Another year in the books and another birthday, number 75. Early in the year, my fraternity chapter sent out an E-mail with the chapter list looking for E-mail addresses for those with whom the chapter had lost contact. While reviewing the list, I realized that a number of my contemporaries were listed as deceased, mostly those who smoked tobacco while at college. Three years from median life expectancy, I’m still alive and healthy but with some wear and tear and chronic conditions.
Health and Diet
Getting old brings with it aging related changes. Metabolism slows, recovery from activity takes longer, etc. And hereditary hazards begin to show up. Most uncles and aunts have weight problems with related cardiac problems and 4 of mom’s 13 siblings have had bladder lining cancer. And the usual joint wear and replacements. I ran true to type with weight gain, coronary artery problems, and PVC’s following a 2002 heart attack. These have been the primary health concern for the past 20 years.
2020 brought the pandemic and bladder lining cancer so I joined Aunt Betty and Uncle Harold as a bladder lining cancer survivor. Two older uncles, Bill and John were also bladder lining cancer patients. In all of us, the disease remained in the bladder lining where it is treatable.
Joints
They’re getting old. And I’ve got a sketch left hip that has been a pain for several years. It doesn’t like yard work. Mowing with the walk-behind mower gets it cross. But it recovers. My urologist says it looks sketch on the yearly CAT scan to check for metastatic cancer. So, sooner or later, it is time to get in the queue for hip care.
Bladder Lining Cancer
I’ve been fortunate. I have a good surgeon, perhaps the best urology cutter in the area, Doctor Young at Urology of Virginia. He’s been able to excise the surface abnormalities down to a clean margin in 2020 and 2021. The first removed a slew of polyps. The second surgery removed what looked like orange peel. Each of these included in-situ immuno-therapy. Then we started 3 courses of post-surgery immuno-therapy using BGC (tuberculosis vaccine). The 2022 and 2023 checkups have been clean and I’m now on a 6-month screening interval. So still alive and kicking with disease under control 4 years post diagnosis.
This is a good outcome. About 70% of patients survive to 5 years post diagnosis. If it stays in the lining, longevity statistics are favorable. If it gets into the muscle, that’s trouble, fancier surgery, and potentially bladder removal. One of my fraternity brothers is in this camp.
Diet and Heart Indicators
Healthwise, I’m doing better than I was a few years ago. With a diet change, I’ve lost 30 pounds, lipids are better — pesky triglycerides were creeping out of the reference range, and glucose was creeping up to the upper reference range limit. I needed to lower carbohydrates as I have a metabolism that tends to make triglycerides of them. The only fix was to eat less.
I had been trying to eat home cooked but was eating too much home-baked bread and too much rice. So I made the following changes
- Stop baking bread and having continental breakfast. Switch to porridge (oatmeal or steel cut oats). Takes time but I have time to wait for porridge now.
- Continue with waffles for Wednesday and Saturday breakfast (concession to my sweet tooth and to break porridge routine).
- Orange and cheese for lunch, now without homemade bread.
- Frozen curry or entree from Wegmans, Amys, Saffron Road, Sweet Earth, or some others. Mostly whole grains and vegetables with beans or peas of some sort.
- When wanting meat, frozen salmon, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, carrots, etc. roasted. All can be roasted together nicely in 400 or 450F oven.
With dumb luck, I dropped enough calories to lose about a pound a week, but I managed to plateau back in September so need to take a look at nibbling.
Summer’s labs were good, triglycerides and glucose well in reference range and A1C down. But the surprise was that my PVC’s had stopped in late summer. The Apple Watch low pulse alarms had stopped and Apple Watch 1 lead EKG is free of PVC waveforms. And certain hydraulically operated anatomy was a bit more active.
2023 Car Stuff
2024 finds me the owner of loans for 2, the Millennium Falcon ID.4 and the Di-lithium Dream Tesla Model Y. The two purchase experiences were night and day. The ID.4 was unfinished. The Model Y, complete, polished, easy to drive, and no Southern Hospitality (TM) to purchase.
The ID.4
In December 2021, I traded the VW Mk 7 GTI for a new ID.4 AWD battery electric vehicle. The ID.4 was OK, bigger which I was looking for with a big male greyhound and finding entry and exit of the GTI difficult as I aged. I was also looking for built-in navigation and additional ADAS capabilities not in the GTI.
The ID.4 though OK is an unfinished product. I decided to purcase the AWD variant back when they were in reserve then order process. VW-Audi had been making eTron BEV’s for some time so it seemed a safe thing to do given VW Golf’s reputation and that the BEVs would be replacing the Golf in their various markets.
ID.4 Product Gaps
VW promised feature parity with the 2020 Tesla Model 3 and Model Y but was unable to deliver. Promised feature gaps included the following.
- Scheduled charging would not charge.
- Departure prep was not working.
- One pedal driving was not working.
- Hold position was not working. Only creep mode was supported.
- Lane change assist was planned but not ready for initial release.
- DC fast charging authentication and payment required 3rd party software and accounts. Plug and charge was planned but not ready.
- Stability control went wonky in tight banked curves.
- Mirror controls were a mess. Couldn’t adjust mirrors while underway (or parked).
- Window controls were hard to use with infamous front/rear switch.
- Adjusting audio was difficult.
- The 12-V battery is not kept charged during extended idle periods.
ID.4’s April Road Mishap
I was resigned to live with the vehicle until this fall. This spring, the ID.4 was involved in a repairable mishap with a Virginia Beach emergency services vehicle. The car sat for two months while USAA dithered over loss adjustment.
