Arrrgh. I thought I was done posting, but here is my sendoff for the retreat - my cellphone rang and I spent a half hour on the phone with the billing department of the hospital, about an alleged outstanding bill from my husband's hospitalization in mid-May. Over $1800. And I hit my out-of-pocket maximum with the last roughly $1600 they sucked out of me as supposedly the last hurrah. Now there's a new bill - and let's remember, he died in July and this is NOVEMBER and they are trying to bill me for May? Give me a fucking break. I gave the poor hapless billing dude on the phone a verbal workout, demanded a line-item backup in writing, and one of the things he said was that a charge was for "outpatient services in mid June." In mid-June my husband was not even able to sit up, let alone go to this facility for outpatient anything. I was with him every day, I know precisely what services he was getting from the nursing home and it wasn't a fucking thing from that hospital. I know already that the bill is wrong, and have demanded a line-item statement before I'll even waste the time calling my carrier to discuss it. Fucking sue me.

Boy am I ready for the retreat.