The Daily Moose

[ginzokid]

Here is a link to Bar Mills Models on-line newspaper and information station. Art has 4 new on-line videos that you might find interesting. The first two are about Bar Mills Models itself. The next two are instructive videos. One on different types of glues and their use and the other on the new Bar Mills weathering powders. There are also pictures of some of the kits available. Enjoy. http://barmillsmodels.com/dailymoose_05A_05.html

[ginzokid]

2007 with 68,000. A babe in the woods, but we have rust issues here on the North Atlantic. None showing up yet, but the brakes take a  beating with the rust on them constantly. The gas mileage on this car, Chevy Optra wagon, is  pitiful! We need to save money somehow and better gas mileage is one answer. Actually the old Vette got better mileage, really.

B-)

That don't surprise me. I used to get 18.5-20.5 mpg avg with the vette and since the mods, I've hit 25 mpg with A/C running on and off during trip from N.S to PEI.

  I can't understand why N American car makers are so reluctant and still in the stone ages to make cars get better mileage.

  I'm not a fan of VW but heard different people at work always brag about their golf TDI and the wicked mileage.

I don't miss the harsh rust season in the maritimes.

If I couldn't own another truck, I'd be stumped on what to drive.  mustangs don't turn me on. Neither do the new Camaros. From a  realistic view, can't afford a BMW or Audi.  From watching Top Gear U.K, doesn't sound like Mercedes are too reliable.   Can't get Renault Megane here. The BMW Mini Cooper is for florists and the Smart car is a joke. I almost laugh when I come up beside one on the scooter, they are tiny. Fiat 500 is a girly car...plus it is a Fiat.

Probably the best compact was the chevette. Anyone I knew that had one couldn't kill it.

And to buy a hybrid, the cost outweighs any savings in gas.

So I don't have suggestions for ya Pete for cars.

-- Edited by dl85vette at 05/25/2013 8:37 AM PDT

[dl85vette]

Well my life just got turned upside down.   Father in law musta found out I am on the list for interview for Qatar job. Bad news is I went to emergency last Saturday to speed up the treatment plan as I was getting tired of waiting to hear from specialists and was having a bad week of coughing up liquid, passed out a couple times, coughing so hard things would go gray.  I think the hospital went nuts when I told them I was diagnosed with a problem form different hosp and haven't been treated. They ended up getting a team together and briefed me on their plans and that they were gonna have a treatment plan before I left and then be refered to lung clinic at Health Science center with a lung spec that is well known in N America that works here at HSC.

  This is where life kicks me in the groin. :_|   I have idiopathic? pulmonary arterial hypertension. Meaning restriction in the arteries between lungs and heart. This puts (back)  pressure against the heart not allowing it to flow the normal amount of blood to lungs. meaning ones side heart works harder and the other gets enlarged. Usually there is a cause to this and if the cause is treated, then the problem goes away. They call it idiopathic (spelling??) when they don't know the cause. And  they said something about it is chronic. It will never heal or be cured.  All they can do is treat it with meds to open up the arteries to get blood flowing better which will relieve the pressure on heart. They performed an angiogram on me (prob sent up my leg artiery, up the body, across chest to heart to measure pressure. 

   I am now on drugs for life. They have me on a blood thinner (warfarin) and whatever the tech term for drug that opens up vessels, better known as Viagra. I will be starting off with blood tests 1-2 times week until they match the dosage to body. then sounds like blood samples once month) I have a road ahead of me for treatment/tests/physio? at the lung clinic. Dr doesn't expect me to be able to work any sooner than 3 months, even then a ????mark. Running may be a thing of past (too early for them to be definite on that)

With having to due annual fitness tests in reserves, it is early right now, but I don't know if I have a future left in the reserves. I know if I can do a fit test period, then I can't get any F/T contracts.

 Good ol Canada only gives you 15 weeks of sick benefits thru EI. So I don't know the course in trying to get any form of disability for short term until fit to work. I don't know the answer for employment if I am able to work but nothing physical.

 Mother in law is coming Saturday to visit and help take care of me. As before I can't work, lift or be doing stuff like house work/cleaning.

  With needing a Dr to prescribe meds every month and monthly blood test, I can't see it possible to go to Qatar. They have good hospitals there but just can't show up and expect a Dr that never seen you to take over on your treatment. (that's something you need to already know and have arranged before going over)  That upsets me of losing a chance for a bright financial security future to a questionable temp unemployed one.

   I don't think the shock of all this hit me yet.

I know I will get better over time, just don't know how close to normal they can get me or how long that will take.

I thought I wasn't gonna get release until Friday or Sat at soonest but yesterday they said they were waiting for blood test to come back to see how body was taking the thinners. I wasn't having dizzy spells so I passed the test for compatability with Viagra so they got pulmonary function tests done in the afternoon and meds prescribed so they were booting me out even early. So I got out Thursday eve.

  Good to be home with family and pets and no more hosp food or crazy people that get violently (verbal) with nurses or one crazy lady that just shouts names 24/7. At least I was moving about so that was enuf to get me off the frikken Hefferin shots twice a day. (anti coagulant for people not moving around, limited to their bed.)

