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George saw new doc yesterday who prescribed two new meds for short term use and a radical diet.
He was told to "lose the weight; stop eating junk, salt & sugar, drink water only and you'll feel like a new man."
Doc never uttered a word about not smoking.
We were on our way to grocery shop so it was a delight not to buy the usual junk he craves. For supper I fixed his flounder, salad and broccoli/cauliflour/carrots.
This morning we're off to Quest Diagnostics for lab tests.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Saturday, June 23, 2012
It's Called the Unexpected
Three times in six days George has had difficulty breathing & his color has not looked too perky either.
He has a referral to a pulmonologist in Crystal River but we still haven't heard from that office.
Today, he got up from a lawn chair on the screen porch, staggered to the door to cool off in the AC & stumbled head first before regaining his balance. Said he felt light headed. As usual, I insisted he go to the docs or the hospital 5 miles south of here.
Good thing I turned to the right to close the door because he swung for all he was worth.
I WAS NOT hit & he's not a violent man but - when his oxygen is low & he's feeling he's lost control any mention of medical attention usually elicits a growl.
Personally, I believe he's deteriorating more & struggling with that realization. Add 60 years of smoking, male ego, finally living in Florida & not being able to do what you used to and humidity & it's a tough road for a stubborn, independent man.
Last night, we ran the AC all night - not that it ran continuously, mind you, but it's a significant change for this household.
He seldom ever drinks water, preferring coffee or diet coke but in two days he's had three glasses of water. A first for him.
He going to ask his old pulmonologist what med the shot was he received there & ask the local doc to give him the same thing until he sees the new pulmonologist. We suspect his lungs need that antibiotic kick start to supplement the oral antibiotic he takes every other day FULL TIME.
I sympathize with any physician trying to treat him because he's the classic non-compliant patient. But, I love him & want to keep him around a long time.
Please say a prayer that he'll lose some of his stubbornness and get into the doc on Monday.
He has a referral to a pulmonologist in Crystal River but we still haven't heard from that office.
Today, he got up from a lawn chair on the screen porch, staggered to the door to cool off in the AC & stumbled head first before regaining his balance. Said he felt light headed. As usual, I insisted he go to the docs or the hospital 5 miles south of here.
Good thing I turned to the right to close the door because he swung for all he was worth.
I WAS NOT hit & he's not a violent man but - when his oxygen is low & he's feeling he's lost control any mention of medical attention usually elicits a growl.
Personally, I believe he's deteriorating more & struggling with that realization. Add 60 years of smoking, male ego, finally living in Florida & not being able to do what you used to and humidity & it's a tough road for a stubborn, independent man.
Last night, we ran the AC all night - not that it ran continuously, mind you, but it's a significant change for this household.
He seldom ever drinks water, preferring coffee or diet coke but in two days he's had three glasses of water. A first for him.
He going to ask his old pulmonologist what med the shot was he received there & ask the local doc to give him the same thing until he sees the new pulmonologist. We suspect his lungs need that antibiotic kick start to supplement the oral antibiotic he takes every other day FULL TIME.
I sympathize with any physician trying to treat him because he's the classic non-compliant patient. But, I love him & want to keep him around a long time.
Please say a prayer that he'll lose some of his stubbornness and get into the doc on Monday.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Future Plans
It's taken some time but Sweetie has finally been convinced that solar is the way to go. We live in Florida, for God's sake. Land of sunshine and frequent power outages.
Funds are tight as always but we'll take it step by step.
And entire system to power our place won't happen overnight but if we can accumulate the basics & run even the well and/or AC off solar, we'll be better off: water available and the ability to keep cook in this climate count for a lot.
Probably won't buy any components until this fall but at least he sees the widsom in it.
Today his heart rate increased despite no activity & the AC was turned on to give him some relief. Heavy rains/winds due here Tuesday & Wednesday & probably a power outage too.
The way I look at things, better to spend money on solar components than a generator.
Like always, time will tell how soon all this comes together but we're moving forward.
Funds are tight as always but we'll take it step by step.
