I am aware that we all have to die sooner or later yet when you see your friends and relatives embark on their final journey it makes you wonder how much longer you have. It doesn't help when the Obituary notes they died in San Angelo and/or San Antonio, right then you know they were ill and had to go out-of-town to seek treatment.
I do not buy the local newspaper nor do I go online every day and if I do checking Obituaries is the last thing on my mind. It makes me sad that I did not find out about their passing until after their funerals and I was not able to pay my final respects to them.
If you have been reading me for a while you know that I have been complaining about pain and throbbing on my right leg for years. The problem is that I need to be evaluated by a Neurologist and we do not have one of those in Del Rio or Ciudad Acuña. My Nurse Practitioner told me that without medical insurance I am looking to pay in the low end $3,800 to $5,000 but more in the over $8,000 range due to the high costs of the tests.
To make matters worst now my right arm feels as if someone was sticking me with pins and needles. It frequently goes to sleep and the pain on my right leg has jumped to my left one but not as bad. The first thing that came to mind was I was experiencing signs of a stroke or heart attack so I headed to my Nurse Practitioner and even took my mother with me as for some unknown reason she does not seem to believe me.
She performed some cognitive tests and I showed her a flyer from Life Line Screening which will perform 5 screenings for $139.00 tomorrow at our local Civic Center. She thought it was a great idea and said the Carotid Artery/Plaque Screening was the most important test, here they perform an Ultrasound scan of the carotid arteries that screens for plaque buildup.
The screenings are in my price range so this morning I went to register online and when I couldn't I called. Turns out that there is a state law that does not allow you to register for these tests if it is within 20 hours of the event...how stupid is that? If I want to have these screenings I have to drive to Sonora, Texas on Monday. It is a 150-mile round trip.
Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.
Do the drive and get the tests if at all possible Better to know what is going on, or at least screen out what it isn't.
ReplyDeleteI am considering it as I only have a few hours to sign up online. If it was anywhere else like Uvalde, Eagle Pass or another town close by I would not hesitate.
DeleteI really hate the drive to Sonora. It is a lonely and curvy road.
Just go because it is important to your health and well-being. Don't wait until you need an ambulance. How far is the nearest city in Mexico where you could get the proper care? If you ou are going to have to drive a distance whether it's in the U.S. or Mexico, then you would no doubt be better off going to Mexico - maybe take a bus or even fly. Please don't wait to start checking around.
ReplyDeleteOur insurance agent gave me the name of a neurologist in Piedras Negras, Coahuila at the time my mother was going to wound care after her fall so I put it off.
DeleteAnother friend of ours that lives in Ciudad Acuña goes to Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, México where they have all types of specialists. She and her son take the bus at midnight and arrive early in the morning.
Del Rio's airport only flies nationally and only to Dallas. Ciudad Acuña does not have an airport.
I think you really need to go get these tests. Maybe you can do an over night stay just in case it is a long wait or a long test. From what I have seen on TV you don't even have to get undressed. Please go don't put it off
ReplyDeleteBack in 2013 when we travelled frequently to San Angelo I was shocked by the high cost of hotel/motel rates due to all the oil activity in the area. That is when I looked into motel rates in Sonora and they were just as bad, it would cost me more for the hotel than for the tests. Granted I have not looked up anything recently.
DeleteThe price of the tests and the fact that you do not have to get undressed were a big draw for me.
Ridiculous state registration law aside, the testing sounds like a good deal, even if they can only rule the scary stuff out. You know, it could even end up being something simple & easy to fix. Seems like I had some of those symptoms, but they went totally away when I bought a better mattress.
ReplyDeleteSo PLEASE go to Sonora, and remember to take many pictures for us. (I always speed through & have never even seen the caves.)
My mother seems to think it is something else like a scorpion or spider bite even a tick. If that is the case it has been going on for a long time and I probably should be dead.
DeleteThe Nurse Practitioner seems to think my arm pain is related to being my mother's caregiver and that since her fall I have had to assist her more.
The road from Del Rio to Sonora is sterile and lonely. I will try to take some pictures. I have never been to the caves either.
If you decide to stay over and I hope you do, I found out while researching the caverns (b/c I decided I'm gonna do it next time I drive through) that if you mention Caverns of Sonora when you reserve you can get a 20% discount at several local hotels.
ReplyDeletehttp://cavernsofsonora.com/tickets#/select
Also for a budget option, apparently the cavern operators have a fully serviced campground with restrooms & showers & if you don't have an RV or tent you can rent a very cool bring-your-own-bed tipi for $25! (Too hot at this time of the year, though, I'd imagine.)
https://havingfuninthetexassun.com/2017/03/13/caverns-of-sonora-sonora/
Good luck & have a safe trip when you go and, remember, all your readers think you *should* go! No pressure or anything, but we're saying you have to do this, thats all. ;-)
Thank you Leilani you are so good at researching things. I kind of feel bad now after all your hard work but I am not going to be able to make the Sonora trip but I do plan on seeing a neurologist soon.
ReplyDelete