Our Home

Our Home

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Othopedic Consultation

OK we’re going to try this again; I will try dictating my blog.

For the past couple of months, I have had a pain in my right arm which I attributed to the radiation by hand for the bone cancer in the arm.  Two weeks ago, I went and saw my oncologist because of the pain, he took in x-ray been discovered I had fractured my humerus.  They gave me a sling to use until I could see an orthopedic oncologist.  Now I didn’t even know there was such a person as Orthopedic oncologist.  My oncologist put in a request for a consultation with the Orthopedic oncologist, who is located at the University of Nebraska medical center.

So, the request for the consultation was submitted on a Tuesday November 1.  On about the 7th of November I received a call from an individual at the VA telling me that I was going to be turned over to the choice care plan people and they would be handling my orthopedic oncologist appointment.  

On the 8th of November five received a call from an individual with the choice care plan, they asked me a bunch of questions and said that they would get a hold of the orthopedic oncologist, Dr. McGarry, since the request for the consultation was marked urgent the orthopedic oncologist would have to see me within two days of the request.  The following day I received another call from the choice care plan people, a different person from the one I talked to before.  This individual said approximately the same thing as the first individual, but this person asked me if I would be willing to have an appointment with someone other than Dr. McGarry.  I said that would be OK with me.

I didn’t hear from anyone for a day or two so on the 10th of November I called Dr. McGarry’s office myself and was able to talk to his nurse.  She indicated the Dr. McGarry could see me on November 14 so I took the appointment.  Now on the 11th of November the person from the VA who I initially talked to call me back.  He told me that I was being taken away from the choice care plan people and would be handled by the provider of agreement people.  So, on November 14 we were on our way to my orthopedic oncologist appointment and I received a call from a Dr. Coffee’s office stating that I had an appointment with him on November 16. Needless to say, I kept the appointment with Dr. McGarry and canceled the appointment with Dr. Coffee.

The x-ray that was taken on the 1st of November showed a fracture of the right humerus, but the good news is it also showed the bone healing itself.  Dr. McGarry said that everything looked good as of that x-ray and because I told him I wanted to go south January 1 he scheduled another appointment for December 8 at which time another x-ray will be taken to determine if the healing process is proceeding the way he wants and if it isn’t then we will talk about surgery.  So, in the meantime I am using a regular sling, the doctor’s office called the VA to get me a different type of sling.  Bottom line is I feel good, my arm hurts if I use it for almost anything, but the good news is that it is healing itself.

In the meantime, I’m sitting here at home and I received a message on my phone from my youngest sister, Tara, stating that she wants to go somewhere and would like the rest of us siblings to bill also.  I figured because she just retired a weaker so ago she is getting cabin fever already and needed to get out of the house.  So, we are all going on a cruise to the Caribbean next march.  I spent the last couple of days getting our reservation in for the cruise, researching and finding the least expensive plane tickets out of Omaha and booking a hotel reservation for the day before the cruise.  The cruise departs from San Juan Puerto Rico and returns to send one five days later.  Now I have never been to the Caribbean so there should be a very interesting trip, and it is one that I’m looking forward to going on.

So, you might ask what am I going to be doing and for the next 120 days.  Well here it is, next week we are going too Dallas Texas for thanksgiving, Sarah’s and niece Theresa and husband Ben are graciously hosting the family for thanksgiving dinner.  Carl and Marilee are coming down to our place with their motor home and we’re all going to Texas together.  Cynthia is writing was Sarah and I and we will be returning to Omaha on November 27.  Carl and Merilee will be leaving from Dallas and going to Arizona for the winter.  Our plan is to go to Beloit Wisconsin the first week and of December to have Christmas with the kids up there.  Than either on the way up or the way back from the Beloit Wisconsin we will stop and see Tiffany and family in Boone Iowa.

On December 8, I see Dr. McGarry and a decision will be made at that time as to whether I need to have surgery.  If I must have surgery hopefully it can be completed in time for me to go to Arizona January 1.  Our plan is to spend January and February at Good Life RV resort in Mesa Arizona.
We will leave Mesa on March 1 and proceed to visit John and Cindi, who will be camped south of Benson, AZ.  From Benson, I want to go to Roswell New Mexico so I can see where the aliens landed and check out all the information I can find on area 51.  That probably will take too long to do all that that I’ve never been there and I would like to see the place.  I also hope to go to Abilene TX to visit Dyess AFB where I was stationed for two years in the Air Force, I probably will recognize anything about the base but I was still like to visit it.  We would also like to go see Dave and Shari who will be camping in the hill country itself or west of Austin, TX.  From there it’s back to Omaha and filing are income tax and getting ready to go on our cruise.

So, as you can see I haven’t been up to much but I’m always tired, I guess that might be a sign of getting old because some days when I’m tired I fall asleep in my chair.

There isn’t much more to tell so I will sign off for now and update this 000Blog after my Dr. Appointment on the eighth of December.


I hope everyone has a very happy, safe, enjoyable thanksgiving.

No comments: