Day 36 (31 working days) for Jeep hostage situation!
Yesterday was exhausting. It started at 6 am in order to get ready for the Herceptin infusion at 9:30 am and then I didn’t get home from the Jeep place until 6 pm. That’s the only excuse I can give for a three piece chicken dinner from Popeyes for $26 (fees + taxes+ tip). I plead non compos mentis but you would too after my day yesterday.
I feel pretty good this morning considering. Not as good as I used to but better. I remember those days that on Saturday morning I would clean house, wash and iron clothes, mow the yard and trim shrubs. I’m doing good these days to do one of those things. Today, I managed two: cleaned off the kitchen table and dusted the shutters in my bedroom.
I usually dust the shutters when I do my monthly cleaning but that’s gone by the wayside. I knew I needed to do them when I could see the dust sparkling in the sunlight. It’s a chore. You have to clean the upper and lower surface on each slat and then the front and back sides of each slat. I feel accomplished!
There are four sets of shutters in my bedroom and that’s a lot of surface area to dust!
I used the loaner to head to Bliss Nail Salon and get my toenails trimmed. It was only the toenails this time since I’ve learned how to trim my fingernails at home. The price was $10 and it was walk in and walk out. I was probably gone only 30 minutes which included driving time. I left a $5 tip.
The Jeep loaner is a Renegade. It’s stiff to drive and it’s hard to adjust the steering wheel and seat to the proper height/length. It’s good enough for getting around town in but I would hate to take a trip in it. It’s a rough ride.
I’m absolutely, 100% positive the dealership will call me today and tell me my Jeep is ready to drive home.
I can tell my back is getting worse. There are times when I turn a certain way it feels like my lower back is going to give way. It’s a good thing I have physical therapy tomorrow.
Chris and I plan a movie night tonight. I’m looking forward to it. Otherwise, the only other exciting thing is I’m roasting a chicken that needed roasting or I was going to have to throw it out. Looks like chicken for lunch and dinner tonight. Cluck! Cluck!
I thought you might like to see this touching reunion between brother and sister. Either that or it’s two iguanas mating.
The Herceptin infusion went well other than their computer system seemed to have already had me down as completed. The nurse had a hard time getting my meds released to do the infusion. In any case, I was in by 9:15 and out by 12:30. I did meet with Dr. Velez after. He needed the blood results before meeting with me. He also ordered a flow cytometry due to some low or high levels of my white blood cells. His aide was surprised I knew the word and I told Dr. Velez I did flow cytometry when doing graduate work at the med center in Jackson. I was working on catfish white blood cells.
In any case, I agreed it was time to start tamoxifen. He didn’t want me to start it until I started feeling better. I do feel well today. Not sure how long it’ll last it I figure go with it. He gave me the usual warnings of fatigue, aching joints, etc. The biggie is potential blood clots.
When I got home, I had a text from Neyma to click on a link to download an app to finance my Jeep repair – not that it was ready. I called to find out, got disconnected, got sent to voicemail, and then gave up. Neyma then called me back and said I could come get the Jeep and drive it until the sensor comes in. Remember, it was yesterday she led me to believe the sensor was being installed.
I called Joel and he and Keith picked me up and dropped me at the dealership. When I met Neyma, she excused herself to get the paperwork. She returned and informed me that me it would be about an hour. I had already sent Noel and Keith home so I’m waiting in the Jeep lounge.
OK, I think they are playing me. Two and one half hours later, Neyma was packing to go home. She walked back to check on the Jeep and was told would be several more hours. I opted for their offer of a rental car. The Enterprise place was right next door. That took about 30 minutes. I made it home just at 6 pm. I don’t plan on calling the Jeep place ever again. Until they call me, I’ll keep the rental until my Jeep is ready. I figure if they have to pay for a rental, my Jeep will get done faster. So, no sensor, no software upgrade, and I can imagine they haven’t really done anything with the headlamp or headrest. They’ve lied at every turn.
