Ooh, the monorail DOES smell funny... (almost finished!) [11/30-12/17, 2010]

[bumbershoot]

It's just that there is no generic made yet, for albuterol. So it's not there to choose. But just because of that, I think it's silly for the insurance company to not pay all they would if there were one.


But then...I read the insurance gripe threads, and often feel like "well they are a business and they are trying to keep costs down and make sure the "normal" choices are being made..."

But on the other hand, United Health paid for it without a problem when I was pregnant, and they are way smaller (I assume) than Aetna is.

And even though albuterol has, in the past, made me insane*, it was chosen originally for me (in 2003) because it's the safest while pregnant. And since hope springs eternal, I figure it's best to use that. AND it makes sense to use something that is safest while pregnant, even while not pregnant!

So if it's safEST** and effective, it's not experimental or off-label use, what's their problem with it?



*I haven't had an inhaler prescribed since they were using CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) as the propellant. When I last used an inhaler, it made me crazy. I mean, homicidal feelings, holding on by a thread, OK I can breath but now I want to push the red "nuclear" button feelings.

But this time, it hasn't happened. I did use the old inhaler for about a year post-pregnancy, so it's not the pregnancy itself changing my reaction. Therefore, I wonder if it was actually the propellant that caused that reaction?

Very interesting to me.


I'd forgotten that Flovent gives me a nasty stomachache. Oh I hate being on these things.



**safEST. something that has cranioschisys as a possible problem, including cleft palate, etc, isn't *safe* per se. I would love to know the mechanism by which something that opens airways can cause clefts in the facial bones....

 

[kaoden39]

I would be willing to bet that it was the propellant. I think that it doesn't last like it used to anymore. I know we are refilling it more often. With Kaiser we are paying $10 for the albuterol. I am not fond of how moody I get with the steroids. Kacy gets moody too.

 

[bumbershoot]

So you guys have asthma, I take it? I hadn't figured that out until just now.


I got to pay $35 for the albuterol b/c it's Ventolin not Proventil. $25 for the Flovent.

$10 for the azithromycin, and 2.13 for the prednisone. Guess the prednisone's cheap, since that's not the $10 copay!



I am eternally grateful for the kindness of my chiro friend yesterday. I simply could not walk into an ER while panicking (the ER is right up from my condo, and just down from his office, so that's where I would have gone if I didn't stop in at his office first...the urgent care is all the way x town), that has gone very UN well for me in the past, and I couldn't do it. He was exactly the right person to help me before I found more help.

 

[kaoden39]

Yes, we are asthmatic. We pay $10 for everything unless it is something that is name brand then it is $20, or if it is less than it is less.

I'm glad you had some to help you, it can be really scary to not be able to breath.

 

[QueenDoOver]

Hi Molly! Hi Michelle!

So sorry to read of your struggles Molly. It is exhausting not being able to breath. I truly hope that those drugs do get you better soon. I know that I suffered from cold induced asthma for a number of years and those inhalers were the only things that gave me relief. Fortunetly after a few years, I stopped experiencing the asthma, but I have not forgotten how miserable that feeling was. I hope E will be kind and patient while you heal.
Michelle, how exciting. I love trips without kids and husbands. I'm sneaking away for a couple of days on the ladies trip this year and am very excited to be doing so.

 

[kaoden39]

Hi Molly!! I hope you are feeling better. I know that this whole thing has been rough on you.


Hi Tracey!! This will be the first vacation I have taken away from the kids and hubby. I am excited but I feel a little guilty, irrational I know but it still happens. The ladies trip is right around the corner, you guys should have a blast.

 

[bumbershoot]

This will be the first vacation I have taken away from the kids and hubby.

Wowie! You will have a rollercoaster of emotions, I'm sure. But it'll be OK.

Thanks for popping in Tracey! I'm now feeling about how I was feeling before the cold hit on top of whatever-that-was-from-Orlando. But when I cough, I'm not making things worse.


E has been pretty good. And of course he's healing up from his simple cold just fine. We've had to miss the whole last week of this session of the YMCA's classes, which is a bummer. However, he was bumped up to the next level of swim classes anyway, which is great!


