For those of you who aren’t aware of the poor tax, it goes something like this. If you’re poor and you need some product, you tend to buy a lower quality version of the product. I typically use shoes as an example. A poor person who needs shoes might buy a new pair that will only last 6 months. A rich person will buy a much higher quality shoe that could last 5 years. The poor person will spend more for shoes over the course of that 5 years than the rich person did with one purchase. Obviously, this concept applies to more than just shoes.

Just this week I realized that I’ve been paying the poor tax for computer printers. Now, I don’t really NEED a printer in the RV anymore, but it certainly comes in handy at times, and because of my IT work history I just feel kind of naked without a printer. I’ve always purchased inkjet printers since they’re so cheap to buy. The problem with them is the cost of replacement ink cartridges. And that’s compounded by the fact that mine see so little use. The cartridges typically either dry up or leak between uses. Just a few days ago, Mary wanted me to print a shipping label for her so she could return something.

I haul the printer out of the cabinet and open the box (that keeps it safe while traveling). I look at the zip lock bag holding the ink cartridges and sure enough, the color cartridge had leaked. I try printing with just the black cartridge and get nothing. So here I sit with a $50 printer/scanner/copier, probably looking at my 3rd set of cartridges, at about $45 a set, and finally said ‘Enough’.

I started researching ways to prolong the life of the ink cartridges and everything boiled down to ‘print at least weekly’ and didn’t mention anything about driving down bumpy roads at highway speeds LOL. Decision time. I found a low cost monochrome laser printer with good reviews for $110. Per their specs, the starter toner cartridge should print about 700 pages. I could be dead before I print that much. And if I need color, I’ll just go to the nearest office supply store or printing place. For the scanning/copying, which I’ll probably need more of, I found a portable single sheet scanner for under $100. Hopefully, I won’t have to revisit this subject anytime in the near future.

Reliable, quality health care and RVing don’t often go hand in hand. Health care can be tough even if you’re in a ‘normal’ life situation: living in one place and getting health care from your employer. Factor in the different ways people RV and it gets much trickier.

Let’s start with the (relatively) easy ones. There are fulltime RVers on Medicare, or working remotely with company health insurance, who keep their primary care providers. They either don’t wander far or plan their travels to swing through their home base for scheduled and routine appointments. Sure, they have to worry about something happening away from home but other than that they have one doctor who is a known quantity and they are a known quantity with the doctor. Now let’s visit the other end of the spectrum.

It seems like the fulltime RVing life has become more popular to younger people in recent years. I see them all the time in the workamping groups. Many are families with young children. They think life will pass them by if they don’t do it now. Or they have terrible jobs. Or high house payments. Or they’re just getting out of a terrible relationship. Take your pick for the reason, but they’re out there. Usually with no health care or, at best, catastrophic coverage. This would terrify me, especially with children. They’re basically rolling the dice, hoping that everyone stays healthy, hoping that there are no undetected conditions lurking inside. Their medical plan is basically whatever emergency room happens to be closest when illness or injury strikes. This is also the group most likely to declare medical bankruptcy or start a Go Fund Me page to pay for a necessary procedure or medications.

Now let’s talk about my group, the ones in the middle. We have decent health insurance with national coverage but no home base and no primary care provider. It used to be pretty easy visiting a new doctor. Prior surgeries? One or two. Medications? One. As I age, the list of both gets longer and I realize that the doctor is at a definite disadvantage not knowing my medical history. But sometimes that doesn’t really matter. Finding a good doctor can be tough. Imagine landing in a city with 500 doctors and you don’t know a single one. You can ask your neighbors and they’ll recommend someone, say they’re the greatest, without any knowledge of the other doctors. You can check Google reviews but the same applies there. It’s mostly folks who only have experience with the one doctor they’re rating. All this is leading up to my latest medical rant.

Mary needed reconstructive foot surgery. We checked with neighbors for recommendations. She checked Google reviews for specialists who accepted her insurance. She went in and had the surgery. I guess time will tell how successful it was but during that process I developed a foot problem and made an appointment with the same doctor. My problem was not easily diagnosable, even with X-rays. On the first visit he was very confident that all I needed was an insert. On the next visit, when he was going to provide the insert, we talked a little more and he revised his diagnosis. He thought the problem was caused by nerves from 2 very specific spinal discs and suggested I consult my regular doctor. Well, since he was very specific about spinal discs I made an appointment with a chiropractor. They weren’t very confident in his diagnosis but still thought they could help. After 2 appointments, I decided they couldn’t help and were just wasting my time and money (since they weren’t covered by insurance). So, more research and an appointment with a different podiatrist. He took his own X-rays and listened to my description of the problem, along with a physical exam. He actually said some things that made sense to me. My problem started shortly after I left Amazon last summer. While I was working at Amazon I was wearing composite toe shoes and from previous experience wearing them in a warehouse environment, I got a wider width than usual. After leaving there, I went back to wearing my regular width running shoes. He measured my feet and I found out the problem foot was slightly wider than the other foot. Three different doctors – four different opinions. We’ll see if the problem clears up with wider shoes.

So, why the title about Dr. Google? I know the medical community generally frowns on the use of Google to research your own medical issues. But sometimes you get a much better consensus from Google than actually visiting doctors, in much less time and no cost. As a functioning adult I can order labs just about anywhere in the country from Quest Diagnostics. As a travelling RVer, I can get many medications without a prescription and at low cost across the border in MX. Sure, I have to do a little more homework and get follow up labs at some point but that’s usually easier than trying to get a doctor appointment if you’re not already an established patient. Of course, none of this applies to emergency conditions or serious injuries. I really don’t feel like setting and splinting a broken bone on my own. But for everything else, Dr. Google is my first stop.

Back in May of 2007 I became acquainted with a stray cat at a campground in the middle of nowhere South Dakota. That cat came to be known as Dakota and crisscrossed the country several times with me. During her kitten phase, she would bite my toes while I was sleeping. She stopped that after only 2 or 3 flying lessons. During her adult phase, she would fearlessly walk up to strange dogs to introduce herself. She never once caught a squirrel but she never stopped trying. In the first 5th wheel, she would jump on the sink in the bedroom, in the middle of the night, and whine until I turned the cold tap on for her to drink out of. She outlasted 2 wives and a few serious relationships. When it was allowed, she was an outdoor cat, doing what outdoor cats love to do. When I discovered that she’d lost quite a few teeth, she became an indoor cat. Eventually, she even became a lap cat although I didn’t think that would ever happen. She crossed over the rainbow bridge peacefully the afternoon of 7/6/23. I may get another rescue cat in the future but I’m not sure I’ll ever have a better cat.

And last but not least, Dakota the watch cat.