Maybe you noticed

I didn't follow up with 'Normal Friday' last week.
Maybe you understand why?

No, it had nothing to do with how the week went.
It was all about not having a suitable graphic.
Okay.
So it was about how the week went.
I was on the road with GS for the better part of two days.
Time that would have been spent looking for blog fodder...
...or reading.

I'm falling way behind on my reading.
It used to be a couple of books a week...
...except when I was reading Atlas Shrugged.
I caught a lot of extra nap time then.

Anyway, we were talking about normal.
I think was we really mean is routine.
Things have been anything but routine around here for awhile.
Particularly since early December.
Even that has developed into a routine.

We hear folks talk about living in the moment.
Now we know what exactly they are speaking of.
Taking life one day at a time and relishing every moment.
Life is good.

blogging is a laxative for the mind

Monday on Monday

It's just another day in the week when you're retired.
Except for one thing.
The neighborhood is quieter because everyone else has gone to work.
Except for the musicians, bartenders and bouncers.
They work nights and weekends
I have come to the conclusion retired folks are busier on weekends than during the week.
I know I was.
Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows what I'm talking about.

There was a Lions Clubs convention for our district at the casino in Corning last weekend.
That is about 40 miles south on the freeway (Interstate 5).
It is about a 40 minute drive [I will deny that I drive it in less time even if the speed limit is 70mph].
I did not participate in any of the usual convention activities except for the official business meetings.
There are two reasons.
The first is I had duties as Elections Chair that required I be available to register and certify delegates while other activities were taking place.
The second is when I didn't have to perform those duties I came home.

I should mention that I am attracted to this particular casino for one major reason.
Food!
Neither of the two hotels are all that comfortable.
They are not dumps, either.
I don't like to gamble.
Before I mention the food, I better say this place really has a lot to offer.
They have a terrific 18 hole links type golf course and a rod and gun club.
But the food is terrific.
There's a regular restaurant with a really nice menu.
The bar has a pretty good selection of food, too.
Then there's the buffet.
It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays seniors are half-price.
I should also mention I do not particularly care for buffets.
They remind be of standing in the chow line.
I make an exception for this buffet.
On the other hand, I have never stopped there just to go to the buffet.

 
I can't remember [and I am too lazy to look] if I mentioned I was in a snit on Friday.
I didn't have to be at Corning until a little after noon so there was plenty of time to run some errands.
Like pick up a prescription  the Stanford Doc had ordered for GS.
Like many physicians today, he faxed it to the local pharmacy.
It should have been ready at 9:00am when I went in to get it.
Instead, a very rude pharmacy tech informed me that it could not be filled without the Doc's signature.
I was also given a look that told me she was even suspicious of my motives.
We aren't talking about narcotics here.
The order had been received the previous afternoon.
I asked if they had called the Doc to notify them of the issue.
I was informed a fax had been sent back.
Note: Stanford Hospital & Clinics has a central fax number for all incoming faxes.
They stack up.
So I asked about that.
You send faxes, but you don't accept faxes?
If looks could maim.
A bad word went through my head, but the filter was working and it was left unsaid.
Another pharmacy tech, who I have known for a number of years, saw the word even if it was unsaid.
I called Stanford on my cell phone.
The game of phone tag had begun.
Did I mention the weather had warmed up starting about Wednesday?
Add that to my mood and you can guess how hot I was.

By 12:30 the issue still had not been resolved and I still had not yet left to go south.
So I was already late.
I had all of the paraphernalia necessary for the certification process.
I was spoiling for a fight.
Just let one person say the wrong thing and fur would fly.

So when I arrived at the casino in an appropriate amount of time nobody gave me any grief about my tardiness.
I fact most were rather solicitous even though they didn't know the current circumstance and were only aware GS isn't exactly tip-top.

Finally, someone from Stanford called me back,
I explained the situation.
It's fixed.
I don't know any of the details.
I just know that someone at Stanford was really hot when I told them.
I was finally able to pick up the prescription at 7:00pm, after standing in line behind some folks who might someday realize that paying for a prescription is not rocket surgery.
Just give the clerk the money and they will make change.
They don't barter.
Come on folks.
Move the line.
I don't care that your granddaughter has a hickey on her neck.
Neither does the clerk.
I got home at 7:30.
Dinner was ready at 8:45.
I almost fell asleep in the mashed potatoes.

