. Waldo had a rough night last night and this morning was no better. He could not breathe and was wheezing and his nose was all plugged up.
As a result, because he could not smell his food, he did not eat.
I decided to bring him to a new-to-me highly recommended new vet.
The vet's initial reaction was that Waldo had an infection, possibly due to a tooth, not asthma, so he wanted to do an x-ray, which I did. The x-ray confirmed he has asthma, and he has some sort of upper respiratory infection or pneumonia. The total bill was $302.
He did get a shot for the infection (long-lasting for 2 weeks) and then I have pills to give him for the asthma twice a day, for about 10 days; he said giving him the pill form of prednasone (has a somewhat different name) is safer for the cat than the one-time injection. After the 10 day span, he may need to stay on these pills indefinitely, depending on his symptoms. We'll have to see how he does.
Right now, he's still totally wheezy and stuffed up; they gave him a pill at the vet's so am hoping he'll see some improvement soon.
Since I was laid off, I've spent $1200 on meds and vet visits for the 2 cats. I suppose it could be worse.
The new vet is a little closer than the first, and the office is set back from the road, unlike the first one on a very busy highway. Also, the new vet has a separate entry and waiting area for cats only, so it's a little less stressful for them. Cost-wise, it's a little hard to compare since this vet did different things than my other vet, but the exam was $15 cheaper. Not sure about procedures yet.
The only thing is that the vet, who is Polish, has a pretty good accent and it is hard to understand everything he's saying. But I think I will probably stick with him. His staff also seems nicer, too.
I fell asleep last night around 11:30 pm feeling uneasy and worried about the election returns. I was so shocked this morning to hear the news. Probably the worst thing Trump will do is til the Supreme Court ultra-conservative for the next 30 or 40 years. There is even talk of repel of Roe v Wade decision.
And what will happen to my health insurance if my COBRA runs out and I'm still not working?
This is the worst case scenario, IMO and I will never utter the word "president" before saying his name.
Another trip to the vet
November 9th, 2016 at 06:02 pm
November 9th, 2016 at 06:17 pm 1478715425
November 9th, 2016 at 08:15 pm 1478722505
November 10th, 2016 at 10:47 pm 1478818062
But MANY americans believe they can manage medical costs better than the government. They believe that they are insuring everyone else EXCEPT themselves until they need it. They believe that they won't ever get sick and need to depend on insurance until they NEED it.
This belief and the belief that health care isn't a right = free market health insurance. Some americans don't believe health is a basic human right. So we need to move to a completely free market healthcare.
We need to stop employer provided coverage and level the playing ground for everyone including seniors. The hard sell needs to happen. We need to do what Paul Ryan proposes and do voucherized medical insurance for seniors and everyone else gets cash from employers to buy their own. We will have a true free market healthcare.
My prediction is if we did this and blow up the system we'd be in socialized medicine within 10 years. If we continue the way we are we'd never resolve the issue. We'll be forever in limbo "saying oh free market health care is the MOST efficient system." The only way to prove people wrong is to do it.
FWIW I think that the same religious people who don't support abortion also need to step up and provide support/income/care for people who have babies they don't want.
November 12th, 2016 at 09:23 pm 1478985782