Just got a call from back home. Mom fell and broke her hip. Evidently it wasn't too bad; she was at church, and insisted my sister drive her home to change clothes before she went to the hospital. She didn't want to wear good clothes to the ER.
That's my Mom. Frugal. Most people would probably worry about having on clean underwear and being embarrassed about their appearance. Not Mom. Who CARES what a few doctors and nurses think? She's in her 80s, but those Sunday best clothes might get stained or cut up in the ER. (And she's right, I worked in the ER for years. They will cut off clothes and run lines, procedures and speed taking precedence over politeness and protocol like undressing and folding your clothes.)
Yes, I'm upset, and another crisis in my life. Yep, got to go argue with her Medicare and insurance. But also a reminder of how much I love this woman. How much like her I am, even if I don't always want to be. The values and common sense she instilled in me.
E is for Embarrassment. Embarrassment, like worrying about how you look while they are cutting your clothes off of you, well, that can cost money. And there is no excuse, not even a broken hip, for wasting money.
clean underwear and old clothes
April 16th, 2006 at 08:05 pm
4 Responses to “clean underwear and old clothes”
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April 16th, 2006 at 08:45 pm 1145220319
As for the insurance.....I had to threaten ERISA action before I started seeing some of my mom's bills finally getting attention. Of course there's always more on the subject but I'm getting tired of fighting all the time. I'm sure you are as well.
I'll be thinking of you and your mom.
April 16th, 2006 at 11:33 pm 1145230401
April 17th, 2006 at 01:18 pm 1145279909
April 17th, 2006 at 03:35 pm 1145288151