Did I mention we had a half clan visit?
GS's son and granddaughter drove down from Washington to surprise PHG for her B'day and visit GS.
Of course that meant NT and family came over, too.
Maybe I should have just stayed in Corning at convention.
I might have had more rest? 

wunnerful weekend dynamics

One more day

Really it's only a half day.
Everything will be over by about 11:30.
The fun part is that little window of time immediately after the voting ends.
A few of us... probably three... will lock the door to the voting room and count the votes, even for those running unopposed.
Then I will write the numbers on a tally sheet, walk across the parking lot, and announce the results to the convention attendees.
The only mystery is where the convention will be held in 2015.
There are only two choices, Redding, where we are going next year, or Corning, where we are now.

Driving back and forth to Corning each day has taken its toll.
That's mostly because I can't hang around and drink coffee until 8:00am.
Yesterday I was up by 5:15 and on the road by 6:15.
The upside is I got there early enough to take full advantage of the Casino's breakfast buffet.

Today's start is a tad earlier, but I still intend to try the buffet.

it's that good

It's become a busy weekend

I'm not sure I mentioned that the Lions Clubs district is having the annual convention this weekend.
I wouldn't be attending, but I am the Nominations, Credentials and Elections Chair, probably as close to being indispensable as it gets.
There is some background for which I don't have time now.
And there's a whole tale about picking up prescriptions for which I don't have time now.
And there is a whole lot of other crap I didn't have time for.
I am driving home after my duties are done each day.
Today is the long one.
Tomorrow's the early one.

 
This is for Buck.
I'm not sure why.

You've been mooned

gotta save somethin' for Monday

Monday update on Friday

So... by now everyone has to be sitting on the edge of their seats wondering what we have to tell about GS's visit to Stanford yesterday.
Well, first I gotta tell ya the access to the place is a mess.
Every road into and out of the place is torn up and one way.
Google maps... or even the Stanford Hospital & Clinics website... were a good source for directions.
Just driving from San Jose to Palo Alto on 280, about 23 miles, was enough to remind me why I am glad I no longer live down there.

Okay. so we were not at the hospital per se.
We were at the Stanford Women's Cancer Center.
It's like brand new.
You can almost smell the fresh paint.
The first step was to answer all of the questions that are asked every time someone is a new patient.
Same questions.
Same answers.
That really gets old after awhile.
There must have been a million 50 examining rooms.
We saw no other patients after leaving the waiting room.
We weren't kept waiting long.
First, an RN came and got vitals.
Next, the Doctor's assistant, a nurse practitioner, came it asked about how we came to be there... an oral history.
Then she did an examination... a pretty thorough examination.
She also told us what we might be able to expect.
Then she went and got the Doctor, who came in and did his own examination, possibly even more thorough.
He explained in easily understood terms how this cancer works and why it is almost undetectable.
He was also able to explain pretty much why it responds well to treatment.
They, Dr and assistant, spent an hour and a half making sure we understood everything they were telling us.
There was also a plan.
We have a prescription for a drug that may, with a fairly strong indication that it will, reverse GS's current condition.
Two more CT scans and an MRI have been ordered see if the source of the cancer can be found.
Eventually, surgery may be indicated.
Oh, yeah, the drug doesn't cause hair loss or nausea.
So GS may be sorry she didn't keep her last hair appointment?

I am not going to tell you how fast we made it home.

Things are looking up, but there won't be any overnight success.

Yesterday was PHG's birthday.
Last night there was a full moon.
I took a photo of it for her.

