The doctor, insurance, puppy free

I got to work an hour earlier yesterday, so I could take that hour later in the day to be at Mama’s doctor’s appointment. I was glad I did. I am not sure of the specialty of the doctor that talked with Mama during the consult but both Mama and I liked him. He was direct, but he was thorough. He took enough time to really cover the sciatic pain issue Mama is dealing with. Her prognosis is similar to mine. She does have some disc compression issues related to age. She also has some arthritic buildup in the area where that particular nerve passes through the canal at L4/L5. But, none of those conditions warrant intervention at this point. Another “yes, you are in pain, but there is nothing we can do about it” diagnosis. That is not necessarily a bad thing. He recommended physical therapy and steroids. We passed on the physical therapy for now, electing to try exercises at home for the next month along with the steroids. I am not sure if that puts any treatment for the knees on hold until this month of personal therapy is done, or if we will move forward on that front. Regardless of the sciatic issue, Mama needs some help with the degeneration of her knee joints; regardless of the therapy we choose – or are assigned.

The orthopedic surgeon that Mama is working with for the knee issue has gotten some notoriety in the area of stem cell therapy. Maybe that will be a viable option for her. At this point we do not know, but we are actively seeking to get some measure of relief to Mama soon. Even if that measure of relief comes through surgery and the ensuing recovery. Though I have looked around some, I have not happened across any natural remedy that would heal or aid the body in restoring the joints – but I bet there is one. For certain, Mama and I need to get serious about getting our weight somewhat closer to what is recommended for our age and height. Neither Mama nor I will ever fit into the ectomorphic model expressed by those weight charts, but we can certainly lower our weight by an embarrassing amount on approach to a healthier BMI. I was told by one of our doctors that couples put on two pounds of weight per year of marriage. Mama is pretty close to that. I am a little less than one pound per year. That weight loss alone will help Mama’s knees. It is not a cure, but it is something we can do that would make a noticeable difference.

Complicating this whole issue, Mama and I are looking into insurance alternatives. With the present insurance we have an effective $10,000 deductible. So far, we have accumulated more than $6,000 in charges against that deductible. I am not sure there is a better alternative, but we are looking at one of the Christian sharing programs. At some point in the very near future, we will have to move to another plan because we will be self-employed. That time is not more than a few months away, so we are trying to determine if moving Mama to that plan now would make sense. It is not an easy decision; especially if the knee issues Mama is having are considered a pre-existing condition by the new insurer. Lots of questions to ask – and I heard yesterday that my current employer is thinking about switching insurance providers again. We will have to wait to see how that turns out…for however much time I have left with this employer.

With the puppies gone, things at the farm are a little less guarded. We can leave the door to the sunroom open, so the dogs can be let out more quickly in the mornings. We can take down the barriers I set up to keep the pups out of areas we did not want them to access. We are getting the birthing center cleaned up and closed up until the next set of puppies comes along – some time in the fall when Koby will be bred again. And, my personal favorites, my plants will not serve a chew toys when the puppies do break through the barriers we set against them, and there will be so much less dog manure to deal with in the back yard.

Victoria had money in her account and I am puppy free; everybody wins.