The Fleet Report and Daily for Friday December 29th, 2023

[luvteaching]

Good afternoon, 

 

Back from errands (bank, Hallmark and grocery store)  and lunch at a fave Mexican restaurant with friends and DS. There were 6 of us and we had a nice visit. I have my chicken enchilada to have for dinner tonight. 

 

@dfish Glad to hear you're home and doing as well as can be expected. 

 

@Niagarawine Alaska is very doable with a mobility scooter. My DH did it for many years and we went everywhere we could. He rode the tram in Juneau and did the trail to Nugget Falls at Mendenhall. He was all over Sitka and Ketchikan and rode the train several times at Skagway. If you want to do the train make sure you book the handicapped car. It has a life to get you in and it's less crowded. DH stayed on his scooter and I had a seat. 

 

Have a nice evening! 

Karen

[ottahand7]

Debbie I am happy to read your surgery went well today.  I hope the meds keep the pain at bay. 

@JazzyV I am glad you got some sleep but sad you don't have a date for your procedure. 

 

@seagarsmoker I hope you feel better soon.  An awful lot of flu going around.  

 

@cruising sister thanks for the photo of Baby Murphy.  Prayers worked. 

 

Our room is so cold I am laying in bed with my clothing on. The thermostat keeps going back to 71 too tired to deal with maintenance. To Dothan Alabama tomorrow.  I hope it warms up, Kentucky has been as cold as Michigan.  At least the rain was minimal.  Have a nice day tomorrow.  Nancy 

[Niagarawine]

5 minutes ago, luvteaching said:

Good afternoon, 

 

Back from errands (bank, Hallmark and grocery store)  and lunch at a fave Mexican restaurant with friends and DS. There were 6 of us and we had a nice visit. I have my chicken enchilada to have for dinner tonight. 

 

@dfish Glad to hear you're home and doing as well as can be expected. 

 

@Niagarawine Alaska is very doable with a mobility scooter. My DH did it for many years and we went everywhere we could. He rode the tram in Juneau and did the trail to Nugget Falls at Mendenhall. He was all over Sitka and Ketchikan and rode the train several times at Skagway. If you want to do the train make sure you book the handicapped car. It has a life to get you in and it's less crowded. DH stayed on his scooter and I had a seat. 

 

Have a nice evening! 

Karen

Thanks Karen, I 5hink that’s what I need to hear! I hope you have a nice evening too

[Niagarawine]

Just now, ottahand7 said:

Debbie I am happy to read your surgery went well today.  I hope the meds keep the pain at bay. 

@JazzyV I am glad you got some sleep but sad you don't have a date for your procedure. 

 

@seagarsmoker I hope you feel better soon.  An awful lot of flu going around.  

 

@cruising sister thanks for the photo of Baby Murphy.  Prayers worked. 

 

Our room is so cold I am laying in bed with my clothing on. The thermostat keeps going back to 71 too tired to deal with maintenance. To Dothan Alabama tomorrow.  I hope it warms up, Kentucky has been as cold as Michigan.  At least the rain was minimal.  Have a nice day tomorrow.  Nancy 

We had the windows open here in Hamilton, never had that before at this time of year, 

[kazu]

2 hours ago, tupper10 said:

I think I caught Gks cold I was up coughing most of the night so just taking it easy today.  I hope it is just a cold. I read you can’t test early for Covid since test will come out negative.  If I get fever etc I will test but for now just staying home.  

 

Oh darn on the cold 😞. Hope that is all it is and you can beat it.  

 

 

1 hour ago, ger_77 said:

Got a rather late start, as neither DH nor I had a great night - he was coughing and because he was so stuffed up, wasn't using his CPAP either, so there was much noise coming from his side of the bed.  He was up rummaging around for cough drops at 3:15 which totally woke me up and the last time I looked at the clock, it was 5:30.  I must have dozed off again because the next thing I knew it was 8:35. 

 

Oh dear, it sounds like his cold is really bothering him. 😔 

 

And poor you, you need your sleep - especially if you are going to fight off your cold 😔  I hope you can and aren’t feeling as badly as your DH 🤞 

 

 

 

2 minutes ago, ottahand7 said:

Our room is so cold I am laying in bed with my clothing on. The thermostat keeps going back to 71 too tired to deal with maintenance. To Dothan Alabama tomorrow.  I hope it warms up, Kentucky has been as cold as Michigan.  At least the rain was minimal.  Have a nice day tomorrow.  Nancy 

 

Safe travels tomorrow.  I sure hope where you are staying tomorrow is warmer for you or, at least, the room is 🤞 

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good afternoon.  Finally, the sheets are back on the bed in the motorhome, and I went ahead and cleaned it while I was out there.  The only thing left to do is rearrange where I put a lot of the kitchen stuff.  That will happen another day.  We also made a quick trip into town for two things I need for New Year's Day dinner.  While I was in line to pay for them, their system went down.  After a rather long wait and finding out what was happening, I left and we went to the other store in town.  However, they did not have one thing I needed.  I hope the first store's system is back up tomorrow when I go in early, otherwise, we'll head to Blythe.