I haven’t had time to cook dinner tonight so I splurged with Popeyes through DoorDash. Of course, 3 pieces of chicken with one side and soft drink runs $26 with tax, fees, and tip. Even so, that’s $16 for 3 pieces of chicken. It’s a good think I’m rich as Croesus. Not.
Trust me, I’m taking some anti-anxiety medicine tonight before I go to bed.
Luck was with me today! I called the dentist’s office around 9 am and after a little negotiation, the receptionist asked if I could make it by 9:45 today. I said yes. I left the house at 9:30 without clearing the dishwasher or making my bed. She said I would have to be patient once I arrived. Arriving was problematic because I caught the drawbridge up and was stymied by the Brightline train. Even so, I pulled into the dentist only 5 minutes late.
I was taken back and the crown was cleared of any residual cement. They marveled that the crown was made in 2010. They also noticed that the two front teeth crowns took turns coming off over the years. It took a little while but the dentist came in, cleaned the remaining part of the tooth of cement and put the crown back in place.
While checking out, I asked about the insurance situation. Apparently, either the practice dropped Delta Dental PPO or the insurance company dropped them. The practice is considered out of network and I am responsible for 20%. My part was $58. It was worth it for such quick service. I was out of there by 11:15 am.
I’ll look into the insurance problem. I would like to stay with my current dentists. Apparently, they now only take Delta Dental PPO Plus Premier. I only have Delta Dental PPO.
I came home, emptied the dishwasher and made my bed. I hate leaving those two things undone before leaving the house. I can now leave the house with a clear conscience to head to the cardiologist appointment in Hollywood.
The cardiologist appointment was quick. He looked at my echocardiogram, asked if I was OK, commiserated with each other over our aches and pains and set the next appointment for 3 months.
I drove to Hollywood Chrysler/Jeep and found Neyma (I’ve been spelling it Nema) at her desk. She confirmed that (1) recall #1 was complete (high pressure fuel pump) (2) recall #2 was complete (software upgrade) (3) driver’s side headrest was installed and (4) headlamp was replaced. They were waiting on the sensor (check engine light). She could find no info on the sensor, whether it was at the dealership or in route. She texted the mechanic and then called but he was on his lunch break and wasn’t answering either.
I asked her to call me when she heard back from the mechanic. I left and headed to Walgreens to pick up two prescriptions. Since I had no lunch and figured my glucose was getting low, I stopped at MickeyD’s for lunch. When I got home around 3:15 pm, I had a message (3:11 pm) from Neyma that the mechanic was pulling my Jeep into the bay as she spoke.
I guess that means it may be ready today – or not. She didn’t indicate she would call me if it was ready. In any case, I’m tired and I’ll pursue this tomorrow unless she specifically calls that the Jeep is ready to be picked up.
Yesterday I thought I clicked on the “Publish” button but apparently failed to do so. I must have really been out of it. As I got out of bed this morning, I felt a little better but probably overdid it again with a 1.2 mile walk.
Yesterday was a drag. I did get the clothes washed but definitely opted out of cleaning the house.
Amazingly, Sergio called me back from the Jeep dealership. I kept checking for voice mails yesterday but nothing showed up until 2:49 pm (the phone didn’t ring). In essence, he found that it was indeed a sensor they were working with and it was either being installed or was going to be installed and Nema was working Monday starting at 7 am. That tells me absolutely nothing. Monday will be 29 working days and 34 calendar days.
Tomorrow I have a 1 pm appointment with my cardiologist in Hollywood. After that appointment, I intend to drive to Hollywood Chrysler/Jeep and ask in person about my Jeep. Not that that will do any good. If it is ready, I’ll drive it home and Uber back to pick up Joel’s car but I have my doubts it will be ready.
