My plan for today was to take care of several errands that needed being done. After dropping my Netflix disc off at the post office, I set off to tackle my tribulation of the day at Walgreens. I needed the pain medication prescription for my hip refilled. I had ordered the refill on line yesterday morning and it was to be ready this morning, but when I got the confirmation email that it was ready I noticed that there were only 30 pills in the refill. The prescription reads, “take one to two tablets by mouth daily”, and the original prescription contained 60 tablets. I tried one tablet a day, but that didn’t work so I’ve been taking two tablets each day to get some relief.
When I told the pharmacist that I needed 60 tablets for a one month supply, she told me they couldn’t do that. It seems the prescription must say take 2 tablets daily or the insurance company won’t pay for it. I also wouldn’t be allowed to refill the prescription until a month had passed. Grr! So now I have to make another trip to the doctor to have the prescription rewritten. I’m going to call first to see if that will accomplish what I need. When I first filled the prescription it was at a cost of $150, but today for 30 tablets it was only $10. I’m not sure I understand that since I believe my deductible is more than $150.
Then it was on to Home Depot to get a new carbon monoxide detector. The one that is located above my bed had decided to give up the ship so I needed a new one. Of course, the round size that I have is no longer available. So I went with a rectangular model and will have to figure out how to mount it on the ceiling.
Now as to my trial of the day, with my hip problems I have not been able to give Emma the proper amount of exercise. I just can’t take her on walks that are long enough lately. With my neighbors home last evening and their dog Precious outside, we decided to let Emma off of her tie out thinking so would stay around with her friend Precious. Ha! Within three seconds she shot under the electric fence and was barreling down the road not listening to any of our calls. With bears and wolves in the vicinity, it was more of a concern to me than usual. Using Precious as a lure, we were eventually able to persuade Emma to return close enough to snap the leash on her.
That’s when George offered to lend me his dog training shock collar. Using this type of collar might be controversial, but in the interest of Emma’s ultimate safety and needed exercise I decided to give it a trial this afternoon. We practiced for several hours walking around the impoundment with her off leash. Things went well, and I only had to zap her once when she approached the fence with thoughts of escape. I didn’t use full power, but it was effective. We’ll work on it again tomorrow after I get back from work.
Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy
Boy have I been down that insurance company telling me what I can and cannot do or have and telling my doctor what to do. How can people really think having universal health care would be WORSE?? They must never have been ill or needed medical help or drugs is all I can think.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with that scamp Emma. Better tell her Santa is watching and checking his list. There may be no treats for her if she doesn't behave better for you.
I myself have threatened to get a collar for the Hubs for his issues with getting groggy while driving!!!
ReplyDeleteThat will probably be controversial! lol But it is just a joke of course... I think...
I have never figured out how they charge for prescriptions. I fill mine at Walmart and it's never the same price. Even if it's at the same Walmart. We had to use a collar on Scooter for her barking. Now all we have to do is threaten her with it and she shuts up. We only used it maybe three times but it got her attention and that is what we needed. You have to do whatever works to keep Emma safe.
ReplyDeleteMan, anything to do with doctors (which we need!) and filling prescriptions (also necessary) can be so aggravating as to necessitate getting more meds from a doctor!!!!!! Good luck on this one.
ReplyDeleteShocking as it may seem, I think those collars can do way more good than harm... especially on a wild child like Emma. Gotta keep Emma out of harm's way.
Oh bad Emma! I'm glad she came back to you. Whew! I've been seeing a lot about the use of ginger lately as an anti inflamatory. Perhaps working it into your daily routine will help? Now, I guess that means I should practice what I preach huh ;-)
ReplyDeleteJudy,
ReplyDeleteYou should find that your CO detector is just screwed into your ceiling, no big deal. You can push and screw the new one in place and cover the old holes with it, you might even be able to use one of the existing holes.
Of course, you'd need a small ladder... ;c)
So glad you were able to retrieve Emma. I had to use one of those collar for a dog I had a few years ago. It only took one to two times and he learned not to go out the yard. The color I used had a turn off on it so the dog still wore the collar but it did not shock him. It better than letting our precious pets get hurt.
ReplyDeleteIf you think the medical business is bad now wait until that 2014. We all, better choose our icebergs now, because for seniors we will get little or no care.
Hope your hip feels better. If it is an inflammation issue, I use a natural remedy that works for me, powdered Turmeric and Ginger equal parts (1 Tablespoon each) ¼ Teaspoon of Cayenne pepper. Mix with enough honey to make a smooth paste. Take a teaspoonful 3 times a day for a couple of days. You can also put this teaspoon in a cup of hot water and drink as a tea.
If you take any if you take blood thinners, or have stomach ulcers.
At least you can still use Walgreens.... we have Express Scripts and Bill was getting his meds filled at Walgreens... they sent him a letter and can no longer fill them. But Wal-Mart can.... go figure! As for Emma, a shock collar is much better than a lost, hurt... or even worse.. pet.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to learn of your pain situation. That can be very aggrivating especially because it slows a person down.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the shock collar will cure Emma so you can leave her exercise without having to stain your hip further.
The collar sounds like a good idea for a dog who simply won't listen or respond to commands. It probably won't take much work with it and she will be winning prizes for "best behaved dog"!
ReplyDeleteI was told that the CO detectors that are sold at Home Depot are designed for larger areas and will not trigger in confined spaces like motorhomes. We decided to replace ours with a CO and Propane detector made for RVs. You might want to read the instructions to see if the unit you purchased can be used in your motorhome. Just want to make sure the two of you are safe and sound!:)
ReplyDeleteEmma reminds me of my Sage. Smart enough to be both a good companion and a pain in the butt ;-) Hopefully she will learn to stay close with the help of the collar.
