This and that… and a big THANK YOU

Monday 5/28/2012

Hastings Campground

Hastings, NE

This…

is still healing and improving.  This past Thursday, we went back to the orthopedist and the cast was removed, x-rays were taken, and a brace was prescribed.

Both breaks are healing up and the physical therapy is continuing.  Because of the cast and the sling, Terri hasn’t been able to use/move her right arm too much for several weeks.  The result is a very stiff and weak shoulder, elbow, wrist, and fingers.  So the physical therapist must work on all these areas to get them back to acceptable mobility.  We’re already seeing improvements after only two weeks of mild physical therapy.  She doesn’t have to wear the sling anymore, so that helps too.

That…

is still growing, and we’re watching it grow every day.  When we got here it was a field of dirt.  I’m sure the rain we’ve gotten recently is helping.  Isn’t this exciting?

THANK YOU!!!

Thanks to all of those, as well as their respective families and special others, that have sacrificed to protect and defend this beloved country.  Please take a moment to appreciate what we have here and those who have given so much to perpetuate and preserve it.

Travel days and an update

Tuesday 5/15/2012

Hastings Campground

Hastings, NE

The last two weeks have been very uneventful until this past weekend.  Sunday we (I) packed up, and we left Hastings headed south for Smith Center, KS.  A few months ago I called Peterson Industries (the manufacturer of our fifth wheel) and set up an appointment for some service work.  Since Smith Center is only about 75 miles away, we decided to keep the appointment.  There were three other units there with us the last time we went to Smith Center for service work.  When we arrived this time, there was only one other fifth wheel there.  We got backed in and unhooked and settled in for the night.

They want you out of your rig with the slides in by 6:15 AM!!!  The technicians start work at 6:30AM!!!

Neither one of us slept well and were up around 4AM.  I had to help Terri get ready, get all three cats in their carriers, and then put the slides in.  We did great and were actually out and into the customer lounge by 6AM.  A short while later we met the other couple that was there for service work.  John and Cindy have been fulltime for four and a half years.  We enjoyed talking with them and hope to see them again sometime down the road.  Around lunchtime, Terri and I decided to go over to the city park for a little while.  An old Dutch mill is the main attraction.

It was all locked up so we couldn’t go inside.

We had a few minor things on our repair list and one major issue.  We were having a gray water leak at times, and I suspected the gray tank was leaking.  We expected to be in Smith Center at least until Tuesday and maybe even Wednesday.  Happily they got everything finished up early Monday afternoon.  They found the leak, but it wasn’t the gray tank.  The leak was coming from the shower drain, and they were able to reseal the drain pipe.  They were also able to get everything else finished up so we didn’t even have to stay a second night.  We left Smith Center and were back to the Hastings Campground by 4PM.

We were gone from our site in Hastings for about 27 hours.

Today, Tuesday the 15th, was Terri’s first session of physical therapy.  It went well, and we’ll be going back again Thursday.  She still has the cast on her arm until next Thursday, and she still has to keep her arm in a sling.  Thankfully she isn’t experiencing a lot of pain or discomfort.  She is, however, getting tired of sitting in her chair.  Her orthopedist said she shouldn’t lay down, so she’s been spending her nights sleeping in her chair.  She’s also getting tired of not being able to do things that she normally would do like cooking, washing dishes, styling her hair, and tying her shoes.  Even simple things like opening a jar or putting on her seatbelt are difficult.  We’re hoping that once the cast is off and she gets more physical therapy, she’ll be able to be more independent.

Otherwise, there’s not much going on around here.  I did wash the truck and the front of the fifth wheel.  There were a lot of bugs resting in peace on both of them.  I repacked the basement and did some laundry too.  I’ve also been keeping an eye on the field out behind us.  I had this picture in the last post which was taken on 4/25.

This next one is from 5/8.

And, finally, this one is from 5/15.

Pretty exciting stuff!!!

And finally, here’s an interesting cloud formation that was out west of us one evening.

