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If you like what we do here at Kevin's Corner, please consider, if you can, making a donation using the widget on the left side of the blog. Please and Thank You.

Thank You

Just wanted to say thank you for the donations and the support over the last few days. I'm stunned that anyone noticed or cared what I do and am going through these days. Heck, I am surprised I am still here as I never expected to still be around. I saw too many spouses get sick with their own cancer problem and pass a year or two after their spouse died. I always figured it was when, not if, and I was sure I was gone as it was just a matter of time.

Surprisingly,  I am still here. And a lot of you care about that fact and what I do from my small place in NE Dallas. Sandi would tell me not to question why and just be grateful. 

I certainly am. The new computer was covered. Now we are working towards paying the oh so many medical bills I have generated these last four months and will generate this week and next. 

Thank you. 

YouCaring: Memorial for Dave Nunn Jr (Son of PJ Nunn)

Many of you know PJ Nunn, owner of Breakthrough Promotions. Her son, David, tragically passed away on Friday after a long battle against many medical issues.Now, along with their grief, the family is faced with medical bills and funeral costs. If you can help, please do so. Also, please take a moment and share this post so that others are aware and can help if they are able to do so.

From the YouCaring donation page.....


Most of you know David Nunn Jr has been fighting serious medical issues that began in 2011 with a bad staph infection that cost him his right leg and caused his lungs to fail. He's been a fighter, persistently overcoming obstacles and surprising his doctors. But this week he faced his final battle and breathed his last breath Friday afternoon,  November 11th. Unfortunately, due to his age and the chronic medical issues,  he didn't have life insurance and his family is now faced with enormous funeral costs and outstanding medical bills.  We would really appreciate any donations to help them cover these expenses. The funeral is Friday, November 18th and funeral costs must be paid by noon on Thursday. Thank you,  in advance for any help and support.

Update on the Angel Rings

Sandi now has orders for 26 angel rings. She is making more as she can when she is up to it. Her iOffer store remains closed by them until they process her check payment of $5.14 that she had no idea she owed. Thanks to donations and the orders she has made the $275 she needed for the Oncology installment payment for this month.

Things are very rough right now, but we are doing our best to hang in....

Sandi's Latest Creations: Angel Rings

As we grind closer to another visit with her cancer doctor and probably a resumption of chemotherapy, Sandi has been working on angel rings. She now has them for sale over at her iOffer store along with lots of other stuff. These sell for $5.00 each and that includes shipping. You can order here and pay through the paypal widget over to the left or there at iOffer.

We have a mandatory monthly installment payment of $270 due in just a few days to Texas Oncology at Medical City Dallas Hospital so it would really be nice to sell some things as we do not have any of it.

Cancer/Medical Bills Fundraiser for Kevin and Sandi Tipple (Karen Gross on Facebook)

Karen Gross is doing a fundraiser for us via her candle/jewelry business on Facebook.  She is donating to us her 30 percent commission on products ordered through the link at:
 
https://www.jewelryincandles.com/store/hookedoncandles/y/33978

One has to go through that link for the sale to count for us. So, if you are looking for a gift or treat for yourself please go take a look.  We thank you.

Denied for Texas Medicaid while being Harassed by RADIOLOGY CONSULTANTS OF NORTH DALLAS

About a week ago I signed paperwork for the MASH Unit on behalf of Texas Oncology to concoct us to see if we qualified for Texas Medicaid. I already knew we didn't as we have never qualified since Scott turned 18. Once your child turns 18 the parents don't qualify for anything even when a terminal illness is involved. But, Texas Oncology needed the denial to see if we could possible qualify for any nationwide charity situation.

It took them the week to call, but they finally did. It took them about a minute to determine, solely based on what Sandi and I receive via Social Security Disability that we do not qualify for anything. Though our income is less than 18k a year, under state law, we make too much. They will be notifying Texas Oncology that we don't qualify. No surprise there.

