I received an email from my health care provider asking me to go follow a link and fill out some info so they could better serve me and update their electronic records. I followed the link, provided info to prove it was me not someone fraudulently faking being me ( no one would want to be me I am thinking). The email made it sound like maybe they would collect some useful medical info or something along those lines. What is going to help them serve me better? Well – — enter birthdate – maybe they need to verify this since they have had it since the 80’s, sex – well ok they have choices for transgendered on there now I but alas I am still female so no great help for them there, knowing what ethnic nationality (race/color/what-evers same as when I was a doc the last time) and how many years of schooling I have. End of survey. I did not click send. For some reason it really irritated me.
I tried to get a DMV appointment to renew my lic. I got an automatic renewal deal all I had to do was mail it in but they say that they are 4-6 weeks + behind so it would not get the new one till after the old expired. Oh yeah you can not go in and do this prior to receiving the renewal notice. No appointments till after it expires available so what the heck at least if I do it online I have reciept that shows I did it right? Well I filled out the form to register to use the site – answered all the secret questions etc. got the verify this your email email, logged in to the site.
I entered all my credit card junk and then I kept looking for the place to enter the code the renewal notice said I had to enter or my application would not be renewed – so I looked and looked and looked- I never did find anywhere to enter it so finally I just followed instructions clicked done and then used this link the provided to print ( a cute little printer picture) and I got garbage-gibberish-maybe greek? I tried again no joy, different printers – no joy, I used the print screen on the keyboard and saved a snap of the page. Tried printing again still rubbish – then the site said I was timed out. 🙁 I guess I am going to go and wait hours (no appointment) and see if I can get a temporary before mine expires. I am thinking proof I did this is a computer generated piece of paper that looks like it was printed in a foreign language. The site said be sure to print it for records and proof . …
I am more irritated.
No P.E. for our class tomorrow because the teach has another meeting they district is making her attend. Now the good folks in gov’t and the college have really gotten strict about student attendance – kind of hard on a class full of peeps with a variety of medical conditions – especially since the classes are now at max capacity so the teacher has less time for individuals. Oh the point they have no problem with canceling the class so we the students get less for our money.
One student who is blind and diabetic was afraid if he missed another class he would be automatically dropped got himself on the bus injured after a fall (more on this to follow) and fell again hurting himself more. He was helped to the class by a nice young student. We got him inside somehow and into a chair. This man was in serious pain! How to get him home?
Well back tracking. His aide is no longer allowed per company policy to give any clients a lift in their private vehicle etc. The aides and teacher at school are no longer allowed to assist with this either. Heck they can not even let us use pulse monitors at the start of class anymore as the district decided this amounted to the teacher acting as a nurse – we are not even allowed to use our own monitors to do this in class anymore – go figure.
This man was told by his part time in home care taker that if he had to call 911 again ( the police called them when he fell the first time) or got dropped from class because of his fall they were going to call is parents and they would ship him to a group home or back to Texas to live with them ( take my word here not good thing). I will not voice my opinion of his care taker but . … any ways how to get him home?
He could not get up into my truck so another gal with MS and I worked it out best we could. She drove him home and I would get him to his apartment. I good idea that went bad. He lived on the second floor and there were 18 – yes I counted them – cement steps up. Well he was in pain and wobbly unable to but full weight on one leg … he was in panic afraid if he did not get home he would be shipped off – and he would have been so we went for it against my and my friends judgment he started up the stairs. I just knew that it was headed south – he would more than likely fall – so I got behind him and held on to each guard rail – one on the right the other left (duh) and stood behind him. Sure enough eighth step and he fell backwards. I tensed my arms and pushed forward with all my might held on and just about the time a thought I was gonna go down backwards with him(all 235 pounds) I got him forward and safely sitting on a step. Thank who ever that we did not leave him as he wanted us to and I stood behind him.
yes dumb but they guy was going up no matter what. I can not imagine being so afraid/alone? that I would endure the pain and over come my fear and head up those stairs. I got him doing what I call the butt scoot boogie up the stairs. His arms gave out at step 12. I held him while well while he cried and rested. He wanted us to go so – to leave him there on step 12. 45 mins later we made it into his apartment where at his wish I left him laying exhausted on his living room floor. I made sure the phone was next to him and he had a bottle of water. He said he needed to rest. I felt so had just leaving him there but . …
What kind of society do we live in when a blind guy falls and if he calls for help he ends up in a care home or in Texas out in the boonies where there are not buses, no handicapped van services and no internet? He manages very well when not injured. Where the only peeps that helped him both had MS and quite honestly I know one of them has really sore shoulders and back now and the other is still trying to thaw out as it was really cold out. WTF. He just got approval for a downstairs apartment from hud or whoever handles such things after being on the waiting list for over a year.
