Doogie, Happy Holidays to you and yours and a very happy and healthy New Year.

@taci

I do not trust the rehab either. That also goes for Assisted Living and Convalescent homes. Thank goodness we have two vehicles. However, the second vehicle has not been used in over 2 years. Thankfully Triple came out and the battery is good. The not so good, car needs gas. Triple will come out tomorrow to start the battery again and will include some gas. I will then go to one of the wholesale clubs where gas is a bit less expensive. I will also make an appointment for an oil change and for other things that may be needed. The van will take up to two weeks for repair. As for a rental, the dealerships do not offer a loaner. I will need to visit some of the rent a car places. Probably will need to go to the local airport. It will be less expensive for me to use the second car. So happy that I didn’t give it away or do a donation.

I will be contacting the Rehab physician for an authorization for PT. So happens that this doctor is with the same team as our primary. Hopefully, I will see something started within a few days. I did hear from the assistant to the orthopedist and hubby has an appointment the beginning of January. The head nurse received a phone call from them as well for scheduling. Not sure if reconstructive surgery are in the cards. This group is one of the best and they have offices a few hours from our Cape home. However, all

surgery is performed in Boston. Another note on this is that the Head Nurse wants to wait until after this appointment to start any PT. I told him that we cannot wait on this. The sooner we start, the sooner he will be home. All I need is for him to be able to get in and out of bed himself. I have a wheelchair and a walker here if need be. For the bathroom, I will have handles on either side of the toilet to help him. There is also a commode we can use as well. Funny, I put it into the shower stall so he could sit when his back and legs gave out. The shower is easy in and out. Just a very small step that actually houses the sliding door.

I do have knowledge on the ramps. My only concern is how steep because the wheelchair is heavy and cumbersome. Also going down the chair does not have brakes and if hubby does this alone my heart will be in my mouth. I am also thinking about an electric cart similar to what you see in the markets. In Florida you see many ramps attached to the vehicle to house this while traveling. It also saves you pulling the thing apart in order to fit in the trunk of a vehicle. The electric motor is quite heavy. Another possibility is a three wheeled folding bike. This would make traveling more accessible for sightseeing or for a cruise. Best part, the person using these will never feel left out or handicapped. There are quite a few possibilities out there. You just have to do a study.

Thanks again for your concern and advice. Looks like we are all on the same wave length.

@sheba2011

Here is an update. I made a call to our health insurance company and found that everything is a lie and will be straightened out beginning today. Hubby is supposed to have physical therapy. Rule is at least one hour per day, five days per week. The head nurse/unit manager can make a phone call to obtain the authorization. He will be bypassing the Administrator’s, but that is OK. Evidently, that office has been holding things back and of course I didn’t do anything about it since PT would have been difficult with a catheter. Also, they will be contacting the Department of Health in Flor ida to have them do a check on the Rehab since hubby was in bed 4 days in a row and no shower. The answer I received from the aides was “that it is too difficult to move him from bed to chair. ” This was enough to get their dander up. I was to say the least, very impressed with the Health Insurance. Also, hubby had a fall this morning. He was trying to get to his wheelchair so he could get to the bathroom. He is OK. No broken bones, no scratches, no aches or pains. I also gave this info to the Insurance Co.

Stearns and Foster was picked up a half hour early today. The one thing I need to say is that the mattress would have worked better with the box spring. Not having one made it lie too close to the floor and then it sank when you sit on the edge. This one is firmer and my backache is non existent when I awake.

On another note: when it rains it pours. Well, it did so today. My neighbor told me that the front bumper on one side was coming down. I took a look. Seems someone may have hit me either while I was in Rehab visiting hubby or while I was shopping Friday. No note on the windshield and no way of knowing who did the damage. Not sure if there are cameras covering the parking lot. So now I am waiting for Triple to have the car towed to the dealership. Meanwhile, I will need a loaner so I can visit hubby.

@sheba2011

I wish I had a sister like you. Unfortunately I am it. I just mentioned to Taci that my first step will be to contact our health insurance company and to let them know what has been going on. Hubby should be able to walk and stand again with the right physical therapy. The orthopedic group I am using have high standards and are well known. I also want hubby to be well. Still not sure if having knee replacement surgery are in the cards for him. He has the beginnings of dementia that could become worse with the anesthesia. However, he did do well with the urologist and I am hoping that in itself will help with the next move. He does need this surgery, but there may be other alternatives and therapy is one of them. Just for your info, I am fuming. I just go about the situation a little differently. I have found that losing your temper does not always work in your favor. Being calm and thinking clearly goes a long way. The physician that the Rehab uses may also be in the wrong and this I will also need to find out. Whatever the physician states is what they follow. As far as bringing my vacuum. It’s a hand held Shark which I purchased from HSN.. The LPN and I will be cleaning the bed area together. Hubby will be in a wheelchair supervising. The linens will also be replaced and the sherpa blanket I will bring home and wash and return it the same day. I will actually stop there after Costco picks up the Stearns & Foster that we are not keeping. The new mattress actually has a lip or whatever you call it that goes around the entire area. This should prevent hubby from falling. At least I hope so. Being there with whatever we need to prevent hubby from itching is easy. This way I know the job has been done. There will be no more questions.