For dinner last night I ordered a Super Steak Deluxe 12″ sandwich from Sassano’s. They are pretty good and I certainly didn’t feel like cooking. I was into my first bite when I felt something hard. A cap had come off my front right tooth. First thing Monday I need to make a dental appointment to get it put back on. At least I didn’t swallow it.
I haven’t found a new dentist yet since they no longer take my insurance (yet they billed the company 80% for a cleaning which the company paid) so I’ll go back to the old dentist to get this done. The dentists are very nice but they’ve always had someone who does the billing that does strange things – like bill me when the insurance company pays or tells me my insurance is no longer valid but they get reimbursed anyway.
I also have a Herceptin treatment on Tuesday and a physical therapy appointment on Thursday. Add to that Broward County is considered as high risk for Covid and some people at the cancer center refuse to wear a mask. Oh well.
Apologies! I thought I posted this yesterday. The January 28th post will follow later today.
I think I overdid it yesterday. I’m really dragging today. I did manage 0.58 mile walk this morning but gave up on the longer one I intended. My energy level is down and I can tell my gait is off when I walk. You’d think I would learn but I’m very hardheaded.
I did manage to strip the bed and put clean linens on and get a wash going but I think house cleaning is going to take a back seat this week.
The Jeep saga continues. I called this morning and was immediately shunted through the loop and disconnected. I called again and miraculously got Sergio. I’ve talked to him before and he started to shift me over to Nema and I immediately asked him not to do that. He listened and realized he had previously talked to me. He said he would check his computer and see what he could determine.
I explained that the shop manager told me that the sensor was due in three days ago and that she wanted to make sure there was plenty of time to install it and it would probably be ready on Friday. He was interrupted and what conversation I overheard involved a sensor. He then put me on hold.
I was stunned when he came back on the line. I fully expected to be disconnected. He said a part was billed out (I’m not supposed to billed for a sensor – they told me it was under warranty) but he couldn’t determine anything more via his computer.
I explained my situation, told him it was now a month they’ve had the Jeep and that the sensor was part of the original problem a month ago and that it had supposedly been ordered then. I then shamelessly played the cancer, chemo and physical therapy card. Sergio was apologetic and promised to ask for more information and call me back. We’ll see.
Maybe if I rest today I can get my energy back. Stay tuned!
I know you await with bated breath to hear about the return of my Jeep from the dealership. So do I. It’s just after 2 pm and I still haven’t heard a peep from them. Looks like another week will go by the wayside. I’ve been without my Jeep for 31 days (27 work days).
I actually feel good today! I have energy. I started to do my walk down one of the finger isles but stopped to talk to a neighbor. He was complaining about the high cost of things like replacing his lawnmower. From there we shifted to my plight with the Jeep dealership and then he started in about his frustration getting a washer repaired. Both tales of woe were very similar and very time consuming.
In any case, I stood in one place for a while too long and realized as I started my walk again I wasn’t going to be able to go too far. Yesterday I managed 1.2 miles. At the end of my walk today I had only managed 0.5 miles.
After my second cup of coffee, I started my Friday chores. Normally, I rake the leaves in the west side yard but hadn’t had the energy to do so for several weeks running. I finally got the west side raked and swept the pavers along the west side. Now it was time to tackle the pool filter.
Remember the pool filter and how the top almost hit me when it blew off? Last week when I was unscrewing the top, the rod that runs down the length of the filter canister unscrewed from the bottom, not the top. Apparently, the handle at the top is now firmly affixed to the top of the rod and I have to remove the top and the rod to get to the filter. Then it’s like threading the eye of a needle to put the top back on with the filter in place.
Anyway, I got the filter out, cleaned, and replaced in the canister. From there I watered the plants (no rain in quite a while) cleaned the patio deck and then sprayed weed killer on the back patio and front walk and drive way. It’s been quite a while since I did the spraying and the weeds were taking over.
This is a small section of the front walkway. Give these little buggers an inch and they’ll take over the walkway. It’s been at least a month since I’ve sprayed to keep them at bay. They remind me of the commercial on TV about the weeds taking over the house.
