Month: December 2018

WordPress issues

I’m still having problems with the new WordPress 5.0, which automatically updated.  However, I still can’t link pages or products.  Wordpress needs to fix this as soon as possible.

Two scrambled eggs

I started my day preparing for my dental appointment.  I awoke, had my usual two scrambled eggs with cheese.  I sometimes have it with ketchup and sometimes I am just so hungry that I eat it without ketchup.

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No sugar added

I been noticing that Heinz has come out with a no sugar added version of ketchup which has 1 gram of sugar, but this is significantly less than the regular version of their ketchup.  This is better for people who are diabetic, or prediabetic like me.

Eggs in the microwave

The eggs are always scrambled.  This is not only because I like scrambled eggs, I do, but because scrambled eggs is the only way you can make eggs in a microwave.  I have tried to make eggs in a microwave that were not scrambled with disastrous results.

Eggs explode

The eggs exploded in the microwave.  It seems that scrambling the eggs is the only safe way to make eggs in a microwave.  Lucky that I like scrambled eggs.

Medicine time

After that I take my medications (I have a Freebie Pill Reminder, which you can find on the Freebies page to my website, but I cannot link to it thanks to the mess that is the current version of WordPress).

Manual patient transfer

After that I have a diaper change.  Then the sling is put under me for the patient transfer.  The one I have is a manual version, which was all Medicare would provide.

Different batteries

Then I was lifted and placed in my wheelchair and headed to the van.  As a note of information, I have two power wheelchairs.  Both run on batteries, and use different batteries.

Same batteries

They have been running on the same batteries for more than four years.  Most manufacturers say that the batteries will last for one year.  So far, I’ve been lucky.

Up the ramp

I attempted to go up the ramp .  This is easier said than done.  For my first attempt, I almost fell off the ramp. I backed up and tried again.  The second time was the charm.

Almost off the ramp

I have a new driver.  I think I scared the living daylights out of him when I almost fell off the ramp.  He tried to lift the four hundred pound wheelchair.  This was total futility, and I had to back up the wheelchair electrically.

New driver

Since he was a new driver, I had to direct him to the dentist’s office.  He let me off at the dentist’s office.  He parked the van in the metered lot, which cost money, there is a free parking lot, but it is limited to two hour parking.

To bridge or pull

After signing insurance forms, I waited a half an hour and was called into the dentist’s office.  The dentist and I decided to put in the temporary bridge, rather than pull the broken tooth on the lower right side of my mouth.  This leaves me with at least one side of my mouth to chew my food.  The extraction and permanent bridge will be done another time.

A room to recline

My dentist’s office has many rooms for dental work but only two rooms are large enough for my power wheelchair.  Also, my dentist would like my wheelchair to recline.  It does not, without a handiman to take out multiple screws.  However, it works well with the van.

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Put in the bridge

The dentist took a couple of molds.  He drilled some and put in the temporary bridge.  My next appointment is next month.

The way home

I had to direct the new driver home.  I figured that if I directed him within a block or two of my house, he would be able to get me home.  No such luck.  We had to circle back because we passed the road to the house.

It is probably my fault

This is partly my fault, because I was explaining to him the solar charger that I use in my car.  It can be found on my Products page, which I cannot link to, thanks to the latest version of WordPress.

Release the seatbelt

Once home, it was the usual routine of patient lifting me out of the wheelchair and into bed.  My wheelchair has a seatbelt, which I almost always forget to release.

To the bedroom

Getting into my bedroom is a chore since there is barely enough room to get through the door.  I almost always smack into the television stand.  This wheelchair, while good for the van was not designed to get through the doorway to my bedroom.

Previous transfer to a smaller wheelchair

Initially, the idea was that I would transfer to the smaller wheelchair to get into my bedroom.  As my Multiple Sclerosis got worse, it became increasingly difficult to transfer to the smaller wheelchair.  Now, I really cannot do the transfer.

It takes time

Well, I’m home, but I feel it when I eat on the side of my mouth that has the new temporary bridge.  It may take some time to get used to the new temporary bridge.

