We went to the Lake In The Hills "Rockin' Ribfest" yesterday

Penny and I enjoyed a nice late afternoon and evening at the local festival (LITH Rockin' Ribfest). We drove to it in the convertible with the top down (so we enjoyed the nice 75 degree non humid weather and the sun shining down on us). 

Since Penny is disabled and has a Handicapped Parking placard, we got lucky and managed to get the last available parking spot close to the venue. I was actually able to walk from the car to the stage grounds with not too much trouble (we carried our camping chairs with us). We then watched "Heartbreak Tonight" (an Eagles tribute band).

 

Penny picked up some Iced Lemonade for us plus corn on the cob for each of us, and summer was officially "on" for us. It reminded me of seeing the same band when my mother was still alive in 2009 (she saw them with us at the "Sunset Fest" and enjoyed them immensely). I haven't spoken about my mother yet on this blog, and I will when I find the words to honor such an incredible plus amazing woman (it will take a lot of paragraphs to do so). She LOVED much of the same music her children did and she lived for going to Festivals with us (and we went to many during the last 10 years of her life).

My mother (Anita Fletre Andersen 12/07/1940-11/29/2009). 

So, the second group was "Soul Asylum" (director Kevin Smith's favorite group). Penny was definitely not taken with the group:

 

As you can tell, they are LOUD.......... (I was fine with it, Penny was not). Think pre-Nirvana alt rock / grunge......

We enjoyed a BBQ sampler from "Candy Red BBQ", so that kept costs down while providing us some serious BBQ goodness. It then started to get too cold for Penny, so we went home after that (with the top up on the convertible).

4th Chemo treatment today.

Penny's 4th Friday of Chemo has come and gone ( 2 hours and 15 minutes of Penny changing positions so the chemo gets to every aspect of the bladder). Once we were done, we had a free lunch at the hospital and I then took Penny to Illinois Beach right by the hospital as it is a good source of "relaxation / getting away from the stresses of life. Here she is in the sun (and I am under the tree in the shade). We spent 2 blissful hours listening to the waves on the shore (while the sky was beautiful and the breeze was without Humidity with the temp being around 73 by the beach).    :-)

 

2 more Fridays to go and then 4 weeks after, Penny will have another cystoscopy... which will determine if more radical treatment is warranted..

My feet are almost Normal...... = )

Here is a breakdown of the past month of Gout.

My left foot balloons (swelling).

 

My left foot still swelled (with my Right Foot starting to Swell).

 

Major bruising on both feet.

 

 Bruising on the outside ankles also.

Now the right foot swells (and right ankles / heels cannot handle any movement).



 

My feet as of yesterday (almost normal). Incredible when the pictures are lined up and one sees the difference as the progression happens.

 



Now that I can walk again, I am taking every precaution. I drank very little liquor  before this latest attack, I have completely stopped drinking any liquor now. Penny and I are adjusting our diets completely to ensure I no longer have anything that will increase Uric Acid levels. I am working on my stress and ensuring that I am wearing supportive slippers when in the house (and supportive sandals when I am outside). I appreciate all of the concern and communication from friends and family regarding this latest setback (I am hoping / praying that it will be a very long time before I deal with this again). On August 1st, you can be sure I will be in a doctor's office having blood work done and showing the doctor these pictures so as to come up with a long term game plan regarding my joints/ feet.



A weekend in review.

So, the past 2 days have brought good.... and bad.

1st, the good...  Penny came back from her chemo and took Travis to a convention. They both came back yesterday afternoon and we went to see the Kane County Cougars in the evening. We had received 5 tickets from the Vet representative from the Woodstock IDES office (unemployment office). We got Right field bleacher seats (where you can get group outings that are catered). So we took Travis and his 2 young friends (Jared and Laura)... to the game. I didn't know it was Military Appreciation nite (I thought the tickets were just for a bunch of vets to go to the game). Of course, when we sat down and I was enjoying a "Brat" and was about 3/4's finished.... I was volunteered to go with the rest of the vets there to do the honor guard. Being a proud vet, I stupidly went about doing it and hobbled while helping hold the flag in the picture below (you can't see me, but I'm one of the vets holding the flag up over his head in the back). After we were done, a baseball game played out (the Cougars lost in a shutout 0-5 )... and we then enjoyed fireworks. A very long day for Penny, but we had a blast. Of course, I should have known... free tickets, free grub, then get volunteered to do something (THE Military experience). :-)   Just kidding tho, we are truly grateful for being provided the tickets and enjoying a nice evening out with the kids.

