Back in the Windy City you could get a submarine sandwich anywhere. Hogies were also available but they were nothing like the subs. A hogie was a single thin strip of meat on a long bun while the subs are cold cuts of several varieties. I've not seen many but there are Subway sandwich shops here in Missouri. The SUB part of Subway refers to submarine sandwich. LOL It's all pretty interesting to me.
History never interested me and the Civil War was mostly a vague story while I went to school. I didn't realize until I got here that Missouri was both north and south sympathetic. I see a lot of Trump supporters around suggesting more of a conservative southern inclination, but there is a silent majority who don't boast about being partial to any particular philosophy. All things considered it does indeed seem like a mix of both liberal and conservative thinking. I'm kind of liking it to be honest.
Well, let me tell you about my experience with Coke. As an adult I totally abandoned all the colas, but I did like RC the best. It was locally bottled up north and not as sweet or addictive as the others. It also didn't affect my nervous system as did both Coke and Pepsi. Eventually I just stopped drinking all soda because it didn't seem right to ingest carbonated sugar water spiked with caffeine. LOL I switched over to canned juices. There weren't that many that I liked but I considered all of them better than soda. At one point I took a liking to the Hi-C brand, which turns out to be a Coca Cola company brand. I would drink it straight poured into a glass full of ice cubes. That would dilute it just enough. But, apparently not enough. I was diagnosed with diabetes and sent to a nutritionist to discuss diet. It was an interesting session and I learned a lot about healthy eating. Most of all I learned that the carbohydrates in the Hi-C were killing me. So, I cut that out altogether and switched to the "pure" juices and diluted even those. Turns out orange juice isn't as healthy for you as you would think. Anyway, after a few years of sticking to the diet, I no longer had diabetes. So said my doctor. I doubt that I had it in the first place. It just doesn't go away, you know? However, I am certain that the crap canned by Coca Cola under the brand of Hi-C juiices is responsible for the diabetic symptoms I was suffering. I know about the research you did, but I'm very suspicious about Diet Coke.
Avatar Issues
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Re: Avatar Issues
I don't know if it is still true, but for many years after I turned 21 until around the time I was in my 40s. Missouri had more Independent voters than any other state, or so they claimed at the time.
I used to drink a lot of fruit juices, but still drank my soda too.
Now I'm not allowed any of them anymore, except for tomato juice which I have quite often.
Soda never had an affect on me. I've drunk over 15 cartons per month for most of my life.
Had to cut out the sugared after becoming a diabetic overnight due to a pill the doc prescribed for me.
I never put on weight, and weighed only 145 for most of my life. I was a skinny runt, hi hi.
My doc wanted me up around 150 and made me take things like Weight On with my meals.
It never did a darn thing, hi hi.
The only time I gained weight was after I retired, and by then I was only drinking diet soda.
However, I spend from 8am until 10pm at the computer, with only a short break for lunch, and a 1-1/2 to 2 hour break at dinner. I do exercise three days a week, heart doctors orders, even so, I weight around 155 to 159, and the doc want's me to be a little heavier than that. But he's happy with me over 155 so I try to keep it up there.
I'm able to keep my fasting BG in the 110 to 115 range, and 2 hours after dinner I'm usually around 125 to 135, with an occasional high reading of slightly over 200. That usually only happens if I have a baked potato though or something that has a lot of bread or sugars in it. I do take two Metformin per day, but I'm not on insulin.
I used to drink a lot of fruit juices, but still drank my soda too.
Now I'm not allowed any of them anymore, except for tomato juice which I have quite often.
Soda never had an affect on me. I've drunk over 15 cartons per month for most of my life.
Had to cut out the sugared after becoming a diabetic overnight due to a pill the doc prescribed for me.
I never put on weight, and weighed only 145 for most of my life. I was a skinny runt, hi hi.
My doc wanted me up around 150 and made me take things like Weight On with my meals.
It never did a darn thing, hi hi.
The only time I gained weight was after I retired, and by then I was only drinking diet soda.
However, I spend from 8am until 10pm at the computer, with only a short break for lunch, and a 1-1/2 to 2 hour break at dinner. I do exercise three days a week, heart doctors orders, even so, I weight around 155 to 159, and the doc want's me to be a little heavier than that. But he's happy with me over 155 so I try to keep it up there.
I'm able to keep my fasting BG in the 110 to 115 range, and 2 hours after dinner I'm usually around 125 to 135, with an occasional high reading of slightly over 200. That usually only happens if I have a baked potato though or something that has a lot of bread or sugars in it. I do take two Metformin per day, but I'm not on insulin.
Re: Avatar Issues
There are a few things that will contribute to your resting weight. The major factor seems to be your metabolism. As it happens the amount of exercise you get and the kind of food you eat also affect your metabolism, and thus your weight. I have known people who exercise religiously and eat healthy but still have weight problems. That means their natural metabolism is not what the norm is. It seems as if exercise has some bearing on what your mass weight happens to be. It's common for folks to put on a few pounds when they get married and when they retire. Lifestyles change at those critical junctures. The tried and true method of calorie counting will work almost every time. Take in less than you expend and you will lose weight. Take in more and those excess calories invariably turn into blubber that is very hard to get rid of.
You are doing quite well if you can keep your blood sugar below 120. One of the things I learned from the nutritionist was that carbohydrates turn into sugar, which is why you need to be careful how many you consume. It's the sugar that stresses the human insulin mechanism. Potatoes and bread have a lot of starch - avoid potato bread at all costs, LOL. The starch apparently is turned into sugar first in the digestive process and unless you do some heavy exercise to burn some calories that sugar stays with you. The average meal should have no more than 75g of carbs total, which means 1/2 of one baked potato (about 20g of carbs) would work perfectly. That leaves room for other veggies and two small cookies for dessert. LOL
You are doing quite well if you can keep your blood sugar below 120. One of the things I learned from the nutritionist was that carbohydrates turn into sugar, which is why you need to be careful how many you consume. It's the sugar that stresses the human insulin mechanism. Potatoes and bread have a lot of starch - avoid potato bread at all costs, LOL. The starch apparently is turned into sugar first in the digestive process and unless you do some heavy exercise to burn some calories that sugar stays with you. The average meal should have no more than 75g of carbs total, which means 1/2 of one baked potato (about 20g of carbs) would work perfectly. That leaves room for other veggies and two small cookies for dessert. LOL
Re: Avatar Issues
I've always been told, I don't eat enough to keep a bird alive.
