Bbucko's Bbusy July

funnyguy

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Good luck Bb. I'll miss your posts. More importantly, I hope it works well for you, your health and your sanity with the family get together
 

B_subgirrl

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We have enough money for three (four if you're really counting) but not enough for Americans living with HIV/AIDS, and who are without private insurance to get their meds.

It's sick, tragic and something that could only happen here :mad:

That's terrible!!! I'm horrified that a government could leave people without treatment for such an illness.

Here HIV/AIDS meds are on the PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits System) - maximum price for a prescription is $34.60, less than $6 if you are a low income earner. I would be surprised if everything about getting meds was smooth and easy (for instance, maybe there are some newer meds that aren't on the PBS), but at least standard treatment is available at a fairly affordable price to all residents and citizens. You've just made me feel extremely lucky that I live where I do.
 

Bbucko

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That's terrible!!! I'm horrified that a government could leave people without treatment for such an illness.

I think that, really, I should start another thread about the AIDS Drug Assistance Program's (ADAP) ongoing crisis. Short news: it's not going away anytime soon :mad:

As to the trip itself:

I arrived way late due to some bad storms we'd have been forced to fly through (even though Washington itself was clear and fine). By the time I got to the hotel and checked in, it was about 11:30 (should have arrived before 7:00).

Instead of being the good guy I should have been, I really was curious about where I was and wanted to go exploring, so I went to the overnight concierge and got a city map with very vague directions as to how to get to Dupont Circle, which I know to be the focus of gay night life in DC.

I got out and went where I thought was the right direction, but was very unsure, and while not horrifying, the neighborhood I found myself walking through certainly didn't seem what I expected, and I refused to pull out a map and stand under a streetlight in a strange neighborhood to verify my location. Once it began to sprinkle some light rain, I hailed a cab and asked him how much it would cost to get me to The DC Eagle, a legendary leather bar that I've heard so much about. As the amount seemed right, I was off and, about ten minutes later arrived at a price lower than had been quoted, including a nice tip. It was nice to meet an honest cab driver :biggrin1:

The bar, sadly, was pretty much deserted, and some people I'd gone there specifically to meet were nowhere to be found: there were about seven patrons and three employees. As is normal for me in such circumstances, I talked up the staff, tipping generously to get and maintain the bartender's attention and, at the door outside smoking a cig, made such friends with the doorman that he absconded with my shirt for the duration of my stay. I ended up leaving shortly before last call and made as much of an impression as possible.

The next day the conference itself began at around noon. I got up pretty early and went for a walk trying to get my bearings, but the street system in DC defied simple, easy understanding, and I found myself traveling in circles in a humid heat worse than FtL <uhg!>. I gave up and went back to the hotel around 10:00, texting the organizer/CEO/founder of the non-profit responsible for the conference, asking if I could do anything to help. When he agreed in the affirmative, I made my way downstairs to the conference area.

The CEO (Brandon) and I have been good friends since 2006; we were roommates for about three years and I had helped him co-ordinate his activities for this non-profit as well as several others which he served as a consultant. But it had been about 18 months since he'd left FtL and returned to DC, and we'd drifted a bit apart. The actual reunion was, typically for us, cordial but not overly emotional (that came later), both being reserved Yankee types.

I helped with registration for about three hours as a thank you for the scholarship Brandon had arranged which allowed me to attend. I saw several faces I recognized from previous ADAP conferences I'd attended, and met a lot of new ones. It was hectic and fun (mostly), and took a seat in the main hall once the presentations started.

The actual conference packed about two weeks worth of information into 2.5 days of intense presentation and discussion afterward. We were told that all the PowerPoints would be published on the non-profit's website, but as of last night there was just the agenda posted. I have many pages of notes taken as quickly as possible.

At the end of the first day, one of the the board members, a pal from FtL, invited me to dinner with some pharmaceutical reps, promising that it was be wonderful: it turned out to be exceptional, one of the kinds of meals I haven't had in a long time. Both food and conversation were fabulous. Afterwards, Brandon and I met at the hotel bar for some drinks, followed by some more in his suite after the bar had closed.

