Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How Are Things Where You Are? (was "Routine" ​ 😁 ​day in lockdown... how was yours?)

[helen haywood]

1 hour ago, HBE4 said:

As for Lenoard,  he's the least enthusiastic fan there is. 

Move over Leonard, I’m with you!

[dani negreanu]

3 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

@dani negreanu Dani, how is your DH doing?  I hope his pain has been identified and taken care of.

 

Thanks, Bonnie, not so well. Yesterday he started trying his 3rd pain med, with no improvement. His blood work is OK, including the one checking the possibility of MM.

 

We're quite "in the air", since our family doctor is on holiday, even though he promised that DH may contact him via Maccabi's site [Maccabi is our health provider]. What he forgot to mention is that there is a limit of 5 messages per quarter, and we reached it very easily...

 

I went to Maccabi's offices yesterday, asking to extend the limit, given that the dr is out until April 16, and we cannot make an appointment with another dr, since we "belong" to this one until March 31,which falls on Shabbat. Moreover, in order to switch drs, we have to give Maccabi another name, and the good ones do not receive new patients.

 

The manager, more or less, let me understand that we're f  ed [as if I didn't know it...] since there's nothing she can do, the dr being an "independent" dr, not Macabbi's one...

 

A real mess.

[brillohead]

10 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

That is called geographic urticaria. My bet is from coming home to the dry environment. You should go back to the Caribbean.😉

Coming home to the Midwest's dry winter air after my ten weeks of cruising just about did my skin in last year.  I wish that I could fill a hot tub with lotion and just soak in it every day!

 

[brillohead]

1 hour ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Interesting. Did the app come with your phone or did you get it from the App Store?  (I have an iPhone 12 ProMax).  We have a Med cruise this September with additional days in Venice, Rome & Barcelona.  I’ll have pages of notes for this (restaurant suggestions, etc) that I could easily misplace and they’d also be awkward to carry around and pull out for reference.  An app like this could come in very handy. 

Forgot to comment that it would be very convenient for this! 

You can make check lists, or just notes (without the check marks) and you can even leave voice recordings in the app.  

And anything you add from your computer would sync over to your phone.

[Jimbo]

On 3/26/2023 at 9:19 PM, Jimbo said:

Guess we are best to book the 1 package @ $17.99 per day now with 2 devices($391) and leave it at that. Rather then waiting onboard, 4 free days..........then 10 days  @ $30.00 a day, $300,  then adding a 2nd device to  that $300 package has to be more then $91.00 right?

 

14 day cruise.

Interesting, Royal lowered the Internet Package to $15.99 per day, but when you click on 2 devices the price of $391 is still the same.

 

Part of  the way Royal does the "New" Math I guess 😞

[brillohead]

26 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

I never mentioned before how totally scared I was to keep my kidney doctor appointment today.  I had lab work last week and results were not good.  I won't go into detail but my kidney numbers in one area are not where they should be and have been increasing (should be decreasing) for my last 3 visits.  l was in the hospital in 2015 for 10 days with kidney disease, biopsy, large mega doses of prednisone which thankfully brought my numbers way down. I was actually very close to needing dialysis. I was one sick puppy.  Thankfully prednisone and the 21 different pills I took did the trick. Today when he walked into the exam room I burst into tears fearful of what he would say.  He came over, hugged my shoulders and told me the news was not terrible, said there are other ranges that show kidney function that actually have been normal for quite a while.  So, low sodium, more water, less protein, new prescription and I was good to go.  No kidney biopsy, no prednisone (I had horrible side effects...shudder), no hospital stay.

 

Sometimes life can be so good!

 

I wish good health to all of you and your families.  The rest is just icing.

 

I have a few friends with kidney issues.  One of them switched over to a mostly vegetarian diet (she's not super strict about it) and she's had wonderful results with the reduction in meat protein.  

((((HUGS))))  I'm so glad that your doctor was responsive to your emotions...  and you know you've always got us here behind you as well!

[derorim]

27 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

I never mentioned before how totally scared I was to keep my kidney doctor appointment today.  I had lab work last week and results were not good.  I won't go into detail but my kidney numbers in one area are not where they should be and have been increasing (should be decreasing) for my last 3 visits.  l was in the hospital in 2015 for 10 days with kidney disease, biopsy, large mega doses of prednisone which thankfully brought my numbers way down. I was actually very close to needing dialysis. I was one sick puppy.  Thankfully prednisone and the 21 different pills I took did the trick. Today when he walked into the exam room I burst into tears fearful of what he would say.  He came over, hugged my shoulders and told me the news was not terrible, said there are other ranges that show kidney function that actually have been normal for quite a while.  So, low sodium, more water, less protein, new prescription and I was good to go.  No kidney biopsy, no prednisone (I had horrible side effects...shudder), no hospital stay.

 

Sometimes life can be so good!

 

I wish good health to all of you and your families.  The rest is just icing.

Bonnie, I’m sorry for your scare, but happy with the outcome.  I wish all the best for you.  

