Health update

 

This is an "omnibus post" to draw together threads from various earlier report-backs and clarify the situation for those interested.  If you don't want to know, that's OK.  Go read the bloggers in the sidebar.

Regular readers will know that for the past three years or so, I've been battling some very debilitating medical issues.  One was resolved (after five hospital procedures) with the removal of my right kidney last year.  The remaining kidney seems to be working just fine, for which I'm duly grateful!

The other problem is proving much, much more difficult to resolve.  Briefly, more than 22 years ago I suffered an injury to my spine.  A discectomy didn't work, so the vertebrae involved had to be fused.  Unfortunately, the injury (aggravated by almost half a year's delay in getting initial surgery, thanks to bureaucratic fumbling) resulted in permanent damage to my left sciatic nerve.  Since then, I've had limited mobility (sometimes very limited) and been in pain 24/7/365.  I've mostly kept it under control through some pretty strong pain medication, but that doesn't always work.  I've learned to grit my teeth through the bad days, and carry on regardless.

About three years ago I became aware of a steady increase in pain levels in my lower back, and more frequent difficulties with nerve pain in my left leg.  Over the past couple of years I've undergone multiple CT scans, neurological examinations and other tests, but could never get doctors to agree on precisely what the problem was and/or what should be done (particularly whether a given procedure would solve all my problems, or require other procedures to deal with some of them).  Eventually, in sheer frustration, a couple of months ago I asked for my case to be referred to a top neurosurgeon in Dallas, to ask for his opinion.

Well . . . I've received his opinion, and I don't like it (not that complaining helps - it's about as much use as farting against thunder).  Basically, he says that yes, several of my lumbar vertebrae need attention.  However, since the exact issues affecting my pain, mobility, etc. can't be accurately determined, the vertebrae involved should not be fused until that is known, because surgery could not be guaranteed to fix things.  Lacking such certainty, other treatment options should be pursued.

All right, then.  We move on to dealing with the symptoms until such time as we can more precisely define the cause.  I've been consulting a pain management specialist for some months, and will discuss the neurosurgeon's opinion and future options with him on Friday.  I don't want to increase my present dosage of (opioid) pain medication, but I may not have much choice in the matter in the short term.

There are three problems needing to be fixed, or at least alleviated.

1. The damaged nerve in my left leg, and its root in the (compressed) spinal cord, are affecting my balance to an ever greater extent.  I've always been slightly unsteady on my feet since my injury, but over the past couple of years this has gotten worse.  I now have to use a walking stick to cover anything other than short distances, in case the nerve "shorts out" for a second or two and dumps me on the ground.  Thank heavens for shopping carts - without them, I couldn't walk around a supermarket for long.  I've had a couple of bad falls, most recently just last week, where I had to call for help to get up again.  When your left leg and hip has turned into a useless meat deadweight and won't respond to your nerve signals at all, it makes life rather tricky!  Still, I won't complain too much about it.  There are people who've suffered the same injury I did who never walked again.  Compared to them, I'm well off.  If worse comes to worst, I guess I may have to look at a mobility scooter or something like that, although I really don't want to use one.
2. The balance issues appear to be conflicting with pain management.  I've been wearing a back brace for several months while walking, which does alleviate some of the pain and helps me stay on my feet longer (and lift things more easily when that becomes necessary).  However, the more often (and longer) I wear the back brace, the less steady my gait becomes and the easier it is to lose my balance.  When I think about it, it was compression of the nerve in the first place (during my original injury) that caused my ongoing problems, so it's perhaps logical that adding additional compression via a back brace may aggravate things.  A neurological Catch-22, perhaps? That will be a topic for discussion with the pain management specialist on Friday.
3. Some of the newer treatments (for example, caudal epidural steroid injections - of which I've had two so far (ouch!) - and, potentially, radiofrequency ablation for pain management, which is a convoluted medical term meaning they cauterize nerve endings) have side effects that can cause and/or aggravate other problems.  (For example, hope and pray they cauterize the right nerve(s), because there's no coming back from that if they don't!)  If I'm to continue with such methods, I need to understand precisely what's involved, and decide whether the promised benefits are worth the almost inevitable downsides.  On the other hand, what (if any) are the alternatives?

