Retiree Should Visit A Neurologist

Dear Ann Landers: Retirement stinks. Now I understand why couples get divorced after one of them retires. I used to think this was strange, but now, I get it.

The second day after my husband retired, he began moving the furniture around. He gathered up all the scatter rugs and put them in trash bags. He tied knots in the curtains and drapes and NAILED them to the walls. He then raised the blinds so he could see out the window from his chair.

Nothing I do is good enough now. I should have parked the car closer to the front door or left it in the garage. He complains about the cleaning fluids, air fresheners, perfumes, hair spray and litter box. They never bothered him before, but now, he says he is allergic to them. Meanwhile, he slaps on the after-shave until you could faint from the fumes. This man used to be immaculate. Now, he wears the same shirt for a week. I have to grab his underwear and put it in the wash, or he would wear it for heaven knows how long.

I raised our large family and took care of the checkbook and bills while he worked. Now, he acts like I’m an idiot. He wants to see all the receipts when I shop for clothes or groceries so he can make sure they match the price tags.

I cannot stand living where I am afraid to breathe, and I never know when he’s going to blow up over something. We have no social life anymore because of his lousy disposition. Nobody wants to be around him.

Is this what retirement does to men? Please answer in the paper. He opens all the mail now - something he never did before. - Just About Had It in West Virginia

Dear West Virginia: This isn’t retirement. It sounds as if something else is going on. The man shows signs of mental illness. Your husband needs to see a doctor, preferably a neurologist. Talk to your family physician about this troubling situation, and ask for his guidance. Good luck, dear. You’re going to need it.

Dear Ann Landers: Please help me tell our nation’s 38 million Medicare beneficiaries that some new benefits can help them lead healthier lives. As of Jan. 1, 1998, additional lifesaving benefits were made available to Medicare beneficiaries, including mammography, pap smears and colorectal cancer screening.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in the United States, and more than half of those who die from it are 65 and older. Early detection could have saved many of those lives. Since many women don’t get mammograms because they are worried about the cost, President Clinton and Congress have expanded coverage for mammograms for Medicare beneficiaries aged 40 and over. It will no longer be necessary to pay the annual deductible for this service or for pap smears, pelvic exams or clinical breast exams.

Medicare will also now cover screening for colorectal cancer, the second most common cancer in America. Later this year, Medicare will help pay for blood glucose monitors and testing strips for all beneficiaries with diabetes. And, as always, Medicare will continue to pay 100 percent of the cost of an annual flu shot and a onetime pneumococcal pneumonia shot.

Thank you, Ann, for helping us get the word out. - Donna E. Shalala, secretary of health and human services, Washington, D.C.

Dear Donna Shalala: I appreciate the opportunity to let everyone know that Medicare will now cover these lifesaving services. I implore my readers to take advantage of these new benefits.