[derorim]

27 minutes ago, akcruz said:

For any of you with Alexa, use it for your shopping list.  I was reluctant when my daughter first mentioned but it works very well.  As I am in the kitchen or wherever I can let her know to add xyz to my shopping list.  You can then go into the app on your phone and there is your list.  You can also add manually thru the app.  At the store you xan check off what you got and it moves to the bottom.  It starts to get to know what you get and when adding manually gives you lists to pick from.  

 

You can use the list functionality for anything.  We have lists for various stores as well as our lake house to remind us what we need to take with us.  Very easy to use.

Thanks for explaining how that works, I’ve been hesitant to use it as well, even though I consider myself computer savvy.  Maybe it is just a privacy issue, but heck, Alexa knows everything about me already.

[Momof3gurlz]

33 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

I never mentioned before how totally scared I was to keep my kidney doctor appointment today.  I had lab work last week and results were not good.  I won't go into detail but my kidney numbers in one area are not where they should be and have been increasing (should be decreasing) for my last 3 visits.  l was in the hospital in 2015 for 10 days with kidney disease, biopsy, large mega doses of prednisone which thankfully brought my numbers way down. I was actually very close to needing dialysis. I was one sick puppy.  Thankfully prednisone and the 21 different pills I took did the trick. Today when he walked into the exam room I burst into tears fearful of what he would say.  He came over, hugged my shoulders and told me the news was not terrible, said there are other ranges that show kidney function that actually have been normal for quite a while.  So, low sodium, more water, less protein, new prescription and I was good to go.  No kidney biopsy, no prednisone (I had horrible side effects...shudder), no hospital stay.

 

Sometimes life can be so good!

 

I wish good health to all of you and your families.  The rest is just icing.

I’m so happy you got good news Bonnie! 

[brillohead]

2 minutes ago, derorim said:

Thanks for explaining how that works, I’ve been hesitant to use it as well, even though I consider myself computer savvy.  Maybe it is just a privacy issue, but heck, Alexa knows everything about me already.

 

 

 

[Sea Dog]

26 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

That is called geographic urticaria. My bet is from coming home to the dry environment. You should go back to the Caribbean.😉

Hey Doc, can you write me a script for that? 😁

[Momof3gurlz]

15 minutes ago, brillohead said:

It came on my phone because it's an Android, and Keep is one of the Google apps.  Should be free in the Apple store, too, I would imagine.

I can also access it from my computer, because it's tied to my Google account.  I use Chrome for my browser, so when I open a new tab for a blank page, I click on the "app dots" (not sure what the icon's  official name is, but it's the dots you click on to get to the Google apps, so "app dots" it is!).

 

 

Then the list of various apps pops up, and I click on Keep:

 

It opens the app on my computer, and I can type out all my lists with a real keyboard, instead of tippy-tapping on my phone's keyboard, which I'm not overly fond of doing if I don't absolutely have to.  Decades of office work have me typing at about 842 words per minute on a keyboard, while my phone tippy-tapping leaves a lot to be desired in both speed and accuracy!

 

  

Thanks! I just downloaded the app and started playing around with it. I really like that you can add images. I’m famous for taking screenshots,  then endlessly scrolling thru them to find what I’m looking for.  I think this will let me add screenshots to my notes. Should be really useful for travel notes.  
I never cease to be amazed at things I’ve learned on this thread!

[akcruz]

20 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Thanks, Bonnie, not so well. Yesterday he started trying his 3rd pain med, with no improvement. His blood work is OK, including the one checking the possibility of MM.

 

We're quite "in the air", since our family doctor is on holiday, even though he promised that DH may contact him via Maccabi's site [Maccabi is our health provider]. What he forgot to mention is that there is a limit of 5 messages per quarter, and we reached it very easily...

 

I went to Maccabi's offices yesterday, asking to extend the limit, given that the dr is out until April 16, and we cannot make an appointment with another dr, since we "belong" to this one until March 31,which falls on Shabbat. Moreover, in order to switch drs, we have to give Maccabi another name, and the good ones do not receive new patients.

 

The manager, more or less, let me understand that we're f  ed [as if I didn't know it...] since there's nothing she can do, the dr being an "independent" dr, not Macabbi's one...

 

A real mess.

 

☹️

 

9 minutes ago, derorim said:

Thanks for explaining how that works, I’ve been hesitant to use it as well, even though I consider myself computer savvy.  Maybe it is just a privacy issue, but heck, Alexa knows everything about me already.

 

If Alexa wants to know I have wine on my shopping list this week so be it, I am sure they already know somehow what I buy from everywhere.

[dpostman]

I've seen a bit of discussion about grocery lists.  I'll add my 2 cents.  We've been using a free app called Bring!.  It works on Android and iOS, can create multiple lists, shareable and live updates.  We've been using it for about 5 years now.

 

 

 

dp

 

 

Edited March 30, 2023 by dpostman

[jmh2006]

@BonTexasNY Oh Bonnie, I am so glad that your kidney doctor appointment was not as you had feared!  

@Momof3gurlz Bummed you can't do Panama but totally understand.  We are working on RI trip, probably 7/10-7/15.  

