July 24, 2013

Today has been a rather trying day for me. I’m thankful that the pain in the access tooth has hardly bothered me today. I have finished about 75% of the antibiotic—Clindamycin HCL—the dentist prescribed.  I presume that it is dealing effectively with the infection and thus relieving the pain.

My left leg continues to be the more serious problem. It remains weak and extremely painful from my thigh down to my foot. The only relief I have had comes from raising my legs while reclining in my lift chair. Otherwise, sitting, standing, and walking are acutely painful.

I had run out of at growth ibuprofen a couple of days ago. I went online to the My Health Vet site to put in an order for a refill. When I got the pharmacy part of the site, I read and I remembered that I had requested a refill about two weeks ago. Furthermore, the site reported that the refill had been mailed to me eight days ago. It was not at the office when I picked up the other medicine, but, with a lot of effort standing and walking, I located and retrieved the ibuprofen. The two 800 mg tablets I took helped quite a bit in relieving my leg pain, although it does nothing about my leg strength and stability.

I’ve looked into the bedroom each time I went to the bathroom in response to the actions of the diuretic I am prescribed. I’ve not seen the kittens out from their new nest on the floor between the wall and the bed. Thus, I have taken only one photograph:

Please?

We have no money until the pension check arrives on August 1

July 22, 2013

Today has been a grand day, even though it is a Monday!

It began, as it did yesteday, with my morning meditation and prayer session being  especially centering. Since my jaw pain was minimal and my leg pain and stability worse but tolerable, the day has been quite good.

The high point for me was watching and photographing the kittens. And, I even was able to catch, pick up, and cuddle one of them!

These baby furballs are very quick and difficult to capture -- even to photograph. Being around them is fun and enchanting. When the time comes in seven or eight weeks to give them away, I know I am not going to want to let the babies go. But I must. I can barely afford to provide good care for three cats much less six.

Please?

July 21, 2013

Today my morning meditation and prayer session was especially centering. I felt a serenity that I’ve not felt in a very long time. My jaw, which was screaming with pain when I woke, reduced itself to a murmur. I am thankful for this beginning of my day, which was better and more positive than I have experienced in recent days.

Alex and Sugar allowed me to complete my meditation and prayer section before they began begging for treats. Alex generally does not speak his request for treats, he either jumps on my desk are scratches my leg. Sugar often does vocalize the requests; however, she does not meow she chirps!

After breakfast I went looking for Little Girl, but LG was nowhere to be found. In other words, she and her kittens were not in the closet. I explored the bedroom and finally located the new nest in the narrow space between the bed and the wall. Perhaps LG feels her kittens no longer need to be isolated.

I found that our supply of Kitty treats and my supply of milk needed replenishing. I decided to go out while the temperature was still in the low 80s. My initial plan had been to drive to Walmart because the Kitty treats are much cheaper there and I have a Walmart gift card. However, I discovered that I have so little gasoline that I was forced to go to the nearby Kroger.

When I returned from shopping I saw Sugar and LG sitting in the windows, waiting for me? By the time I got to the door, all three kitty kids were there to greet me. Even before I could exchange the portable oxygen concentrator for the big one, LG was rubbing up against my leg; Sugar was circling me, chirping; and Alex was already sitting on my desk. Of course, each received a large helping of treats.

After lunch, as I walked past the bedroom, I notice the three kittens running, leaping, bounding, and basically playing on the bedroom floor. I went and picked up my camera, deciding to stay with the kittens and maybe shoot a few photographs. There play was so cute that I change plans and besides the photographs I also shot a short video. After editing and processing the video, I uploaded it to YouTube:

It now being well after midnight and not having completed tomorrow’s Nicks Bytes humor blog post, I shall now in this journal entry.

Peace, love, and justice to all.

July 20, 2013

Earlier this evening I posted twenty photographs plus a graphic I created on Nick's Bytes: Today. I invite you to click on the preceding link to view them.

What I didn't write about in my Nick's Bytes post is my health. The antibiotics are evidently working: today I have experienced less jaw pain that I have at any time since the pain began two weeks ago. I have yet to raise the $300.00 or so payment Dr. Lavely requires for the extraction. On Monday I shall continue making telephone calls seeking less expensively foreboding treatment.

What I can foresee of my income and expenses in August is that I shall have even fewer dollars than I have had this month [SIGH] primarily because of the $200.00 or so that the VA is having the Treasury Department withhold from my Social Security check to pay for medications because I have not paid them enough or as fast as the Veterans Administration demands. [double SIGH]

Give me this day my daily meds

July 19, 2013

Today, for the first time in two weeks, the ache in my always-painful left leg was greater than it was in my jaw. Perhaps antibiotics are doing their job and the infection in my abscessed tooth is being reduced. I still have bunches of antibiotics which, of course, I shall continue to take.

Not only was my leg throbbing, it was also extraordinarily puny. I had serious difficulty moving around the apartment, so when I noticed the kittens wandering into the living room I thought it a great opportunity to get some kitten-movement photographs. Actually, I only got one:

I even attempted to shoot a video; however, the kittens scampering around were much too quick for me to keep them in the frames. Considering that I was also hampered by my bum leg I gave up on the video but shall try again when I am not putting so much effort into keeping my balance.

