Debt Dumpers - 2017

[dayvewc]

Ok. So, went to my pain specialist for the followup to the MRI last week.

Was told that the MRI scanned the lower 2/3rds of my spine and that

1. There is detectable arthritis (unexpected, but not really surprising)
2. There were several bulging discs (expected, nothing new)
3. Some of the nerves appeared to be pinched (expected, nothing new)
4. There is evidence of the degeneration of the bone on my vertebrae (completely unexpected and definitely new) causing the bulging discs and pinched nerves.

I believe the actual phrase that was used was "degenerative bone decay" but I'm not absolutely certain at this point. I probably should have recorded the conversation, or at least written notes, but didn't think to do so at the time.​

I was asked where I was currently experiencing pain and told him that it was in my lower back. He asked if the pain ever went into my legs and I said yes, at times, but that I ALWAYS had back pain, and I occasionally did not have pain into my legs.

So what they are going to do is next week inject me with a numbing agent on one side of my spine to see if that causes the pain to go away. He said that it will only work for 4 or 5 hours, a day if I am lucky, but that they are testing to see if they have it correct. If it works, about 2 weeks after that, they will inject the other side of my spine with the same thing. If both treatments are successful, then a couple weeks after that I will go in for "radio ablation treatment", or as he said, "in layman's terms 'burning the nerves'".
​

My understanding is (and I know that there are some medically knowledgeable people on here, so feel free to correct and/or inform me better) that with the degenerative issue there is no chance of my back "improving", and in fact it will only continue to get worse over time. The treatment will effectively burn the nerves that are sending the sensation of pain, so I won't feel pain, but the issues causing the pain will actually still be there.

I'm of a split opinion. I'm looking forward to being pain free, but I've always understood that pain was the body's way of letting me know that something was wrong. Knowing that this will permanently disable that response troubles me a touch, as (in my understanding) I won't be able to sense the continued deterioration - which I would think would increase the likelihood that I manage to cause further, irreparable, harm. I don't plan on competing in an Iron-man race, but I also don't want to end up permanently in a wheelchair earlier than I have to.

Thoughts?

 

[DrummerBoy523]

I'm looking into a brokerage account now but for other reasons. I've been saving in my 401K for a long time but know that money will be taxed when I withdraw it. I'm planning to retire within the next year and want to increase the funds that I can withdraw tax free but I'm not interested in a Roth at this time so this is one option for me. If I do this, I may also adjust my withholding and send the money there during the year. Thanks for the suggestion.

If you are a smart-phone user - I highly recommend the "Betterment" app. This is what I use for stuff like this. You link it up with your bank and make investments, etc. Pretty cool app. There is also another app called "Acorns" which is much simpler to use - but I like Betterment better.

 

[bababear_50]

Ok. So, went to my pain specialist for the followup to the MRI last week.

Was told that the MRI scanned the lower 2/3rds of my spine and that

1. There is detectable arthritis (unexpected, but not really surprising)
2. There were several bulging discs (expected, nothing new)
3. Some of the nerves appeared to be pinched (expected, nothing new)
4. There is evidence of the degeneration of the bone on my vertebrae (completely unexpected and definitely new) causing the bulging discs and pinched nerves.

I believe the actual phrase that was used was "degenerative bone decay" but I'm not absolutely certain at this point. I probably should have recorded the conversation, or at least written notes, but didn't think to do so at the time.​

I was asked where I was currently experiencing pain and told him that it was in my lower back. He asked if the pain ever went into my legs and I said yes, at times, but that I ALWAYS had back pain, and I occasionally did not have pain into my legs.