The good one is posted on Facebook

she was mooned on her b'day

San Jose

That's where we are.
In awhile we'll drive up 280 (Interstate 280) to the northern fringe of Santa Clara County, just south of San Francisquito Creek, to the Stanford University campus and the medical center.
Who said, "You can't go home again?"
I am right back where I grew up [sic] and learned how to work for a living, such as it is.
I couldn't begin to count the number of times I was on that campus from the time I was eight years old to when I moved north to Shasta County.
It was only a little more than 20 years,
But, back then, it was more than two-thirds of a lifetime.
Heck, for much of that time the area was still called the Santa Clara Valley and was vacant land or agricultural.
280 didn't even exist until the mid sixties and it took a long time before many drivers even discovered it.
Anyhow, it's back to Stanford and another stage in life.

you can go home, it's just not the same

Bloom

Hmmm...

It appears I will be fully occupied for the rest of this week.
We'll see if I can squeeze in any more blog posts.
Yesterday was a bit of an anomaly.
I had intended for there to be only one post, the easy one with the cats.

I have only one real problem with going to Stanford this Thursday.
I have always been a die-hard Cal fan.

go bears!

Hey... it's still Monday

So it's time for a Monday update

GS has been on IV feeding (aka TPN) for well over a week now.
So we know she's getting some nutrition.
The other major issue (diarrhea) has been pretty much under control, as well.

Today I pretty much had become totally fed with waiting to hear about further treatment.
It was beginning to sound like an empty promise.
So I picked up the phone and called Stanford.
We now have an appointment for Thursday morning at 10:45.
I have the logistics for that all worked out.

I'm going to miss a meeting on Wednesday night and, maybe, another on Thursday night.
Everything else being equal, we should be back in time to celebrate the PHG's birthday with burrito bowls and pineapple upside down cake Thursday evening.

Another thing that might have come into play is the Lions District Convention is this coming Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
It appears I will be able to fulfill my duties in Corning.
I will be missing the accompanying festivities.
I really don't care.
Besides, as Nomination, Credentials and Elections Chair, I will probably see everyone anyway.

So rub your cat backward for good luck and hope the freeways stay clear.

Suldog got some good news, too.
Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

even one who has a gutter mouth

Something needs to be said

Suldog posted a stream of consciousness over at his place.
He's entitled.
The end of last week was a particularly bad dream in his neighborhood.
He hasn't been having any fun anyway.
I was going to comment on one line out of his entire piece... and it's a long piece.
But he's turned off comments.
He doesn't need anyone stompin' on his conscious stream.

Early on he mentioned the folks who lined the streets after the last alleged bomber was captured.
They cheered the emergency services personnel, cops, National Guard, all of the first responders and folks who came out to protect and serve.
The one downside to it Sully saw was the chanting, "USA, USA, USA," that was picked up and repeated.
His words,

"There has to be a way to express this without being so parochial and small-minded."

I feel the same.
It somehow diminishes what those letters stand for.

Furthermore, there's nothing in that blog post that I find offensive.
I wouldn't read it to my grandchildren, but there are lot of things I wouldn't read to my grandchildren.

When the world says, "Give up,"

 Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."

~Author Unknown

Nonsense

Just to prove I don't hate cats and, in fact, am amused by then.

...have been owned by several

Another weekend, day two

Looking back at the neighbor's fence about three weeks ago.
The wisteria were going ape$#!+.
Now there are just green viny things hanging there.

GS and I don't have a fence.
Fences don't keep the neighborhood cats out so they wouldn't do us much good.

leash law is supposed

 to take care of the dogs

Another weekend

There's a bee in here, somewhere

Today's selection is a closeup of yesterday's redbud.
I'm off to help man a Lions Club booth at Anderson's Family Fun Day at Anderson River Park.

maybe there will be pictures

Normal Friday

Update:

I considered not posting this today because, to many folks, this day has been far from normal.
Then I reconsidered because, as I have asked before...

...what's normal?

Alrightythen!

That's a direct quote from my kid sister's husband.
That's also about the closest thing to an expletive you will ever hear from him.
He's a schoolteacher.
She is my kid sister because she' the youngest [and twelve years younger than I].
I'm not exactly sure what to call my other sister because she was always the adult, even though she's ten years younger.
She is married to a retired judge.
Hows that for adulthood?
When I grow up I want to be just like them.
They are all baby boomers.
I missed that boat.

So Buck tells me Daffy Duck was born in 1937.
I'm not that old!
Old has three digits.

