Saturday at the Cat Farm
Sunday, January 16th, 2011 10:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rolanniYesterday was about freeing the little green Subaru from its circle of snow, cleaning cat boxes, taking on groceries, sorting the snailmail, scoping out the New World Order, research in re the NWO, and catching up on such bidness-related email as had accumulated.
The snail brought us the on-pub for The Agent Gambit, which I foresee will shortly be streaming out of the checkbook in the direction of EMMC, and almost all of the Outside Paperwork necessary to close out 2010. If the day-job would get its act in gear, I could do the income tax. Since I'm distracted anyway. Am feeling extremely guilty that no writing has gone forth for so many days. Truly, I am a slacker*.
The cats have been extremely cuddly, and showing a tendency to mother Steve, which is good. Mozart has been especially attentive, and Scrabble has changed her usual napping places in order to be with Steve as much as possible. Hexapuma is a believer in Benevolent Neglect, with random doses of purrs.
I. . .miss the steam tunnel route from The Riverside Inn into the Guts of the Hospital. The late adventure was like a con in that respect -- just when I figured out where everything was and the most efficient routes Here, There, and There, it was time to go home.
Today -- there's laundry. Oh, my, yes is there laundry. And possibly a run into town. And a big block of time with Skyblaze. Hopefully.
Tomorrow -- there's Phoning the Universe. Doctors, the DMV, or whatever we call it in Maine**, Mr. dea'Gauss to get an advance on the quartershare so we can go forth with buying a one-floor house in (a) town. The Usual.
So! That's with me. How's with you?
________
*Yes, yes. But the fact of the matter is that, if you're a writer, you could have hand-dug a well and canned every last blueberry in the patch of a Saturday, and if you hadn't written your day's bit, you didn't do any work. Also, deadlines. These stories aren't going to write themselves, yanno.
**People who have had an ICD installed need to contact their state's Department of Motor Vehicles, so That August Body can either suspend or limit that driver's license For A Period of Time. It Would Have Been Nice, she said aggrievedly, if someone had thought to mention that beforehand.
The snail brought us the on-pub for The Agent Gambit, which I foresee will shortly be streaming out of the checkbook in the direction of EMMC, and almost all of the Outside Paperwork necessary to close out 2010. If the day-job would get its act in gear, I could do the income tax. Since I'm distracted anyway. Am feeling extremely guilty that no writing has gone forth for so many days. Truly, I am a slacker*.
The cats have been extremely cuddly, and showing a tendency to mother Steve, which is good. Mozart has been especially attentive, and Scrabble has changed her usual napping places in order to be with Steve as much as possible. Hexapuma is a believer in Benevolent Neglect, with random doses of purrs.
I. . .miss the steam tunnel route from The Riverside Inn into the Guts of the Hospital. The late adventure was like a con in that respect -- just when I figured out where everything was and the most efficient routes Here, There, and There, it was time to go home.
Today -- there's laundry. Oh, my, yes is there laundry. And possibly a run into town. And a big block of time with Skyblaze. Hopefully.
Tomorrow -- there's Phoning the Universe. Doctors, the DMV, or whatever we call it in Maine**, Mr. dea'Gauss to get an advance on the quartershare so we can go forth with buying a one-floor house in (a) town. The Usual.
So! That's with me. How's with you?
________
*Yes, yes. But the fact of the matter is that, if you're a writer, you could have hand-dug a well and canned every last blueberry in the patch of a Saturday, and if you hadn't written your day's bit, you didn't do any work. Also, deadlines. These stories aren't going to write themselves, yanno.
**People who have had an ICD installed need to contact their state's Department of Motor Vehicles, so That August Body can either suspend or limit that driver's license For A Period of Time. It Would Have Been Nice, she said aggrievedly, if someone had thought to mention that beforehand.
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Re: DMV
Date: 2011-01-17 01:28 am (UTC)I'm not actually clear on that; I need to look at the documentation again. My memory is that the nurse said we were "required" to inform the state and that Steve's license would be suspended "for a little while."
If not, why would you want to.
Believe me, this would not improve our lives in any way I can imagine, living, as we do, eight to 12 miles out of town, depending on where you designate "town."
Re: DMV
Date: 2011-01-17 02:32 am (UTC)Yes, you are required to report it; and yes, Steve's license *might* be suspended. It's going to depend on the details of his condition -- was the ICD implanted as a precaution against potential future issues, or was it treatment for an actual occurrence of abnormal rhythm that caused unconsciousness?
It's been some years since I had contact with the Maine BMV but at that time they were pretty good about accepting a doctor's assessment -- my dad had some degree of heart failure secondary to COPD, and used oxygen, but his heart issues only showed up on exertion and he was cleared to drive. (He gave it up a couple of years later when he started to get vision problems....)
See the Maine BMV site here: http://www.maine.gov/sos/bmv/licenses/medrules.html
A key section reads "Implantable anti-tachycardia devices (AICD's PCD's, etc.) and patients who have them present special circumstances and problems. Generally, a patient who receives such a device for a presenting rhythm which led to loss of consciousness (e.g., sudden death or syncope) should not drive for six months. If experience shows that a recurrence of such an event will be effectively treated by the device without loss of consciousness, driving may be resumed. If six months elapses without an event, then driving may be resumed. Patients who have devices implanted for non-syncopal rhythms may be allowed to resume driving immediately postoperatively. It is important to note that each of these is a discrete decision and must be considered individually."
So it's probably worth following up with the medical team before you call the BMV to see if he can fit in the "non-syncopal, immediate driving" category.
Re: DMV
Date: 2011-01-17 04:46 pm (UTC)I wish they would have been a lot better. I just talked with the doctor's office. The expectation of the PA is that Steve's license will be suspended "for about six months". Which means, if true, that one Very Important Income Stream will dry up and blow away.
We were prepared for four weeks. We were told four weeks.
...and yes, I know that there would be people who would refuse the operation if they knew they'd be under house arrest for six months if they went through with it.
*whacks head on desktop repeatedly*
Re: DMV
Date: 2011-01-17 07:26 pm (UTC)Was the four week timeframe given by the MD or the PA? I would suggest seeing if a MD would be willing to state that he had NOT experienced syncope (assuming that's correct) and should fit into the more immediate driving timeframe. Take hope from the "It is important to note that each of these is a discrete decision and must be considered individually" rule.
If it *does* become six months...what can be done to help y'all get through that? I live over 4 hours away, so can't really offer to help drive Steve places. (I'd be willing to come up for a long weekend of work, if such would be useful, once I get past my assigned duty weekends at the ski area). But are there local volunteers or perhaps students who can be hired for not-too-much-money?
Don't whack your head too much -- you're going to need it.
Oh, and you may have thought of this already, but even if it's only going to be four weeks, you should be sure Steve's car gets some regular exercise (i.e., you should drive it to work every so often). If it's going to sit, it needs to be prepped for storage -- stabil in the gas tank, remove the battery and bring it inside on a trickle charger/maintainer, something in the passenger compartment to discourage mice, and so on...your local mechanic could do a lot of this. But it's probably just easier to drive it a couple of times a week.