Financially, we're coping.  In case you missed earlier posts on this subject, I've had to argue ad nauseam with bureaucrats in both workers comp (for my original injury) and a medical insurer (for current problems).  Neither wants to pay, seeking instead to pin the responsibility for the situation on the other.  Meanwhile, since we can't wait for them to sort out their turf wars, we've had to pay our own way up front.  We hope to recover at least some of that money from one or the other agency in due course.  Thanks to reader generosity during my fundraiser last year (and a few who've continued that support since then - shout out to C. in particular!), plus our savings, plus a second mortgage on our home, we've been able to cope with the bills racked up so far (several tens of thousands of dollars).  We remain deeply grateful for your help and support, without which our lives would be a whole lot more complicated right now.

Anyway, that's the state of my health so far.  Thank you again to everyone who's supported us, and inquired after my health, and sent up prayers for us.  All are greatly appreciated.

Peter

On hiatus for LibertyCon

 

My wife and I, along with friend of long standing Alma Boykin, are headed out this morning to attend LibertyCon in Chattanooga, TN.  We'll get there Thursday evening, and be back home on Monday evening next week, God and the traffic permitting.

Blogging will be sparse during our absence.  I'll try to put up an article or two during free moments, but conventions typically don't include many of those!  Therefore, please amuse yourselves with the bloggers in my sidebar.

I'll see y'all on the other side.  Prayers for traveling mercy will, as always, be greatly appreciated.

Peter

Kat really needs our help

 

Late last month, I wrote about Kat Ainsworth Stevens.

She's a friend and occasional member of the North Texas Troublemakers, and an active gun writer - you've probably read articles by her if you read gun mags or several well-known Internet sites.  When last I wrote about her, she was facing imminent surgery for breast cancer, and since she's a free-lancer, she doesn't have medical insurance to help.

She's had her surgery, which was massive - double mastectomy, every lymph gland in sight, all that sort of thing.  She's recovering from it at present, and is facing both radiation and chemotherapy to knock down any remaining traces of the cancer.  To make matters worse, her four-year-old son developed some sort of intestinal disorder that required him to be hospitalized as well:  but Kat can't visit him much, because her wounds are still draining and the risk of infection is simply too great.  That's a very tough row to hoe.

Kat's received her first bill from the hospital.  It's well into the five-figure bracket, and it won't be the last, either, what with chemical and radiological therapy still to come.  Her friends have therefore organized a raffle for a Foxtrot Mike Ranch Rifle (description at link).

The one on offer in the raffle has been upgraded even further, making it a very desirable firearm.  Click the link to see it in more detail, with more and larger images, and enter for the raffle.  Any donation up to $100, no matter how small, gets one ticket, and multiple tickets are given for larger donations - details at the link.

Kat's good people, and deserves our help.  Please donate whatever you can afford, either to the raffle, or (if you prefer) to the original GiveSendGo fundraiser, which is still in operation.

Thanks, friends.

Peter

A friend needs our help

 

Many of you have doubtless read articles in gun magazines and related publications by Kat Hel.  Lately she's written under her married name of Katherine Ainsworth Stevens.  She's a friend to most of us in the North Texas Troublemakers, and to my wife and I.  She visited our home just a week ago.

Kat has been diagnosed with breast cancer, and it's the nasty kind.  She's to undergo a double mastectomy within weeks, followed by reconstructive surgery and all the cancer-related treatments (chemotherapy, possibly radiation therapy, and so on).  She has to handle all this while coping with a four-year-old son and a husband who's himself undergoing treatment for a long-term condition, and is thus less able to help.  It's a hell of a load on her shoulders.  To make matters worse, Kat is a free-lance writer.  She doesn't have medical insurance, and has to pay for all the costs involved out of her (minuscule) savings - which are already exhausted.  The hospital is helping as best it can, but the specialists involved are demanding their pound of flesh (you should pardon the expression) in cash.

A friend of Kat's has launched a GiveSendGo fundraiser for her medical expenses.  Dorothy and I have already contributed separately, as have many of our friends.  She needs a lot of money, so I'm boosting the signal here.  If you're able to help Kat, she's good people and deserves our aid.  Please click over to her fundraiser and contribute whatever you can.  It'll be money well spent.

Thanks in advance, friends.

Peter

Back from the hospital

 

The caudal injection seems to have gone OK, apart from a fair amount of pain during the procedure.  The doctor informed me that the mass of scar tissue in the area - the cumulative result of a bullet wound many years ago, followed by two spine surgeries after my disabling injury in 2004 - made it difficult to pass between the lumps to get at the caudal cavity, and resisted the needle, hence causing added pain.  However, once he got in there, it went well.

