have we heard from Aimee yet?

beth read my mind. I was just wondering the same thing.

So, my primary-care doctor called me and said that he'd like me to get an MRI. He said I've been having too much weirdness with my back over the past 2 years, which I guess I have. He has to take care of the pre-certification, and then his office will let me know when I can get it done.

Our health insurance pays 90% of the MRI *after* we've met a $500-per-calendar-year deductible. Well, I haven't met *any* of the deductible this year, so I'm going to have to cough up $500. Which I have an emergency fund for, so it's okay, but still -- ouch.

My co-worker suggested that -- unless the pain comes back in a bad way -- I should wait until January to get the MRI, because if I get it now, with only 2 weeks left in 2008, then my $500 deductible "re-sets" at the beginning of 2009 all over again.

Good point. So unless the pain comes back as bad as it was over the weekend, or unless my doctor can come up with a convincing reason that I *must* get the MRI in the next 2 weeks, I'll do it, but I'm going to wait until January 2.

I'm at work right now, and my back still feels the same as earlier -- uncomfortable, but not PAINPAINPAIN. I'm okay sitting, which I wasn't last week, even *before* the PAINPAINPAIN. So, to me, that seems like improvement. I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on how it progresses.

I should wait until January to get the MRI, because if I get it now, with only 2 weeks left in 2008, then my $500 deductible "re-sets" at the beginning of 2009 all over again.

Besides, with it not being at emergency levels, getting something scheduled at this time of year is a crapshoot.

And yes, stick it to the Insurance Man! Wipe out that deductible early! Before Hubby got on Medicaid, we'd morbidly wonder just how early in the year we'd wipe out the deductible. Really, it was a bitch to get onto, but disability has been a godsend. It's like in D&D, where you get a modifier and get to roll on a whole different table. (the geek tag never closes). It covers his doctor copays--big ass chunk of money some months--big hunks of hospital stays, etc. etc.

Oh, and it's probably going to wipe out the student loan that's been fucking with our lives for our entire married life! Take that, Bitch of an Ex Wife!

I also realized my throat is hoarse today, and couldn't figure out why.

Duh. All the howling and wailing I was doing Saturday at the hospital. I mean, *really.* You would never think I was capable of that level of (justifiable) histrionics.

Yeah, waiting for the 2009 deductible sounds like a good plan at this point, Tepppy--that way if there IS anything wrong (god forbid) you've already covered it rather than having to pay both years'!

that way if there IS anything wrong (god forbid) you've already covered it rather than having to pay both years'!

Exactly! I mean, obviously if the horrible PAINPAINPAIN comes back in the next 2 weeks (good god -- 2 weeks until the end of the year!), I'd do whatever I needed to, and to hell with the deductible. But if I can wait just a wee bit, then I will.

In the past 3 days, my LiveJournal has been friended/added/whatever they call it there by two complete strangers. The one guy has absolutely no common groups or interests or people. The other gal at least has some common interest, but no common groups or people. Both have less than 10 entries, all public view, and all rather generic and advice-like in orientation. One has 1000 friends, the other 1399 friends. Has anyone else gotten these? It's kind of new to me. I wish you could do the "ignore" thing like Facebook. I might have to do "friends only" soon. The bulk of my posts I lock out, so in essence it's friends only.

In the past 3 days, my LiveJournal has been friended/added/whatever they call it there by two complete strangers.

It happens occasionally -- I just ignore them (ignore as in, don't do anything about it; not ignore as in you're missing some button that says "ignore" on it). It's not like they can see anything that the whole public can't already see anyway.