And entire system to power our place won't happen overnight but if we can accumulate the basics & run even the well and/or AC off solar, we'll be better off: water available and the ability to keep cook in this climate count for a lot.
Probably won't buy any components until this fall but at least he sees the widsom in it.
Today his heart rate increased despite no activity & the AC was turned on to give him some relief. Heavy rains/winds due here Tuesday & Wednesday & probably a power outage too.
The way I look at things, better to spend money on solar components than a generator.
Like always, time will tell how soon all this comes together but we're moving forward.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Rawles & Ol Remus Make Sense
Two blogs I highly recommend are Survival Blog by James Wesley Rawles and Ol Remus and the Woodpile Report.
Remus posts once weekly, generally by Tuesday. Today he referenced Rawles post on 20 Reasons ... basically what the immediate effect will be on everyone when a bank holiday occurs.
I learned a few things: those dependent on EBT cards (not us) will be out of luck as they're basically a debit card cleared through the same place as bank business.
I'm a bit foggy today so haven't included a link, etc. but look both blogs up. Worth every word in my opinion.
In other news, the latest shenanigans regarding immigration for 16-30 year old illegals is another nail in the coffin of legal US residents.
I've been away from the "news" for a few days & it's only degraded more in my absence.
And in further news, the doc's office was kind enough to give me samples of Aricept until the drug company decides if I qualify for a free or greatly reduced prescription.
So I'm not a welfare or Medicaid recipient but I'll gladly accept some help from the drug company. They have room in their bonus structure. Again, in my humble opinion.
Remus posts once weekly, generally by Tuesday. Today he referenced Rawles post on 20 Reasons ... basically what the immediate effect will be on everyone when a bank holiday occurs.
I learned a few things: those dependent on EBT cards (not us) will be out of luck as they're basically a debit card cleared through the same place as bank business.
I'm a bit foggy today so haven't included a link, etc. but look both blogs up. Worth every word in my opinion.
In other news, the latest shenanigans regarding immigration for 16-30 year old illegals is another nail in the coffin of legal US residents.
I've been away from the "news" for a few days & it's only degraded more in my absence.
And in further news, the doc's office was kind enough to give me samples of Aricept until the drug company decides if I qualify for a free or greatly reduced prescription.
So I'm not a welfare or Medicaid recipient but I'll gladly accept some help from the drug company. They have room in their bonus structure. Again, in my humble opinion.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Gulf Sitting
In our new Florida life we either porch sit or Gulf sit.
Not hard to take when you're watching cardinals tempt Kitty Kitty while we sip coffee and savor the breeze on our screened porch.
Not hard to take when you're lawn chairs overlook the boat ramp and your cooler & thermos are nearby. Watching people fish, talking to strangers, helping someone get their boat & trailer lined up, eating a sandwich & sipping a refreshing drink, watching the stars or once in awhile casting a line are the best entertainment.
Sweetie said today: "When was the last time I watched TV?"
Told him I don't know but it sure is nice not to!
A 26# Drum Fish was one bit of excitement at the dock today. Last night the Coast Guard sped into the ramp, unloaded their boat & took of for parts unknown. We were there five hours & they still had not returned.
Today, two speeding boats capsized another boat containing three fuel barrels they'd off loaded from a shrimp boat gone aground near the channel.
And here's a pic of three men from Ocala with their catch: two Red fish and a sea trout. Always something interesting at the Gulf!
Not hard to take when you're watching cardinals tempt Kitty Kitty while we sip coffee and savor the breeze on our screened porch.
Not hard to take when you're lawn chairs overlook the boat ramp and your cooler & thermos are nearby. Watching people fish, talking to strangers, helping someone get their boat & trailer lined up, eating a sandwich & sipping a refreshing drink, watching the stars or once in awhile casting a line are the best entertainment.
Sweetie said today: "When was the last time I watched TV?"
Told him I don't know but it sure is nice not to!
A 26# Drum Fish was one bit of excitement at the dock today. Last night the Coast Guard sped into the ramp, unloaded their boat & took of for parts unknown. We were there five hours & they still had not returned.