I'm back home now with a numb butt and vague feelings of posterior resentment.  This, too, shall pass.  Thanks for all the prayers and good wishes!

Peter

Health update

 

Since my last health update, there's been a lot of "hurry up and wait" and several frustrating disagreements among medical professionals who can't agree on what they want to do to me.  I'm beginning to feel like a laboratory guinea-pig.

All the doctors agree that "Something Must Be Done!" - but they can't seem to agree what that Something should be.  The main point of contention appears to be whether I need three more vertebrae to be fused, adding on to my present fusion site, or whether the existing fusion should be removed and a sort of reinforcing tube or grid built around all the vertebrae in my lumbar spine.  The latter is agreed to be the strongest option, and the least likely to give further problems in future, but it's also the most invasive and potentially harmful if something goes wrong.  (Doctors:  "Nothing Will Go Wrong!"  Their nurses, talking to me when the doctor has gone out for a moment:  "Don't You Believe It!"  I think some of the doctors want to do it purely so they can say they've had experience with the procedure, but I'd rather have a doctor who's done it before, as many times as possible, so he's not graded low on the learning curve.)

I've just about finished with the tests that were required to get this far.  (Believe it or not, it's taken over six months to go through them all!)  The file of test results is pretty thick by now, but it still hasn't provided enough evidence for the doctors to decide on the best approach.  I'm going to give them until the end of February, then, if there's still no decision, I'm going to take the entire file and CD's of all the imaging and go to a completely different hospital network in the DFW area for a second opinion.  That will delay proceedings, but I hope will provide greater clarity.  Besides that, the doctors in the other network appear to be considerably more experienced than those in the local one, so I hope I'll be dealing with specialists who've faced this combination of issues before and treated it/them successfully.

Meanwhile, thanks to your generosity, dear readers, the bills are paid up to date, and so far (cross fingers, touch wood, etc.) things look manageable in terms of future planning.  I remain very grateful to you all.  I'd hate to have financial worries hanging over the physical ones!  Thanks to you, I haven't got that added complication.  Pain remains a daily problem, but I've added another medication targeting peripheral neuropathy issues, which has helped reduce the dosage of painkillers I've been popping.  That makes me feel less zombie-fied, if you know what I mean, and is yet another reason for gratitude towards God, the doctors and all of you.

So far, so good.  I'll provide another update in a couple of months.

Peter

Boxing Day

 

The day after Christmas is known as Boxing Day in Britain and most Commonwealth nations.  I've had a few questions from American friends about why it's named that.  Wikipedia supplies a simple answer:

The Oxford English Dictionary gives the earliest attestation from Britain in 1743, defining it as "the day after Christmas day", and saying "traditionally on this day tradespeople, employees, etc., would receive presents or gratuities (a 'Christmas box') from their customers or employers."

The term "Christmas box" dates back to the 17th century, and among other things meant:

A present or gratuity given at Christmas: In Great Britain, usually confined to gratuities given to those who are supposed to have a vague claim upon the donor for services rendered to him as one of the general public by whom they are employed and paid, or as a customer of their legal employer; the undefined theory being that as they have done offices for this person, for which he has not directly paid them, some direct acknowledgement is becoming at Christmas.

In Britain, it was a custom for tradesmen to collect "Christmas boxes" of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year. This is mentioned in Samuel Pepys' diary entry for 19 December 1663. This custom is linked to an older British tradition in which the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families since they would have had to serve their masters on Christmas Day. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts, bonuses, and sometimes leftover food. Until the late 20th century, there continued to be a tradition among many in the UK to give a Christmas gift, usually cash, to vendors, although not on Boxing Day, as many would not work on that day.

There's more at the link.

As a child in South Africa, I remember my parents putting together "Christmas boxes" (usually envelopes) for the workers who delivered mail, bottles of milk, and other services to our home.  They'd give them to the workers a couple of days before Christmas, rather than the day after, because so many of them would be hung over after Christmas and might not make it to work that day!

With the passing of the "servant era" in Western society, the concept of Boxing Day has died away, too.  I think that's a pity.  It's worth remembering those on whose service we rely every day of the year, and acknowledging that in some practical way.

Peter

A happy, holy and blessed Christmas to all my readers

 

May the reason for the season find a home in your hearts, and may we all remember precisely Who we are celebrating at this time of year.

This blog will go silent tomorrow in honor of the day.  I'll be back on Friday.

And, for those who prefer a secular season, this kicked over my giggle-box!