We bonded very quickly again. Brandon and I are, in many ways, very different: he's politically conservative on most every issue, despite being a gay man living openly with HIV. During our early days, and continuing straight through, I grew to understand (if rarely agree with) his stances on a number of issues. He's an odd sort of hybrid that the Republican party is so actively removing now under the Teabaggers' influence. He's an Independent only so much as the party's left him, not the other way around.

It took me a long time to find out why he finds me so compelling: he's very successful and accomplished with more than a touch of OCD. I'm much more ad-hoc, entirely non-money motivated (which is surely why I don't have any now) and live the kind of bohemian personal anarchy that would send him screaming after a few days were he to try and attempt it. Yet he calls me one of his heroes; perhaps it's the pure hedonism with which I approach life, perhaps it's my recklessness. I do know that he admires my resiliency and the militant obstinacy with which I disdain the opinions of others. He also deeply admires my mind.

As we sat on his balcony, I leaned back a little too far, tipping over and hitting the back of my head quite hard. The resulting cut bled out for quite a bit. Anyone else would have been terrified/horrified, but Brandon and I are well-used to my exceptional clumsiness, the falls, the cuts, the blood. It happens to me quite a bit. We launched into our old mode, with his getting out a hand cloth and helping me mop up, cracking jokes just as we did so often as roommates.

The next day started very early and lasted over 12 hours, between presentations and an awards banquet that night, which was a tear-jerking sob fest, without a dry eye in the house. Just before the banquet, I went down to the bar in the lobby for a drink and bumped into the reps who'd treated me to that lavish dinner the night before. We laughed and joked and genuinely enjoyed ourselves. But as I got up, the rubber treads in my seldom-worn shoes grabbed the carpet and I took another spill, this time face-first (no blood, though my ankle was twisted pretty bad). They were gracious but I was just mortified :redface: And as I'd only had one drink after having eaten well for breakfast, lunch and plenty of snacks, I couldn't blame anything but my inherently clumsy nature for that one.

That night a local bar hosted a poz-friendly event which we essentially took over; I was home in bed by 1:30, though many people stayed out much later.

The final day featured my first Congressional briefing, with presentations in a building next to the Capitol given before congressional aides and staff. It was fascinating. There were plans to meet with one of our senators (Rubio), but in the end I had a plane to catch with the same board member who'd invited me to that great dinner. We wound up running in appalling humidity and 95 degree heat about a quarter-mile to catch a train (even with my twisted ankle), which me made with fewer than five minutes to spare. I was so soaked with sweat that I had to change my shirt once on board.

<sigh>

The takeaways:

1) The biggest and most profound nugget of info was about the new option for insuring people with pre-existing conditions. There is a potential for me to get back into a system of regular health care which, for reasons I'd rather not disclose, has been lacking since 2009. This will transform my life if it works out, and I believe it might.

2) I have long suffered some rather profound effects to my well-being, which I've always attributed to the early drug combos I was put on beginning in 1996, 12 years after my infection. The three worst for me are Peripheral Neuropathy (PN), which is a pain and burning in my extremities which limits my mobility; Cardio-Vascular issues (I have serious arterial damage); and a diminution in Cognitive Function, which I find very apparent (as would anyone who'd known me previously) and which is spoken of in the HIV community as "brain fog".

It turns out that these are conditions now associated with delaying treatment, not caused by specific treatments. This is somewhat bittersweet for me: had I begun treatment in the late 80s or early 90s, I'd likely have died from AZT monotherapy, which killed nearly everyone I met who'd survived infection. And I was still subject to some very harsh side-effects due to combinations of early meds once I began treatment anyway. So it's sort of lose/lose for me in that regard.

3) The ADAP Crisis is entirely political in nature due to a "perfect storm" of economic crises, indifference/apathy after years of complacency due to AIDS-minimizers and a complete lack of advocacy leadership within the HIV+ community. I'll start a thread in the next few days regarding the political aspect of this crisis in the Politics forum, where it belongs.
 

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I think that, really, I should start another thread about the AIDS Drug Assistance Program's (ADAP) ongoing crisis. Short news: it's not going away anytime soon :mad:

As to the trip itself:

I arrived way late due to some bad storms we'd have been forced to fly through (even though Washington itself was clear and fine). By the time I got to the hotel and checked in, it was about 11:30 (should have arrived before 7:00).