 

Our weather has turned chilly with heavy clouds and a good breeze.  I'm not sure right now about tomorrow's forecast.

 

4 hours ago, dfish said:

Good afternoon, everyone!

 

Surgery went well and I am now home relaxing and recovering.  The surgeon said the procedure couldn't have gone any better, so that makes me happy.  My abdomen is very sore and pretty painful.  
There is more pain with this surgery than with the previous two or even the gall bladder surgery.  I will definitely be using the pain meds.  

 

Thank you all for all the well wishes.  The Daily came through again!

 

@StLouisCruisers your Antarctica pictures are bringing back great memories of my cruise there in January of 2011.  That was my all time favorite cruise for a long time.  It is now competing with Norway and last summer's cruise.  Sue and I will be going back to Antarctica next January, 2025.  We are preparing by watching shows about penguins and Antarctica.  Last night we watched 8 Below and really liked the movie.  After River goes home we'll watch Endurance.  

 

@cruising sister Thank you for the picture of Baby Murphy.  She is a cutie for sure and I love her fighting spirit.  

 

Thanks again, everyone!   

 

Debbie, the surgeon's comments that the surgery couldn't have gone any better are what you want to hear.  I hope the pain meds keep the pain at bay or at least, acceptable levels.  Rest and recover, so you can enjoy Hawaii.

 

4 hours ago, ottahand7 said:

We made it to Bowling Green.  Heading out for our big meal of the day.  Traffic wasn't bad and no back ups.  

 

I'm glad you made it safely to Bowling Green, but YIKES! 😱 on the temperature in your hotel room.  I'd let them know, and see if they have another room.

 

3 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Not exactly the trans-Siberian but part of the trans-Siberian system which includes a number of trains and my journey (Helsinki to Beijing involved several trains and stops.

 

Helsinki to St Petersburg - a day train

St Petersburg to Moscow {one night)

Moscow to Lake Baikal (I think about 3 nights)

Lake Baikal to Ulan Ude (one night)

Ulan Ude to Ulan Baatar (an overnight plus)

That same service a day or 2 later to Beijing (2 days plus a night)

 

I believe this would be classified as the Trans Mongolian

 

Roy

 

Roy, thanks for the information.  That sounds like an interesting trip.

 

3 hours ago, JazzyV said:

Good afternoon. Thanks for the Fleet Report/Daily @kazu and @richwmn.

I'll salute Mongolian independence. I know of pepper pot soup but never had any. I'll try to finish whatever needs to be done before year's end. Sweet quote. Pass on the meal (fish) and drink. Yes to the wine. I haven't been to Malacca. 2 good days in history.

 

It's cloudy here and 40F. There was a spot of sun earlier, but gone now. I slept about 3.5 hours, but had an hour nap yesterday in the recliner. I went to PT this morning and told the therapist I felt I'd lost all the strength I'd gained from earlier months. So we tried some sitting strength exercises. Then stopped at the grocery store, which was crowded. I still haven't heard anything about the procedure, but hopefully I'll hear next week after the holidays. Otherwise just hanging out. I got a couple of books I wanted from BFF for Christmas. And also a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle that is a picture of us in Australia, with the Sydney Harbor Bridge in the background.

 

@seagarsmoker I'm sorry to hear you got sick at the end of your cruise. Rest and feel better.

@grapau27 Thanks for the information. It seems it's been raining there a lot.

@StLouisCruisers Great photos from Antarctica. I'm jealous that you got to set foot on land and get close to penguins, which I didn't. It was still breathtakingly beautiful.

@kazu Be careful working on the driveway with the ice.

@Cruzin Terri I hope you're starting to feel better and the steroids do their job.

@smitty34877 Your meal sounds delicious.

@cruising sister Thanks for sharing the photo of Murphy. She's such a fighter. Prayers for her and her brave parents.

@aliaschief I have that clock radio in a guest bedroom! I think I've had it since college.

@Denise T That's a great goal. I worked hard, but am glad I was able to take time to start traveling.