But then I'm not a big meal eater, never have been.
I prefer to nibble on stuff several times a day. And my doctors have all said that is the best way to eat.
But divided up to five or six times a day. Not being a continual grazer, which is what I was doing.
Since I basically eat the same things every day, or the same groups of things, I was able to keep a fairly accurate chart.
I did this probably for about 2 years, and the doc would look it over, and also a nutritionist looked it over.
The doctor said it looks great, and the nutritionist tore me to shreds. Where's the Protein?
I told her I don't get enough to bother writing it down, nor was I told to.
My first form I turned in only listed Cholesterol and Carbohydrates, plus my BG reading.
Then I added Calories, not by request, and Sodium (requested by my heart doctor) to my form.
Then when I redid my forms, I had enough room to add Fat as well.
After the nutritionist got on my case, I added a column for Protein.
I have daily use forms which get copied to a form which totals for the day, on two final forms.
I actually have two final forms that are totaled together.
One form is for absolute measurements I can get from nutrition labels.
The second is for things you have to guess at, like peas, corn, potatoes, greens and green beans, etc.
I quite writing down WHAT the item I ate was, because it makes the nutritionists eyes flare up and pop out of her eyeball sockets, hi hi.
It's her fault though. She said Pringles does not have enough protein compared to the garbage in it. So I eat a Twinkie now and then which has 2 proteins, hi hi.
Don't get me wrong here, I rarely get to touch something sweet.
I'm only allowed one sweet tooth item per day. But if I buy a half-sized item, then I sneak in two per day. hi hi.
But then I'm not a big meal eater, never have been.
I prefer to nibble on stuff several times a day. And my doctors have all said that is the best way to eat.
But divided up to five or six times a day. Not being a continual grazer, which is what I was doing.
Since I basically eat the same things every day, or the same groups of things, I was able to keep a fairly accurate chart.
I did this probably for about 2 years, and the doc would look it over, and also a nutritionist looked it over.
The doctor said it looks great, and the nutritionist tore me to shreds. Where's the Protein?
I told her I don't get enough to bother writing it down, nor was I told to.
My first form I turned in only listed Cholesterol and Carbohydrates, plus my BG reading.
Then I added Calories, not by request, and Sodium (requested by my heart doctor) to my form.
Then when I redid my forms, I had enough room to add Fat as well.
After the nutritionist got on my case, I added a column for Protein.
I have daily use forms which get copied to a form which totals for the day, on two final forms.
I actually have two final forms that are totaled together.
One form is for absolute measurements I can get from nutrition labels.
The second is for things you have to guess at, like peas, corn, potatoes, greens and green beans, etc.
I quite writing down WHAT the item I ate was, because it makes the nutritionists eyes flare up and pop out of her eyeball sockets, hi hi.
It's her fault though. She said Pringles does not have enough protein compared to the garbage in it. So I eat a Twinkie now and then which has 2 proteins, hi hi.
Don't get me wrong here, I rarely get to touch something sweet.
I'm only allowed one sweet tooth item per day. But if I buy a half-sized item, then I sneak in two per day. hi hi.
Re: Avatar Issues
From what I have been told and read about, you are indeed doing the right thing, most of the time. 
Five feedings a day is the recommendation; 3 at 75g of carbs and 2 at 25g of carbs. The feeding sessions should be spread out equally. The reason for this timing is to keep the insulin level in the zone. There is a great diet called the Zone DIet which explains the theory of it beautifully. Fats, proteins, and carbohydrates are all needed to keep you in the zone. You can eat any food you like as long as you adhere to the quantity limitations and the timing. I personally learned from such a diet that calories take care of themselves if you keep strict watch on the carbs. There are tricks to keeping things in line. Fiber will counteract the effects of carb conversion to sugars, which is why watermelon is better to eat than oranges. Then again, when you are short on insulin, downing a glass of OJ is the quickest way to get back in balance. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you about any of this. I believe you have been living it for years. My only point here is that you do indeed need fat, protein, and carbs to keep the metabolism in shape.
When I was consulting with the nutritionist I didn't keep a chart like you are doing. I did list everything I ate. If I went out to eat, not only did I list what I ingested but also the name of the Restaurant. All the menu items from the popular places have nutrition tables published. Along side the menu list I included the BG count and could readily see what foods boosted the numbers and which foods kept them high the longest - Hint: stay away from bagels. LOL
Five feedings a day is the recommendation; 3 at 75g of carbs and 2 at 25g of carbs. The feeding sessions should be spread out equally. The reason for this timing is to keep the insulin level in the zone. There is a great diet called the Zone DIet which explains the theory of it beautifully. Fats, proteins, and carbohydrates are all needed to keep you in the zone. You can eat any food you like as long as you adhere to the quantity limitations and the timing. I personally learned from such a diet that calories take care of themselves if you keep strict watch on the carbs. There are tricks to keeping things in line. Fiber will counteract the effects of carb conversion to sugars, which is why watermelon is better to eat than oranges. Then again, when you are short on insulin, downing a glass of OJ is the quickest way to get back in balance. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you about any of this. I believe you have been living it for years. My only point here is that you do indeed need fat, protein, and carbs to keep the metabolism in shape.
When I was consulting with the nutritionist I didn't keep a chart like you are doing. I did list everything I ate. If I went out to eat, not only did I list what I ingested but also the name of the Restaurant. All the menu items from the popular places have nutrition tables published. Along side the menu list I included the BG count and could readily see what foods boosted the numbers and which foods kept them high the longest - Hint: stay away from bagels. LOL
Re: Avatar Issues
My problem with going with the information on the products, or when eating out, is it is almost impossible to get even a close to accurate figure.
Fortunately I do have a Gram Scale that reads in tenths of a gram, so can come really close to what I'm actually eating. Even if it does fluctuate a little bit each day on the same items combination.
Let me give you a quick example of what I eat every morning before taking my pills.
I start out with one slice of wheat bread, and one slice of low carb cheese.
I cannot use the nutritional amounts shown for the bread or cheese because I don't eat all of that.
Let me explain: I have dogs, and I feed the outside birds and my inside bird too.
I take the crust off the slice of bread. It usually comes off fairly uniform.
One thumbnail of bread crust goes to my inside bird, else he won't shut up.