Peter

I feel like a laboratory specimen

 

Most of my readers are doubtless aware of my ongoing medical issues, including the removal of a kidney back in September, and your generous response to my appeal for funds to help pay for previous expenses plus what lies ahead.  I'm very grateful to you all for your ongoing support.

I'm in the middle of a series of follow-up consultations on what the various tests have discovered.  Briefly, my lower spine has deteriorated rather more than anticipated, partly due to the injury I suffered in 2004 and its treatment at that time, and partly due to my advancing age.  There's no doubt that further surgery will be needed.  One "side" of the medical fraternity thinks that it will be best to extend my existing spinal fusion to take in two adjacent vertebrae.  The other "side" says that won't be enough, and instead wants to remove the existing fusion altogether and encase my lower (lumbar) spine in a sort of cage or mesh, supporting the whole thing in all directions.  Both sides agree that surgery is necessary, but not what surgery, or how to go about it.  Me, I'm the "piggy-in-the-middle", a playing-ground for neurosurgeons who are having a fine old time arguing with each other about what they (rather than I!) want to do next.  It's . . . frustrating - and while all the arguing is going on, I'm paying for their discussions.  That's even more frustrating!

There are trade-offs to be considered as well.  It seems that whatever surgical solution is adopted, my lumbar vertebrae are likely to end up pretty solidly fixed together.  That's going to make bending and twisting a lot harder than it already is (even though pain levels should improve).  The mesh solution will be more restrictive than extending the fusion, but will offer greater long-term support.  Which to choose, and why?  I'm a layman.  I can't answer that - but the doctors won't give me a single, straightforward answer.  They simply tell me the alternatives, then say "It's up to you which one you want to choose."  Since I'm not an expert, and I can't predict the future or its challenges, how am I supposed to know which to choose?  I may as well glue some gears on my spine and call it steampunk!

So, here's what's going to happen over the next six months to a year.

• I'm going to work with a pain management specialist, a neurosurgeon (possibly more than one) and a neurologist, to try to pin down the best approach to solving my spinal problems and getting into the best shape I can for whatever lies ahead.  In the short term, I may get a Spinal Cord Stimulation unit implanted in my back;  that's currently (you should pardon the expression) under consideration.
• I'm going to try to get a lot fitter and lose a lot of weight.  I'm going to find that very difficult, because my pain levels increase drastically when I exercise (even walking a short distance);  hence the SCS unit and/or increased doses of analgesics (to be determined).  It's a high priority.  I'll probably follow Dr. Jason Fung's fasting protocol (adjusted to suit my needs) for several days each week, in an effort to speed up the weight loss, but that will have to be carefully monitored to see whether or not my medication doses need to be amended to compensate.  If it's not one thing, it's another . . .
• I'll continue physical therapy and other exercises, so as to be in the best possible condition (which isn't saying much!) for whatever the surgeons may determine is the way forward.

This means the surgery I expected to have during the first quarter of 2026 will be postponed, certainly until the second half of the year and perhaps longer.  I don't like that - I'd much rather get it over right now! - but the specialists are unanimous that I need to "make haste slowly" and not rush it.  I'll be guided by their expertise, if only because they won't operate until they're more sure themselves!  I'm in their hands and at their mercy.

Ongoing care at this level will continue to be a drain on the funds I've saved up (and you've donated) for hospital treatment, but it's unavoidable right now.  As I recover from the loss of a kidney, I find I'm able to write more easily, so I'll try to get a new book (perhaps a new series?) out during 2026.  God willing, that will help to fund more medical misadventures.

Thank you all for your prayers, support and understanding.  I'll continue to "fight the good fight" as long and as hard as I can.

Peter

A song for Thanksgiving

 

Sometimes the old traditions speak more clearly to us than their modern descendants.  Here's Maddy Prior with a medley of "Marigold" and "Harvest Home".

A happy and blessed Thanksgiving to all of you.  May we give thanks where they are due, and seek renewed blessings for the year ahead.

Peter

A heartfelt "Thank you!" to my generous readers

 

In early October I asked for your help for James and Tirzah Burns, two friends of long standing.  James had been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic disease, and was in hospital, and another friend had launched a fundraiser to help them with related expenses.  Many thanks to those who donated.

Sadly, James' illness was too far advanced.  He died on October 29th.  I mentioned it in these pages, and again asked for your help for the family with funeral and other expenses.  Again, some readers were generous, and helped a great deal.

