"Let Me Tell You About My Hoinia!" Or, maybe not....

[captainsblog]

Just another week in paradise here. I suppose I should start with "what's good." For one thing, I suspect being a bankruptcy lawyer is going to be good-to-great in the coming months. I already got my first "COVID call"- from a company that has suffered much cancellation traffic as a result of this mess.  Other dominoes are likely to fall as well. And the nature of the practice is that, other than very few things, you really can social-distance and get work done- from signing and filing the papers to "appearing" in court.  I've heard that many musicians in both classical and more modern settings are really getting upended by this, as performances get canceled and gig opportunities become minimal. My way of "paying it forward" is to pro bono as many artist cases as I can handle. Pay the filing fee and comp me an autographed CD and we'll be good.

Bills are all paid up that need to be, and the mail, at least so far, is continuing to deliver the source of future bill payments.  Our health savings account is fully funded through the end of 2019, which should be enough to cover both of our deductibles for 2020; Eleanor's already used up almost all of hers, and mine? Well, we're making dents in that....

----

Whatever "it" is, it probably began months ago. I'm a sidesleeper, usually rotating on my axis numerous times in the night. For a while, I'd notice that at the end of the night, rolling over on the left would cause a twinge on my abdomen on that side; not pain as such, but enough to notice.  Fast forward to about ten days ago, and it became more constant and a bit more painful. It still went down if not away after getting up and moving around, but by early last week, I bit the bullet and made a doctor's appointment.

The initial theory was I'd herniated something. (This immediately led to the quote up above; Eleanor and I have used it for years, from back in our longago days of working out at the local JCC when Emily was in day care there.  The free weights were upstairs in the middle of the indoor running track, and the grumpy old mensches would walk around the track complaining to each other about their various ailments, of which "hoinias" were among the most common.)  I was sent for a CT-scan for further evaluation, and with the thinking that it might be a wait-and-see thing, or a go-in-and-fix thing, depending on where the tear was and what organ might risk sticking out of it.

Apparently, though, it is neither of these things.  I got the scan booked for two mornings after the appointment, slid in and out of the donut hole very quickly, and got the report back Friday.  It's mostly unintelligible to Layman Me. The good news I can make out is that it showed no bowel obstruction, abdominal wall or pelvic or inguinal herniation, or free fluid.  The concerns are over something showing on the liver, and something else on the kidney. (Yes, singular; as I told them in intake, I've only had one since I was 13. "Cancer?" "No, stupidity. I fell really bad.")  "Something" or "something else" could be shadow, or sign of infection, or, well, bad things, so I get an ultrasound this week to see if we can figure out which.  Meanwhile, it's gotten no worse in terms of the pain.  In abundance of caution, I am suspending my gym membership until we know more, partly because of that, but partly also because of that other OMGAPOCALYPSE thing we've got going here....

----

In January, we were making beer jokes about it.  By February, we knew enough to stay off cruise ships.  But as our emperor fiddled and denied, and much of the rest of the world tried to contain and cure, we moved into March with little prep and less planning. By this week, the craziness had arrived in full force, with armies of zombie shoppers hoarding every last roll of toilet paper and passing on their conspiracy theories.

Here's one Eleanor heard early in the week: 

It's the Left Wing Media tv stations- they're buying up all the toilet paper so they can film the empty shelves and induce panic! 

Another I still see going round:

Who got sick in November or December and it lasted 10 to 14 days, with the worst cough that wouldn’t go away? it was horrible!  If you can answer yes, then you probably had the coronavirus. There were no test and the flu test would come back negative anyway. They called it a severe upper respiratory infection. You guys lived through that. Quit letting the media control you. Now give me back my toilet paper, sports, parades etc.


Fuck "10 to 14 days." I'm into my fifth month, and I've STILL got traces of the damn thing. ANY virus would have long run its course by now.  (I have a new inhaler to see if I can finally kill it off.)

In just the time since I last posted, we've canceled sports seasons and events, postponed thousands of performances, closed universities (and increasingly lower public schools), and at least started something resembling testing.  There's been plenty of black humor-



- and, yes, even a little hoarding:



That's from Eleanor's 6 a.m. Wegmans run today; I tried yesterday at 8:15 and missed the last rolls by minutes.  (And before you j'accuse!, we're into our last dozen rolls in the ordinary course, and one of those two packages is for a semi-disabled friend who can't get into a store to fight over them.)

As noted above, if we get into the Worst Things of lockdowns and self-quarantines or whatever, we're in a pretty good place. Wegmans has indicated it will cover paid sick leave, and I can do much-to-most of my job without having to leave the house if necessary.  There'll be less travel, but at this point in my life, I don't mind that anyway.  We have plenty to read, plenty to watch, and plenty of fur around the house.  And if I do have to go back to my doctor's, there's always the helpful staff there:



"Turn your head and bark."

Comments

[siercia]

fingers crossed that this turns out to be on the right side of the no big deal spectrum!

[captainsblog]

Update: no real update, but I'm feeling much better today.

[warriorsavant]

Bankruptcy lawyers, tele-conferencers, medical suppliers... many people will have banner years. Every cloud has a silver lining... but then every silver lining has a cloud.

[captainsblog]

Don't get me started on teleconferencers.

Our local bankruptcy court did not have a system in place, and they've been very flexible about it. They've all instituted liberal adjournment policies and set up a free and easy phone-in system to enable anyone to appear without having to show up.

But as in any crisis, there are those who will not be so kind. At least two other courts have sent variations on a "pay for play" notice. Before the crisis, these courts had contracted out telephonic appearances to private services that charge as much as $70 per day per judge to connect telephonically. One of them has, oh so graciously, announced that they are reducing their charge by 25 percent now that phone appearances are mandatory. Thanks, Obama!

Adjournments require formal filed motions, which require appearances, which require, what else?, up to $70 per day per judge.

And, lest you think there will be any vestige of kindness? The last two paragraphs:

"5. Failure to appear. If a party does not timely call and connect to the scheduled hearing, the hearing may proceed in their absence, and they may face sanctions from the Court for their failure to appear.

6. Other/Miscellaneous. Telephonic appearances by multiple participants are only possible when there is compliance with every procedural requirement. Sanctions may be imposed when there is any deviation from the required procedures or the Court determines that a person's conduct makes telephonic appearances inappropriate. Sanctions may include denying the matter for failure to prosecute, continuing the hearing, proceeding in the absence of a party who fails to appear, or a monetary sanction."