Doctor, Weighed Rig, Long Travel Days to NE, Missed the Rally, Another Doctor, No Surgery, and a New Cast

Monday 4/30/2012

Hastings Campground

Hastings, NE

Fair warning, the long title is a precursor to a long post.  The last two weeks have been anything but “normal” for us, and definitely not what we had originally planned.  In case you missed it, Terri broke her arm on Sunday the 15th of April, and you can read about it here.

As instructed by the ER nurse on Sunday, Terri called the orthopedist in Kerrville on Monday, the 16th.  The orthopedist wanted to see Terri for a consultation on Tuesday.  After meeting with him on Tuesday, he determined that we should return on Friday for new x-rays.

Friday, the 20th, we returned to the orthopedist for new x-rays.  He explained to us that Terri’s wrist was looking very good, but was concerned about the break just below her shoulder.  He recommended surgery as soon as Monday or Tuesday to repair the broken bone.  He said it needed to be done soon before the bone started to heal.  Of course this was exactly what we didn’t want to hear.  Our health insurance coverage in Texas is “out of network” for us.  That means that this would cost us quite a bit of money.  We left his office not knowing what we were going to do.

When we got home we started to research our options.  The orthopedist gave us a website for doctor referrals in different states.  Terri found an orthopedist in Hastings, Nebraska, which is in our network.  She called his office and talked to a very nice, helpful lady named Kathy.  Terri explained our dilemma to her.  Kathy said that they were booked up on Monday and the doctor was currently in surgery.  She said she would leave a message for him to see if he would be willing to see Terri on Monday, and she would call us back as soon as she heard from him.  Finally, Kathy called back about 4:30 and gave us the good news that the doctor would indeed see us on Monday at 11:30.  While we were waiting for Kathy to call back, we searched and searched for a campground throughout the area surrounding Hastings.  We decided on a campground right in Hastings.  Once we knew we had an appointment with the orthopedist, I called and reserved a site for Sunday arrival.

Because of our sudden change of plans, we were NOT going to be able to stay for the RV-Dreams Rally.  I emailed Howard and Linda to let them know what was going on.  Linda responded right away and asked if we wanted our Rally shirts.  We did, so I walked over to their rig, got the shirts, and talked with them for a while.  They offered to weigh our rig Saturday morning before we left, but I declined because I didn't think we'd have time.  That was unfortunate because that was one of the main reasons we decided to attend the rally.  After I got back home, Terri and I decided we should make time to get the rig weighed, so I walked back up and made arrangements with Howard and Linda.

After I got back home Friday evening, I started getting ready to leave.  I got as much done as I could, including fueling up the truck with diesel, so I wouldn't have as much to do Saturday morning.  In addition to my usual stuff, I would also have to do some of Terri’s stuff that she was unable to do because of her arm.  I also took time to research routes and found three options for stopping points Saturday night.  We also had to cancel plans to meet with our friends Rick and Gail on Saturday, and Ron and Mary on Sunday.

Saturday morning, the 21st, we finished getting ready to go.  Howard and Linda came over and weighed the rig.

All our numbers were good except we were a little heavy at the left rear wheel.  Overall, though, we're underweight.  It’s great knowing the rig is not over the weight parameters.  Thanks Howard and Linda for making time for us, we really appreciate it.  If you ever have the opportunity, we highly recommend you have your rig weighed by Howard and Linda.  (For more information about getting your RV weighed, click here.)  Here are a couple of photos of our site #6093 at Buckhorn Lake Resort.

Because of Terri’s broken arm she's not able to drive at this time, so we put the Honda in the storage lot at Buckhorn Lake Resort for now.  I called one of the campgrounds I was considering for a stopping point, but I had to leave a message and request a callback.  Once we got that done it was time to hit the road.  A couple hours later I still hadn’t received a callback from the campground I called earlier.  I decided to pull off the road and stop to call one of the others.  The second number I tried had been disconnected and was out of service.  So I called my third option and was finally able to get a site reserved for Saturday night.  It was nice to know we had a spot reserved because it was going to be a rather late arrival.  I’m glad I had done my research and had a third option.  After nine hours, a few stops including two for more diesel, and 442 miles, we arrived at Hargus RV Park in Clinton, OK.