@Nickelpenny Transiting the Canal is such fun!

@marshhawk You and DH enjoy that time off! 

@RMLincoln Prayers that the condo belongs to someone else today! So nice that you have family nearby. I hope the cortisone cream is continuing to help DH.

@rafinmd That's a great photo @Scrapnana took. Thanks for the Mongolia photos.

@Vict0riann Nice photos from Malacca.

@St Pete Cruiser Thanks for the photos. Zaandam is my favorite too.

@dfish I'm glad surgery went well and you're home now. Get ahead of the pain with pain meds if you can. Relax and recover.

@ottahand7 Continued safe travels.

 

Prayers for the Care List and Cheers for those with something to Celebrate.

 

Vanessa, I'm glad you got some sleep, but wish you could get some more each night.  It's good the therapist had some sitting strength exercises for you to try.  I hope you hear something soon about the procedure.

 

3 hours ago, Cruising-along said:

Good afternoon, I'm taking a lunch break from deep cleaning the kitchen.

We got good news this morning.  Previously we had asked our PCC and the upgrade department if we could upgrade from our BC cabin next week to a B or even BB.  The cost was too high, so we let it go.  Then this morning DH saw that our cabin has changed to a B!  So we're happy campers today, and no extra $$.

 

Debbie @dfish I'm very glad to hear that the surgery "couldn't have gone better", and that you plan to take advantage of the pain pills.  The trick is always to not let the pain get away from you, always stay ahead of it.  I learned that the hard way 😉  

 

Carolyn, congratulations on the the free upgrade.

 

1 hour ago, ger_77 said:

Good afternoon, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!  Good for Mongolia's independence - DH's cousin lived and worked in Ulaanbaatar for a couple of years and has many interesting stories to tell.  I've never had Pepper Pot soup, but would like to try it if someone is inclined to make it for me.  Tick tock, yes, the year is ticking down to it's final few days now.

 

Got a rather late start, as neither DH nor I had a great night - he was coughing and because he was so stuffed up, wasn't using his CPAP either, so there was much noise coming from his side of the bed.  He was up rummaging around for cough drops at 3:15 which totally woke me up and the last time I looked at the clock, it was 5:30.  I must have dozed off again because the next thing I knew it was 8:35.  

 

We were moving slow, but had to get a couple of things done - I had to go for a pre-exam x-ray before seeing the orthopedic surgeon on the 3rd, and DH needed to pick up a couple of things because we realized he'd left his toiletries case in Calgary.  His case, along with a small bag of laundry (oh dear!) were left in a gift bag . . . seriously, who puts laundry in a gift bag??? . . . in the bedroom.  DH's electric razor was in the case, so he needed to buy batteries for his little travel razor that he takes when we go on vacation.  Might as well get them now, as he's going to need them in February anyway.

 

@cruising sisterthank you for the beautiful photo of our little fighter, Murphy!

@dfishI'm so glad your surgery is over and you're home.  Just take it easy, take the pain medication and recover fully before trying to do anything else.

 

I'm passing on the drink of the day, would like the menu suggestion, as I really like broccolini, and am pretty sure I'd like the wine.  I know Friday night is traditionally pizza night at our house, but we'll be enjoying some of the turkey soup I brought back from Calgary with crusty buns at the kitchen table tonight.  And wine.

 

Prayers for everyone who is in need, cheers to all with celebrations.

 

Smooth Sailing!  ☺️☺️☺️

Gerry

 

Gerry, I'm sorry you both had a bad night and hope tonight is better.  

 

Lenda

Edited December 30, 2023 by Quartzsite Cruiser

[erewhon]

Have not been to Malacca, thanks for the photos @Vict0riann.

@rafinmd  Roy, thanks for sharing your interesting photos.   Are you in contact with @Scrapnana ?

@cruising sister thanks for sharing the photo of  Baby Murphy, she is doing well.

@dfish  pleased that the surgery went well, do take the analgesics as prescribed until the pain clears.

@Nickelpenny  The Panama Canal  is a great experience, the Panama Buns are delicious.

@Cruising-along  Congratulations on your stateroom upgrade.

@ger_77  hope you and your DH are soon rid of your colds.

 

I must go for a walk, before any more rain arrives.

 

[Seasick Sailor]

 

@dfish Debbie,  I prayed for you all day! I knew all would go perfectly well! God bless you!

[rafinmd]

12 minutes ago, erewhon said:

 

@rafinmd  Roy, thanks for sharing your interesting photos.   Are you in contact with @Scrapnana

 

I must go for a walk, before any more rain arrives.