In the run-up to me getting SO sick, the day after the big work party, we went to Ikea to get a bed frame. Well, we went to return our old mattress, or see if we could. Turns out, Ikea mattresses have a 25 year warranty, and they are much easier than a typical bed-store warranty. Bed stores, you have to have an impression that's 1.5" that does not pop back up, etc. Ikea is easier.

Anyway, we hated our mattress, and we were going to just get rid of it. We stopped in at Ikea weeks ago to look for frames for the Sears mattresses we'd already ordered, and the mattress lady there told us about the warranty, and that we really should bring it in. Well, that took time, as it's a king-sized mattress. We had to wait for Robert and his friend-with-truck were here and available, and that was on the 30th. I'd actually gone up the Friday before so they could really track down our purchase, as I hadn't kept the receipt. They were GREAT about it, using all the various options of cards we might have used (thank you, amazon, for keeping the last 4 digits of cards used on orders), and then when it wasn't perfect (one digit off, as is common with cards issued to the same household) they went through the invoice, quizzing me on what else I might have purchased that day (5 years before). I finally got the invoice, so that made Sunday really easy.

Robert and friend-with-truck went up to the Customer Service people with mattress all bound up in moving straps, invoice in hand, Robert explained the situation (he hasn't even slept on that mattress regularly in 3 years, finding the couch to be more comfy than the mattress, so HE isn't destroying the thing...), and they didn't even un-bind the mattress. Since the mattress is not made anymore, they aren't going to replace it, and so they just REFUNDED US on a "return" card aka giftcard. The whole purchase price!

It was SO cool. So we were able to buy our new bedframe for nothing extra.

Ikea mattresses might not be the best, but that warranty IS!


(of course, we got it 1/4 assembled only to find that one of the big long holes pre-drilled in the headboard isn't drilled enough, and it ripped up one of the huge long screws that goes in. So we gave up, as Robert was going to the airport the next morning, just put the frame up against the wall (the rest of the headboard and footboard were connected), dropped the boxspring and mattress down into it so they are resting on the floor, and that's what I've been sleeping on. Can't wait to have it all done properly! Figure I'll pop into Ikea tomorrow while picking up Robert, grab a few more screws, and Robert can drill out the hole a bit more (the headboard is big and heavy, too big to even transport in our massive trunk, too heavy for me to manhandle right now since it seems that carrying heavy things makes my lungs VERY unhappy).

 

[kaoden39]

Oh Molly this really hit you hard. I hope you continue to heal up. I am glad Eamon didn't get that sick.

I may have a weak moment or two while I am gone but I think that all in all we all need me to have this vacation.

 

[bumbershoot]

It did indeed!

I was talking to a neighbor, and she was saying that studies are showing that certain types of "bugs" only pass from female to female or male to male. Which could explain why ONLY the women on the trip were smacked by whatever got us.

I only hope that none of the others end up with a "cold" on top of it all. Then again, none of them have been prone to asthma like I have, so that makes a difference. Aunt and her daughter get very tense about things, very worried, and that can make things worse.

It's why I'm actually GLAD that Robert wasn't here, because I either would have been more stubborn, or I would have just given over all control... Being alone with E, I had to keep moving forward (get to the car, get in the car, get on the road, have decision to make about pulling into ER, nope, decide to go to chiro, talk with him, later get to car, get in car, get on road, decide to go to Urgent Care...), I couldn't just sit in the passenger seat, slump over, and not fight as hard as I had to on my own.

I'm so stubborn...I actually had been wondering, back in November, if I had pneumonia, and Robert kept insisting that I didn't, and I just gave in and accepted it as fact. But there WAS something going on. Then just before his trip, he got really angry with me for not going to see someone (we had a HUGE argument after the work party, sad to say), which was a 180 degree turnaround, and caused me to dig in my heels that I was FINE FINE FINE.

It's best for me to be alone while sick, LOL.