We're settling into a kind of a routine here.
Of course that routing is subject to change at the whim of the medical community.
We've no scheduled visits outside of the house until Monday.
I go back to the dentist to have sutures removed.
GS sees the PCP (primary care provider) for a routine followup.

that could all change

the redbud have all lost their blossoms now

The second one ever

I accept.

The Cranky old man gave it to me.
I am truly honored because I admire his forthrightness [I wasn't even sure that was a word until spellcheck said it was] and he's a daily blogger.
It's going right below the other award.
The one Suldog gave me.
I will treasure this award.
That's because I don't have to do anything to keep it.
Well, yes, I do.
I am supposed to make up and answer some questions about myself.
Here's one two.
Q. Do you remember what post you wrote that tells everything anyone would ever want to know?
A. No![that's a lie]
Q. Name two places you've been that you haven't mentioned in your blog.
A. Burlington, NJ and Pottstown, PA.
Now I'm supposed to pass this along to somebody else.
I am giving it to someone I really admire, who really puts a great deal of effort into his daily blog posts, who is very talented and extremely humble.
I won't embarrass him by telling you who he is.

I was going to write some other stuff today.
This is better.

thanks Joe 

Here it is... another update.

It took me from about 7:00am until almost 6:00pm to read the usual blog posts.
Oh wait a second.
I haven't read them all.
I only read the important ones.
Maybe I will read what IT has to say later, after dinner.

It was a full day yesterday.
The Home Health nurse called to see if she could come.
I had to tell her that the infusion company hadn't yet come with the TPN supplies.
She said she'd check back around noon.
I had to take GS for some lab tests.
That proved interesting because the lab where we usually go was packed and I knew it would take more time that we had available because I had a dentist appointment to get to.
So I remembered that the hospital has a lab draw a few block away.
We were done in ten minutes.
I took GS back home and went for my cleaning at the dentist.
I was told I had done a really good job keeping the implants free of plaque and that everything else looked pretty healthy tissue-wise.
Then the dentist, herself, came in to do a more thorough exam.
I get to go back again today for some more work.
It seems there's an issue where #14 used to be and she wants to explore further.
Just because you don't have teeth doesn't eliminate issues.

I went to the supermarket to get a quart heavy whipping cream.
They didn't even have any pints.
So I got a pint of half 'n half to tide us over until I can get cream.
Nothing but the best for my morning coffee.
There is a whole story behind that I might tell someday... if I remember.

When I got home the infusion company still hadn't called but I was getting a bit antsy.
I waited until 11:50 and called them.
The nurse was just packing up the supplies.
The TPN is created as needed for each individual  patient.
They had to wait until yesterday morning to begin preparing the formula.
The nurse would be leaving in about ten minutes.
The Home Health nurse called again.
When I gave her the news she said she would move us to the end of her visits and be here at about 2:30, after we had GS on the drip.

GS was watching The Chew when it was interrupted by a news flash about the bombs at the Boston Marathon.
What cowards they are.
Unlike the folks in Boston... who went to the hospitals to donate blood... who ran to the victims to give aid... who opened their homes for those in need.

The nurse from the infusion company arrived with the goodies we'll need for the next five days.
It was almost like Christmas because there's new stuff.
She demonstrated to PHG and I how the TPN differs from the banana bag.
The main difference is the hose needs priming.
Then she had to go "stick" GS because the port had been flushed and the needle removed when we left the hospital.

It was quiet for about an hour so I scanned a few more blogs before there was a knock on the door and the Home Health nurse came in.
I introduced her to GS.
By now we were old friends from the telephone.
Then for the next two and a half hours she interviewed GS to complete the paperwork necessary for them to provide in home assistance.
She will be back at noon today to complete the paperwork and see if PHG and I really know how to hang a bag of IV.

I then went back to scanning blogs.
I almost feel guilty for never finishing my normal usual rounds.
I may not finish again today.
There's the dentist this morning and GS sees the oncologist this afternoon.

