It's been a long time since I've posted anything. And most of that is due to not really having much to talk about, even though there have been tons to talk about. From our trip to Helena, Montana, and the emergency trip back to Gettysburg/Pittsburgh for family. All the RV upgrades to prepare for our autumn/winter art fairs. To hitting the road.
But where to start?
When life wants to kick you in the teeth, it really knows how. In late March of 2023, we were doing an art fair in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and the plan was to head back North to visit family and then make a trip up to New England. Then Tracey got an assignment, and we headed to Helena. Montana. And we had just a hair over three months to get there. I quickly started to look for a path to go and for art fairs on the way. I found a good route and one show.
We left Gulf Shores, Alabama, on March 12, heading to New Orleans for a week. This stop was a big disappointment, not because of New Orleans but because my ankle swelled up for no reason, just for S&G during that trip. Once we left NO, it went back down. IDK, maybe it didn't want me to explore. After leaving NO, we had a one-night stop at John Schnieders studios in Louisiana; this was cool because I grew up loving the Dukes of Hazzard, and just getting to be there and see so many General Lee's got a hat signed by Bo Duke was awesome.
The next stop was in Conroe, TX, where we drove down and saw a castle! HOW cool in Texas is a castle? That was about it at that stop that was interesting. Then, we went up to Arlington for a few days and an art fair; we had three more stops in Texas, and the only two things to mention really are when we went to a Harvest Host in Shamrock, Texas, Tracey was turning the rig into a tight spot and ripped the ladder off the back of the trailer. It worked out, but it was a kick in the teeth. The other thing was Amarillo: What is up with the wind??? OMG, that was crazy; it was a constant blowing while there. We did get to go to the Grand Canyon of Texas in Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
Next up was New Mexico; I must return to New Mexico! We only had a one-night stay in the North East area, which was terrific. I loved the remoteness of the area and the scenery. We then made two stops in Colorado (Colorado Springs - Garden of the Gods). We stayed for a night just north of Denver with a coworker of Tracey's (Thanks, Brett) and then one night at a Harvest Host in Carr, Colorado, which was terrific; getting to HAND FEED Buffallo was INCREDIBLE!!! How many people can say that?
Then, we went to Wyoming for a few days in Fort Laramie, Wyoming. There isn't much there but the fort and we found a really cool local bar that had kinda a Western Cheers feel, and the lady there knew how to cook! We had a one-night stop in NorthWest Nebraska at a farm that is being converted to a sustainable homestead, where Tracey had a newborn lamb poop on her, and we almost slid off the road with the RV.
South Dakota was next, Custer and the Black Hills with a Saturday trip to the Badlands. So far, this area, from a photography standpoint, has been my favorite. We only spent about six hours in the badland, but OMG, I could've photographed there. I need to do a whole post on just South Dakota (Hopefully Soon).
We did a one-night stop in Buffalo, Wyoming, and this stop wasn't all that meaningful for a one-night visit, except for meeting up with some really cool people that we call friends now. We met Vonnie and Patrick; it turned out that they live about 40 minutes from us in Pennsylvania. We met them in Buffalo; they were going to be in Helena when we were there, and if our trip (which was supposed to go to the West Coast) hadn't been changed, we would've met up with them in three other spots on the coast. It's random but cool, too.
There are only so many teeth kicking up until this point, but this is where it starts. While in Helena, Tracey's dad (Bill) was taken to the hospital on a Tuesday, and it looked bad and we decided that this was the point we needed to cancel the rest of the west coast trip and head back to PA.
I canceled our stays and planned a route back to PA on Friday, which ended up being 3,500 miles in 12 days. I know some people who RV don't think that is not good, but for us, it was ALOT!
Bill took a turn for the better, thankfully, but we had the trip changed and decided to head back because, on Mother's Day, we spoke with my mom, who had sounded pretty bad, incredibly tired, and weak. We weren't sure what the problem was, but she seemed wrong. On the way back, we found out that her PCP sent her for more tests with a specialist (not realizing that the specialist was an Oncologist).
