Getting sick on the road

When I first started reading RV blogs and forums about two years ago, it was mentioned that full-timers (and also any RVers, I guess) should carry a list of their meds and medical history in the rig with them, in case of emergency.  When I first started out on the road as a full-timer in June of 2011, I put together a "master" package and a few copies of any pertinent medical history and the reports of surgeries or procedures I've undergone.   Any time I've been to a new doctor, they always have lots of questions, and I'm a poor historian, so I can bring the packet with me and either hand it to them, or use it as a reference in answering their questions.

I have all the documents binder clipped together, with the cover page listing the documents chronologically and any meds and over the counter vitamins with the dose I take every day.  I've found this to be so easy, and I'm always able to give the medical professionals the correct information.

When I arrived at the Blythe ER, I got one of the packets out of my cupboard and brought it in with me, and they took it to attach to my file.  Now that I have another surgery under my belt (literally!), I am going to call Kaiser's Medical Records department and request a copy of the surgical report and photo of the CT scan showing the problem area.  I'll make some copies and attach to the packets I have on hand.

In my desk at home, I had a file, "Medical," into which I'd place any medically important documents concerning issues over the years that could be useful later.  These documents are what I used to start my "master" file.  It was really easy since I had most of the paperwork, and I requested any that I didn't have, but wanted to bring with me.

Something new that I'm going to do (and you might think about) is add my Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care to each packet.  I was asked at both ERs if I had one, and they both suggested I give my doctor a copy that could be attached to my file at Kaiser.  I will bring in a copy, but also have copies attached to my binder clipped packets, just in case.   I hope I'll never need to use one of those packets again, but if I do, I'm ready, and that's a good feeling to have.

Talking about being sick, Merikay wrote a blog post about being sick in an RV, and it was very interesting. Check it out for her ideas and insights about getting sick on the road  during their first big trip.  :(

I took a photo out my guest room window of The Palms, regally watching over my recovery room:

The Palms, standing guard.  Isn't she beautiful?

 

And here's Katie guarding me from inside the room.  Every time there's a sound throughout the house, Katie is on guard, mostly because she wants that door opened so she can run around with the grandkids, and run outside.  I have a nice window overlooking the front yard, where The Palms is, and also this window that looks out onto an atrium.

Katie is so used to spending lots of hours in a small space with me, that staying in the bedroom most of the time hasn't been a problem at all.  This room is at least twice the size of The Palms, not counting the full bathroom, so we are in hog heaven as far as space is concerned. Get me out of here before I get used to it!!  :) 

Just kidding, I think this weekend I'll be moving out to The Palms, and soon thereafter Katie and I will be driving down the freeway to Santee Lakes RV Park for my scheduled month before we get back on the road.  I'm looking forward to going back there.  This will be the first time I've repeated a stay at any park, but it won't be the last.  There are definitely a few places I'd like to revisit.

When I downloaded the photos shown above, I found a few I took leaving the hospital in Blythe, and this is the one driving along the highway back into the town of Quartzsite.  Already in early January you can see the influx of RVs and sellers and RV sales places.

      Approaching Quartzsite, January 5, 2012.

It will be more than two weeks until the Big Tent fun starts!

As The Palms was roaring across the Arizona and California deserts toward the San Diego Kaiser Hospital, the sun started setting when we entered San Diego County.  It was beautiful, and the way the clouds were formed where the sun was setting, it looked like there were two suns.

San Diego Sunset, January 5, 2012

And one more photo of my son Tom and daughter-in-law Trish with one of his cars.  This is a large, framed professional photo; it was leaning in a chair against the wall in the dining room, not yet hung.  I thought it was such a cool photo, I took a picture of the picture to have on my computer slide show.  The photographer used the selective color option that I like to use with my camera.  They are such a beautiful couple.

Tom and Trish at Balboa Park, San Diego

Hopefully my next post will be written on the dinette table in The Palms.

From Me and My Dog, have a great Thursday, everyone!  :)