After that, I showered, had lunch and read a bit and then took an hour nap. I needed it. I was tired. I have the energy now but not the muscle strength. Taxol does a number on all living cells including muscle and skin. My skin got so thin it was like tissue paper for a while. I was sloughing off cells but not making any to replace them. I now seem to be replacing them and my skin is less fragile. Now if I can regain some of my muscle strength so I don’t give out on my walks or have to go into a nail salon to get my nails trimmed!
The neuropathy is still with me. I can’t tell if it is better or not. If so, only marginally. I’ve gotten better about wearing compression socks but again, I can’t tell if they do any good. I do know my balance is certainly off. I was turning around in the bathroom yesterday evening to leave after brushing my teeth and almost fell into the tub. I only caught the towel rack at the last moment.
I eagerly sit by the phone awaiting a call from the Jeep dealership.
In theory, the Jeep dealership could call and tell me my Jeep is ready to day. In reality, that’s a pipe dream. I could tell by the tone of the service manager on the telephone that she wouldn’t even consider doing anything to the Jeep until Friday and that was if the part came in.
Last night, my neighbor Chris and I started a movie night. When talking with her on the phone one day, we bemoaned the lack of interesting content on TV even with the multitude of channels and platforms. That led to a discussion of how we both preferred old movies. I invited her over and provided a choice of two: Casablanca and Secondhand Lions. We chose, for our initial movie night, Secondhand Lions.
If you’ve not seen this, and odds are you haven’t, it’s a great movie. For some reason it wasn’t very successful at the box office even though it had a stellar cast. The film came out in 2003 and was the work of Tim McCanlies who wrote and directed the movie. It took him years to bring it to fruition and he insisted it be filmed in Texas. It stars Haley Joel Osment as 14 year old Walter (who grew so much during the filming his voice changed) along with Michael Caine, Robert Duvall and Kyra Sedgwick.
Walter is sent by his mother Mae, played by Sedgwick, to live with this two aging Uncles for the summer. It’s a comedy, a little bit of fluff, and fully entertaining. It involves a needy Mom, a secondhand lion, a conniving family, and two Uncles who have lived an extraordinary life. Chris had never seen it before and I have seen it numerous times and intend to see it numerous more. It’s one of those films I come back to time and again. We decided to keep movie night going for a while.
I don’t have much planned for today other than try to finish an ebook. It’s overcast today but no rain in the forecast. It’s one of those days I’ve done most of my chores, paid my bills, filed my taxes, and pretty much accomplished everything I need to do today so I plan to take it easy.
I started out late this morning – or actually very early – depending on how you look at it. I was awake at 4 am and couldn’t get back to sleep so I read a little and finished up a book on my iPad. I then turned out the light and slept until 8:30. What woke me up was a UPS delivery from Amazon when they rang the doorbell. Otherwise, I might still be sleeping. I was a little loopy until my first cup of coffee.
I did my now normal 14 units of insulin and did a third Covid test – negative for the third day in a row. I’m still getting used to the idea of all this physical therapy on my calendar. I wonder if it will do me any good at all.
Walking past the sliding glass doors to the patio this morning, I noticed two iguanas, apparently not fazed at all from last week’s cool spell. One is developing mating coloration and he is a little longer than a yard if you include the tail. He was flapping his dewlap, either as a warning to the other iguana or trying to attract the other as a mate.
When I learned my zoology in college, no one really knew the function of the dewlap (some texts referred to it as dew nap). Some suggested it as a way of cooling the body in hot weather since it is full of blood vessels. Others suggested a warning signal to predators and others of its kind. The third possibility was it was used to attract mates. The last two seem to be what most zoologists think these days.
I eventually unpacked the Amazon delivery. I needed plain brown mailing envelops and some bubble envelopes as well as regular letter envelopes. The problem was where to store them. I looked for a space in the guest bedroom closet. It was then I noticed the source of all the attic insulation that has been appearing on the floor of the closet for several weeks.