But, the revolting surprise of the day comes by way of RADIOLOGY CONSULTANTS OF NORTH DALLAS and their collection agency D/B/A RS CLARK AND ASSOCIATES, INC working out of a PO BOX in Dallas. Not only is the letter not signed by anyone, the letter does not a physical location for the business which is required under both state and federal law. Despite paying what was owed and providing proof of the actual amount owed month ago, and sending them proof every time they tried to fraudulently bill us for money we did not owe, RADIOLOGY CONSULTANTS OF NORTH DALLAS has done it again by way of RS CLARK AND ASSOCIATES, INC.

 Obviously, I will be sending their collection agency  the standard cease and desist letter which will put them on the thirty day clock to comply or risk my bringing it to the attention of federal and state authorities.

Normally, this kind of stupidity especially with RADIOLOGY CONSULTANTS OF NORTH DALLAS which has had a long history the past three years plus of screwing up bills, losing payments, filing false stuff with collections, does not bug me. I am used to the nonsense and none of it matters because our credit is trashed and Sandi is terminal. We are not buying a new car, a house, or going anywhere so threatening our credit---credit that we don't have anyway---  as today's unsigned form letter does from the collection agency is meaningless. And I have learned over the past several years that none of these collection agencies ever bother to check out what the creditor is claiming. If these fools had, they would have known not to take the account and attempt to bill us.


But, the timing today serious sucks. We have gone through hell the last few weeks and I am very tired of those who should be doing their best to help us deliberately making things harder than they have to be. While many want to blame the ACA for rising healthcare costs and everything else, the real problem is medical providers that can't handle their billing systems properly, can't correct their errors, and have no idea what they are doing while causing needless stress and harm to the very customers who need them the most.

Brutal Day

I an exhausted and overwhelmed.

Sandi is not doing at all well.

Her blood sugars are swinging wildly by more than 200 points at times which has caused them to implement emergency procedures to either force it down  before she strokes or force it up because she is about to slide into a diabetic coma.

Her port in her chest has partially shut down. They can still get fluids into her through it, but they can't get blood to come out that way. They think it has been overworked and will resume working correctly in a couple of days. So, when they need a blood sample they now have to take it out of her hand which causes her pain as she has cysts in her hands among other issues.

They are doing breathing treatments which seem to be making her lungs worse. They have confirmed by x-ray as well as by listening to her lungs that the numenitis is definitely back. This means she will be back on oxygen around the clock for the foreseeable future.

Apparently her kidney function is decreasing so she has been placed on diuretics in the hopes that they will start working. In the past diuretics have made this type of situation worse because, for her, they don't work the same way they do in most people. Supposedly they are trying a different one than the ones used before and that means this should work.

Mon day is our anniversary and we mark 30 years. They told her today that without question she will not be home for it. As to when she will be back home where she belongs they made no commitment at all. Beyond the whole infection deal, her body chemistry is getting more and more out of whack as they deal with one thing after another so they have absolutely no timetable at all now for her coming home.

She is still very congested, having incredible coughing fits, running fevers as high as 103 resulting in ice baths, shakes and chills along with incredible sweats, and the dry heaves. She did manage to have a little soup tonight and talked to me for a few minutes before she got too weak.


On top of all this I have just been informed by Social Security that they have decided to review my disability case. I have to assemble some paperwork and full out a form and send this back by a certain date so that somebody, somewhere can make a determination whether or not to do a full scale medical review and mess with my small benefit check.

Our rent is also going to go up by about $317 bucks if we choose to stay here when our lease ends on August 22. They were going to raise it $400 per the letter two weeks ago when I went in and talked to the Property Manager. I explained our situation and other factors and begged for mercy. It took them two weeks to make a decision and pass the word back to her. Instead of 400 they will go up only $317.

We pay about $1165 or so a month now when one includes water and fees on top of the basic rent of $1093 a month. They intend to take us to the alleged market rate of $1410 a month. Add in the water and fees and we will be expected to pay about $1480 or so. Considering that is within about 100 bucks of what Sandi and I get together for Social Security Disability it is not doable. We would have nothing to pay the power bill, the phone bill, to get groceries, or deal with the mounting medical debt. As it is we have wiped out everything we have and every penny that has come in by way of my begging for help here and Sandi's begging on her go fund me deal. We have absolutely nothing and after being here since 1987 through numerous companies and all the rest of it now this.