Instead of being the good guy I should have been, I really was curious about where I was and wanted to go exploring, so I went to the overnight concierge and got a city map with very vague directions as to how to get to Dupont Circle, which I know to be the focus of gay night life in DC.

I got out and went where I thought was the right direction, but was very unsure, and while not horrifying, the neighborhood I found myself walking through certainly didn't seem what I expected, and I refused to pull out a map and stand under a streetlight in a strange neighborhood to verify my location. Once it began to sprinkle some light rain, I hailed a cab and asked him how much it would cost to get me to The DC Eagle, a legendary leather bar that I've heard so much about. As the amount seemed right, I was off and, about ten minutes later arrived at a price lower than had been quoted, including a nice tip. It was nice to meet an honest cab driver :biggrin1:

The bar, sadly, was pretty much deserted, and some people I'd gone there specifically to meet were nowhere to be found: there were about seven patrons and three employees. As is normal for me in such circumstances, I talked up the staff, tipping generously to get and maintain the bartender's attention and, at the door outside smoking a cig, made such friends with the doorman that he absconded with my shirt for the duration of my stay. I ended up leaving shortly before last call and made as much of an impression as possible.

The next day the conference itself began at around noon. I got up pretty early and went for a walk trying to get my bearings, but the street system in DC defied simple, easy understanding, and I found myself traveling in circles in a humid heat worse than FtL <uhg!>. I gave up and went back to the hotel around 10:00, texting the organizer/CEO/founder of the non-profit responsible for the conference, asking if I could do anything to help. When he agreed in the affirmative, I made my way downstairs to the conference area.

The CEO (Brandon) and I have been good friends since 2006; we were roommates for about three years and I had helped him co-ordinate his activities for this non-profit as well as several others which he served as a consultant. But it had been about 18 months since he'd left FtL and returned to DC, and we'd drifted a bit apart. The actual reunion was, typically for us, cordial but not overly emotional (that came later), both being reserved Yankee types.

I helped with registration for about three hours as a thank you for the scholarship Brandon had arranged which allowed me to attend. I saw several faces I recognized from previous ADAP conferences I'd attended, and met a lot of new ones. It was hectic and fun (mostly), and took a seat in the main hall once the presentations started.

The actual conference packed about two weeks worth of information into 2.5 days of intense presentation and discussion afterward. We were told that all the PowerPoints would be published on the non-profit's website, but as of last night there was just the agenda posted. I have many pages of notes taken as quickly as possible.

At the end of the first day, one of the the board members, a pal from FtL, invited me to dinner with some pharmaceutical reps, promising that it was be wonderful: it turned out to be exceptional, one of the kinds of meals I haven't had in a long time. Both food and conversation were fabulous. Afterwards, Brandon and I met at the hotel bar for some drinks, followed by some more in his suite after the bar had closed.

We bonded very quickly again. Brandon and I are, in many ways, very different: he's politically conservative on most every issue, despite being a gay man living openly with HIV. During our early days, and continuing straight through, I grew to understand (if rarely agree with) his stances on a number of issues. He's an odd sort of hybrid that the Republican party is so actively removing now under the Teabaggers' influence. He's an Independent only so much as the party's left him, not the other way around.

It took me a long time to find out why he finds me so compelling: he's very successful and accomplished with more than a touch of OCD. I'm much more ad-hoc, entirely non-money motivated (which is surely why I don't have any now) and live the kind of bohemian personal anarchy that would send him screaming after a few days were he to try and attempt it. Yet he calls me one of his heroes; perhaps it's the pure hedonism with which I approach life, perhaps it's my recklessness. I do know that he admires my resiliency and the militant obstinacy with which I disdain the opinions of others. He also deeply admires my mind.

As we sat on his balcony, I leaned back a little too far, tipping over and hitting the back of my head quite hard. The resulting cut bled out for quite a bit. Anyone else would have been terrified/horrified, but Brandon and I are well-used to my exceptional clumsiness, the falls, the cuts, the blood. It happens to me quite a bit. We launched into our old mode, with his getting out a hand cloth and helping me mop up, cracking jokes just as we did so often as roommates.

