4 minute read
Gehazi (2Kings 4:12
Repay Social Security, Get a Bigger Check
Here’s something you might not know:We can pay back the Social Security benefits we’ve received,and reapply for monthly benefits at a high rate.
Advertisement
Last year the Congressional Budget Office predicted that we’d receive Cost of Living Adjustments of 1.5 percent in our Social Security benefits. Well,the news is out:The Cost of Living Adjustment for those of us getting Social Security is going up by 2.8 percent in 2009,resulting in a whopping average benefit increase of $30.20. That amount,though,is going to keep 5 million of us living below the poverty line,because the cost of living in general has gone up. As an example, in the past eight years, COLAs have risen 19 percent while premiums for Medicare Part B have risen 93 percent. You don’t need a calculator to see the problem with that.
Now it turns out that for some of us, there might be a way to increase our Social Security benefits every month. I say “some of us”because I personally don’t know many who could amass that amount of cash — every dime you’ve received has to be paid back.
Still,there must be some of us who could do that. The financial gurus are touting this (sending back the money) as a way to purchase an annuity that’s a much better deal than you can get from insurance companies that sell annuities.
If you want to investigate this option,get expert advice from multiple sources. Some considerations:If you have that much money available, do you want to leave it to your heirs instead? What if you die tomorrow? Will your increased Social Security benefits be taxable, making the increase not so much of a good deal after all?
Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personally answer reader questions,but will incorporate them into her column whenever possible. Write to her in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando,FL 32853-6475,or send email to columnreply@gmail.com.
Many Ways to Treat Varicose Veins
DEAR DR. DONOHUE:I am a 52-year-old lady with bad varicose veins in both my legs. How did I get them? My legs get tired easily,and they hurt if I have to stand for any time. A friend told me about an injection in the veins that gets rid of them. Can you tell me what that is? My husband has them too,and he’s also interested in getting rid of them. I didn’t know men got them. — L.T.
ANSWER:Varicose veins are dilated,gnarly leg veins that aren’t limited to women. Men get them too,but women with varicose veins outnumber men by a factor of 2-to-1.
You got them like most people get them. There’s a strong family influence in coming down with varicosities. Pregnancy,jobs where people must be on their feet for long times and obesity are other factors that generate such veins. I just learned that taller people have them more frequently than shorter folks.
The basic problem is faulty vein valves. Veins are equipped with valves that close shut as blood passes by to keep it from falling back down. If legvein valves aren’t working,blood does fall back down,and it stagnates in the legs and dilates the veins,causing them to balloon.
You can do some things on your own to improve the situation. Take a couple of breaks during the day when you can lie down with your legs raised above heart level. Compression stockings keep blood flowing upward in leg veins. The best are ones that are specially fitted for your legs and that have more compression at ankle level than at thigh level.
Removal techniques are many. You ask about sclerotherapy. In that procedure,a solution that irritates the veins’ inner lining is injected into them. The lining sticks to itself,and the vein collapses. It’s not used for all veins. It doesn’t work well for very large ones. Catheter ablation is another newer technique where a thin,flexible tube — a catheter — is threaded into the veins. The catheter has a probe that emits radio waves that heat the lining and cause the vein to shrivel. The menu for varicose-vein treatment is large; this is only a small sample of what can be done.
The booklet on varicose veins explains this condition in detail. Readers can obtain a copy by writing:Dr. Donohue — No. 108W,Box 536475, Orlando,FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6 Canada with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery. ***
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Please explain the meaning of “homonymous hemianopsia.”I am a senior and a diabetic. Does it have anything to do with either? — J.B.
ANSWER:Hemianopsia is a loss of half the visual field. For example,a person can see from the center to the right but not from the center to the left. Homonymous (hoe-MON-uh-mus) indicates that both eyes have the same defect.
Head trauma,brain tumors,strokes and a few other conditions cause such a vision loss. Diabetes and aging are not common causes. ***
Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 328536475.
Save money. Live better
Open 24 Hours
Whitfiled Nursing Home
Privately Owned and Operated Providing Healthcare to the Community Since 1928
2101E. Proper St. Corinth, MS 38834
(662)286-3331 Jennie Whitfield, NHA President/Sec
Corinth Dry Cleaners
801 Foote St., Corinth, MS. 38834 • (662) 286-2171