So what they are going to do is next week inject me with a numbing agent on one side of my spine to see if that causes the pain to go away. He said that it will only work for 4 or 5 hours, a day if I am lucky, but that they are testing to see if they have it correct. If it works, about 2 weeks after that, they will inject the other side of my spine with the same thing. If both treatments are successful, then a couple weeks after that I will go in for "radio ablation treatment", or as he said, "in layman's terms 'burning the nerves'".​

My understanding is (and I know that there are some medically knowledgeable people on here, so feel free to correct and/or inform me better) that with the degenerative issue there is no chance of my back "improving", and in fact it will only continue to get worse over time. The treatment will effectively burn the nerves that are sending the sensation of pain, so I won't feel pain, but the issues causing the pain will actually still be there.

I'm of a split opinion. I'm looking forward to being pain free, but I've always understood that pain was the body's way of letting me know that something was wrong. Knowing that this will permanently disable that response troubles me a touch, as (in my understanding) I won't be able to sense the continued deterioration - which I would think would increase the likelihood that I manage to cause further, irreparable, harm. I don't plan on competing in an Iron-man race, but I also don't want to end up permanently in a wheelchair earlier than I have to.

Thoughts?

Hi Hon
So I'm with you on the "I wish I'd taken notes' during the conversation. I am scheduled for a MRI March 5th,,2:50 am--yep our hospital is running our MRI machine all night and day. Apparently I have arthritis in the upper spine.
I also have degenerative bone disease and I've never been able to quite figure out what that means--some articles say it is just arthritis and some say it's not.I recently had shoulder and arm pain and numbness ---now have a bit of loss of strength in the left arm.

I am only 57 and sometimes I get down thinking I'm getting old before my time. Last week I kind of twisted and turned the wrong way in order to not fall over a students backpack laying in the middle of the hallway. The next day I was in lower back pain agony and ready to cancel my March (Spring) break trip. Family doc says I am grounded for rides at Disney this trip. Making informed decisions on surgery and treatments when we are in pain is easy--just get rid of the PAIN!!!

I would want to know that the doctor doing the "Radio Ablation treatment" has done at least 5,000 of them. I'd want my regular GP to give their opinion on "radio ablation". (would they recommend this procedure for their mother?) I'd want to know what precautions I'd have to take after having the "radio ablation" as loss of pain also means loss of sensation.(hope that makes sense).
I guess I don't have and real answers for you but wanted you to know that you are not alone and you will make the right decision.
Hugs ~~~gentle ones~~~
Mel

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Ok. So, went to my pain specialist for the followup to the MRI last week.

Was told that the MRI scanned the lower 2/3rds of my spine and that

1. There is detectable arthritis (unexpected, but not really surprising)
2. There were several bulging discs (expected, nothing new)
3. Some of the nerves appeared to be pinched (expected, nothing new)
4. There is evidence of the degeneration of the bone on my vertebrae (completely unexpected and definitely new) causing the bulging discs and pinched nerves.

I believe the actual phrase that was used was "degenerative bone decay" but I'm not absolutely certain at this point. I probably should have recorded the conversation, or at least written notes, but didn't think to do so at the time.​

I was asked where I was currently experiencing pain and told him that it was in my lower back. He asked if the pain ever went into my legs and I said yes, at times, but that I ALWAYS had back pain, and I occasionally did not have pain into my legs.

So what they are going to do is next week inject me with a numbing agent on one side of my spine to see if that causes the pain to go away. He said that it will only work for 4 or 5 hours, a day if I am lucky, but that they are testing to see if they have it correct. If it works, about 2 weeks after that, they will inject the other side of my spine with the same thing. If both treatments are successful, then a couple weeks after that I will go in for "radio ablation treatment", or as he said, "in layman's terms 'burning the nerves'".​

My understanding is (and I know that there are some medically knowledgeable people on here, so feel free to correct and/or inform me better) that with the degenerative issue there is no chance of my back "improving", and in fact it will only continue to get worse over time. The treatment will effectively burn the nerves that are sending the sensation of pain, so I won't feel pain, but the issues causing the pain will actually still be there.

