Cleveland

Three for One, by Dennis Jones

Sunday, October 23 – Monday, November 1, 2025

I was up Friday morning (October 21) at 4:30 having Raisin Bran and a glass of milk. There was a damp chill in the air. It had rained a little overnight. I left Chatfield State Park (Denver) at 5:30 AM. I drove through heavy traffic for the first hour. Chatfield is towards the southern end of Denver, and I needed to go to I-76, north of Denver, a distance of about forty miles. After that, traffic thinned out. It would stay thin for hours as I exited Colorado into Nebraska. That border is about 185 miles northeast of Denver along I-76. Once one is away from the front range in Colorado, the land become very similar to that of western Nebraska or Kansas. Rolling plains with lot of grasslands and farms. I-76 ends when it meets I-80 in Nebraska. I would take I-80 most of the way to Cleveland.

I stopped a few times in Nebraska. I love driving through Nebraska. Like I do Kansas, too. The first cross country drive I did, in 1984 with Nana’s 76’ Malibu, opened my eyes to an amazing physical reality. The country is huge. Most of it is wide open space as far as the eye can see. I looked in every direction. It was just expansive and beautiful. Mile after mile of a sensation of discovery and newness. A corollary truth was that inside each of us there is this other huge, open space, one within us that can be totally expansive. Traveling that road is another sort of discovery drive.

I arrived in Iowa around 6:30 PM. It had become dark over an hour earlier. I had thoughts of driving to the next rest stop, another sixty miles, but they faded after I ate dinner. I opted to stay right there, at the Iowa Welcome Center in Underwood, Iowa. I had driven five hundred ninety-four miles.

Next day I drove to the Gene Straton Porter Travel Plaza on I-80 in Indiana (also the Indiana Turnpike at this point) eastbound near mile 126 on. I had driven five hundred and seventy-one miles. I had a good sleep. On the third day it was a “short” drive (207 miles) to Cleveland. I started mid-morning and arrived at my Airbnb around 3PM.

I had called Common Spirit Healthcare from Chatfield, asking them to send my records to Cleveland Clinic (CC). They said in order to do that I would have to come back to the Westminster Primary Care to sign a release. That would be an eighty mile round trip from Chatfield SP. I opted not to do that drive. I was able to download the results to my laptop from the Common Spirit Portal. I stopped at a Staples just outside of Cleveland so I could print the results and have a copy for the doctor at CC.

On Monday morning I walked the half mile to the Crile Building in Cleveland Clinic. It is a fourteen story out-patient building. I had an 8:00 AM appointment with Dr. Magdalena Harasimowicz, a rheumatologist. We spent about half an hour discussing my situation and symptoms. She manipulated my joints (hips, knees, ankles, shoulders, elbows) a number of ways to evaluate my strength and range of motion. She ordered some x-rays for hips and shoulders, some more bloodwork, and a stronger anti-inflammatory (NSAID) rather than ibuprofen.

Nothing definitive came out of this meeting. Possibilities of the source of my joint discomfort included physical aspects, such as a torn labrum in hips and/or shoulders; some autoimmune disorder, or something to do with MGUS or Smoldering Multiple Myeloma. I don’t think a torn labrum would result in such a system-wide presence of discomfort or pain. It could be an autoimmune issue, but it would be a seronegative case. Dr H seemed to think it unlikely.

I have had SMM since 2019. It has been stable. I have bloodwork done every four months. That is one of the reasons I come back to Danbury as I have since hitting the road about three years ago. I have had the suspicion, from the start of my symptoms, it could be involved. I asked my doctors in CT about it, based on my initial symptoms, and they said they did not think it was related to SMM. I sent them updates. I told the medical people in Denver about it, too. No one seemed to give it much weight. Dr H here in Cleveland ordered some bloodwork related to it. It seems she thinks of it as a possibility. I will see how the bloodwork comes back. And I will see her again next Tuesday, 12/2.

I am hoping my visit with her results in solid news, meaning some clear indication of why I have inflammation and discomfort in so many joints as well as a plan to fix or control it. I am hoping I can implement said plan at a location much farther south in  warmer weather. I am hesitant at this point to head all the way back to the west for a stay in Death Valley, as I need to be back in CT in early March.

The  entire process at CC was remarkably smooth and stress free. Dr. H ordered the prescription and set up the appointments for radiology and laboratory medicine on her computer. I had my appointment with her, the x-rays taken, the blood drawn, and my prescription ready by 9:50, less than two hours total.

Of course, Cleveland Clinic is a very different place. I had no idea how large a campus they have. There are huge buildings scattered along an area several blocks long and wide, covering 170 acres. There is substantial integration with Departments of Medicine, Nursing, and Dentistry at Case Western Reserve University, whose campus overlaps with Cleveland Clinic.