I do still feel bad for Eamon. I had calls in to my friend to come help, if I were admitted to the hospital, but it's hard for her, too, as she's the friend who had a liver transplant, and I don't like being sick around her, even though she's on immunusuppressants for life. And the chiro's wife is at home with their 1 year old, so I hate the idea of calling HER out to help, or have her watch E. I just need more local friends. Tracey, please move to Tacoma. Thanks, appreciate it.

I find these things fascinating, by the way, the way body systems all work together. So yesterday as I washed dishes I realized that I was closer to the sink that I had been. And I realized that before the problem on Monday, I had been swelling up. And yesterday it started to diminish. VERY weird, VERY fascinating. All it did on Monday was make me feel fat and awful, but I wish I'd known it was somehow related, though it's not like the PA really cared... She had no interest in a differential diagnosis and finding out what "bug" or bugs did this to me...

Like I said, standalone labs where you can tell them what you want to have tested would be grand!

 

[kaoden39]

I am a lot like you. Hence in 2007 Scotty would have been prepared for how sick I was, but in my defense I did tell him that I was really sick and could die. He just didn't see it in writing, and I guess it didn't hit. But, I waited and trusted my dr's with the wrong diagnosis for several years, so there it is. And now I still am as stubborn as a mule, and only go when I feel my absolute worse.

 

[bumbershoot]

December 8, Day 9!​

We were headed to DHS again today, and very excited about it. We had our Brown Derby reservation, and I know I was excited about that!


We got there bright and early, and immediately followed the crowd to Toy Story Midway Mania. The line to the FP machines was INSANE, and so we just headed to standby. I didn't notice the "stampede" that others call it, it was just a crowd.

Waving at Mr Potato Head.

On the side where you get off the ride...

Such a fun ride, but I really prefer the queue at DCA. Not that I'd want the outdoor queue at DHS, mind you...that would be broiling! Er, assuming the weather was more normal in Orlando, that is.


We decided to go to the Animation Building, of course! Gotta do the drawings. On the way there, you pass by these offices where you can see people working. I found out later that the artists are actually making the celluloids that you can buy at the giftshop. how cool is that?

I didn't want to bug them by using the flash, but here's the basic idea of their setup.

Imagine THAT interview! You're good at coloring cels, you can work under pressure, fabulous...OK now you'll be an attraction, and people will take pictures of you all day long. OK?

It was fun, and the seats are very weird. I'm not sure which I prefer. DHS's is more permanent feeling, but it's harder for a shorter person to draw on those tables, because of the seats (seats swing out and are connected to the tables). DCA's allows many more people in there, and it's less intimate feeling, and holding the board while drawing isn't *easy*, but you can make it fit your body better b/c you're on the bench seat. Also, the DHS papers are MUCH smaller!

It was fun as usual.

After that, Mickey was out in their meet/greet area, so E went to meet him. We had the opportunity to meet Lotso, but E did NOT agree with that one. Wowie, Lotso is very smelly! His strawberry scent takes up the entire, big room.

We left that area, and came across some luggage.

Hmm, interesting.

That day, we tried to go on Rock&Roller Coaster. E was pretty psyched about it.

I think it's hilarious that it's sponsored by...

I think the first time we went over there, it was down. I think we got FPs, and then after much discussion, Robert went on TOT. E put his foot down, wouldn't go. E and I went to try on sweatshirts for him, as he was feeling cold and left out. We all reunited at the store, and the two of them ran off to catch another Indy showing. I didn't want to watch it again. R&E later told me that the cold was messing with some of the props, so it wasn't the whole show they'd seen on the 2nd. And I found out from others that later in the week, as it got colder and colder, even more props were failing as well. Sensitive set!

I ended up buying E's sweatshirt, and then went to buy our Tables in Wonderland card. As an AP holder you can buy it for $75, and it saves you 20% off of most table service restaurants and a few counter services, including liquor at the restaurants. I DOES cause you to tip 18% at table services, but we would have done that anyway, so no biggie.

After I got that done, I remember going to sit in the sun...that was lovely...like Spring in western WA. Breezy and chilly, but SUN oh glorious SUN....

