**NOTE** — Unfortunately, this is a really long diary, but for good reason. There’s a lot to discuss. I apologize for the length, but it was necessary.
So this week has been pretty discouraging for me, for a number of reasons, both personal and financial. Bad news from your doctor is NEVER a good thing. Bad news from your mechanic is often very costly. This week I’ve had both.
First off, the car issues. As some of you know, after a very long effort to raise the funds, I was finally able to purchase a used car last week. The car I got was a 1997 Nissan Altima. I did have it checked by the mechanic I used to use before I purchased it, and it got a mostly ok report. The tires and brakes were both nearly worn out, and needed to be replaced, and there was some rust on the shocks, but at the time they didn’t find anything that I would have to worry about too much. But apparently that examination was NOT nearly as thorough as I hoped it would be.
I’d already gotten the tires and the front brake pads done last week, along with flushing the brake line (it was “dirty”). But at the time they couldn’t do the rear drum brakes. Also, I had them check the emissions since the car has to pass inspection by the end of August, and they found a leak, but not sure where. There was no time to check then, so I went home.
The cost of that first trip came to $530 (incl 4 tires, front brake pads, flushing & refilling the brake line, and labor charges). I’d only had about $850 left out of the car fund (which had included some extra for any immediate repairs), so I was down to $300 ($20 had gone to replace the side mirror that was cracked). Thankfully, an angel here at DK had sent me an extra $500 upon hearing about the exhaust leak, thinking I would need it (and I did) if the problem was severe.
On Monday I took the car back to the shop to get the rear (drum) brakes done, and to see if they could find the exhaust leak and either fix it or at least give me an estimate on the cost to fix it.
The first clue I had that it was going to be a very bad day was when the mechanic told me that the inside of the drum brake was completely rusted out — to the point that pieces were flaking off in his hands. This was especially severe on the passenger side, but bad enough on the driver side as well. He explained they’d have to replace the entire brake assembly on both sides (have to do them together apparently), not just the brake “shoes”. This is considerably more money, of course… but without good brakes (he showed me the open brake assembly, and it was hard to find a part that was NOT rusted), I’d be driving a death trap. So what choice did I have?
************************************************************
*PS — I did ask him why they never noticed this when I brought the car in to be checked out. He said at that time, all they did was measure the brake “shoes” to see if they’d pass inspection. They didn’t actually remove the shoe until Monday. It was when they removed the shoe that they could see the extent of the rust, but at first thought they could just sand it down (or whatever they do) until the pieces began breaking up at the slightest touch.
*************************************************************
The second shocker was when he came back about a half hour later to tell me the rear stabilizer bar had basically snapped in half as they were working on the brake assembly. It had also been rotted/rusted out by whatever moisture had gotten inside the brake assembly. He took me over to show me, and it appeared that along with rust, there was a crack in the top (between bar and car, basically, so not easy to see normally), which gave way as they were working on the brakes. I don’t know if they accidentally hit it or something to cause the crack to give way — but frankly, I’m glad it happened at the garage and not when I was driving somewhere.
Next he tells me that they don’t actually have the proper size stabilizer bar available (because it’s a 20 yr old car), so my choices are to leave it there while they order one (since I couldn’t drive it home as it was), or they could fashion (cut, mold, bend, whatever) a stabilizer bar from what they have available, but that would increase the labor cost, as it will take time.
I effectively had no choice, since I had no way to get home (short of a $35 taxi ride — and the same back again when the car was ready), so it seemed I’d either be spending the extra money on a taxi, or on the repairs. I opted for the repairs.
I was there all day (7 hours). Thankfully there was a Denny’s across the street, so I could get coffee and some lunch (greasy as it was). Eventually, around 5pm, the car was finished. By that point I was exhausted, hungry again (and NOT wanting any more of Denny’s grease fest), and in severe pain (my pain meds had worn off, and I didn’t bring any with me, as I thought I’d be back before needing one). Then I got hit with the bill!!
I won’t go through the entire itemized bill. The total was bad enough… to completely replace BOTH rear brake assemblies, plus the stabilizer bar, including labor (which he gave me a “break” on by only charging half the hourly rate) — came to $640. Honestly, if that one DK angel had not sent me the extra $500, the car would still be at the shop, as I would not have had the funds to pay for the repairs. As it is, I am left with a total of $160 toward the exhaust leak fix, which is nowhere near enough.