Today, two speeding boats capsized another boat containing three fuel barrels they'd off loaded from a shrimp boat gone aground near the channel.
And here's a pic of three men from Ocala with their catch: two Red fish and a sea trout. Always something interesting at the Gulf!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Water Time!
Sweetie was in rare form yesterday.
First we took the pontoon out on the Withlacoochee for nearly five hours, then we had supper, repacked the cooler, picked up bait and drove to the Gulf in time for sunset.
He "fed" live shrimp to a lot of hungry fish & caught one undersized sea bass. It was great to see him out enjoying life instead of sitting & smoking.
We put the boat in at a public ramp in Yankeetown and went up river a mile east of Hwy 19. Here, the river narrowed & the tide was low enough that we were in danger of hitting the prop on dead trees. We turned around & meandered eight miles back to the Gulf where we promptly ran aground!
Sweetie is dyslexic & had read the tide chart wrong & I hadn't bothered to double check his reading. Once on the water we all figured this out but it was a relaxing day with no long term side affects.
There are severak abandoned or sunk boats along the river here which surprises me. In Michigan, at least where I've lived, your behind would be burnt & your wallet empty if you abandoned or sunk a boat.
Enjoy the pics and have a great day. Treesong
First we took the pontoon out on the Withlacoochee for nearly five hours, then we had supper, repacked the cooler, picked up bait and drove to the Gulf in time for sunset.
He "fed" live shrimp to a lot of hungry fish & caught one undersized sea bass. It was great to see him out enjoying life instead of sitting & smoking.
We put the boat in at a public ramp in Yankeetown and went up river a mile east of Hwy 19. Here, the river narrowed & the tide was low enough that we were in danger of hitting the prop on dead trees. We turned around & meandered eight miles back to the Gulf where we promptly ran aground!
Sweetie is dyslexic & had read the tide chart wrong & I hadn't bothered to double check his reading. Once on the water we all figured this out but it was a relaxing day with no long term side affects.
There are severak abandoned or sunk boats along the river here which surprises me. In Michigan, at least where I've lived, your behind would be burnt & your wallet empty if you abandoned or sunk a boat.
Enjoy the pics and have a great day. Treesong
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
A Week of Discovery & Adjustment
Our friend will have been here a week tomorrow.
It's been good sharing time & conversation with her.
She's doing the hard, mental work she needs to do & much reflection about her previous life here in Florida. Guess being here brings up a lot of comparisons to our locations versus her former home; our lives versus theirs, our habits versus theirs.
This led to a discussion about the continuing decline of this country & people having to "double up," as she called it. Letting go of "the American dream," which I said was really "the American nightmare," is never easy but crucial if one is to address their circumstances head on. Too many people want what they want and are stuck in their anger over not having what they expected to have. She lives in Flint and sees more of that attitude whereas here, at least on the surface, people seem to react with more grace, common sense and a determination to help themselves.
By no means is this true everywhere but we've sure encountered a lot of it. Talking/listening to people at the Gulf as they fish or while standing in line at the stores in Inglis, their stories have a familiar line: life ain't what it used to be but we've adjusted. We're making better choices. We're doing more together. We're happier.
Then yesterday, at Dollar General, a version of this conversation occurred and the woman in front of us said, "you'll think that until you run into the worthless druggies."
The woman talking to me said, "Oh? I was a 'worthless druggie' and pulled myself out of the sewer."
To this response the first woman gave a "humph!" and left.
It was my turn at the register and I told the cashier: "You must see much of humanity pass through this aisle every day."
"OH YEAH!" comes a shout from behind me. We all turned to see a disheveled, dirty, blurry eyed guy holding crackers, tuna fish and a bottle of Gatorade.
"That woman needs to walk in any of our shoes," he said. To which we all agreed and the woman behind me said to him, "Good to see you again Mike!" and gave him a hug.
It's been good sharing time & conversation with her.
She's doing the hard, mental work she needs to do & much reflection about her previous life here in Florida. Guess being here brings up a lot of comparisons to our locations versus her former home; our lives versus theirs, our habits versus theirs.