I'm of a split opinion. I'm looking forward to being pain free, but I've always understood that pain was the body's way of letting me know that something was wrong. Knowing that this will permanently disable that response troubles me a touch, as (in my understanding) I won't be able to sense the continued deterioration - which I would think would increase the likelihood that I manage to cause further, irreparable, harm. I don't plan on competing in an Iron-man race, but I also don't want to end up permanently in a wheelchair earlier than I have to.

Thoughts?

No medical experience here, but I agree that being pain free at the risk of not feeling at all is a bit scary. Mel has some good advice, talk to your GP and see what he/she thinks about it. And talk to the doctor next week about your concerns. You certainly cannot be the only person who has these concerns. Maybe there is an online support community he/she can refer you to for more information.

 

[MamaBelleRN]

I am VERY late to joining the party, but better late than never! I've read through the posts and our goals are in line with many of you. While we want to work on getting out of all our debts (namely, car payments and student loan payments) our main goal is to make 2017 the year of not adding any additional debt and building/maintaining our emergency fund. As I begin 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave on March 16, this will be an interesting challenge!

Our other major consideration is the fact we have to make sure we continue to appropriately fund our HSA as we will certainly meet our deductible of $5,000. We had been in a healthy position with our HSA in August of 2016, but with this pregnancy requiring regular visits to the MFM and a broken arm for my six year old, we had $4,200 in medical expenses from August to December We had enough in our HSA to cover these expenses, but we are starting at a very low balance for 2017 and we know we'll need to fund the full $5,000. So, we are now contributing $250 per each of my DH's paychecks.

We have also been trying to save as much as possible since I have very limited vacation time saved. I only work two 10 hour days per week and earn about five hours of vacation time every two weeks. I have a whopping 40 hours banked We were very fortunate in that my DH received his yearly bonus last week which has allowed us to save a little more than what I earn in three months. Hopefully we don't hit any major financial snags during maternity leave!

My goals for March are to save as much as possible while we are still receiving our normal pay checks and work harder on sticking to our budget. I have been DREADFUL at this as of late. Hopefully this month will be better for that!

 

[dayvewc]

Hi Hon
So I'm with you on the "I wish I'd taken notes' during the conversation. I am scheduled for a MRI March 5th,,2:50 am--yep our hospital is running our MRI machine all night and day. Apparently I have arthritis in the upper spine.
I also have degenerative bone disease and I've never been able to quite figure out what that means--some articles say it is just arthritis and some say it's not.I recently had shoulder and arm pain and numbness ---now have a bit of loss of strength in the left arm.

I am only 57 and sometimes I get down thinking I'm getting old before my time. Last week I kind of twisted and turned the wrong way in order to not fall over a students backpack laying in the middle of the hallway. The next day I was in lower back pain agony and ready to cancel my March (Spring) break trip. Family doc says I am grounded for rides at Disney this trip. Making informed decisions on surgery and treatments when we are in pain is easy--just get rid of the PAIN!!!

I would want to know that the doctor doing the "Radio Ablation treatment" has done at least 5,000 of them. I'd want my regular GP to give their opinion on "radio ablation". (would they recommend this procedure for their mother?) I'd want to know what precautions I'd have to take after having the "radio ablation" as loss of pain also means loss of sensation.(hope that makes sense).
I guess I don't have and real answers for you but wanted you to know that you are not alone and you will make the right decision.
Hugs ~~~gentle ones~~~
Mel

Yeah, the degenerative bone disease was something that bothers me. Considering that the doctor specified both DBD and arthritis, I'm thinking they are separate. He definitely talked about them as separate things, anyway. But what does this really mean going forward?

No medical experience here, but I agree that being pain free at the risk of not feeling at all is a bit scary. Mel has some good advice, talk to your GP and see what he/she thinks about it. And talk to the doctor next week about your concerns. You certainly cannot be the only person who has these concerns. Maybe there is an online support community he/she can refer you to for more information.