One thing I did manage to achieve on Monday was to have them do a more complete search for the exhaust leak they’d found last week. From what they can tell, the leak appears to be coming from the area of the “catalytic converter”. However they aren’t sure if it’s this converter thing itself, or from where it connects to some kind of “manifold”, or from the manifold instead… or some combination of the above.
They don’t have the parts available, of course — again, it’s a 20 year old car — but that worked out well, since I didn’t have the funds either. I absolutely MUST have that fixed by the end of August, though, if I’m going to pass inspection, which expires at the end of this month.
They estimated the cost to repair the leak could range anywhere between $500 and $800, depending on if they can obtain the proper parts, and whether they have to replace the entire manifold/converter assembly or just part of it. Either way, the labor is going to be costly, as they have to take nearly the whole thing apart to fix it, so it will eat up time. There’s also the chance that they can’t find the correct part, which means they might have to fashion it from one they have on hand (like they did with the stabilizer bar) — which again means more time and money. He was also quick to remind me that this is “just an estimate” and depending on what they find when they get it apart, the cost could go higher.
So as of Monday evening, I”m looking at needing at least up to $800 (and possibly more) toward the exhaust repairs, which MUST be completed before the end of this month as that’s when the inspection expires. Needless to say, by the time I got home, exhausted, hungry, and in pain — I was too depressed and worried to even read my email. I just ate something and went to bed.
Tuesday was a whole different issue, as I had my monthly doctor appointment.
First, let me say it was a great pleasure to drive myself to the doctor’s office. I was also pleasantly surprised to see when I got back from the doctor appointment that, after filling the tank last week, I had not yet used even ¼ of a tank of gas, including both trips to the mechanic, a trip to the laundromat, a quick stop at the store for milk and a few necessities, and now the trip to the doctor. So the one thing I can say is that the car seems to be very good on gas mileage.
My doctor was happy to hear I’d gotten the car, but warned me against being too eager to get back to work. This is because some of the tests he ordered for me had come back, and things weren’t looking good for me.
First, he announced that I was hypoglycemic (opposite of diabetes — my blood sugar is chronically low). He also said it was the “non reactive” type (still not sure what that means — reactive to what?), and that this was not a good sign. Now, let me point out that I’ve always known I was hypoglycemic. My blood sugar has ALWAYS been extremely low. So that was not news to me — although it’s the first time it’s been an “official” diagnosis that will remain in my medical record.
More concerning is that he said he’s worried that such chronically low blood sugar may be caused by — or causing — damage to my liver, pancreas, or kidneys. He’d worried about the liver and kidneys in the past, because of all the over-the-counter pain meds I’d been taking to cope with my chronic pain issues before he started prescribing the more effective meds. It’s why he warned me to pretty much NEVER take Tylenol again (due to potential liver damage). He wanted me to stop the Advil too, but while the pain meds do a great job on my spinal pain, they don’t help that much with my joint pain (some relief, but very little). Because of this, I’ve had to continue taking Advil, but I did reduce the dosage some.
Anyway, he had wanted me to have an MRI for a better picture of what’s happening with my spine and hip/knee joints… but now he wants it to be far more intense. He wants them to look not only at my spine and joints, but at my liver, kidneys, pancreas, and lower legs. The reason for the MRI of my lower legs is due to the results of the two tests I already had — the nerve conduction test and the circulation (ultrasound) test. As it turns out, those results were BOTH bad.
The doc said I definitely have neuropathy in both my legs (between knee and ankle), but worst in the left leg. Similarly, it appears I may have DVT (deep vein thrombosis). The circulation test didn’t detect any obvious blood clots, but the doctor said there could be small ones, or other blockages (ie: plaque) that could be restricting the circulation to my lower legs. Either way, he’s concerned that I may need to go on blood thinners very soon, and about the risk that any undetected blood clots could break loose and travel to my heart, brain, etc.
For now he has me on one baby aspirin a day, taken before bed, in the hope that the aspirin, in combination with sleeping with my legs elevated, will help reduce the swelling in my lower legs (which can further cause circulation problems), and also help my circulation issues at least until they can determine if I need to be on a blood thinner or not. Of course, he also warned me that taking a daily aspirin could lead to gastric bleeding (something that happened with Eph, so I know it’s a possibility), so he’s hoping I won’t need it for very long.
So now, in addition to the Lyrica and pain meds, I’m also on a cholesterol medication and a daily baby aspirin — and may soon be on some kind of blood thinner.
