Welcome To Wisconsin Sign
For those of you following along, you know we finally got back on the road again after searching for a new motor coach and spending two weeks in Bremen, Indiana. We were so excited to have made the choice to move on and start seeing some of the sites we wanted to see. That all came to a screeching halt however in more than one way on Wednesday when we left.
Way #1… A Prevost tour bus comes onto an entrance ramp much to fast thus being forced into our lane via momentum. And by that we
mean 1/3rd of their coach was in our lane. Now seeing we were at highway speed, we had nowhere to go but get as close to the cement barrier on the left side of the road as we could. Well that was not far over enough for as we went by, the mirrors collided. We stopped, they stopped, and that was that really.
Only good news is that our entire mirror assembly was not knocked off and we only lost all the glass out of the passenger mirror. We used the side camera to make it the rest of the way. Could not say the same for the Prevost as they had no driver mirror nor side cameras.
David Taping The Mirror Back On
This Is Our Newly Taped Broken Mirror
David Taping The Mirror Back On
They set a stent into place to help expand the duct and that needs at least a week and then David will go in again to have the same surgery on Friday the 30th. And with that…all the pain that goes with it, again. After that, we will still need to wait another week to have the second stent removed. Then David needs to recover and then we can move on. Good news, he was able to come back to the coach and rest there instead of staying in the hospital that whole time.
He did however have some great views from the 9th floor of the hospital. Looks like a nice city.
Way #2…The Stone! And by that we mean Kidney Stone! We limped on to our stop , a KOA, where we were to stay two nights before moving on to get somewhere we wanted to be. Well, fast forward to 3AM Thursday morning and David is taken to the ER with kidney stone pain. He was in so much pain he required not 1, not 2, not even 3, but 4mg of intravenous Dilaudid and he was still awake! They took him for a CT scan and turns out he has a 6mm Kidney Stone and it would require surgery. He was admitted to Meriter Hospital for pain control and surgery was set for Friday.
David Taping The Mirror Back On
This Is Our Newly Taped Broken Mirror
Seeing the procedure would require a stent to be put into place and then removed a week later, we would be here, Madison, Wisconsin, for over a week.
But nope, it does not end there. David went in for surgery and again we are handed another setback…they could not reach the stone to blast it. He will require another surgery.
So we came here for two nights and will be here for close to three weeks. We have NOTHING really to do here. This KOA is the only full hook-up campground close enough to the city and hospital. However it takes a good 35-40 minutes to get there from the campground. The park is small, the sites are just places to stop with not really any space, but the owner’s and staff are very nice. They were all booked for the up and coming Labor Day weekend but they were able to move people around so that we could stay put.
Hey, at least we have time to fix the mirror and the parts did arrive which David ordered before the kidney stone attack.
So…stopped cold by a Prevost and a Stone with yet another painful surgery to come. It just keeps getting better.
Oh, come on. This is too much!! What is up with you two? There has got to be something really, really good in store for you for coming up. You’ve certainly taken your fair share of knocks lately. Enough, world, give these guys a break! My mom had kidney stones several years ago – I’ve heard they are incredibly painful. I’m hoping for a speedy recovery for David.
Thanks Jennifer.
We certainly are looking forward to our luck changing soon.
Unfortunately David is prone to kidney stones. So these are nothing new. However the last time he actually needed surgery for one (another 6mm BTW) was in 2004. He carries pain meds with him for the smaller ones to help him get by and up to this point, they have worked. It’s just too much with a 6mm stone though.
I guess things could be worse. We could be out in the middle of the badlands (where we were heading) when this happened. Then we’d have to travel further to get help.
Yes, that’s very true – thank goodness you were in a city with access to good healthcare. And that’s great the KOA was able to accommodate you for a surprise longer stay. Still, what a bummer. I have a friend who used to live in Madison, so I asked her if she had any recommendations for you during your stay. She said there is a great farmer’s market and some good outlet mall shopping. Hope that helps a little tiny bit.
Thanks for the suggestions Jennifer. I have heard from a few people about the farmer’s market. Unfortunately it looks like the main day to go is Saturdays and David did not do well the day after surgery. He’s still kinda home bound, so I don’t think we’ll be getting out much. On a plus note, I have a lot of time to clean the coach. On a negative note, the coach isn’t that big, so it doesn’t take that long to clean :) I’ve been reorganizing cabinets and such, just to pass time. Sad.
Things will look up at some point for that I am sure. I hope it comes soon though!
David,
My cardiologist prescribed one alcoholic drink a day – so I, being a good patient, have a nice Glenlivet before dinner.
No kidney stones!!!!
Ahh…I see. That must have been where we went wrong. We don’t really drink.
Right now however I don’t think that would be a good idea with all the pain meds David is on :)
Theirs always the future to look forward to though. Looking forward to seeing you all in Quartzsite this January.
The good news about full-timing in an RV is that, at least in theory, you can go where the health care is. The bad news is that you are far from the doctors who know you. Get well. Take it easy. They have a great university in Madison.
Oh, goodness, guys–I was just got back from Milwaukee for a conference and could have stopped in. I do hope that both of you are okay. I’m going to hope and pray you’re feeling well enough to get down to Denver in a month!
Hi Chris.
Yup, we’re hoping to make Denver and Cedia too. With the way things are going, I hope we do. We’re starting to run out of time to get some good exploring in before that. However we do have some plans after Cedia to hang out with some friends and explore some more of the area.
I have kidney stones and the pain is un real but if I drink orange juice (not from Concentrate ) everyday I have no problems but miss a day or two and the pain returns speedy healing and safe travels
Interesting. I wonder why. It’s certainly couldn’t hurt.
I hope you’re doing better David. I’ve never had a kidney stone myself but Lisa did once and said it hurt worse than childbirth…and our kids were each over 9 pounds! Feel better soon.
Ouch 9 lbs! David’s stone is 6mm which is a big one. I feel so bad for him having to wait a whole week for yet another surgery, in the pain that he is in. He’s miserable and not looking forward to Friday and having to repeat this all over again.
Let’s all cross our fingers that the doc can reach his stone this time.
Sorry to hear about the kidney stone David – having a recurring problem like that is terrible and the only advantage is you at least know what’s happening when it happens. As far as the accident, I’m always nervous we’ll get sideswiped when people are passing us, never thought to watch on ramps for traffic!
I do hope things turn around for you guys soon! If bad things come in threes it would seem you have two more ahead! Maybe you should go to the Renaissance Fair and pick up a rune of protection, I got one before our first trip and it seemed to work for us!
Keith
That’s too funny Keith, about the Renaissance Fair. However we are well over the three allotted bad things. It’s been non-stop since we left our home in Rochester, NY. With our most recent being the kidney stone, the mirror/accident and last Saturday we lost our sweet Angel who passed away after 16 years. I’m sooo ready for our luck to turn around you have no idea. We were hoping to meet up with you guys soon, as we were/are headed that way. However with this set back and us having to be in Denver by Sept 24th, we’ll have to see. I hope so even if it’s only for a little while.