Tirzah is now dealing with all the post-funeral bureaucratic paperwork, and preparing their two children for life without Dad at home.  It's going to be tough for them.  Despite all the distractions and the pain of her loss, she sent me this brief text message this morning:  "Peter, please thank your readers for me for such kind donations".  Together, we helped her keep the family afloat, financially speaking, while James was no longer able to earn a living, and now his life insurance and other assistance are in the process of kicking in (once all the paperwork is done).  They should be able to cope for several months at least.

I'd like to add my personal thanks to Tirzah's.  She's good people, as are her children.  My wife and I hope to have them visit us sometime soon, to relax and get over the stress of the past few months.  They're definitely the kind of people worthy of our support.

Peter

Happy birthday, USMC - and thanks for helping to keep me alive

 

Today is the 250th birthday of the United States Marine Corps, founded on 10 November 1775.  Congratulations to the Corps and all its members.

I have a particular reason to thank the Corps.  After the Vietnam War, a number of former US Marines didn't want to go back to the USA, because anti-war sentiment was rampant and they were fed up with being accused of being "baby-killers" and sundry other pleasantries.  Instead, they wanted to go on "killing commies", as some of them put it.  A number of them made their way to southern Africa, joining the armed forces of South Africa and Rhodesia.  I met several of them in both countries.

I've never forgotten one of them in particular.  I won't name him, at his request some years ago.  I was a raw recruit, lying prone on the firing line during basic training.  I was bored, shooting a few rounds, waiting for score, then doing the same again ad nauseam.  The blistering hot African heat didn't help matters.  I muttered something to the man alongside me, something like "When are we going to stop wasting time on this **** and do something more interesting?"

I felt a kick on my outstretched boot. Rolling halfway over and looking up, I saw one of our instructors, a former US Marine now wearing South African Warrant Officer insignia.  I shriveled internally, waiting to be reamed for talking out of turn and assigned punishment PT.  Instead, the Warrant Officer just looked tired.  Glaring down at me, he said, "Recruit, an amateur practices until he's got it right.  A professional practices until he can't get it wrong!"  He didn't wait for a reply, but turned away to sort out another recruit who wasn't doing what he was supposed to be doing.

I've never forgotten that moment, or his words.  They became a mantra for me, and I'm sure they kept me alive in some engagements during my military service and afterwards.  From 1976 through 1994, South Africa was plagued with constant internal unrest, terrorism and authoritarian crackdowns.  I had the misfortune to be on the scene, in and out of uniform, for over 100 shooting engagements.  I bear some of the scars of those years to this day.  I kept that former Marine's advice firmly in mind through it all, and that mental and physical preparedness (as well as, of course, the grace of God!) is probably the only reason I survived those years.

So, thank you, USMC.  I have personal cause to be grateful to you!

Peter

Health update

 

I figured it was time to give you all an update on how my health situation is progressing (particularly those generous souls who donated to my fund-raising appeal).

My right kidney was removed on September 26.  It's been a long, slow recovery since then, with stringent restrictions on how much I can lift and what I can do.  The incisions (multiple) have been healing a lot more slowly than I'd like, and are still not fully covered with skin, but then they were very deep.  Also, as my surgeon has repeatedly pointed out, in one's late 60's one's body doesn't recover as fast as it did in one's late 20's!  Fortunately, the progress is all in the right direction, albeit a lot too slow for my impatient self.  With luck, I hope everything will be "skinned over" (if I can put it that way) by the beginning of December, when my other restrictions are scheduled to be eased.  That means I can get on with rehab and rebuilding my strength.

I've had a first consultation with a highly-rated local rehab facility, planning for post-operative reconditioning and extended work on strengthening my core and (hopefully) getting the muscles around my lower spine in better condition to support the surgery that's planned for that area.  It's going to take time to build up to three sessions a week, but I'm going to work at it.  Hopefully I'll combine stretching and conditioning (under supervision) with swimming and exercise bicycle/elliptical workouts.  I hope to start that in December, and plan to work on it for up to (and if necessary more than) a year, depending on what happens next.

I'm still undergoing tests to help the neurosurgeon decide what surgery would be most effective to address my spinal issues.  Unfortunately, the tests are uncovering complications that we hadn't expected.  On Monday this week I went to a neurologist for an electromyograph, both surface (using electrodes) and subcutaneous (using needles).  If I understood the technicians correctly, this is supposed to reveal current drop through the nerves and muscles, showing precisely which muscles are most affected by problems.  From that information, the neurosurgeon can deduce which part(s) of the spine are most affected, because it'll be the nerves flowing from it to the muscle(s) concerned that are the ones needing attention.  It's a bit complicated for a simple man like me (ahem), but I think that's the gist of it.  The test revealed definite deterioration since the last one I had, twenty years ago, but in different areas of the legs - which is not very helpful!