The next day started very early and lasted over 12 hours, between presentations and an awards banquet that night, which was a tear-jerking sob fest, without a dry eye in the house. Just before the banquet, I went down to the bar in the lobby for a drink and bumped into the reps who'd treated me to that lavish dinner the night before. We laughed and joked and genuinely enjoyed ourselves. But as I got up, the rubber treads in my seldom-worn shoes grabbed the carpet and I took another spill, this time face-first (no blood, though my ankle was twisted pretty bad). They were gracious but I was just mortified :redface: And as I'd only had one drink after having eaten well for breakfast, lunch and plenty of snacks, I couldn't blame anything but my inherently clumsy nature for that one.

That night a local bar hosted a poz-friendly event which we essentially took over; I was home in bed by 1:30, though many people stayed out much later.

The final day featured my first Congressional briefing, with presentations in a building next to the Capitol given before congressional aides and staff. It was fascinating. There were plans to meet with one of our senators (Rubio), but in the end I had a plane to catch with the same board member who'd invited me to that great dinner. We wound up running in appalling humidity and 95 degree heat about a quarter-mile to catch a train (even with my twisted ankle), which me made with fewer than five minutes to spare. I was so soaked with sweat that I had to change my shirt once on board.

<sigh>

The takeaways:

1) The biggest and most profound nugget of info was about the new option for insuring people with pre-existing conditions. There is a potential for me to get back into a system of regular health care which, for reasons I'd rather not disclose, has been lacking since 2009. This will transform my life if it works out, and I believe it might.

2) I have long suffered some rather profound effects to my well-being, which I've always attributed to the early drug combos I was put on beginning in 1996, 12 years after my infection. The three worst for me are Peripheral Neuropathy (PN), which is a pain and burning in my extremities which limits my mobility; Cardio-Vascular issues (I have serious arterial damage); and a diminution in Cognitive Function, which I find very apparent (as would anyone who'd known me previously) and which is spoken of in the HIV community as "brain fog".

It turns out that these are conditions now associated with delaying treatment, not caused by specific treatments. This is somewhat bittersweet for me: had I begun treatment in the late 80s or early 90s, I'd likely have died from AZT monotherapy, which killed nearly everyone I met who'd survived infection. And I was still subject to some very harsh side-effects due to combinations of early meds once I began treatment anyway. So it's sort of lose/lose for me in that regard.

3) The ADAP Crisis is entirely political in nature due to a "perfect storm" of economic crises, indifference/apathy after years of complacency due to AIDS-minimizers and a complete lack of advocacy leadership within the HIV+ community. I'll start a thread in the next few days regarding the political aspect of this crisis in the Politics forum, where it belongs.

Thanks for the update, B. It was so comprehensive that it nearly but not quite negates the need for an imminent phone date with you. Or perhaps I need one to momentarily escape the "pressure" of the four-count-them-four 20 year old sorority girls currently camped out in my living room. :yikes:

Call me when you have a min.
 

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I'm glad you were able to have a good time despite taking a few tumbles.
 

B_subgirrl

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The actual conference packed about two weeks worth of information into 2.5 days of intense presentation and discussion afterward. We were told that all the PowerPoints would be published on the non-profit's website, but as of last night there was just the agenda posted. I have many pages of notes taken as quickly as possible.

Couldn't see any powerpoints yet (although may not have looked in the right place), but I DID read the conference summary. And got horrified all over again. The situation for people unable to afford medication seems truly terrible. I don't have the words to adequately convey how awful it seems to me. Much as I have been known to complain about our health system in the past, at least medications are generally accessible, even to those with little money.


1) The biggest and most profound nugget of info was about the new option for insuring people with pre-existing conditions. There is a potential for me to get back into a system of regular health care which, for reasons I'd rather not disclose, has been lacking since 2009. This will transform my life if it works out, and I believe it might.

My fingers are crossed for you.


2) I have long suffered some rather profound effects to my well-being, which I've always attributed to the early drug combos I was put on beginning in 1996, 12 years after my infection. The three worst for me are Peripheral Neuropathy (PN), which is a pain and burning in my extremities which limits my mobility; Cardio-Vascular issues (I have serious arterial damage); and a diminution in Cognitive Function, which I find very apparent (as would anyone who'd known me previously) and which is spoken of in the HIV community as "brain fog".

You are one of the most intelligent and well written people I have ever known. If this is you with diminished cognitive functions, I think I would have found the pre-brain fog Bbucko a little scary :tongue:.