He also wants me to see an endocrinologist. He thinks that there is some link between my hypoglycemia and also slightly lower than normal blood pressure. He thinks I may have some kind of metabolic issue that has never been detected (or looked for) before.
Finally, he cautioned me, as I mentioned above, against trying to find a job to start next week. This is because he wants me to get all these medical tests done FIRST, as well as to be able to return to his office once they’re done so he can provide any additional prescriptions or instructions as needed. So he basically said I shouldn’t start any job for at least two weeks, as he’s ordering all the tests to be done “stat” (first possible appointment, basically), and then it will take a couple of days for the results to reach him.
He’s concerned first that once I start a job, I won’t be able to take time off to get the testing done, or even to return to his office (which is true — especially since my doc’s office only works 9-5 on weekdays — no evening or weekend hours). But he’s also concerned that any change in my activity level — which would be rather drastic to go from not working all this time to suddenly working 40 hrs a week, plus prep and travel time, etc. — could cause further problems with my legs (dislodge a blood clot, for example) as well as my spine.
So he said to be safe, especially re the DVT, I need to be patient, at least until they can be sure there are no current clots of any size in my legs (or anywhere, frankly). That will determine whether or not I need to go on blood thinners or if they can try other treatment methods first.
I’ll be honest — he scared me. The idea that some unseen clot in my leg could cause a massive heart attack or a stroke, etc., if it breaks loose… and that there’d be no warning and very little response time to save my life, should that happen — is frankly a bit terrifying. As it is, he scared me even more by saying I should look into getting one of those “Medic Alert” bracelets, to warn about both the hypoglycemia and the DVT, in case I were to suddenly pass out or something.
Of course, a Medic Alert bracelet only works when I’m in public. The bracelet isn’t going to help me much when I’m home, alone, if something were to happen. It’s not like my two kitties, Tiger and Smokey, can call 911 for me.
The doctor also wants me to see a nutritionist to get a proper “menu” of what I should/should not eat, to maintain my blood sugar at healthy levels (and possibly lose some weight). So basically, between the MRI, the two other tests he mentioned that he’d like me to have, the specialist visits he wants me to have (neuro, ortho, endo, and now nutrition too), I could be a month or longer before I’d be done with all that and able to look for work.
So it’s not surprising that after getting the bad car news all day Monday, and then getting the bad health news on Tuesday, I was depressed, exhausted (again), and not really in the mood to talk to anyone (even in writing). So I spent last evening trying to put it all out of my mind for a while by playing a puzzle game, and then going to bed early.
After sleeping on it, I have to say that — much as I love my doctor, and much as I want to STAY living for a while longer — I simply cannot wait a month or more to start working. It’s a choice between getting my medical needs taken care of, or keeping a roof over my head. Basically, it’s an impossible choice to have to make. But in the end, work — if I can find it in time — has to come first.
I will give it a week, so I can get all these “stat” tests done. At least he will have those results. But unless I can see all these specialists during that same week, then I simply HAVE to be able to start a job if I can find one. The rest will have to wait until I can take the time off to get it done. Besides, I can still be LOOKING for work during that week — I just have to put my availability date for the following Monday (8/28).
In the meantime, I am desperately in need of help for the car repairs as well as for the remainder of the August living expenses ($425 to go). Instead of setting up a new GFM page for the car repairs, I’ve simply raised the goal on the original car fund page, including an update to explain the increase. I’m supplying both links below, as well as my Paypal info for those who prefer that option.
Updated GFM for Car (Repairs)
August Living Expenses
Paypal — moeloe1126 AT aol DOT com
Please help if you can — whether that’s by making a donation or sharing the links with your own networks so that others who might be willing to help can know there’s a need.
My goal is still to be working before this month ends so that I can pay at least part of my own bills and expenses for September. The LAST thing I want is to have to do another fund-raising effort to cover September’s rent and expenses.
Although that goal has been delayed by the need for car repairs and now by the medical issues — it’s still my primary goal. To get there, I absolutely need the car fixed and inspected so I can drive it safely and reliably.
As for the medical side, I just have to hope for the best, as I doubt any of the specialists he wants me to see are going to have openings in the next week. So I will give myself that one week to get all the tests done (or as many as possible at least). After that, what I can do will depend entirely on my work schedule (assuming I can get work that fast).
PPS — anyone know how you get a Medic Alert bracelet?