Bob,   
      
   BA>Not much going on here.   
      
   BA>I guess I'm a survivor.  Prostate cancer in 1995 and I'm still vertical and   
   BA>bothering people.   
      
   BA>Unfortunately I've lost  about 80% of normal kidney function as of last   
   BA>month and am losing it at the rate of about 2% per month.  Absent a minor   
   BA>miracle I won't be a survivor by the end of this year   
      
     First, sorry to hear that.   
      
     Second, activity ebbs and flows in here. At times, I have posted health   
   updates on me personally...mainly as support for others who may be going   
   through a similar condition. I have over 50 medical conditions as it is, and   
   it seems that they diagnose at least 5 to 10 new ones each year. So, when my 5   
   year disability review comes up again, when they ask if my health has   
   improved, I can give an emphatic "NO!!". But, I tell people that "you do NOT   
   want to trade places with me". The arthritis is throughout my body; and some   
   days, it's a major effort to get up or sit down (whether from the toilet seat,   
   the shower chair, or the car seat), let alone walking. I use a cane daily, but   
   have a walker on stand-by.   
      
     Third, living in H.U.D. subsidized housing for the disabled (I was certified   
   as fully disabled in 2004), the more medical expenses I have per year, helps   
   me when I do the yearly rent recertification (I'm still waiting on the data on   
   that for my rent for 2016). Normally, the rent is 30% of ones income, and I   
   don't even get $1100 a month in disability (I know some who don't even get   
   $800 a month...and you can't live on that). But, if one has a lot of expenses   
   (hospitalizations, doctor visits, surgeries, outpatient procedures, etc.), it   
   helps to lower that rent. With full market value approaching $700 a month,   
   paying only around $250 a month is a lot more palatable.   
      
   Daryl   
      
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