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

[jagsfan]

21 hours ago, BonTexasNY said:

I was not going to post this 2 weeks ago when my 15 year old niece in Israel had a spinal stroke leaving her totally paralyzed. This thread is full of the most sympathetic and compassionate  folks, but I still hesitated bringing this into our thread .   BUT now I can mention it because Hila (pronounced Heela) has movement in her legs and arms.  She can now finally stay sitting up with help and the therapists are working with her to get her to slowly walk. We were sent a video of her lifting up both her legs high and twirling them around.  Yayyy! 

 

Doctors are optimistic she'll be able to walk again after lots of therapy.

 

This is a very rare stroke for a 15 year old.

So please keep sweet Hila in your prayers for a complete recovery.

 

Note to @dani negreanu: Dani, Hila is Jack's twin sister's granddaughter who lives in Modi'in in a high rise.  All 3 married children of Jack's sister live in Modi'in.

She’s so young to have to go through this!

Great news, though, that she is regaining movement in her extremities!🙏🙏🙏 

[jagsfan]

8 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

I've been sitting in waiting room for over an 1 hr.   This place is packed.   Hope I get called soon.

Where we get ours done, before COVID they had a running sign in the waiting room listing each doctor and how far behind they were. 
Now only patients in the waiting room and no sign. 

[Sunshine3601]

8 minutes ago, jagsfan said:

Where we get ours done, before COVID they had a running sign in the waiting room listing each doctor and how far behind they were. 
Now only patients in the waiting room and no sign. 

When I said to one of the Nurses "boy you sure are busy today".    She said we have been very busy the last couple of weeks and have been telling scheduling dept. to stop overbooking as no one is cancelling because of covid anymore.     

[Ozark_Kid]

13 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Linda is has really been pushing me to get hearing aids. I have horrible ringing in my ears and can't hear 1300K frequencies. I watch tv with the subtitles on just to understand all the dialogue. All those years as a drummer/percussionist and a news cameraman doing live shots with ear pieces so I could hear the director has taken it's toll.

 

What kind and model do you recommend? Are you conscious about wearing them?  Do they feel weird? How much do you think they help?

 

What? ….. 😂 

That is usually my first response when asked about hearing aides. 😝.
This is my 4 pair of hearing aides. My insurance covers a new pair every 3 years.  I have been getting Widex.  This pair is Widex Moment 330. New series have 4 models, 110, 220 330, 440.  My audiologist says almost all get the 220 model and they love them. I got 330 last time so I went with them this time.  You can find a chart to compare.  I have been wearing them so long that after I put them on I don’t think of them to much.  I don’t always wear them around the house.  So to me they  don’t feel weird.  I have to say though I have been wearing ear plugs at night for years now and even though I have tinnitus I now have a hard time not wearing them.  The 70’s concerts, hanging with rockers, Greg Powerplay etc brought on my ringing.  
‘They help a lot and I bet you and your wife would appreciate it.  I remember after getting my first pair my daughter whispered to Sharon, dad’s talking loud.  I looked at her and said, no I’m not.  Her eyes popped out and said, you heard that?  After picking my new ones up today and I was driving home I thought they were messing up. I was hearing a hissing noise.  Then I thought it was a fan and tried to turn them off.  When I got home Sharon told me she had turned the seat to cool and I heard the fan in the seat.  
Find out if your insurance covers them.  If they do try them out.

[lenquixote66]

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

Linda is has really been pushing me to get hearing aids. I have horrible ringing in my ears and can't hear 1300K frequencies. I watch tv with the subtitles on just to understand all the dialogue. All those years as a drummer/percussionist and a news cameraman doing live shots with ear pieces so I could hear the director has taken it's toll.

 

What kind and model do you recommend? Are you conscious about wearing them?  Do they feel weird? How much do you think they help?

 

I have been trying not to get hearing aides for several years but my hearing is really getting bad .My health insurance allows $500.00 toward the cost.

Toby’s sister just bought hers at Costco.

[Ozark_Kid]

51 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

I had no idea there were all these options with hearing aides nowadays.    That is amazing.      