I made a run to the local burrito stand.
Nobody felt like cooking dinner.
We'd missed having the burritos last Thursday because of the run to the hospital and then going to a Little League game, where NT's son was starting in left field.
We stayed long enough to watch him hit a double and strike out.
If we'd stayed a little longer we'd have seen him hit a triple.
His team won 12-1.
PHG, the BIL & wife and I went for pizza, took it home and inhaled it before NT and family arrived.to hear BIL play guitar and sing Irish ballads.
Yep, it was time for a burrito fix.
Tonight we're having steak and potatoes.
Well, we'll have potatoes if I get to the store to buy some more.

I hope the jackholes who placed the bombs in Boston are caught.
We should then send them on the first mission to Mars...
...next week.
I don't think it is necessary that we test any rockets before they are sent.
I don't think it is necessary for them to return.
Yes, I believe exile is the right way to handle it.
They will have a better chance at survival than their victims.

 feeling kind of humorless

Maybe we'll update tomorrow

My brother-in-law, GS's brother, was here with his wife last week.
We had a really nice visit even though there seemed to be numerous medical interruptions.
He is a former tin can sailor, like myself, and we exchanged sea stories.
This is the brother in law who bet with me on the World Series.
Those posts are here and here.
We all like to rib one another and sometimes carry a tease a little further.
Just before they drove south to San Francisco on Saturday the sister-in-law was using the laptop to show a video from Facebook to someone.
When she was done, she forgot to log off.
The poor girl now has the image of the shirt my brother-in-law had to wear as her profile picture.

just can't pass up

 those kinds of chances

TW3 II (cont'd)

So... what I said yesterday about better luck had to do with writing a complete post without the computer puking.
As it turned out I ran out of time before I had to leave for a meeting.
Then I went to visit Grandma Skip.
It seems I left you all with a bad impression of how we are being treated, or at least how GS is being treated.
Actually she is being treated by some very caring folks.
They are limited in what they can do by a system that interferes with practicality.
So on Tuesday we've chased an ambulance to the hospital, while awaiting the arrival of GS's brother and sister-in-law.
PHG stayed at home.
GS and I waited in the ER for four hours until we were told the lab tests, while showing the electrolytes were low, did not meet the standards necessary for admission..
We were on the way down the hill to the infusion therapy offices to find out where we could expect our next surprise to come from.
We expected they would provide more banana bags,
Instead they told us there was no point until such time as they could start TPN.
They would not start TPN until such time as the electrolytes were better [I almost said normal].
So, let's see.
The electrolytes need to be improved and we can't do that through normal nutritional methods.
They need to be done under medical supervision (in the hospital).
But, the hospital can't admit her because the electrolyte level is too high.
Bless me, but I know why medical supervision is necessary.
I'll be darned if I can understand how a low electrolyte level can be too high.
We are reminded that the insertion stuff in the port needs to be flushed and changed.
We were to schedule an appointment for as soon as possible with the oncologist.
It's too late now but we can go Wednesday afternoon.
Meanwhile we go home to greet the arrivals from Detroit.
This is all on Tuesday.
It seemed like a full week.
Then I went to a Lions Club meeting.
Basically Wednesday's Dr. appointment, which was Thursday's appointment moved ahead one day, consisted of the oncologist telling GS to eat more and increase the dosage of the anti-diarrhea medicine to the maximum recommended dosage.
Unfortunately this was about all the oncologist could do until it can be determined how to provide nutrition an another manner.
Wednesday is a real downer, except for the visitors from out of town, who we were all glad to see.

Thursday, I went out an ran the errands I was going to run on Tuesday when I was ambulance chasing.
While at Costco, restocking butter and coffee, I called to see if NT still wanted me to get a giant bag of chicken lips that she had mentioned earlier in the week.
GS answered the phone.
The infusion factory had called and she was to be taken to the hospital again.
This time, though, we were to go to the admissions office.
There was some kind of miracle taking place.
So, it just so happened I was ready to leave Costco anyway.
I can only take about 45 minutes at the most.
I was home shortly thereafter and it was explained that the general manager of the infusion therapy company had called and said GS would get the electrolytes and TNP would be started over the weekend under medical supervision.
Thursday night they just let her rest.
They started an IV Friday with a separate drip for potassium and some ginormous magnesium pills that they have to chop in half.
The TNP drip was started late Friday and now GS is getting some other thing along with a shot of something else a couple of times a day.
She is still having bouts of diarrhea, even with hospital a-d medicine.
That's a bit of a worry.
Then there is a little confusion about when she is coming home.
Infusion folks say Monday or even Tuesday.
Hospital says maybe as early as Sunday.

