The Adventures of Me & My Shadow #34 in MD 7/10/99
0 miles this trip, odometer now 42,780. Total miles this year
11,345.
From Delmar, MD, Hi Everyone!
Yes, the coach hasn't moved since the last letter. I have been
possessed by a folding step that was given to me by Bob McCarthy
in Lillian, AL when I stopped to visit him & Hunter a while
back. I guess he saw me eye balling it and said I could have it
If I wanted it, I told him I would be glad to take it. He told
me he had made it himself but no longer needed it. I figured there
must be something wrong with it but the price was right and I
would try to fix it. After I installed it, I determined that it
needed to be beefed up a little. This would require a welder,
I had none and I haven't welded anything in ten years. I first
learned to weld about 60 years ago when I was a kid working for
the guy across the road when he bought an arc-welder. After WW2
when I was out of the Navy, I went to an Aviation School to get
an Aircraft & Engine license to work on civilian aircraft.
It was here that I learned to weld with oxy-acetylene equipment.
I have never welded with the new small wire welders but I decided
it was time to learn this one. I went shopping and came home with
one and a kit to convert it to a MIG welder so If I decided to,
I could convert it and weld aluminum for another project on the
motorhome.
After I got the step beefed up I decided to see if I could use
the parking brake actuator (I have removed the lever and replaced
it with an electric actuator) to extend it each time I put the
parking brake on and retract it when I put the parking brake off.
This to me would be the ideal way to go, wrong. When plan A won't
work I always have a plane B, and if plan B won't work there's
plan C, and so on. I got some interesting lessons in Geometry
and had gone through many plans before I was satisfied with it.
The parking brake extends it and it is retracted by a screen door
spring when the parking brake is released. Finding the correct
angle for the actuator and the spring was my problem. The actuator
was not strong enough to overcome the spring, or the spring was
not strong enough to retract the step. After spending about two
weeks thinking and trying, it now works, not perfect but as close
to perfect as I could get it. If I had it to do over, I would
go with Darcy Moses' air compressor and his air actuators for
the parking brake. Then all I would need would be an air cylinder
as a step actuator, and one switch could work the brake and the
step.
I had so many things I wanted to get done on the coach, looks
like the windshield sun visor will have to wait. I did finish
the remote control door lock and I have had a slow leak in the
left air bag. I mixed up some soap suds and started checking and
it hasn't leaked a drop in two weeks. It must be the very hot
weather this month that stopped it from leaking. I have replaced
the black rub rail on the side of the motorhome with the red and
white reflective tape like you see on 18 wheelers, who knows,
it may some day make me be seen when I might not have been if
it had not been there. I do a lot of night driving and I think
it looks better than that thick black plastic.
Now for another adventure I have embarked on. I am doing some
research and plan to charge a group of 14 Cardiologists at Peninsula
Cardiology Associates, P.A. with Medicare fraud. Over two years
ago I had a Dr. Etherton check my defibrillator. Every thing went
well and last fall when I was in the hospital for a Colon cancer
operation I called them to have them send Dr. Etherton to the
hospital and check my defibrillator again. I was told that Dr.
Etherton was no longer with them and they would send someone to
do it. I should have asked them where Dr. Etherton was but I don't
think they would have told me. They sent a Dr. Nsah (pronounced
"Saw") after he checked my defibrillator he informed
me that he wanted to put me on some medication for my heart that
should take some pressure off of my defibrillator and make the
battery last longer. I said OK, till I saw the price of the medication.
I called Dr. Nsah and informed him that I could not afford the
medication and was not taking it. He informed me that he thought
Medicare would pay for medication, I couldn't believe I was talking
to a doctor who didn't know that Medicare did not pay for medication.
I repeated that I would not take the medication and the last thing
he said to me was that he wanted to reprogram my defibrillator
I informed him that he would not reprogram my defibrillator. I
soon got a call from a Dr. Wood the head Dr. with the group, said
he wanted to talk to me about Dr. Nsah. I went to his office and
he asked me what my problem was with Dr. Nsah I informed him that
I thought Dr. Nsah was a little mixed up and I did not trust him.
I told him that I had my defibrillator checked every three months
for the past year (the time that my heart was supposed to be running
the battery down in my defibrillator) and no one else had seen
a problem. He informed me that Dr. Nsah was a professor at John
Hopkins medical school and he was the best there was. I told him
in that case I would be very happy with the second best and would
get a second opinion before anyone reprogrammed my defibrillator.
I informed him I no longer needed any of his services. The next
time I needed the defib. checked I went to VA Beach, VA and a
Dr. Kanter checked it and he agreed with me, the defib. was doing
just what it was supposed to do. Now every three months I get
a card from these Cardiologist in Salisbury telling me it is time
to have my defib. checked and every three months I tell them I
will never let them check my defib. again. I guess they are just
slow learners. What really made me blow a fuse was when I got
the statements from Medicare for my treatment in the hospital.
I see they paid Dr. Nsah $50 for checking my defib, I saw nothing
wrong with that, however, for every other day I was in the hospital
they paid a cardiologist $80 for doing nothing, I remembered having
a Dr. come to my room every day, introduce himself as a cardiologist
and ask me how I felt. My defib. was not giving me any problem,
I went to the cardiology place and demanded to know who ordered
a Dr. to my room every day. I was quickly taken to the administrators
office. He asked me what my problem was, I told him it looked
to me like they were defrauding Medicare. He informed me he would
check hospital records and get back to me. I got a letter from
him with copies of some hand written notes that he said covered
everything and it was settled. Not being a Dr. I can not read
the notes. Having now found Dr. Etherton I took them to him and
asked him if he would transcribe the notes for me, and call me
when he had done it. He has not yet called me so I will have to
keep you posted in the next letter on how things are progressing.
I think I should have taken the notes to a pharmacist to have
them transcribed.
Till next time, Dallas or Dad if it fits. 7/10/99