The test also revealed an additional nerve problem, peripheral neuropathy, which must now be tracked down to its source and taken into account when planning surgery.  I wasn't aware of that problem, but the neurologist explained it was because the level of pain from my already-damaged nerves was high enough to "mask" the lower-level pain and discomfort caused by the neuropathy.  What next?  Your guess is as good as mine.

(Oh - and further thanks to those of you who donated to my fund-raiser.  Monday's test billed at a cool $6,300 for a couple of hours being poked and prodded by two technicians and a neurosurgeon.  Thanks to you, that's no longer the financial headache it might otherwise have been.)

My next step, probably in early December, will be another consultation with my neurosurgeon, bringing together the results of all the tests I've been through over the last four months or so.  He'll tell me what he's diagnosed as a result, and the surgery he recommends to fix the problem(s).  At that point I'm going to put matters on hold locally, get full copies of all the tests and their results, and go see another neurosurgeon in DFW to get a second opinion.  Given the cost of this exercise and the potential for things to go wrong, I want to be very sure of my options before I move forward.  That will probably happen during the first quarter of 2026, after which we'll see what happens.

Thanks again for your help and support, and particularly for your prayers.  They're greatly appreciated.

Peter

Sad news

 

Regular readers will remember my bleg a few weeks ago to help James and Tirzah Burns.  James was suffering from pancreatic and other problems, and was in a bad way.  I linked to a GiveSendGo fundraiser for them.

Sadly, James didn't make it.  His illness was too far advanced.  He went home last week under hospice care, and died yesterday afternoon.

Tirzah is left with their two young children, a son and a daughter, and now has to take care of all the arrangements for the funeral and a host of legal paperwork.  James was the family breadwinner, so there's also the question of how the family will earn a living in future.  My wife and I love and highly respect Tirzah, so we're sure she'll be working hard to find solutions, but to lose one's "other half" is . . . well, to call it "traumatic" is a massive understatement!  She's got a very big load on her shoulders for the next few months.

If you're able, please click over to their fundraiser and help the family with even a small amount.  Every little helps.

May James rest in God's peace, and may his sins be forgiven him.

Peter

OK, another car question

 

Thank you to everyone who responded to my car question yesterday.  It looks like, thanks to tariffs and other issues, repairs may cost north of $3K, and given that the value of the car is probably not much greater than that, the calculus is leaning in the direction of replacement.

Online research shows that there's virtually nothing worth having under $10K in the used car market.  Either the mileage is as great or greater than our present vehicle, or there are persistent reliability issues, or availability is haphazard.  Moving up to $15K doesn't improve things very much, although there is a greater selection.  At $20K upward, there's plenty of availability, but low-mileage vehicles remain hard to find in good condition:  most are in the 80-140K mile range, with some notable exceptions.  That means, if we want a reliable replacement to use for the medium to long term, we have to look at new vehicles as well.

The cheapest new vehicle I can find is the Kia Soul (which I've driven before, and is OK as an urban runabout), or the Ford Maverick mini-pickup.  The Maverick's ride quality isn't great, but it's a truck, not a car, and can't be expected to be as soft-riding and comfortable as the Soul.  It does have the advantage of reasonably good utility, with a small loadbed and a back seat that can accommodate a fair amount of baggage or household debris.  Both the Soul and the Maverick (in base model configuration) are in the mid-$20K base price range, plus tax, title, license, etc.  If we move up to the $30-$35K range, there are a lot more options, but then, that's a lot more money.

There's also the big disadvantage that some manufacturers are now demanding monthly subscription payments to use even the most basic in-car services (Toyota, I'm looking at you!).  I'm simply not prepared to do this.  There are also dealers who advertise "no-haggle" prices (that always seem higher than those who will negotiate), and others who low-ball trade-in offers.  There are also too many dealers who add gimmicks pre-sale (e.g. windows engraved with an "anti-theft" serial number, nitrogen tire fills, etc.), and want to charge hundreds of dollars for them, and won't sell you a vehicle without them.  There are an awful lot of shysters out there, it seems to me . . .  Any advice on tell-tale signs that a particular dealer may be more trouble than he's worth?  Obvious red flags?