The rest of the crust is broken up and goes to the outside birds when I fill their feeder.
Now for the cheese, I try to removed 1/4 of the cheese to divide between the dogs.
Sometimes it comes out to less than a fourth, other times it comes out to more than a fourth.
This is breakfast before pills, because they say take with food, hi hi.
A lunch sandwich consists of one slice of rye bread, done the same as the wheat bread.
I have a slice of bologna with the outer edge torn off for the pooches.
Sometimes with cheese, sometimes not. Same scenario here too, some goes to the dogs.
I normally have this with 8 oz of tomato juice.
In the office, after my morning sandwich, I will have either 4 to 6 Pringles, or two squares of a peanut butter wafer.
Around 10am, almost same as above, either 4 Pringles or one square of peanut butter wafer, but usually a cinnamon graham cracker instead of the above.
After lunch, in the office, I will have something like an oatmeal cookie without icing.
Then around 3pm I might have 3 peanut butter crackers, or some other equivalent snack.
At 5pm we have dinner, and it is usually a full dinner, meat, fish, or chicken, normally chicken, plus two veggies.
Then around 8pm I will eat the other single pb wafer, or treat myself to something sweet, like those mini candy bars that are square not rectangular. If it is rectangular then I only get half of one. And this depends on what my 7pm BG reading was. If over 150 then no candy, but if under 100 I get a cookie and the candy bar a little later, hi hi.
When I get down to the house around 9:30pm, I have a fresh fruit, whatever we happen to have on hand.
Sometimes I might have one at lunch. And sometimes for breakfast I have cereal, but not often.
And that's nearly everything I eat in a days time. It isn't much!
My six cans of soda per day keep my tummy full and happy, hi hi.
But I do have to watch how much sodium I have in a day, so some days, no Pringles, hi hi.
Fortunately I do have a Gram Scale that reads in tenths of a gram, so can come really close to what I'm actually eating. Even if it does fluctuate a little bit each day on the same items combination.
Let me give you a quick example of what I eat every morning before taking my pills.
I start out with one slice of wheat bread, and one slice of low carb cheese.
I cannot use the nutritional amounts shown for the bread or cheese because I don't eat all of that.
Let me explain: I have dogs, and I feed the outside birds and my inside bird too.
I take the crust off the slice of bread. It usually comes off fairly uniform.
One thumbnail of bread crust goes to my inside bird, else he won't shut up.
The rest of the crust is broken up and goes to the outside birds when I fill their feeder.
Now for the cheese, I try to removed 1/4 of the cheese to divide between the dogs.
Sometimes it comes out to less than a fourth, other times it comes out to more than a fourth.
This is breakfast before pills, because they say take with food, hi hi.
A lunch sandwich consists of one slice of rye bread, done the same as the wheat bread.
I have a slice of bologna with the outer edge torn off for the pooches.
Sometimes with cheese, sometimes not. Same scenario here too, some goes to the dogs.
I normally have this with 8 oz of tomato juice.
In the office, after my morning sandwich, I will have either 4 to 6 Pringles, or two squares of a peanut butter wafer.
Around 10am, almost same as above, either 4 Pringles or one square of peanut butter wafer, but usually a cinnamon graham cracker instead of the above.
After lunch, in the office, I will have something like an oatmeal cookie without icing.
Then around 3pm I might have 3 peanut butter crackers, or some other equivalent snack.
At 5pm we have dinner, and it is usually a full dinner, meat, fish, or chicken, normally chicken, plus two veggies.
Then around 8pm I will eat the other single pb wafer, or treat myself to something sweet, like those mini candy bars that are square not rectangular. If it is rectangular then I only get half of one. And this depends on what my 7pm BG reading was. If over 150 then no candy, but if under 100 I get a cookie and the candy bar a little later, hi hi.
When I get down to the house around 9:30pm, I have a fresh fruit, whatever we happen to have on hand.
Sometimes I might have one at lunch. And sometimes for breakfast I have cereal, but not often.
And that's nearly everything I eat in a days time. It isn't much!
My six cans of soda per day keep my tummy full and happy, hi hi.
But I do have to watch how much sodium I have in a day, so some days, no Pringles, hi hi.
Re: Avatar Issues
I get my carb counts off the Internet when I can't find them on the nutrition labels on the food I buy. I have a gram scale, but no digits after the decimal. What I end up with is a close approximation of the recommended intake. I'm happy with that because the 8g of carbs they say is in each cookie I eat is also an approximation. In other words there is a margin of error in most foods. Sugar or flour is given closer attention because those things can more easily be counted accurately.
I have two slices of toasted bread each morning that do not exceed 2oz in weight. After slicing and dicing about seven gajillion pieces of bread, I can estimate what 2oz looks like pretty closely without weighing it. I do put it on the scale nonetheless because every brand of bread has a different consistency. Some bread will weigh in @ 2oz for a single slice while others take up to three slices. The carbs are stated in terms of weight which is why I put the bread on a scale. I have meat of some sort in addition to the toast and a handful of fruit salad (mostly apples) that I personally make. You just can't tell how many carbs are in a given apple because they are all different, but there is a close approximation: 25g of carbs in 186g of apple. Like the bread I can eyeball pretty accurately what 25g looks like. Oh yes, then there is the coffee and the sip of fruit juice to down the pills I take. In aggregate it amounts to 75g of carbs, more or less. Getting close without being exact woks fine for me because I don't have an insulin problem. Doc says I have an intolerance, but it's the kind of thing that watching my diet will keep under control.
It got to the point where I can estimate what 25g of carbs looks like in a serving of pasta or vegetables in a restaurant. Who knows what all they put in their food, but I figure I am fairly close to the target each time I eat out. There are exceptions, such as last night. The kids from Florida are in town and we ate out at a pizzeria wherein I"m sure I had more than the allot amount of carbs. I also downed a dish of spumoni ice cream. Believe it or not, this pigging out is allowed and encouraged maybe once a month. You want to shock the metabolism once in a while so that it doesn't adapt to a particular eating routine and change the way it does things.
So, there you have it. Close enough is good enough in my case. There are times when I skip a meal or eat too much at a single sitting. Those days I try to keep in the 300g of carbs total for the entire day. Again, I can do that because a constant and stable insulin level isn't that critical for me.