The Airbnb I had the first week was very comfortable, very clean, spacious, with a well equipped kitchen and a nice foam mattress bed. In addition to being close to Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve University is about a ten minute walk from the apartment. I plan on walking around the campus daily, weather permitting, and visiting their library. Other places equally close are the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland Public Library (MLK Branch), and Cleveland History Center. I could take a bus or Uber to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

I would certainly rather be where I planned to be at this time, in Death Valley for two months beginning November 12 as a National Park Service Volunteer, but it seems it is not to be.

The weather has been cold and damp, with periods of light snow and rain over the several days I have been here. The forecast suggests the coming week will be cold and windy, daytime highs in the 30s, nightly lows in the 20s. Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, we had about 2” of snow. From what I see, it did not merit any snow removal on the local streets, which went unplowed and untreated. This is true of the sidewalks from my Airbnb to the main road, which is about a third of a mile walk according to Google Maps.  Combining the weather with the lack of good cycling roads, I am disappointed in the prospects for bike riding. Though I am finding that my hips tighten up a great deal while walking distances, I did walks of 5-7 daily Wednesday through Friday. Friday’s walk became painful in my left hip, so I did not do a walk Saturday or Sunday, though the pain had disappeared.

The Icy Driveway. Airbnb host dropped off a shovel ...

On Wednesday afternoon, I spent an hour or so walking parts of the Case Western Reserve University campus. Adjacent to the campus, in Chinese Cultural Garden in Wade Park, there was a statue of Confucius. It was the first point of interest I found on the campus, which sprawls across many blocks. I also stopped at the library, but I did not stay long as it was about to close.

Confucius

On Thursday, while walking the Cleveland Clinic campus, I came upon a small garden on Carnegie Ave adjacent to the a CC Education Building.  There was an interesting S shaped structure there among some trees and bushes. There was a guy fertilizing the lawns. I asked him if he knew the name of the installation. He was not sure. I talked with him for about ten minutes. It turns out, he was on the crew that originally constructed this garden in 1997. He stayed on as caretaker and has been working here for 28 years, tending to this garden and one other near the clinic entrance. I found that to be amazing.  He treated the garden with great attention and reverence. It was very neat and well maintained. His name was Nicholas. Talking with him made me think of Chance the gardener (Peter Sellars) in the book Being There by Jerry Kozinski. It was also made into film Being There.

I later learned the sculpture is named Three for One, by Dennis Jones.

Some other interesting things seen on my walks …

• The Case Western Department of Nursing has a simulation lab with an ambulance and a  helicopter as part of the equipment.

• There is a wall that displays art created by caregivers at Cleveland Clinic. It is located in the Glickman Tower building near the Panera eatery. It has about a hundred pieces displayed on the wall, various paintings and photographs.

• There were hands depicted on several sidewalks throughout the area.

• Another wall in the Glickman Building had some quotes of original founders and/or CEOs of the clinic. It was founded in 1921 as a non-profit organization by four doctors who had served together in WWI.

I moved to a different Airbnb on Sunday, Nov 1. It was a nice enough place, but it was also a disaster. I had contacted the owner around 9:30 AM about early check-in, and he said that was fine, though he mentioned they had just turned the heat up at 9AM so it might be cold. Check-in was at 3:00. I arrived at 1:30. The temperature in the apartment was 59 degrees. That’s certainly on the chilly side, especially if the heat had been on for four and a half hours. But I figured it would warm up soon. I was wrong.

I contacted the host at 3:30, when the temp was still only 62, and he said not to worry it will get up to 68 easily. At 4:30 it was up to 63. I found this very unusual and asked him if the system was working right.  He said it was fine.

I told him this was not a good situation, that I was dressed in layers, two shirts, a sweater,  and a heavy sweatshirt. I was wearing a winter hat, my hands were cold, and unless it really warmed up I was not going to be able to stay here. I was supposed to stay a week. I asked him about a refund as I simply could not stay there a week under these circumstances. He said, “For Sure. If this isn't the right setup for you, full refund.”

At 4:30, I brought my electric heater in from the van. That helped warm the place. But it was not until 9PM it had finally reached 68 on the thermostat, though it still felt on the chilly side. I carry these little travel thermometers in my van. I brought one into the house and checked the temperature in the bedding area. It never went higher than 64. The dining table area never went higher than 66.

I did not want to try to find a new place to stay that night. I figured with my heater and blankets I could manage. I left in the morning. The host refunded my money except for one night.

I have stayed at five Airbnb places in the last eight months. The first two were great. The last three have had issues, and I am becoming hesitant about future use.

I am hanging out in Whole Foods in Cleveland Heights. I can go to my next Airbnb at around 3PM. I hope it is better.

I will see my doctor tomorrow morning. It’s a 1.4 mile walk from the new Airbnb. I might take Uber as we are supposed to have more light snow. There has been some amount of drizzle or snow almost every day to some degree! It was sunny on the Sunday I arrived, a week ago. It has been very little sunshine since. I am looking forward to leaving Cleveland. 

I only rode 128 miles in November. That's usually my mileage for a week! I need to get back to normal!