I have no idea what we are going to do. Even if we had the money to move, the idea of trying to move in the shape I am and the way Sandi is when she is home would be insane. We don't have it and apparently can't stay here.

I have been getting about fours of sleep a night for the last two weeks. I am exhausted, overwhelmed, and I can't fix any of it. My own health is in bad shape and all the stress is not helping me one bit. I have no idea what we did that was so wrong that we have to get dumped on like this. It just keeps coming in huge wave after wave of unforgiving crap. I am so sick of it. It is all too much and has been going on way too long since I got sick and lost my job. 

Enough already....we give.

Cancer Update On Sandi

Unfortunately, the CT scan results are not done. They want to take some additional time to look at things a bit more. Whether that is good or bad we don't know.

Her blood work over all was decent today though her little kidneys are taking a beating. Because of that she is set up for a two hour at least hydration infusion Tuesday and Friday if needed. Most likely it will be. Also those two days she will see the doctor, have blood work, and the white blood cell boosting shot like she did today.

We also have a visit with her endocrinologist Monday. So we will be gracing the hospital's halls at least three times again next week.

Facebook Fundraiser for Kevin and Sandi Tipple for Medical Bills

Fundraiser for Kevin and Sandi Tipple for Medical Bills

My Son's Amazon Store

My son, Karl Tipple, has a store at Amazon where he sells video games, consoles, and other things with part of the sales going to help us with Sandi's ongoing and escalating medical bills for her cancer treatment and other worsening medical issues. For over a week now Amazon.com has had Karl's account http://www.amazon.com/gp/aag/main?ie=UTF8&seller=A1TTA35U4QNYG7 locked so that nobody could buy anything because three---yes, three--- customers filed multiple bogus return claims.

So, not only have they damaged the reputation of a business run by a special needs adult, they have cost him hundreds of dollars that would have helped both his business and his mother's medical bills.

Please let Amazon know this was very wrong at 1-866-216-1072 and share this post.
 

Jenny Milchman LIVE in Plano, Texas Today --- 3PM Book Signing

I don't talk very much here anymore about how bad we need the help, because I hate asking. The plain truth is that we do need the help. On behalf of Sandi, the boys, and myself, thank you to Jenny, Earl, and Shalanna, as well as everyone else involved....


Hi everyone,

Most of you know Kevin Tipple, and what a valued member of the mystery community he is. A writer himself, Kevin also reviews books with insight, discretion, and novelty. Many of you probably also know that Kevin and his family have been burdened with more challenges in the last few years than any one person should have to face.

As part of the world's longest book tour, I'll be making a stop in Plano, TX, and getting together with local writers such as Earl Staggs and Shalanna Collins, in the hopes of holding a really great day to support Kevin. There will be giveaways, including a Book Club Bundle of new, signed books, and a Writer's Wish List that includes a query and chapter critique, plus a writer's coaching session. I'll be leading a talk about life on the road, this crazy writing life, and local writers at work in the area. And at the end, a donation will be made.

If you know people in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, I would greatly appreciate your spreading the word, sharing the info, and in general, encouraging them to come out for a really good time.

Here's an invite: http://jennymilchman.com/tour/invitation/2014-08-09/barnes-and-noble

To circle back around, most of you also know that my thirteen year publication journey took the support of one very special member of the writing community. The way we turn out to help one of our own, in ways from small to big, is inspiring, and I'd like to contribute a small piece for Kevin.

Finally, there is only one character inspired by real life in Ruin Falls, and it happens to be somebody whose name you see here often. On Saturday, I will read that section, and raise a cheer for he way DL marries real life and books together.

My best,


Jenny


COVER OF SNOW and RUIN FALLS
thrillers from Ballantine
http://www.suspenseyourdisbelief.com
http://www.takeyourchildtoabookstore.org

Not Friday

Today is not Friday and yet, due to scheduling issues, later this morning we are going down to Texas Oncology at Medical City Dallas for Sandi to have blood work and see the cancer doctor. Hopefully there won't be any bad  surprises in any of that. One just never knows.

Infusion Friday

Tomorrow is another infusion Friday down at Texas Oncology at Medical City Dallas for Sandi. On the agenda tomorrow are pre-meds and then one thing of IVIG. This stuff is supposed to help stabilize her slumping immune system and costs 6900 bucks a thing.