2nd, the bad... we spent about $217.00 to buy food essentials for the next month (basics we were running out of such as ground beef). When we got home and Travis went to put the food in the garage freezer..... it was off as was the garage fridge (that we use for holding food when we come across clearances to make the most out of our budget over time). So, both were filled with rotting food. I discovered that a Circuit breaker hadn't tripped, but the entire power segment was no longer running electricity (and our garage is only 9 years old). Luckily, we have multiple circuit line segments in the Garage so we found a "live" outlet to plug them into, but we lost all of our frozen food as a result including 2 turkeys and a plethora of meat. And can I describe the nastiness? Poor Penny and Travis were cleaning out both for over 45 minutes (in this humidity) and all that food is a loss (while I was scrounging around the garage to find a working outlet). And now, we apparently have a bad circuit that we need to get an electrician in to find the problem. AND we need to replace that food. ....... Oy.....

What a great day - I'm approved for "Vetcare" (Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services)

God has really worked wonders in our lives today. :-)

This afternoon, we received from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services - an approval from the "Vetcare" office (HFS Mediplan). An actual "Approval". :-) 9 months effort finally ends with a result!!! <Excellent.> The monthly payment for this coverage will be $40 a month (and eligibility starts on August 01, 2013). So I'll have standard co-pays regarding Doctor's visits ($15), ER visits ($50), and Hospitalizations ($150). At least, now I can find a way to have my gout / joint disease addressed by medical professionals. :-) Oh happy days.

At this point, I just have to find out if there are any Illinois Hospitals / Providers who actually are still accepting this type of medical plan still (since the State of Illinois is on average over 1 year behind in paying claims).

 

We'll still pursue federal VA healthcare for the long term, but at least I now have "something" regarding medical insurance.

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Penny went for Chemo Treatment #3 and her friend Michelle went with her this time). I am beginning to think that she is using the time to get away from me and to spend time with others. Nahhhhhh, she just wants me to heal (at least that is what she tells me). <J-K>  :-)

Hopefully, the chemo continues to not cause any adverse effects (other than sleepiness and achiness). I should be back in her corner next week to provide support / spousal angst.... ;-).

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In other news (the feet that won't stop causing me untold pain)... you can see in this picture that it is my right foot now throwing me for a loop. It travelled from my left foot (left big toe and ankle) to my right foot (right big toe and ankle) to the top of my right foot where it swelled to where I couldn't bend the foot to step on with the heel then throwing sharp pains up my leg being the latest... to the point I blacked out and fell onto a recliner last weekend).

Using Tramadol this afternoon, I was able to leave my house this afternoon (with the use of my mother's cane). My right foot was actually able to handle some weight put onto it today (I took 3 aleve last night and 3 aleve this morning in an attempt to get past the sharp pain in my right heel). Using a special open shoe/sandal that closes with Velcro, I had enough cushion on my right heel to handle weight enough to use a cane. I then went to pick up the Wheelchair Lift from Roscoe Illinois from a Christian couple who treated me with kid gloves and bunches of respect. After reading the directions that come with it, the lift will work with any minivan / van). I came home to the letters from the State of Illinois, and a relief went over me like you wouldn't believe. Just the act of getting up no longer fills me with fear.... and to do so with confidence? Priceless (especially when I haven't done so for 2 weeks... especially when I was at a point that I thought it wouldn't get better and I was contemplating seriously that my medical condition was not going to improve).

I haven't a clue how other people can do it while working when they get a gout attack this bad, but I now have to rethink what my job options are (and have a doctor give me a realistic assessment of what I can handle from this point on). The relief though that I can go to the restroom or take a shower now whenever I need to now is such an incredible gift, I cannot begin to describe it. The means to care for oneself after losing the ability to do so (I guess it was time for me to understand what Penny went through 17 months ago.....). Ok God, I got it. Lesson learned. Our diet WILL be followed to the letter.  

~Steinar