Thumpy on the Move (Norcross, GA)

 

Every day is better than the previous day.  Ann is getting better doing her exercises.  Each day it gets easier and she can do more.   Ann doesn’t use her walker any more, just the cane.  All I can hear is her thumping around the RV with her cane.

The therapist took her out for a short walk.  Now twice a day, weather permitting, we go for a walk.  Each day the walk gets longer.  The therapist said it looks like he will cut her loose from home visits after next week.  She can then go to out patient therapy.  We will probably go back to Chris,  the therapist Ann was using before the hip surgery. 

Can you imagine, a little over a week ago she had a full hip replacement.  On January 3, this Thursday, the nurse is coming to remove the staples.  One more step to freedom.

Life is good on the Roan Road…

Making Good Progress (Norcross, GA)

 

You should see Ann running around the RV with her walker.  Hell on wheels!  She has been making great progress.  She is getting in home physical therapy 3 time a week.  If she needs it, she can get it for 4 weeks.  The therapist thinks she will not need the full 4 weeks.  After that she can get out patient therapy. 

Now the big decision is where to go next.  Right now the plan is to go to Florida for a couple of weeks then start to head west along the Gulf Coast heading to Arizona and Nevada.  We have to be in Texas the end of April for a New Horizons Rally.  New Horizons is the brand of camper we have and every year they have a  rally for all Now Horizons owners.

By the way the repaired dishwasher is being used on a limited basis because Ann does not like the job the backup dishwasher is doing. 

To be back on the road again, scratching that hitch itch.

Life is great on the Roan Road…

Home from the Hospital (Norcross, GA)

 

Ann is back home.  The surgery went well.  No complications, everything went as expected.  Next day they had her walking and going up and down stairs.  After coming down from the stairs she felt dizzy and her blood pressure was way down.  After getting breakfast and lying in bed the pressure started to come up.  Also her blood count was low.  The doctor decided to keep her an extra day and give Ann 2 pints of blood.

This morning all was back to normal.  She did the walk and stairs again without any problems. So the doctor said you can go home. By 10:30AM she was dressed and we were leaving the hospital.

Ann made it in and out of the truck with no problem.  Hopped up the steps into the camper.  Ok, maybe not hopped, but made it up with no problem.  Tomorrow the physical therapist will call and Ann can start the exercises. 

Note: For those of you who did not understand the last blog.  We do not have a dishwasher appliance.  My Dishwasher is now home from the hospital and fixed.

Life is good on the Roan Road…

The Dishwasher is Broken (Norcross, GA)

 

The Dishwasher is broken, we are planning on having it fixed Thursday morning at 8:30AM.  There is a part that has been getting worse and now it has to be replaced.  This repair is going to be very very expensive.  It is a good thing we have insurance to cover the repair.  The insurance is even backed by the US Government.  After spending all this money to get the Dishwasher fixed, it doesn't even come with a warranty!

The Dishwasher has to be taken out and brought into the repair shop to have the part replaced.  We have been using a backup Dishwasher for a while now, but it is starting to complain.   The backup Dishwasher was only meant to be used on a temporary basis.  So as soon as the part has been replaced and broken in the original Dishwasher will have to take over the job.

Stay tuned and I will let you know how the repair goes.

Life is good on the Roan Road…

Happy Holidays to All (Norcross, GA)

 

 

To all our family and friends.

Happy holidays and have a great new year

Hip Hip Hurray (Norcross, GA)

 

We are still here in Norcross, the weather is great, sunny and in the 70s during the day and 40s at night.

Ann went to the doctor to get a Cortisone injection.  The doctor has to guide the needle into the joint using a Fluoroscope.  He must get it right into the joint.  The doctor said it was one of the worst cases of Arthritis he has seen. He finally found a small opening and all went well. 

The pain is much less, but not a cure.  Anyway, this was only to prove that the hip was the problem and not the knee as the other two doctors said.

Next step was to get a pre-op medical clearance.  Which was done and Ann passed with flying colors.

Now for the hip replacement. We just received a all from the surgeon that it is scheduled for Dec. 20 at 3:30 P.M.  She will have a private room and be in the hospital one to two days.   As soon as she can walk 150 feet and climb a few steps, she can go home.  Home, or RV, physical therapy has been arranged.  We should be able to hit the road in six to eight weeks.

To say the least, Ann is ecstatic.  Ann has some exercise to do to make her recovery faster, which she will do twice a day.  Right Ann?