3) The ADAP Crisis is entirely political in nature due to a "perfect storm" of economic crises, indifference/apathy after years of complacency due to AIDS-minimizers and a complete lack of advocacy leadership within the HIV+ community. I'll start a thread in the next few days regarding the political aspect of this crisis in the Politics forum, where it belongs.

Could you please link to it here or otherwise let me know? I'd definitely be interested in reading it, but don't usually check the Politics forum.

It sounds like you had a great time, despite the head and ankle injuries (sounds rather like something I'd do :biggrin1:).
 

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thank ya for the update, Mr. Bbucko.

everything Ms. Subgirrl said. including the linkage. pretty please.
 

Bbucko

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You are one of the most intelligent and well written people I have ever known. If this is you with diminished cognitive functions, I think I would have found the pre-brain fog Bbucko a little scary :tongue:.

Pre-brain fog UBb was able to keep vast amounts of knowledge right there for instant recall as required. My former career was designing and marketing solid-hardwood furniture made in small woodshops in Vermont, West Virginia, exurban Pennsylvania and, occasionally toward the end, points further north-west.

My last position required in-depth familiarity of each of the 65 craftspeople we represented, of whom I'd met, perhaps, 60%. I needed to be familiar with botany (of the trees used), growth cycles, how the wood was milled and dried in preparation for use and how they were harvested in a sustainable manner.

My knowledge of individual wood species needed to be matched by the joinery methods employed amongst all of the different woodworkers, as most used highly creative variations of frame-and-panel methods, dovetailing (or not) and bookmatching techniques. Most of the woodworkers offered a variety of finish options (including staining), whether it was a simple oil, a sprayed lacquer and, frequently, as secret-sauce of oil and wax that could take weeks to cure.

In-depth knowledge of, and the ability to relate style precedents for them, were also a requirement: it always did a grave disservice to the product to reduce the aesthetics of the furniture to Mission, Shaker, Asian or Contemporary, so antecedents needed to be cited: there was always a lot of education required in my presentations.

As my best (and most long-lasting jobs in the industry), our customer bases were MIT, Harvard and Yale. I had to speak laterally (not down, which I wouldn't dream of, and not up because I'd lose them). It was not at all uncommon for customers to return 4-10 times before they would leave a deposit.

The objections raised by these customers ran the gamut from reasonable but unrealistic (silly-long lead times: 16-28 weeks not uncommon), to clearly impossible (predicting grain patterns on the wood, or tweaking some additional comfort from a bed-of-nails sleep-sofa). My job would always have been much simpler if I'd attempt a reassuring falsehood, but I never did and refused to allow my staff(s) to engage in the practice besides. Wishful/magical thinking was not allowed to intrude; it was always in the best interest for all concerned if we kept facts facts :wink:

At the last place I worked, in Connecticut, our consultation area had, perhaps, eight or nine tables: all solid cherry and all approximately the same size and shape. But they varied in price from about $750 to well-over $6500. Of course, everyone wanted the best for the least immediately: educational, qualitative, individualized presentation was what I did best, especially with high-info, high-budget customers/clients looking to buy something of quality (future heirlooms) once, not subject to the twists and turns of fashion.

If required, I'd arrange for a homecall (to measure and get a feel of context). I drew a very sharp line, however, between a pre-deposit "lead" and a post-deposit "customer". I would draw out very technical floor plans and elevation drawings for custom pieces, however, prior to receiving a deposit, the customer needed to make do with a thumb-nail sketch. And, at no time and under no circumstances would I provide a measured drawing in a quoted scale until the furniture had been delivered. This was unbreachable, even if it meant I wouldn't get the sale.

One of the values I added to my employment was a very rare ability to visualize scale, texture, color and style of entirely unrelated objects and how they might be placed together in a complement and/or contrast, even if they were on separate levels before moving them together. Though I'd measure if things were going into extremely tight spaces, in general that was completely unnecessary for me. I'd schedule micro moves daily or weekly, larger and more involved moves to clarify a space on the floor semi-weekly, and at least one massive massive move between three and six times yearly (as well as seasonable displays).