Therefore, I turn to knowledgeable readers again, to ask for your input.  The need is for local transport of one or two older people, with occasional longer-distance excursions (e.g. 300-400 mile round trip in a day).  Economy is important, as is reliability, and the vehicle should not cost an arm and a leg to insure.

1. If you were looking for a lower-cost vehicle for that mission, what would you recommend?  New or used?
2. Has anyone had experience with the Ford Maverick mini-pickup models?  I'd be very interested to hear what they're like to own, particularly reliability, ride quality, etc.  Their overall utility is appealing.
3. Is there any vehicle that you absolutely would not recommend, due to issues, problems, or whatever?

Thanks in advance for your input.  I'm grateful for your help.

Peter

Post-surgery update and car info request

 

As regular readers will know, one of my kidneys was removed in late September.  Close to a month later, things are on the mend, but painfully slowly (emphasis on the "painfully" sometimes!).

Some of the surgery scars are healing nicely, to the point that they're almost closed with minimal scab left.  Others - including the largest one - are unfortunately taking rather longer to close up.  I'm told that's inevitable, due to natural movement of my body as I walk around or turn over in my sleep, but it's nevertheless irritating me with the slowness of the process.  To add to the fun (?), those bigger scars are itching intensely as the skin grows over the areas where it had been cut open.  I'm constantly having to fight the urge to scratch them.  Keeping them covered helps, and keeps out the dirt, but then they don't dry out, either, which appears to prolong the healing process.  Catch-22, anyone?

The internal injuries caused by taking out the kidney appear to be well on the mend.  The initial pain and "hollowness" I felt have largely ended, and the hollow left in my abdomen by the sudden absence of a kidney is "balancing out" with the rest of my belly.  I'm on a lifting restriction of not more than ten pounds for another six weeks at least, and I have to be careful to observe that;  I've slipped up a couple of times, and the sliced muscles let me know very sharply that I shouldn't do that again.  Apparently I'll be allowed to lift up to 20-25 pounds by mid- to late November, which will help me get back to normal in helping around the house.  All being well, the recovery process should be complete early next year.

Thank you, yet again, to all of you who've helped with the costs of this operation, and with your good wishes and prayers.  It's become a cliche to say "I couldn't do this without you", but that's the plain and simple truth of the matter.  I don't have family in the USA, but I have a support network of readers and online friends and acquaintances, and you've all helped me to get over this particular hump.  I remain very grateful to you all.

Now, if I may, a quick question to the car aficionados among us.  Our 2014 Nissan Pathfinder SUV has just begun to show front suspension problems, which I'll have checked out today.  The irritating thing is that this will be the third time that we've had problems in that area (most recently just over a year ago), and fixing them is not cheap (including labor, over $2K in the past, and with tariffs and other increases, perhaps over $3K today).  The vehicle is about to turn over 180K miles, and is running well apart from the suspension issues.  My dilemma is this:  is it worth sinking another $3K+ into a known issue that may well recur in 1-2 years time, and keep the vehicle running, or is it better to trade it in whilst the rest of it is in very good condition, and find a newer and more reliable ride?  I can see pro's and con's either way.  Based on your knowledge and experience of the car market, what would you recommend?  Please let us know in Comments.  (And, just to reassure anyone who's worrying, no, we won't use any funds donated for surgical costs to pay for the vehicle!)

Thanks again, everyone.

Peter

Another bleg for two dear friends

 

Tirzah and James Burns are close friends of my wife and myself.  If I recall correctly, we met Tirzah even before she met James.  I officiated at their wedding in 2013, and baptized their son and daughter a few years later at Libertycon in Chattanooga, where they live.

James has developed severe problems with his pancreas, to the point that a few weeks ago, doctors weren't certain whether he'd be able to survive them.  They've managed to get things back into some sort of balance, but there's a long way still to go.  Meanwhile, of course, James' income has dried up.  We and other friends have helped as best we can, but more is needed.

Oleg Volk, also a long-standing friend of the Burns, has therefore started a fundraiser for their medical and other expenses.  May I ask you to help the Burns family in their great need?  They're very good people, and are beloved of Dot and I.  Thanks in advance.

Peter

Southbound again

 

As you read these words, my wife and I will be heading for the DFW metroplex to have my 33 surgical staples withdrawn.  I'm not looking forward to it one little bit, but the skin around the incisions is already looking increasingly irritated as they prevent further healing, so it's time it was done.  If you hear several high-pitched yelps from that direction, it's only me . . .