I have talked to a couple of other people that have more experience with this (family and friends), as well as doing some preliminary research through the google, and some of my understandings were off a bit. Apparently ... this particular procedure has been around for about 20 years or so. It has a higher success rate than most any other option, but still only about a 50% success overall (there is some difference depending on if it was upper back / neck area as opposed to the lower back area, which is what I'll have done). The nerves that are affected should grow back over time, so my big worry about another injury are lessened - though the chance does exist that injury could happen during the regrowth process, usually 2 years or so. However, the studies that were referenced on the websites I found show that there is no greater incidence in new back injuries among people who have this procedure than among the general population.

The more I am learning about it, the less worried I become, but there is always that little kernel of concern. I'm always that one person in the group that has the unexpected or abnormal reaction.

 

[Eureka]

Ok. So, went to my pain specialist for the followup to the MRI last week.

Was told that the MRI scanned the lower 2/3rds of my spine and that

1. There is detectable arthritis (unexpected, but not really surprising)
2. There were several bulging discs (expected, nothing new)
3. Some of the nerves appeared to be pinched (expected, nothing new)
4. There is evidence of the degeneration of the bone on my vertebrae (completely unexpected and definitely new) causing the bulging discs and pinched nerves.

I believe the actual phrase that was used was "degenerative bone decay" but I'm not absolutely certain at this point. I probably should have recorded the conversation, or at least written notes, but didn't think to do so at the time.​

I was asked where I was currently experiencing pain and told him that it was in my lower back. He asked if the pain ever went into my legs and I said yes, at times, but that I ALWAYS had back pain, and I occasionally did not have pain into my legs.

So what they are going to do is next week inject me with a numbing agent on one side of my spine to see if that causes the pain to go away. He said that it will only work for 4 or 5 hours, a day if I am lucky, but that they are testing to see if they have it correct. If it works, about 2 weeks after that, they will inject the other side of my spine with the same thing. If both treatments are successful, then a couple weeks after that I will go in for "radio ablation treatment", or as he said, "in layman's terms 'burning the nerves'".​

My understanding is (and I know that there are some medically knowledgeable people on here, so feel free to correct and/or inform me better) that with the degenerative issue there is no chance of my back "improving", and in fact it will only continue to get worse over time. The treatment will effectively burn the nerves that are sending the sensation of pain, so I won't feel pain, but the issues causing the pain will actually still be there.

I'm of a split opinion. I'm looking forward to being pain free, but I've always understood that pain was the body's way of letting me know that something was wrong. Knowing that this will permanently disable that response troubles me a touch, as (in my understanding) I won't be able to sense the continued deterioration - which I would think would increase the likelihood that I manage to cause further, irreparable, harm. I don't plan on competing in an Iron-man race, but I also don't want to end up permanently in a wheelchair earlier than I have to.

Thoughts?

Sorry you're having problems. Wanted to chime in about injections. I have a herniated disk and 8 years ago (I was in my mid 30s then) was having severe sciatica and back pain. Did pt and it helped some but not much. Ended up having nerve root block injections and it helped so much. No pain at all for a very long time. Now that I commute more, sometimes at the end of the day I have sciatica but not like it used to be. And I have not needed more shots sin the original series. So, I really hope it helps you bc it was a lifesaver for me. Edited to add that my mom has ablation and it has helped her a lot too.

You are right about degenerative only getting worse. But at this post it's probably not anything you're actually doing To make it happen, you know? It's more just wear and tear. Physical therapy can help by giving you some stretches to do and teaching you good posture which can help some.

 

[Ngwira]

Our handyman came out to the house on Sunday to assess the work needed on our floors. Bad news is we don't have as much extra flooring as we thought so we will likely have to purchase all new flooring. We should have the estimate by tomorrow. I also scheduled a free measurement through Lowes. It doesn't hurt to have multiple estimates. Also received an email from the insurance company stating the check is in the mail!