With my mobility hampered, I spent most of the morning making telephone calls attempting to locate a dentist to extract my number 12 tooth at a reasonable price. I have three possibilities, but no appointments established. (This is damned frustrating!)

When the woman who brought my Meals-on-Wheels left my apartment just before noon, Alex ran out the door. Knowing how much he loves the outside, I ate my lunch. But then I fell asleep. About an hour later, when I wakened, I looked around for Alex and couldn’t find him. Then I remembered that my dear furball was outside. I open the patio door and Alex slinked in.

I picked up my kitty kid, placed him on his dining table, and stood by until he drank quite a bit of water. Then I cuddled my old friend and we ended up taking a two hour nap together.

Yesterday I took the last of my diabetes medication, Metformin HCL. I had ordered a refill using the Veterans Administration interactive website, My Health Vet, last month. Not trusting myself, I logged into the site and checked my pharmacy records. The pharmacy indicated that prescription had been refill and mailed to me on the 12^th of July. Since it was after the time that the mail carrier usually makes her delivery, I telephoned the apartment complex office and ask if I had any packages.

With an affirmative answer, I realized that no matter how weak my leg felt or how hot (91 F) it was outside, I had to go up to the office. Although the drive is only about 90 seconds long, getting their exhausted me. I picked up the package and return to my apartment is fast as I could, The package was from the VA pharmacy but it contained three boxes of Foradil and no Metformin HCL. I telephoned the pharmacy to check on the refill; it was after 4:30, so I was connected with the answering machine. I left my inquiry as voicemail and, realizing today is Friday, I gave up hope of obtaining the refill until next week.

A bit of background information: recently, because of my physical difficulty in getting to the mailboxes, the post office as agreed to leave all of my mail at the apartment complex’s office. Click HERE for the details.

Then, later, I suddenly realized that only a box was at the apartment complex office. Yet, the post office had agreed to leave all of my mail there. When I saw a neighbor going down to the mail boxes, I gave her my keys and asked her to check my box. Besides the normal junk mail, there was a plastic mailing envelop from VA containing 5 medications, one of which was the Metformin HCL. Hurray! 

I have more to write about today; however, I have already gone well beyond my intended length of this post. Besides, it is past 1:30 a.m. and I am tired! Therefore, I shall end, have Blogger put this on the net, and join the kitty kids in slumber. 

Good night, World!

July 18, 2013

I was awakened about 3:00 a.m. by tooth pain. The Hydrocodone—Acetaminophen (NORCO) had evidently worn off. Since it had been about six hours since I took the last dose (dosage: take on tablet every 4 hours), I took another.

Alex, who had been sleeping on top of the comforter which was on top of me, was forced to get up, too. Later I found him again sleeping on/in the comforter that I had discarded onto the floor.

Getting my mail from the apartment mailboxes has been a problem ever since I have lived here. The pain and weakness in my left leg make the walk around the building containing the mailboxes difficult. Now the heat and pollution also make going outside seriously dangerous. Because of those considerations, I have gone as long as 3 weeks without getting my mail.

When the VA provided me with caregivers, the caregiver would pick up my mail. Now, if someone visits, I often ask them to pick the mail up for me. 

This week I contacted both the apartment complex management and the U.S. Post Office and ask if my mail could be brought to my apartment. The office manager responded  that her staff cannot touch my mail because they "are not bonded." The post person would not bring it to my apartment because I do not have "an approved receptacle."

 

Today the mail carrier did take all of my built up mail from my mailbox and left it at the apartment complex office where most of my packages are delivered. That’s much better! At the apartment complex's office, I walk less than half the distance that I do at the mailboxes. Sometimes, if the right staff person is there, she will bring my mail out to me in my car. So today I did get about three weeks of mail today, including my VA prescribed medications for diabetes and congestive heart failure.

Again I have spent much of today making telephone calls to find a dentist to extract tooth #12. What Dr. Lavely requires—$250 - $350 at time of treatment—is more than I can afford. Besides which, it seems exorbitant for pulling one tooth that is already loose! As has been the story of my search these last couple of weeks, I found no dentist to pull the tooth. Tomorrow I shall again try the University School of Dentistry. I have read that they have one day a week set aside for dental emergencies, if one can call this an emergency since it has been going on for two weeks as of tomorrow!

A friend looked up Hydrocodone—Acetaminophen (NORCO), the pain medication the dentist prescribed yesterday, and sent me an email regarding its potential hazards. The warnings indicate that, with my health conditions, I ought not to use it. That may explain my sleep/breathing difficulties over the past 24 hours. I wonder why the dentist prescribed it: I listed all of my medical conditions on that humongous intake form he had me fill out.

So, this afternoon I flushed all of the Hydrocodone—Acetaminophen (NORCO) down the toilet. I have returned to ibuprofen (800 mg), the pain medication I have been prescribed by my VA physician and that has been helpful through the years for the constant pain in my right leg.

