Hi Sue:

Alan's foot ulcer is the size of a silver dollar. That is, after it gets debrided. He had an infection (that's when the ulcer got full of blood) and I told him "we have to get you to the foot guy as soon as possible. They took him immediately, put him on antibiotics and it cleared up in two days.

It always heals. And as soon as he walks on it, it comes back. It's caused by a bone impingement. It's a surface foot ulcer. No grafting, nothing deep. If he sat in the chair for two weeks and never got up, it would heal completely but who can do that?

Since the podiatrist knows that he can't go any further with Alan, he suggested a wound treatment center, but since we can't afford the co-pays, the next best thing is the podiatry department inside Methodist Hospital. They do bone shaving (what his podiatrist thinks he needs).
So hopefully, we'll go on Tuesday, and bring all the x-rays and report and the doctor will either say "yeah, he needs bone shaving", or he might say : "let's try this first". I really have no idea.

And Alan is not on SSI. Alan is on Social Security Disability. He worked all his life and paid into Social Security so he is entitlted to it. Then when he turns 66, it becomes automatic retirement.

I wish he could get SSI in addition. That way, we could get food stamps. But you have to make next to nothing to be eligible for a benefit card in NYC.

So we do as best we can. We've been lucky. Good doctors, good dentists.

Can't complain. Remember the saying "I cried because I had no shoes, then I saw a man who had no feet"????

Yesterday, I went for a walk, and I was thinking about what we are dealing with and then all of a sudden I see a guy in a wheelchair and his arms and legs were completely turned backwards. Never saw this in all my life.

He was just sitting in the chair and people were giving him money.

So I just said 'wow, I'm going for a walk, and this guy can't even get out of his wheelchair". Got me out of my pity party mood really fast!!!

Melody