Questions and Comments

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them below.

All about SEO

I have recently done a number of new blog posts, and I thought my work was done for now.  Then I was invited to a new Pinterest group board – All about SEO.  Being the computer geek that I am, I could not resist the offer.

Not a computer website

Now, I know that this website did not start as a computer website, however, I have done a number of blog posts that reflect on computer issues because in blogging about anything, computer issues arise.  It is like having a blog about cookie recipes, and finding that you are blogging about computer issues.

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Cookie time

Come to think of it, I joined a group board for cookie recipes.  Everything looked so delicious, how could I resist?  Anyway, I do what I usually do when confronted with a life issue, I blog about it.

Life happens

Well now, I have to come up with something for the new Pinterest group board.  This isn’t the first time Pinterest has encouraged me to enter a field that I love, but had no idea that I would be involved in at Pinterest.  I have joined a bird group board.  You know something, sometimes life just happens.

Keywords

SEO are initials that stand for Search Engine Optimization.  Bloggers sometimes try to do blog posts that contain keywords so that the post will get ranked higher on search engines.  An example is if Google puts the website post on page one of a Google search (people are likely to find it and read it) versus Google putting the post on page 37 of the Google web search.

Do you really want to be on page 37 of a Google search?

Let’s get real. Does anyone go to page 37 of a Google search.  You do a web search and you look at what came up on the first page.  Maybe if you’re really determined you might go to page two.  Hell will freeze over before you get to page 37.  Be honest, have you ever gone to page 37?  Maybe I did once, but that was when I was running Windows 95.  And that was a long time ago.

Bloggers want page one

If you’re a blogger and you want to get serious hits, you want to be on the first page of a Google search.  Well, how do you do that?  The answer is SEO (Search Engine Optimization).  If you can optimize your keywords, you stand a much better chance of landing on page one of a Google search, than page 37 of a Google search.  Suddenly, it makes sense to do SEO.

The big problem

Here’s the problem.  SEO is for computers.  It is built on algorithms.  We are humans.  We write blogs for other humans.  SEO would be perfect if we were doing blogs for computers.

What humans need

We humans need creativity, inspiration and motivation to write really good blog posts.  At least I do.  I have found that the fastest way to destroy creativity, inspiration and motivation is to spend significant time doing SEO.

Jaxxy for SEO

In all fairness there are some great software platforms for doing SEO.  One such software is Jaxxy.  It is great.  In fact, I get so into Jaxxy that I often forget what I was going to blog about.  Jaxxy motivates me to keep using Jaxxy.  It soon occurred to me that if I continued to focus on SEO, I would never write a blog post.  I needed to find another way.

The other way

Actually, it was easier than you might think.  Just forget about SEO.  Just write really cool and fun blog posts.  If I would like to read what I write, there is a good chance that other people would enjoy it too.

Occasionally even I check keywords

Sometimes I check to see if anyone might actually use one of my keywords, and I do a simple Google search.  Most of the time, I don’t.  I just write cool and fun things.  It works for me.  If I’m motivated and inspired to be creative, the blog post will be cool and fun to read.  This is because it was cool and fun to write.

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Algorithms and humans

I found something interesting about writing blog posts.  The algorithms are trying to determine what is cool and fun.  The algorithms only use SEO to help them determine what is cool and fun for humans to read.  Using SEO is like trying to get into the head of a computer that’s trying to figure out what works for humans.  Just be human, and you will rank in Google.

Catchy title

When writing a title for a blog post, just come up with a catchy title.  A cool and fun title works.  It attracts humans, and also computers that are trying to figure out what cool and fun thing humans are looking for when they do a web search.

Thinking is good

Think about it.  Do you really want to destroy your creativity, inspiration and motivation if you don’t need to?  Just write cool and fun stuff.

Comments

If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below and check out the Freebies and Products pages.

A good or bad idea

I’ve been wondering whether installing the new WordPress 5.0 (software that makes websites look like websites) was a good or bad idea.  The new Gutenberg block editor gave me the answer when I tried to put a new product on my Product page.  Clearly, it was not one of my better ideas.

