Phoenix Trip Update #9

Saturday PM

Since all of our medical issues have now been settled, we are going HOME!!! I told you in the last post that we were having a friendly debate as to where we were going from here. One guess won that debate. I really think that males should get two votes to one for the females just to even the playing field a little bit - of course, we would still lose, but it would be a smidge closer. So, the plans are to leave for Florida on Monday.

This time, however, I plan to go north to I-40 since we are not fighting a schedule. That route only adds a few hundred miles, but there is some interesting country that is not all desert. Don't get me wrong. I like the Great American Southwest - you know, cowboys, indians, OK Corrals and all that stuff - Bev, not so much. AND, she gets very testy in the heat and there is little I can do to turn that frown upside down. When I try to cheer her up, her response is usually something like, "YES, I love you - SHUT UP!".

Her disposition did improve when she got her way and I agreed to take her home to the cool breezes of Florida in August and September. This reminds me of some saying like "grass is greener on the other side" or something like that. Actually, it probably is greener in the swamp than it is in the desert. Oh, well!

We could not leave without saying goodbye to some of the people who were very special to us while we were here. While it wasn't possible to show our appreciation to all the wonderful people here, we felt we should single out the two young ladies who were instrumental in arranging appointments, keeping us informed, and taking care of us, in general. As I have mentioned in previous posts, their names are April and Traci and we went to see them yesterday at work and gave each a little gift. I have attached their pictures along with one of Traci and Dr. Kaibara. (Dr. Kaibara actually took the photo of us with Traci - the first time I have ever had my picture taken by a world-renowned neurosurgeon, WOW!). Really, Dr. Kaibara is a great doctor with a super personality. What else would you expect from a fellow golfer?

This will be the last post until we get home in about a week. Keep tuned and I will recap the highlights of the homeward journey when I get back online. We will be traveling right through "Tornado Alley" so who knows what we will see along the way. (Secretly, I have always wanted to be a Storm Chaser). BTW, a cold front came through today and the temperatures plummeted to 96 degrees. But, now we face severe thunderstorms with quarter-size hail. I just love this place.

In the meantime, Bev says, "I hate housework! You make the beds, you do the dishes - and six months later, you have to start all over again."

Phoenix Trip Update #8

Wednesday pm

It has been a few days since my last post, but I didn't want to bore you with our day-to-day existance. Well, maybe I will.

We have had a couple of exciting events: I went to the grocery store twice, rented two DVDs from Blockbuster, took my car to get the A/C fixed again, took the motorhome to get the rear A/C replaced (still doesn't work after $1,100), and found an inside air conditioned mall for Bev to shop at while I entertained myself by reading Cold Moon by Jeffery Deaver (very good book).

Don't know when we are going to get away from here. Bev's medical appointments have concluded, but there is still the matter of the neuropathy in my feet. I need to find out the results of my blood test and talk to the doctor. He didn't give me much hope last time and I doubt if that is going to change. He actually said it may be idiosyncratic (which I took to mean that only idiots got it, but he explained that it actually means they don't know what the hell causes it!!).

Anyway, we would really like to abandon the "Valley of the Sun" as it is called here, and go elsewhere. I am thinking of the great northwest (maybe Idaho, Montana, or the like), but my sweet little travelling companion is making noises about home. AND, you know who generally wins those debates! But, before we go anywhere, I am taking the motorhome back and get this*%##%@&* A/C fixed or you will see me on the evening news followed by an episode of "Doctor G".

Since some readers have commented favorably on the pictures, I thought I might include a few more. That is me at my blog station and Bev at her duty station. The temperatures were measured at 5:00pm and from left to right are : outside (114, in the shade); bathroom (102, giving a new meaning to "being on the hot seat"); back bedroom (105, no A/C right now); cold water (104, has been as high as 110); and front living area (89, typical). And there is a photo of the portable A/C (AKA "Lifesaver") which I fortunately purchased before we left Florida. I might mention that the measurements were made with highly accurate engineering thermometers.

I hope you enjoyed my 'lack of' news report. Send some comments, guys and gals. You, too, can have your posts on the internet to be read by anybody world wide!! (BTW, is anybody at Hernando Oaks getting this??)

My favorite country song titles continued: "I Gave Her a Ring and She Gave Me the Finger"

Phoenix Trip Update #7

Friday Evening

Nothing new to report, but I am a little disappointed with the lack of comments. It makes me think nobody is reading the blog. One of the advantages of the blog is that it takes the place of a lot of e-mails. Anybody that would like to send us an e-mail can accomplish the same thing by using the "comments" link at the bottom of each post. Then, when I sign on to the blog, I see where someone has sent a comment. I then click on the "comments" and answer your comment. It's really easy and fun. But, be careful, others can also read your comments.

I decided to include a few more pictures of St. Joseph's Hospital. Looks like a resort hotel, doesn't it?