I have two slices of toasted bread each morning that do not exceed 2oz in weight. After slicing and dicing about seven gajillion pieces of bread, I can estimate what 2oz looks like pretty closely without weighing it. I do put it on the scale nonetheless because every brand of bread has a different consistency. Some bread will weigh in @ 2oz for a single slice while others take up to three slices. The carbs are stated in terms of weight which is why I put the bread on a scale. I have meat of some sort in addition to the toast and a handful of fruit salad (mostly apples) that I personally make. You just can't tell how many carbs are in a given apple because they are all different, but there is a close approximation: 25g of carbs in 186g of apple. Like the bread I can eyeball pretty accurately what 25g looks like. Oh yes, then there is the coffee and the sip of fruit juice to down the pills I take. In aggregate it amounts to 75g of carbs, more or less. Getting close without being exact woks fine for me because I don't have an insulin problem. Doc says I have an intolerance, but it's the kind of thing that watching my diet will keep under control.
It got to the point where I can estimate what 25g of carbs looks like in a serving of pasta or vegetables in a restaurant. Who knows what all they put in their food, but I figure I am fairly close to the target each time I eat out. There are exceptions, such as last night. The kids from Florida are in town and we ate out at a pizzeria wherein I"m sure I had more than the allot amount of carbs. I also downed a dish of spumoni ice cream. Believe it or not, this pigging out is allowed and encouraged maybe once a month. You want to shock the metabolism once in a while so that it doesn't adapt to a particular eating routine and change the way it does things.
So, there you have it. Close enough is good enough in my case. There are times when I skip a meal or eat too much at a single sitting. Those days I try to keep in the 300g of carbs total for the entire day. Again, I can do that because a constant and stable insulin level isn't that critical for me.
Re: Avatar Issues
For my late wife, I had portion control containers of which I put everything into for her. They had a number on the top of how many of that item she could have of that food group. She was pretty good about sticking to it, but it was a royal pain getting them all loaded, and stored, usually in the fridge.
Like you, I've got my sandwiches marked out by the actual portion I eat. I took the trimmed sandwich readings over the course of about three weeks then average the columns of numbers, and that is the number I use on my report page.
I got tired of the long decimals I had to use and came up with a different system.
For example: 16 Pringles is 1 gram of protein. I only eat 4 at a time usually, which works out nicely to 1/4 gram.
So I use Q for 1/4, H for 1/2, and T for 1/3. I can add these up to get a whole number at the end of the day, hi hi.
If it were not for the nutritionist griping so much about Protein, I wouldn't bother with the reports, because my lab tests always come back with everything in the normal range, usually. When something is out of range, the doc tells me, if it is low he tells me what will bring it up, if it's high he tells me to cut out a little of something.
For the record here: My doctor QUIT the profession. And the group I'm with has not added a new doctor for me, so I see one of the other doctors if need be for now, or the AP, which is a higher up nurse practitioner. That don't bother me because she usually knows more than the doctors, hi hi. Heck, most nurses do!
Like you, I've got my sandwiches marked out by the actual portion I eat. I took the trimmed sandwich readings over the course of about three weeks then average the columns of numbers, and that is the number I use on my report page.
I got tired of the long decimals I had to use and came up with a different system.
For example: 16 Pringles is 1 gram of protein. I only eat 4 at a time usually, which works out nicely to 1/4 gram.
So I use Q for 1/4, H for 1/2, and T for 1/3. I can add these up to get a whole number at the end of the day, hi hi.
If it were not for the nutritionist griping so much about Protein, I wouldn't bother with the reports, because my lab tests always come back with everything in the normal range, usually. When something is out of range, the doc tells me, if it is low he tells me what will bring it up, if it's high he tells me to cut out a little of something.
For the record here: My doctor QUIT the profession. And the group I'm with has not added a new doctor for me, so I see one of the other doctors if need be for now, or the AP, which is a higher up nurse practitioner. That don't bother me because she usually knows more than the doctors, hi hi. Heck, most nurses do!
Re: Avatar Issues
The trouble with doctors is that even the guy who ranks last in medical school still gets to be called "Doctor." Then there is personality. Quite a few of them seem too arrogant to be doing what they are for a profession while others come across as incompetent even thought they may not be. So, in my case anyway, the hardest part about finding a doctor is to locate one with whom I can communicate well. But, some of the search for a good doctor is dictated by the insurance company. My only choices would be those in their network. Fortunately, me and the insurance companies have not had a problem agreeing lately. I'm guessing you are plagued with the same situation I am here in O'Fallon. All the high quality doctors who are in it to make the big bucks won't work in a small community. They are all in the high priced city areas where there are more patients than they can handle comfortably. Us folks in the outskirts get those doctors who can't compete with the city folks for one reason or another.
Re: Avatar Issues
Sounds like you might be on the Advantage Plan.
I guess they are OK for some folks, but they are also very dangerous plans to have, especially as you get older.
Debi's aunt had an advantage plan and she thought it was great. Up until her doctor dropped from the list and they now send her many miles further away to another doctor, the only one in the plan taking new patients. She hates him with a passion to.
Well, we convinced her to change during this period of time while you can change, and she did so nearly right away.
So starting January 1 she will be back with the doctor she likes, and a few things which were not covered before will be covered now too. Yeah it is costing her around 60 bucks a month more. But before she couldn't afford to pay to have some of the things done she needs done.
I've always lived within a few miles of a couple of major hospitals, even here.
But things work a whole lot differently here in the south as they do in the midwest.
I guess they are OK for some folks, but they are also very dangerous plans to have, especially as you get older.
Debi's aunt had an advantage plan and she thought it was great. Up until her doctor dropped from the list and they now send her many miles further away to another doctor, the only one in the plan taking new patients. She hates him with a passion to.
Well, we convinced her to change during this period of time while you can change, and she did so nearly right away.
So starting January 1 she will be back with the doctor she likes, and a few things which were not covered before will be covered now too. Yeah it is costing her around 60 bucks a month more. But before she couldn't afford to pay to have some of the things done she needs done.
I've always lived within a few miles of a couple of major hospitals, even here.
But things work a whole lot differently here in the south as they do in the midwest.
