Medical Miracle Smarter Faster Better Happy Aniversary

We had quite a day this week. Let's call it Tuesday. My husband took a spill in the yard and broke his wrist. Of course, he needs a cast for a month. We have had no luck finding a Doctor to put a form on that takes his insurance. He feels like just going with the splint provided by the hospital. Then we spun a death drudge about not wanting to go on if all we had to look forward to in life was mumbling insurance reps.

Bonus for me because it's a bit like snuggling with Hell Boy. That big heavy club hand is holding me tight. He is doing well so far. Today there is karaoke singing in our newly painted office/guest room. It's very orange. I want to call it the Citrus Salon. Mark has a sharp new-for-us amplifier thanks to our friend Chris Freeman of the Pansy Division. Mark has karaoke software on his phone plugged into the headset port and a microphone into the other port. Like magic but just software.

We have our tenth anniversary coming up this next week. It makes me happy we pulled it off. Same-sex union, license, food, rentals, my family, his family, all while living in LA for A Seattle date in his sister's backyard. Thanks to Karen Sticklin. Our wedding day was an out-of-town disaster waiting to happen. However, It turned out lovely. I have beautiful memories of that day and the people who came together for us. I want to shout out to our friend Peggy Platt who got us together entirely by accident when she recommended me as good roommate material to my husband, Mark. "Good roommate, but don't date him," she told him by phone. Later when we got married, she was our official—wedding minister.

Back to us,  I asked my husband to exchange vows with me again. It might be good to tweak our vows and expectations now that we have all this experience and data to draw on. We may spring for new wedding bands rather than going on a trip. He suggested we treat it like an apartment lease and go year to year. Maybe there will be ring window shopping.

My medical insurance drama was resolved.

Earlier this year, I changed insurance to Medicare, which happened suddenly. I got approved for disability. Bang! You are on Medicare. There was no lead time to prepare or find the right solution. So after the Medicare judge heard my disability case, I walked away with Parts A & B from Medicare. I spent hours watching youtube videos about the pros and cons of different options. I found a broker to set me up with a gap policy called a G plan that covers flaws in the A & B system—lastly, a drug plan, or D plan because A & B don't cover drugs. If you are going on Medicare in the next few years, start boning up on it early. Beware of the alternative plans. They may not be a good fit once you need care or get sick.

And there we find my drama.

I started sick and in need of drug coverage on day one. I would have gone for the private plans offering free gym memberships if I were healthy. My primary treatment for Chron's is with a drug called Stelera. There we find the drama. It costs a fortune even with a drug plan. The care team at Keck Hospital knew what to do. They referred me to my existing visiting nurse service. They covered me for Stelera with an administrative solution, which dropped my out-of-pocket cost from $5 grand monthly to $0.

What am I reading this week?

The Power of Habit Smarter Faster Better | by Charles Duhigg

My takeaway was how much data depends on who is looking at it. Examples in the book have hundreds of hours of data collection. Yet all the effort comes down to who is looking at the information. Also, when solving a problem, your successful solution is best found by looking at the issue from as remote or alien a vantage point as possible. People mentioned in the book hated looking at the data. Others went cross-eyed, trying to find patterns. Step away from the worksheets to see more clearly. Lastly, measure your results. Don't do anything you can't measure. With limited time and resources, let the data show you what is working.