IL DIVO - I Will Always Love You with Lyrics

Part 4-Birthday finally happens today.

Here I am 75 years old and facing the fact that I do not have health insurance, but have applied for care.  I do not know how this is going to resolve itself out.  I do have a medicare number as I have used my medicare card in the past. I am on the look for it.  It must be here somewhere.

I watched Barack Obama and French President Hollande in their press conference today.  It was quite interesting to see and Barack Obama looked good to me.

Finally, I learned what has become of Marcello.  He was last in Sandra's care. She told me that she had put him in the toilet with instructions not to let him out.  But when she came home, the doors were all open and he was gone.  That is all I know.

I am slowly recovering from a terrible infection as I believe it is gone but the area where the stitches were made is still sore and in healing process. I have an appointment with Dr. Liu who is the hand doctor on Thursday, the 13th early in the morning.I am hoping the area where he made the incision will be much improved then.  The rest of the hand is near normal now. I dress the wound myself and check it very carefully.

We have a new manager but the owner remains the same so I just learned.  I took a look at the rents on the apartment here and learned that there are others who pay the same amount that I pay.

I did not yet talk with the manager but a man who was there said that probably mine would remain the same.  If it does, I will not entertain thoughts of moving but I must know with enough time to find another place to live.

Most likely, I will be here for another year.  But I am going to change my lifestyle now that I am slowly getting back on my feet after too many years of deprivation.  I want to have some fun now.  I don't want to stay home all the time just wasting away.  I will travel a lot now while I have the health, legs, and will to do it...Hope I can get all this under control now.

frustration

Part 3 Hospitalization - Coming home

In comparison to the tragedy unfolding in Syria, my little health problem is minor.  But for me, it is a very big deal and this is why.  One, I have not had a steady full time job since 1974.  I have had part time jobs and most were short term.  I had trouble finding employment after leaving California.  In fact, a banker in Florida told me that I was supposed to stay in California.  I wondered what the heck is that...how and why could a banker tell me such a thing as that...In fact, I think it was programmed for me to go to Florida at that time, but that is all water under the bridge. I became a full time student after a while it seemed to me.

What all this has to do with Marcello?  I do not have health insurance. How could I?  Were it not for Marcello I would have no need of any now. I am one of those who distinguishes between a real need for medicine and medical treatment and what I call hypochondria. I am anything but hypochondriac.

Because I have knowledge in the medical area, I am well aware when one really needs the services of a health worker and a doctor and when one is just getting sympathetic attention.

Because I knew I needed help I am not so foolish as not to take it as well.

So when I came home, because I had given permission for Marcello to stay in the apartment thinking that I would keep him when I got out, I let him stay here unattended but with food and water and litter enough for the days that I was in the hospital.  He was disoriented when I first entered the apartment, and it took him some time to readjust to my being home, and his being able to get out of doors finally.  Eventually, after some exploring he began to feel accustomed to me and the outdoors as well. I would not touch him or put a harness on him. I let him roam freely.

He came up and crawled up on my lap, and I petted his head. He was acting sorry, but suspicious, so he stood atop me on my lap and I shooed him down and got up.  I was a bit apprehensive about him as well.  But we were getting along fine, and he would wander in and out, wondering why I wasn't coming out to check on him. Once I did, and he was sitting in his usual spot, and looked up at me as he had always done.  I went indoors.   Next thing I hear a huge scuffling sound. I did not witness this so I do not know what happened. but I could tell that there was some fight going on.  I went out to see what the trouble was.  A woman stood next to the mailboxes holding her dog in her arms, shouting at me, Is that your white cat there? I said yes it is.  She said, Well your cat attacked my dog.  I said, Oh, well, he had attacked me too.  How is the dog?   She pointed to a place to say your cat was over there... He was back where I had last seen him, and she turned to go up to the office to complain. I called 911 to make a report, found them lacking and useless in this case, and so went inside.

I called Marcello and he came over as I opened the door to the shed, in which he walked in himself, and I closed the door on him to leave him there for the night. He was no problem to me at all.

Kelly came to my door and asked me about it.  I will omit the details of my neighbor who is a part of this scenario because I want to keep my blood pressure low.

Later that evening, animal control came by and went from one side of the apartment to the other.  It turns out that they were called in because of some dog, and they would not take Marcello with them since I am his owner, and I must do it myself.  Exasperation at the country rules now.

I then sent many messages to Sandra being urged by my neighbor who was hysterical and out of her mind, and insisting that I get Sandra to do something for me.  What a problem...Sandra was so good as to be very understanding as she had to have reread my constant torrent of emails and messages to her.  She came the next morning to pick him up and to take him to her apartment once again.  For now, this is where I will end to pick up again later.