Eventually met back up with the guys just in time to use our FPs (had gotten them after our first ride) for TSMM again, and then went on to the Hollywood Brown Derby!

E had a grilled cheese sandwich. Robert and I *shared* their Cremini Mushroom Chevre Tortelloni [- with Tomato-Fennel Sauce and Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano] appetizer, and the Noodle Bowl [- with Wok-fried Coconut Tofu, Soy Beans, Sugar Snap Peas, Bok Choy, and Shiitake Mushrooms in a Red Curry Broth] entree.

Both were VERY tasty. The noodle bowl, actually, was DELICIOUS.

That's an enormous china bowl, and that's my HALF of the portion. Now, yes, this is a $23 entree, so you desperately need it to be good. Thank goodness, then!

The tofu was crusted in the coconut, the veggies were snappy and good, the sauce was to die for. Both of us were stuffed, I'm serious.

But not too stuffed for....

and

OK, backing up, this was the first ADR we had where the chef had actually received the email from Special Diets, letting them know of what we were watching out for! He checked everything, and while perhaps he didn't pay total attention (came out very concerned about cornstarch, even though the emails had stated "corn syrup" ingredients, and we'd SAID that to him as well), but too much concern is better than too little, and it was very much appreciated.

The grapefruit cake had an issue with...one small part of it, just the jelly filling. So I had it, Robert had a small bite, and E had no interest in it. The berry cobbler, the over-flashed picture above, was also tasty and safe for everyone. That's what R&E shared, and they were very happy with it.

I loved the cake itself, and the filling was nice, but the outer shell on it was NASTY. Avoid the shell, eat what's inside, that's my advice for you. I'd order it again! I'd go there again and order everything again, actually.

Even though the surroundings are nice, I wasn't uncomfortable AT ALL in my casual park-touring clothes, though it's not like we were wearing tank tops and cutoffs.



I am not sure if this was before or after lunch, but I think it was at some point before, I just do not remember when. So insert it wherever makes sense to you. A bit later, we went back over to R&RC, and got in line. Got into the building, we were in the room "with" Aerosmith and that '90s actress, went through their whole cheesy spiel, and then....the ride went down again. Got to leave by continuing the walk through the seating area (we were THAT close), and not only did they give us very special re-entry passes (good for over a week from that day), but along the way they *announced* that we were all being given these passes. From the moment it broke down, they let us know what was happening and what we would be given. That was EXCELLENT.


So anyway, after lunch we were a bit sloggy, if I recall correctly. E had hit some sort of wall, and I'm fairly certain that we decided to head on out after that. Our lunch was scheduled at 2, we'd ridden TSMM at something like...early, but not as early as I thought, and our check was time-stamped after 3. By the way, saved 10.86 off that bill with the TIW card...


Is it ANY wonder people think that there's a dome over WDW and that they control the weather there????

('cuz it kinda looks like a split-apart Mickey, in case that isn't obvious to anyone but me)



Day Nine seems to have ended with a bit of a whimper. We likely drove back to OKW, relaxed, were silly, played Legos. I believe at some point there was an everyone-in-bathing-suit, all in the jacuzzi tub time, which was just grand, even though we had to convince Robert that he really could fit in with us. There was probably some Amy's frozen meals for dinner, maybe a Haagen Dasz bar for dessert, most likely a beer for me...

Thanks day nine! I miss that coconut tofu.....

 

[bumbershoot]

But, I waited and trusted my dr's with the wrong diagnosis for several years, so there it is.

Oh that just sucks, to have had the wrong info for so long! How do they ever expect you to TRUST them, honestly?

 

[kaoden39]

I was told by someone that it rains more in Florida than it does in California. I thought they were crazy, now I am thinking they were right. E is getting so big. Wow.

 

[kaoden39]

Oh that just sucks, to have had the wrong info for so long! How do they ever expect you to TRUST them, honestly?

And Scotty wonders why I won't go for the low mobility in my shoulder?

