My driveway is being ripped out today, messy but very necessary. How's everyone doing and what is everyone up to today :)

Morning Michele..............nice painting, is that yours?

Not doing anything today really. Working on finishing up some cabinet details for my wife's boss on this office remodel project. New Breakroom for the staff of 75 lawyers.............other than that, not much.

Long story, but for now the surgery that was schedule for Nov. 12th. is off indefinitely for now. Really pissed off with my Doctor (Ortho) right now. Most likely will wait until, I see my new Endocrinologist on the 29th and go from there.............but in short it will most likely be with a different Ortho group and won't happen none to quickly...............

What's on your agenda today?

Why on earth have they put you off? That's criminal, I'm absolutely incredulous. And devastated for you. Can't endo suggest a different ortho group for you now, without waiting until your appointment? It isn't as if your endocrinologist doesn't know what you're going through, I'd imagine you see them quite often due to your condition. Merde!!!!! If you could make an appointment now, it wouldn't be as long a wait. :(

Morning, all... STK... I'm so sorry to hear your surgery has been put on hold, that's terrible. I hope the delay isn't too much longer for you, we don't like knowing how much you're suffering, and I know it's no picnic for you either. Sending good thoughts...

Well... today is the first day of a long winter golf hiatus for me. Bleh. I'm going to pick up the new Christmas lights today and try and get those up before the weather gets too cold. My house needs a good cleaning, and there is always tons of work to keep me occupied I suppose.

I feel bad for you kimdee, I know how much golf means to you. :)

Oh.... somebody's gonna have the golf jones soon.........

Poor Kimdee, no gulfing. STK-you need me to come drop kick someone for you. that is a crying shame, what are you suppose to be doing in the mean time.

That's definitely a full day, do you have pics of your Christmas lights from other years? Don't post if it gives your address away. :)

There maybe some hope after all about the surgery. It wasn't the Doctor that put it off, it was me. My last appointment on the 4th when we decided that surgery was the only thing that would give me some relief, my Dr. said his assistant would get back with me about the date and obtain releases from my Endo and PCP. At this time I gave him a SS Disability Assessment form from my lawyer who was asked by the Hearing Judge to supply further documentation about my ongoing condition (Acromegaly) from the doctors providing treatment since I made the initial claim 2.5 years ago. That would be my Orthopedic Group. When I didn't hear anything for the next week, I called and of course had to leave a message on his Assistant's voice mail box. I had to make 5 calls before I got a response and that was from someone covering for the assistant (she was out on vacation last week and Monday and Tuesday of this week)........so nothing had been done about the releases or the form. Thursday she finally called and told me I had to get the releases from my other Doctors and that my surgery was tentatively set for Nov. 12th. Which ticked me off because getting an appointment with my Endo could be a couple of months at best. Then she told me that if my lawyer wanted an assessment of my physical condition they needed to refer me to one of their occupational medicine providers.....that my doctor couldn't assess my daily physical capabilities. When I asked how then could he assess that my only recourse was a hip replacement after treating me for the past year and a half, her only reply was that my Dr. was one of the best in his field and and industry leader in the Anterior Replacement procedure........this Group is world renowned for their Orthopedic practice and write the text books on Ortho diagnostics, treatments and surgeries that are used in most of the major medical colleges. I told her I didn't expect him to address the questions regarding my fatigue, use of my hands, eye sight, hearing, etc., etc.. but I would think that he could answer the questions that pertained to my hip condition and the level of my limited use or abilities that were effected by my hip conditions. She said she would leave it at the front desk.

Friday when I went to pick it up, I find out that it is at one of the satellite offices that I have never been to which necessitated a cross town trip and when I finally get it, I see where it indicates that yes, I can work an 8 hour day, 5 days per week with no anticipated absences due to my condition.........where it asked about level of pain and mobility, the answer was "unknown ask the patient"................and to top it off, it was all her handwriting, even the Dr.'s signature (initials).

To say I was furious was an understatement. I went back to their main office and asked to speak to the Office Manager or the Chief of Staff........neither were there, but I could speak to the Asst. Office Manger, but when the Receptionist called her, I could tell from the one sided conversation that she was too busy.............standing there in pain and furious, I probably overreacted but told them to just cancel the surgery date.

Before I got home, the Dr.'s Assistant called me on my cell and said she wanted to confirm my cancellation before she put it through. I asked if she would have confidence in a Doctor who just 2 weeks earlier had concluded that we had no other options than to replace the hip and now puts it in writing that I could work an 8 hour day, 5 days per week without any absences .............

Having to wait for a resolution for my hip is one thing, but with that kind of assessment, getting a favorable ruling at my follow up Hearing with the SS Judge has pretty much gone up in smoke now according to my Lawyer.

However, after posting a rather disparaging comment on their FB Group page about quick to cut but slow on thinking...........I got a message from the Chief of Staff's Administrative Assistant and we've gone back and forth this afternoon. She seemed rather concerned when I sent her a PDF of the form and the comments and asked her about the Professional Ethics about a non qualified staff member providing medical assessments for the Doctor.......................so hopefully, we'll get this straightened out.