Another favorite country song title: "I was on my John Deere breaking her field when I got her Dear John breaking my heart".

BYE

Phoenix Trip Update #6

Wednesday Evening

Today was the day we have been waiting almost a year for. Bev's appointment with Dr. Kaibara to get the results from all her tests and his diagnosis and recommendations. The conclusions were met with mixed emotions, but mostly with satisfaction and relief. The bad news was that surgery would probably do very little, if any, good and was not recommended from a reward vs. risk point of view. The good news is that Bev will not have to go through a difficult surgery. Instead, Dr. Kaibara emphasized the need for knowledgeable and aggressive pain management. It is important that she resume the physical activities that she enjoys such as golf and gardening. She will attempt to manage her pain with increased medication as needed.

The main satisfaction we received at Barrow is that we feel that we have left no stone unturned and have done everything that we can. I know that I would have always questioned myself if I had not tried to get the best help available for Bev. I feel like I have done that. Dr. Kaibara was patient, personable, and extremely informative in analyzing Bev's condition. He explained thoroughly, with the use of the myelogram CT scan, exactly what was taking place in the cervical section of Bev's spine. This knowledge was so important to our acceptance of the diagnosis. It is most unfortunate that all doctors do not think it necessary to provide this level of details. It is as if they assume the patient has no need for complex medical information and should blindly accept whatever the doctor told them.

Yesterday, I included some pictures in my post. Today, I want you to meet the wonderful, sweet Traci and the fantastic Dr. Kaibara (USGA handicap index 5.7 - I knew he was a serious golfer when I asked his handicap and he quoted his index).

We will be here a while longer because I decided to see if there was anything they could do about the neuropathy in my feet - but that is another story for another post.

Have a nice evening and remember: I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.

Phoenix Trip Update #5

Monday Evening:

As you notice, they were no posts for Saturday and Sunday. The reason is that there was ABSOLUTELY nothing to report. We didn't even venture out of the Bat Cave (with foil on all of the windows, we have to turn on the lights to see even in the middle of the day).

But, today was different! We got up at 5:00 am to make Bev's mylogram and CT scan appointments at 6:30 at BNI. Poor thing was so petrified about the mylogram that she could not go to sleep until 4:15. A total of 45 minutes sleep. I was luckier - I got 3 hours. She made it without any real problems, but we won't find out anything until she goes to the doctor tomorrow at 10:30. I will be able to give you more information on tomorrow's post.

Until then, I want everybody to know what a fantastic place this is. St. Joseph's is world renowned in several areas, but really excels in the area of neurological disorders including the pioneering of new brain surgery techniques. I would HIGHLY recommend BNI to anyone with complicated spine or brain problems which don't respond to their current treatments.

I decided to post a few pictures to spice up the blog a little. The blowout speaks for itself as does the RV Resort we call home. There is a picture of the hospital main entrance and the wing for the Barrow Neurological Institute. The Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center receives all of the donations to that cause. The next picture shows Bev being wheeled to Radiology and the last is her recovering from the mylogram.

Till tomorrow. PBJ

Phoenix Trip Update #4

Absolutely nothing happened today except I finished putting aluminum foil on the inside of all our windows to reflect the 115+ heat. It really does look like a cave in here now - hard to tell day from night except that it gets cooler at night. Getting ready to cook pork chops for dinner. Goodnight!

Phoenix Trip Update #3

Another killer- hot day - 117 degrees. Good news: scheduled motorhome to get A/C fixed; Bad news: the appointment is a week from Monday. Hope we make it. If no one hears from us for a couple of days, maybe the authorities should be notified! Bev is a little unhappy right now. It is hard to just sit around reading or watching TV if you are hot and miserable. It is now almost 10:00 pm and it is just starting to cool off a little bit. A couple more hours and it will be comfortable enough to get a good night sleep.

Bye for now and a note from Bev: If you think that money can't buy happiness, you just don't know where to shop!!!

Phoenix Trip Update #2

July 5, 2007

Nothing much (actually nothing at all) happened today except for us hibernating in our cave until sundown. The high was predicted at 117-118 degrees and by all accounts, I think it made it. I know our toilet (in the back with no air as you remember) was 113 at noon. After dark, I went to Safeway for some groceries and more bottled water. Bev goes through about 6-8 bottles a day and I drink 4 or 5. Out here, one of the main health hazards is dehydration.

I don't know if the e-mail with the blog site was successful or not. I have received only one comment so far. It is definitely not necessary for anybody to make a comment, but the way it is done is to click on "Comments" at the bottom of the blog. It requires a Google account, but that only takes a minute or two. Just enter your name and select a password and you are in. It is free and also allows you to take advantage of some other Google goodies.

That's all for now - and remember: Life is too short to dance with ugly people!!