We should get our state refund soon. March is also a three paycheck month! I'm looking forward to saving again.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Ok. So, went to my pain specialist for the followup to the MRI last week.

Was told that the MRI scanned the lower 2/3rds of my spine and that

1. There is detectable arthritis (unexpected, but not really surprising)
2. There were several bulging discs (expected, nothing new)
3. Some of the nerves appeared to be pinched (expected, nothing new)
4. There is evidence of the degeneration of the bone on my vertebrae (completely unexpected and definitely new) causing the bulging discs and pinched nerves.

I believe the actual phrase that was used was "degenerative bone decay" but I'm not absolutely certain at this point. I probably should have recorded the conversation, or at least written notes, but didn't think to do so at the time.​

I was asked where I was currently experiencing pain and told him that it was in my lower back. He asked if the pain ever went into my legs and I said yes, at times, but that I ALWAYS had back pain, and I occasionally did not have pain into my legs.

So what they are going to do is next week inject me with a numbing agent on one side of my spine to see if that causes the pain to go away. He said that it will only work for 4 or 5 hours, a day if I am lucky, but that they are testing to see if they have it correct. If it works, about 2 weeks after that, they will inject the other side of my spine with the same thing. If both treatments are successful, then a couple weeks after that I will go in for "radio ablation treatment", or as he said, "in layman's terms 'burning the nerves'".​

My understanding is (and I know that there are some medically knowledgeable people on here, so feel free to correct and/or inform me better) that with the degenerative issue there is no chance of my back "improving", and in fact it will only continue to get worse over time. The treatment will effectively burn the nerves that are sending the sensation of pain, so I won't feel pain, but the issues causing the pain will actually still be there.

I'm of a split opinion. I'm looking forward to being pain free, but I've always understood that pain was the body's way of letting me know that something was wrong. Knowing that this will permanently disable that response troubles me a touch, as (in my understanding) I won't be able to sense the continued deterioration - which I would think would increase the likelihood that I manage to cause further, irreparable, harm. I don't plan on competing in an Iron-man race, but I also don't want to end up permanently in a wheelchair earlier than I have to.

Thoughts?

I've worked in xray 26+ years but the last 18 in breast imaging so it's been a while since I've done any bone work. Usually anything "degenerative" like degenertive disc disease or degenerative joint disease all falls under arthritis related conditions from normal aging process. Unless it's some atypical process those words dont get doctors would up but certainly they want you living as pain-free, normal life as possible.
Before having any procedures (more than injections) I would get a disk of your MRI and the report & get a 2nd opinion with an orthopedic doctor that specializes in the spine. At least around here it's not uncommon for ortho docs to specialze in spine, hips/knees, or elbow/ shoulders. I would assume it's the same in any big teaching hospital.

So the 2nd opinion will either
1. give you some alternative ideas or
2. reconfirm that the ablation is the best approach.
I love 2nd opinions and there's good reason why insurance covers them.

You should also ask your doctor who referred you for the MR to give you a copy of the MR report so you dont have to try to memorize all the terminology used. A lot of hospitals have a patient portal where people can view your & print their own reports.

Good luck to you and hope you're feeling better soon.

 

[fifthdimensiondweller]

DH's genetic test came back today and we were cleared to have children! He carries no disorders save a minor hormone disorder that is not life threatening and can be treated, so while I'm sad to part with the $340, that was money well spent for the peace of mind that he is at least not a carrier for the muscular dystrophy that runs in my family, which is the main reason we had the test in the first place. I'm really glad we didn't both get tested at the same time, since it saved us $340 on my test.

Breathing a bit sigh of relief!

In other news, today is our wedding anniversary. Well, kind of. We were married of leap day so we won't have an actual anniversary for four years, but I found a BOGO coupon to our favorite Italian place so we are going out tonight! February was a good month for us financially considering we took a trip, had valentine's, and our anniversary plus the genetic test and I'll be glad to sit back with a big bowl of spaghetti tonight and celebrate!

