Just got back from visiting Neighbor D…

Who just got out of the hospital – again – without anything in his condition improved or even justified. He has a bad infection from his hip replacement, which I suppose no doctor – especially the one(s) responsible – wants to call malpractice. They hold onto him till his white count gets down below “shocking” and then send him home – till next time. Meanwhile he can barely move without pain, let alone walk.

Which, while I won’t say it makes me feel better, at least puts my own situation into perspective. I’ve spent the past couple of weeks barely able to walk, though the past two days have been better as the sore my ill-fitting prosthesis rubbed on my stump* shows some sign of wanting to heal. I’ve mostly been sitting or lying around dreading the next inescapable walk with Tobie, which is not the way I prefer to spend my time. Sorry for the extended no-blog, I just haven’t been feeling it lately.

Winter has re-visited the Gulch, with way-below-freezing temperatures and driving wind. It finally warmed up enough to snow yesterday…


…and overnight, but it didn’t amount to anything.


This has so far been an extremely dry winter, this morning being the first time any snow at all was on the ground since early November. January has tried mightily to make up for the freakishly-warm December, and may I say it has done a damned fine job. First I lost my well water, and then…


…for the first time in several years, my grey-water drain froze up. Which would be a problem, except that I can use the buckets of sink drainage to keep my toilet somewhat functional. I always have one pitcher on the counter for drinking water: Now I have two, the other one filled with well water from the five-gallon jugs I (painfully) drag over from Ian’s for washing and such. And it might stay that way for a while: The next warm spell is due any day and I’ll see what if any damage has been done to my plumbing when I turn the water back on but once the drainpipe freezes it might not entirely thaw again till April. So that’s been the cherry on top of what otherwise wouldn’t have been a premier month in any case.


Needless to say nothing very exciting is happening around the Lair just lately. But I’m keeping up with necessaries…


They say nothing drives innovation like giving the job to a lazy man. Since the prospect of carrying the generator back and forth to the powershed on my bleeding stump has made me re-think this whole “I need electricity” thing, I got a little more creative and ran a long cord from the battery charger to the front porch. The generator has to stay in the cabin when not in use or it won’t start in the cold, but bringing it out to the porch is a lot less stressful than carrying it all the way to the powershed. Probably wouldn’t have bothered working that out in other circumstances, so there’s that.

Anyway, that’s what’s going on. Sorry for the no-blog thing, but when there’s nothing to say you don’t say anything.

—-
*And speaking of that, I have an appointment with the prosthetics shop on the tenth of February in hope of making that problem go away.

About Joel

You shouldn't ask these questions of a paranoid recluse, you know.
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6 Responses to Just got back from visiting Neighbor D…

  1. SoCoRuss says:

    It may be time for neighbor D to have a talk with a lawyer. That may speed help for him up.

    Sounds like he got the infection from the surgery?

  2. Malatrope says:

    He does need to see a lawyer. Infections from this kind of surgery are very common. My neighbor got one following his knee replacement. They rigged him up with a sump pump to drain the goo and keep hitting him with different antibiotics until it cleared up completely.

    Neighbor D can easily be killed by this infection.

  3. Malatrope says:

    Oh, and you NEVER stop an antibiotic until the bug is gone. Otherwise you are breeding resistant bacteria. Who is this idiot doctor? Frank Burns?

  4. R says:

    Joel,

    Do a little reading about fancy bandages and/or collagen gel for pressure ulcers (bed sores). There may be newer options of use to you healing stump wounds.

    Take care, my part of the PNW will transition from clear and cold to slightly warmer and very wet over the next couple of hours so I may not see the sun again for a few weeks.

  5. Uncle Anonymous says:

    I’m sorry that your neighbor isn’t doing well. I know they kicked him out early, however, that’s the way for profit healthcare works. It’s like going to a popular restaurant that has a seating time limit. I don’t agree with it and I don’t like it, but that’s life.

    BTW Joel, you may want to try hydrocolloid dressings on your stump. They are just as good as collagen gel and a lot cheaper. Best of all, you can get them from Amazon. 😊

    https://www.amazon.com/s?k=hydrocolloid+dressing+6×6&crid=J9UHUTWJ4Y9S&sprefix=hydrocolloid+dressing%2Caps%2C297&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_3_21

  6. Ben says:

    Also, get checked for type 2 diabetes. It sneaks up on you at your age. It makes healing much slower, and makes little abrasions turn into chronic sores. Does lots of other bad stuff too.

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