If you were 80 y/o it wouldn't be a big deaL not able to work,etc. At just 43 and never having serious illness before, its hard to accept.   (better off than someone not returning from war or coming back crippled) but can't look at it like that either.

Time to shower and go get prescription filled and have a heart attack when I see what viagro and thinner sells for.

[ginzokid]

Holy Shite!!! Ok. Did they tell you what might have caused this all of a sudden? Sounds more like something that you have always had but just got worse as you aged. I'm sure glad you went for a second opinion. Amazing how fast you get treated one place and ignored at another. Sounds like a weird treatment though,,,, Viagra. With your limited breathing and heart function is all that sex good for you? :^O

Wasn't that probe fun? 😄

Seriously, Dave, now maybe you can get on the mend. As you say, you are young yet and I'll be with proper care you will bounce back. So you have to take pills the rest of your life, Believe me, you get used to it.

I'm pullin' for ya Buddy.

B-)

[jamajack]

Dave,

I'm sorry to hear about your problems with your lungs and blood passage. Man I feel for you, just take the pills and med's as prescribed and I am sure things will turn out better for you in the future. I don't know what the Manitoba health system can do for you but surely they can get you on one of their plans to help reduce the costs of the medication. Take care buddy and follow their instructions to the tee, time will tell.

I know what you mean when you find out you have something you would normally not even think of. I just found out myself two weeks ago that I have an  "Aorta Aneurysm" in the lower gut area and that it appears to be at the limits of just leaving it and observing or doing one of two or three things to correct it. In conversation with my doctor three days ago we got into how long it would take it this aneurysm broke and was informed that the ambulance couldn't get here fast enough to help. So like you I now sit around wondering what's left and waiting for the  heart surgeons call. It's a weird feeling to find out you have something and not know how long you have had it and then to hear what a doctor says in regards to the whole situation. I am fortunate in the regards to medicines etc here in Ontario as I am covered under OHIP at my age (76) after the $100.00 deductible for all costs. I have been taking six different meds now for the last 4/5 years and when I see what the costs are for each it baffles the mind. I would surely be in the poor house by this time if it wasn't for OHIP. I'm sure there will be somebody who can direct you to the area in Winnipeg that can help with those costs, sometimes it just takes a lot of moaning and groaning to get their attention.

Take care Dave

Jack

[dl85vette]

Thanks for the kind words and support.  Taking pills for life isn't the shocking part in a sense, It's the idea of it that I'm on life saving meds for life if that makes sense.  I take 1/2 pill of Viagra 3 times a day so the prescription yesterday was for 45 tablets for a cost of $459.79 !!!!

  😮     I have pharmacy plan thru military pension so it is a annual $100 deduct and then pay 20% of the meds after that. So the prescription with my  pension plan costed me $91. Luckily I live in Manitoba which has from experience excellent medical facilities. The hosp pharmacist gave me a form to fill out that she would fax in  (by her submitting it, it goes to the top of the pile   🙂    It is a program is Manitoba called pharmacare and it is for people that require expensive  life saving drugs. This system determines from your previous years income what deduct you pay and then it is in place. From what the Shoppers drug mart pharmacist told me, is that with pharmacare, once the deduct is reached then the meds are no cost to me.  Supposedly it is supposed to work out cheaper in the end than my pension plan system.  Plus right now they have me on a low dosage and will be working  up to a stronger dose so the cost will soar then.  Can you imagine if you had to pay $460  a month time 12 months ??    Thankfully the Warfarin (blood thinner) is only around $30/month on current dosage.  People would be bankrupt, waiting to die , or just committing suicide. I'm sure that happens elsewhere every other day.

Like I mentioned Pete, the Viagra was designed to open up blood vessels ,  which allows blood to flow better from my heart thru arterie to lungs.  After they invented the drug for that reason, someone realized that "hey guess what else it can do"  still ironic though eh?

my 18 y/o is grossed out that I am on Viagra. thinking it will be like ads on tv of cranking up the stereo. 

 I know I will get better over time, the scary part is how back to normal will I get, and how limited will I be for physical work (lifting, cutting grass, house renos, etc) and how long it will take.

It was depressing for the past month of cardio spec not doing much for me, and he wondered why I wasn't happy. Telling me I need to do things to make me happy. How the F&&& can I do stuff when I can't do stairs or do much period. out of breath after a shower and blue in the lips. While on EI, I'll be a little happier with a sense of accomplishment if I can do modelling. At least it is thoughtful brain usage fun task as opposed to spending the day looking at the tv or computer screen.    At least I know now while taking it easy, I'm not gonna drop dead now that I am on meds. That was my fear for the past month. Wife was really scared all this time of going to work and leaving me home alone and have me die waiting for treatment.

Was funny though when Shoppers told me they only had 6 Viagra pills in stock and that they would have to order it in. :^O   Maybe I should go to Costco and buy it in bulk. hehehe.  (order is paid for so won't cost me anything when I pick it up)

[taz-of-boyds]

Dave,

I hope things get better for you for sure!!!