A bunch of little things happened on that trip back; we got to hang out for two days with my buddy, Tim, and his family in Illinois. We met them at an RV conference in Nashville. I am very glad we met them! We returned to Gettysburg on July 16, turned around on the 17th, and headed to Pittsburgh. We stayed in PGH for a week because on Friday, my mom got the results from the Oncologist. She had cancer, and he made it sound treatable. Turns out it wasn't, but that comes later.
We headed home to Gettysburg with plans to be there for ten days and then make a trip to New England. My mom didn't want us to cancel our trips for her; we were only going to be a day or two ride from PGH if we had to get back fast. The Friday after we left, my mom was taken to the ER at East (hospital in Monroeville) for dehydration, and her diarrhea was getting worse. My mom always had irritable bile syndrome, so the diarrhea wasn't uncommon.
While at East, they let her fall (she was weak and not steady, listed as a fall risk). They took her to the bathroom in the ER (no rooms available) and left her alone. She fell, so they rushed her to Presby (hospital in PGH). My sister called it the seventh level of hell, on the 5th floor. She was taken there because, after her fall, she had a brain bleed; the biggest problem was that the brain bleed was ALL they were concerned with. They did nothing to help with diarrhea or cancer while she was there (a total of 13 days), of which my sister and I were there EVERY DAY so we could talk to doctors about what was going on with her.
But every doctor that came in, we asked about the issue we brought her to the hospital for, and each one either said that wasn't their area or they had to find out, and then we never saw them again. We told them the brain bleed was critical; was it a concussion or a stroke? Not sure; oh wait, no, it was a subdural hematoma. I say that because, since this is a training hospital, they seem to be using my mom to practice telling people diagnosis. We had different docs come in and tell us other things.
She was admitted under Trauma, so we asked for a consultation with Gastro and Oncology; the head nurse came in and fed us some BS but finally agreed to get someone to talk to us. The trauma lady who came was looking at my mom's notes on folded-up paper; she had no clue what was happening. Again, we begged for someone to help with the diarrhea. Finally, on day 9, a nurse let it slip that gastro was consulted but only about the cancer, not the diarrhea, which was causing my mom not to eat because she was embarrassed to have the staff come in and clean her up numerous times a day.
On Day 11, we were told a new doctor would come in and have a fresh look at my mom's case. Meanwhile, we had a doctor 20 minutes before we found this out tell us to call a Condition H. We didn't know what that was, so she explained that when a family doesn't feel their loved one is getting the proper care, then this condition H can be called, and the administration will come and investigate. They did come and listen to everything up to that point and gave us food vouchers and two days of free parking; we still need more.
Ok, back to the new doctor, we explained what was going on, and he flat out looked at us and said very matter-of-factly, "well lets treat the diarreah." It was like we just had an AHA moment; the problem was it was too late. Eleven days of suffering in the hospital led to her not eating anything for fear of diarrhea. This doc said he had other stuff besides Immodium (which is all she could get when they got it to her), and he would start her on an enzyme to help stimulate food breaking down in her stomach.
A few hours later, he came back, took the family out in the crowded hallway, and told us there wasn't anything they could do; her cancer was too far advanced. My question is, on day nine, we were told the scan they did at the hospital when she was brought in matched the scan the Oncologist had, but on day 11, it was too advanced to do anything. WHY did NO ONE tell us earlier? Instead, they let her suffer and used her for training (she won't even get into the port placement where they lost her wedding ring and dentures).
The next step was Hospice which was a freaking JOKE; here's a bed and some meds. Good luck watching your loved one suffer as they die slowly over NINE days we watched her suffer. Losing use of her right arm, I think she did have a stroke in the hospital, and boy, did they jump when I told them that because that could've been a result of the fall.
I talked to an attorney who told me they always get away with this shit because they have deep pockets, and the rules are made to help them.
My mom passed away on Saturday, August 12, 2023, at 5:55 p.m.
If that wasn't enough of a kick in the teeth, one of my heroes, Jimmy Buffett, died three weeks later. It was like a major gut punch.
So now you're caught up. We are heading south for more art fairs over the winter in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Texas and will return to PA sometime in late Spring/Early Summer. Hopefully, I will write again quickly. Maybe more about the Badlands!
Keep Riding a Wave of Dream!!! Until Next time...
