Food

Many thanks to a Facebook friend for making dinner possible last night. Three more long days until payday and right back at square one: Where is food coming from today?

The Saltine Blues

Starving. Officially out of food since allocating $30 to RX meds today and dinner, coffee, and milk last night. Would kill for pizza or pasta … or anything to eat other than saltines.

Saturday Post-Surgical Update 2

Just woke from a three-hour rest (post-surgery, I usually take one or two naps a day to combat fatigue); nowhere nearer to raising funds for bathroom tissue, coffee, milk, something for dinner tonight, and the cervical collar my doc wants me to purchase at the medical supply store.

 I can gradually repay small Paypal loans (say, in the five or ten bucks range) if anyone cares to just loan some help but I most definitely need all the aid I can get. Since February, expenses related to this medical emergency have been tapping out almost every dollar I have of my own and funds that my kind friends and patrons pass along. I’m going to need, for instance, bus fare for trips to my doc and to my surgeon this coming week.

Paypal: rodger_jacobs@yahoo.com

Fast Tracking a Slow Process

The post-surgical check-up with my doctor went well yesterday, aside from the edema he discovered in both of my legs, which could be the result of any number of things: the arthritis, or my use of prescription NSAIDs and corticosteroids, or a combination of all three.

He is fast tracking the process for IHSS (In-Home Social Services) and physical rehab. In the meantime, thanks to Lela, the applications for Medicaid and recertification of my SNAP (food stamps) benefits have been submitted. This is going to be a long, long trail, as my doctor remarked yesterday.

The fatigue that’s plagued me since surgery on March 20 has begun to ebb just a bit. Yesterday between doctor co-pay, prescriptions, some much needed household supplies from the “Bargain Hit!” discount store on Sunset, and stuff for dinner, I blew through my last fifty bucks in just under two hours. And I forgot to purchase milk, coffee, and bathroom tissue. And there are still five freaking days until payday.

Food and Bus Fare

Tomorrow, Friday, I see my primary doctor [I have a whole fleet of physicians these days] to begin the process of setting me up with an MSW [Medical Social Worker] to apply for Medicaid, in-home physical therapy, and other social service programs that I may qualify for in light of this recent change in my disability status.

With eight long days before my net SSD payday, however, I do not even have the bus fare to get to the doc’s office and back tomorrow and certainly no coin to put food on the table today and moving forward until April 3. If you can be of assistance in any small way, my Paypal is rodger_jacobs@yahoo.com

Thank you

Six Weeks

Yesterday my doc informed me that I can look forward to six weeks of recovery, meaning six weeks of horrid fatigue that makes it damn near impossible to do all I have to do in terms of social services.

“It was serious and major surgery you went through,” she explained. “It will take some time to fully heal.”

I am so accustomed to running off to medical appointments and tests that I awoke at four this morning worried that I had to get out of bed to meet a pending appointment. After awakening fully, I realized that I do not have another appointment until this Friday afternoon.

Yesterday I went through $100 in record time: after paying down my bill at the doc’s office [leaving a $10 balance], picking up household and medical supplies at the dollar store on Sunset, prescription meds at CVS, and a few paltry groceries, I am now, once again, flat broke and busted with nine more days to go before my next SSD payday.

Monday AM Update

Today begins the long process of applying for additional social service programs that I may now be eligible for and lining up rehab. Received, gratefully, a little cash aid over the weekend but not enough to carry over into today and beyond. Depressed, broke, and in considerable pain.

Food and Bandaging

I’m very happy that Lela is here to help and cook and clean for me during my initial recovery (I have three months of rehab ahead of me). But as of tonight there’s nothing for her to cook. All of the medical and medical-related fees (cab and bus fare, medications) have wiped me out until the third of April.

The doctor ordered me to keep my health up post-surgery but how can you eat right when all the costs associated with one’s medical emergency and surgery broke the bank? I received three more hospital bills today from St. Vincent’s and Huntington: hundreds of dollars. I’ll be looking into their programs for “charity care”.

So, today, Sunday, I badly need funds for Lela to go grab a few groceries and dressing, surgical tape, and anti-biotic ointment for the incision scar on my carotid on the left side of my neck. Even five dollars helps. Please. I’m pretty desperate. Paypal is rodger_jacobs@yahoo.com

Morphine and Food

“To be alive at all, is to have scars.” ~~ John Steinbeck

And boy do I have one hell of a scar on my neck to show proof of life after a successful but cosmetically botched seven-hour surgery on Thursday.

I cannot say much about what happened at the moment other than to say that I encountered [not for the first time] a Medicare mill that was determined to keep me in the hospital longer than promised so as to squeeze every dollar they possibly could out of Medicare. And to keep me compliant with the program, the nurses were feeding me a steady dose of morphine in an IV drip.

I was stoned on morphine when I fled the hospital in horror and fear at 6:00 PM Friday night, calling a cab from a curb in front of the hospital and spending the last of my cash on a cab ride home.

Now, after two days of a liquid diet, I need a decent hot meal and the means to provide it. If anyone can contribute even ten bucks to Paypal to help me get some food in this house to help with my healing process I would so appreciate it.

Thank you

SOS

Just got in from a long day of testing at the neurology center. Desperately need help with cab fare to the hospital for surgery at 5:00 AM tomorrow. And bus fare for Lela back and forth between hospital and my house. Please help in any way you can.

Paypal: rodger_jacobs@yahoo.com