Tuesday I have an appointment for van maintenance. Besides an oil change I will probably need new tires and headlights. I will also have them adjust the brakes. Hubby is concerned that they will try to sell me something that we don’t need. If there was a way for him to get into and out of the van I would bring him with me. He would love a day away from the Rehab. Enough said. I will keep everyone up to date.

@taci

Thanks for your concern. I will be contacting our health insurance company tomorrow. They actually sent a letter the end of October stating that if he had physical therapy five days per week they would cover.. Funny, in a sense that the letter took a week to reach me and by that time the Administrator said it was too late. However, the head nurse said he would see what he could do and thus today I found his hands were tied. Now it may be too late, but I will let our insurance co. know what has been going on. I feel that the Rehab wants him there permanently, but that will never happen., Hubby is starting to speak up and yell. I had to tell him to simmer down and that together we will make it work. He realizes that he needs to be able to get in and out of bed on his own and also to be able to either use the walker or the wheelchair to get to the bathroom. Unfortunately, our HOA does not permit us to have someone here 24/7. The most someone could stay is two weeks. However, that may be just enough time to get him moving. Thankfully, I left a message with the orthopedist. I will update as things go along.

@sheba2011

I just returned home from the Rehab. Hubby is moving around a bit better. Today he wanted to try to use the bathroom and I panicked since he has not been able to stand without help. As it turned out, the head nurse was in and I approached him. He said he tried to get hubby physical therapy but it was turned down by the Administrator. Tomorrow I will be making the necessary phone calls to get him the help he needs so he can return home. There is no reason why he should not have the therapy, I also hope to hear from the orthopedist to see if we can try the therapy with his group. I actually feel they are better at this than the Rehab and hubby is on board. I know you would be fuming and arguing with me on this, but I find a gentle approach may be better. I don’t think an attorney would be helpful, though I am not ruling it out.Will update
as I continue on this new phase.

@sheba2011

I am home. Returned after 11pm last night. I did fall asleep in the chair and decided to leave before someone popped in to say it was time. As I left the Rehab, rain was falling in buckets. There was no wind at the time. I could barely see the road in front of me. Police cars were out in droves and that helped somewhat to circumvent the flooding. Huge puddles. The lanai is completely saturated as is the carport. So glad that I moved things into the shed before the storm. I will take the lanai completely apart on Wednesday since I have appointments both Monday and Tuesday. I need to wash the floor and the sides including the screens. It looks like a child had a great time playing in the mud. Thankfully, there were no tornados in our area. I have no idea if any sprouted on the East coast. The wind was worse on Friday and Saturday morning.I will be contacting the Rehab to let hubby know that I am OK.. Problem is they may not tell him. It depends on who is on duty. I did manage to find out the reason he was in bed for 4 days and no shower all week. The aids were too lazy to help him out of bed. It was easier to keep him there. Thankfully the LPN who happens to be a male got him out of bed yesterday at 4:30 pm when he came on duty. He even changed his linens. He asked me to bring the small vacuum with me today so we can do the mattress and wash it with a disinfectant following. He will get a shower tonight. Still this will be reported to administration and to the head nurse Monday. He has had no Physical Therapy and that will change immediately. He needs to be able to get in and out of bed himself. And speaking of bed, the new mattress and box spring are wonderful. First time in months no backache. I’m as good as new. The mattress with box spring is 21″ high. I need to work on ways for him to be able to get into and out of bed.

@sheba2011

We have power, but the wind is the issue right now. I am debating whether to see hubby. Tornado warnings and thunderstorms tonight. The wind was the issue with the WIFI connections and may still be a problem.

I did go to the grand opening of the Farmer’s Market and it was wonderful. Everyone so helpful. Parking was not an issue. The look of the new store is on Facebook and you do not need to be a member to take a peek, The name of the market is Detwilers. Just google the name and you will come up with their locations and also the Facebook area. I did purchase my favorite fish which is Chilean Sea Bass. I have made it with panko, just spices and sometimes just in olive oil. It is a sweet fish if frozen the day it was caught. I will be returning to the store next week to purchase more. The price was good. Sheba, I think you can purchase this fish in Costco if you want to try i t. They have it for around $20-$25/lb. I purchased a smaller one at $10 each at the market. I was surprised to see a full service dinner take-out. The one thing I wanted was the Lobster salad roll. They had run out. I will try during the week. It’s on sale through the 23rd. The price was 2 for 20. I did not purchase the ice cream scoop, though they do have sugar free in all flavors. Their bakery section was awesome. You can actually watch them putting the ingredients together for their cookies, cakes, bread, etc.. Oven are on the premises.
The pizza area was delightful. I did not purchase at this time. Prices were good compared to the restaurants in town. They gave out tote bags at check out to their customers. I still like the one in Sarasota and will buy at both places.

