Nightmare After Dialysis.

[Paul]

My dialysis session was not good today. If I get cramp in my foot or calf I have to put the chair up with legs bent to clear it. If I get cramp in my thigh I have to put the chair down with legs straight to clear it. And if I get woolly headed I have to put my head as low as the chair will allow. My damn body was rotating these symptoms today, So the chair was moving about like a very slow carnival ride for about three of the four hours.

As a result, when transport dropped me off at home my door keys had disappeared. The only other person with keys is the landlord, and his 'phone was switched off. No one I know lives close enough to me to give me a room, and all my money and cards were locked in my apartment so I could not hit a hotel. I am currently the only tennant in the building (landlord planning to redevelop if he ever gets planning permission). The only thing I could think of to do was sleep in the front garden (for "garden" read "weed patch") which is not a good idea in Croydon.

The ambulance guys were very helpful, they drove me back to the hospital and helped me search for the keys (and this was in their own time because their shift was supposed to end after dropping me off). The nurses were very helpful too, but we did not find the keys. One of the nurses suggested I 'phoned the police, I did so with no great hope (our police force is useless, if someone were to replace all our policemen with chocolate soldiers dressed in police uniform no one would notice). They simply advised me to Google for a locksmith, which would have been really bloody useful if I were stuck outside my house with a basic (non-Internet connected) 'phone. Fortunately one of the nurses used the hospital computer to find one.

Back home the locksmith charged me a week's money just to get me into the house, then about three times the going rate to supply a new Yale barrel. I still need to buy a new deadbolt, he wanted another week's money from me for that, and I'm sure I can buy and fit one myself for a fraction of the price.

So I'm not a happy bunny right now, and I've still got to deal with the landlord who will be furious because I paid someone to drill out the deadbolt.

The scariest thing was how quick the locksmith got in. I was not surprised he only took about a second to get through the Yale lock, they are useless. But it only took him a minute to break open the deadbolt, which is supposed to be a good security measure!

Gonna drink coffee now, and sulk!

[kristina]

Hello Paul,
I am very sorry about the very bad luck you experienced today when you lost your keys.
It was very sweet of the ambulance drivers to assist you so much in their own after-work-time and the nurse at the hospital was very sweet as well when she helped you to locate a locksmith via her computer... and then bad luck came along again when the locksmith charged you so much, knowing pretty well that you had no other choice but pay  ...
I do hope "things" get better for you very soon and I send you my best good-luck-wishes from Kristina.

[Simon Dog]

For every true professional locksmith who will charge a reasonable fee, there are probably at least three "take the customer for all he's got" types.   A simple Yale lock should have first been attacked by picking - either manually or by a lockaid style pick gun.    I've serviced a few lockouts, and the only time I used a drill was when I was locked out of my own house and the neighbor could loan me a drill but not a pick set.

[Paul]

A simple Yale lock should have first been attacked by picking - either manually or by a lockaid style pick gun.

He used a variation of the old credit card trick to open the Yale lock. It took him about one second, and if he had only needed to do that it would have only have cost me the equivalent of about a hundred dollars. (A hundred dollars for one second's work!!!!). Most of the cost went in opening the deadlock, because that took about a whole minute, so cost a lot more. Including a surcharge, of over a hundred dollars, for using a "special" drill, which turned out to be a standard electric drill with a three quarter inch disk attachment on the end.

If I was still working I'd think I'd retrain as a locksmith.

[Michael Murphy]

Years ago I had the same problem but 12 year old scotch was involved not dialysis.  I went out and purchased a key save for 30 dollars attached it to the outside of my apartment door and set the combination.  Several times that little she allowed me to sleep in a bed instead of my Jeep.

[Paul]

I went out and purchased a key save for 30 dollars attached it to the outside of my apartment door and set the combination.

I'll not be doing that. Had one once, someone smashed it open then used the key to burgle my home!

[GA_DAWG]

Sounds as if you found the old "screw someone in need" locksmith. In lots of cases, the window you bust out is cheaper than having the lock replaced.

[Michael Murphy]

No these lock boxes have the attachment screws in the box and are very difficult to remove.  I just sold a house with one attached and Contractor updating the hous gave up trying to remove the box and had me come over and open it.  I have had one on my Adirondack house for 20 years and never had any problems.

[Paul]

No these lock boxes have the attachment screws in the box and are very difficult to remove

I can tell you from experience that they are NOT difficult to remove, if you are a professional thief!

[GA_DAWG]

It goes back to the old saying that locks are for keeping honest people honest, nothing more.

[kristina]

It goes back to the old saying that locks are for keeping honest people honest, nothing more.

 

[Charlie B53]

Sitting my chair up straight from reclined the other day at treatment I heard something hit the floor.

No big deal, I thought, after treatment I looked and could see what it was.  I forgot already what it was, I carry a number of weird things in my pockets.

After treatment I bent over the chai trying to reach whatever it was and leaned over my head was behind the chair.  I couldn't quite reach whatever it was so I ended up rolling the chair out from the wall so I could get behind it.

While back there picking up the object I happened to look at the backside of the chair.

That's when I noticed my truck keys hanging on the lower chair frame.

I would have figured out very soon that they had also fallen out of my pocket as I had them when I parked my truck in the parking lot.

[Riki]

You fellas need to find a change purse or something to keep all the stuff from your pockets in while on dialysis.  I'm usually the last one to leave my unit, and the amount of times the nurses have found keys, or money, or phones in the chairs when pulling the sheets off is almost comical.  There was one fellow who used to always leave a few dollars in change (easy to do in Canada) in the chair when he left.  The nurses would say that he was just leaving a tip. *L*

[Paul]

You fellas need to find a change purse

Naaah, I'd just end up loosing the change purse.

[Riki]

I generally don't keep anything in my pockets in dialysis except kleenex.  Anything else I'd have with me is in my purse or my kitbag and they are either on the floor or on the counter next to me.  I don't think I've ever lost anything at dialysis

[Charlie B53]

Sorry (NOT)

I am a Guy.

I wil NOT carry any kind of 'Purse'.

Nor will I wear one of those derogatorily named bags on a belt, hung over a shoulder.

I sometimes carry a grocery plastic bag.  On rare occasion.


I DO have two different pair of Black Leather Saddle Bags that I occasionally carry around on my Harley.  And I have hung those over my shoulder going in/out of a house.

[iolaire]

.
I sometimes carry a grocery plastic bag.  On rare occasion.

I would bring a backpack to dialysis and put my keys and wallet into during the session. Now that I’m not on dialysis when I need to lug something to work it’s a smaller sized 10*8*4 maybe blue Whole Foods bag with love on the side.

[uttanutta]

LOL Charlie B53 so no man purse then,nice glitter one would go nice with a harley

[Simon Dog]

It goes back to the old saying that locks are for keeping honest people honest, nothing more.

Many prisoners would disagree.