Tidbit of Information - Be Aware!

Hello everyone! Today I have a small tidbit of information for you.

Last week, I had requested to have allergy testing to see what foods I am allergic to because of a certain health problem. I specifically asked for food intolerance and food allergy testing. The GP's office told me it was very comprehensive and would be expensive to pay out of the pocket.

My insurance covers it.

I made the appointment and had blood drawn.

Several days later, my husband received the phone call with my results. It seems I am allergic to dog fur! I have two dogs. I've had as many as 4 in the house at one time. I've had dogs for most of my life! Imagine my surprise to know that I am allergic to my babies! No wonder I have a stuffy head almost every day. This was not the bad part.

I called my doctor's office to get the scoop on the whole shebang. I asked to see my labs and I received them via fax. Here is the bad part...

My lab results only included cow's milk and peanuts! Everything else was environmental. Trees, grasses, bugs, animals, etc. Only 31 results were listed! They only checked 31 things! Only 2 were foods!!! Comprehensive?!

I called back to complain and they said they would check into it and call me back. I was fuming! I specifically requested food intolerance/food allergy testing. They offered to redo the testing for foods and not charge me for the environmental. They said it would only cover about the same amount of items that the environmental covered. YOY!!!  I am thinking about it. I have seven days after the blood draw before they destroy my sample.

What to do? Be charged for nothing much that would be of benefit?

The moral of the story is to ask to see your labs to make sure they are doing what they said. It is easier to dispute something when you see it right away. Why charge your insurance for things that you didn't request? I would never have known the mistake. I wouldn't have questioned it at all and would have wasted my money and my insurance money and believed I was only allergic to dogs. They want to send me for a scratchie test to find out other allergens which the blood test didn't cover. Yeah. Right! Like I'm going to believe them now. I don't like doctors to begin with and this is sealing the deal.

I'm looking into an alternate route.

Be aware! Take care.

Some More Catching Up

Hubby and I took photos and made some of our own Christmas cards this year. They turned out really nice. Here's one of the pics we took. Now you get to see what us old fogie chicken farmers look like.

Me and Hubby

I think we're cute. Oh well...that's what love means!

More Catching Up

I have a little bit of a problem attaching successive photos within one entry. So bear with me while I continue with my catching up.

Check this out...

Blooming Cactus

I have no idea what kind of cactus I have, but it decided to bloom. It had a pod on it for about a week. The pod was the size of...if you put your index fingers together and your thumbs together to make a 'spade' shape...that's how big it was. Then it opened up into this beige and maroon fuzzy thing. Gorgeous! I'm sure this picture doesn't do it justice. When it bloomed, I was awe-struck. Sometimes you just don't know what to expect from God's gifts of nature.

Catching Up

It's been a while since I've posted. I had been busy getting things done for Christmas. As you see below, I've been busy.

Grandson's Afghan for Christmas

This afghan turned out really nice. Hubby helped me make it. Actually, he did the braiding for the Jacob's Ladder. That saved me a lot of headache! This was the second full-sized afghan since I started in November. I've made a baby afghan, which I'll have to show later. I'm almost finished with a shawl (for me!) and I'll post that pic later, too.

Speaking of Christmas.

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

Merry Christmas to all of you who are Orthodox Christians and celebrated yesterday, January 7th.

All the best to all of you who read my blog. Take care.

New Foods

I've been trying new foods to lower my LDL cholesterol. I've been keeping with no animal protein, no dairy and no fat of any kind. Ethnic foods are really up my alley because I like spice. I like the variation.

Potato and Pea Curry

This potato and pea curry is really REALLY wonderful! Of course, when it sits overnight, it is even better. I made a pot of it so I could take it to work for lunch. I love Indian food flavors!

My friend, Yuri,  from the Japanese Food Lovers blog gave it a thumbs-up! We share at lunchtime when we make new dishes. It's really great to work with someone who shares a similar passion for food. I've learned so much about Japanese food from her. She is very open to trying new things. The Japanese make curried dishes with a similar taste, but a totally different look. I think that's why she liked this one. Stop by her blog, if you haven't done so already. Her recipes are very tasty and authentic Japanese style.


Black Bean Chili

Now, I went South of the Border to make this one. It's my concoction of chili with no meat. I used navy beans, lentils, black beans, kidney beans, tomatos, onions, green peppers, corn and chili powder. With all of the beans, it didn't make me you-know-what. I was really surprised about that.

I made so much I got tired of eating it as chili. LOL! I also used this to fill corn and flour tortillas and topped with salsa for lunchtime. It was great! I've made it since then so I could fill more tortillas. It is very filling and you don't miss the meat at all. I spice it up with extra hot sauce because I love the heat.

I also share these recipes with a guy at work who is allergic to wheat. I, myself, stay away from food additives and as much soy as possible. I've also been staying away from a lot of wheat because the acidic by-product settles in my knees and causes pain. I also stay away from pork. That by-product settles in my back and causes pain in my spine. It's not a lot of fun to have food allergies. I like to help others when I can.

Disclaimer: I really botched up this diet for a week now. I hope to get back on board tomorrow. I'll worry about Thanksgiving when it gets here.

By the way, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who read my blog.
Take care.

Afghan Done!!!

Finally...here's a pic of the afghan for my GDG.

 

Full-on shot of afghan.

It took quite a long time to make since I had to change colors on every row and count stitches. It's about 66 inches by 48 inches. I ripped out a lot of rows on this one! I hope she likes it.

Now, I'm off to the races for the GDS!

(Not using names in case they come in while Mom and Dad are viewing.)

He's got...

Clint Eastwood eyes. I call him Eyes. Look at that stare he gives you! Chills you to the bone.

He's a Cornish Rock we got from Tractor supply as a chick. NEVER get this kind of chicken unless you're going to eat them. I didn't know to give them a special feed during their growth otherwise their legs get bad because they can't hold their weight. This guy doesn't have a problem with his legs. 4 out of the 6 chicks I bought did. I have two of these chickens left since I got them in May.

They are amusing, though. Eyes, here, sounds like an ooga-horn. His brother, Arnold, has a bad leg and favors it a bit. I don't expect him to be around much longer because of it. This is a no-kill-zone, so, no. I'm not going to do him in. They're pretty much tame and you can handle them.

Eyes goes about 10 pounds, if you can catch him. He doesn't move too fast, but he's slick. Arnold goes about 8 pounds.

Way far in the back, you can see Boris, my Polish Crested. He's a trip, too. Yeah. All of them have names.

Have a great day!