 

I have not.  The last person to have contact with her was Leanne from the sailaway threads.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

This will probably end up as some weird combination of confession and rant. This week I have not been really open about  my medical issues but I've been doing regular blood pressure checks for some time and have noticed recently that my heartbeat has sometimes been really low even though it never bothered me and my O2 saturation was always high.  I put off doing or saying anything until after I had gotten the ball rolling on my radiation but I contacted my cardiologist on Wednesday in Mychart.  She was off but I was called in for an evaluation by a colleague Thursday and the verdict was no action is needed at this time.  A confession but also a relief.

 

Now the rant.  I am fortunate to have great medical coverage as a retired federal employee through Blue Cross,  but I really wonder about our medical system in the US.  Right now there's a local HMO advertising with a tag line, "The Bills, the Not a Bills" and it hits home rightnow.  I am already looking at a stack of "not a bills" from Florida and I think just getting started"  It seems like every doctor who had anything to do with me, no matter how brief has a bill for something.  For the most part there charges may be something like $300 for the base price, negotiated down to maybe $75 contracted with Blue Cross, and me paying perhaps $15, but I wonder how someone without good insurance can even try to cope.  Same thing with drugs.  I am now on 2 expensive drugs, one for some time and a new one.  They are both listed as about $600 per month.  The new one was $31 at my local pharmacy and now $40 for 3 months from their mail order pharmacy and the other is $65 per quarter.  Again, how do people without good insurance cope?  I can live with the "not a bills" as I much prefer it to having to worry about a treatment being covered at all.  Seems there must be a better way.

 

Roy

[Haljo1935]

5 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

This will probably end up as some weird combination of confession and rant. This week I have not been really open about  my medical issues but I've been doing regular blood pressure checks for some time and have noticed recently that my heartbeat has sometimes been really low even though it never bothered me and my O2 saturation was always high.  I put off doing or saying anything until after I had gotten the ball rolling on my radiation but I contacted my cardiologist on Wednesday in Mychart.  She was off but I was called in for an evaluation by a colleague Thursday and the verdict was no action is needed at this time.  A confession but also a relief.

 

Now the rant.  I am fortunate to have great medical coverage as a retired federal employee through Blue Cross,  but I really wonder about our medical system in the US.  Right now there's a local HMO advertising with a tag line, "The Bills, the Not a Bills" and it hits home rightnow.  I am already looking at a stack of "not a bills" from Florida and I think just getting started"  It seems like every doctor who had anything to do with me, no matter how brief has a bill for something.  For the most part there charges may be something like $300 for the base price, negotiated down to maybe $75 contracted with Blue Cross, and me paying perhaps $15, but I wonder how someone without good insurance can even try to cope.  Same thing with drugs.  I am now on 2 expensive drugs, one for some time and a new one.  They are both listed as about $600 per month.  The new one was $31 at my local pharmacy and now $40 for 3 months from their mail order pharmacy and the other is $65 per quarter.  Again, how do people without good insurance cope?  I can live with the "not a bills" as I much prefer it to having to worry about a treatment being covered at all.  Seems there must be a better way.

 

Roy

First, good to hear "no action needed." Second, I am aligned w/you on our medical system and costs. Recently on the TA Rome->FLL, I had to use a Dr in Italy and cabinmate had to use one in Spain. We each paid less than $50 (me $45, her $35) for the Dr visit and less than $45 for the Rx ( my 4 were $40, her 4 were $43). We were in/out of the appointments in less than 15 min and the pharmacy in 5 min. Never received any other bills. 

We do a lot of things right here, but health care and costs are not among them.

[JazzyV]

@rafinmd Good you got the all clear from the Cardiologist. Maybe it's a medication? I was on a BP med, and my Apple watch was showing my heart rate while sleeping down as low as 39! I had no symptoms, but they decreased the dose and now the lowest is 54.

 

People without insurance or without medication coverage sadly just don't take them. I saw that a lot. And despite there being some assistance programs, some wouldn't jump through the hoops to get help. My European friends are shocked at what we pay out of pocket for meds, and medical tests.

[superoma]

2 minutes ago, JazzyV said:

@rafinmd Good you got the all clear from the Cardiologist. Maybe it's a medication? I was on a BP med, and my Apple watch was showing my heart rate while sleeping down as low as 39! I had no symptoms, but they decreased the dose and now the lowest is 54.

 

People without insurance or without medication coverage sadly just don't take them. I saw that a lot. And despite there being some assistance programs, some wouldn't jump through the hoops to get help. My European friends are shocked at what we pay out of pocket for meds, and medical tests.

