Hey Dad,
A lot has happened since I last wrote!
It's funny to be reminded that Chicago was having an
unseasonably warm fall just before the polar vortex brought us to a
halt. I thought I wanted to hibernate
before! I realize that temps in the 50s
are rough on Floridians, but I'm seriously reconsidering living in a place
where the air hurts my face. You might
have been onto something when you moved down there. I'm sure you don't miss digging out parking
spaces, but I have to say you're missing out on some seriously amusing dibs activity!
http://www.businessinsider.com/dibs-season-chicago-2014-1 These folks are classing it up! |
The Affordable Care Act went live despite the government
shut down. Unfortunately, there have
been problems with the insurance marketplace website launch and a lot of folks
are confused about what coverage is available to them. I've been sitting back and watching the
political drama unfold and I'm discouraged to hear folks I know personally
having difficulty affording health insurance even with subsidies. I am not convinced that health insurance
reform is what we need. Time will tell
whether this actually helps folks. I'm
worried about what will happen with patient assistance programs from
pharmaceutical companies since they typically only help the uninsured to afford
medications. The least expensive health
insurance for folks above the medicaid cut-offs almost certainly won't give
them enough coverage for their drugs and/or will have too-high deductibles.
Speaking of diabetes drugs, I'm worried about you.
It's been a rough several months for you with the shoulder
surgery and now more kidney problems. I
know you hate being inactive and that has created some challenges with managingyour blood sugar. We’ve talked about this
before, but it bears repeating that you really do need to take it easy because
diabetes can make the healing process take longer and having an injury or
illness can make it even more difficult to control your blood sugar. A lot of stuff can come up for people withdiabetes who are also recovering from a surgery.
In the mean time, I’m looking into some food resources for
you. I know you are not a fan of most
vegetables and you aren’t all that keen on expanding your palette, but maybe
there are some ways to make it easier to try new foods so you aren’t stuck
eating the same bowl of lettuce every day.
Love,
Mel