 

[disneyduonj]

Happy anniversary and so happy to hear about the genetic testing

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

DH's genetic test came back today and we were cleared to have children! He carries no disorders save a minor hormone disorder that is not life threatening and can be treated, so while I'm sad to part with the $340, that was money well spent for the peace of mind that he is at least not a carrier for the muscular dystrophy that runs in my family, which is the main reason we had the test in the first place. I'm really glad we didn't both get tested at the same time, since it saved us $340 on my test.

Breathing a bit sigh of relief!

In other news, today is our wedding anniversary. Well, kind of. We were married of leap day so we won't have an actual anniversary for four years, but I found a BOGO coupon to our favorite Italian place so we are going out tonight! February was a good month for us financially considering we took a trip, had valentine's, and our anniversary plus the genetic test and I'll be glad to sit back with a big bowl of spaghetti tonight and celebrate!

Congrats and Happy Anniversary.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

February Update:
So I am assuming no more unexpected expenses in February - any that come up will come out of March budget.
Other unbudgeted expenses (I budget mortgage(s), maintenance, gas, insurance, groceries, phone/internet, charity, prescriptions, daughter's hair, and some things that are paid yearly broken up monthly - the rest goes into an account labeled "tuition" until the end of the month - unexpected things that come up get taken out of that and the balance goes into savings at the end of the month) - Costco stock up - I used 39.62 out my "savings" and 35 out of groceries for next month, FINALLY got my headlight and turn signal repaired - $35
Got the HSBC bonus of $350
Federal Refund of $1128
I managed to save $400 this month

Saved this year so far:
January: $52.66
February:$225 + $350 +$1128 +$400=2103


Total saved this year: $$$2155.66

We did several bank bonuses too in 2016. It was great to get the $$ but kind of sucked knowing our refund was lower because of all that untaxed income. Oh well, it was still worth it and plan to do several more. When dh & I did Santander it was only $150. Nice to see they upped it to $225. I think I will help ds20 do this.
All combined dh & I had $1200 in bank bonuses in 2016 plus ds20 had $300.
Sweet, easy money.

Sorry to hear about your mom- stupid question but transfusion is blood right? I look forward to donating again- I haven't been with being pregnant/nursing

That's great that you donate blood!!! That is truly one thing that can't be manufactured in a lab and it's so crucially needed. It never, ever goes to waste. My job gives us 3 hours of comp time for donating and because it's right there onsite, I could go every 56 days if I wanted. Not that I could though because it really drains me if I do it as often as I can. Then I have to take a few months break and rebuild my hemoglobin stores.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

your "standard deduction" is based on your W4 withholding allowances. You can actually claim 0.

Not in Canada...

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Yes, blood transfusions.

I'm sorry to hear this about your mom and I know it's frustrating when they find nothing but trust me when I say for a colonoscopy being done for low hemoglobin, finding nothing is awesome. What they're looking for is something that would make someone have a slow blood loss via the intestines (as in cancer) so finding nothing is perfect news.

Not the dialysis, but the low hemoglobin requiring transfusions has happened to both of my parents, my grandmother, and both of my in laws. Usually it's from the medications that many seniors take that is hard on the bowels.

Back when my dad was working & had a 1 hr commute this happened to him. He was having tarry stools (sign of bleeding somewhere) and when the doctor asked my dad if he takes his Plavix with food he said, "Sure, I take it with my coffee when I wake up and then on my drive to work I eat a sandwich." Omg, he leaves an hour after he wakes up so essentially he was taking it on an empty stomach and then food an hour later. Ugh.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Well, we are getting ready to make our first offer for the student loan. Wish us luck that we can come to a reasonable agreement. This has been dragging on for 4 years and we are ready to put this behind us.