Speaking of “toilet,”  between the antibiotics giving me diarrhea and the diuretics making me piss, I may just move permanently into the bathroom and  onto the toilet.

All 3 kittens were out of the closet today. I was much too slow to catch one or even to snap good photographs:

 Eventually Little Girl and Sugar herded the three little ones back into the closet:

Meanwhile, Alex was casually walking across my desk pushing anything he could move onto the floor. So, I picked my buddy up off the desk and gave him a good talking to and lots of cuddles!

Donate a penny 

to help support SSN, 

his 3 Kitty Kids, 

& LG's kittens?

July 17, 2013

After 12 days of tooth pain, I finally got to see a dentist this morning. After three days of making telephone calls in attempt to locate someone to provide emergency dental treatment without demanding payment in advance, on Monday a Facebook friend referred me to a website that listed such dentists. The first of these that I telephoned—several I had already contacted—returned my call even before I was finished leaving voice mail. He confirmed that he required no advance payment for emergency services and gave me an appointment for 9:00 a.m. this morning.

I arrived 15 minutes early at the house the houses his office and follow the directions to enter by the side door. As I came through the door, it was déjà vu—except that this was a real memory. About 15 or so years ago, shortly after I returned to Louisville, I sought emergency dental care and was referred to the same dentist by the local dental referral service. Back in those days I had an excellent income, money in the bank, and fabulous insurance. Wow! What a coincidence!

The receptionist, using my Social Security account number, confirmed that I had been a patient at one time. However, because it had been so many years, I was required to fill out a 2-page information form of very small type. Damn! That form required everything short of the date I first had sex! It took me almost 45 minutes to complete the form.

Then I had another 30 minute wait before I saw the dentist. The examination,

including an x-ray, was fast. The dentist told me that my #12 tooth was abscessed and loose. He said it had to come out and that the cost would be $250 to $350, depending on whether it was a simple extraction or there was any difficulty, payable at the time of service!

I had already told him that that I didn’t have any money and my only insurance is Medicare, which like the Veterans Administration, does not cover dental procedures. So, the dentist gave me prescriptions for a much stronger antibiotic than the one I’ve just finished taken and have extremely strong narcotic painkiller. He said to call for an appointment after I had the money to pay him.

Do I feel screwed? I don’t know—I feel relief and will figure out how to come up with the fee somehow.

The very good news is that the two prescriptions required only an $11.00 (as opposed to $70.00) co-pay with the new Medicare supplemental insurance I have purchased.

I think that’s all I want to write about my tooth at the moment. So, let me share with you today's kitten photographs:

 Donate a penny 

to help support SSN, 

his 3 Kitty Kids, 

& LG's kittens?

July 16, 2013

My jaw pain returned massively this afternoon. I have spent the time since trying to reduce it without noticeable results. Thankfully, I have a dental appointment at 9 o’clock tomorrow morning.

I missed taking new photographs of the kittens today. When I finally went back into the walk-in closet all three were huddled together beneath the hanging clothes. I decided not to awaken them with the flash from my camera.

I am beginning to miss not having a television set. In recent days I have been watching the BBC series Wallander on Netflix. Actually, at a cost of less than $9.00 a month, Netflix is much superior to Direct TV at over $100.00 per month. I do miss some cable programs, such as Chelsea Lately, baseball, and soccer.

In the last episode of Wallander that I watched, his father, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, says to him: Find someone to sit with. You’re not strong enough to do it alone. Nobody is. Those words struck a note, if not a chord, within me.

I have now been living alone for about 16 years. I joke about being a hermit and perhaps I have become one. A gentleman hermit, I would like to think: a cat gentleman. A gentleman hermit living with cats. That’s me, I suppose.

Little Girl licking my forehead

Alex and I touching foreheads

Sugar snuggling

Donate a penny 

to help support SSN, 

his 3 Kitty Kids, 

& LG's kittens?

The Ides of July

Tonight I'll begin with the latest Kitty Kids and kittens photographs:

Little Girl came out of the nursery to eat, drink, use the litter box, and enjoy treats...

while Sugar looked after the kittens, who were exploring the closet.

My jaw and leg are about the same. The (really) good news is that, after making lots of phone calls this morning, I finally located a dentist who will provide me emergency services without requiring me to have dental insurance or pay in advance. I have an appointment for 9:00 a.m. Wednesday.

What I have learned from this experience is that the poor in the United States receive very poor medical services, especially dental, unless they have insurance. Of course, Medicare doesn't cover dental treatment and the Veterans Administration doesn't provide dental treatment unless one is 100% disabled by combat-related injuries. I wonder if that is because the American Medical Association has much more political pull than the American Dental Association.

My left leg remains painful, although the swelling seems to have gone down some. I certainly hope the swelling is less; the damned diuretics had me pissing about every 30 minutes for six hours.

That's all of the important news from Sometimes Saintly Nick, the kittens, and the Kitty Kids who own me.

Donate a penny 

to help support SSN, 

his 3 Kitty Kids, 

& LG's kittens?