Re: Avatar Issues
I'm with a PPO, Preferred Provider Organization, and have been ever since it was invented. Advantage plans offer things not available from most PPOs, but as you say there are risks in that they are less liberal with the choice of doctors. I lived close to two major hospitals up north and there were other very good choices if I didn't mind traveling a bit. There happens to be a hospital here in O'Fallon, but they specialize in maternity patients. The next closest one is about ten miles west and the one my doctor is affiliated with is nearly 20 miles east. To make up for this there are several Immediate Care facilities which can handle all the routine maintenance I'll ever need. The hospital in town is BJC, which is a not for profit Jewish sponsored kind of place. I used their wound care clinic and was very impressed, but a Jewish hospital in a town called O'Fallon seems very unlikely. 
PPOs typically have a network of healthcare providers with whom they sign contracts. Same goes for the pharmacies. In a place like O'Fallon there aren't too many choices so that it wasn't difficult coming up with a doctor. It was a matter of dealing with those who travel from their home base to the Immediate Care Center here, or for me to travel the 20 miles to their office. The hospital to our west is not associated with Washington University, which was the main reason we didn't go that direction. Apparently Washington has an excellent reputation with cardiac patients. I hope that I never have to test out that theory, but I'm in the age bracket where it's a factor. Not all doctors will take new patients who are on Medicare. I didn't run into that particular problem, but my wife did when she was looking for a specialist. The choices of healthcare providers are adequate, but not so abundant as it was where I used to live.
PPOs typically have a network of healthcare providers with whom they sign contracts. Same goes for the pharmacies. In a place like O'Fallon there aren't too many choices so that it wasn't difficult coming up with a doctor. It was a matter of dealing with those who travel from their home base to the Immediate Care Center here, or for me to travel the 20 miles to their office. The hospital to our west is not associated with Washington University, which was the main reason we didn't go that direction. Apparently Washington has an excellent reputation with cardiac patients. I hope that I never have to test out that theory, but I'm in the age bracket where it's a factor. Not all doctors will take new patients who are on Medicare. I didn't run into that particular problem, but my wife did when she was looking for a specialist. The choices of healthcare providers are adequate, but not so abundant as it was where I used to live.
Re: Avatar Issues
I'm not familiar with all the different plan options out there anymore.
Back before I turned 65 I studied all of them very deeply.
And although I could have saved a few bucks by going the Advantage Plan route, it is a good thing I didn't.
Having two heart attacks, and then getting COPD and Emphysema, would have pretty much barred me from changing to a supplemental plan due to pre-existing conditions.
In hindsight, I still think I made the best choice by going with a supplemental plan and drug plan, in lieu of an Advantage Plan.
Back before I turned 65 I studied all of them very deeply.
And although I could have saved a few bucks by going the Advantage Plan route, it is a good thing I didn't.
Having two heart attacks, and then getting COPD and Emphysema, would have pretty much barred me from changing to a supplemental plan due to pre-existing conditions.
In hindsight, I still think I made the best choice by going with a supplemental plan and drug plan, in lieu of an Advantage Plan.
Re: Avatar Issues
I don't want to set off any TNT charges, but over the past few years I've read a lot of criticism of Barak Obama in these forums. He probably deserves some of it, but, to his credit, his administration fixed the insurance you and I now have so that pre-existing conditions are covered. I'm not sure how long that will stay in place, but I can guarantee that we will find out next year when the budget must be settled.
This is the time of year my mailbox is flooded with people trying to sell me healthcare insurance. I never send away for more information with absolutely no obligation to me, but some of the ad blurbs are pretty interesting. The big push is for advantage plans which essentially replaces Medicare. I'm guessing companies make a lot of money that way, but they are also offering things I've not seen from regular insurance, such as dental, eye care, and hearing aids. None of those are fully covered but even a token coverage is more than my PPO or Medicare offers.
This is the time of year my mailbox is flooded with people trying to sell me healthcare insurance. I never send away for more information with absolutely no obligation to me, but some of the ad blurbs are pretty interesting. The big push is for advantage plans which essentially replaces Medicare. I'm guessing companies make a lot of money that way, but they are also offering things I've not seen from regular insurance, such as dental, eye care, and hearing aids. None of those are fully covered but even a token coverage is more than my PPO or Medicare offers.
Re: Avatar Issues
Avantage Plans take the place of Supplemental Plans, Medicare stays the same, from what I understand.
They claim to cover more of the things fewer people use, but in the end, Advantage plans will end up costing you a whole lot more in the long run.
They claim to cover more of the things fewer people use, but in the end, Advantage plans will end up costing you a whole lot more in the long run.
Re: Avatar Issues
OK - I had to look it up to be sure. https://www.considermedicare.com/medica ... age-plans/
You are correct in that no matter which way you go you end up paying the Medicare premium right off the top. That buys you basic Medicare. The advantage plans typically cover more things than the basic, and supplemental coverage is actually an option. The downside is the network of healthcare providers is limited under the Advantage plans. Because of that limited staffing, the costs are less and your premiums are reduced. As the article points out, it may not be easy to find network healthcare providers in your area.
It looks to me as if those Advantage plans which include supplemental coverage might be a good deal. At that level it's just the normal comparison of premiums charged to see where you are getting the better deal.
You are correct in that no matter which way you go you end up paying the Medicare premium right off the top. That buys you basic Medicare. The advantage plans typically cover more things than the basic, and supplemental coverage is actually an option. The downside is the network of healthcare providers is limited under the Advantage plans. Because of that limited staffing, the costs are less and your premiums are reduced. As the article points out, it may not be easy to find network healthcare providers in your area.
It looks to me as if those Advantage plans which include supplemental coverage might be a good deal. At that level it's just the normal comparison of premiums charged to see where you are getting the better deal.
Re: Avatar Issues
I forget the exact URL, but you can go to something like Medicare.gov and find out how much each plan provider charges in your area. FWIW: All Supplemental Plans are the same, only the price is different, but their are different plans. I have plan N I think, second highest, and it covers the most.
But honestly, I've not found an Advantage Plan that is beneficial for anyone over 70 yet.
I used an insurance broker back when I turned 65 and he showed me a lot of stuff.
But also how I could look it all up myself after I understood their terminology, hi hi.
One thing he did for us not to long ago was compare our Supplemental Plan to one of the top ranked Advantage Plans that covers the most.
With my two heart attacks, had I been on an Advantage Plan, I would have owed well over 10 grand that was not covered.