To link or not to link

Gutenberg would not let me put the needed product links for the gel overlay.  It tried to put the link elsewhere on the Product page.  I use Block editor.  I use Classic editor.

What a mess

Gutenberg tried to mess up the text on the Product page.  It froze.  It crashed.  It did everything but put the link where I wanted it to put the link.  It lost the link.  I found the link elsewhere on the page.

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But it floats

It has a floating menu with the link.  It floats everywhere except where I want it.  I tried different links.  Amazon provides a short and full size link.  All to no avail.

The missing link

I could not put in the link to the affiliate disclaimer page.  I could not link the Amazon product.

Frustration

In my frustration, I decided to try placing the image without the text.

Computer code here I come

This required me to enter the HTML code editor.  I am not great with computer code.  I am still working on it.  But I entered the HTML computer code editor.  In the past entering computer code was relatively easy.  You entered Visual or Text (for code).

Now for something completely different

Now Gutenberg has an “other” menu which you must look through to find how you enter code.  It has three dots.  I found the place for the HTML computer code and inserted it.

It’s all about the image

Now this provides an image of the gel overlay.  If you click on the image, it will take you to Amazon and you can purchase the gel overlay.  I still do not have the text links, but you can purchase the product.

Work on the text links

I will be working on the text links in the future and I hope that WordPress 5.0, and Gutenberg allow me to put in the text links.  For now, at least you can purchase the product by clicking the image.

It is not fully stable, but then how many of us are?

This is a limited success and Gutenberg needs more work.  It is not fully stable.  It is still a work in progress.  Wordpress has released it as part of WordPress 5.0, but working with it seems more like working with a beta product.

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Someday soon?

Someday they will fix it.  Hopefully, it will be sooner than later.  It often bothers me when websites don’t work the way they are supposed to work.

Don’t blame the webmaster

I often find myself blaming the webmaster, but this is not the webmaster’s fault.  This is poorly designed web software.  Better luck next time.  I will continue to cajole Gutenberg to work, but it may take time.

Questions

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave your questions and/or comments below.

Second time is not always a charm

This is my second post using the new WordPress 5.0.  I wish I could say everything went smoothly.  It did not.

Gutenberg is Mr. Freeze

Once when I tried to edit a post with the new word editor Gutenberg, the whole thing froze and crashed.  Another time it seems to have made my iPad keyboard lock so I could not enter numbers.

When in doubt, reboot

Rebooting solved the problems.  But I should not have to reboot to fix Gutenberg’s problems.  Anyway, with some cajoling, I was able to get it to work, but it took much more time than it should have.

What smell?

One day, I started to hear complaints about the smell of my gel overlay.  The gel overlay is about a 3 inch mattress like covering that goes over the actual mattress in a hospital bed.  It apparently smelled of urine.

Allergies

In truth, I have a number of of environmental allergies (grass, trees, dust, mold, ragweed, and sycamore) that led me to go to an allergist.  I have stopped going to the allergist.

Gilenya side effect

My Multiple Sclerosis medicine (Gilenya) has had the effect of reducing my allergies, and I now suffer only a few days a year with allergies. Anyway, my nose is often stuffed a little, and I don’t have a good sense of smell.  If others tell me that I smell of urine, I generally accept their assessment.

Time to accept defeat

After trying to open the cover of the old gel overlay, and clean out the odor, albeit unsuccessfully, we gave up on the old gel overlay, and decided to buy a new gel overlay.  We kept the cover of the old gel overlay, just to maintain a cover over the mattress in order to protect the mattress from becoming wet.

Diamonds may be forever, but gel overlays are not

The old gel overlay was a Kloss, which was paid for by Medicare.  These gel overlays only last about a year and a half, and I have no real complaints about the old gel overlay.  However, it was about time for a new one.

Housecalls on call

I called Housecalls, which is a service of my hospital, and they arrange for home visits from my doctor.  I have recommended them before, and I again recommend them or a similar service, from your local hospital.

