Health Issues Update

Bill is gaining his strength but is still weak.  

Today I made one of his favorite dishes, a bowl of egg salad with plenty of mayo. Bill's loves mayo. He loves egg salad. And both are very easy for Bill to swallow.  

Yesterday I spent a good part of the morning following up with the VA Choice program to get an authorization number so an appointment can be made with the gastroenterologist that the doctor at the hospital recommended that Bill see within two days.  By the way, we're past the two days already but if we can just get that number and his appointment, I won't complain. 

I have to admit I'm trying not to slip into that Dark Hole of depression.  Once you pass all the hurdles for the VA health care system, they take good care of you (I know from experience when I was unemployed and had no health insurance).  But man oh man, the bureaucratic maze that one has to navigate through to get THERE.  Hopefully I'll have better news to report next week.

Yesterday I had more bad news. Not to make someone else's bad news about me, but my longtime good friend (since third grade) Larry received a diagnosis that he has ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.  

See HERE for Larry's blog posting.

Larry notice about six months ago he had trouble walking. He said he was "walking like an old man."  Well, we both "walk like old men" being 75 years old both of us.

Thus Larry got on the Medical Treadmill to find out the cause of his coordination problem. Yesterday, after months of tests, he received his answer at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

I just got off FaceTime with Larry. He is doing well. He says he's just going to continue to live his life as he has been doing for the past seventy-five years.  With some "accommodations" of course. 

Larry on FaceTime a few minutes ago - we had a good two hour talk - this is what friends are for

Life goes on. 

Bill is Home From the Hospital!

Good news!  Bill is home from the hospital.  

I got the call this afternoon to pick him up.  

Here is what they found:

1. Atrophic gastritis
2. Esophagitis
3. Hematemesis
4. Multiple gastric ulcers
5. Peptic structure of esophagus

In layman's language Bill has ulcers and an irritation of his esophagus.  He also has a fungus infection which is unrelated to his esophagus problem.  

Now to begin the journey through the labyrinth of VA health care.  We will begin this tomorrow with an in person visit to the VA Outpatient Clinic in Georgetown and Bill's primary care doctor.  Wish us luck!

But in the meantime, I am so glad to have Bill home.  Our home isn't a home unless Bill is here.  I can't imagine my life without him. 

Ready to leave the hospital

Not Well

Folks, I'm going to be absent for a few days from this blog.  I'm very sick.

It is painful for my leg to sit at this computer, I cannot get in a good position.  And now I have a horrific cold. 

Yesterday I slept the whole day in my bed, only getting up for a light lunch and dinner.  The last two nights I've been to bed at 7:30 PM to 8 PM.  

The only relief I get from the pain in my leg (which isn't a great pain but still very uncomfortable) is when I am lying horizontal in my bed, so that's where I'll spend most of  my day today also.

Monday I had an MRI taken to access the damage to the ligaments of my leg.  I didn't hear anything back from my doctor's office so I called.  My doctor was out of the office this week, so they had another doctor look at the MRI.  They didn't tell me anything but do want to see me next Tuesday instead of the following week.

I still can't lift my bottom left leg but I can wiggle my toes.  This cold isn't helping things out one bit.  In fact I am miserable.  

Sorry to dump all this on you, my blog readers but I'm just telling you how it is.  

Hopefully, someday soon I'll be back to normal.  But in the meantime, I'm just getting through one day at a time.

Now if you'll excuse me I have some bills to pay.