Plus, I may not even be here had I not been treated by the specific surgeon I was treated by, and he's not on any Advantage Plan. The ER would have only done the basics and shipped me to Blount Hospital a whole county away for the surgery. Considering I was in that 7-1/2 minute window before death, I would never have made it. I'm lucky to be here!
All an ER has to do is get you stable, that's it! Whether you will stay stable is something else entirely.
OH, and although the Advantage Plans claim they cover many drugs our drug plans do not cover, I checked, the do not cover any of the ones I am on, especially the COPD inhalers.
Plus I think I mentioned, one of my drugs is covered by my supplemental plan, because it is considered a peripheral item to a medical device.
But honestly, I've not found an Advantage Plan that is beneficial for anyone over 70 yet.
I used an insurance broker back when I turned 65 and he showed me a lot of stuff.
But also how I could look it all up myself after I understood their terminology, hi hi.
One thing he did for us not to long ago was compare our Supplemental Plan to one of the top ranked Advantage Plans that covers the most.
With my two heart attacks, had I been on an Advantage Plan, I would have owed well over 10 grand that was not covered.
Plus, I may not even be here had I not been treated by the specific surgeon I was treated by, and he's not on any Advantage Plan. The ER would have only done the basics and shipped me to Blount Hospital a whole county away for the surgery. Considering I was in that 7-1/2 minute window before death, I would never have made it. I'm lucky to be here!
All an ER has to do is get you stable, that's it! Whether you will stay stable is something else entirely.
OH, and although the Advantage Plans claim they cover many drugs our drug plans do not cover, I checked, the do not cover any of the ones I am on, especially the COPD inhalers.
Plus I think I mentioned, one of my drugs is covered by my supplemental plan, because it is considered a peripheral item to a medical device.
Re: Avatar Issues
Motorola reimburses me for medical costs up to a certain dollar amount. I think it's just under 2-grand, but I don't recall at the moment. This reimbursement is contingent upon my buying insurance from the broker they recommend. Thus the first year out I had a long talk with the broker and came up with the best plan for our money at the time. It was pure torture because of the jargon and the complexity of the coverage. They legally had to spell it out for me (whether or not I wanted to hear it) and they recorded the whole session.
That initial policy changed a few times because I was not on Medicare when I had to retire. Then over the years some companies went out of business and I had to pick a new one. It was relatively easy because each time a switch was involved they made a choice for me to sign up for a comparable plan. If I agreed, fine. If not, I was to call them. Until this year nothing changed since wife turned 65. This year she decided she didn't like the drug plan, Part-D, and wanted to change it. It took more than an hour of listening and agreeing to things, but now we have a new drug plan. The thing is I can look up stuff on the web and pick something, but if I don't buy it from the broker I will not be reimbursed by Motorola. So, I am more or less being forced to listen to legal mumbo jumbo each time I change plans. Fortunately, I don't plan to change plans very often.
That initial policy changed a few times because I was not on Medicare when I had to retire. Then over the years some companies went out of business and I had to pick a new one. It was relatively easy because each time a switch was involved they made a choice for me to sign up for a comparable plan. If I agreed, fine. If not, I was to call them. Until this year nothing changed since wife turned 65. This year she decided she didn't like the drug plan, Part-D, and wanted to change it. It took more than an hour of listening and agreeing to things, but now we have a new drug plan. The thing is I can look up stuff on the web and pick something, but if I don't buy it from the broker I will not be reimbursed by Motorola. So, I am more or less being forced to listen to legal mumbo jumbo each time I change plans. Fortunately, I don't plan to change plans very often.
Re: Avatar Issues
I was young, but when I worked for Sverdup & Parcel, they had a similar sounding insurance policy. They paid half of the premium if I chose to take one of three policies they offered, also through a brokerage firm, which I think they owned also.
The only problem I had was when I changed jobs and went to work for MRTC. The insurance provided by MRTC was on a fiscal schedule they couldn't change. You had to get on the policy during the only month it was open to new employees.
That seemed OK to me at first. But there is a LAW that you cannot have double coverage. So I could not get on the plan until my S&P Insurance was expired. Well, that was sorta great in one way, even though I no longer worked for S&P, I was still covered for three more months, since they apparently paid quarterly.
I would be without any insurance for four months. I thought that dangerous so paid for an insurance policy during the lap time. This was by extending my insurance with S&P with me paying both parts for that four month interval, and the scobies charged me about 1/3 more than it should have been too, based on what I paid and what the company paid. So I knew it would be double at least, but not 1/3 more than that, which is what they charged me. But I figured I had better be safe than sorry.
Speaking of avatar issues. I had my upgraded website working perfectly on my computer, W3C said I had to remove a DIV which I know was not an extra one, but they said it was. With it removed there is one thing that doesn't flow right, but that's OK for now. But when I uploaded it to the Host, several things were not working, and all the images were shown as broken. I did manage to fix that problem.
Nevertheless, I must have checked over 20 websites looking at other people who had the same problem, and not one of the 20 hit on what the problem for most of us might have been, and those who clicked on SOLVED if that feature was available didn't say what they did to fix it.
Well DOH, I decided to check something on my Host files, Namely PERMISSIONS.
Now I've uploaded a lot of things with images to this Host and never once did I have to go in and change the permissions.
But for some reason the picture on one page took just fine, but the other nine it changed the permissions on. It was simple fix to highlight them all and set the permissions, but it took me hours to figure out what the problem was. I kept checking my code, and even trying many of the things mentioned.
OH, something else I think I will do when I rewrite the next website on my list.
I think I'm going to use the new Semantic HTML5 words instead of using so many DIV elements.
Apparently, in HTML5, even though I did it anyhow, you cannot NEST containers and have them work the same way as in HTML or XHTML.
Here is what I was used to doing. Now don't laugh, I had a reason, hi hi.
Right after HEAD, and the first thing in BODY, I would have DIV Class Container twice. Like this
<body>
<div class="container">
<div class="container">
The reason for this is because the second container would be 16px smaller all around than the first container.
Then using CSS I could PAD the left side of the second container so it remained 100px from the left edge of the first container. This is where I put the vertical image darker than the main page and have a fixed position float image at the top left of the page over it.
So when I got to the end of the page I added two closing DIVs to close both containers.
Always worked before and checked out OK with W3C until I went to HTML5, now it says I have too many DIVs at the end and have to remove one. So I assume it is ignoring the fact I have two containers at the beginning.