The new year is kicking our tail with the medical bills. Fortunately, most are working with us---for now--but all are making noises about needing bigger payments and faster ones. We would if we could.

As Seen Elsewhere

and very true.....

I'm beyond disgusted.  It was bad enough under Texas rules that Sandi did not qualify for Texas medicaid despite the fact that she has terminal cancer leaving us on the hook for thousands of dollars her insurance won't cover because of this or that technicality. Or the fact that because they count her small Social Security Disability (SSD) payment and mine and that means I apparently no longer qualify for Medicare reimbursement which means I am now going to be responsible for not only my Medicare premium each month, but at least 200 dollars more in medication costs. More than half of my SSD each month will now go to the Medicare premuim and the drug costs of the medications I am currently on.

We still don't have our food stamps for this month. If the unthinkable happens and the default is triggered, as it stands now, we won't receive our SSD next month and that means we won't be able to pay our rent. We will be homeless--it truly is that simple.

Like millions of other Americans, while this nonsense goes on, we suffer. I don't care which party you support or why. This is no way to run a government or the country. Remember who did what and hold them accountable when it is time to vote again.

I'd Rather be Reading or Writing

Spending my afternoon doing a little surfing and making medical billing copies for the state food stamp folks (who won't release our funds until I do this again) and the Leukemia Society who promised back in MARCH to assist us and have yet to do A SINGLE SOLITARY THING!

Update

In addition to having the oxygen cylinder delivery this morning that was rescheduled from yesterday, we also had our food stamp phone interview. The interview was necessary because our six month eligibility period expired in the middle of last month. We didn't get the paperwork for weeks after it was sent and it finally did arrive while she was in the hospital. Once she was home we completed it and sent it back.

Of course with the delay in the mail as well as the additional couple of days delay on our end it meant that we didn't receive our food stamps this month as scheduled. We expected that. We didn't expect the new wrinkles with the program, but, I guess we should have.

The interview took over an hour and really did a number on Sandi. She was in bad shape when it was over so she needed a nap for a bit before she could tell me what she had understood from the interview. 

Apparently, while it appears we do still qualify, our level of assistance will now be cut nearly in half by $180. Furthermore, we will get not assistance at all until we again supply all copies of all the medical billings, tests, procedure paperwork, insurance claims, etc going back to the first of the year. Not only did they not keep what we already supplied earlier this year, they no longer will contact the hospitals, the National Transplant Registry folks, doctors, or anyone medically involved with her directly to obtain the records. We have to supply everything we have so that THEN they can initiate contact with the medical folks to verify her medical situation and the accuracy of the bills. Between us submitting and them verifying her health status this could take weeks. In the meantime we will get nothing for this month and going forward until all this verification is done.

After all that we both were pretty worn out. Karl was off on a date today so I drove my car across the complex to get the mail. One has to get out of the car to access the mail boxes in this complex as we don't have drive through capability like in some places. Unfortunately, gravity won at one point while I was trying to get the mail and I fell hard on the ground next to the boxes. I managed to not break anything, but it hurt really bad. One of these times I am not going to be so lucky and stuff is going to be broken. 

So, that is where we stand on things at this point.....

Update

Sandi is doing about the same in all aspects. Late this afternoon new oxygen tanks arrived that should last

longer---- we hope. We know the cylinder on the right, which is the biggest she has had to this point, lasts about an hour and a half on her rate of 5 liters of air per minute. Hopefully the new bigger cylinder on the left lasts longer as just getting to the hospital and the doctor's office takes about 45 minutes one way.

By the way--the caution tape you see tied to Sandi's rocker behind the table is because they are in the process of fixing a hole at the base of the wall between our porch and next door. After leaking for over a year the porch was collapsing in that area due to wood rot so they have been working on it this week.

Sandi has been on steroids about two weeks now. Whether that is why she suddenly has started growing hair or not we have no idea, but earlier today we discovered she has hair growing on the sides of her head. She still has nothing on the top of her head, but it is definitely coming in on the sides and especially on the back of her head. It is coming in jet black and is very short at this point. Sandi was thrilled to see the hair start coming back as there was strong possibility that it wouldn't come back again.