This led to a discussion about the continuing decline of this country & people having to "double up," as she called it. Letting go of "the American dream," which I said was really "the American nightmare," is never easy but crucial if one is to address their circumstances head on. Too many people want what they want and are stuck in their anger over not having what they expected to have. She lives in Flint and sees more of that attitude whereas here, at least on the surface, people seem to react with more grace, common sense and a determination to help themselves.
By no means is this true everywhere but we've sure encountered a lot of it. Talking/listening to people at the Gulf as they fish or while standing in line at the stores in Inglis, their stories have a familiar line: life ain't what it used to be but we've adjusted. We're making better choices. We're doing more together. We're happier.
Then yesterday, at Dollar General, a version of this conversation occurred and the woman in front of us said, "you'll think that until you run into the worthless druggies."
The woman talking to me said, "Oh? I was a 'worthless druggie' and pulled myself out of the sewer."
To this response the first woman gave a "humph!" and left.
It was my turn at the register and I told the cashier: "You must see much of humanity pass through this aisle every day."
"OH YEAH!" comes a shout from behind me. We all turned to see a disheveled, dirty, blurry eyed guy holding crackers, tuna fish and a bottle of Gatorade.
"That woman needs to walk in any of our shoes," he said. To which we all agreed and the woman behind me said to him, "Good to see you again Mike!" and gave him a hug.
Monday, June 4, 2012
A Refuge in the Storm
We don't have much but we do what we can with what we have. Including offering refuge to a friend and wise counsel for a son and prayers for those we love and care about.
A friend has decided to leave her abusive relationship & will drive here in the next few days - assuming she gets out safely.
A son was beat up by his brother & has severed all ties. We agree completely. Meanwhile, we hope & pray no more damage is done to either son. One does well. The other is so deep into drugs he's dangerous to himself and others. The grandkids saw the beating; the daughter and her boyfriend stood by & didn't intervene until the drug crazed son was choking the life out of his brother.
The situation gets worse from there but we are here and thankful to not be in the midst of the situation. Number one, I probably would have intervened & two or three of us would either be dead or in jail. Number two, it wouldn't have solved a thing.
Insanity is around every corner in this world and for us, the best thing to do is not get near known insanity. If it means being thousands of miles away and cutting ties, so be it.
In the good news department, we took the pontoon out on her maiden voyage today for a 2-1/2 hour cruise on the Withlacoochee River. When we came home we heard the bad news concerning my friend and my sons. Thankful we got to relax before the crap began. The memory of that time kept us level headed later.
I took 24 river photos & Facebook won't load one! Wanted to share with my friends & son & grandkids.
Also, saw another Coachwhip snake crossing the road. Once again, it was longer than half the width of the county road. Camera batteries were dead by then or I'd give you a look.
A friend has decided to leave her abusive relationship & will drive here in the next few days - assuming she gets out safely.
A son was beat up by his brother & has severed all ties. We agree completely. Meanwhile, we hope & pray no more damage is done to either son. One does well. The other is so deep into drugs he's dangerous to himself and others. The grandkids saw the beating; the daughter and her boyfriend stood by & didn't intervene until the drug crazed son was choking the life out of his brother.
The situation gets worse from there but we are here and thankful to not be in the midst of the situation. Number one, I probably would have intervened & two or three of us would either be dead or in jail. Number two, it wouldn't have solved a thing.
Insanity is around every corner in this world and for us, the best thing to do is not get near known insanity. If it means being thousands of miles away and cutting ties, so be it.
In the good news department, we took the pontoon out on her maiden voyage today for a 2-1/2 hour cruise on the Withlacoochee River. When we came home we heard the bad news concerning my friend and my sons. Thankful we got to relax before the crap began. The memory of that time kept us level headed later.
I took 24 river photos & Facebook won't load one! Wanted to share with my friends & son & grandkids.
Also, saw another Coachwhip snake crossing the road. Once again, it was longer than half the width of the county road. Camera batteries were dead by then or I'd give you a look.
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