My back surgery...

[The Chairman]

Ok, right. So your cost depends on your Part D. I have a cheap plan so I didn't think it'd cover it, but I checked: $551.00 for 3 months here. Those things can vary a lot.

Mine will go back down to less than $50/month come January 1st. I'm stuck in the Donut Hole until then.

I made a long trip yesterday to return my nephew home back to Deltona. I'll be solo from here on out! My Mustang Mach E being an EV, it only cost me $9.00 to make the 300 mile round trip. I got home with 5% or 14 miles left in the old girl. It used to cost me $50/$60 with my Edge. This is cool and one of the reasons why I bought her. Sure, I could have gotten recharged from 3 different stations between Deltona and O'Brien, but apparently just as it's good to charge her to 100% every now and then, it's also good to deplete that battery to below 10% when you do. Mission accomplished and She's back to her normal charging to 90% and then recharging when she gets below 40% or 50%. I made it 95% when my nephew was here, as he tended to go and go.

All five cats were on the bed last night, each one wanting a bit of attention. All but Tink was wet as it's been raining all night. She likes being inside.

 

[The Chairman]

I fell getting out of the shower this morning. It appears that I did not sustain any additional injuries, except to my pride. I just ordered 2 handrails and non-slip stickers for the tub. I really want a walk-in shower, but I'm not strong enough to do that yet. Maybe later this year!

 

[-JD-]

I fell getting out of the shower this morning. It appears that I did not sustain any additional injuries, except to my pride. I just ordered 2 handrails and non-slip stickers for the tub. I really want a walk-in shower, but I'm not strong enough to do that yet. Maybe later this year!

Sorry, Pete! Good call on the grab rails and stickers!

Is your tub surround a sculpted acrylic type or flush to the wall surface (essentially flat acrylic or tile)? If you have the sculpted fiberglass\acrylic type, you will likely need some specialized mounting hardware to deal with the air-gap issue. I've used the Moen Home Care SecureMount anchors with good sucess in void spaces. There are others that provide standoff spacing\support when you can hit the framing. Not all bars work with all anchors due to spacing (ex. Lowes & HD house brand bars {same thing as far as I can tell} won't work with the Moen anchors as the bolt-circle dia. is different.) I've done 3 showers\tubs for my Parents & Aunt with the Moen bars and anchors.

Next bathroom I build will have 3\4" PT Ply, screwed to the framing, behind the wallboard or tile-base, so that I can anchor whatever, wherever securely.

 

[DandyDon]

I really want a walk-in shower, but I'm not strong enough to do that yet

I hope that you also ordered a pair for your shower?

 

[The Chairman]

I hope that you also ordered a pair for your shower?

When I build it.

 

[The Chairman]

8 hours later, and I really ache. It's kinda peaked and is slowly easing... that, or I'm just getting used to hurting.

 

[DandyDon]

Falling is certainly something to avoid. Everyone should have grab bars in their showers. I did not appreciate this until after my hospitalization, but I got three when I got home. I had to have help installing them as my power drill did not fit around the bar but my renter had a screwdriver extension for a power drill.

Another tool I set up and still use is a simple chair with a cushion in my bedroom next to the bathroom that I use when donning my underwear, trousers or shorts, and socks. Since I often sit on it naked, I keep it covered with a hand towel that I change at least once a week.

 

[The Chairman]

Since I often sit on it naked, I keep it covered with a hand towel that I change at least once a week.

I just throw my towel on the bed. It's so easy to get up from there.

I still ache a bit this morning, but again, it appears that I've escaped any injury. I feel like eating out this morning, and that's a good sign.

 

[The Chairman]

Follow-up: after my 5:30am Percocet kicked in I'm feeling pretty spry. The aches I had yesterday after my fall are pretty much gone, even after almost 6 hours. I have gone to Tractor Supply to pick up cat food, then to Scaff's to pick a pile of groceries. Absolutely no back pain in any of this, with minimal aches. My pace has even picked up, which is cool. Very cool.

Yesterday, I went to use my new sock-put-er-oner and was completely frustrated. What changed? It was a bit painful to reach down and pull them on, but I did it. Last night I solved my dilemma in my dream. It's what I do and this morning I had realized I was using it upside down. Indeed. It worked perfectly this morning. Sigh.

I'm also continuing to clean and sort. A well-meaning friend decided to clean out my bathroom cabinets and bedroom, leaving the living room clogged with 'stuff'. He really created a lot of needless work for me, and simply has no clue. Still well-meaning. Still a friend. It's almost all back where it belongs, one box at a time. in fact, after this morning, I'm down to the last box.

Two days ago, I started wearing my Garmin Descent Smart Watch. I've been hitting my goals easily, usually before noon. Of course, it adds to that goal every day, and soon it will be tugher to meet the goal. It's all about accountability, and I feel I'm at that point where I need to be pushed a bit more. The more I move, the fewer the aches. As I stated, it's more a stamina thing at the moment, and I do look forward to hurting less and less.

It's still fairly wet as it's been raining from the afternoon into the morning hours, so I haven't fixed the mower. The grass around the mower is getting high again, so I'll get to use the 40V Ryobi weed whacker and experience how it works firsthand. The bugs are fierce, so I'll probably hit it tomorrow, early.

 

[The Chairman]

Although my goal is to completely get off opioids, I'm finding that taking my Percocet at 6am and 6pm to be the least disruptive in my life. It takes an hour or two to completely kick in, giving me a 3 to 4-hour window to do things. It should be light enough to go put on that fricken drive belt by 8:00am, and for once, it's not raining this morning. The cats are coming in dry, which means there's not even a lot of dew out there. Yay!!! Let's get-er-dun! Just don't forget the bug repellent. They are vicious!!!