60+ year old thread.

Just hot and dry here. 93* today and sunny.
Probably should mow my out back 1/3 acre I let grow wild. It’s all seeded out and dead, so maybe the seeds will take if we ever get any rains.
Should go for a stroll with the little woman before it gets too hot.

Hoping everyone stays safe from the hurricane and flooding!

 

Yes, I’m happy. The dealership did a good job. That’s probably the last time I say that statement.

 

Good Morning everyone

 

Good morning Porch Pals & Sue! Didn't do a thing yesterday but cook some frozen pizzas for after her pickleball. Going to get some putz done for sure today.

Yoikes! Hope the house is dry and safe. Aside from the flash flooding, that rain would be very welcome out here.

 

If that was a correction to the stock market on Monday, why the big rise today? Buyers picking up stock at lower prices that they expect to go up?
Waiting to see if I get replies from Yamaha dealers if they take trades and have the ATV I think I want.
Yesterdays mail arrival, a nickel Radius 42 stove, had many brass models already, but no nickel. A Coleman 200A lantern in the background I also received on Monday, tore down and cleaned parts, fired up late.
Duane

 

I was hiking around Mount Rainier with a just released Green Beret and he had a stove like that, and couldn't get it to light. It had been raining and I suspect it had some moisture down inside. So I whipped out my handy dandy Boy Scout paraffin-and-coiled-corrugated-cardboard-in-a-tuna-can stove and lit it to warm up his wet stove... and the reluctant stove fired right up after a minute or so. It was nice to have a warm meal that evening.

 

Love the pic of the old Oly can. That was my beer in the 60s/70s. A lot of memories.

 

Good morning everyone!

I had long discussions with my wife about hospice, end of life, and her wishes ("water cremation" - no ashes; a celebration of life a year later)

My wife collapsed a week ago; she had numerous falls in the previous month. Her body hasn't absorbed any nutrients and is still slowly losing weight. She fell in the middle of the night, changing her ostomy bags, but I didn't wake until 7:30 AM that morning. So she was on the floor for a good six hours. I couldn't pick her up; in the past, she could sit up so I could get my arms under her shoulders and knees, but that morning, she didn't have the energy for that.

I put towels under her, and she could slowly clean up and put her ostomy bags back in place. I got her dressed.

I used a beach towel in my arms to help lift her to the side of the bed, and then I got her back into the bed. My daughter came over to help. We used an office chair to roll her out to the car, and my daughter was going to run her up to the ER to get her into Hospice (stabilize, they get the ball rolling to get her enrolled into hospice so she can come home).

So she gets an ER doctor who tells her, "No need for hospice; you're malnourished and just need TPN." He gets her to agree to TPN, overriding her DNR wishes, and starts transfusing blood and tons of electrolytes into her system. She feels better and decides, "Hey, I can live on TPN." We did a year of that stuff, with numerous infections and complications; she was in pure misery and made me promise never to again.

The roller coaster starts again. Finally, a good gastro doc shows up, sees a whole unit of blood being transfused into her again, and asks her, with 40 years of chrons, why they are doing this. Surgery is not an option (too much scar tissue, only 20% of her colon left). He was clear that TPN should have never been started and she should be in hospice.

Meanwhile, I am ready to go out on disability. We're both over 65, but my medical insurance covers her TPN. Once I retire, I will be on Medicare, and it's not covered. Three years ago, it was $1200 per day, probably up to $2000 per day.

Being Mortal is an excellent book. Atul Gawande believes that the medical profession's job is to "enable well-being," not just to strive for survival.

It's interesting to look at the government database to see what companies pay doctors.
https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/ My wife's TPN provider has paid $5 million to MDs, most of which is for consulting. The top recipient is in Austin, TX., with $350,000 paid in 2023.

Our medical system is pure insanity.

I am grateful for every sunrise and my morning espresso.

 

I may have posted this before...



I still have the shirt in the bottom of a drawer, and the girl next to me on the couch. The dog is long gone and missed. Best dog ever. That was a great road trip.

 

That’s is awesome

 

After my moms stroke and a few weeks in a hospital, we found a care facility and a hospice group for her. The facility was a couple thousand a month, moms income still covered the few months she survived after the stroke. Another facility would have gotten subsidized to take her, nice place, but mom would have needed to show progress in getting better. Family run.
Duane

 

I don't have anything but good wishes for you both. Peace and comforts to you.

 

Sorry, can't give that a like. That is really a bad situation and I feel for the two of you...I can't imagine. I'm hoping for the best.

 

Sorry to hear this Duane , we’re in the exact same situation. Mom turned 90, two weeks later stroke. Try to figure it out now, stroke was last Wednesday. She was in a great place, now it’s all up in the air. She is doing somewhat better
Fortunately my wife is a benefit coordinator for her job, the things the insurance companies make people is terrible

 

My memory is a bit fuzzy:

Two types of long-term care facilities:

1. Rehab Facility: One will have Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy. A friend had a stroke hours after his deep brain stimulation, They got him transported to this facility to keep me active and engaged. I am happy to report that he fully recovered and is doing fine.

2. LTAC: "Long-term acute care," which is more of a place to park people who are in a full-body cast or in a coma or (like my wife) are non compliant about the first one and got shipped to the second one with "oh, we have a walkie-talkie" (ambulatory person who talks back; most of her floor was comatose patients on life support).

Federal Guidelines dictate what type of facility, but if patients refuse all therapy, they are transferred from Rehab to LTAC.

First, Rehab will often state, " At our hospital, you will receive Three hours of therapy, five days per week"

Second, LTAC, "Our long-term acute care hospitals offer the same in-depth care patients would receive in a traditional hospital or intensive care unit, but for an extended period of time needed for recovery."

 

My mom is/was in memory care, Dementia. Not sure how this will play out, transferring to a rehabilitation facility. Might lose her room if not able to return in thirty days.

 

THIS

 

So sorry to read this Tom. You and your wife are in my prayers.


Good afternoon. Been a crazy day today. Gym time was hard after being off on vacation for 12 days. Vacation told me to start to weight train. I am too darn weak.

 

Not many ATV’s can be sold in California. Been scrambling to find something, may opt for a Polaris 570 Sportsman. One dealer called, they are checking to see what my trade-in might bring at auction. Hate to haul it in my truck to the dealer, two hour drive over a windy road.
Duane

 

My thoughts, prayers, and sincerest respect.