ReplyDeleteThis wouldn't help with Emma's tendency to run away, but a friend had a problem with her dog barking inappropriately, and used a citronella collar. Had never heard of such a thing, but it worked. Guess that citronella squirting in a dog's face must be unpleasant, although it seems more humane than a shock.
ReplyDeleteHope it doesn't take long for Emma to learn not to run off.
Sure hope she learns quickly. I bet that's not fun for Emma. And I know your not happy to have to use it but it beats her running off and maybe meeting something not very friendly.
ReplyDeleteThis is going to get wordy, so I apologize up front.
ReplyDeleteI think I'd stick with the "shock collar". Controversy be damned. Emma needs to learn one way or another that she just can't bugger off like that.
And now, here's a little story.
Years ago, one of my nieces (who is only five years younger than I, but we won't go there) had a dog who was a little head strong, and considering they own a few acres, he'd take off and it would take hours to get him back. Funnily enough, his name was "Patton", and I don't recall what type of dog he was, but it seems his name was appropriate.
Anyway, there were a few times after they started using the collar, when he managed to do a couple somersaults when he was told to stop and didn't. Like I said, he was "head strong".
The thing was though, it wasn't too long at all before he figured out that "Stop" and "Come here", meant just that! He was smarter than his handlers to start with I think, so it didn't take him long to put two and two together. He didn't run off any more, and the collar was no longer needed. He lived a long and happy life.
It's for the dog's own good if they mind, and do what you're telling them to do. Sometimes a little "tough love" is what it takes.
Emma's a smart girl, she just has to realise who's the boss.
Now, regarding the prescription thing.
It's not just your system. Speaking from the point of view of a Canadian, our system of getting prescriptions filled is kinda whacky too. Sometimes you get that, "Oh, we're only allowed to ....(fill in the blank with the appropriate excuse)." Quite often it has to do with the insurance coverage. Yes, in spite of our so called "socialised medicine", (which is a term only used by paranoid Americans, by the way) prescriptions are typically handled through insurance, until a person is retired, and then there are a bunch of choices, depending on a number of factors. Too many words, even for me.
The best system I had ever experienced in my life, (note the deliberate use of the term "experience", as that should be a clue to the aforementioned folks suffering from paranoia) was when we lived in the Netherlands where, even though the doc was on vacation one time when I had to get a prescription filled, the pharmacy was able to fill my wife's prescription anyway and said, "Oh, we'll just send his office an email..." That was it! I couldn't believe it.
Considering the fact that I rode my bicycle there, it's a wonder I managed to ride it home again.
And why shouldn't it be that simple? There's this thing called "email", some people actually use it for the convenience of all concerned. What a concept!
Good luck with it all.
Good luck with the shock collar training. Glad you were able to lure her back.
ReplyDeleteWhen we head south for the winter for 3 months or longer, we've never had any problems getting any required prescriptions filled for the full 3 month period as long as the label said 'repeat 3 times' or whatever.
ReplyDeleteSure hope Emma's a quick learner. I agree with the others - it's better a little shock than the big shock of meeting up with a Bear.
My brother in law trained both his dogs with a shock collar. Took no time at all. Reminds me of when we put up an electric fence around our horse pasture. We brought both horses up to the fence and had their noses touch it. Only took two touches, never a problem again.
ReplyDeleteWe were in New York state and needed a refill on Len's meds. We took it to the local WalMart. We were told under NY law they can refill it only once but all other refills would be wiped off unless the prescription ORIGINATED at that exact pharmacy. Another Walmart did not count! Since we were leaving NY in a few days and had enougn pills, we told them no thanks we'd fill it in another state down the road.
I hate refilling scrips on the road..always some kind of a glitch, it seems. Our niece has a shock collar for their dog. They live by a very busy road and if she sees a squirrel, she is gone...That shock collar is just great for Maggie Mae, the dog.
ReplyDeleteBetter a shock collar than a dead dog!!! I've used shock collar fences on all my dogs before Emmi and they work!
ReplyDeleteI think emma is just a free spirit like you. :) We used the invisible fence and shock collars on our last dog and it really worked. We had to use it inside the house too once we got the cat because I couldn't keep the dog out of the cats food. We put a wire across the steps and just one shock and he never went up there again. I think it is a pretty effective training method.
ReplyDeleteWalgreens is kind of strange! We had all our RXs filled there prior to full timing and one month their price for a med was one amount and the next month another, much lower, then the following month would be higher than the first month. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteSo glad that Emma is safe and the collar seems to be working.
I totally agree with your use of a shock collar. My daughter has a lab that won't come back when called. I had his shock collar on him as I was hauling loads of compost out of the back yard. He escaped and wouldn't respond to a call. I dialed it up to a 4 and he ignored me. I punched in a 7 and he stopped, said, "you called?" and came trotting back.
ReplyDeleteHis shock collar has a little button you push that gives the dog a warning sound. That is usually all you need after a couple of shocks. You should be able to delineate the area in which Emma is allowed to run free by using the warning tone.
Is there any place you could both walk/swim in the water? Swimming is really tiring to dogs and easy on your hip. Hope you get that fixed soon.
I was somewhat scared about my hip in the Boundary Waters and took my walking poles. But I had no more problems than usual, in spite of making one trip with two packs and the other trip with the food barrel and loose gear on each portage.
As for those dog collars, if the dog is given time to learn and responds correctly, then they are great. I wanted to use one for a barking dog, but my wife insisted I try it 1st. It corrected me into never trying that again. The dog barked while I had the collar on. The dog never associated the bark with the shock. So we had to abandon that device. Later on I had a fence jumping dog, I put the wire in the ground about 3 feet inside the fence and worked with the dog to learn it. He respected that invisible line and even without the collar, would not go to the fence. So I think this should work for your dog, hopefully.
ReplyDelete