If you have it connected for your TV do you hear TV only or can you Sharon or whoever else is in the area speaking with you?   

I can see getting in trouble if you hear TV only

what?    ……… 😂 

You have options.  You can adjust the overall volume and you can adjust the percentage of tv to outer sound you hear.  They also have some preset settings.  With a push of a button you can switch between different modes.  My presets are normal, music, noise, comfort and tv.  There is also a setting where you can choose which direction you want to hear better.  Example when we are driving I can choose the direction toward Sharon and then the road noise is reduced and Sharon’s voice enhanced.  It also gives you the ability to make custom modes to safe.

Are you or Eric thinking about hearing aides.  Btw, how is Eric doing?

[BonTexasNY]

6 hours ago, cruisingpeople said:

Also praying for Hila. 🙏

Thank you so much!

4 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

Earlier today Toby was going to the post office.It was sunny and about 50 degrease so I went with her,a very short car ride and only a few feet to walk.

I sent something certified and the amount to pay was $4.33.I gave the woman behind the counter 4 one dollar bills,a quarter and a dime.

She looked at me and asked for 3 cents.I replied that I gave her 35 cents and she has to give me 2 cents back.She had no idea what I was talking about .She told me the amount was $4.33 and I had to give her 3 cents.

I could not believe it.I can just imagine if I had dollar coins or a two dollar bill.Finally after total silence on her part she gave me 2 cents.

Must be the new math!

1 hour ago, lenquixote66 said:

That is wonderful news .I

 

 

Thank you, Lenny

1 hour ago, Ozark_Kid said:

I picked up a new pair of hearing aides today.  I have always got the ones that use batteries but I let the audiologist talk me into rechargeable ones this time.  Really not sure if I had a choice.  This is the first model that pairs with android so now when I receive a call I can hear the call in my hearing aides.  The last 2 models would pair with Apple products only.  The first pair I had required a necklace device to pick up calls on Android.  I also have a device that is attached to the tv that connects to the hearing aides.  Makes it a lot easier to understand what they are saying.  I can even leave the room and still hear it.

I just got a new pair of phonak hearing aids.  I had a pair that was rechargeable, no batteries, but it worried me that there could be a power failure and I would not be able to charge my hearing aids. There were also times I forgot to charge them.

My new hearing aids have bluetooth and my phone calls go directly into my  hearing aids.  No need to press anything except to accept the call.  It also allows me to hear straight from my computer so I don't have to wear headphones or have it on loud when Jack is right next to me watching tv. Without them I would be living in a world of almost silence.

32 minutes ago, jagsfan said:

She’s so young to have to go through this!

Great news, though, that she is regaining movement in her extremities!🙏🙏🙏 

Mimi, Thank you.

 

@Sunshine3601Debbie, so glad everything went well.

@Momof3gurlz  Deb, sounds like you had a great cruise.

[Ocean Boy]

4 hours ago, Jimbo said:

After all that, I think I need a sleeping pill. 😉

I'll just go with a few espresso martinis. 

[Ozark_Kid]

56 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

I’m on the border of needing hearing aids. I’m probably actually over the border but don’t want to wear them. They would certainly help me say “what?” a lot less. I figure the longer I wait, the better/smaller they will get. One guy that I play golf with has them and I didn’t know until he mentioned it. Practically invisible. 
 

How often do hearing aids need to be replaced?

What?

 

The behind-the-ear hearing aides are really hard to notice.  After awhile they will not bother you.  There are different sizes of plugs that fit into your ear.  It will make a difference on the audiologist you have.  Today mine worked with me almost an hour adjusting the pitches to get the best sound and trying different plugs to get a good fit.

Also there is a wide range of what is charged for the same hearing aides. Mine goes with what the insurance covers so they don’t cost me anything.  Even asking for the 330 I was not charged.

The only reason I get a pair every 3 years is because insurance allows me.  The last pair was working fine and I would of been satisfied with them for probably several more years but the improvements  surprises me.

[Ocean Boy]

3 hours ago, Bailey & Sophie said:

 

I had nothing. No sedation at all. Neither did John.