Apparently, when the latest cable installation was done a year or two or three ago, they cut through the ceiling of the closet to run some cable wiring (I didn’t know this). They then tried to patch the opening by taping over it a piece of white cardboard. That had come down and insulation from the attic was falling into the closet. It took a while to deal with that issue and then store all the envelopes on the shelving.
I’ve made two calls to Hollywood Chrysler/Jeep. The first was routed to an actual operator at the dealership and I explained that whenever someone transferred me, I got voice mail and no one returned my calls. I emphasized this was working day 25 they’ve had my Jeep. She apologize profusely and said she would send an email to the manager of the dealership, the service manager, and the service representative. She then told me she was transferring me to the service manager. It went to voice mail. Then it disconnected.
I redialed and it immediately sent me to voice mail. I left one but it’ll do no good. If I feel well enough later today, I may just get someone to drive me over to the dealership and ask in person.
Update! The service manager called me back! She told me they were waiting on the sensor to arrive and it would arrive today. That’s the third time I’ve been told the sensor will “arrive today.” When I said I was frustrated, I’m undergoing chemo and physical therapy and I’m at my wit’s end and that she was the first person to call me back after all the voice mails. She quickly reminded me she had called me back before (not true) and offered me a loaner. I quickly told her the reason she talked to me and offered me the loaner was because I called the national Jeep help number and that’s what it took to get someone on the line.
The result is if the part arrives today (it hasn’t for the last two weeks) it’ll be Friday before my Jeep may be ready. I asked if it took two days to install a sensor. She said Friday because she wanted to be safe. The reality is I have no option other than having the Jeep towed to a different dealership and still having to wait for the part to be ordered at the new dealership. She didn’t even mention the high pressure fuel pump replacement and I didn’t think to ask. Nor do I feel like calling again and trying to find out about that.
I don’t think I’ve ever experienced this level of not caring. I can understand shipping problems on the sensor but then again, how do you order the wrong headlamp? How do you order a driver’s side headrest that must match the interior of a particular Jeep, having it in parts and not know to whom it belongs? Did they order a second headrest since I was informed one was in parts and another anticipated the next shipment? The parts department didn’t know to whom the new headrest was intended.
If I ever get my Jeep back, I certainly intend to write a letter to the national office. It won’t do any good but it’ll probably reduce my frustration to some degree to vent.
It’s been a very busy day. I had a physical therapy evaluation, delivered my taxes to the post office to be sent to my accountant, and picked up a prescription at CVS. I know it doesn’t sound like much but it’s more than I’ve done in months.
I met Shannon at the Holy Cross Rio Vista Physical Therapy location for an evaluation at 1:15 pm. She put me through various physical movements and basically came to the same conclusion as my neurologist. I’m amazingly weak in my legs and right hand. She then scheduled me for 16 additional sessions, all the way until March 28. It averages out to be two per week. What that tells me is that I will not be going on any trips until after March. This doesn’t take into account what the pain management therapist will assign me. And remember, the Herceptin treatments just keep on coming.
Shannon reinforced what Dr. Dunhill, my primary, indicated. I’m gonna have to live with the neuropathy the rest of my life. I can’t imagine trying to hike any distance with my feet on fire like they are. One thing Shannon did show me was I was using the cane wrong. Since I use it with my left hand, she indicated that the toe of the cane should hit the ground at the same time as my right foot. It makes sense.
I asked if Medicare would cover all the sessions and she laughed and said I fell into a special category due to my cancer, chemotherapy, neuropathy, and falling. I was like the perfect storm for getting everything paid by Medicare. I’m so glad I could be of service.
The line in the post office was about 6 deep when I walked in. Usually, when you go into the post office these days, it’s not for something simple like stamps but all I needed was first class postage for my taxes to be sent to my accountant in Boca Raton. This particular branch is closing and I found out today it’ll be in the same shopping center, just around the north corner of the center. At least it won’t be some distant location.
