Health Update

Just got back home from a long day at the medical facilities of Wake Forest Medical School in Winston-Salem, NC. The dermatologist I saw found more pre-cancerous skin places that I hadn't discovered (or that I thought were just "age spots"), and he did CryoSurgery on several. They take 2-4 weeks to heal so I'll look very diseased with open sores in a few days.

The other news is that my hearing is faltering, no surprise there. The hearing exam results were pretty much as I expected: moderate hearing loss and getting worse, but nearly equal in both ears which surprised me. I thought one ear was worse than the other. They recommend digital hearing aids (they DO NOT sell them), and apparently my test showed more volume helps in most of the tonal ranges. Medicare won't pay for hearing aids, and my sis and I cannot, even between us. If I still lived in NC, there are some programs through Wake Forest Medical School for help, but Virginia doesn't offer much help except for kids with hearing loss.

Good programmable digital hearing aids seem to run in the $5,000 and up range, and I don't know if that's for just one, or a pair.

The Virginia Rep for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (who is getting me the CapTel telephone shown above) is supposed to send me some information about Virginia and National programs for possible financial assistance for hearing aids. Doesn't look too promising, though.

I go back to Wake Forest next Wednesday to have a CT scan w/contrast for the aneurysm, the lesion on my left kidney, and the growth on my pancreas, followed by a consultation with the vascular surgeon. It will be another long day.

Please bear with me as I struggle through health issues until I can get back to regular posting!