Shoelady, having someone come to the house for PT is something I am looking at and may use. I placed a call to hubby’s orthopedist yesterday forgetting they work only a half day on Fridays. I was able to leave a message and may get a call on Monday. That’s one of my questions. The other one is to see if they can do the necessary knee surgery. The urologist doesn’t see why not since he was able to take the anesthesia without a problem. Actually, his brain is working better since then. However, he is still afraid to ask for help when needed. Guess you can say in that respect “I am a bad person.” Hmm…..I think I will wear my black hat to make it real time. LOL

Sheba, that cake looks luscious. Best part it isn’t fattening. I am watching what I eat and trying to lose weight. Yes, even during the holidays. By the way, they had whole lobsters on sale at the market. Only problem, too small. I usually purchase these when I’m North and look for 1 & 1/2 lbs. I have found if you go over 2lbs they are not as sweet. The last time I purchased one they were $6/lb at my other favorite market called Market Basket. Like you, the fruits and veggies are higher there than Florida.

I now will get the food together to see hubby. I did purchase some things for him yesterday and I forgot his grinder. He will have it today. I have a chicken salad and fresh veggies for mine. Dessert is at the Rehab. Wow!!! I was able to type all this without a problem. Not so sure about later. Hope you and Poppy have a great day. Shoelady, when you are ready, please get another pooch. I’m trying to get one as I type. Yes, losing one is hard to take, but the enjoyment that you get from them is hard to put into words. Let’s just say that each one has a personality to make you laugh and they are there for you when you are sad. That’s all I can say. Have a great rest of the weekend. This storm is headed your way. It’s crazy here. The wind is howling, but thankfully the rain is light. Just hope I do not have to return in a thunderstorm. Hubby always says I should stay over. Not a bad idea, but it is wishful thinking on both our parts.

@Sheba

I slept in a chair last night due to the mattress causing severe back pain and my sinuses didn’t like being so close to the floor. The new mattress was delivered about a half hour ago and one good thing is that you do not sink at the edge. I have a handyman coming tomorrow morning to see what he can do with the bed frame since the box spring doesn’t completely cover one end. This is due to hubby taking on the task of putting it together himself rather than have a professional do it. We have a friend not far from us who bought a sleigh bed from the same furniture store. He tried putting that together himself as well and finally gave up and contacted a professional. What actually happened is that the store took out the correct nails and put in ones that do not hold the frame together that well. I never knew that there were different nails for bedding. Anyway, in both our cases the store went belly up soon after we purchased the items, so we couldn’t return or get someone to help us. There are quite a few businesses on the Internet that do this and will contact them if my handy person cannot help.

Everything is now completed with the contractors. I will need to have the interior painted at some point and of course new furniture is desperately needed. I still am fledging on whether to install a ramp or new stairs leading to the front door. The handy person thinks a ramp would be fine, however, if hubby will be in a wheelchair he thinks I should hire someone to push him and the chair up the ramp. His feeling is that the wheelchair will be too cumbersome as I get older. An alternative to that would be a cart which hubby could manage on his own. It will need to be recharged on a daily basis, but that may be easier. Then again, it will depend on the weight of the electric motor. Hubby is determined to try to walk with therapy. I have also placed a call to his orthopedist to see if he has any suggestions. I forgot that they close early on Fridays, so will not expect a call back before Monday.

I am now getting read y to visit our new Farmer’s Market. I surmise it is a mad house, but tomorrow is torrential rain, wind with a possibility of a tornado. Homes in Florida do not have a basement. I may go early tomorrow to be with hubby.

I’m not sure about Trivia. Spectrum expects outages beginning tonight. The wind could be similar to category 1 or 2 hurricane. However, this is not a hurricane because it has no tropical beginnings. Now on my way. I am tempted to just have a conversation thread until after the holidays. We shall see. I will have a Kindle with me tonight.

@sheba2011

Love the necklace and remember it on HSN.

I know you have glitches. I think it is being caused by the sun and the fact that a storm is brewing. It’s definitely not you and probably not HSN. I am having problems with the Arcade and Recaptcha. Contacted Spectrum. Seems they are having some issues. Having a computer is so frustrating. Today is one of them.