My understanding is that is typically how they do it in Europe. The good part is that there is no recovery and you can drive yourself home.

[Ocean Boy]

3 hours ago, Momof3gurlz said:

🙂

NYC skyline at 5:30 yesterday morning.  

Awesome picture. How did you get them load properly instead of sideways?

[Sunshine3601]

31 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

what?    ……… 😂 

You have options.  You can adjust the overall volume and you can adjust the percentage of tv to outer sound you hear.  They also have some preset settings.  With a push of a button you can switch between different modes.  My presets are normal, music, noise, comfort and tv.  There is also a setting where you can choose which direction you want to hear better.  Example when we are driving I can choose the direction toward Sharon and then the road noise is reduced and Sharon’s voice enhanced.  It also gives you the ability to make custom modes to safe.

Are you or Eric thinking about hearing aides.  Btw, how is Eric doing?

Eric probably thinks I need hearing aids since I don't always listen to him🤣   I'm kinda like a cat.

 

That is really amazing that you can do all of that with hearing aides nowadays.  

 

Eric is doing much much better than a week ago.    He almost back to "normal" if he ever was😇

[Ozark_Kid]

42 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

No need to press anything except to accept the call. 

Sharon and I just left the house.   Before we left, Sharon went back Into the house to get our phones.  She called my phone to find it and it started ringing in my hears.

[George C]

My wife had said I needed hearing aids for many years, about 4 years ago went to a shooting range with poor hearing protection, after that I definitely needed them. Unfortunately we had no insurance, paid about 5k for them , I do like I can increase and lower the sound volume. Takes a while to get used to them , but after a while you forget you are wearing them.

[Ozark_Kid]

2 minutes ago, George C said:

My wife had said I needed hearing aids for many years, about 4 years ago went to a shooting range with poor hearing protection, after that I definitely needed them. Unfortunately we had no insurance, paid about 5k for them , I do like I can increase and lower the sound volume. Takes a while to get used to them , but after a while you forget you are wearing them.

Did you develop tinnitus?   Another plus to wearing them is that the different noise I hear helps cover the tinnitus.  Even after wearing aides for several years I am hearing sounds right now that I normally don't notice.

[George C]

14 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

Did you develop tinnitus?   Another plus to wearing them is that the different noise I hear helps cover the tinnitus.  Even after wearing aides for several years I am hearing sounds right now that I normally don't notice.

No tinnitus, I see my hearing doctor twice a year and they make small adjustments. Funny on some tv shows and movies I hear everything perfectly but other shows I need the close caption which I always have on .

[jagsfan]

5 hours ago, Lionesss said:

Regarding different types of anesthesia.

 

It seems much of the current lingo of describing sedation is dependent on the facility, and their own interpretation.

 

Where I practiced for almost 40 years we kinda followed some basic guidelines.

 

I will just do the basic type of "Not a general anesthesia", with all the toots and bangles tubes and such.

 

OK.

 

1.  Local.  This is basically the injection a physician injects right into the area to be operated on.           ex. would be, getting a hang nail fixed, getting a mole or skin cancer removed.  You are completely 

awake, and have nothing to calm your nerves.    This is only if the doctor schedules you "Strait local"

 

2.  L.M.A.C.  or Local Monitored Anesthesia Care.  This is very little sedation given to just dull the senses, but be aware enough to assist the doctor by holding still, or moving when needed.

ex. would be having Cataract surgery and looking at the light and trying not to move or cough, or getting a carpal tunnel done or trigger finger, and moving your fingers when the surgeon asks to evaluate the repair work. (Low dose Versed, and Alfentanil) usually provide a happy experience.

Many people have no recall of the procedure with these meds, when the procedure is done.

 

3.  Conscious sedation.  This is the one that gets a little bit tricky, and for our purposes we have to balance a fine line between comfort and sedation while avoiding heroic measures or placing breathing tubes.