Years to go

I was advised that it would be another 2 years before Medicare would approve payment for another gel overlay.  This means I would have to incur the cost of a new gel overlay out of pocket.

Inexpensive gel overlay

My aide and my wife, decided to get a Drive gel overlay.  This is the Drive Medical Premium Guard Gel Mattress Overlay, 3.5″x34″x76 by Drive Medical.  Check it out on my Products page.  It is one of the less expensive gel overlays, but it works well.  It is not waterproof, but most are not waterproof.

Water resistant

This new Drive gel overlay is water resistant.  This should be sufficient under most conditions.  It is not a perfect solution, but then perfection usually comes at a high price, if at all.

Break in time

I was surprised how quickly the new Drive gel overlay was broken in.  Usually, it takes months for the new gel overlay to be broken in, but this took a week or so to break in.  This means it became comfortable in about a week.

Expect some sag

All or most of these gel overlays sag in the middle.  This one also sags in the middle, but less so than most.  Considering the cost, this is surprising good.

Measurements count

Make sure the measurements are correct for your bed and mattress before you buy.  I have twin size bed.

Recommended Drive gel overlay

I am including the Drive gel overlay in my recommended products and it should appear shortly on my products page.  Please check out this Drive gel overlay for your hospital bed.

Comments

I hope this post has been of help.  If there are are any comments and/or questions please leave them below.

I should know better

OK, here I go again.  Doing what I should never do, but plunging in head first where brave people dare to tread.

WordPress Five

WordPress, the back end of websites built throughout the world, has been updated to WordPress 5.0.  There are warnings all over the web that the new editor known as Gutenberg is broken with the new Divi theme update, Elementor, and Brizzy.  Mr. Disabled, Fearless and Clueless has once again jumped into the shark tank.

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It is all about the new theme

Not knowing what I was doing, and being unable to stop myself from seeing the new WordPress default theme 2019, I updated to WordPress 5.0.  This is the first new post I have done with the new Block editor Gutenberg, and I am still using WordPress theme 2016.  I am crossing my fingers and hoping this works.  (Talk about a wing and a prayer.)

A long time coming

I have not received any Ocupational Therapy (OT) or Physical Therapy (PT) for two years.  This happened when I could no longer reliably stand.  I probably could have stood earlier in the day, but as my Multiple Sclerosis fatigue kicks in, I am less and less able to reliably stand later in the day.

Leave me in bed

It became much easier to just leave me in bed and do diaper changes.  Occasionally, I would come out of bed and sit in my lift chair for three hours.

New doctor

My new doctor (general practitioner) has put in for OT for me.  In the past, my old doctor would do the same, but nothing would come of it.  Please consult with your doctor before attempting OT.  Your condition may vary.

Rhode Island, here he comes

My old doctor has moved to Rhode Island, I do not live in Rhode Island, and a new doctor was assigned.  I am part of Housecalls, which means that the doctor comes to my house because I am bedridden.  I am a paraplegic.  Housecalls is a very good program and it is worth checking to see if a hospital near you offers a similar program.

I say yes to OT

Anyway, one day, to my surprise I get a phone call that some people are going to try to set up OT for me.  I say yes, and then I get another phone call that they were successful and then I get another call from An Ocupaional Therapist that she is coming to see me.

Again, I say yes to OT

Again, I say yes, and she shows up with a much younger man who she calls “a shadow”.  The shadow makes a list of all my medications, while she goes through my ID.  She needs ID like my drivers license.  She also needs my new Medicare card, and my Medicare supplement card.

Hand strength

She and the shadow check my arm and hand strength.  I have to squeeze their hands.  They determine that my upper body strength is good, which it is.  My lower body strength is lousy.  But OT usually deals with the upper body strength.

More PT, less OT

Realistically, I need PT more than I need OT.  PT deals with the whole body, and in my case, that means mostly lower body, which is my weakest part.

