THR So Much Easier Than I Expected!

[hiphiphorray]

Dearest Queenie, speaking for myself and the other nutbags of the world, we're glad that you're not opposed to us. I also agree that nutters ought not to be able to charge you for the privilege of practicing their trade, but then, there goes at least half of the entertainment industry.

Unfortunately, the dismal state of our healthcare system in the U.S. is symptomatic of a larger, overriding and systemic issue involving greed and power run amok, apathy and ethical decline. Capitalism is all very well, but only when it's balanced with an underlying moral fiber that our society, as a whole, seems to have lost in recent decades. It's a long road back to where we need to be, and I wish that people would put down the Double Whopper, turn off Snookie on the tube and get on with living quality lives based on something other than how many cars, boats, etc., etc. they have in their over-mortgaged garages. Sorry for the soapbox rant. I feel passionately about this issue. One of the reasons why I've decided to write fiction is that it enables one to indirectly convey some moral issues, consequences and resolutions without smacking the reader over the head with them. It's the "spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down."

Audball, I agree that the insurance company's rescinding their decision to cover last year's chiropractic care is a left-field foul, but I am realistic about the outcome of going against them. As they say in Texas, "I've been to that BBQ before." The insurance claim system is set up to be so baffling, convoluted and bereft of human intelligence that it wears the claimant down, almost from the start. I used to take arms against such unfairness on moral grounds, but somewhere in my thirties I realized that 1) no one was watching and 2) the time I spent on phone calls, writing letters, etc. far exceeded any monetary gain. I will leave the SOBs to their karma and use my Health Savings Account (an employer perk) to pay for witchdoctory.

Queenie, of course, you will receive your official HHH Back-Viewing Friends and Family Discount Card in the post. Wait until you see our logo. It doesn't quite fit on the card.

'Hope all my hippie pals are having a good Wednesday. It's "Hump Day" which I've had to explain to my dog, Joe, doesn't mean what he thinks it means.

Cheers,

HHH

 

[sandybeach]

HHH, the medical bill I had to question was for pre-op x-rays. The bill was refused because I didn't have a referral. I have an active referral for my surgeon who ordered the x-rays. I told the person at the insurance company that I never heard that I needed a referral for x-rays that were ordered. She agreed with me and thought that was strange and said she would resubmit the bill. When dealing with doctor bills I have always been on my toes because they keep changing the rules. Did your insurance company already pay the chiropractor bills which they are now saying you owe? I also tried the chiropractor before turning to surgery but mine was out of network and they didn't take my insurance so I did have to pay.

 

[Queenie]

Mmmmmmmm...........I think I should consider writing some fiction as a way of indirectly getting across some moral issues, consequences and resolutions only sometimes I feel I'd really like to smack certain individuals right on the noggin with said info! Don't get me started on that one. Unfortunately the western world is going to the dogs on so many levels. I'm not going to rant on because I could be here all night and I need to cook the tea. But I will say that we have lost the sense of community that we had in the UK back when I was growing up. This included respect for your elders. So many people these days live in their own bubble without an ounce of consideration for others. Me..me...me...Take Take Take. Isn't it sad that if I come across a child that says 'Thank you' or 'yes please' without being prompted, I think they are a super duper, splendiferous example of the youth of today?! EVERY child should have manners, unfortunately manners are completely lost on some people.
My point being that if we are unable to get the very basics right then what hope have we got for the big stuff?

Been feeling a bit sorry for myself and tearful today as my muscles are really giving me gyp. I feel like I'm going backwards. OS and Physio don't seem concerned at all. Hey ho.
So my daughter and I have been doing what we always do when one of us needs cheering up and that's watch GLOZELL GREEN on YouTube. We have been lying on my bed wetting ourselves laughing for the past 45mins. I love her so much and as you well know I am completely drawn to the nutters of this world so I am in excellent company there. I presume she is well loved over there too.

Yikes, just caught sight of the time. Must fly.......stomachs to fill.