So I guess we will just relax, go the movies and just hang out until the 20th.

Life is good on the Roan Road…

Yes, we are still here (Norcross, GA)

 

Since I am not sure, and to lazy. to go back and look where I left off with Ann’s doctors, will recap.

We came to Atlanta to see a doctor at Emory University Hospital.  We finally got an appointment.  After waiting a few minuets a medical student came in and introduced himself and did the preliminary exam.  It consisted of all the usual questions.  Ann then went for X-rays.   Afterwards the Doctor came in and told us that, looking at the X-rays,  he was not sure that Ann was ready for sugary.  We thought “ OK then”.  The Doctor recommended one physical therapy visit to get started with some exercise and to re-evaluate in 3 months. When and If we decided to do the knee replacement, it would then take 6 weeks to get an appointment for the surgery.   By this time Ann was in pain and walking with a limp,  The Doctor did not examine her.

So off we went.  A little puzzled, but he is the Doctor. We went to the therapist that is connected with Adam (our nephew), which later turned out to be the best thing we did.  Chris. the therapist, said one session was not enough and to start a series sessions.  We also joined the YMCA to get more exercise. 

After about 5 weeks,  Ann was getting more strength in her legs, but the pain was getting worse.  At this point she walks with a cane.  Ann called to make an appointment, the earliest was the middle of January because the Doctor wanted to wait 3 months before he re-evaluated her.  After a week Ann called back to try to get an earlier appointment.  No dice.  We were told to call each day to see if there was a cancelation.

All righty then.  According to Chris, the therapist, Ann was getting better,  but she would still need a knee replacement.  So we asked him for a recommendation.  He gave us 3 doctors.  We looked them up on the internet and selected one, called and got an appointment within 3 days.  Great, the best is coming.

We showed up for the appointment, filled out the usual forms and went into the examining room.  His nurse came in and took down the usual, history and such.  Next the X-rays.  Then the Doctor came in, and started. “ I can see by the way you are walking you need a hip replacement”.  A WHAT??? Are you nuts?  We really did not say that, but we thought it.  The Doctor asked,” didn’t anyone ever tell you that?”  NO !!

He showed us the X-rays of the hip, which no one else had taken, and all the Arthritis in the joint of the left hip.  Now things make sense.  All of the injections into the knee that had no affect.  All of the pain when lying in bed.  

The Doctor recommended to have a Cortisone injection into the hip, if it helps, even for a day, then that is proof the hip is the problem.  if not the the pain is coming from the knee.    We are now waiting to see a different doctor to give the Cortisone shot.    Stay tuned..

 

On another note. I am taking a survey.  Here goes.  If two people to out to eat at a restaurant .  Lets call them “A” and “R”.   They order the same dish.  Both do not finish their meal.  “A” leaves 3/4 of the dish and “R” leaves half.  They plan to take the food home to be eaten the next day. 

The next day’s meal.  Should the food be combined and divvied equally so both can be satisfied? Or should “A” stuff her face and have “R” starve? Which do you think is the right thing to do.  Please leave a comment or send an email.

BTW if the comment or email you send does not agree with me. It will be flagged as spam and deleted.  If Fox news can do this, so can I.

More to come.

Life is good on the Roan Road….

Retirement is hard Work ( Norcross, GA)

 

I know, you are thinking, how hard can it be?  Well let me tell you, until you have tried it, you can’t even begin to imagine.  First there is no alarm clock, so we have to decide what time to wake up in the morning.  Usually after 9AM.  Then we have to decide what to eat for breakfast: cereal, eggs, toast. The list is endless.  Then Ann will want me to vacuum the whole place.  Upstairs and downstairs.  All 400 square feet!   Exhausting !!  Then it is, what to eat for lunch.  It can’t be to big a meal because dinner is right around the corner, more choices.  Are you beginning to get the picture?  Then after  a short nap, what to eat for dinner?  Decisions, decisions . Do we go out to eat?  Do we cook?  If we cook, do we take something out of the freezer, or do we go shopping?  You see every month or so we spend a weekend cooking and freezing meals for just such an occasion.  I think you are starting feel for me. 

Now dry your eyes, and don’t cry for us.  We will survive.

On a happier note.  Ann is progressing with her physical therapy,  She goes twice a week and does her home exercises daily.  We are joining the local YMCA. They have a pool and great machines for a workout.  It still looks like she will still need the knee replacement, but the therapy will make it an easier recovery.  We will keep you posted.