Kimdee...........you're my hero. hangs the xmas light and cleans out the garage.....what a dream woman.

Well, STK.... I have tried leaving it for the elves in the past, but it seems the little buggers are lazy and so I wind up Christmaslightless and overrun by trash.

I hope you get things straightened out with the surgery, etc. Sounds like a lot of red tape and it's obviously very frustrating. Fingers crossed for you!

Michele, no... I'll take some this year maybe. I didn't do much last year because, typically, I left it too long and so I had no lights to speak of. All I did today was run the lights around the front and side of the garage. I don't know if I'll do much more than that.

Kimdee.......down here in the south, we just leave the lights up all year round.........besides the icicle ones give off a romantic glow during those summer time keg parties..........saves the batteries on our trucks from not having to use the cargo lights........

@STK. Thinking of you more often than you know.

I don't wonder anymore how people like that live with themselves, or face themselves in the mirror or go to sleep at night feeling like a worthwhile individual. They don't give a darn about anything except themselves. Period.
It's so awful, because it's quite obvious that your problems aren't fabricated, you aren't trying to cheat the system. You're looking for relief from agonizing pain and to get some of your lost quality of life back. I do hope that the administrator can help to bring about some kind of agreement that promises your surgery can move forward.

STK, I am so sorry this is happening; you will not be surprised to hear that their blow-off is a frequent occurrence in the specialties. I urge you to contact the Dep't of Health immediately, who will send you yet another form to fill out, but will light a fire in no uncertain terms. To hell with talking to assistants, and assistants of assistants. My prayers are w you in the meantime.

STK - my sympathies...I have very little patience for paperwork and forms

Around here a couple of the snobby suburbs actually have ordinances about leaving holiday decorations up more than 60 days.

I suspect I might get a notice from the HOA if I left the lights up all year.

Bethlehem Light now has a line w a remote that changes the colours of your light string per season - soon everyone will be able to light themselves like the Empire State Building :)

G'day all. Kutchie, that is so terrible, I really feel for you, I am almost in tears here, tears of frustration. What don't people understand about pain? To put you through all that running around and stuff up when they know (if they can read) that pain is your huge issue here. Is this what is called Obamacare?? Sounds like many of these people are too busy giving themselves fancy titles to do any work. If there is someone to contact as studio suggests, please do so, it will help with your frustration. If it is so important for doctors to fill in reports then how the hell can a relieving assistant of an absent assistant sign anything!!! I can't believe so much was left up to you to even think about let alone do.

Here if you have private health insurance, and your specialist decides the hip is ready for replacement he organises a mutually convenient date with the hospital he operates at, lets you know and the hospital takes over from there, sending you several deceased trees on procedures, what you have to do to prepare, what you can expect and aftercare needed, etc. etc. Generally in a week or two you have a new hip. There are no reports, assistants, Chiefs of Staff or carrier pigeons necessary.

If you don't have private health insurance of course it is a totally different story. Doctor makes the decision and sends you to the nearest hospital where they place you on a waiting list and then it is in the lap of the Gods. The length of the waiting lists depend a lot on areas, if you are in an area where most people have private insurance the waiting lists are pretty good, if you are in a deadbeat area, you will possibly die first. Govts are constantly trying to get money together to build more hospitals and put more beds in existing ones but half the time getting the staff is the big issue.

I do hope all this can be resolved for you soon and without anything further from you other than showing up at the hospital on the 12th.

Kimdee - elves are useless, gave up on them years ago. They don't even keep their promises. Leprechauns are no better.

There now I have upset all the little people!!!

LOL, Ms Roo!

Roo, it's not ACA, we have an excellent insurance program through my wife's employer.....I think this is more of an assistant taking on more responsibility than she was supposed to as far as the form for SS is concerned........I'm sure we'll get it ironed out with a follow up letter from the Doctor this time clarifying the diagnosis and the limits it imposes/ The last communication I got tonight was that the Chief Operating Officer was going to call me in the morning to discuss the issues............as my BIL, the Labor and Injury Lawyer told me this evening, he's betting someone read my first message, ran it past their legal council and was told to get this cleared up quickly and quietly......... the form in the assistants hand writing is a smoking gun for a medical malpractice claim in the event it does contribute to my disability being denied by the Hearing Judge as it totally is contrary to the diagnosis and recommended treatment program.

Right now it's just one of those aggravations that I don't need to deal with.

Well...........the New York Giants finally won a game.......on Monday night no less........I can go to bed and sleep peacefully..............night all.

That is good to know Kutchie, I just hope it is sorted quickly for you and without any further aggravation. I only hear bits and pieces about the US health system. From things DD has said when any of the grands have needed further treatment than their Paediatrician offers, reports have to be done and the Insurance company has to approve of the form of treatment. Here all decisions are between the doctors and the patients. I was confused though as to why this all has to go to a court?

Glad your Giants won.