Oh and one more thing....

That sentence always makes me think of Columbo....

An hour after I published the last post, I received a phone call from a friend who also has MS.  She pointed out to me that anyone who is enrolled in Medicare is not eligible for the $10 co-pay for the new drug, Tecfidera.  I called the company this morning who confirmed this.  They do have me in their system (I registered at their website) and are waiting for the request for a prescription from my doctor, at  which point they will investigate other financial assistance resources.  So - at this point, after waiting  1 1/2 years for the drug to be approved, I do not yet know whether I will even be able to afford to take it. Don't you just love the health care in this country?

On a brighter note, I forgot to give an update on the heating situation chez Carla.  This is the first winter since 2008 that I have not been cold in the carriage house.  We did get a new thermostat and Carla does turn it on in the mornings at 7 (except for when she sleeps in), and again at 5 PM.  However, the operative word is "turns on".  We have given up trying to get her to just let the thermostat do its thing.  So, between 9 AM and 5 PM, and then again between 9 PM and 7 AM, it gets cold.  HOWEVER, I was and am not cold thanks to my village.  I already had 3 old electric heaters.  Now, in addition to those,  I have a brand new electric heater in my living room which somehow manages to heat the entire apartment, an electric mattress pad AND an electric throw on the couch, all gifts from my village.  These electric heating devices in combination with the hours the thermostat is allowed to do its thing have managed  to keep my apartment nice and toasty.  The only problem is when I go away and she doesn't turn the thermostat on at all, but it doesn't take long to heat it up once I turn on all my devices.