Frank Sinatra - That's Life

Hospitalization Part 2

The first night that I came home, the pain was so severe I could hardly believe it, and I had not been given any pain medicine so that I was up all night with Marcello sleeping on the ironing board, or on the floor.  He had been let in after I came home Sunday and he was tentatively staying friendly with me but also he stayed away from me as well.  He seemed to be contrite but afraid of what I might do as well.  I had prayed all night long, and I had been up every hour so that I got no rest whatsoever, but was tired and weary when I returned to the emergency room.  A different doctor was on duty who had to get the original doctor to discuss the case, and they looked at it but still sent me home not letting me think that I would be admitted.  The second doctor said he would be there the following day and to be sure to come back to treat the wound.  I was a bit naive I guess...I had been taking the antibiotics but the fever and the infection, swelling, and redness was all very strong and very high. I had been given a tetanus shot when I had first gone into the emergency room on Sunday.

Then I had called the breeder of Marcello who came to take him to her apartment so that he would not be a problem for me.  She took me to the emergency room on Monday I believe, and so she sat and listened to what they were saying. She had started to treat the wound but the bandages were so high and deep and stuck with blood that she decided that we should go to the e.r. to have them do it.  I recall that on Monday we took Marcello to animal control but were given a bad time there so we ended up bringing him back and she took him to her home...that is what happened. I am trying to remember all this now...My neighbor took me to the e.r. on Tuesday thinking that i would be going in to be out in half an hour so that she did not stay with me but I had to call her to tell her when to pick me up.  Because the wound seemed to be creeping up my arm instead of receding, they decided that I would need intravenous feeding of antibiotics so that they then had me admitted as an inpatient.

I was moved to the other part of the hospital where they had a room for me.  I had been given a gauze pad and gauze along with some ointment to put on top of it but I never did get to use any of that until after I left the hospital..Fortunately, it was here so that I could use it when I got back home.  Funny thing is that I had a roommate at the hospital whose name is the same as mine.  We eventually came to be acquainted with one another, and she is a lovely lady who will be in the hospital for some time yet.

Because she was being treated round the clock and I was being treated round the clock, I did not get any sleep at all that first night that I was there.  I had found two lovely ladies from Boxnia were my nurses and nurses's aide, and so I got my first dose of what it is like to be a hospital patient. I had never been admitted to a hospital until now except for an emergency room once years ago at St. Joe's.

By the time I got into that room, I had seen five different doctors.  I cannot believe what this bill will be for this experience.  I had a different nurse and aide every time we turned around.  I ate a little while there but not very much. I had asked if there were any rules or regulations to follow as the emergency room doctor had given me my set of patient's rights to read.  There is little difference between jails and hospitals, believe it or not.

So Thursday night I am prepared for o.r. Operating Room.  I was taken down to the O.R. where I met the nicest and friendliest nurse.  I am one of those people who changes according to environment, and I myself do not always know how I will behave in any situation until I am there.  I could hardly believe what came over me while in that environment. It was cold, sterile, and efficient.  We discussed drugs, blood types, and age differences. I had been placed on the floor for the elderly care patients by the way.  So it turns out that i am the doctor's last patient that night, and suddenly in breezes a woman who has a very commanding, sharp, business like, and authoritative presence.Just as the police will question you over and over on the same subject so do hospitals...all your medical history is repeated, and so she began her questioning.  I did like her as I had been apprehensive about going under, and had to recall when I had had my teeth pulled that I had been under then but came out of it. Twice I had been under at a dentist's office.

She then explains to me what will happen, and another nurse comes out, puts a hat on me so I look like everyone else, and then I am wheeled into surgery, and just like that I am out, and back in the recovery room with Maria, one of the nicest nurses that I had met. Also very efficient, businesslike and efficient.  What a time there is in going to a hospital.  Then I am taken back upstairs to continue to spend the night, and get antibiotics pumped into me.   They take your blood every morning, and they pump antibiotics into you at a variety of intervals.

Next thing is the problem of doctors because everyone had thought I was going home on Thursday so for sure I had been told by one doctor it would be Friday and sure enough, finally on Friday, after being moved from Room 508 to 501 I am in a room with another woman who had just suffered a severe boating accident.  I am walking around, looking at my hand which looked great, cleaned up, all swelling gone, and back to being white again instead of red.  I wanted to get home.