Medicare to the rescue, maybe

This is where Medicare issues come into play. Medicare will apparently pay as long as you progress.  However, with an illness like Multiple Sclerosis, the likelihood of progressing is minimal.   It is more of an issue of maintaining your current condition.

Some progress

You may progress somewhat, but then you reach a point where you plateau, and you are really trying to just maintain your situation.  Medicare apparently does not like this.  They want you to keep progressing and that is what they will pay for.

Jimmo

In the Jimmo case, Medicare came to a settlement where they would pay for such maintenance in cases involving illnesses like Multiple Sclerosis.  (On January 24, 2013, the U. S. District Court for the District of Vermont approved a settlement agreement in the case of Jimmo v. Sebelius, Case 5:11-cv-00017-cr, filed Jan. 18, 2011).

Easier said than done

It is apparently hard to get approval for such a maintenance program, which is why some switch from OT to PT and back again, otherwise Medicare will not pay.  This is where I would like to say that I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.  However, this would not be entirely true.  In fact, I am a lawyer.

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Your condition may differ

However, your condition may differ and I would suggest that you consult a lawyer for your particular condition and the stage of development of your condition.  Anyway, after I finish with OT, I plan on checking to see if I can get PT.

Caller ID

Two days later, I get a call from a different phone.  Yes, I have Caller ID.  Apparently, the OT is not going to come to my house for this visit.  Instead, the shadow is coming.

Shadow is coming

The shadow arrives and we talk about the electronic equipment that I have in bed with me, like my laptop and iPad.  Meanwhile, I am doing stretching exercises with a big rubber ribbon.   Then he gives me a weight which I do lifting exercises with one hand then the next.

I’m a righty

Both my hands are strong, but I am a righty, and my right hand is a little stronger than my left hand.  This means that I can keep going with my right hand, but I need to rest occasionally when I use my left hand.  We also talked about Amazon and Amazon Prime, which gives me free two day shipping, music, books, magazines, and videos.

The other OT

Shortly, thereafter, he left the house.  However, before he left, he mentioned that most of my remaining sessions would be with the OT and that she would be calling in the future.

Questions and Comments

I hope that helps you with your treatment or someone you know, and if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below.  Thank you.

What theme is behind door number one?

I have recently been looking into web design.  This post may be a bit technical, but I’ll try to keep it as simple as possible.  A theme has to do with the underlying mechanics of a website.

What foundation?

It is the foundation that a website is built upon.  Different themes have different capabilities and some allow for beautiful headers and some not so good headers.   Some look great on the web and some not so good.  I am currently using the theme called 2016.  It is a WordPress theme, and is good for blogging, which is most of what I do.

Cool websites

I look at other websites and I see all the cool things that they can do, and I wonder, why not my website?  They say how simple it is to change your website theme.  Gee, why can’t I do this?

Why I can’t change themes

I’ll tell you why I can’t do this.  It is because it is not so easy to change themes.  Sure, it is not such a problem when you have little or no content on your website.  However, as your website grows, it becomes much more difficult to transport things to your new website theme.

WordPress

WordPress seems to be the control panel behind the website and the theme is the frame upon which you built your website.  I am not a web designer by trade and mostly, I do not know what I am doing with a theme.

Ascent

When I was just starting out, I changed my theme from Ascent to 2016.  I did this mostly because I had no idea what I was doing on the web.  I had very little content on my website, and I foolishly and fearlessly changed the theme.

Why change?

Mostly, I changed the theme because I did not understand the Ascent theme, and I was clueless about it.  So I changed the theme to something I could understand.  The theme 2016 was a theme I understood.  It was an older blogger type theme and since I was going to write a blog, it made sense to me.

Shiny objects

Sure I might one day be taken by the shiny objects in the web, but here was a theme I understood and could work with.  Well the shiny objects of the web have gotten to me again and I started looking for a new website theme.

Fan club

I am a fan of Suzi Whitford who has startamomblog.  I think the world of her and she is super smart.  Look, when you’re disabled and you are looking to go viral on the web, there really isn’t much help out there for a handicapped blogger.  A special thank you to Kyle and Carson at Wealthy Affiliate, without whom I would never been able to do anything on the web.  Also, a big thank you to Allison Lindstrom with Blogging to Win, without whom I never would have been able to monetize the site.