I'm not certain, but I think the word Container, is a key word, but I could be wrong.
I haven't tested it yet to see if I change the second one to another word like Wrapper, hi hi.
Studying this new Semantic way of doing things. It looks like you can have Header and Footer inside of EVERY Article or Section. Nevertheless, looking at a web page done in Semantic style sure looks a lot better than all those DIVs, much easier to read without added the notes behind them to remind you of what you did, hi hi.
One Last Thing
When I was looking at some HTML5 video's, one made by a professional website developer. He was using an amazing program to do his websites on. On the right it showed all the Elements and had the layout of the page displayed by Element borders without the text that is on the HTML page. It was like a big toolbox that included HTML5 and other things like Bootstrap and other CSS things. I guess this might be a paid for program for Windows. I zoomed into his page trying to figure out what he was using, but never figured out even what OS he was on. I guess he cropped the image to only show the program itself and it had no name in the bar I could see.
What do they call these programs anyhow, perhaps I could look at them that way.
The only problem I had was when I changed jobs and went to work for MRTC. The insurance provided by MRTC was on a fiscal schedule they couldn't change. You had to get on the policy during the only month it was open to new employees.
That seemed OK to me at first. But there is a LAW that you cannot have double coverage. So I could not get on the plan until my S&P Insurance was expired. Well, that was sorta great in one way, even though I no longer worked for S&P, I was still covered for three more months, since they apparently paid quarterly.
I would be without any insurance for four months. I thought that dangerous so paid for an insurance policy during the lap time. This was by extending my insurance with S&P with me paying both parts for that four month interval, and the scobies charged me about 1/3 more than it should have been too, based on what I paid and what the company paid. So I knew it would be double at least, but not 1/3 more than that, which is what they charged me. But I figured I had better be safe than sorry.
Speaking of avatar issues. I had my upgraded website working perfectly on my computer, W3C said I had to remove a DIV which I know was not an extra one, but they said it was. With it removed there is one thing that doesn't flow right, but that's OK for now. But when I uploaded it to the Host, several things were not working, and all the images were shown as broken. I did manage to fix that problem.
Nevertheless, I must have checked over 20 websites looking at other people who had the same problem, and not one of the 20 hit on what the problem for most of us might have been, and those who clicked on SOLVED if that feature was available didn't say what they did to fix it.
Well DOH, I decided to check something on my Host files, Namely PERMISSIONS.
Now I've uploaded a lot of things with images to this Host and never once did I have to go in and change the permissions.
But for some reason the picture on one page took just fine, but the other nine it changed the permissions on. It was simple fix to highlight them all and set the permissions, but it took me hours to figure out what the problem was. I kept checking my code, and even trying many of the things mentioned.
OH, something else I think I will do when I rewrite the next website on my list.
I think I'm going to use the new Semantic HTML5 words instead of using so many DIV elements.
Apparently, in HTML5, even though I did it anyhow, you cannot NEST containers and have them work the same way as in HTML or XHTML.
Here is what I was used to doing. Now don't laugh, I had a reason, hi hi.
Right after HEAD, and the first thing in BODY, I would have DIV Class Container twice. Like this
<body>
<div class="container">
<div class="container">
The reason for this is because the second container would be 16px smaller all around than the first container.
Then using CSS I could PAD the left side of the second container so it remained 100px from the left edge of the first container. This is where I put the vertical image darker than the main page and have a fixed position float image at the top left of the page over it.
So when I got to the end of the page I added two closing DIVs to close both containers.
Always worked before and checked out OK with W3C until I went to HTML5, now it says I have too many DIVs at the end and have to remove one. So I assume it is ignoring the fact I have two containers at the beginning.
I'm not certain, but I think the word Container, is a key word, but I could be wrong.
I haven't tested it yet to see if I change the second one to another word like Wrapper, hi hi.
Studying this new Semantic way of doing things. It looks like you can have Header and Footer inside of EVERY Article or Section. Nevertheless, looking at a web page done in Semantic style sure looks a lot better than all those DIVs, much easier to read without added the notes behind them to remind you of what you did, hi hi.
One Last Thing
When I was looking at some HTML5 video's, one made by a professional website developer. He was using an amazing program to do his websites on. On the right it showed all the Elements and had the layout of the page displayed by Element borders without the text that is on the HTML page. It was like a big toolbox that included HTML5 and other things like Bootstrap and other CSS things. I guess this might be a paid for program for Windows. I zoomed into his page trying to figure out what he was using, but never figured out even what OS he was on. I guess he cropped the image to only show the program itself and it had no name in the bar I could see.
What do they call these programs anyhow, perhaps I could look at them that way.
Re: Avatar Issues
To answer the easy question first, that program you saw on the video was an IDE, or Integrated development environment. That's a rather generic description of a single program that can do a lot of things a developer would want to do. IDE's come in various flavors for various purposes and I have no doubt they exist for web page design. There may be some free ones but my guess is their features would be limited. Most of what I've seen is on Windows, but I don't see why it can't be done on Linux.
Semantic HTML5 words is new to me. I have no idea what it is. Given the state of HTML and all the complexities that go into creating web pages, I'd not be surprised that somebody would try to come up with an easier way to do things. Servers still need to read HTM so that whatever you see in Semantic has to be translated to server language somewhere.
I think I understand what you are doing with "container" divisions. The nesting problem could be solved by giving the second division a different class name. Could be wrong, but don't think "container" is a reserved word. However, in CSS rules, if you repeat the same declaration twice before you close the first one, the first one is ignored. I'm pretty sure that's why W3C told you that you have one too many. It ignored the first declaration.
And, you are correct. It's illegal to have double coverage insurance which would mean that you could profit from filing a claim. However, you can have more than one insurance policy to cover that which the others do not. When wife and I were both working that is how we were insured. Motorola was primary insurer and her company paid the rest. Keep in mind that the insurance you get from an employer is group insurance. The rates per individual on a group policy are much lower than the rates of a stand alone policy. I was paying less than $50 for insurance with Motorola, but would have had to pay nearly $500 if I chose COBRA after I retired. Nahhh. LOL
Semantic HTML5 words is new to me. I have no idea what it is. Given the state of HTML and all the complexities that go into creating web pages, I'd not be surprised that somebody would try to come up with an easier way to do things. Servers still need to read HTM so that whatever you see in Semantic has to be translated to server language somewhere.