The weather here has, so far, been great.  The other day we went to Stone Mountain.  It is a beautiful park with a Big Rock in the middle.  We took a cable car up to the top.  Great views.

Fran, Ann’s sister, told, us about a carousel in a mall just north of Atlanta.  Well, Ann, of course, could not resist.  BTW, the mall and the surrounding strip malls have all of our  (Ann’s) favorite stores!!

So that is my story, and I am sticking to it. 

Life is hard on the Roan Road…

Things Change ( Norcross, GA)

 

We are now in Norcross, GA.  Norcross is a suburb of Atlanta.  We are staying in an RV park about 15 min. from downtown Atlanta.

We had a great time in NY seeing all of our friends. Of course, a lot of our friends names end with DR.  With a clean bill of health for both of us and after the last doctors appointment,  we tried to get out of Dodge.  Even though it was a holiday the Lincoln Tunnel came to a stop. So we headed north across the GW bridge and onto I-80.  Ann wanted to see all of her old friends she left behind from work.  The company had moved from Maspeth to NJ, so on our way out we stopped so Ann could pay a visit.  Ann really enjoyed it.

After the visit we headed south to Atlanta.  Two days later we reached the campsite where our home was stored.  I had to jump start the truck to get it started, but we pulled into a long term site in the same campground.  This was to be our site until Ann is all better.

Thursday morning, Adam, our nephew, suggested to call the doctor Ann was scheduled to see on the 18th to see if there was a cancelation.  Ann called and asked, they said no, but 15 min. later they call back and we had an appointment for 2 PM that day.  Whoopee!

Off we went to see the man that would change Ann’s life.  We both really like the Doc.  but he said that he thought Ann needed to strengthen her leg and get some physical therapy before knee replacement could be considered.  We both had had mixed feelings.  We expected to just go for the operation but maybe he was right.  Our schedule is flexible and we want the best outcome. 

So here we are in Norcross, GA, just north of Atlanta.  The plan is to stay here until after Christmas, get Ann’s leg strengthened and see what happens.  We are looking into joining a gym, short term, to build up her strength.  Of course, I may do some exercise too.  Although I do not really need it.  Really.

For now it is on a month to month at the campsite.  It is nice to just relax in one place for a change after Alaska.  Atlanta is great town, with all of the same amenities.  There are lots of Micky D’s and all of the fast food.  All of the same stores we are used to.

A word  about retirement.  First, there are no weekends.    All of the days are the same.  Second, you have to make a ToDo list for each day.  Only do one thing each day, save the others for the next day.  If it doesn’t get done today, there is always the next day.

Never put off until tomorrow, unless you can put it off until the next day.

Life is Good on the Roan Road.

14 Days and Counting (Roslyn, NY)

 

We left the camper and the truck in storage in Atlanta and rented a car to come to New York. We have been staying at Bev’s house, thanks Bev, for the last 10 days.  We have been been doing nothing but seeing doctors.  Mostly my doctors.  All is well on the medical front.  We both passed, had our oil changed and our front end lubed.  Now we are ready for another year cruising the Roan Road.  Well almost.

On Monday we head back down to Atlanta where our home is stored.  On October 18th, 14 days from now, Ann has an appointment with an Orthopedic Doctor from Emery University Hospital to see about a knee replacement.  Her knee has been getting worse each day.  It is about as bad as it has ever been.  Ann keeps counting the days until the appointment. She says, “If I can have the operation on the 19th, that will be OK”

We will stay in Atlanta for the main part of Rehab.  Then head to Florida for about a month.  When Ann has recovered well enough we will start heading west toward Texas and Arizona. Still not sure when or where.  All plans are fixed in Jell-O.  The only sure thing is we have to be in Texas the end of April for a NHOG rally.  That is New Horizons Owners Group.  It is a rally for people who own the same make of camper we have. 

Life is good on the Roan Road…

Chill’in at Home (Green Cove Springs, FL)

 

 First,  A Happy and Healthy New Year to all our Family and Friends.

We are still here in Green Cove Springs.  I think this is the longest we have been in one spot since we started full timing.  We have finished changing all of our documents over to Florida: Drivers Licenses, Voter Registration, Domicile Declaration.  It seemed strange, after some 50 years with a NY drivers license, to turn it in.  But now when we are asked for proof of address we can show our divers licenses.