Although I kept voluminous notes (especially as regards communication), I rarely referred to them when speaking with my customers on the sales floor, unless we'd scheduled a real meeting. All the little details (from kids' names to eccentricities in their homes) were stored right up front, even if I had ~60 or so active client/customers at any given time. All my clients were equally important, as least as regards how I treated them (few if any favorites, though they all felt that way).

I haven't discussed upholstery, but trust me when I say that bench-made upholstery requires at least as much knowledge-recall as anything made of wood, especially when multiple fabrics were used on a single piece.

Just from an energy perspective, I cannot now conceive of maintaining it with such intensity for 60+ hours weekly as I did ten years ago. And I have entirely lost my ability to retain numerals and (most) peoples' names. I fake it really well, but IRL I can come off as rather scatter-brained, especially when I cannot recall a word that can lead to losing the entire conversation.

Writing is different, of course. I can take notes to remind me of whatever subject I'm discussing, so I don't lose my place. There's also no time constraints on how long it takes to construct a post, unlike a conversation which obviously has to flow. And, of course, Preview Post is a very good friend of mine. It's not at all uncommon for me to review a post, edit and re-write for clarity (and, occasionally, plain old comprehensibility). This post has been reviewed twice.

I project a very different type of confidence IRL than online (especially here). Though it's true that I can still project an aura of gleeful confidence (especially when at work), It's more reliant on sheer projected personality than any nuts-and-bolts, wonky exactitude as regards dates, times, names or numerals.

As regards the online resources for the presentation from the conference: I know that Brandon's been very busy with all his irons in the various fires, especially as primary season is fast approaching. Something has brought him back down here to FtL, and though we've texted, we still haven't seen each other yet. He'll get to it (B's extremely methodical), but on his own terms, I guess: he's an extraordinarily busy guy.

It sounds like you had a great time, despite the head and ankle injuries (sounds rather like something I'd do :biggrin1:).

I did. And the slip/fall/twist/utter lack of gracefulness is one of my endearing trademarks (hopefully). I am also dangerous with cooking knives. It's not self-destructiveness as much as a sort of goofy tendency to go on auto-pilot when I really should be paying closer attention :rolleyes:

Another "endearing" (or maddening if you're not wired with my perverse sense of humor) habit is to assign nicknames at random; though I'll never remember some actual names, I never forget a name I've assigned anyone.

thank ya for the update, Mr. Bbucko.

everything Ms. Subgirrl said. including the linkage. pretty please.

This brief interlude between DC and The Folks has proven too brief for me to start the ADAP thread in the Politics Forum. That will hafta wait til I get back toward the end of the month. Hopefully Brandon will have had a chance to upload the PowerPoints by then.

A perfunctory fifteen-minute search only led to opening irrelevant PDFs (not my fave form of info organizing on the web anyway) and just enough frustration to cease further attempts right this second. FWIW, this frustration and lack of patience when things don't all just arrange themselves pixie-dust style is another aspect of brain-fog, at least in my case. I was always one of the most patient, "big-picture" types I knew; now I feel like Nick8's signature: "Instant gratification takes too long" :biggrin1:
 

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...another aspect of brain-fog, at least in my case. I was always one of the most patient, "big-picture" types I knew; now I feel like Nick8's signature: "Instant gratification takes too long" :biggrin1:

Bb, are you implying I have brain-fog? Well, I probably do. But I always thought my signature showed an honest admission of impatience and goal-focus as well as being in line with my philosophy that good things come to those who want. :biggrin1:
 

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You are one of the most intelligent and well written people I have ever known. If this is you with diminished cognitive functions, I think I would have found the pre-brain fog Bbucko a little scary :tongue:.

+1

NCbear (who's not usually intimidated by people who're smarter, but Bbucko's head and shoulders above the rest :thumbs up:)
 

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I sure agree that the ADAP funding crisis is horrible. No one should be on a wait list.

If I wasn't enrolled in ADAP I couldn't afford my meds even with Medicare Part D. I reach the "coverage gap" or "donut hole" in one month and the "catastrophic" coverage in two. During the coverage gap one has to pay full price (thank you Congress, not). My meds retail for about $4K a month because they are all still brand-name drugs. Medicare Part D can't even negotiate down the price.

Like Bb, I have peripheral neuropathy, which causes constant pain. I also have some brain fog and fatigue. I've exhausted my life savings, but I'm still able to manage with the help of friends, family and my dog.