Early this morning we got a call from the doctor's office and they want her down there Friday morning for a little blood work. They need to check her cumindin levels going into the weekend to make sure the dosage is right as everything has been jiggled this way and that with the recent hospital stay and everything else. We are still on schedule for Monday regarding major blood work and a doctor's visit.

I spent a large part of today working on letters to collection agencies thanks to Medical City Hospital Dallas and Texas Radiology ignoring the installment agreements we have with them and filing claims. In the case of Texas Radiology they told the collection agency Sandi owes over a grand in unpaid claims. Interestingly enough, they have only billed us for slightly more than $20 bucks and that was back the first week of June. How the alleged balance got to be over a grand with no other bills coming our way I have no idea.

I also don't know why, when they know about our situation and have the full details on it, anyone anywhere who has two brain cells to rub together thinks that reporting us to a collection agency is going to do anything at all to create money for them. Our credit is shot and we don't care. It does not matter. It is not like we are going to buy a house, apply for credit, etc. We don't have money to pay what matters--the rent, utilities, Sandi's insurance, her drugs that are not covered, etc. Reporting us to a collection agency is a waste of time and does nothing to magically create money for us to pay bills with or do anything. In the case of both the hospital and Texas Radiology as well as a couple of other medical providers that have done this, all the billing stuff is handled far away in Delaware, Ohio, and elsewhere. So, the local folks who start things can't or won't do anything to assist or fix the problems their external billing staff create.

I did manage to work on a couple of reviews today as this blog is becoming way to much medical news all the time. One of those reviews appears tomorrow......

Saturday Evening Update

Things are pretty much the same here. Sandi is making continuous heavy use of the oxygen concentrator and we see her numbers drop rapidly when she is off of it to go to the bathroom. The little $35 oxygen sensor I bought at the store was proven to be very accurate in the doctor's office so we have been checking her  a lot to see where she is at. She has a little more energy today, thanks to the powerful steroids she is now on, so she has been sitting with her computer in her lap and doing e-mail.

Sad to say she discovered she has had zero sales again this month despite her "Christmas In July" sale announced on her blog before she went into the hospital. Since she is virtually giving away stuff she thought she would get a couple of sales and instead got nada. Even the daily drive by looks she gets at her store at iOffer have dropped considerably. Maybe it is because everybody is doing some sale somewhere, I don't know. But, it is pretty discouraging.

We still don't know what her status is regarding social security disability and the rest of it. Supposedly, having a stem cell transplant is an automatic qualifier as well as the cancer she had and her hideous prognosis. No word yet.


I mentioned last week how we just got the paperwork to renew our food stamps. We filled that out this morning and mailed it today and again asked for Medicaid assistance along with the food stamps. Hopefully, something is in the system we don't know about and her approval is in the pipeline. Considering the food stamp renewal letter was dated July 3, 2013 and we just got it last week, it seems to me like there could have been a decision one way or the other and we just don't know it yet.

In the meantime, things continue to be very grim from a money standpoint. So, if you can, please make a donation via the handy dandy widget over to the left. Any amount helps. The monies raised go to the rent, utilities, food, gas for the car, parking at the hospital, medical bill payments (despite an installment plan both TEXAS RADIOLOGY and MEDICAL CITY DALLAS HOSPITAL --among others-- have turned some of the mountain of debt over to collection agencies--as if that changes our situation at all), Sandi's biweekly insurance premium of $95, her drugs, etc. The monies are not wasted and are very much appreciated.

I hate asking and I wouldn't if things were not desperate.  Feel free to share the news of our situation through social media or other venues if you would care to do so as we truly do need the help.

Kevin

Rent PAID!!!

With a big time thank you to those that helped us out again this month, the rent is now paid with very few dollars to spare. Hopefully, by the end of the month Sandi's disability will finally be approved by the state and the feds and she will finally start receiving much needed disability payments and help with her enormous medical bills. We keep hoping the system will work as she is now way past the four month period it was suppsoed to take to approve her expedited case.

Thank you again for saving us with our apartment once more.