In Part I, I described the severe nose bleed I experienced in Florida, which required two visits to the ER and two visits to an ENT (ear, nose and throat physician). During the last visit to the ER, the doctor inserted two “rapid rhinos,” one in each nostril, to prevent further bleeding. Not fun. We decided to drive over 1,500 miles home to Brunswick in two and a half days, so the rhinos could be removed by my Brunswick ENT.

Florida’s roads are jammed in March, day and night, especially around Orlando, so it took some time to exit the state. We drove 637 miles on the first day (to Fayetteville, NC); 568 miles on the second day (to Tarrytown, New York); and then 319 miles back to Brunswick. Tina, ever the trooper, took the wheel for an hour each day.

Two fine “talking books” helped pass the time: “Between Two Kingdoms” by Suleika Jaouad (about a young woman who successfully battled cancer and then drove across the country to meet people who’d responded to her New York Times column about living with cancer) and “My Brother Moochie” by Isaac Bailey (about the implications for a family if one of their members is in prison for murder).

The drive was tolerable except for the nagging discomfort of having a big tube stuck up each nostril, the clogged traffic going around Washington, DC (natch) and the disastrous decision to cross the George Washington Bridge. I listened to the GPS, rather than common sense, when I took the GW Bridge rather than the Tappan Zee Bridge. It took over an hour to cross the Bridge during which time Tina sang the George Washington Bridge song several times. I, not in the mood for singing, spent an hour worrying about would happen if I had a stroke due to not taking Eliquis because of the nose bleed situation.

Happily, we returned to Brunswick in time to make the 3 p.m. Friday appointment with Dr. Shane Griffith, an ENT at Midcoast Hospital. What a relief! Dr. Griffith knows all about noses, and he knew exactly what to do and say to let me know that my long nosebleed ordeal was about to end.

He reported that things looked good, although he did put in some cotton in each nostril which would eventually self-absorb and come out. He scheduled a follow-up visit for a few days later. (On a side note, Dr. Griffith couldn’t believe I’d driven over 1,500 miles with rhinos in each nostril; he said, some people stay in the hospital if they have two rhinos inserted. Maybe those people used better judgment.)

Here are some learnings form my nosebleed ordeal:

1. Tina is an incredibly supportive and always patient partner.
2. My sons and stepsons really do care about my health and welfare, and that feels good.
3. We should fly, rather than drive, to Florida next year.
4. You must be nimble in life, especially as you get older. You never know what to expect. Life happens. And so do nosebleeds.
5. Savor every hour of every day.
6. Prepare a what-to-do list for your spouse (and children) in the event you die suddenly. (I had prepared one for Tina, but not yet shared it with my sons and stepsons. I have now shared it.)
7. There’s no place like home, especially if home is Maine.

Thank you for indulging my writing these last two columns. Next week I’ll go back to offering more upbeat fare.

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns. dtreadw575@aol.com

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