I'm on my third full week here at my new residence and I have to say I am thoroughly pleased so far. The place has been very warm and cozy, just the way I like it! Even on the cool days I haven't had to run the furnace, which is good.
Went to wound care this morning after taking a shower. the procedure now is that I remove the covering over my side and arm and take a nice warm shower before going in for another session. Plus my daughter (Autumn), picked up a mat which keeps me from slipping in the shower as well as a new nozzle which is just what I wanted.
The nurse who attended to my wounds this morning thought I would be winding down my visits there soon which is very good news to me. It's not that I don't enjoy visiting them, but not having to wear this stuff which covers my side and arm would be great!
Got a check in the mail over the weekend from my thrift savings which will be used to get me through until the annuity from the USPS kicks in. Once that happens we will put whatever is left into some sort of money making account. My main goal there is just to have enough to live on until my SS kicks in at age 62.
Overall I like being retired, but I definitely need to find some stuff to work on to keep my mind occupied. If I don't, I find myself watching TV, which leads to munching on food, which leads to me being one fat SOB!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
My first full week
Sessions at wound care are still at 3 times a week, but my caregiver said today that I would probably be able to take a shower sometime next week, for the first time since this ordeal began some 6 weeks ago. That was very good news to me and the people around me I'm sure. :)
I still need to trade my old gas guzzler car for one more fuel efficient, but then I haven't been driving much lately anyway. I do hope to take my old wagon down to my brother-in-law (Jim) for him to scrap out for me soon so I can get some much needed money. He already did the same for my old pickup truck and that money will come in handy as well. Jim has been very helpful in this matter and I really do appreciate that.
Progress on clearing out the garage in preparation for getting my old Buick here is slow, but I can always just bring in boxes and go through them inside rather than doing them one at a time out in the garage. I still haven't found my can opener, so I have not gotten to enjoy any of the chili I bought last week. That is now a priority as cooler weather has shown it's ugly face.
If all goes well I should be completely done with wound care sometime in the next 2 weeks. That will be a good thing, but not so much because I don't like the people there, but rather it's just a PITA having to get up and go 3 times a week. Plus not being able to take a shower is a real bummer!
Friday, September 9, 2011
Changes
It's funny how little time it takes to change a person's life around. My last post I was happy to report that I had a new radiator in the old Buick and life was good. Then, in what now seems like a year ago, I made a mistake. I told everyone how stupid it was after it happened, but now that I've had a lot of time to think about it, I really think it should not have happened.
As I mentioned in my last post, I had the new radiator in place, but needed to clean the cooling system by running some clear water with a cooling system cleaner and then drain, refill, etc. So the next day (July 31), I filled it with water and added the cleaner, then ran the car for about twenty minutes, mostly just idling.
I shut off the car and opened the hood. It seemed to be quite warm, but I figured no longer than it had ran, it would be fine to open and proceed with the next step. So I unloosened the cap to bleed off any hot water and/or pressure which had built up. A little hot water came out, but then nothing more. I figured it was safe to open the cap the rest of the way. WRONG!!!
As soon as the cap was in the open position, it blew up and hit the hood with a thud and I was instantly drenched with steaming hot water and cooling system cleaner! The shock caused me to jump back and then I hit the ground. I quickly got back up and removed my shirt which was covered with the extremely hot liquid and ran into the house.
I first went into the bathroom to put some cool water on the affected areas (my arm and side), which did relieve the pain a bit, but not much. I was hurting and I needed some relief fast. I called my daughter first, but didn't get an answer, then I tried my sister and again, no answer. It was Sunday and they were both at church.
I called my daughter's number again and left a message, next I called my neighbor, Kevin and asked if he could get me some help. I didn't really want to call 911, but I guess Kevin figured it was the best course of action as when I went back outside I heard the siren headed my way.
They arrived a short time later and soon we were on our way to the hospital. I won't bore you with all the details, but suffice to say I suffered 3rd degree burns on my arm and side which resulted in a mandatory 4-6 weeks off work. My daughter arrived at the hospital shortly after I got there and it was decided that I would stay with her and her family during this time which is exactly what happened.
Prior to this event I had been thinking a lot about early retirement and ways I could accomplish this goal. Of course after this happened, it made more sense than ever, so with the help of my daughter and her fiance (Randy), this goal has been mostly realized.
I still have to go to wound care 3 times a week and they say that will probably be required for a couple more weeks, but I have a new place here in Seymour, Indiana and I have received my retirement packet from the USPS, which I will be sending in shortly. All in all I am very happy with the way things turned out.
Of course none of this would have been possible without the help of my family, mostly Autumn and Randy and the kids (who have put up with me for the last 5 weeks), but also to everyone else who helped along the way, I just want to sent a big THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. You have helped make an old man very happy.
As I mentioned in my last post, I had the new radiator in place, but needed to clean the cooling system by running some clear water with a cooling system cleaner and then drain, refill, etc. So the next day (July 31), I filled it with water and added the cleaner, then ran the car for about twenty minutes, mostly just idling.
I shut off the car and opened the hood. It seemed to be quite warm, but I figured no longer than it had ran, it would be fine to open and proceed with the next step. So I unloosened the cap to bleed off any hot water and/or pressure which had built up. A little hot water came out, but then nothing more. I figured it was safe to open the cap the rest of the way. WRONG!!!
As soon as the cap was in the open position, it blew up and hit the hood with a thud and I was instantly drenched with steaming hot water and cooling system cleaner! The shock caused me to jump back and then I hit the ground. I quickly got back up and removed my shirt which was covered with the extremely hot liquid and ran into the house.
I first went into the bathroom to put some cool water on the affected areas (my arm and side), which did relieve the pain a bit, but not much. I was hurting and I needed some relief fast. I called my daughter first, but didn't get an answer, then I tried my sister and again, no answer. It was Sunday and they were both at church.
I called my daughter's number again and left a message, next I called my neighbor, Kevin and asked if he could get me some help. I didn't really want to call 911, but I guess Kevin figured it was the best course of action as when I went back outside I heard the siren headed my way.
They arrived a short time later and soon we were on our way to the hospital. I won't bore you with all the details, but suffice to say I suffered 3rd degree burns on my arm and side which resulted in a mandatory 4-6 weeks off work. My daughter arrived at the hospital shortly after I got there and it was decided that I would stay with her and her family during this time which is exactly what happened.
Prior to this event I had been thinking a lot about early retirement and ways I could accomplish this goal. Of course after this happened, it made more sense than ever, so with the help of my daughter and her fiance (Randy), this goal has been mostly realized.
I still have to go to wound care 3 times a week and they say that will probably be required for a couple more weeks, but I have a new place here in Seymour, Indiana and I have received my retirement packet from the USPS, which I will be sending in shortly. All in all I am very happy with the way things turned out.
Of course none of this would have been possible without the help of my family, mostly Autumn and Randy and the kids (who have put up with me for the last 5 weeks), but also to everyone else who helped along the way, I just want to sent a big THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. You have helped make an old man very happy.
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