Anyway... there's a start back in the right direction again.
There have yet to be any reversals.
It turns out that the folks at the infusion works never gave up.
They continued to lobby for the treatment GS needed.
Finally one of the doctors they work with was made to understand that hospitalization was the only alternative that would works.
He was able to have her admitted by the on duty doc at the hospital.
The oncologist office was also working hard.
They arranged for the TNP to be provided by the manufacturer.

Some have said I have patience and am calm under these extreme circumstances.
Uh-uh.
I have just learned to understand there is more than one perspective and you can't always see everything that's happening.
So far we have only scratched the surface.
This puppy will continue for awhile so fasten your seat-belts.

This is Sunday's post.

life's funny

TW3 II

Maybe we'll have better luck this time.
Last time... a mere week ago... we tried this and the ancient PC kept puking all over whatever I tried.
The last ten days have been kinda pukey anyway.
I mean that only in an emotional way.
I don't get all emotional, at least so you can see it.

What I mean is someone started a roller coaster... or a yo-yo.

First, let's back up.
It really started just before Easter.
The Washington Clan (two adults, three kids and the dog) arrive to enjoy our company (because we had gone away at Christmas and totally screwed up that visit).
They brought the Rain Festival with them.
Easter was wet.
We were given the word that our medical plan (and probably yours, if you're over a certain age) had denied treatment to Grandma Skip because she hadn't starved enough, yet.
Then we were told there was a way around this.
Drive up to the hospital and have her admitted through the ER.
So GS spent a full 24 hours at the hospital before being told that, yes she is malnourished, her body is not absorbing sufficient nutrition from the small amounts of food she is able to eat, she shouldn't have diarrhea for four months straight, and, no, the medical plan will not pay for the only treatment that can do something for this.
"Go home and eat," they said.
"You can eat anything you want," they said.
They, being the medical folks.
The medical plan can only say yes or no.
It doesn't offer solutions.
It doesn't have to offer solutions.
We say, "Look, what if we pay for the stuff?"
The docs say, "It's kinda expensive."
We say, "We'll use the money we save on groceries."
They say, "Okay."
We are referred to a company that does this stuff (infusion therapy - it's a fancy name for sticking needles into someone for feeding or medication).
We go to a place where we are told all about how this will go, shown how to do it, and given supplies for doing home hydration over the weekend (because it has taken an entire week to reach this point).
They also steal some blood so they can do lab tests.
I was gonna write all of this in a longer piece last Saturday, when the computer puked.
GS now has a six foot hose and a bag of salt water with some vitamins and minerals in it.
It's called a banana bag.
That's what color it is, not its shape.
PHG and I have been "trained" how to change this and flush the port in GS's chest each day.
That is quite an accomplishment because PHG and I are, otherwise, a comedy act.
"Another fine mess you've gotten us into, Stanley!"
The Washington Clan departs on Sunday.
We go to the infusion supply shop on Monday.
GS has lost almost two pounds and is now below a weight that already seems less than optimal.
We are provided with one more banana bag and told we will return the next day after some further consultations with medical professionals on the part of the infusion therapy company.
They also pull some blood so they can do lab tests.
This is so they can compare the results with the previous tests.
So... it takes until about 11:00am for them to decided that GS has less than optimum amounts of certain minerals so she should go to the hospital to be admitted.
Yeah, again.
And again to the ER.
We learned a little something from the first time.
GS's son-in-law is a Paramedic.
He has an uncle who is a medical doctor, specifically a Hospitalist at the hospital.
Son-in-law is called, by me, and asked to see if he can arrange a work around so we don't have to go to the ER.
Son-in-law calls ambulance.
My first thought is a word that rhymes with duck.
But it is nearly impossible to return toothpaste to the tube and GS gets a ride...
...to the ER...
...and doesn't even get admitted to the hospital...
...because she isn't malnourished enough.
I'm thinking she has to be comatose.
She's really only physically emaciated, weak, and fatigued.
That is a really BIG duck I'm thinking of.
GS, by this time, is wearing an almost empty banana bag and it is four hours since the ambulance ride.
I drive her down the hill to the infusion company offices.
We are told they can't do anything more until her electrolytes have increased.
Those same electrolytes they wanted to have her admitted to the hospital to have taken care of because constant monitoring is necessary.
That can't be done at home because we can't do lab work there.
Another BIG duck.
GS's brother and sister-in-law arrive from Detroit.
He's brought his guitar.
She's brought Sander's.