By that time, HV Isolation devices were out of stock at VW US parts and VW global parts. The isolators are pyrotechnic fuses that disconnect the battery box internal DC bus from the battery external cable connector in the event of a mishap. Until they are available, the vehicle cannot be repaired. Because the battery assembly is important structure, the HV isolation had to be repaired and the battery returned to the vehicle before the collision repair could begin.
So, I burned through my rental allowance waiting for USAA to get the work scope settled. Then we waited until September while pyro-fuses were out of stock globally in VW parts supply. Repair of multiple vehicles in Europe and the US was delayed awaiting this unique critical part.
VW Adding Insult to Injury
In September I called VW Cares to register my concern and learn what the hell VW had done to itself. VW had pyro-fuse assemblies in Chattanooga to assemble new ID.4s, and in Germany and China, but none for spares? What gives? Can’t you grab a pair from Chattanooga to fix my vehicle? No joy, no answers, just be patient. They would not tell me when they would repair my ID.4 so I was looking at an indefinite period with a rental.
Enterprise was renting a Nissan Versa to me for a monthly amount in excess of my car payment. A Versa is a $17,000 list low end sedan that is pretty miserable. Small. Cramped. One dog car.
Santa Brings HV Isolators
As I write this, Santa brought VW HV isolators, the battery is back in the car, and Checkered Collision is putting the car back together. Then it has to go back to VW for recalls. The following recall actions are open on my ID.4.
- Inverter control software spazzes tripping the inverter on the road (usually just after initial roll-off in the driveway).
- Battery management software has a problem.
- Battery capacity in-service degradation is running ahead of models.
- Skylight window shade does not meet flammability standards.
- External door releases subject to water ingress and freeze damage.
But the bolloxed repair estimates, out of stock until the end of time HV-isolators, and inspiring chat with VW Cares lost my confidence in the company and convinced me that it was time to cut my losses.
Meanwhile, the Model Y, Dilithium Dream, just works.
The Model Y
With no date certain or date approximate for the return of the ID.4, in September, I decided to purchase a Tesla Model Y and sell the ID should it ever be repaired.
Shortly after the VW Cares call, the Enterprise bill came. I poked around checking expenses and found that the Versa was costing as much as the ID.4 car payment. With two car payments going out the door. I ordered the Tesla Model Y with plans to part with the ID.4 should it ever be repaired. The Versa is back with Enterprise and Tesla delivered the Model Y in time to drive the greyhounds to Richmond for reunion picnic.
Model Y Purchase from Tesla Directly
The 2023 price reductions brought the 2023 Model Y 5 seat hatchback in reach. Also, Congress had enacted a new purchase incentive schedule for which the 2023 Fremont and Austin Model Y production qualified. So, I scheduled a test drive, liked what I saw, did some rummaging around and raiding of piggy banks, then placed an order in early October. Two days later I had a VIN and the car was coming to Norfolk. On October 12, I took delivery after arranging a loan with Navy Federal at well below the national lender rates.
Life with the Tesla Model Y
The Model Y has been a joy to drive. It has done nothing weird. It has had no 12 V battery spells. It has not had any issues of any sort. Like the ID.4, the greyhounds can walk into the 2nd row seating. And the boot (wayback) is large enough to carry Missy. The back seats flip down giving a large load floor on which they prefer to ride. Tesla included tie down points on the back of the rear seats to which a dog harness may be secured, something not in the ID.4.
Unlike the ID.4, the Model Y charges happen as scheduled and the car will precondition itself for an outing. I had to plug the ID.4 in at bedtime to charge it on the Dominion base rate. I just leave the Model Y connected between trips. And the mirror controls work. And it has old-school window lift buttons! And the radio volume control is an actual knob (steering wheel left roller). And voice control works.
The biggest surprise with the Tesla Model Y, a hot turn from a VA A-road onto a county B-road that it did in lane without complaint! Returning home from that trip, I found that my rear temporary plate had flown away and that a couple of license plate screws had gone missing. Tesla Norfolk sorted that on the next business day.
Teslas Know “Bingo”
Another big surprise is that the Tesla Model Y knows “bingo”. As stored energy reached 20 percent, the navigation realized that we were low on margin for return home. It gave an alert, added a supercharger stop for DC fast charging to our route, and navigated us to the charge point. And from the charge point back to the route home. And to start charging, just connect the cable. Tesla billed us $6.48 for the energy we needed to complete the trip home.
I had planned to charge in Richmond before heading south but managed to put that waypoint after our arrival home. Di-lithium Dream covered our butts for us.
Rocky’s and Missy
Rocky and Missy have enjoyed a good year. Missy continues to benefit from her geriatric supplements (CDB oil and Phycox) and Rocky continues to become comfortable with home life and life with humans under foot.
Back in April, Rocky caught a toe in the hardware of the Martingale collar that he was wearing. The toe rotated catching in the loop hardware. Rocky panicked, and gave a yank then another, breaking the toe. After consulting with Rocky’s local vet, James River Greyhounds, and Greyhound Health Initiative we decided to amputate the damaged toe. Everything has healed up nicely. Rocky has no disability from the loss of the toe, a rear outer toe. He does look a bit odd with 11 toes however.
Both dogs rode to Richmond for reunion with James River Greyhounds. Rocky did marshmallow run.
Both had an hour or so of off-lead time to get properly tired before the drive home.
Dismal Manor Dispatches 
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