Medical Help on the Road

Our red-shirted group of Alfa owners gathered for this group shot on the last day of our rally.

One of the challenges for wandering folks is to get medical services along the way. I need to have my blood tested for my oncologist each month and Friday was our day to do this. 

There’s a national company called Quest that has been doing my tests and I have an AP that helps me find local outlets. Sure enough, Fredericksburg, Texas, had a Quest operation at the local hospital.

We left our coach before dawn and the hospital volunteers welcomed us. When we got to the registration desk, though, life began to get challenging. The woman said she didn’t “have a code” for our procedure, even though I carry a prescription for what is needed from my oncologist. She called in a supervisor who came to the front desk and leaned in towards me.

“We won’t be able to help you because we don’t have a code,” she said. Her voice was high and it was as though she was talking to someone with diminished capacity. I told her I understood what she was saying, but couldn’t she get a code if it was so important. “No,” she said. “You don’t have the right insurance.” Again, she was speaking to me loudly, forming each word as though I were 98 instead of 78.

Where do I go to get this taken care of? Go to Bernie, she said. Now I was really confused. But she really was saying we should drive south for 50 minutes to the town of Boerne, Texas, where there was an actual Quest Diagnostics lab. They would take care of our needs.

It was a pleasant ride through the Texas hill country. And then we got off at the Boerne exit, there was Quest. I was taken in hand by Lupe, a technician who said she’d have to call my oncologist to get “the code”. She did and I was called in to have my blood drawn. I faxed results to Bradenton, Florida, in a couple of days and that allows my doctor to adjust the dosage for the various meds I’m on. 

When the results were sent to me electronically, I faxed them to my three doctors. My oncologist's assistant called back with word that my potassium levels are too low, even though I take straight potassium each morning. The Revlomid  I take is fighting my ability to make potassium. He suggested I add two bananas a day to my potassium regimen. And so we did. 

We’ve been in Fredericksburg for the rally of Alfa Motorhome owners. There are 100 motorhomes here – a quite amazing sight. It is reminiscent of the salmon runs we used to see in Alaska. The fish would battle each other to swim upstream and deposit their eggs and sperm before dying. All these Alfas look alike, though the owners have done various things to make each home individual with flashy paint jobs.

We attend seminars that are relevant to our lifestyle… subjects like analyzing engine oil, getting better wi-fi connections, installing upgrades to our coaches. Plus it’s fun to meet up with other Alfa owners from all over the U.S. and Canada.

Now we have headed north to Waco, Texas. We’re parked at a Corps of Engineers park on a lake and we are hunkering down for a spell of nasty weather. There’s a disturbance to our west that seems to be heading our way. Tornadic winds are in the forecast, along with large hail. We decided to lay low in the park instead of pushing farther north to a planned overnight stop at a casino in southern Oklahoma. Stay tuned for developments.