Lotsa lurve

Queenie xxx

 

[hiphiphorray]

sandybeach, there's some shady stuff going on with the nutbag chiropractor, for example, he initially told me that my copay was $50, so I paid him that amount for each visit. Midway through the treatment, I was in danger of possibly losing my health insurance because of a work regulation, and I asked how much the visits would cost without insurance. He turned red and answered, "$35." I told him to quit running it through the insurance company and just charge me the uninsured rate (no brainer, right)? He then asked if he could charge me $35 and still bill the insurance. "Go ahead," I said.

Upon a second, closer look at the Aetna statement that I received this week, I realized that he had been soaking the insurance company for ~$500 per visit. I was shocked! At any rate, I've already paid that chiro-crook, who actually did more harm than good, all that I'm going to pay him. It looks like I don't owe the insurance company anything, and if that witch doctor comes after me for a single dime, he will find out that it's not a good idea to bark up this tree. The whole system is SO messed up!

 

[Texas Girl]

Wow!!! The system is sooooooooo messed up!! Don't get me started. LOL Looks like you will be in need of a new chiro. Geez!! You don't know who you can trust!

 

[sandybeach]

He charged the insurance company 500 per visit plus you paid 50.00? It's hard to believe that no one at your insurance company caught that. At this point the chiropractor better hope he never hears your name again. Wouldn't that take nerve to come after you for money?? But stranger things have happened. I have had problems with clinics and insurances company's for years so I learned a long time ago always double check bills and make calls to the insurance company to make sure you are using in network clinics or get that pre authorization. I have to get another pre op physical before my next surgery, at that time I will get another pre authorization for my surgeon because I know he's not in network. I am not sure if I need this again but I'm thinking I would rather cover my butt.

 

[hiphiphorray]

Queenie, I'm sorry that you've had a rough day. "Muscles giving you the gyp" doesn't sound like fun, whatever it may be. Good girl to have a laugh and let it go! I swear, if I couldn't laugh about all of this with all of you, I'd have lost what's left of my mind a long time ago. Here's a short story that doesn't have anything to do with anything. Hopefully, it cheers you up. (It's completely true, too.)

Some years ago, fake hairpieces were all the rage in the States. You could turn yourself into a glamour-puss just by clipping one on. I got the bright idea to wear one during a skating competition for a little extra glitz. 'Found one that matched my blonde hair and consisted of two magnificent long faux pony tails, each on a wire. I clamped it on very tightly and twisted the wires around each other as instructed, then secured it with a ton of bobby pins. Next, I field tested it by skating a rigourous, hour-long freestyle session, jumping and spinning. It held just fine, and I was thrilled at my new "do."

It came time for me to skate on the day of the competition. I took the ice and began my program. In the middle of a footwork sequence, I could feel the wretched thing start to list to one side of my head. "Oh well," I thought. "It withstood an hour's practice, so surely it will hang on for a 3-minute program." But, with each hop and chasse, it slipped and bobbed a little farther to the left. I entered a camel spin (that's where you spin on one leg, limbs spread out like an airplane). Suddenly, in the middle of the camel, my hair FLEW OFF, sailed 15 feet and plopped on the ice like roadkill.

So now, I'm spinning, and with each turn, I'm looking at this horrid furry thing that's lurking there on the ice, waiting for me. "Do I swing by and scoop it up?" I wondered. Eventually, I decided to ignore it and finish the program. It ended well. I won with only a slight deduction for "leaving a prop on the ice." People later told me that everyone thought someone had prematurely thrown a big stuffed squirrel as a congratulatory "tossie."

'Just goes to show you. You never know what the day will bring, and sometimes it looks better from a distance. I hope your day is GREAT tomorrow, with no flying squirrels.

Cheers to you, Luvvy!

HHH

Horrid Hopping Hair

 

[bottomshollow]

Great story and funny---but I'm sure it wasn't to you at the time.