After that, it was a stop at CVS to pick up some rosuvastatin. Of course, everything I do now requires me to give them my new medicare card. I got it in the mail a few days ago and it said there had been some suspicious activity associated with the account (I assume it was the false order of glucose monitors a while back) and the new card would be effective as of yesterday.
I called Mike at Hollywood Chrysler/Jeep (the very specific number for his phone) and got a voice mail. I left a brief message with my name and type of Jeep and that he had told me to call him.
I then called the CJ number direct, got an operator who forwarded me to my original service representative that went to voice mail. The hostage crisis continues. I expect a ransom call any day.
Tonight I plan to eat one of Marie Calender’s Chicken Pot Pies. I tried one out a week or so ago and found it edible. It’s simple to heat up in the oven and I can almost finish one.
Farah answered my email about my insulin to her and said all I needed was to hit 90-110 mg/dL glucose in the morning, fasting. I’m already there so I’ll probably stay at 14 units of insulin for a while.
As you can see, my morning glucose is either below 100 or just above. It’s pretty obvious when I had some lunch.
Good news! I tested negative for Covid today – not even the faintest of lines! I’m not sure I feel any better than yesterday but it’s good to know that I’m negative for the first time since January 5th. I’ve eased off the DayQuil and only take one NyQuil capsule at night so my cough is manageable. Otherwise, I have no symptoms other than the residual cough.
I sent Farah, Dr. Jellinger’s aide, a few graphs of my glucose levels. I had a low glucose episode last night and I’m hovering around the 90-110 mg/dL goal he set by taking 22 units of insulin the last two days. I do peak after meal times but that’s it. I wonder if I should stop at 22 units. She’ll get back to me either today or tomorrow with Dr. Jellinger’s opinion. Hopefully 22 units will do it for me for a while. I understand I’ll eventually have to up the dosage but would like to keep it as low as possible for as long as possible.
Today is day 27 of the Jeep hostage crisis (23 working days) and I’m absolutely, 100% sure the part they’ve ordered (whether it is the headlight or sensor, or whatever) will arrive today. I’m also positive they will have the Jeep completely ready for me to pick up tomorrow. I’m a glass half full type of guy.
Since I’ve finally tested negative, I need to head to a UPS store and return a pair of pants to L.L. Bean. I ordered the pants as a substitute for blue jeans. Because I’ve lost feeling in my fingers and strength in my right hand, as ludicrous as it sounds, I have a very hard time buttoning the top button of jeans (I gave up on the Levi 501’s earlier in the chemo routine). They also fit too tightly in the legs and it’s hard to pull them on and take them off. I figured a loose fitting pair of pants would work better.
Loose fitting is the operative word. I have a measure for checking my waist size and it kept reading 38 inches. My jeans are 38. I ordered the pants for 38. There’s probably a 3 inch gap between the pants and my waist. I did lose, on my scales, 25 pounds since my surgery in July. I’ll return these today and then probably re-order a pair with a waist size of 34. Maybe I should try the old Sans-a-Belt pants that used to be popular during my childhood for gentlemen of a certain age.
I got some unofficial good news from Charle’s wife Minnie Jean, about the PET scan. She accessed MyChart and it indicated no sign of any spread of cancer. They’ve yet to hear official word from the doctor but it sounds promising. I’m sure they are relieved. I can officially attest to the stress that puts you under.
Our cool weather is over for a while. We’ll be back in the low 80’s for the week. It’s been really windy for the last three days and I need to get the leaves out of the pool.
Other than a trip to the UPS store, my major goal is to get my paper work in order to send off my taxes to my CPA. I’m actually pretty good about keeping it somewhat organized during the year and I could probably do them myself with TurboTax but I’m lazy and the CPA does them quickly for me, e-files them and gets the refund sent to my checking account. That, and if there is a problem, he deals with the IRS for me.