Here comes Astra

Anyway, Suzi said that she was considering changing her recommended web theme to Astra, because a previous theme she was using was no longer supported. Doing this is easy if you’re starting your website with a new theme, but not so easy if you have a more established website with a ton of content.

Change themes

Anyway, I decided to change my theme to Astra. I downloaded Astra, activated it, and it was instant catastrophe!  I really need to know what I am doing.

What happened?

My header was gone.  Letters were all crushed together and my website was horrible.  I took one look at this and I decided it was time to go back to 2016.  At least, I understood 2016.

Back to the Future

I reinstalled 2016, and to my relief my website was back.

It’s all about the Metadata

But, was my metadata back?  Now, metadata is something I only vaguely comprehend.  It is apparently the underlying web infrastructure information of my website.

Rank on Google

I figured if I ranked on Google, my metadata was probably alright.  On Friday, I received an email from Wealthy Affiliate saying a prior post had ranked on Google.  If I ranked on Google, my metadata was probably alright.

Someday not so soon

I may someday change my theme, but not today, and probably not for awhile, because I’m going to need much more training.

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Faith in KardiaMobile

Most of the time I recommend a product because I own the the product and have been happy with it.  But sometimes I recommend a product because I have heard so much about the product from others that I have faith in the word of others.  Such is the case with KardiaMobile.  It is Alivecor® KardiaMobile EKG Monitor | Wireless EKG | Captures Heart Rate, Rhythm & Symptoms for Early Detection of AFib | For Smartphones & Tablets | FDA Cleared.  I had heard such good things that I just had to recommend it to my readers.  Before taking an EKG, please consult first with your physician.

Heart issues

Nowadays, many people have heart issues ranging from a variety of reasons ranging from smoking to genetics.  Not only handicapped people have heart problems.  People who lack much physical activity, such as handicapped people, have a higher risk of heart issues.  People who exercise regularly or substantially have a 30 to 40 percent lower risk of heart issues.

I buy KardiaMobile

Actually, I decided to buy KardiaMobile for my wife, but I have been using it too.  You can buy it too!  Please go to my Products page.  It is easy and convenient to use.  First, you download the KardiaMobile app.  I did this on my iPad 4.  I know it is old and should replace it.  In my house, old electronics just live on and on until they break, often because they fell out of the bed.  I, as mentioned in previous posts, am a paraplegic.  I am bedridden.

Sign-in and service

After a simple sign-in process, yes you will need to make up a password, KardiaMobile is ready.  You begin with the premium service for 30 days.  After that it is $9.99 a month or $99 a year for annual premium service.

What do you get with both Basic and Premium service?

Both Basic service, which is free, and Premium service include:  take recordings anywhere, anytime; instant EKG analysis; detect normal heart rhythm or AFib; email and print unlimited EKG readings; blood pressure tracking; and weight tracking.

What does Premium service add?

The Premium service adds:  unlimited cloud storage and history; medication tracking; customized monthly reports emailed to you home to share with your doctor (in US only); and SmartRhythm monitoring and notifications for Apple Watch®.

Basic or Premium, it’s your choice

You may continue to use KardiaMobile without purchasing the Premium service.  Personally, I am still trying it out and will make a decision on this later this month.

Guest feature

I set up KardiaMobile.  I took numerous EKG recordings of myself (only one of my wife), and all resulted in normal readings. It has a guest feature which allowed me to take my readings, even though I was setting it up for my wife.

Consult your doctor

It can help your doctor adjust medications and plan future treatment.  Discuss this with your doctor.

The case for the case

I bought KardiaMobile during a Black Friday sale and I received a free case which ordinarily would have cost about $30, free.  It is a cool case and closes magnetically.

Conclusion

I strongly recommend this product to my readers who are concerned about a heart issues.  It can help you and your doctor plan a healthier future.