Now comes the hard decisions, in what will likely only get harder, as time goes on. How does a person make such choices, and still sleep at night?
Our Doctor has suggested some oxygen therapy for Mom, at night. It will help her sleep, wake up refreshed, and not be so tired. Now that is a plus, because when you feel tired, feel weak, accidents happen, and I know that all too well.
It is why she has a severe fracture of her wrist, & is in a cast now.
So it seems, that under BC Med, her oxygen therapy isn’t covered. Her levels aren’t serious enough, nor even borderline. The result is, if we want to have it, the cost is $200 per month. I have no idea if that is cheap or expensive, but I know that I simply can’t afford it. We already are stretched thin, with the cost of the Doctor.
And that I don’t mind, because in the short time he’s been Mom’s Doctor, he’s made a world of difference to her outlook, and to her health. He’s been proactive in her treatment, in assessing her needs, so that is money well spent, in my mind. Now, comes the hard part.
I have two issues to deal with. One is to afford the treatment for her osteoporosis, which again isn’t covered by BC Med, which is $800. It supposedly will help mitigate possible damage if she has a fall, but again, is no guarantee. In order to have this treatment, we also have to examine her teeth, and correct any issues there. That is going to be about another $1000.00. ( She has a few teeth that have broken, so will need extraction. )
Now the Oxygen therapy. Again, no guarantee it will help, or eliminate the tiredness she feels when she wakes up, but it could. As I said, that is going to be $200 a month extra.
So how does one make those decisions? Get a third job? Sell off what little assets one has?