Maybe I will go back to the health carrier site and tell em I never graduated elementary school and I don’t know what race I am? Think they will be better able to serve me? I do get that some conditions etc are more prevalent in some ethnic groups than others and perhaps a college graduate might understand some bigger words and or instructions better than some one who never learned to read but??? If I say no high school diploma will they dumb down or treat me different if I fess up to my education will they assume something different? Why not just ask for an IQ test LOL Are you smart enough to be a patient or is it dumb enough?
If I drive with a license that says expired and if pulled over show the cop my Greek looking papers will they eat me? Maybe if I speak with a Greek accent and act like I can read it – if it were Greek I would have a chance . … I so hope that my folks really did handle that speeding ticket I received when I was 14 on my bicycle – seriously I got one – because the new computer systems are all inter connected now and check for all prior un paid . … oh yeah when I clicked the FAQ about the silly RIN number it now says you do not need it “You no longer need the RIN to renew your drivers license online, but you do need to register as a certified user with the DMV to process your renewal.” I guess telling my first cats name did it eh?
Whew, what an ordeal with your classmate. Gotta give him credit for getting out and taking a PE class, though. He must use a cane. right? Maybe he’d do better with a guide dog; of course then he’d have to take him outside at least twice a day, and someone would have to scoop up. Not likely to find an apartment manager who would comply.
I guess you got an extra workout this week after all, though. Pressing 225# is not too shabby! You go, girl!
PS – drive carefully and don’t get stopped. Last time, uh, only time I was stopped was in a trap. Lower speed limit in a construction zone – but there was not one construction worker or vehicle or piece of machinery in sight! I didn’t get the ticket. (and if I did I would have fought it, for sure.)
I have not been pulled over in a long time knocking on wood now. I am going to go down and wait at DMV prior to expiration and hope like heck that the renewal at least went through far enough that they will issue a temporary lic until the new “improved’ lic comes in the mail.
yes he uses a cane and I am not sure why he does not have a dog? Perhaps the cost? I have not been able to get him on the phone so I am not up on how he is doing right now. I know he had a doc appointment yesterday.
Holy moly girl! No wonder you are irritated, I would be livid. I really hate having to do any online forms, they NEVER work for me.
Sadly, if you are disabled and alone in North America, the government tries to “help” by shipping you off to some second rate facility, that costs them more for your care than if they supplied you with a (decent) full time home worker. I don’t get it!
I commend you and the other classmate for helping this guy out.
I so try to avoid applications, purchases, etc online – and this is a good example as to why.
The State is converting to their new and improved licenses and they are way behind on production – at least that is the official word on the subject.
something like 80% of the lic cards are defective and have to be redone hence the backup. the vendor has issues I mean they only were awarded a $63 million dollar job where the contract stated they had 48hours to issue the new lic after the application was received. Sure hope they have honest employees LOL
Holy $%^&* what a bunch of $%^&*(, sorry but nice words fail me. This is society at its ugliest. You are true grit, girlfriend! I wish I had a friend like you.
Diane, you are a blogging friend no?
Once upon a time (sounds like a Fairy Tale starter but it is not) I believed that the majority of society was nice and that the ugly part was the minority. Now I find myself thinking the opposite. Guess that is because where I live the atmosphere is “$%^&*”
Wow, three loaded topics and events in one post.
The DMV bit is unbelievable. Yet considering bureaucratic organizations’ consistent inability to integrate and/or convert paper and digital information, it is believable (and, of course, I believe you). Yeah, do drive carefully. No matter how much you did your “due diligence,” am sure you’d get penalized for driving with an expired license no matter how convincing your Greek accent.
The story about your PE classmate is so effed up on so many levels. So many folks’ hands tied due to “liability.” And, him living in fear of asking for or losing resources adding to the challenges. I think there are a lot of folks similar to him… living in fear of getting help or calling attention to oneself, lest their living situation gets changed to something worse “for their own good.” Kudos to you and your classmate. Am glad to hear he’s getting a first floor apartment.
And, the insurance company and redundant information…not going there.
Yeah, I can see why you’re irritated. Actually that’s a bit mild.
the health HMO peeps kind of make me laugh. I just figured if I do not oblige them and fill out their stupid questions I will get to see how long it takes them to send me another email request.
For the last 10 or so years I have been getting great service from the HMO after I spend 10 years figuring out how to work their system it went much better. Now they are the newest trauma center for the area and it seems every time the docs are getting interrupted by pagers because of another shooting in the area.
I smell profiling . …