 

[bobmacliberty]

1 hour ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Interesting. Did the app come with your phone or did you get it from the App Store?  (I have an iPhone 12 ProMax).  We have a Med cruise this September with additional days in Venice, Rome & Barcelona.  I’ll have pages of notes for this (restaurant suggestions, etc) that I could easily misplace and they’d also be awkward to carry around and pull out for reference.  An app like this could come in very handy. 

 

I (and the rest of my family) use Microsoft OneNote.  We all have it on our phones and on our computers.  It is cloud based so whatever you enter on one device is immediately available on all devices.  I can keep some notebooks to myself and share others (or just a tab within a notebook, or just an individual page) with any and all of the rest of my family who can then add their own info to shared notebooks.  I've got one Notebook that is filled with vacation planning notes (planning ideas, detailed itineraries, confirmations for flights, hotels, excursions, etc.) from 2016.  We've got a separate notebook set up for my daughter's upcoming wedding.  I got hooked on it at work and my kids got hooked on it at school.

 

Microsoft OneNote Digital Note Taking App | Microsoft 365

 

Microsoft OneNote on the App Store (apple.com)

[dpostman]

As for... How are things where I am?

 

Right after work, I changed into my "Sap collecting clothes" and headed out on the trails. The sap is running pretty good this week.  We will be boiling all weekend.

 

A few pics of our trail companions Jazz & Ozzy

 

 

 

dp

[bobmacliberty]

Micheline texted me today (while I was playing golf!) saying the hot water wasn't working.  Every time she opened the hot water tap somewhere, the Rinnai tankless water heater controller on the wall would start beeping and display an error code.  I went home and did some troubleshooting, found that the error code was from a failed temperature sensor, and called a local service guy.  He got there within a couple of hours, took the cover off the outside heater unit, and immediately saw that several wires were "cut".  A rat was making a nest inside and had chewed through several wires, including the wires to the temerature sensor.  Fortunately, he was able to splice all of the chewed wires back together.  He'll need to order several parts and come back later to make a more permanent fix.  Sigh. 😡

[Luckynana]

2 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said:

Congratulations to Erin.  Her patients will be fortunate to have her taking care of them.

Thank you, Aussie!🥰

[Ocean Boy]

40 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Hey Doc, can you write me a script for that? 😁

My fee for the script is a bottle of Kraken.😀

[Sea Dog]

7 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

Micheline texted me today (while I was playing golf!) saying the hot water wasn't working.  Every time she opened the hot water tap somewhere, the Rinnai tankless water heater controller on the wall would start beeping and display an error code.  I went home and did some troubleshooting, found that the error code was from a failed temperature sensor, and called a local service guy.  He got there within a couple of hours, took the cover off the outside heater unit, and immediately saw that several wires were "cut".  A rat was making a nest inside and had chewed through several wires, including the wires to the temerature sensor.  Fortunately, he was able to splice all of the chewed wires back together.  He'll need to order several parts and come back later to make a more permanent fix.  Sigh. 😡

Rats! Glad you were able to get it fixed.

[Sea Dog]

2 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

My fee for the script is a bottle of Kraken.😀

Will Medicare cover the fee????🤣

[BonTexasNY]

1 hour ago, Luckynana said:

@BonTexasNY ((Hugs)). Bonnie.  I'm so happy for the results the doctor gave you today.  He sounds like a very kind and caring professional.  🥰

He's the only doctor that I cared about when changing health insurance plans.  If he wasn't in-network I would never have switched.

54 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Thanks, Bonnie, not so well. Yesterday he started trying his 3rd pain med, with no improvement. His blood work is OK, including the one checking the possibility of MM.

 

We're quite "in the air", since our family doctor is on holiday, even though he promised that DH may contact him via Maccabi's site [Maccabi is our health provider]. What he forgot to mention is that there is a limit of 5 messages per quarter, and we reached it very easily...

 

I went to Maccabi's offices yesterday, asking to extend the limit, given that the dr is out until April 16, and we cannot make an appointment with another dr, since we "belong" to this one until March 31,which falls on Shabbat. Moreover, in order to switch drs, we have to give Maccabi another name, and the good ones do not receive new patients.

 

The manager, more or less, let me understand that we're f  ed [as if I didn't know it...] since there's nothing she can do, the dr being an "independent" dr, not Macabbi's one...

 

A real mess.

OY!!!!  I'm sorry DH can't see another doctor until yours returns.

I dealt with Israel's health "groups" when we lived in Israel for 1 year after our marriage.  I hated it because it was so difficult to make an appointment with one specific doctor.  I honestly felt like I was dealing with a clinic, waiting so long in the waiting room.  This was over 50 years ago, and I can't imagine it's stayed the same.

Wishing DH a constant refuah shlema.

[BonTexasNY]

Thank you all for your good wishes. I love how we can share private issues and feel comfortable doing so, since all of you are friends and not strangers.

 

I loved how Ellen Degeneres always ended her show with "be kind to one another".  Isn't that what we do in here?

 

This and FOB are my comfort zones.

[Luckynana]

@dani negreanuOh Dani, I'm so sorry that your DH can't see another doctor at this time.  I can't imagine how frustrating to not be seen when something is obviously wrong with your DH that he is in so much pain and discomfort.