Prayers for traveling safety and a safe return will be gratefully received, as always.  I'll try not to bleed too much on the journey homeward.

Peter

An overwhelming feeling of gratitude

 

A friend asked me this morning what my primary emotional state was at present.  Was it about the pain from my surgery, which is still quite intense?  Was it depression at not being able to do so many things I'd taken for granted?  Was it not being able to help my wife with routine housework?  After thinking about it for a while, I surprised him - and myself, for that matter - by realizing that my overwhelming feeling right now is gratitude.

I'm very grateful that I live in a country where access to top-quality health care is feasible, so long as one has the necessary financial resources to pay for it:  and, even if one doesn't, very often a plan can be made to sponsor treatment or offset the costs in some other way.  There are large parts of the world (including many in my old Third World stamping grounds) where this sort of treatment, for this sort of problem, simply would not be an option, and I'd be very unlikely to be able to get the necessary visas and funding to pay for it elsewhere.

I'm profoundly grateful for the generosity of my friends and readers, people like you.  I genuinely didn't think there'd be enough support to achieve my fundraising target of $50,000, but you came through like champions, and we reached it within eight days.  That's a very humbling thought, that so many of you were prepared to dig deep into your own pockets for little old me.

I'm also grateful that we have financial institutions who are prepared to risk their money on someone who's built up a good credit record.  My wife and I had planned to finance this surgery and subsequent operations in three ways.  A third would come from a fund-raiser (we hoped);  a third would come from a second mortgage on our home;  and a third would come from our existing assets - savings, investments, part of my gun collection, etc. - that we could cash out for this purpose.  The second mortgage took a while to arrange, and the interest rate is higher than we hoped to pay, but it came through a week before the surgery.  Its proceeds, along with those from our fundraiser, are now lodged safely in savings accounts, ready for use whenever we need them.

Not least, I'm grateful that so many of our local friends have shown willing to come by, visit with us, make sure we're OK and have everything we need, cook meals so that we don't have to prepare them ourselves, and so on.  They're all busy people, and we know we're an added burden on their time at present, but they've stepped up to the plate like champions.

So, you see, the pain (intrusive and unwanted as it is), depression and other negatives are simply unimportant compared to the many blessings we've been given.  My wife and I can only look around us and shake our heads in disbelief at how good God and our friends have been to us.  It renews in us a determination to be equally good neighbors to others as and when the need arises.  Our present situation would be a lot harder to deal with without such help.

It's also a helpful reminder to all of us to invest in our relationships during times when it's relatively easy to do so.  We've built up a very warm, friendly little network in north Texas, perhaps a couple of dozen people in all spread over several hundred square miles, and many of us have taken advantage of those friendships in the past.  Long may they be there for all of us!  If you haven't been fortunate enough to have built up such a network in the past, perhaps now would be a very good time to begin, so that when the need arises, it - and they - will be there for you, and vice versa.

So, yet again, thanks, dear friends.  We couldn't do this without you, and we remain very grateful to you all.  God bless.

Peter

Plodding along

 

Recovery continues, slowly but surely.  My wife is being a tower of support, despite the burden that I must represent to her right now:  she has to put aside or delay many of her normal activities in order to care for my wounds, help me move around when my body locks up on me, and generally soothe my fevered brow and make me feel better.  The fact that she does so uncomplainingly is miraculous, in my book.  Yet again, I'm deeply grateful that the good Lord brought us together, and that she said "Yes" when I popped the question.  I'm sure there have been times when she's wondered about that, in retrospect!

I'm definitely noticing a slowdown in my recovery from this surgery.  Previously, I'd have expected to bounce back from it fairly quickly, so that within 2-3 days the pain had largely worn off and it was simply a matter of waiting for the stitches to come out.  Now... not so much.  Five and a half days after the staples were inserted, they hurt more than they did that first day, probably because there are so many of them. We're using an antiseptic on them, to prevent any outbreaks of infection, but there doesn't seem to be any - just a big red ridge of skin and muscle beneath them that'll have to wait until next week for release from the pressure.  Taken with the chest scar from my quadruple bypass surgery some years ago, and I'm going to be zippered pretty much from my collar-bone to my navel.  Add in a few scars from previous injuries and surgeries, and my torso is going to be like a road map.  I may have to leave it to science as a training device for future physicians - although they may not find everything inside that's supposed to be there.

Anyway, so far, so good.  More later.

Peter