It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

attentionseeker1

BigMummaF wrote: »

I hadn't forgotten this happy band, but sometimes a new thread gets started to herald a new 'year' as it were, so was waiting to see what was happening

Well..it's just gotten a whole lot tuffer for the BMF household. I was just getting some sort of rhythm into my life when WHAM! Poor Pup had to have a small op yesterday so need I say more :cool: He'd been licking at his paw for almost a week, then on Friday it looked swollen & felt quite hard so we were bathing it with warm salt water which seemed to help SIZE=1][I]I would have tried the stuff I've used on the kids but I didnt want to poison Pup should he lick it off.[/I][/SIZE While we were in the waiting room, his foot started to bleed & the vet suspected something had got into his system via the skinny bits between his toes. Anyhooz, they found two grass seeds :eek: beginning to make their way up his leg so he's on pain killers & antibiotics & has to go back tomorrow to have the dressing changed.
Now call me naive, but I assumed the follow-ups would be included in the cost, seeing as it is all part of the one 'treatment' but no--we have to pay extra when the bandage is renewed. Don't get me wrong--I fully understand there's no NHS for pets--but to get a smack with £270+ on Monday, then told it's going to cost more on Wednesday AND almost six quid for them to fill out the insurance claim, just seems to be a tad 'money-grabbing'. I'd much prefer it if they'd said--eg--£325 to cover & be done with.
It would be the same cost to me, but sound an awful lot less mercenary IYSWIM

Just as well I'd used the vouchers from the week-end's papers earlier in the month & we've a goodly store to grub from...must have known something was going to happen :undecided

We just had to pay £600 because our kitten decided it would be a good idea to swallow a bit of plastic. Cue X-rays, tests etc etc. Fortunately the vets claimed direct from the insurers so only had to pay the excess- BUT, having only starting paying insurance 3 mths ago, we have now claimed the equivalent of 5 YEARS worth of payments- (insurance only £10/mth) so in my opinion it is well worth the cost of the insurance!

We have an emergency credit card for if something desperate like this happened- i.e. if you had to pay up front and then claim it back.

missychrissy

Gigervamp wrote: »

Poundland do 1.5k bags of sugar.

Unfortunately I don't have a Poundland near. I live near Selby where there is a B & M, Home Bargains, Wilkinsons, Tesco, Sainsbury and Morrisons.

kidcat

missychrissy wrote: »

Unfortunately I don't have a Poundland near. I live near Selby where there is a B & M, Home Bargains, Wilkinsons, Tesco, Sainsbury and Morrisons.

Our Home bargains sells sugar fairly cheap too, I buy 1kg bags for about 68p, I think,

BigMummaF

Aww..thanks for the Good Wishes..I really appreciate it & Pup sends an enthusiastic 'wag' too
He did look funny after my attempt to put the dressing back on last night--bit like the rear end of a seal with a 'foot' at right angles to his leg! But the vet said it was healing well today & hopefully we'll just have another dressing change & his antibiotic jab on Friday & that may be the end. He's been a little wotzit over his meds, so she gave him the antiB jab today & we can get a refund on the still-sealed tablets when we take them back on Friday. Strangely, she [a vet new to the practise] said the jab is cheaper than the tabs anyway :huh: so I'll have to [try to ] remember that if we have to go thru another hiccup, as much for the sake of not upsetting Pup as relieving the strain on the purse-strings.
I guess every practise is different, but we've approx £20 to find again on Friday. It's going to be really difficult though, as the stoopid bluddin bank decided to cancel my card :mad: They apparently sent out a new one three weeks ago but haven't waited for me to activate it....which I can't do because I didn't get it yet :wall:And I can't write a cheque cuz I ain't got a cheque guarantee card! No explanation from the branch manager when I went to see him this morning, but he did let me draw some cash so I could pay the vet today. I was going to use my card on Monday, while the waiting room was full to burst...imagine the shame if I had _pale_

BigMummaF

Thought I'd told you all that Pup is fine & the insurance paid out with a good response time :rolleyes:..must have dreamt it! The whole fiasco ended up at almost £400 in the end, but we 'only' paid the first £70..plus premiums of course! A lot different to the kind of insurance papers No1 offspring has been getting thru for car insurance :mad:
They had got the contact details wrong which made alarm bells ring for me, plus had put the agreed £250 voluntary excess on top of a previously unmentioned £400 compulsory sum :eek: so many irate phone calls later I think it may be sorted. Why tho, do these firms phone during the day when they know the person they want to talk to is at work?????? This is an established company too, who should really know better than to make silly mistakes; makes you wonder how these firms stay in business doesn't it

No2 had to go for a medical surrounding ESA benefits being paid & it looks as tho we may have a partially-disabled person among our midst Immediately following a potentially nasty car accident, the hospital took Xrays of the neck area so completely missed three damaged discs in the lumbar region. Five years on & a surgeon is loathe to operate on a 27 year old, as there are as many risks to permanent damage as there are for possible answers to the constant pain. The chappie we saw last week said there will probably be a follow-up 'medical' where they will discuss just what work No2 could do, but for someone who can't spend any length of time sitting, standing or walking [read 20mins max]--nor able to lift or carry--the prospects are extremely limited assuming there are jobs available anyways.....The previous employer did the minimum required by law & kept the job open, but the alternatives for 'light duties' were all over 150 miles away :wall:--hardly commuting distance--so when No2 'declined' they were swift to issue a 'redundancy notice' on medical grounds.
So..what's happening with you?

