Bay view on a sunny morning in Connemara.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland”
“Many Irish names begin with “Mac,” which translates to mean “son of.”

Firstly, let’s start today with wishes for a safe and festive July 4th weekend to all of our friends and family members in the US. With the holiday falling on a Thursday, it may be a four-day weekend for many workers.  

 

In our old lives, we celebrated the Independence Day of America with considerable enthusiasm. We had 300 small flags lining the lakeshore, which Tom had put in place the previous night; I baked an American flag sheet cake using strawberries and blueberries for the stars and stripes, and we often had a party for friends and family.

 

Today, here in Ireland, this is another lovely Thursday in Ireland. To celebrate the day, early this morning, we took a drive in the countryside, taking photos along the way.

We spotted lots of cattle on a morning drive but few sheep.

It is still a cool day at 10C, 59F, but the winds were light and the sky sunny. Now a few hours later, the clouds have rolled in, and there isn’t a spot of blue in the sky.  But the weather doesn’t keep us from reveling in the scenery we see out any window in our vacation home, constantly reminding us of this beautiful country.

As I had promised myself over a month ago, on the 4th of July, I’d be able to walk up the hill from the driveway on my own with no help from Tom. This morning, I gleefully accomplished this task and have decided to repeat it at least five times a week to build my stamina for walking up steep hills.

That is not to say my healing is complete. At a little over 4½ months from the bypass surgery and three months since the two-leg surgeries, I’d be deluding myself to say the healing process is complete. I still have pain and discomfort in my sternum and legs. I’ve read that some patient’s chests don’t heal for over a year.

Flowers blooming on the side of the road.

I don’t think it will take me a year, but I will progress considerably by the six-month mark. The wound in my left leg should be closed within a month. The other already-closed incisions are still tender to touch and feel painful at night in bed.  

The hematoma in my right thigh is starting to look a little better but requires a pillow between my legs at night to avoid keeping me awake from the pain. I’m hopeful, and when I think we’ll be on a cruise in 5½ weeks, I continue to exercise, try to get enough sleep, and eat a healthy diet.  

While on the upcoming cruise from Amsterdam to Amsterdam, we have a very busy and active two-day small group tour to St. Petersburg, Russia. I’m working hard to prepare myself for this tour. In the evenings, we’ll return to the ship for the night meeting with the van at the pier the following day.

The online translation of this monument was tricky to accomplish. Can any of our new readers in Ireland translate this for us?  If so, please send an email or comment at the end of the post.

Speaking of my health situation once again (apologies for the repetition), we’ve been busy the past several days searching for a health insurance policy that accepts pre-existing conditions. We weren’t hopeful.

And, not surprisingly, we cannot find insurance for me that would include anything to do with my heart and arteries. In the worst case, I may qualify 12 months after no further treatment was required. This 12-month period would begin on May 10, 2019, when I no longer needed any medical care.

We still have coverage with the company that isn’t paying our claims, and until they provide us with formal notification, everything else is covered. The rate is almost Euro 709,  US $800 a month, which doubled after the surgery.  

A bull in a field with lots of what appeared to be pregnant females.

There’s nothing we can do at this point, short of returning to live in the US to get Medicare, Part B, and a supplement (they don’t pay outside the US). We are not willing to do this at this time and forfeit this wonderful life.  We’re eager to take the risk.

You may think we’re nuts for not moving back to the US for this reason. But, we all have to make choices for our own lives. This works for us. Quality of life is an essential factor, motivating us to continue joyfully. I could make myself stressed thinking of this, but I choose not to. Instead, we’ll continue to dream and make plans for the future.

As mentioned above, may all of our readers in the US have a safe and fulfilling holiday weekend.  And may the remainder of our readers have an equally good day and upcoming weekend.

Photo from one year ago today, July 4, 2018:

This parade of elephants consisted of more than 30. For more photos, please click here.

Chef Ramsay might be pleased with the color from browning these scallops in butter. “Inside, you will also find a vivid orange roe (also called coral), which is often discarded but is edible. Rinse (don’t drench) several times in cold water to remove sand or grit. Once shucked, scallops can be cooked. If scallops are mushy to the touch, they’re undercooked. If they’re firm, they’re overcooked.” They are delicious!  For more on “fake” scallops that are often sold throughout the world. Please click here.  Scroll to the end of this post for details on this topic.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland”
“The guillotine was used in Ireland before it was used in France. The earliest use
dates back to 1307.”

The battle with the insurance company is coming to an end. We’ve concluded they aren’t going to pay, nor will we be reimbursed for any of the bills we paid out-of-pocket.  

The stress of dealing with this has the potential to harm my future health. It simply isn’t worth it. At times, we all have had to face the reality that we’re losing money we shouldn’t have had to lose. Such is the case here. We need to move on.