Phoenix Trip Update #1

Since this is the first time I have tried a blog, I am not sure exactly what to expect. The way I understand it, a blog is like a diary. But since I never kept a diary, this is still new ground for me. I'll give it a try anyway. (FYI - I started this 3 weeks ago and there is so much to catch up with that if I put it off any longer, I'll never catch up.)

The purpose of this blog is to keep anyone that is interested informed about our trip to the Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) in Phoenix to seek help for Bev's spine problem. As most of you know, Bev had surgery three years ago on the cervical section of her spine to relieve pain caused by progressive deterioration of the vertebrae which was causing bone spurs to impinge into the nerves of the spinal canal. The surgery resulted in the removal of four discs and the fusing of the five vertebrae supported by cadaver bone and a 4" long titanium plate. The surgery was only partially successful at best and she still suffers debilitating pain. According to many, BNI is the best spine clinic in the country, and I wanted to find out what they could do for Bev.

It all started about three weeks ago when it was time to prep and load the motorhome for our journey. We had planned to leave on Wednesday, June 6th, but it took a little longer to get loaded than expected - had to replace batteries, wire up tow car, sanitize the fresh water tank, and a hundred other things. Then cooling the refrigerator (6 to 8 hrs.), loading food, clothing, and personal belongings took another couple of days and we finally got away Friday morning. Preparing a motorhome for an extended trip is akin to moving from one home to another - a fact that seems to elude our esteemed HOA board and most other residents of Silverthorn. This trip, for example, took a little over 42 hours in all. A lot of time could have been saved if I was not required to return the motorhome back to storage every night only to go get it again the next morning. In the past, only two full days were required. Enough carping about rules concocted by a misguided group that have little or no experience, and even less compassion, about motorhoming. Let's get on to the actual trip.

Our first night was spent in a super Wal-Mart* in Crestview, FL just off of I-10 a few miles north of Destin. Bev's daughter who lives in Destin visited with us for a couple of hours before we turned in for the night.

*When on the road, we generally stop at Wal-Marts as opposed to the risks of overnight parking at a rest stop or the expense and inconvenience of a campground. Most Wal-Marts welcome motorhomes resulting in $$$$ spent by RVers - smart business. We just pull into an out-of-the-way area of the Wal-Mart parking lot, drop our support jacks, crank up the 7.5 KW generator, put up the satellite dish, turn on the A/C, cook some dinner in the convection microwave, sit back, watch some TV and relax.

The next morning, June 9th, we headed west on I-10 with the idea of making Beaumont or Houston our next stop. As anyone familiar with Murphy's Law can tell you, meticulously planned events seldom occur. Just north of Gulfport, MS a loud explosion rocked the motorhome and experience immediately told me what had happened - BLOWOUT!!! I had no trouble controlling the motorhome so that told me that it was one of the dual rear tires. After pulling off on the shoulder well away from traffic, I got out to inspect the damage. Sure enough, the inside tire of the dual pair on the passenger side had blown.

Also true to Mr. Murphy, Saturday afternoon when most businesses are closed is not an ideal time for something like this to happen. However, a call to our roadside service resulted in a concerted effort to provide us with assistance. It now appeared that Holiday Rambler and Mr. Murphy collaborated to provide the motorhome with a tire size (275-70r-22.5) that is almost as rare as the Hope Diamond. After searching for most of the afternoon, Coachnet (our roadside service) located a single tire at a business in Picayune, MS about 40 miles away and a tire repair service in Gulfport about 30 miles in the opposite direction that could replace the tire. That was the good news - the bad news was that we would have to wait until the next day to get the work done. That, more or less, addressed the tire issue, but still we were sitting on the shoulder of I-10 about a mile from the nearest exit. Now, one of the responsibilities of the roadside service is to assure that we are off the road with safe quarters for the night. The young lady on the phone said that we must be towed to the nearest Wal-Mart or any safe haven for the night. I explained to her that our motorhome was 40' long and weighed in excess of 30.000 lbs. and could not be towed from the rear. She said that should not be a problem since the tow truck operator did this sort of thing all the time.

About 45 minutes later the tow truck pulled in behind us and was assessing the situation when I explained that the motorhome must be towed from the front and that caused a problem. The problem was that the flat tire was on the rear and jacking up the front to tow it would only put more stress on the remaining good tire. Of course, he agreed and said that the situation required that an off-the-ground flat dolly (can't remember what he called it, but it is similar to a short flat bed rail car). The complexity of the situation seemed to be getting out of hand, so I proposed a risky but far simpler solution. Since the motorhome was sitting quite nicely on the remaining tire (although it was being greatly stressed), I suggested to the tow truck driver that if he were to follow me and keep in touch using a pair of walkie-talkie radios that I always carry, I could drive VERY SLOWLY on the shoulder to the next exit about a mile away. We made it to a truck stop at the next exit without incident and were allowed to stay overnight. [New tire, $375; Labor to install, $45; Tip for working on weekend, $10; Night with Bev at Love's Truck Stop, Priceless]

You know? This is taking entirely too long and too much effort. It is now three weeks later and I will never catch up if I go into all that detail. Suffice it to say that we arrived at Phoenix Destiny RV Resort on Monday afternoon, June 11th, after traveling from El Paso in high winds and dust storms.

