Family Update
January 9, 2007
Just a quick update on Mr Papa and his family…
Savannah continues to be sick. On the way home from our Cloudcroft, NM trip, she threw up in the car about half an hour before we got home. She had told us the evening before that she felt like she was coming down with something. I am sure it has something to do with being in the cold weather for 5 days. It may also have something to with being exposed to her Aunt and GrandPop in Cloudcroft as both had colds and/or respiratory ailments. She has been diagnosed with bronchitis and some sort of viral infection. They started her on antibiotics but they were ineffective. This week, they changed the type of antibiotic. She was actually fever free today, so she may well be on the road to recovery. She will likely miss all this week of school. Sean has been bringing home some homework for her, so hopefully she wont fall too far behind.
We got a huge propane bill last week. We don’t have natural gas out here in the sticks of Arizona. Instead, we have a several hundred gallon tank of propane gas. The house is heated by propane and it is winter time here in Sonoita, so the propane bill goes up. However, the bill last month was over $400. That is exorbitantly high. Suzanne informed today that she has been dealing with an issue with the washer. Evidently, the door doesn’t securely close, so the washer doesn’t do it’s spin cycle which leaves the clothes very wet. Suzanne has been putting the wet clothes in the dryer and it is taking 3 or 4 cycles to dry the clothes. Argh… wish I knew about this issues before they became bona fide problems. Oh well, looks like a couple hundred dollar bill to get a new door for the washer. I guess I cant recommend buying more expensive washer and dryer equipment since they seem to break much faster than the cheap stuff. This stuff was top of the line Neptune equipment and is only a couple of the years old.
Looks like the Alma Dolores International Dance Studio that Suzanne and the kids go to is expanding. The paint store next door to them has left and Alma picked up the lease. She will be adding an extra two dance floors/studios. Thus, she will be adding additional dance and miscellaneous classes. She has asked Suzanne to become a teacher at the studio. No, not a dance instructor as that would be funny (well, not as funny as me being an instructor). Instead, Suzanne will teach pom pom dance to young girls. This will build on her recent experience as a cheer leading coach. The best part of this, is that we will get a discount on our family plan bill we pay to Alma for everyone (except me) to dance. Suzanne hasn’t told me yet how much of a discount, but hopefully it’s significant. I think we pay something like $170 a month for the kids and Suzanne’s dance lessons.
If you haven’t yet checked out my new website, Sonoita Web, please do so and let me know what you think.
Until next time…
Heart Saver CT Scan
January 5, 2007
During my recent holiday vacation, I took the opportunity to visit the Tucson Heart Hospital and get a Heart Saver CT Scan. First, I am not currently having any issues or symptoms of heart problems, but given a recent rash of friends, co-workers and relatives suffering heart attacks and/or issues, and given my family history of heart problems, I try to be pro-active in watching my heart health.
The Heart Saver CT Scan takes images of your heart and supplying arteries to look for calcium. These calcium deposits are strong indicators of arterial blockage, often the cause of many heart attacks. The procedure is easy and painless. You simple lay on a table for about 5 minutes while the CT scan occurs. The procedure is completely non-invasive and there are no needles, dye or injections. The scan occurs while fully clothed. The test is supposed to be 98% accurate.
The doctors then score you images for calcium buildup in your arteries and heart on a scale from 0 to 1500. The higher the number, the more blockage and the more urgent need for follow up care. Given my family history (both my father and grand-father died of heart attacks relatively young), I was a bit curious (and anxious) as to how I would score. About 8 years ago, in the same vein of pro-activeness, I underwent a full cardio exam including a stress test and showed no issues.
About 1 week after the test, I received the results via mail with a copy being sent to my primary care physician. My score was :thumbs_up: 3.5 :thumbs_up: I was very pleasantly surprised by the results. The engineer in me says it doesnt get much better than 3.5 on a scale of 0 – 1500. I am still going to schedule a session with my primary care doctor to go over the results and get his put on the results.
Some day not too far in the future, I still want to repeat the full cardio exam just to stay on top of it. With insurance being what it is today, that may not be possible without considerable expense. My exam 8 years ago was covered by insurance without any question. Today, I suspect, that will not be the case. The Heart Saver CT Scan was not covered by insurance, but the cost was only $155 – well worth it.
I am sure that a similar type preventative scan is available in most cities. I would highly recommend that folks take the time to do this.
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