Grandparents, if you ever sign on a student loan for your grandkids, make sure your kids can't use all of the estate money for other crap before paying off the loan. But that is a rant for another day.

 

[MamaBelleRN]

I'm sure they've discussed this, but is your mom on erythropoiesus-stimulating agents (ESAs) to help combat the low hemoglobin? Low hemoglobin is a common issue among those with CKD as the kidneys play a big role in the production of red blood cells. It's been a while since I've worked ICU or med/surg, but figured I'd ask as sometimes this treatment is overlooked (and I'm sure there are circumstances where using ESAs is contraindicated).

Not strange at all. It's not fun living with pain. It would be nice if they at least found the source of it and then you could move on with treatment.

My mom is on dialysis 3 times a week. She's been suffering from low hemoglobin lately so she's been having transfusions (3? 4? since mid October). She went for a colonoscopy at the end of January - the nurses at dialysis thought great, this would solve the mystery. Nope, her colonoscopy was completely clean. Back to the drawing board. She hasn't had a transfusion since January 12th and now her hemoglobin is starting to dip again

 

[bcwife76]

I'm sorry to hear this about your mom and I know it's frustrating when they find nothing but trust me when I say for a colonoscopy being done for low hemoglobin, finding nothing is awesome. What they're looking for is something that would make someone have a slow blood loss via the intestines (as in cancer) so finding nothing is perfect news.

Not the dialysis, but the low hemoglobin requiring transfusions has happened to both of my parents, my grandmother, and both of my in laws. Usually it's from the medications that many seniors take that is hard on the bowels.

Back when my dad was working & had a 1 hr commute this happened to him. He was having tarry stools (sign of bleeding somewhere) and when the doctor asked my dad if he takes his Plavix with food he said, "Sure, I take it with my coffee when I wake up and then on my drive to work I eat a sandwich." Omg, he leaves an hour after he wakes up so essentially he was taking it on an empty stomach and then food an hour later. Ugh.

It's no fun getting old And yes I'm very pleased for her that the colonoscopy was clear - it's frustrating that her hemoglobin still dips lower sometimes but I'm very grateful they didn't find cancer.

 

[bcwife76]

I'm sure they've discussed this, but is your mom on erythropoiesus-stimulating agents (ESAs) to help combat the low hemoglobin? Low hemoglobin is a common issue among those with CKD as the kidneys play a big role in the production of red blood cells. It's been a while since I've worked ICU or med/surg, but figured I'd ask as sometimes this treatment is overlooked (and I'm sure there are circumstances where using ESAs is contraindicated).

No, I don't believe she is. I'll mention this to her and see if she can get more information about it.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Sooo excited for this three paycheck month for both DH and myself. We will also hopefully get DH's federal refund since mine showed up but his still hasn't. We still have not heard about what DH's new salary will be for his promotion, which is super irritating, but that should go into effect sometime this month as well. Hopefully budgeting a lot of money to our horse show fund this month so we can get a good cushion going for our national horse show at the end of the year. I also took my last horseback riding lesson last night so that will put another $200/mo back in my pocket. I ride at a local barn through the winter because they have an indoor arena that I can use when it's bad weather over the winter. Keeps me in shape and riding during the months when I would otherwise become a hibernating bear lol.

Going to try to continue the trend of very little eating out this month. We did really well in February, I think we ended up spending about $125, which is about half what we usually do. Going to try to pack a lot of snacks/crockpot meals for our horse show at the end of the month so we're not tempted to eat out.

In other great news, some of you may remember that my FIL had a heart attack last year that left him with significant brain damage. Yesterday, he was cleared to start driving again!! He is very excited that he will no longer have to rely on my BIL to drive him everywhere. He is limited to only one hour of driving per day right now, but that's plenty to just allow him to get out of the house even if it's just up to Starbucks or grocery store. I am hoping this will give him a big boost of confidence and a desire to improve since it's been really tough on him being essentially homebound and not being able to do much on his own.