Friday, January 24, 2014

Its Warmer in Billings, Mt


(c)Horst Kelly photographer
 
This is just not right....We are in South Texas....not International Falls. At 9:30pm yesterday evening the Casita already had ice forming on it, by this morning it was 23 degrees and not warming up....San Antonio had most of the major roads closed...By 0800 there where more then a 100 accidents , so they say....it may get above freezing by 2pm but will drop into the mid 20's tonight.....
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Oh well, on Sunday I'll be standing at my grill, in my shorts, fixing some Salmon and such...and Billing will be in the teens....Mother Nature can be fickle....Happy Trails...Horst
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Thursday, January 16, 2014

I can see...for the First time since........

Got home a couple of hours ago and all is well.....in reality, a lot better than "well".

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Can't say enough about the hospital staff, and my Doctor...very professional, friendly and attentive...pre-op started at 0800 on the 14th...I had pre-registered, so by 0815 I was already in my "how in the hell do you tie this thing", fashionable hospital gown....then it was off to the races...."sir you have such nice veins",...ever notice it takes longer to hook you up to the  EKG machine then the actual EKG test itself....draw more blood, wire you up to the monitor....which they  always position so you can't see(self diagnose) your rapid heart beat, high blood pressure or low oxygen saturation percentage...then there is the million questions about what to do and who to contact about your remains IF you don't make it.....I'm thinking, this is only a simple 15 minute cataract procedure...have they no confidence in the surgical staff...should I be rethinking getting this done....they assure me its only a formality...that all will end well...as they leave I see the back of their heads shaking from side to side....

No sooner did they exit....and the Margarita Lady...(it was a female Doc).,  comes in.....the one person who will make it all better...even when it goes to hell in a hand basket...yup, its the anesthesiologist....wants to know how bad of shape I really am in.....By
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now, I'm ready to get a "drool cloth" and sit in the corner until the egg timer runs out of sand..... next a grumpy
 old person enters and asks me which eye it is.....I thought I would inject a little humor and said "the middle one".....apparently my brand of levity  is not appreciated, at least that early in the morning...I blamed it on the juice the Margarita Lady had just given me....all was forgiven....
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The Star of the Event enters...all others take several steps backward....first things first....she places a round sticky over my left eye, apparently operating on the wrong organ appears problematic here....The Doc. goes over the procedure in great detail, assures all will end well...that I will not feel anything though I will be wide awake.....I will see only colored lights and that I can ask her questions while she is operating on my eye......realizing the Margarita Lady has given me enough juice that I can't count to "one" much less form a coherent sentence.....I am impressed...I can't walk and chew gum at the same time and she is able to slice and dice on my eye while engaging in a deep thought provoking conversation with me...Mmmmmm
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At 0855 I am wheeled into the "arena"....the juice is working, the lights are flashing and I hear the theme song of"Mash" playing in the background.....I hope to hell she is a descendent of "Hawkeye" and not " Frank Burns"....I can't  help myself and I start a conversation with the Doctor.....before I know it I'm being wheeled into recovery...The Juice Doc comes in, the Surgeon comes in...we go over things not to do for the next couple weeks....and the administration of the various drops I need to take for the next 30 days.....by 1020 we are back at the Drury Inn...and I'm watching TV and for the first time since I don't know when, without my glasses...

All joking aside.....The entire operating team was first class, I couldn't have gotten a better group of folks, even if I had hand picked them!!!


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Next day I went back to the Doctor....all checked out fine, see her again next week and then , just maybe in a month I can Hitch up the old mare to the wagon and take a little trip. Until then I will be content in  living vicariously through your Adventures and photo's.....  Thank you all for your well wishes and positive comments.....Until next time...Happy Trails...Horst sends

PS...and I didn't get a "patch"....what I received looks like half of a pair motorcycle goggles....not something you want to strut around in public with...good news, I only have to wear it when I go to bed.....woe is me!

Monday, January 13, 2014

Back in time for a Litttle procedure

 I haven't been around for several days....just got back in time to have a little "cataract" surgery ..since its about hour's drive and I have to be there at "O dark thirty"(rush hour traffic no less) on Tuesday...we decided it would be best to find a motel close to the Hospital...we'll check in this afternoon and not have to worry about the drive,.....plus I have to go back to the doctor(who is in the same general area) on Wednesday for a follow-up....a  Drury Suites Hotel was found, so we'll all set.....with a little relaxation this pm, I'll try to catch up on all my blogs to see where and what everyone's been  doing....since I will have my laptop.....



The surgery only takes 15 to 30 minutes....and if all goes well I'll be back at the hotel before noon...the only down side is having to put  three different types of drops in my eye 3 times a day...for a month...in fact two of the drops started yesterday morning...one 3 times a day and the other once a day.....oh well....the first week I get pampered by the Bride after that I'm pretty much free to do what I want and can go about without any "adult"supervision...fact is I can drive within 48 after the procedure....if all went well....no heavy lifting or exercise for a couple of weeks...and I get to wear a patch  over my eye....always wanted to do that since I was a small kid..ha!! Not much else happening...
Where my mind will be during surgery...Big Bend Sunrise

Until the next time, stay safe and Happy Trails to all!!...Horst sends