No, there wasn’t an actual bullet. But there might as well have been. The “bullet” was a thief who stole pain medication from an 81-year-old woman. Are you kidding me?!?

The thief cared nothing for the fact that Mom must take strong pain medication. That is the only way she can get any deliverance from the terrible back pain.

That thief entered Mom and Dad’s apartment at the Independent Living Center where they live and stole her pain pills to sell on the street. The Center said they had been watching the aide because of theft situations with other residents, and they confronted her after this theft. She was fired. Thank goodness!

Of course, then the medication needed to be replaced. God bless Mom’s home health nurse! She called the pain management clinic to see about replacemtent. They told her they couldn’t replace the medication without a copy of a police report. Jennifer, the home health nurse, called and made a police report, but the officer said the report wouldn’t be available for 3-5 days. Hello-0-0-0!

We thought the Independent Living Center and Nursing Specialty group would make sure Mom had replacement medicine since the thief was an aide who worked at the Independent Living Center. Nope. We were wrong.

And I’m very surprised. The manager of the Center has always been very compassionate and responsible. But Mom and my sister ended up having to handle everything. Sister called and discovered the police report was ready Friday morning, so she went and picked it up and got it to the pain management clinic. Then the clinic faxed the replacement prescription to the pharmacy.

But when the delivery person came from the pharmacy, there was no medication for Mom. My sister called the pharmacy, and they said they hadn’t filled the prescription because it was too soon for the prescription and Medicare wouldn’t pay for it. So my sister had to go to the pharmacy to check it out. I suggested that she ask to see the fax from the clinic. Yep – you guessed it – no mention by the clinic that the prescription was to replace medication that had been stolen. Grrrrrr!

The pharmacy said they would check out the situation and call. They did – thank goodness! They could fill the prescription and insurance would pay. But – someone would have to pick it up because there would be no more deliveries Friday night. So my sister, bless her heart, went to the pharmacy and picked up the medication. She got Mom a little bouquet of flowers too because Mom had been so stressed and upset. That was sweet. Mom really appreciated the flowers.

Of course, more than anything, Mom appreciated having the pain medication. Mom and Dad have a little safe – she’ll keep her pain medication in that now.

I’m exhausted, and I didn’t even have to do the phoning or the running around this time.

Well. . . at least one good thing today. The temperature is supposed to be in the 80’s. Woo! Hoo!