On Wednesday we went for Bev's appointment with Dr. Friedman at Barrow. It turns out that Dr. Friedman is a neurologist and she should be seeing a neurosurgeon. But Dr. Friedman examined her anyway and reviewed the MRIs and Xrays that we had brought. I think they felt kinda guilty for not having directed us to the right place after traveling over two thousand miles for a doctor's appointment. His opinion was that he thought it doubtful that further surgery would help because "everything that could be fused had been fused". But, he said that the surgeon may have a different opinion and that he would try to get her an appointment. His assistant and nurse, April, who is really sweet and has luckily taken us under her wing, managed to arrange an appointment with a neurosurgeon. Before the surgeon would see her, he required that she have another MRI and ultrasound, which she did on Tuesday, the 19th. April then notified us that she had pulled some strings and with the help of another wonderful young lady, Traci, a scheduler and receptionist for Dr. Kaibara, arranged an appointment with him for Friday, the 29th. Since we are waiting in our motorhome in heat so intense that we must stay inside most of the time (explained below) it may seem that these appointments are a long time in between, but keep in mind that a 3-4 month wait is common for appointments at Barrow. We were not disappointed to wait a week.

Sidebar - Today is the 4th of July and we have been here for three weeks. The high temperature has been over 110 degrees every day with most days 112 or 113 degrees. Today, the high was 117 and tomorrow is predicted to be 118 before having a cool spell with highs of 106 to 107 over the weekend. But, IT IS DRY HEAT. Don't laugh; there really is something to that because of the very low humidity (seldom in the double digits - more like 6-7 %). According to the weather reports a temperature of 105 might have a heat index of maybe 96 - about the same as Florida when the temperature is 90 with a humidity of 75 %. But, don't get me wrong; when you go outside in the sun, it is like sticking your head in a hot oven. To top it off, the A/C on the car quit just after we arrived and our first few trips to BNI (about 20 miles), we had to drive with windows down blowing 110 degree wind on us. On the 25th, I took the car to the Honda dealership to get the A/C fixed. I was expecting a big bill but was pleasantly surprised to only pay $174 (and they washed the car!!). Again everyone was extremely nice and friendly.

Fortunately, I had foreseen the possibility of needing extra A/C for the motorhome and had purchased a 12,000 BTU portable unit before we left and it has really been a lifesaver. Even using the two installed 15,000 BTU units and the portable, the temperatures inside the motorhome will still get to be around 86 degrees. As the evening progresses, the temperature in the motorhome gradually drops until bedtime when it will be a comfortable 70 to 72. Last night, Mr. Murphy visited us again. Knowing today was supposed to be a scorcher; he decided that it would be fun to sabotage the rear A/C. As a result, we had to close off the back so we could stay cool up front. One problem is that the bathroom is in the back and you really have to go since I measured the temperature in the toilet at 106. At least you don't have to sit on a cold seat but you could burn your ass. BTW, the water lines around the park are not buried very deep and I measured our cold water temperature as high as 105 degrees. Taking a shower requires no use of the hot water tap at all.

Bev's appointment for the 29th had to be postponed because the surgeon was in surgery much longer than expected. Again, we were given exceptional consideration and Dr. Kaibara agreed to see us and some other patients on Monday evening after his normal workday. We got to his office in Glendale around 5:00 pm and waited for a couple of hours before we got in to see him. While we were waiting, Traci, the receptionist, was very nice and even ordered pizza for us and the others. When we did get to see the doctor, it was worth the wait. Belying his youth, he was very personable, thorough and knowledgeable. Even at the end of a very long day, he was not in a rush to get finished. After a few minutes of discussing golf (I was wearing one of my Augusta shirts), he examined Bev's neurological responsiveness and discussed her symptoms. He then pulled up her MRI images on his computer and showed in detail her problems as he scanned through the pictures of her spine from various angles. He pointed out where her spine was being compressed and some areas where cartilage had possibly been calcified. He told us that he needed more tests to determine the stability of the fusion in case something might be loose or slipping. He also wants a post-operative report from the original surgery. We got away from his office around 10:00 pm and Traci told us that it was the latest they had ever stayed to see patients (do you think Mr. Murphy sits on my shoulder??).

Traci scheduled Bev for a CT Myelogram and a traction X-ray for Tuesday, the 10th and another visit with Dr. Kaibara the following day.

That's all for now. Will try to keep you posted.