I think I understand what you are doing with "container" divisions. The nesting problem could be solved by giving the second division a different class name. Could be wrong, but don't think "container" is a reserved word. However, in CSS rules, if you repeat the same declaration twice before you close the first one, the first one is ignored. I'm pretty sure that's why W3C told you that you have one too many. It ignored the first declaration.
And, you are correct. It's illegal to have double coverage insurance which would mean that you could profit from filing a claim. However, you can have more than one insurance policy to cover that which the others do not. When wife and I were both working that is how we were insured. Motorola was primary insurer and her company paid the rest. Keep in mind that the insurance you get from an employer is group insurance. The rates per individual on a group policy are much lower than the rates of a stand alone policy. I was paying less than $50 for insurance with Motorola, but would have had to pay nearly $500 if I chose COBRA after I retired. Nahhh. LOL
Re: Avatar Issues
I was fortunate, I had sent a message to webmaster at that site to ask what program he was using.
He replied back to me, good thing I checked my e-mail last night.
So happens the guy works for Adobe and that is one of their internal programs, but they do sell one similar to the public.
It is called Adobe ColdFusion Builder, at a cost of $300.00 is is a much better deal than Visual Studio at $45.00 per month. It also works better to. Visual Basic only works on Windoze, but ColdFusion works on all major platforms, of which Linux and several Distro's are already made for easy install.
Although I rarely would use it, seems like it would make web building fast and simple.
From what I saw in the video it was mostly point and click or click and drag to set up elaborate web pages.
It took care of using the correct codes and parsing the documents to make sure they worked right.
Semantic HTML5 basically eliminates such heavy use of the word DIV.
In the BODY of a web page, you have HEADER, NAV, MAIN, ARTICLE, SECTION, FOOTER, ADDRESS, etc.
You can use HEADER within each ARTICLE and within each SECTION.
A finished pages is much more understandable than seeing a ton of DIV's.
However, the caveat, Bootstrap does not recognize them, hi hi.
Speaking of Bootstrap, they now have Bootstrap 4 and it IS NOT Backwards compatible with Bootstrap 3.
THANK YOU - I've studied until I'm blue in the face trying to find out of the word CONTAINER had a special purpose.
I never found it in any Element or Tag lists anywhere, other than it was used heavily on each page, once.
But when you read "Nesting Containers in HTML5 is Not Allowed" and here all along I thought it was just a Name of Convenience, like instead of using the word WRAPPER or AREA.
You just have to make sure the words you use are NOT keywords for HTML5 or in my case for Bootstrap too.
I had to learn that the hard way when I converted from XHTML to HTML5 using Bootstrap. I had many words they use as keywords. Also the W3C HTML5 checker does not always recognize Bootstraps words. W3C cannot check a Bootstrap CSS without a page full of errors for words it does not recognize.
I had Blue Cross and Blue Shield for most of my life. I added Blue Major when I left MRTC.
I was only paying like 300 bucks a month after I left MRTC and was on my own.
Adding Blue Major made it go up to around 360 per month, but it covered all of my kids and spouse too.
At the time, it was cheaper than most other insurers and covered the most.
Then right around 1981 they doubled to over 700 bucks a month, which I couldn't afford.
This was one of the reasons Ruth and I finally got married. She was covered by the new hospital she worked at.
I'm the one who made her leave her old job partway downtown and bounce across a couple of other companies before ending up working at the hospital. Close to home, double the pay, and quadruple the benefits.
We still had to pay our share of the insurance, but it was only like 200 bucks give or take a month.
After her insurance capped out, I had to get insurance for me and the kids, which was around 450 a month, at a time when I really couldn't afford any more expenses due to her medical costs.
He replied back to me, good thing I checked my e-mail last night.
So happens the guy works for Adobe and that is one of their internal programs, but they do sell one similar to the public.
It is called Adobe ColdFusion Builder, at a cost of $300.00 is is a much better deal than Visual Studio at $45.00 per month. It also works better to. Visual Basic only works on Windoze, but ColdFusion works on all major platforms, of which Linux and several Distro's are already made for easy install.
Although I rarely would use it, seems like it would make web building fast and simple.
From what I saw in the video it was mostly point and click or click and drag to set up elaborate web pages.
It took care of using the correct codes and parsing the documents to make sure they worked right.
Semantic HTML5 basically eliminates such heavy use of the word DIV.
In the BODY of a web page, you have HEADER, NAV, MAIN, ARTICLE, SECTION, FOOTER, ADDRESS, etc.
You can use HEADER within each ARTICLE and within each SECTION.
A finished pages is much more understandable than seeing a ton of DIV's.
However, the caveat, Bootstrap does not recognize them, hi hi.
Speaking of Bootstrap, they now have Bootstrap 4 and it IS NOT Backwards compatible with Bootstrap 3.
THANK YOU - I've studied until I'm blue in the face trying to find out of the word CONTAINER had a special purpose.
I never found it in any Element or Tag lists anywhere, other than it was used heavily on each page, once.
But when you read "Nesting Containers in HTML5 is Not Allowed" and here all along I thought it was just a Name of Convenience, like instead of using the word WRAPPER or AREA.
You just have to make sure the words you use are NOT keywords for HTML5 or in my case for Bootstrap too.
I had to learn that the hard way when I converted from XHTML to HTML5 using Bootstrap. I had many words they use as keywords. Also the W3C HTML5 checker does not always recognize Bootstraps words. W3C cannot check a Bootstrap CSS without a page full of errors for words it does not recognize.
I had Blue Cross and Blue Shield for most of my life. I added Blue Major when I left MRTC.
I was only paying like 300 bucks a month after I left MRTC and was on my own.
Adding Blue Major made it go up to around 360 per month, but it covered all of my kids and spouse too.
At the time, it was cheaper than most other insurers and covered the most.
Then right around 1981 they doubled to over 700 bucks a month, which I couldn't afford.
This was one of the reasons Ruth and I finally got married. She was covered by the new hospital she worked at.
I'm the one who made her leave her old job partway downtown and bounce across a couple of other companies before ending up working at the hospital. Close to home, double the pay, and quadruple the benefits.
We still had to pay our share of the insurance, but it was only like 200 bucks give or take a month.
After her insurance capped out, I had to get insurance for me and the kids, which was around 450 a month, at a time when I really couldn't afford any more expenses due to her medical costs.