 

[bumbershoot]

FL has a lot of rain, but it tends to rain FAST*. It's done quickly. At least, that's how it used to be; my relatives tell me that it's starting to change. (interestingly, they are rabidly against the concept of climate change, and refuse to admit that there's something going on, even though they admit that their weather HAS indeed changed)


While doing all of this in my trip report, I'm trying to help Robert around DC, LOL. What did we do before googlemaps??????? And computers, and the internet (thank you Al Gore who was a senator when they were voting on the MONEY to go towards an intranet which led to the internet, which is why he was quoted/misquoted as saying he'd had a hand in creating it), and cell phones and all....



*forgot to mention, we only were there for ONE of the "typical" FL rainstorms. And we were inside the Crystal Palace for it. Stunning to see, that's for sure!

When my mom and stepdad lived in Miami, I remember outrunning one of the storms. I ran a lot then, and had gone to the end of the developed part of their development, and saw the lightning, and felt the weather change. Woo did I run back! Unfortunately, it was dusk and I tripped on a sidewalk edge, and went sprawling on my face. Had a big ol' scar for about a year, from the scrape on my nose from that! I still remember listening to Terance Trent D'Arby and Erasure that evening, just trying to get home before being hit by lightning....

 

[bumbershoot]

Just took the last azithromycin. I don't like this. A friend in NJ just had strep, and had the "z pack", and even though she's an educated woman who can read that it keeps on working for another 5 days, she truly has the expectation that b/c the antibiotics are done, she should be fully done with the illness. And she got surprised that she didn't feel totally better.

When E had strep in '09, he took pills for upwards of 2 weeks, if not longer. It really reminded us to take it easy with him, since he wasn't done yet with the illness.

I think the shorter things, that work long beyond still taking them, are a mistake...

Then again, even though I almost never take them, when I DO take antibiotics, I do it right, and I might not be with the majority on that...

 

[DLR29]

Great update! You like DCA's TSMM queue better??? But it doesn't really have anything to it. DHS's has all of the cool oversized toys and stuff...not that we stood in it for very long because we used FP there.

Bummer about RnRC being down twice! One of my favorite rides at WDW! Oh, and the Hollywood Brown Derby sounds SO yummy, and I am very hungry right now...mmmm going down to the cafeteria now. Too bad dorm food doesn't really compare...

 

[Swalphin]

Illeana Douglas is the actress in RnR, she is from Massachusetts like Aerosmith. I really enjoy her acting especially in the film "To die For' it is was inspired by a teacher/student affair, murder case that happened in NH back in the early 90's.
She was also in a short lived reality show with Lisa Loeb, the singing chick from the 90's with the glasses.

Any way great update, I am a fan of the grapefruit cake at the Brown Derby. I also love the tile in their bathrooms

Sounds like an enjoyable day at HS, except for the cold and the ride being down.

Good news about the mattress warranty, I'll make a mental note of that policy.

Hope you start to feel better, no fun being sick.

 

[bumbershoot]

December 9, Day 10!​

Today was another Animal Kingdom day. We had layers of clothing, as no one wanted to have a repeat of a certain someone slowly freezing to death on our first AK day.

Once again, we had an ADR, and I was excited about that again! Tusker House lunch, we had you in our sights.


Over the ticket booths.

Isn't this pretty? I have no idea what it is, other than "a building of some sort".

We headed over to the Dinosaur side of AK, as we hadn't gotten to it on the first day. E wanted to ride THE ride!

They had a really cool "puzzle" that E was working on here. They had "skulls" embedded, and then you matched the jawbone to the right skull.

While there, E asked the CM about alligators vs crocodiles. Turns out they have one American Alligator there, just across the walkway! Did anyone else watch Sesame Street, with an alligator singing something, and he had things on his teeth (rings? jewels?), and he had a distinctive voice?

Turns out, American Alligators in real life look JUST like that alligator in the cartoon!

On the way to the Dino ride, there's a wooded area with dino noises (quite creepy) and fiberglass guys to climb on, and even some poking their heads out of the forest.

Eamon would not stand there, absolutely refused, without Robert with him. See the reason behind them?

We finally got there.

And E said forget it. We kept trying, went towards the FP line...