As are your Canadian friends!

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

2 hours ago, rafinmd said:

This will probably end up as some weird combination of confession and rant. This week I have not been really open about  my medical issues but I've been doing regular blood pressure checks for some time and have noticed recently that my heartbeat has sometimes been really low even though it never bothered me and my O2 saturation was always high.  I put off doing or saying anything until after I had gotten the ball rolling on my radiation but I contacted my cardiologist on Wednesday in Mychart.  She was off but I was called in for an evaluation by a colleague Thursday and the verdict was no action is needed at this time.  A confession but also a relief.

 

Now the rant.  I am fortunate to have great medical coverage as a retired federal employee through Blue Cross,  but I really wonder about our medical system in the US.  Right now there's a local HMO advertising with a tag line, "The Bills, the Not a Bills" and it hits home rightnow.  I am already looking at a stack of "not a bills" from Florida and I think just getting started"  It seems like every doctor who had anything to do with me, no matter how brief has a bill for something.  For the most part there charges may be something like $300 for the base price, negotiated down to maybe $75 contracted with Blue Cross, and me paying perhaps $15, but I wonder how someone without good insurance can even try to cope.  Same thing with drugs.  I am now on 2 expensive drugs, one for some time and a new one.  They are both listed as about $600 per month.  The new one was $31 at my local pharmacy and now $40 for 3 months from their mail order pharmacy and the other is $65 per quarter.  Again, how do people without good insurance cope?  I can live with the "not a bills" as I much prefer it to having to worry about a treatment being covered at all.  Seems there must be a better way.

 

Roy

 

Roy, first I'm glad the cardiologist said no action needed.  I agree with your "rant" completely.  Our medical system is totally screwed up, and people who can't afford good health insurance often do without medical care and drugs until they land in the ER.  With DH being self employed, we had to get our own insurance.  Everytime the premium went up we had to raise our deductible and get less coverage or the premiums would be outrageous.  We now have original medicare and a very good medigap supplement.  We can see any doctor we want and the only time we need a referral is when the specialists insist on one.  While we pay premiums for our coverage, we do not have a copay nor do we ger bulls.  We see what the doctors and hospitals charge Medicare and what Medicare approves.  The difference is unbelievable in many cases.

 

1 hour ago, Haljo1935 said:

First, good to hear "no action needed." Second, I am aligned w/you on our medical system and costs. Recently on the TA Rome->FLL, I had to use a Dr in Italy and cabinmate had to use one in Spain. We each paid less than $50 (me $45, her $35) for the Dr visit and less than $45 for the Rx ( my 4 were $40, her 4 were $43). We were in/out of the appointments in less than 15 min and the pharmacy in 5 min. Never received any other bills. 

We do a lot of things right here, but health care and costs are not among them.

 

Agree.

 

1 hour ago, JazzyV said:

@rafinmd Good you got the all clear from the Cardiologist. Maybe it's a medication? I was on a BP med, and my Apple watch was showing my heart rate while sleeping down as low as 39! I had no symptoms, but they decreased the dose and now the lowest is 54.

 

People without insurance or without medication coverage sadly just don't take them. I saw that a lot. And despite there being some assistance programs, some wouldn't jump through the hoops to get help. My European friends are shocked at what we pay out of pocket for meds, and medical tests.

 

Vanessa, not only do drugs mess with our BP and heart rate, but so do some conditions.  The blood clot(s) in DH's lungs last year caused both the BP and heart rate to either drop dangerously low, or go up too high.  Even after the clot was removed, it was weeks before the huge fluctuations stopped.  Sadly, I don't think the healthcare system will change.

 

That's the end of my rant, vor now.

 

Lenda

[Sharon in AZ]

11 hours ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

It was an interesting game, and until almost the fourth quarter, I was concerned Arizona wasn't going to win since the were ten points behind.  Then they "came alive" and beat OU 38-24.

That’s why they have the nickname Heart Attack Cats!  I didn’t watch the game but heard we were won. My DM is a huge fan. 

[Sharon in AZ]

10 hours ago, dfish said:

Surgery went well and I am now home relaxing and recovering.  The surgeon said the procedure couldn't have gone any better, so that makes me happy.  My abdomen is very sore and pretty painful.  
There is more pain with this surgery than with the previous two or even the gall bladder surgery.  I will definitely be using the pain meds.  

Debbie, so good to hear the surgery went well and you are home recovering and resting. Get better quickly and Hawaii here we come!