It's been a hell week...

Sometimes I wonder...

I've been spending time between work, time spent with my mom... and time spent at the hospital. Yup, my dad is at the hospital.

His illness has nothing to do. It's a stupid fall... as it could have happened to you and me. A wet floor, the foot slipped and... bingo. Smack on the ceramic tiles in the kitchen. Ouch, you bet.

He's getting better, nothing broken, but he got some severe bruises. At his age (close to 85), there's a bit of luck in his badluck...

Needless to say, I'm running on adrenalin for the past few days.

I'm also caught in a bureaucratic nightmare and most likely by my own fault. It's been a while that I'm checking all their mail coming in.

Apaprently, either the notice was lost in the mail or somehow I haven't paid attention, but his Carte Soleil has lapsed. Since last September, in fact.

This card (literally the "Sunshine Card", because you see on that card a beautiful sunset over a forest) comes from our provincial health care system. As a Québec resident you are entitled to have one... and get free health care.

Since his card has expired... Do I need to elaborate?

I've been told by the hospital as of today, I'm already over $25,000 in health costs... and the counter goes up everyday by $1700, which is the daily cost of a no-frill hospital bed in a standard room. Not to mention all other exams that he'll go through, nor the med, nor many things. Oh, for the good measure, hospital food is included in that $1700 a day. :)

Yup, my heart did skip a beat when I got the news over the phone....

Dealing with the emotional toll is one thing, dealing with the physical toll, as I am exhausted (never TGIF Friday meant so much this week!)... and now my mom and I will have, on my dad's behalf, to get him enlisted to the provincial health care coverage... as if it was the very first time. He's 85, arrived in Canada in 1952 and paid taxes since then. Do the math. It's insane.

Oh the lovely bureaucratic nightmares ahead... and the hospital people were kind: you have 3 months to pay. So sweet.

Since he's obviously unable to make the demand by himself, there are extra hurdles to us. We have to prove who we are. For instance, my mom has to prove that she's legally married, that she's living with my dad, that we have to find the lease for the appartment to prove that they're living in Québec... among other things...

Not to mention that we have to go through a special procedure when we get billed first and then for us having the government pays the bill on our behalf. Special procedure means of course... more time wasted, like anything else with the government.

But like an athlete, as if we didn't have emotional issues, as if we didn't have... a life, we have to do all of that in 3 months. As for myself, I do expect that in the upcoming weeks I'll have to take some times off from work, at my own expense...

The last time I had a fight with bureaucracy, it was for my passport... and it took me more than a year to get all the required papers in the right format and funky colors they want before I get that [ bleep! ] dark blue booklet with a not so pretty picture of humble moi on it.

Not to mention that I took a shortcut by filing for my passport over the internet. It could have been even longer. No joke.

So, this time, we get just 3 months, and the clock has begun to tick.

Have you ever seen a bill with lots of numbers after the $ sign... and have you ever felt your heart going crazy as a result?

Oh, the hospital accept cash or certified checks or so I'm told.

Ok... I'll try to get some sleeps...

Cheers,

-E