  When providing anesthesia to the very ill, or very risky procedure and yet keep the patient safe at all times with complete monitoring.  

ex.  would be a patient that needs an xray procedure, and at times no movement is mandatory or if a patient has an MRI, and is claustrophobic, or any procedure where the patient is laying on their stomach and their airway could be compromised.  You would need to arouse them quick, so attention to detail is so very important.  ( we usually give low dose Versed, And Alfentanil) and then on a pump, titrate low dose Propofol (Diprivan) usually after one yawn, we let the doctor start.

 

There has been numerous concerns and complaints by the general public especially when having an MRI, (and claustrophobic) and we give sedation to calm them down.  It gets frustrating when the doctor ordering the test tells the patient you will be going to sleep for your MRI, but they are not the one giving the drugs.

We have to enlighten the patient that for safety our facility does not put you to sleep, but will do our best to  make you comfortable.  You will hear noises.  

If the patient is persistent and says they want to go to sleep we give them two options. Telling them since we do not provide that service of general......

a.  Go to a facility that gives a general anesthesia, because you will not get it here.

b.  Try an open MRI.

 

4.  Twilight Sleep.  The most famous and most provided type.  Usually for Gastroscopies, Colonoscopies, cystoscopies, breast biopsies, port insertions, major foot reconstruction.

This technique of anesthesia is practitioner dependent.

At our facility we use a combination of drugs dependent on patient history and surgical need.

Lets just say you had a  patient having a procedure done who just returned from a cruise and enjoyed the drink package, or you had someone who smoked cigarettes that are only legal in certain states, they would require much more of the happy stuff.  (Especially Marijuana, man, they require the big doses).

So we use what we are comfortable with, Versed, Alfentanil, Diprivan, Ketamine, Remifentanil, to name a few.

Our patients usually experience sleep, with no recall as long as the drugs are administered, and often tell us they had great dreams.  (When we ask them what they dreamt about, they cannot remember).

Some people are actually "aroused" but we wont go there.

 

Now in the news recently there have been stories about people not going to sleep or waking up during their surgery.  Unfortunately  that does happen.

 

But, the people that work in those think tanks came up with a monitoring device that monitors the depth of sleep.  The BIS monitor.

Its values are just like taking a test.

100% you are fully awake.Just like taking a test and scoring high.

75%, almost asleep

60% and below, your asleep, no memory, no recall.

 

The monitor updates your level of sedation every 15 seconds, from the preceding 15 seconds.

So if it is showing 60, than that is from 15 seconds ago, and you could be higher, and start to wake up.

 

Our facility places the BIS monitor on all patients foreheads (Except for cataracts) to evaluate and study our own effectiveness and provide reassurance to the patient.

We keep our depth by this monitor around 50, and yes patients still breath on their own.

 

We do not use it in the ENDO department because the best monitor is the patient, if they move, well push more stuff so they stop moving, and the combination of drugs we give they usually do not remember being well probed.

 

Thats my story and IT IS WHAT IT IS.

 

Take care and I hope I did not put you to sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

I took screen shots of your whole post and put it in my “Life Hacks” folder. 
This is the first time I can remember that I’ve seen anesthesia explained so well. 
And I guess Twilight is what I’ll get for my dental implant. Actually, I do recall when I had an implant done a few years ago, they gave me Ambien. I thought I was awake the whole time, listening to their talking. Waiting to go to sleep. 
Then they put me in a wheelchair and took me out to the car. 
I don’t know what I had for my colon surgery except I noticed Propofol on the hospital’s list. Whatever the combination was, I slept for about five hours afterward. 
Thank you for a most interesting post!

[h20skibum]

2 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Linda is has really been pushing me to get hearing aids. I have horrible ringing in my ears and can't hear 1300K frequencies. I watch tv with the subtitles on just to understand all the dialogue. All those years as a drummer/percussionist and a news cameraman doing live shots with ear pieces so I could hear the director has taken it's toll.

 

What kind and model do you recommend? Are you conscious about wearing them?  Do they feel weird? How much do you think they help?

 

 

So here is my hearing aid story.  My recommendation is to get tested, and if you need a pair, get them.  You will be surprised what you have been missing.