We considered a lawsuit but here again, more stress and focus on the negativity that not only may affect both of us but also prevent us from truly enjoying our plans with this hanging over our heads.  

We can only imagine the endless conversations with a solicitor/attorney in the UK, where the company is based, and how those calls would impact the quality of our experiences. These types of phone calls could transpire while we’re on a cruise or touring. We need to move on.

A Connemara Pony a few doors down from us.

Why do they deny the claim? In 2007 I had a cardiac ablation in the cath lab (in Minnesota) by an “electrical” cardiologist to remove a genetic tiny extra electrical valve which suddenly caused tachycardia.  

Once he removed the tiny valve (no replacement necessary), he explained I wouldn’t need further treatment, medication, or any follow-up. I didn’t have a “heart” condition. I was not a heart patient.

Less than a week later, I was back at the health club pounding it out, feeling great with no residual symptoms. It was over. During this period, I was on a low-dose hypertensive drug that kept my blood pressure totally under control.  I still wasn’t considered a “heart” patient.

When we applied for the insurance, I knew it would be construed as a heart condition if I disclosed this. The doctor who did the ablation told me specifically not to make a deal of this when applying for insurance. I didn’t have a heart condition.

Another Connemara Pony and her colt.  The dad was nearby, and he was a dark brown like the colt.

When our current annual travel insurance discovered the ablation, they denied the claim, stating I had a pre-existing heart condition. During all the tests I’d had before the bypass surgery, I was told over and over there was nothing wrong with my heart itself.  

From a lifetime of working out, my heart was comparable to that of a healthy 35-year-old. My arteries are the issue, and I did not know, no prior treatment and no medication for this genetic condition, inherited from both sides of the family.  Heart disease, arteriosclerosis, diabetes, spinal disorders, and other inflammatory diseases were rampant on my mother’s side of the family.

One can argue I should have disclosed this when applying for the insurance because I had no known heart disease. I saw no reason to disclose it.  Would one admit every sprained ankle, every infection, and injury when applying for insurance, only to have those recovered body parts excluded from the policy?

I had disclosed I’d had back surgery in 1995, and they excluded any possible claims for anything to do with my spine, neck, and vertebrae even though I no longer had pain or was on treatment for any of this. My restrictive diet rid me of any pain, and at the time of application, shortly after we began traveling the world, I disclosed this condition in the application.

This insurance is not Medicare and has nothing to do with insurance in the US.  Medicare doesn’t pay outside the US, nor is it possible to be reimbursed for any claims. The policy was “major medical” only and didn’t cover doctor visits, dental, vision, or prescriptions.  

We had so few doctor appointments over the years of travel, up until the recent surgery.  Prices were so low for office visits in other countries, such as Euro 30.44, US $40 for an office visit. There was no need to cover office visits.

So there it is. Right or wrong. Delusional or realistic. This is the situation, and we have to live with it to avoid the above stress.

But, a new problem comes out of this. How do we get insurance for me now with the recent four surgeries?  We’ll share what we’ve discovered in tomorrow’s post.

Authentic scallops with the orange roe connection piece, which in itself is delicious!

Moving right along…tonight, we have scallops again. We can’t get enough of these. Although I’ve reduced my beef consumption to once a week, we have the scallops with steak for a quasi “surf and turf” dinner. It’s no special occasion.  We’re just enjoying good food along with coleslaw, baby asparagus, and cooked spinach (for me). Tom will have rice with his dinner.

Following is the article we found online about “fake” scallops, which we’d wondered about for years. After eating the scallops here, delivered each week by fish guy John, I doubt we’ll ever trust scallops in other countries, including the US. I never recall them tasting so delicious or having the little reddish/orange pouch on its side.  Wow!  Unbelievable flavor and texture.

“Identifying Fake Scallops (from this site)

While you can’t always trust labels, you can trust your eyes. Here are a few tips to help you decipher if scallops are authentic or fake.

Scallops from nature will vary in size and never have a perfect cylinder shape to them. Fake scallops have an identical circumference because they are made using a cookie-cutter device. Also, if you see one edge thicker than the other, it’s either stingray or skate wings that taper significantly from one side to the other.

*Look at the texture. Genuine scallops have distinct grains or fibers running lengthwise, as the edible part of scallop meat serves as a muscle that holds the two scallop shells together. A fake scallop will have fewer fibers and appear more solid and dense.

And finally, look at the thickness and see if it’s the same on all sides. If it’s made from a stingray or skate, it will be thicker on one side because their wings taper significantly from one side to the other.”

Next time you purchase scallops, you may want to check for authenticity. Enjoy the day!

Photo from one year ago today, July 3, 2018:

Notice the pellet crumbs on Ms. Bushbuck’s nose. Often, there are lots of crumbs in the enormous bags of pellets. Most wildlife is happy to lap up the crumbs if we place them on the tile steps. For more photos, please click here.