Toonie

BigMummaF-You've got a lot going on at the moment and think you deserve a HUGE hug!

I can empathise about the ESA stuff as my partner had to go through interviews and medicals earlier this year because of a back problem (also with an inability to sit/stand/walk for long) but was told in the end he didn't qualify for any benefits! It was a pain the the back*&^%.

Due to all this going on our council tax benefit got messed up, so we've been lumped with the entire years bill which we just can not afford, which our lovely local council has passed onto a debt collection agency! We are currently arguing with them, but the stress has caused my partners back problem to flare up again, which means I'm the only one working. It also doesn't help that I dislocated my shoulder last week so I can't bake and cook from scratch as much as I normally would.

So at present its a case of working out what we need to buy over the next few months (including presents) and doing it for as little as possible. I've already started getting stuff on my limited budget for my nieces and nephews (6 of them from 1 year up to 10 years) and for the children I look after. I'm doing mini hampers with stationery and little toys (thank goodness for Wilkinsons). Fingers crossed I will find more bargains when I go shopping next Friday.

Pitlanepiglet

BMF, was the accident your son's fault? If not he really ought to think about claiming for his injuries It sounds like this is going to really hit his ability to earn money. Good luck to him and to you. x

kidcat

BMF - sorry you are having a tough time, I always feel like I am just starting to get somewhere when something else happens to knock me over again. If the accident wasnt your sons fault he ned to look into claiming all his out of pocket expenses (excess, lost earnings and phone bills included) from the other side.

We have moved into our temporary home while we try to buy a property, its a lovely house but I am struggling to feel like its home, its also about 8 miles away from the town we school in so the commute to school is difficult. BUt on the positive side the kids have all settled here well and everyone says its much nicer than the old house. We are nowhere near any bars or clubs (used to be across the road) so no loud music till four in morning! And better still no drunks using our doorstep as a toilet.

Money wise - moving has been hard because there are so many costs involved including paying to install phone line and tv services. But we have managed it and not had to borrow anything at all.

BMF - having worked in a major insurance company and dealt with many claims - I can say that all companies will try absolutely everything possible to pay as little as they can per claim - its how they make a profit. And an awful lot of people do not realise that they can challenge the companies offers and negotiate a fair settlement. Good luck.

MrsMW

I am just filling in insurance claim forms for our beloved dog. He hurt himself while playing last week and is in a vet. hospital 150 miles away. Fingers crossed he will be OK eventually and should be home on Tuesday. Cost so far is £4000. Just so glad we have the insurance.

BigMummaF

There was around 18mths of "negoiation" twix the insurance companies & I think it ended in a final settlement. Trouble has arisen since then of course, so until we can get into the loft for the paperwork SIZE=1]pleasepleasepleaseplease lt it be there[SIZE=2 I'm not totally sure what else can be done. The accident itself was caused by a numpty pulling out onto the roundabout before No2 had finished using that particular bit of road Numpty hit the passenger rear wheel arch, causing No2 to somersault 1.5 times & land on the central reservation of a busy by-pass, on the drivers door & facing the opposite way!
The police & ambulance crews were amazed to see No2 walk away, but I guess that was due to shock but all Numpty was concerned about was tying down the bonnet of his car! Numpty also tried to deny responsibility even though he had to have come out onto the roundabout too early. His insurers truly believed his version as he was well over 60, No2 a whipper-snapper at just 22 so obviously speeding [/SIZE][/SIZE]:wall:
The Benefits system is a joy to behold isn't it Toonie :cool: No2 has to POST his doctor's certificates to an office around 90 miles away, & that often means no payment for a good ten days. I was sooooo :mad: that I got on the phone myself, after the seventh or eighth time; eg..cert goes into post box Mon, collected 5:30pm. Allow two days to arrive at the Office so Weds; might get to the right dept Thurs & then--& I quote--It takes three working days to action a claim, with payment made three working days later. That takes you up to Thursday the following week! That--in turn--means late payment fees &/or overdraft etc cuz the money just isn't in your bank to pay dds etc.
So many people are having this problem that our 'local' office must spend 90% of the time listening to folk casting doubt on their parentage.
And this is progress????????

Meant to say...Good Luck to you & the Waggie One MrsMW & Best Wishes for a speedy recovery. x