Guest guest Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 Peggy Oh, San is clean compared to Dallas. Houston is close to Dallas in air quality. Before the illness, I considered living other places and thought a good while about where I'd live. South Florida, North Carolina, and Chattanooga were high on the list since I've lived in all three areas. The other places had major advantages in air quality and climate. They are also beautiful areas and its pretty ugly here. However, I decided to stay here for the following reasons: 1-, despite our divorce, is still the person I consider my closest family. She lives about two miles away and I know I can always call on her. She'd welcome me living with her if I needed and wanted but I don't think thats the best option. I know its all strange to most but we are very close. We may not be husband and wife, but we are great family. She's also the person with my medical power of attorney and responsible in all other potentialities, including death. 2-My counselor, who I know will be so important to me during this journey, is here. has committed to me for life even when I can't make it there or if for some reason I couldn't pay. It's hard to put into words how important she is to me and I know will be as things worsen. 3-Medical Care-While I'd choose Durham, NC over here, I'd choose this area over Chattanooga and South Florida. Plus I'm established here with my doctors. 4-Services. I live in a place where the services available if needed are quite good. If I couldn't drive, I have bus service to anywhere I would need at the curb here (with powerchair if needed). If that wasn't good enough, I could get door pickup from Paratransit to take me where I needed to go. I am less than 5 miles from 4 major hospitals and any doctor I'd need. If I wanted to go, the senior center is a half mile away and I could actually get there by trail in my powerchair. Of course, they will also pick me up. If needed there are services such as weekly visits, daily checkups, meals on wheels. You name it. There are virtually unlimited choices in oxygen providers, home health care, hospice, alternative living possibilities. I live within 2 miles of 170 restaurants. Grocery stores very convenient and would be low cost taxi trip if I couldn't drive. 5-I'm use to being here and know where everything is and how to get what I need. No relearning to do. Just choosing all new doctors would be a major pain-Pulmonologist, Primary, Neurologist, Gastroenterologist, Rheumatologist, Physical Therapist (oh mine is 1/2 mile from here), Psychiatrist, Counselor. 6-Moving is a major undertaking and a sizable expense. All the issues of relocating are a use of limited remaining energy. 7-I know today how my allergies are impacted here and they are manageable most of the time. I know they'd be much better in South Florida. I know they'd probably be good in Chattanooga. I'm not so sure how they would be in NC as they weren't so good growing up there. All the pine trees in particular get to me. So, what if one moved to find out then that the change was kicking up many allergies. So, your question was good and one that I ask myself when its 108 degrees outside. However, when considering all the factors I'm happy spending my remaining time here. I think wherever you are you think of certain things that would be better elsewhere. However, when you sit down and analyze it, you realize that every area has its issues for you too. Now, one thing I have thought about if I'm still relatively mobile next summer. That is spending much of July and August elsewhere, probably in NC with family. On the other hand, I am doing ok here even in the stifling heat. I'm here in my living room communicating with friends. I get out and do something every day. I ate dinner yesterday with . I'm driving about an hour from here after a doctor appointment tomorrow to eat and spend time with a friend. And, since I can't have beach and palm trees, I'm debating between pictures, tapestries and wall murals of beach and palm trees. > > yea, I know we are all so cute and good looking that a blemish is not > very becoming .. > my arms looked I washed them with a weed waker. > > Got a question for you. You can tell me none of my business if ya > want but i think about it often. > whit the heat and air quality being so bad there in Texas and you > being single why don't you move to a place > with cleaner air? While we were in San I had a lot of trouble > breathing and didn't realize the air quality > Just wondering.. > > > >  > > > > > Love and Prayers, Peggy > IPF 2004, Florida > > " Worry looks around, > Sorry looks back, > Faith looks up. " > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 6, 2008 Report Share Posted August 6, 2008 Bruce, Chattanooga and the surrounding areas are not compatible for those of us with allergies & lung disease. There have been some orange alerts this week aka unhealthy air. The points you made in your post about (why you live where you live) could be applied to any of us where we live or want to live. Eddie & I will be moving eventually out of this little condo when my brother settles our parents' estates. We need just a little more room and a garage and Max needs a fenced-in backyard for his romps. We still want to live in Dalton even though our doctors are in Chattanooga & Atlanta. Toodles! Jane UIP/IPF 12/1998 Dalton, Georgia aka pianolady_musicgirl > >> > yea, I know we are all so cute and good looking that a blemish is not> > very becoming ..> > my arms looked I washed them with a weed waker.> >> > Got a question for you. You can tell me none of my business if ya> > want but i think about it often.> > whit the heat and air quality being so bad there in Texas and you> > being single why don't you move to a place> > with cleaner air? While we were in San I had a lot of trouble> > breathing and didn't realize the air quality> > Just wondering..> >> >> >> > > >> >> >> >> > Love and Prayers, Peggy> > IPF 2004, Florida> >> > "Worry looks around,> > Sorry looks back,> > Faith looks up."> >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 6, 2008 Report Share Posted August 6, 2008 Jane Oh we have had nothing but orange here. And, each of our allergies are different. But, also, our allergies change over the years. So, you never know how a specific area will hit you until you live there year round. Perhaps I was well adjusted to whatever was in Chattanooga when I lived there and I did live on the river. I had no real problems. However, that could be much different today. Here is bad but somewhere else might be worse. Similarly I loved South Florida and had zero allergy problems related to the environment there. I also loved the humidity there combined with the cool breezes of salt air off the ocean. But who is to say if that humidity would affect me different today with PF. As Erma Bombeck said, " The grass is greener over the septic tank. " You sometimes don't realize the pluses and minuses of an area until you sit down and really think about it carefully. When I was considering other places I drove to this beautiful area about two hours east of Dallas, Holly Lake Ranch. It is the perfect retirement community with smaller houses that resemble beautiful mountain chalets surrounded by woods and in a gated community on a lake. Perfect you'd say. Except, the nearest hospital was nearly an hour away in Tyler. Oh, and doctors? Same distance. For emergencies they did have a helicopter pad outside the community for transport. Even grocery stores were a distance but I was more concerned about medical care. I had to get a realtor to even look around and he showed me a very nice reasonably priced home that the older couple was in the process of moving out. Their reason? They had reached the age medical care was more important to moving back to Dallas area. Any place you could ever live has tradeoffs. Some places you remember were great, but you realize you're no longer able to enjoy those things that made it special. For instance, I'm not exactly able to return to the days of water skying the length of the lake and back. > > > > > > yea, I know we are all so cute and good looking that a blemish is > not > > > very becoming .. > > > my arms looked I washed them with a weed waker. > > > > > > Got a question for you. You can tell me none of my business if ya > > > want but i think about it often. > > > whit the heat and air quality being so bad there in Texas and you > > > being single why don't you move to a place > > > with cleaner air? While we were in San I had a lot of > trouble > > > breathing and didn't realize the air quality > > > Just wondering.. > > > > > > > > > > > >  > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Love and Prayers, Peggy > > > IPF 2004, Florida > > > > > > " Worry looks around, > > > Sorry looks back, > > > Faith looks up. " > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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