have a pharmacy on every corner in about every state. I always assumed my insurance was paying Walgreens the same as they did Kroger after my co-pay until today. Express Scripts never sent me an Explanation of Benefits before today. They were not doing me any favors, what they were doing was soliciting me to mail order my Cymbalta through them; Which I plan to do because I can receive three months supply for $22.00 a month. Duh, who would not want to save $44.00? The SHOCK on the EOB was the amount TRICARE was paying Walgreens after my co-pay; I thought it had to be some sort of mistake. Therefore I went and pulled my 2008 prescription profile to see if Copaxone had a 100% price increase.


I discovered in November 2008, after paying my $9.00 co-pay at Kroger's for my Copaxone, my insurance paid them $1,783.00, which was an increased from 1,666.97 three months prior. However, in December 2008, I discovered after paying my $9.00 co-pay at Walgreens for my Copaxone, my insurance paid Walgreens $2,806.00 that is a freaking $1,023.00 difference. ..WTF!

Here is the industry BS according the EOB from Express Script I received today. Walgreens submitted a bill of $3,005.51 for my Copaxone, my insurance allowed amount is $2,562.19, I paid my $9.00 co-pay and TRICARE paid Walgreens $2,554.53. That amount is still MORE than what Kroger charges. Walgreens is pricing their drugs pass the allowable amount, knowing they will get paid the maximum amount allowed by my insurance...I have a bridge to sell you if you do not think the system is broken! It does not take a rocket scientist to see what the eff is going on with the industry.

Hell, its just a matter of time I will be paying for this fraud and abuse. It does not make any freaking sense how one monthly disease modifying drug cost $30,746.28 a year...at that rate a cure will never be found. TRICARE should have never paid Walgreens that much money. TRICARE would have been more cost efficient and proactive in their efforts of informing ME the drug I depend on daily to slow the progression of my MS cost them $21,396 a year at Kroger Pharmacy.

TRICARE listen up, I am going to save you $9,350.28 a year...I am switching my Copaxone prescription BACK to Kroger Pharmacy. How about a THANK YOU!

Merry Belated Christmas

I'm out and about. Updates after the holiday. Hope you are all having a good one

PEACE ON EARTH

To all:

My Christmas wish for you, my friend
Is not a simple one
For I wish you hope and joy and peace,
Days filled with warmth and sun.

I wish you love and friendship too,
Throughout the coming year.
Lots of laughter and happiness,
To fill your world with cheer.

May you count your blessings, one by one and when totaled by the lot, May you find all you've been given, To be more than what you sought.

May your journeys be short, your burdens light May your spirit never grow old, May all your clouds have silver linings, And your rainbows pots of gold.

I wish this all and so much more,
May all your dreams come true,
May you have a Merry Christmas friend
And a happy New Year, too.


MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND A BLESSED NEW YEAR!