This park was adequate for what we needed for an overnight stop.  We had full hookups, including cable, with 50 amp for a Good Sam rate of $27.  We were in site #6.

It seems really strange looking at these photos and not seeing the Honda parked nearby.

This was an all time record for us to travel that far in one day.  I started with a full tank of diesel and still had to stop twice for more.  It was also the first time in over a year Terri rode in the truck with me while pulling the fifth wheel.  This was a very long day for us, but we got a lot done and made it just past half way on our trip north.  Oh, and by the way, it was my birthday too.   (Happy Birthday to me!!!)

Sunday, the 22nd, was another long travel day.  We got packed up and hit the road.  After a few stops along the way including two more for diesel, 404 miles, and eight and a half hours, we arrived at the Hastings Campground in Hastings, NE.

The park office is closed on Sundays but I knew which site we were assigned ahead of time.  We pulled in and got setup in site #28.

It was supposed to be a 50 amp site, but I could only find 30 amp.  At that point I didn’t care and just hooked up to the 30 amp.  Terri and I and the cats all made it safely to our destination.    Some of the roads were a bit rough this day causing Terri some discomfort.  The cats don’t like the rough roads either.  Sunday wasn’t quite as far as Saturday, but it was still a very long day for all of us.

Monday, the 23rd, was the big day.  We found the orthopedist’s office and filled out all the necessary paperwork in the morning.  We met Kathy and thanked her for all the help she provided on Friday.  Soon we were in one of the exam rooms.  They took a new set of x-rays, and then we met with the doctor.  Based on what he saw in the x-rays, he gave us some options but decided he wanted a CT scan to get a better look.  The CT scan was scheduled for later in the afternoon.  After the CT scan we met with the doctor again, and he determined that the best option was to just let it heal.  He's an orthopedic surgeon and said he was usually pretty aggressive, but in this case he did not recommend surgery.  So that was good news for us.  Terri was scheduled to go back on Monday, the 30th, for more x-rays and a new shorter cast on her arm.

After we got back to the campground, I went to the office to pay for a month for our site.  I told Sue, the campground host, that our site wasn't 50 amp.  We went to look, and she showed me a separate box that contained the 50 amp.  However, it was padlocked shut.  She had her husband unlock it so we could hook up to 50 amp.  We had full hookups, but no cable.  We could get the local networks on the antenna, and I planned on setting up the satellite dish on Tuesday.

Tuesday, the 24th, we got a knock on the door.  It was Sue, the campground host.  She said that she had received a call from the campground owner.  The 50 amp box had been locked because it wasn't supposed to be used, and if we wanted 50 amp we were going to have to move.  Sue gave me a list of  available sites, and I checked them out.  We decided to move to site #36 with 50 amp and a “better” view out the back window.

The campground is nearly empty.

Here’s our view out the back window now.  At least it’s better than it was before.

This campground is okay.  The sites are close and narrow and are set up so that every other site faces the opposite direction.  The roads have quite a few potholes too.  But it's conveniently located to the doctor's office and Wal-Mart.

The rest of the week was spent just hanging around the campground and running a couple of errands.  Terri isn't experiencing much pain, but she is getting kind of restless.  On Sunday evening, the 29th, we got a neighbor right next door. 

Like I said earlier, the sites are kind of close here.  There aren't many 50 amp sites, and I guess he wanted one of them.

Finally Monday, the 30th, is here.  We got up and ready and headed over to see the orthopedist.  They removed the old splint/cast and took more x-rays.  We met with the doctor, and he said the wrist is doing really well.  He also said the break just below the shoulder is healing too.  They put a new cast on her arm that only extends up to her elbow.

The last one went all the way up past her elbow.

She still needs to keep her arm in the sling to stabilize the shoulder.  She's scheduled to start physical therapy in two weeks, and we’ll go back to see the orthopedist in four weeks.  Now we just have to wait for the bones to heal.

If you got this far, thanks for reading through all of that.  I wanted to post an entry sooner, but there was just too much going on.  This is what we see out our back window in the late afternoon.