 

I am on my first pair that I got four years ago.  My audiologist has been a close friend for about 45 years.   My hearing had deteriorated to the point that I was lip reading, because I could not hear a conversation.  When my friend gave me a hearing test, he was shocked that I was in the severe hearing loss category.  He said he would not have known it was that bad, because I didn’t exhibit the telltale signs he was used to seeing in someone with that much loss.

 

The ones I have are Livio 2000, and they were almost the top of the line when I got them.  From John’s description of his, they have many of the same features.   I was going to get a rechargeable pair, but when I bought, they had not released the rechargeable version yet, so they threw in three years of free batteries. 

 

The features you can get in them are pretty amazing.  You can even get one that will translate a foreign language.  You can change memories to adapt to the type of environment you are in; crowds, auditorium, outdoors, streaming, among others.

 

Mine have sensors that can tell if you are moving over a certain speed in a car, and they automatically change to a different memory. 

 

Now, for a few times I  have to adapt.  Wearing masks were a problem, until I got straps for the masks so I didn’t have to put the masks over my ears.  If I am exercising and sweating, I found that the moisture will kill the batteries, so that is one time I don’t wear them.

 

The biggest drawback has been that I can no longer tell Susan I didn’t hear her if she asks me to do something. 🤣🤣

 

 

 

[Momof3gurlz]

15 minutes ago, jagsfan said:

I took screen shots of your whole post and put it in my “Life Hacks” folder. 
This is the first time I can remember that I’ve seen anesthesia explained so well. 
And I guess Twilight is what I’ll get for my dental implant. Actually, I do recall when I had an implant done a few years ago, they gave me Ambien. I thought I was awake the whole time, listening to their talking. Waiting to go to sleep. 
Then they put me in a wheelchair and took me out to the car. 
I don’t know what I had for my colon surgery except I noticed Propofol on the hospital’s list. Whatever the combination was, I slept for about five hours afterward. 
Thank you for a most interesting post!

Mimi, I agree with you and also thank Sue for her post.  It’s always good to have inside information, and why I appreciate @Ocean Boy medical input as well!

[Momof3gurlz]

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

Awesome picture. How did you get them load properly instead of sideways?

I thought you might like this one.  I just edited and cropped them ever so slightly.  

[h20skibum]

2 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

How often do hearing aids need to be replaced?

I guess that depends on both the quality of the aid, and how well you take care of them.  My guy says they should last 7 to 12 years.

 

 I routinely clean them, and even bought an otoscope to help my poor eyes see in to the tiny places in the aid.  They check mine and make any adjustments every three months. The nice thing about the digital aids is that they can just amplify the frequencies you need.  

I must be doing something right, because he says they still look and work like new. 

 

[Ozark_Kid]

15 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

Wearing masks were a problem, until I got straps for the masks so I didn’t have to put the masks over my ears.  

Wearing hearing aides with a mask is aggravating.  So easy to get them tangled.

[Momof3gurlz]

3 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

Glad to hear y’all enjoyed the cruise and thanks for the pics.  I like the meat planks at Jamie’s.  Would love to see more pics if you have more you would like to share.

Well since you asked 😊

Carnival Glory in Nassau. I liked the shot. 

Poolside Painkiller

Hubby enjoying our last sea day

 

Turn the volume up. One of the things I love most about cruising. (Sorry for my foot & wineglass I’m the video)

[Sunshine3601]

20 minutes ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Mimi, I agree with you and also thank Sue for her post.  It’s always good to have inside information, and why I appreciate @Ocean Boy medical input as well!

+1 on thank you Sue for very informative post.  Now, I'm even more interested to find out what they used this morning for my procedure.

Yes, always appreciate medical input by all our professionals on this thread😃

[Ocean Boy]

2 minutes ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Well since you asked 😊

Carnival Glory in Nassau. I liked the shot. 

Poolside Painkiller

Hubby enjoying our last sea day

FullSizeRender.MOV 105.75 MB · 0 downloads  

Turn the volume up. One of the things I love most about cruising. (Sorry for my foot & wineglass I’m the video)

MOV files don't work for us android folks.