I have learned A LOT over the last 7 weeks.

Hearing this just pisses me off ,, as it should every citizen of this country. They want us dead , is my only belief. Our government is not not looking out for the American people,, they're for these illegal immigrants. When they can rid this country of the folks that believe in the constitution,, then they can change this country to their new world order .
This I hate to say ,, but it's the only reason I can see why lifelong citizens are treated with such disrespect.

 

For the Diabetes Janumet, Pioglozone and Steglato. To keep the ulcer in Check Lanzparol, and two I am not even going to try and spell out. Cost $42 with my insurance in place. Cost like $3200 out of pocket. LOL I had the surgery Scheduled for February to cut the valve and the bad part of the Duodenum out and reattach the Duodenum back to the stomach minus the valve and all of the scar tissue. Because... well it ain't like the valve works anyway being encased in scar tissue. And everything we have tried to get rid of the scar tissue and make the valve start opening and closing again has failed. Putting a balloon in the valve and and blowing it up keeps it open for 6 months to a year. Doc and the Specialist believe the valve problem is what is causing my extreme diabetes problem.

For your viewing pleasure the pics from my last scope a few weeks ago. Top Right is the valve that stuff exits the stomach through before Doc Forced the Scope Through it. Top Left is it more open after the scope was retracted. Bottom left is the New Duodenal Ulcer that has formed right behind the valve and the scar tissue that encases the entire back side of the valve and prevents it from opening and closing. Bottom Right is what my duodenum looks like past the Valve, Ulcer and Scar Tissue. Very healthy once you get past the bad shit.


While the Ulcer looks like Duodenal Cancer it has no cancer cells in it. Doc took biopsies from several places in it And it is just a nasty ass big ulcer. Doc is 100% Certain the Ulcer returning is totally because of my stress over the last year and the extreme stress since Dee passed away. Funny thing is this new Ulcer is 1/3 the size of the original Ulcer. Anyway we wanted to save the valve and if at all possible get it working again. The Surgery will eliminate that and just be a wide open port from stomach to the intestines. Which is better than it being closed up like the top right picture and pretty much nothing being able to get through and well if it can't get through and go down it has nowhere to go but up and out.

 

SERS Directed me to this section of the Survivor Benefits packet. By their logic since we filed extensions on the 2022 taxes and *The Member* Did not file the taxes prior to her death. I will not be able to provide the form 1040 Signed and filed by the member as required, the Survivor Benefits and what she is owed August 1 through October 31 is no linger due or owed.


I have a appointment with our accountant on Tuesday to file the 2022 Personal Taxes. We filed the extensions because her surgery, and the Chemo was at its peak of BAD last tax season. And filed the Second Extension Because she was working on getting all the tax crap together when the first extension Expired October 15. She had gotten it all together and made the appointment on December 19 to go see the accountant and get them filed and hand off the 2023 tax stuff so it would be out of the way for the upcoming tax season. According to my lawyer they are full of shit and as the Financial PA and Executor of her Estate until ALL financial Matters are resolved and closed, Me signing Documents as the PA on her behalf is the same as if she had signed them and in this case Filed The Taxes. Since we file married jointly they are even more full of bullshit.

And this is the kind of crap I have been dealing with near daily since the Day after she passed away. The State owes her estate Around $270,000 in accumulated sick/vacation time, And the COLA Buyout she opted for on her pension. And then another $190,000 in her deferred comp acct. (Basically the States version of a 401K on top of the pension) And then the $88,500 life insurance that they had refused to notify and authorize the Insurer to start processing until A judge told them to Notify and Authorize the life insurance a Week ago. So I should at least get the life insurance in another 7-10 days.

My survivor benefits are basically 50% of her Monthly pension which amounts to $2200 per month and Free top tier Health Insurance for life. TG the Fed Pension and retirement folks do not exhibit the same shitty behavior that the State Retirement System has. The State has been trying to erase her from history since the day after she died and therefore pay nothing to her estate or to me on the survivor benefits.

After I have the filed 1040 I am going to send it to them and if they reject it as they say they will. Then I am going to do what I have tried to avoid doing and have my lawyer enter his appearance and go after them hard and not for just what is owed, Penalties and Damages as well as Legal Fees will be sought if we have to go that route. LOL I will be long dead by the time that is resolved through litigation and most likely a fat settlement.... But my Trust and Trustees will continue fighting them after I am dead for what they legit owe + a whole lot more for their sketchy wrong doing..... Lawyer laughed and said if I die waiting for the health insurance, he will add wrongful death to the laundry list.

 

That really sucks what you have had to go through ---typical of all government--- they will try and screw you very which way they can.

 

You know that the Illinois State Retirement System is basically broke, they and a lot of other states, and cities, have not socked away enough money to cover even half of what they promised. This might be their way of balancing the books. Still, unless you already have plans for that money from her life insurance use it to buy 2 years of medicine and life!

 

I could substitute my name for yours, KK, and leave the text the same with the exception of the involvement of state and federal pensions. It's been almost six months for me. And yes, I have the baggy eyes too.

Her sister and a friend of hers came out from San Diego last week and helped me dispose of a bunch of stuff. They picked through the clothes in one closet (neither one of them would fit in to her clothes, she was 90 lbs) and I hauled the rest to Goodwill only to realize that there are just as many clothes in another closet.

I keep finding pens and pencils. I now have enough to last for the rest of my life.

A month or so before she passed away she stated that she wanted to begin getting rid of some of the accumulation, and she actually got a start on it. But when she passed away the accumulation included many of her possessions, so the problem actually grew.

I found stacks of paid utility bills from 2015 - 2018 that she told me she wanted to take to a secure disposal facility. But after picking through them, I found a receipt for a life insurance policy that she took out on herself that she never told me about. It contained policy information. I wrote to the insurance company and filed a claim. It was only $500 but I sure didn't want to throw that away.

In the same stack of papers I found the title deed to our remote 40 acre property.

Some things, I don't even know what they are - trash or Goodwill. I just hauled another 4x8 utility trailer full to the dump.

She had a costume jewelry business years ago that she stopped because eBay's fees got ridiculous. A rolling cabinet full went to a local lapidary business. I probably didn't get full value, but it's gone.

And beads, a trunk full about 3 ft x 6 ft went to my sister.

Now I have boxes full of old pictures that I don't know who or if they are of family members or what?

Anyway, I've changed beneficiaries on all bank and retirement accounts, passwords are contained in a file and unlike hers, they're not cryptic. I need to keep them kind of available without exposing a security risk.

After the beginning of the year I'll get hold of a lawyer and set up a trust for real and personal property, and then brief my niece on where everything is. I'll have to keep her updated over time as things change. She already has a key to my house.

Yeah, a lot of lessons learned here.

I've finally faced the fact that it's going to take a year to whittle this pile down. She's not the only guilty one when it comes to accumulation, either.