Finally, after fussing a lot and making certain I get a doctor come up as these nurses make me furious changing their stories from day to day I insisted that I get a doctor to approve my going home. I was beginning to feel as though I was not ever going to get out of there.  I found a ride home, and was told how to proceed, and finally a doctor did come up, approve my getting out, as my hand was good then...

Finally, I got out!  Fresh air and sunshine at last!  Nothing worst than being confined to a hospital bed.

I am now taking care of myself. I have to make appointments to see two doctors and to find a primary doctor. I have not had a doctor in all the time I have lived in Arizona.  There is a story about that that I will not think about right now..

I have to go to social security to see about medicare.  End of story for now.

Hospitalization

Exactly one week ago today I made a serious mistake when walking my cat.  This is a very sad story. I shall try to tell it as much in detail as I can.

I live in an apartment which is located right next to a major road, a parking lot, and the apartment permits cats and dogs to live here. There are more dogs here than cats and most cats are indoors but I always took  my cat out in the morning to get exercise and to sniff and snoop at any and everything that he wanted.   I placed a harness which is a bungee type harness so that it fits around his shoulders instead of around his neck, and had a bungee leash so that it could be extended. Onto that leash I added two other leashes so that he had an extra long leash to give him lots of room to be far away from me whenever I held it.

I had noticed that when I took Marcello in that he had a look in his eye which often looked mean, cruel, and nasty. He has a disposition which is split personality: mean and nasty or very sweet and loving, kiss and lick anyone and everyone if he could.  But his mean side bothered me and I noticed that when we walked at times that it would suddenly come over him. His eyes would change color, his facial shape change even into a mean,nasty bad cat look that really is intimidating and frightening. He is a mean cat and bad cat many times, and I was always aware of it so that I protected myself whenever I could see it come on.  It would come on so that he would turn his eyes into narrow little slits and he would snarl meanly. I would say stop that. Sometimes I would even pet him saying calm down now.  But he could be dangerous, and I learned early on that he could bite me. I suffered a bad arm bite one time when trying to put his harness on him.  I should have then made certain that he would not be around me but I foolishly kept him as his sweet side seemed to adore me.

I kept him away from other animals because he is aggressive and can be dangerous if threatened and frightened.

So I  used the harness often to carry him with his face away from me so that he could not attack me. Unfortunately, last Sunday he took me down the alley path where his mean personality suddenly came on, and he began to snap and snarl.  We were almost home and I wanted to go home but he seemed not to want to go that way, and began to snarl at me  I then picked him up, and because his harness was not tightened enough, he was able to whirl around and sink his teeth into my hand. He bit once a small bite, but then bit again, and then sank his teeth in, biting furiously. He was furious, and I threw him down, and said,"Why you little devil, you are trying to kill me." Whenever i moved, he tried to move towards my leg as if he would bite me there too, and I said loudly, "You stay away from me.  Don't come near me. "  I walked away backing from him and went to the apartment to get some hydrogen peroxide to put on the wound. When I saw how deep it was and how quickly it was swelling I knew I had to get to the emergency room. I was scared to death to be honest, and afraid that it would be badly infected.  He tried to run after me to get inside the apartment but I closed the door on him and would not let him in. I tried to go to my car twice to drive myself down, but I backed out each time  because I just could not do it. So went back and found Chuck the gardener who said he would take me.  I was scared that I would be in real trouble which as it turns out I am.

I went to emergency where I was treated by a good doctor who told me that he would not keep the cat, and that cat bite is such a serious problem that I should be very careful.  He sucked out the blood and tried to get the bacteria out, stitched it, gave me a prescription, and sent me home. I got the prescription, and had to go back the following day as they wanted to see how the wound was doing.  I went back the next day, and the infection was bad, so that they treated it, redressed it, and sent me home to come back following day for a different doctor to inspect.  I went to the new doctor who said that it is getting worse, and that I would have to be admitted. I had not anticipated that or I would have taken things with me for my phones, my amusement, whatever, that would get me through  it. I was admitted on Tuesday, and had to take IV treatments of antibiotics for the rest of the week, not knowing how soon I would be released.

Finally, it seemed that I could go home Thursday but when the surgical doctor looked at it he said that he would not send me home like that, and that we had to schedule surgery. I was scared at that, and at first did not want to do it until I learned that it was the same treatment that I had had in the emergency room.  However, instead of being an outpatient I was an inpatient. It meant that I would have to have an anesthesiologist, and that I would be put under while he treated me hand.

Now that was an experience I will write about in the next blog insert.  Publishing this now to take a break to watch Olympic stuff and then return to discuss remainder of hand treatment.