 

[hiphiphorray]

Thank you, Bottomshollow, but I actually started chuckling to myself the very minute the thing hit the ice. I'm in the Adult US Figure Skating division, so there were no Nike sponsorships at risk.

Also true, a year later at the same event, the door handle fell off my dressing room door in the locked position, and I was trapped inside the room for half an hour while they held the competition and the judges went for coffee. A venue employee had to climb in from the ceiling and use tools to pry it open.

I stopped participating in that competition after the second incident, as I didn't want to see the swarm of locusts, next time.

 

[sandybeach]

Your skating skills are impressive. I know nothing about that life but do you still compete? Or did you until hip problems? Is that what caused hip problems for you? Is the competitions local or are you on a state or national level?

 

[hiphiphorray]

Hi sandybeach. Thank you but trust me, my skating skills are not always impressive, like the time I competed in ISU Adult World Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany, caught an edge and did a 30-ft heiney-slide right in front of the judges.

I do still compete, or at least I did until the hip injury sidelined me just before Nationals, last year. I was training ~2 hours a day and working my tech/marketing writer day job ~12 hours a day, 6 days a week. It was just too much. Add to that intensity all the years of pulling my leg up over my head, warming up with splits every day, etc. I had simply asked too much of my poor hip. I hope the left hip lasts a bit longer. I'm certainly being kind to it, now. And, verrrry importantly, I've made some serious changes to my work posture and habits. I actually think the repetitive strain of work did more damage than the sport.

I skate in local competitions, and I also compete in national and international competitions. It's just so much fun to travel and meet up with a big group of people, most of whom, have known each other for years. We turn into absolute kids, sometimes throwing pairs of large "granny panties" on the ice after a program (instead of flowers), quaffing a sip of vodka just before taking the ice to calm our taut nerves, and generously, raucously, and wholeheartedly cheering each other on. We play Bingo at Nationals for common and rare sightings, such as runs in peoples' tights, snot flying out during a spin (happens more than you'd imagine), forgetting one's program in mid-skate and sleeping judges (rare, but funny when it happens). The winner gets a bottle of champagne, which is always shared at the competitors' party.

Will all the fun, it's still an extremely dangerous and demanding sport that requires utter concentration and loads of practice and dedication. Even if I never competed, I would still skate for the pure joy of flying around the rink, landing a difficult jump combination or feeling the blood rush to my fingertips in a fast spin. I'm itching to get back to it. My OS says that I can resume some basic skating (probably no difficult spins or any jumping) around the first of May. I dream about it at night.

Happy weekend and Happy St Paddy's Day to you, and all my hippy friends!

Love from,

HHH

 

[Queenie]

hiphiphorray - Are you sure you've put your correct age on your profile Mrs?

Spins, splits, pulling your leg up over your head?!...............These are not the normal actions of a woman in her forties. I think you need to check your profile and ammend the appropriate section. Otherwise I might have to report you for false information.

49 my eye!!! More like 29.

Now where's my Zimmer? I'm feeling very old after reading that.

Queenie xxxxxx

 

[hiphiphorray]

Heehee, Queenie - normal, schnormal! It will be interesting to see if I really get my range of motion back, as my OS promised. He also treats the San Francisco Ballet, so I assume he's seen the same kind of leg-pulling, splitting activity before. And if he hasn't seen it there, he probably saw it whilst driving through the SF Tenderloin area where the "professional women" hang out.

I hit the six-week milestone yesterday. I was advised to take it easy during the first six weeks post-op because it's a critical time for the bone to form around a non-cemented prosthesis for a tight fit, and that I can "relax a bit" now. Whew! The other day, I was walking around the house and realized, for the first time in forever, that I wasn't even thinking about my hip, or walking -- it was just happening naturally.

What's a Zimmer? Sounds exotic!

Cheers,

HHH

 

[Firebrand]

I think that we call a zimmer frame what you call a walker.

 

[hiphiphorray]

Thank you, Firebrand. You have a great user name, by the way!