Tag: Navy (Page 2 of 45)

Looking forward to this week. I only have one doctor’s appointment – Thursday afternoon with a new one for me dermatologist. I’ve seen him once before when he performed Moh’s Surgery on my left temple. Labs are back – no great surprises there – more of the same.

Friday our son and I traveled 80+ miles from his digs to North Dallas where we viewed, drove, and purchased the 2017 Ram 1500 Tradesman truck we were considering buying and did so. We then both drove back to our digs in Pecan Plantation after which I drove him back to his place in Palo Pinto, TX. Lots of driving but we got it all done. The truck is in great shape and everything works as designed. I previously mentioned it is high mileage but has been maintained including a new engine, battery, tires, etc. Since it is a 4WD it is a little high for me to get up in so I have ordered side rails for it which I will install as soon as the weather warms up again – we are due for a cold spell here in N. Texas. I also ordered a replacement 9″ Android 13 navigation unit along with fungibles like oil filters etc. The hood has some bumps in it, and the body has some scratches, but I will work through all of this in due course. More about this as we progress.

If nothing had changed on a US Navy warship underway in hostile waters, the first log entry for a new watch section was always “Underway As Before.” That log entry matches what’s going on with me now. I have recovered from whatever was ailing me, and have fallen back into the routine of doctor appointments sprinkled with doing jobs around the house.

Thursday’s Fresenius lab visit went smoothly. My current dialysis nurse, Cindy, has been promoted to area supervisor and is in the process of breaking in her relief who I met during labs. I was able to stop by the Granbury office of my cardiologist and made the follow-up two-week appointment with his Nurse Practitioner. That leaves one more new appointment to make, which is with a new local neurologist to investigate the calcification of veins first reported by my dermatologist.

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/730965743?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email_marketing_crm&utm_campaign=at_na_na_vdp_interested_ctr_na_na&utm_content=button_na_atvdp-stillinterested_na_na_CRMATVDPINTERESTED_vdp&lnx=CRMATVDPINTERESTED&emid=e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855I’ve had my eye out for a new work truck for some time. Found a 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Tradesman in Dallas. It has lots of mileage on it but is a single owner, the engine was replaced some 60K miles ago and is otherwise well-maintained. I called, put $500 down via credit card to hold it, and am driving some 78 miles today to see it and probably close the deal and have it delivered to our home in Pecan Plantation. You can see details of the truck here.

Well, the New Year is behind us. As with the past twenty years or so, I went to bed early and was not bothered here in Pecan Plantation by fireworks. Upcoming this week is setting up a couple more doctor appointments, a dialysis lab tomorrow, and assorted other tasks. I’m looking pretty seriously at a 2017 Dodge Ram single-cab Tradesman 4×4 for hauling stuff for the house. We’ll see how that works out. So far my wife’s new 2023 BMW 330Xi is performing very well. I’ve just about got all the bells and whistles under control which is a good thing.

I thought I would include in this blog a video which is below concerning the heart procedure I just underwent for increased clarity. They did enter via my groin area, and I did undergo four hours of laying flat in bed after the procedure. I took the bandage off after 24 hours, showered, and am no worse for wear. In this regard, the human body is a wonderful thing.

One of the ailments I briefly touched on that has bailed me out is the potential for something awry in my stomach and/or lining, as indicated by a grey, almost solid material around my catheter port. My dialysis nurse took a swab sample of it and sent it to the lab along with a two-liter static drain from my stomach. Both samples came back negative for common ailments like Peritonitis but indicated some rare bodies that the go-to treatment takes care of. The go-to treatment I am referring to is the kit provided by Fresenius for us to treat our bags of fluid as soon as we suspect something awry. It consists of oral antibiotics, sterile water for mixing, several vials of powdered chemicals for treatment, hypodermics, etc.

In the past I have done all the care and feeding of my port opening. Since this go-around, my wife has been doing it every evening as she can better see, clean, and care for it than I can. She has also taken over the cycler setup and tear down due to my somewhat weakened self which I appreciate deeply. Luckily we had started to tain her for this apriori, so she was ready when needed.

We had a rather quiet Christmas with our son and his family and Netflix football. Still, consider a lease versus buying a different newer BMW for us. Now more leaning toward buy versus lease. For about the same payments we would own the car at the end of three years versus having nothing to show for our lease expenditures.

Ahoy, dear readers,

As we hoist the sails and navigate through the festive waters of 2024, I want to take a moment to reflect on the journey we’ve shared this year. Just like a steadfast ship braving the waves, we’ve faced the currents of life on peritoneal dialysis with resilience and determination.

This Christmas, let us celebrate the spirit of camaraderie that binds us together, much like a crew united on a mission. Each one of us is navigating our own course, but together, we create a fleet of support, encouragement, and understanding.

May your holiday season be filled with warmth, joy, and the love of family and friends. As we gather around our tables, let us cherish the moments that bring us closer, sharing stories of hope and perseverance.

As we look ahead to the new year, remember that every wave we encounter is an opportunity to grow stronger. With grit as our compass, let us continue to navigate the waters of health and wellness with courage and grace.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with fair winds and following seas!

Warm regards,

Hank Feeser
Retired US Naval Commander

We drive two BMWs. One is primarily mine, a 2019 X5; the other, a 2014 328d, is my wife’s car. Both have been throwing fault codes lately, which concerns my wife. With 75K on her car but no known issues other than a code, her car is in perfect condition. However, to preclude any future problems, we are considering getting her a new BMW. Thus, should we consider a new lease, buy her a new bimmer, or do nothing?

Thus far, I have scoured the internet and found that a new lease for a 330i will generally be about $550 per month for 36 months with about $4500 upfront. What’s better about a BMW lease compared to a Mercedes is that BMW provides all normal maintenance for 20K miles or 2 years while Mercedes wants you go buy a maintenance agreement for several thousand dollars in addition to the cost of the lease. I have also filled out the online forms for both The Lease Outlet and D&M Leasing to see what they have to offer in the way of leasing. So far D&M has texted me and it seems they offer both a 24-month and 36-month lease and also lease used BMWs. I have a call scheduled with them later in the day, Monday so we’ll see what they have to offer.

All of this is part and parcel of us getting our collective acts together for the future. My wife, understandably, wants a car under her that she can trust. I want one with which she doesn’t have to concern herself with the maintenance thus we’re looking into a new car lease. Up to now, I have accomplished all of the maintenance on her 2014 including oil and filter changes, brakes, etc. That is no longer something I can easily accomplish with my degraded physical being. Such is life.

It’s been a rough couple of days – no, almost a week. To add to my woes, I developed an infection in my catheter port which at first was treated with Cephalexin from the kit Fresenius provides us for such treatment. My dialysis nurse also administered me the full bag treatment.

The antibiotic treatment “treated” me to every side effect listed for it as follows:

Side Effects:

Common side effects of cephalexin include:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Tiredness or weakness
• Abdominal pain2

I was completely out of it for several days. Of course, the complexity of my ailments was only compounded by the other ailments going on. We finally got everything sorted out – I am no longer taking this antibiotic, and my port is slowly improving, so I think we are coming out of this phase of “stayin’ alive.”