No snow !!!!!

      All the news people made a huge brewhha  about us getting 3 inches of snow. My daughter asked me when she should go to work she has to be at work at 6 am . My prediction of the weather was a cold rain go to work like normal. I was right.

     I got a huge surprise today we got a call on my feeding tube. I have to be at UAB at 8 in the morning.  I will have to spend the night after its put in so I am packed and ready.
     My energy level has crashed this week. I have been so dizzy I almost fell this morning . I spent today before the call trying to get down a yogurt and slice of cheese cake did it to .It took 2 hours but I did it !!! Well that all I got I will be out of touch till Friday .

The news has improved.

  First of thanks for the kind words and wishes from everyone. I hope everyone had a good holiday season.
     My last post may have been a little pessimistic :) . I saw the surgeon  a few weeks back he says he got it all and my lung doctor says their clean. The surgeon says his partner is a gloomy Gus always looking for the worst . He thinks I will be fine but no guaranties in medicine . My neck is almost healed. I have one of those round inserts for my stoma hole in my neck. I find it fits best in my pocket :) damn thing chokes the hell out of me when its in my neck.

     The best news to post is I can talk a little with the valve they put in between my trach and esophagus . Its a course croaking sound but its understandable. The speech therapist says I should be talking good in 6 months with what I can do now.  I will be posting at least weekly from now on but I have to decide what direction my life and blog will be taking.

Time to travel !

     I haven't post much lately because I  had a biopsy last month. I admit I have been worried . While the CT didn't show any cancer a PET scan showed abnormal cells in my throat and lymph nodes. Today I found out I have NONE in my throat!!!! As for the lymph nodes I am going to have them removed the 5th of September. If they are cancerous they will be out and a none issue. To remove them is no more surgery than to biopsy them.  But I have a 3 week window to go to the beach !!!!!!!

     This year has been all about doctors and hospitals. I need some beach time . So about an hour ago I reserved 6 days at big lagoon for the week of the 20th . While it isn't some place new it is NOT HERE. Sometimes its just about getting away.

     While we are there we plan on going over to Fort Pickens and getting a senior park  pass  so we can get half off federal camp grounds because we plan on traveling next year. This may be the last trip in our Fun finder as we are Looking at another larger camper.

Prepparing for illness

     Ok this is not a poor pitiful me post . I feel good about the future but there are some hard decisions that will be coming in the future. I understand I will have to face one or more things surgery, chemo, radiation or a combo of all 3.

      Now I run my house the old way, I am head Jackass!! I pay the bills do the shopping earn the funds, make most the important decisions .I do listen to everyone's points of view on stuff but since I pay for or have to do the work I have veto power. With the possibility of me being down for a time I have to prepare the wife and family to take over some things they have no clues about.

    Most of us that read prepper blogs are Alfa personalities and have never considered if something happens to us will our loved ones be able to take over our jobs. In my case it will be illness taking me out of daily chores, income, spending management. Not only have I been sheltering the wife I have found she doesn't want the responsibility shifted to her. I tried to talk to her and it was a stone wall if she wont accept it, it wont happen. She will be getting a crash course in household management over the next 2 weeks. I love my wife but her money skills suck plus her shopping skills can net us 2 meals and junk food for 100$ a trip.

      It will be an interesting next 2 weeks . In the morning I have to go for Labs, X rays, CT scans, at 8 o'clock on the way back I have to pick up 350$ worth of wiring and electrical conduit for my daughters. after lunch I will stub it in from the pole. Thursday I see the ENT about doing the biopsy then meet the electrician to pay for permit and him to connect what I stubbed in. Sunday my step son will do the rest of the plumbing and gas for me and her place will be ready to move in.

    Hopefully the next week I will have a break between doctor visits. I need to install an exterior electrical load center on my sons house the old one has been gutted and wiring cut. It will be about 12 hours work but will allow him to move in after a few other odds and ends he can do.

 

     Preparing my family to move forward while I am down is as much for me as them. The kids moving out was delayed because of me feeling bad then the holidays now its time to get them set. The wife has become a couch potato the last few years and that's my fault. Once she is up to speed I will rest easier .

 

    Thinking about preparing for being out as leader and if my loved one could carry on while sick during good times makes me think have many preppers thought about it to? 