A few weeks ago, back in Junction City, KS, Ann’s long awaited wish came true.   Our Verizon contract was up, so that meant we could get new phones.  So since Ann whined and complained that she wanted a smartphone and I lost my phone, we both got the Samsung Galaxy S III.  We have a shared plan of unlimited phone and text and 2 GB of data.  Now Ann can talk to everyone, not just on the weekends, and not worry about using up our minutes.  So if you call us, don’t worry about how long you talk, or if you get a call from Ann at all hours of the day or night you will know why.  Ann is busy updating her contact list.  Watch out Ann is calling!   Just like the iPad, Ann is getting to be an ace with the Android phone.

St. Augustine is about 16 miles for our home, we have been going there doing the tourist thing.  It is an old city. Founded in 1565, that’s 50 years before Jamestown VA.  Some of the streets are very narrow, navigating the truck turned out to be a challenge, being a Florida resident and an excellent diver, I had no trouble.

		St. Augustine streets VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

St. Augustine is very touristy but among the great restaurants and shops and despite the trolley trains going by there is a certain charm to the city.  There is the Castillo De San Marcos, which is a National Park.  We have found that anything the National Park Service does usually is done very well. This is no exception.  They always have ranger talks and tours.  The National Park rangers are usually great, friendly and knowledgeable people.  The Ranger who gave our talk was a retired history teacher and an expert in old cannons. You could tell he enjoyed his work.

		St. Augustine defends itself VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Notice the Flag, it is at half mast.  It was 9/11 when I took these pictures.

On the way home from the Fort, Ann spotted a Carousel.  We had to go back or there would be hell to pay.  All the world knows how Ann feels about Carousels.  So the next day we headed back to St. Augustine.

After the exciting Carousel ride we went to the St. Augustine Light House.  It turned out to be a very interesting museum. 

		St. Augustine Lighthouse VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Well, on Thursday, it is back to Atlanta.  There we will store the truck and coach, rent a car and on to NYC for our annual doctor visits.  With the price of diesel, it is cheaper to rent a car to go to NY than to take the truck.  Also it is easier to get around Manhattan in a car than a big truck.  So you in NYC, we are coming to get you,  BE Prepared.

Life is good on the Roan Road…

Home Sweet Home (Green Cove Springs, FL)

 

We had two fat, ugly recliners, in the rear of the coach that were in when we bought the coach used.  Well, we purchased two new recliners from Lazy-Boy to replace them.  They are slim and more to our style.  Less weight, too.  In with the new and out with the old. They rock, they rotate, they recline.

Before

After

So they are not a perfect match, but neither is the price.  The one on the left is Ann’s and the on on the right is mine.  They are the same design but slightly different shades so we can tell them apart.  That is my story and I am sticking to it.

They give us more room and it opens up the area. 

Our next stop was Nashville, TN.  Well, we really liked the town.  So we decided to stay a few days.  What the heck, time is not a problem.  Our schedule is made of Jello. 

Bet you didn’t know that the number one industry in Nashville is not music, but heath care.  There are some great teaching hospitals as well as many large hospital complexes and research centers.  But we did not come to Nashville for the healthcare.  We came for the sights. 

The downtown area is lined with Honky Tonk saloons.  A Honky Tonk saloon is one that has live music and the music goes from 10 AM to the wee hours of the morning, 7 days a week. 

		Home Sweet Home (Green Cove Springs, FL) VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

 

Ann had to go to “ Jimmy Buffet’s Margaretville” and have a Margarita. 

We toured the original “Grand Ole Opry”  it was built as a church and later sold and turned into the The Grand Ole Opry. Now the show is held in the Opryland complex, which we did not go to see.  We will return to this town, it is on our bucket list.  That bucket list is very very long.  There is a lot to see, but we will see it all in time.

We are now sitting in a camp site in Green Cove Springs, FL (just a few miles from St. Augustine), getting our drivers licenses, voter registration and Domicile changed to Florida.  We are held up because the computers are down.  So it looks like we will be here over the week end.  Which is OK, because we have some packages being delivered to our HOME.  The weather is in the 90s.  It is hot and humid, typical Florida weather. We are in Tee shirts and Shorts.

Mazel tov to Jessica, Seth, Cierra and Chase on Cohen Tyler’s arrival.

Life is good on the Roan Road…this is not just a saying, but a true statement.