Bit of an accident

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61

Really sorry to hear that Bill, I can’t imagine how frustrating a setback like that must be. As an aside regarding medical bills, make sure you talk with the billing office of whatever medical center you are dealing with regarding possible financial assistance. Many medical centers have cost reduction procedures even for people with significant income.

Hang in there man, the road to recovery does eventually have an end, and you will get there.

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Hey Bill!

I just read through this entire thread. I doubt that I’d be tough enough to deal with all you’ve had to do. I really hope your recovery goes well after this new setback.

Have the lawyers had good news at all? My dad is a PI for a personal injury attorney, and a retired cop, so he may have some insight on both sides of your issue…

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Thanks Barry!

I looked into these guys years ago, as I’m a big fan of Death Wish Coffee, (I still have a can of the recalled nitro cold brew as a trophy on my desk).[attachment file=57649]

Your recommendation reminded me and was enough to push me over the edge to buy… I can’t wait to get it!!!

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I follow Phil on Twitter, that’s where I got the teachable moment quote.

65

Sorry to hear about that. Hope you’ll recover soon and back to us. :slight_smile:

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Well, we're on the brink of the one year anniversary (either Wednesday or Thursday of this week, depending on if you are thinking "the day before Thanksgiving" or November 22nd), so it's about time for an update. ?
I've recovered enough from the April surgery to actually be farther along than I was then, though it felt slower than the original recovery. I'm able to stand in the morning without foot pain, though by the afternoon it's usually back. I am still using the wheelchair in the afternoons and evenings but can get to the various events just using the two canes. I'm playing pool once a week but still not ready for pickleball.
My doctor has me scheduled for a CT scan of the (possible) lipoma on my left hip. That's something that showed up when I was first able to stand, a big bulge that leaves me somewhat unbalanced. It's not life threatening or anything like that, if it grows too big it could affect the movement of that hip. It's big enough that they are likely to remove it surgically and I'll hopefully know the plan by the end of the year. That should (knock on wood) be the last of the procedures resulting from the accident.
Numbness in my left foot and across my abdomen still persists and likely will for the rest of my life, though there's hope it'll gradually subside some. There's no way to tell if it was caused by the injuries from the accident or by the procedures following.
Litigation proceeds at it's usual pace so no news on that front, my lawyer originally estimated two years on that. The other driver is contesting the restitution numbers and that should be dealt with around the end of this month. Although realistically there's very little chance I'll ever see anything from that, he just doesn't have any money to speak of, and little or no prospect of gaining such.
I've been able to foist the bill collectors off on the lawyer though, and that's been a great relief emotionally. The numbers still sit scarily in the background, but I'm not reminded every few days about it. If the litigation pans out the resulting settlement will go first to the lawyers, second to Medicare and finally to me. It'll have to be a fairly significant judgement though to have any left after Medicare is paid back. Still I fully expect that in the end at least I won't be out of pocket too much...
I've passed almost every milestone I've set for myself, though they're getting farther and farther apart. I'm out of bed, walking under my own power, back to helping my customers out with their computers and networks, I've replaced the somewhat shortened Honda Insight with a not too old Toyota Camry and it gets decent fuel mileage, though not quite as good as the Insight did. I've been able to get into the garage again, and even up the stairs to the second floor in my house. Still to go are the aforementioned pickleball and full days without the foot ache. ?
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I was just looking through your zenxy post yesterday and wondering how you were doing. Thanks for the update. Sounds like you’re still making strong progress.

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Wonderfully positive attitude! I am so glad to hear of progress on all fronts going in the right direction.

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YAY!! It’s great to hear that you’re moving better. I’m glad that your recovery is still moving in the right direction.

Permanent injuries, like the lifetime numbness translate to very large settlements, hopefully the other driver’s insurance is good enough that you at least aren’t out of pocket anything.

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Heheh, the Other Guy was driving with a suspended license, with no insurance, in a stolen car, running from the police, at 100 MPH. Nope, no long term settlements there… :frowning:

I’m currently out of pocket (or at least owe) about 25K, but we’re working on it.

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Happy Thanksgiving Bill! Hoping this year’s memories are better than last years!

72

Got a nice note from my lawyer, two of the insurance companies are ponying up enough to pay off the medical bills (other than the hernia surgery that hasn’t been scheduled yet) and give me a little left over. Still got a ways to go (likely another year) on the lawsuit, so no idea yet how that will turn out. But at least I shouldn’t be out of pocket. :slight_smile:

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Hell yes!

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That’s great news, Bill.

75

Woohoo!

76

And for my 18 month anniversary, to the day, I came in and had the hernia surgery yesterday. The surgeon was very pleased, he was able to get it all cleaned up in only six hours (the estimate was 6-8 hours). One bone attachment and the innermost layer is all original. He used a heavy duty mesh between that and the outer layers with something like six tie-off points around the periphery. All the stitches are dissolvable so my after checkups will be less intrusive. I’m on some pretty heavy duty pain meds and will be here in the hospital for 3-5 days. Recovery time after getting home is expected to run six months or so. One of the stipulations up front is no bending , twisting or lifting. So no pool for a while. :frowning:

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Dam that is a rough.

No pool, that just gives you some time to Cad up that Lathe. Custom Cue in no time! Always a silver lining.

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Well, it turns out they thought me robust enough to give the really good drugs too and I have the joy of going on a trip while staying home. We think it was the Gabapentin, but aren’t completely sure. Short term memory loss, slow thinking, blurred speech, rapid eye movement, distorted vision, etc… I’ve been out of the hospital since Monday and didn’t take any the last day or two but am still getting the eye jerks and a bit of the distorted vision . It’s like someone changed the screen resolution on the world for a bit. On the other hand, I seem to have lost a lot of weight and am not yet eating enough to gain anything back. :slight_smile:

79

I had a nice visit with the ER folks today, but the hope is they figured out what was going on this time and it should be smooth sailing going forward. We stopped at McDonald’s after the ER and I was able to eat all of the smallest hamburger they make, so I’ll be packing the pounds back on before you know it. I’m down between 15-20 pounds from my normal weight before surgery, so averaging three pounds weight loss per day. Although effective, I can’t say I recommend this for anyone.

81

Heheh, coming up on four years and I get a SPAM post. :slight_smile:

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