Nope, it just psyched him out. In hopes, we got FPs for the three of us for later, just in case, and headed into the building for Robert, at least, to ride. The building didn't help. Got in line. Didn't help. Didn't help didn't help didn't help.

Finally, I asked the CM for the exit (I could mention here that I was dealing with some MAJOR pushback from the adult male in our party, who was doing his best to channel his father at that moment, but why would I do that, it all worked out). She was SO HAPPY that we had opted out, that she gave us 3 "anytime" FPs for later, so that I, at least, could ride later on. She was nearly skipping she was so happy with our decision.

So we took the exit, and came out, and saw scores of screaming children who had just been on the ride. OK, maybe 2. But seriously, they were upset. Just seeing that made me GLAD for having put my foot down.

For some reason, it took quite awhile for Robert to get off the ride. We had scoured the shop by that time (which is always a mistake because then he needs to scour it, LOL), and HE came off very very glad for my decision as well. Turns out...that ride is SCARY! Okey dokey then, good to know. Not like Indy at all, per Robert.



We left the building and made our way out of that area, looking forward to finding the super-cheesy, instead of super-scary, Dino areas. Well, we found it! Primeval Whirl looked like SO MUCH FUN. Stacey, on the Disneyworld Must Do show, calls it the "spin cycle" (after Kali's "wash cycle").

It was *tremendously* fun. It's kind of like the BEST that Mulholland Madness at DCA EVER wished to be. And my faithful readers know that MM scares me, but the "car" for this ride is mucho better than MM's vehicle. I wasn't afraid that E was going to fall out. And, important for those who remember our May '09 trip while Robert was waiting for confirmation of the pituitary tumor diagnosis, Robert could ride this ride. We had a ton of fun on it, but the line had built up behind us and there was not much interest in a longer wait than we'd already had.


Then we did Triceratop Spin, which was the usual "fun" of a Dumbo type ride for me... (yep, Primeval Whirl, just fine...going around in a simple up/down circle, bleah)


It was getting towards our reservation time, so we started heading over back to Africa.

 

[bumbershoot]

Illeana Douglas is the actress in RnR, she is from Massachusetts like Aerosmith. I really enjoy her acting especially in the film "To die For' it is was inspired by a teacher/student affair, murder case that happened in NH back in the early 90's.
She was also in a short lived reality show with Lisa Loeb, the singing chick from the 90's with the glasses.

Any way great update, I am a fan of the grapefruit cake at the Brown Derby. I also love the tile in their bathrooms

Sounds like an enjoyable day at HS, except for the cold and the ride being down.

Good news about the mattress warranty, I'll make a mental note of that policy.

Hope you start to feel better, no fun being sick.

Thanks for the name help! It seemed like she was everywhere for awhile, didn't it?

Wait, I used the restroom there, why didn't I notice the tile????

Great update! You like DCA's TSMM queue better??? But it doesn't really have anything to it. DHS's has all of the cool oversized toys and stuff...not that we stood in it for very long because we used FP there.

Bummer about RnRC being down twice! One of my favorite rides at WDW! Oh, and the Hollywood Brown Derby sounds SO yummy, and I am very hungry right now...mmmm going down to the cafeteria now. Too bad dorm food doesn't really compare...

Dorm food has its own joy to it. Are you on plan where you can eat all you want, but can't take it away, or can you "buy" food and take it whereever you want? My university was on a points system and you could buy whatever you wanted and take it home. (Since I still haven't been to the POP foodcourt, I still sort of picture it as being like my student union building food area, LOL). I had friends that went to Berkeley, though, and they could eat what they wanted IN the cafeteria, eat until they were sick, but couldn't even take a roll outside.

I do not know why I prefer DCA's line. I think it's because I feel it's a brilliant line; the person who designed those switchbacks must have a doctorate in line design. For some reason, the room for the DHS line felt really doofy to me, and since we have a LOT of those toys at home it kind of reminded me of the mess in Eamon's room (so once HE is off to college, I will stand in line and be sad! but for now...), and it just reminded me "you're in line, you're in line, you're in line..." I also prefer fresher air.