"The grave's a fine and private place, but none I think do there embrace" (Marvell)

.....Yesterday I drove to the VA Hospital by myself even though Rhoda volunteered.  I didn't want her to give up her freedom for the day, and she made good use of it going to get her nails done and shopping for groceries at Publix.  It's not a bad ride on the Florida Tpk; takes about 35 minutes and I get $19 travel pay every time I go there. PB asked for a health report, and so I shall oblige.  I had to have blood work at 11am and then I saw my primary doctor at 2pm.  I never had to have a wait like that at a VA facility.  When I finally saw her we went over all my medication and she was very concerned about the fact that my liver enzymes were at least 10 times more than the normal and she wanted to put me in the hospital.  At first I didn't understand that desire, but when I did, I asked why she wanted me in the hospital right away.  She said that my liver enzymes had to be monitored or I would become in very serious condition.  I told her I couldn't stay in the VA Hospital because my wife would not be able to make the trip back and forth in order to see me, as I assumed she would want to do; and secondly, I wanted to get a secondary opinion from my private primary doctor.  So, that's the current situation with my health.  I have to admit that I was shocked when Dr. Ducille told me she wanted me in the hospital RIGHT THEN!  There was no way I was going to do that.  

.....I'm beginning to think that the only sane people here are the one's who are writing the comments.  I know I'm not. So the thing to read are their comments, not my blog.  If you do that you will maintain your sanity; mine is under pressure.  This past year was a horror; I could not prevent the things that happened to me.  I had no control.  Now, I have even less control.  I am confessing to you that I take no joy in anything I do, and there are very few things that I can do.  Foremost in the joyless category is the inability to help my wife even it's for the little things like emptying the garbage or cleaning the dishes from the table.  I can't even walk the mall anymore to buy my wife a present.  You can't do much with a scooter, but look like a damn fool.  I have a dozen things that I would like to do but can't.  And so where do you think that puts me?  Read the comments; they define sanity.

"I could be well content to entertain the lag--end of my life with quiet hours." (Henry IV)

.....One of the enduring problems in my life right now is deciding what color to use when writing this blog.  There are simply too many colors to choose from.  It's like being in Macy's with RH+ as she is deciding what color to wear on a blouse that she needs to buy.   It is quite fascinating to be sitting in the aisle on my scooter and making a mind wager on the color she will finally select, and in how many minutes.  I don't consider this a waste of my time; it is a legitimate attempt to come up with the color she will select and in how many minutes it will take her to make a decision.  It only gets boring when I lose her as she goes up and down the aisles and she is too slight  and too quick to keep track of.  Macy's, like UPS, should supply tracking numbers to husbands who accompany their wives as they shop.


.....Speaking of keeping track of wives as they shop, it's difficult keeping track of former students, of colleagues, and of friends.  Recently, Harold Mack and Jane sold their house in Virginia and moved to Connecticut--I believe.  Hal is the last living member, besides myself, naturally, of my flight crew.  Also, today, surprisingly I got a phone call from Bob Fox, a  former student.  He also sold his house and moved to Vermont as well--to be closer to his children.  I don't know why these guys moved to Vermont; they are both good golfers, but in Vermont they need to learn how to ski.   I'm not so sure about Hal; he's older than I am so he better stick to Scrabble.  Bob, surprisingly, is now here in Florida and refereeing high school basketball games.  We have a breakfast date on Wednesday, and I'll have a few questions for him.  Bob had a great teaching career and recently retired.  I don't know what to think when I learn that a former student is retiring. It simply confirms the fact that little kids consider me old.  But little kids should not speak unless they are asked.


.....I certainly do not dispute the fact that I have passed puberty successfully.  And now, when I think about it, I don't have any life threatening diseases.  My health is excellent; my cholesterol is about 116, my blood pressure is always what it should be, my clothes fit me very well.  My problems are not health problems, they are physical problems.  I've had two hips broken since March, I've had a gash in my ankle that required stitches and staples (sounds like a good song title), but they have been removed.  The only thing that I have is pain--since March; and now I'm getting used to it.  Maybe I should wish myself a Happy New Year.

"I have seen a medicine that's able to breathe life unto a stone." (All's Well That Ends Well)

.....If you have been reading the comments lately, there is a medicinal conspiracy afoot to have me switch from my Warfarin treatments for A-Fib to Pradaxa, a relatively new drug--and an expensive one at that. Changing one drug for another when the one you are using is doing the job is not an easy choice--as I have found out on several occasions in the past with the VA medicines. Since I knew nothing about Pradaxa I checked it out on Google. This is just one of the articles I found.

I have atrial fibrillation.  How do I know which medication is best for 

me?  Whom should I talk to if I want to take dabigatran? (Pradaxa)

Talk to your health care professional to help decide.  There are many factors to 

consider when determining if warfarin or dabigatran is the best choice for you – 

stroke risk, bleeding risks, kidney function, personal and family factors, and 

financial considerations are just a few.  Each person should be evaluated 

individually to decide which blood thinner is best for them.  Some people with atrial 

fibrillation do not need to take a blood thinner at all.  Others may only need to take 

aspirin, while those with high enough stroke risk should take either warfarin or 

dabigatran. Kaiser Permanente health care professionals generally agree that 

people who are stable and well controlled on warfarin should continue with warfarin 

therapy.

.....Now, after reading an evaluation like this--especially the last sentence--it starts tremors in Baron's

 body; nevertheless, I promised I would discuss this with my doctor--and (as promised) I will--and that should make some of my readers happy for me. And I will pass my findings on to the Baron and his merry cohorts! (And I, myself, will be enthralled as long as I don't fall down).