When You Can’t Afford It
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?
Dementia, Osteoporosis
Nice combination to get hit with, isn’t it? Oh and let’s not forget the high blood pressure and the hernia either. Did I mention she is ninety two? I feel gut kicked about now, as I try to digest all this.
The Bone Density test was not good news. It seems Mom has Osteoporosis, which simply means, brittle bones. By itself the more common name doesn’t sound so bad, does it? And yet it is serious. Basically it means that if left untreated, a simple bump can break a bone or two. A simple little tap against the wall, can break an arm, a leg.
Of course, the biggest worry is what could happen, if she has a fall. Any kind of fall, not even a serious one, can lead to some serious bone breaks, like a hip. That, for some reason, scares the hell out of me, because she has fallen. There have been times, when she’s fallen, for no apparent reason. Fortunately she never hit her head on anything, or broke anything… yet.
My initial thought, was how can I cushion the floors more, better soften the walls. I know, stupid, but you think of these things. Now, every time she moves, I wonder, will she bump against something, will her wrist break as she tries to push herself up from the couch.
Like just now, I heard a bump, and rushed to see what it was, if she was okay. She was just closing a cupboard door, yet the sound, the noise, triggered the old nerves & imagination. I don’t know how others do it, not even sure I know if I am doing it right or not. The idea is there now, and I don’t know how to cope with it.
Traditional treatments are there, but because of her hernia or whatever it is called, those drugs have increased chance of creating serious side effects. Like internal bleeding, ulcers, stomach cramps, and worse. Naturally, with our luck.
Untraditional treatment is no guarantee either. It has about a 2/3 rds chance of helping to reduce the risk of bone breakage, but it costs $800.00. Now I am not rich by any stretch of the imagination, but how do you say no? You can’t, I mean you have to find a way, and okay, to many $800 isn’t a huge sum, but it is to us.
It doesn’t get better.