Goverment think. is amazing

    Yesterday I hinted at the run around it was to get seen and insurance . Part of the problem is I work with no pay check I make a living most would consider poverty level but pays the bills and allows travel and extras.

1 if you don't make enuff to file taxes the insurance market place is worthless.

2 if you make under 10,000 from varied sources your looked at as lying / drug dealer to live.

3 you have to show what your source is

4 If you make this little and appy for help they want to know WHY you haven't already applied for everything under the sun!
     I have a rental trailer that nets me 6500 a year in income well below filing amount . My BBQ and Mt Dew is more than this but the bastards can F&%$#@ off on that .

    After the emergency room visit my E N T appointment was canceled due to no insurance. I called the financial aid department and was informed because I didn't work I didn't qualify for market place insurance and without that I couldn't qualify to get co pay forgiveness. I was referred to the county indigent care program at another hospital/clinic.
   I had this medical care for a couple years till renewal in 2014. At that time they demanded I go to the IRS for a letter of non-filing to continue benefits. I had a disputed with the IRS in 2006 and the thought of walking back in their office , Not Happening Alive Not happening ever !!!

  I went to the indigent care qualifying page . If I  have an open disability case with social security and proof of residency I qualify. So last Thursday I go to Social Security and apply for disability based on beginning cancer treatments. I understand I will be deigned but it will get me the indigent care insurance!!!! Before I was done I had to file for 3 different forms of disability. My Ex wife died in 2009 so I had to apply 2 times based on her and 1 on just me. Seems there are special rules for widowers over 50. It took 4 hours but I did it. I raced to the indigent care office with all the paper work. They quit taking applicants at 2,  I was 3 minutes late.

   Friday morning I got there at 8 am and was took right back. The lady was polite till she saw my income was so low and my lease was 5 years old with my tenant.  How much does he pay NOW this lease is 5 years old?   The same , He has never been late has helped me do repairs and so OCD the place is immaculate. Ok here is your blue card go to the appointment office for a primary care appointment.   

   The girl at the appointment office makes me an appointment with a primary care doctor for  APRIL 1st. So I explain to her its my throat what I have going on I let her hear the voice message that I had an appointment to see their ENT Wednesday. The girl calls around double checks and informs me No they just passed the buck.  Ok what can I do before my throat closes and I die in my sleep???  She said we are a county department work the system!!!! Monday come into the urgent care clinic tell the doctor what is wrong in your throat they will get you an emergency appointment with the   E N T  department. Since you were seen at UAB to start with they will refer you back to them at our cost!!!!!  We got rules to follow but ways to get thing done to.

    I did what sweetie told me . I see the clinics E N T at 9 tomorrow to get a referral back the office that I was suppose to be at today. It took 8 trips in to Birmingham about 32 hour of wait/work, 60$ in gas . I am at the same point I was at on the 26th except insured and have medical files in 5 different offices. It also started a disability application in case thing get worse. The indigent care application forces me to apply for food stamps as they go hand in hand now it seems.

New year aint starting so good.

    Ok here is the reason why I want the house cleared. It is why my projects have took so long and lost 40+ pounds since spring.

    For about 6 months I have had a sore throat and right after Thanksgiving my neck started swelling on the right side. It would come and go . I made a promise to the wife that I would go to a doctor as soon as Christmas was over. For me that is something . Well Christmas weekend the food the talking and general holiday commotion did me in. I couldn't talk I was coughing blood and it looked like I had a hamster stuck in my throat.

    Monday morning after Christmas I agreed to go to the emergency room. The blood scared me ,but what sealed the deal was what the wife said  she would do to me and what she wouldn't do for me, unless I got my ass in the car.

  

    It took 16 hour of waiting and being seen. I was X rayed , CT scanned, had a scope run down my nose and throat. Well I had a pretty good idea what the verdict was going to be.

    I have a "growth" on the epiglottis in my throat ( the flap over your wind pipe) till a biopsy then I can call it cancer. The blood was from the swelling, irritation food ,coughing and sodas. The lump is a swollen lymph node due to the "growth". I got 3 steroid shots  told to sleep sitting  in a chair for the night . An appointment with an  E N T and wished merry Christmas .

     Not having insurance it will be interesting to see what the bill for that visit will be. Since then I have gotten a form of medical insurance but that's 2 post in itself .