But I can see it looking funny when you tell the pharmacist that you have a life or death need for the Viagra, and should have priority...

All the best,

Charles

[ginzokid]

Jack,

I have had a triple "A" for 10 years now. That's an abdominal aortic aneurism, just like yours. We watch it grow annually with an ultrasound, but they say it is not big enough yet to operate on it. They will replace it with a "Y" shaped piece of material that connects the main trunk of the aorta to both femoral arteries.  I have seen the piece they will put in if I ever need it and it looks like some sort of tubing covered with a mess fabric. I told the doctor who did my prostate surgery to just put a zipper in there as they would be going into the same place eventually. He wouldn't do it.

As for the time frame if it does burst; it is not much at all. Not to scare you but my sister-in-law died from a burst aortic aneurism years ago. She never knew she had one either until the autopsy found the cause of her very sudden death. She was sitting in a chair talking to a neighbor when she suddenly said, "oh my", clutched her chest and died. Brother Bob was in the basement and by the time he got upstairs she was gone. The ambulance would never make it is right.

So, if yours is really close, I'd be hounding the doctors. Don't do any heavy lifting or straining while you wait for the surgery. They told me not even to do any vacuuming. I'm not supposed to push the lawn mower either, but I don't have a choice. I can't seem to find any kid around here who wants to make a buck.

Dave,

Let us know if you start to feel any better with the new treatments. I'm still puzzled by the sudden onset of the disease. Did the Drs. give you any idea of what set it off?

B-)

[dl85vette]

No idea for cause. Usually women get this condition and also the common causes are diet pills, HIV, or venous (needles) drugs  which they asked me if I have done. Father-in-law wonders if I was exposed to something in Afghanistan. I never worked with nasty chemicals/fumes in my career. That's why the doctors call it idiopathic- no known cause.

  I'll be glad when I start feeling an improvement, it will at least make my life more comfortable with respect to being able to model, maybe go railfanning, and most important, easier to go out for my appointments.

[ginzokid]

By the way Dave, warfarin is one of the main ingredients in rat poison. Just wanted to brighten up your day.

]:)

[barrysfp45]

Dave, sounds to me they are trying to give you a hard on you can kill rats with LOL

]:)

[dl85vette]

Ahhh, the miracles of medicine. If it don't kill ya, it'll cure you.   😛

Pharmacy just called to say my truckload of Viagra came in.  :^O

Had to go across town to hosp for blood sample at 730 this morning. I took the scooter so I'll see how bad I pay for that. Either ride scooter so I can park close by so I don't have to walk much and get sore chest muscles, or I take the truck, have to park and walk farther and be blue in the lips and short of breath.  

  I don't seem to be going blue as easily so drugs must be starting to help me.

[ginzokid]

I keep getting spam messages for some Canadian pharmacy selling Viagra cheap. Do you get those Dave? Might be something to look into. On line pharmacies.

B-)

[dl85vette]

I'll stick to buying the meds in person. My pharmacy plans take care of the bulk of the expense. Should get better once the Pharmacare kicks in.

  my truckload order of Viagra came in so a bag filled with boxes and boxes of the blue pill.

My warfarin prescript was for 100 tablets and with med plan, I only paid $5.97 so that stuff is cheap for the quantity.

I'm feeling a little better but nothing drastic. It's just the improvement in quality of life as in not out of breath as easily or coughing til things go gray, or passing out. Exertion and stair is still to much.

 I was able to walk thru hosp for my blood sample so small improvement in health like that makes a difference.  I'll see how this week goes, and I might try tackling the basement stairs and try some modelling. It's one of those things, once I'm in the basement then I'm staying there for a few hours so do some modelling and then watch tv.  I can't be going downstairs to get a towel and turn around and come back up.

 Felt good being on scooter picking up meds. Feels like freedom.

[ginzokid]

Uh Dave, just go to the hardware store to get your Warfarin......cheap!.

Glad to hear you might make the stairs. Maybe you should look into the stair elevator. George's wife, Lorraine, has one and it is great. I'm looking into it for myself even with two half flights to negotiate. I'm serious. I'm not getting any younger and you have, pardon me, reached that point before me. Be a good boy scout and prepare for the near future.

😄

[ginzokid]

History was made yesterday afternoon. I drove the "Golden Spike" on the Coastal Newfoundland Railway. It is finished as far as laying track. I'll have to check but I think I laid about 400 actual feet of flex and close to 75 turnouts. There are three big yards and a long hidden staging area too. Anyway, it was just George and me when I drove that spike. George took a picture which will be hung on the wall along with our magazine cover. We painted a track nail with gold paint and drove it in. I'm going to make a monument to place along side the spot where it is driven. I have a scale realistic spike that I will paint gold and mount on the marker.  We may do another ceremony when the club meets next Wednesday night to install the marker. Now George has to finish the scenery and a few more structures. I'm done.

Time to devote my time to my own layout.

B-)