More later...

there's a lady I have to go visit

Sometimes you just have to post more than once a day

I've not been reticent to do that.
I have, however, been reticent about updating because things seem to change suddenly.
We're going to the hospital.
We're going home.
We're on an IV.
We're off the IV.
We're going to the hospital.
Wait... there's no good reason for that.
Eat more so you can gain enought weight that you can be fed intavenously.
Say, what!!!

Do not under any circumstances draw any conclusions from the previous eight lines of text.
I almost used the word infer, but a lot of folks only think they know what it means.

GS is back at the hospital.
She was admitted late yesterday.
She is not any more sick than she was two weeks ago.
This time she was admitted through the admissions office.
We did not have to go to the ER.
Thank goodness for small favors.
Somebody was able to get a doctor to listen long enough to convince him there is no other alternative for providing enough nutrition.
She can eat.
She just can't eat enough and retain it to gain any strength.

What we hear is that TPN will be started here, monitored through the weekend, and then adminstered at home by Critical Care Systems and monitred by Home Health Care.

Things now seem to be moving forward again.

Maybe my attitude has annoyed enough folk [look at the tag line]?

no, I don't know

Normal Friday

'nuff said

That was then, this is now

A little frustration will do that.
You know how it is.
You want answers.
But you can't phrase the questions.

What I mean is we're back to square one.
We couldn't quite figure out exactly why.
The people we were dealing with couldn't address our concerns.
The bottom line is that GS is no longer on an IV.
She won't be until her diarrhea is under control.
Part of the answer for our frustration is there was an individual who mislistened [as opposed to misheard] and passed that misinformation along to others who weren't in the room.
Another part of the answer for our frustration comes from having too many professionals describe how a simple anti-diarrhea medication should be taken... and why.
If the latest information received works there will be at least two, probably five, happy folks.
Two will also scratch their heads and ask themselves why somebody didn't say this in the first place.
One of those two might even use a two syllable expletive that describes a part of the anatomies of the south end of a herd of northbound donkeys... might [he said].

Did I mention we spent most of Tuesday afternoon sitting in the Emergency Room at the hospital for no apparent reason other than some miscommunication?
GS got to ride in an ambulance.
She says the scenery out the back window of an ambulance is better than looking out of the front window of the car.
The best part about riding an ambulance is there is no stopover in the waiting room of the ER.
The worst part is having all of the folks who work in the ER wondering why you are there.
I had two different para professionals offer me back-handed compliments.
The first said I seemed to be the only person involved (outside of the patient) who seemed to have a rational understanding of what was going on.
The other asked if I was a nurse, because I "got it the first time" when things were explained.
I'm confused.
Why couldn't I learn things this well when I was in school?

GS's brother's here with his wife [did I already tell you?].
They didn't bring the dog.
They don't have a dog.
He brought his guitar.
He's left handed.
He taught himself to play the guitar upside down.
Does anyone know if Paul McCartney plays his guitar upside down?
Anyway, he... my brother-in-law, not Sir Paul... played for us before dinner last night.

Oh, yeah... Tuesday was an anniversary for me.
Eleven years since I had a drink.
Maybe that has something to do with why I can deal with today?

That's all you're gonna hear about the funk.
Most, if not all, was in my head.
I have mentioned on occasion that is not a place I should go alone.

shows you what para professionals know

It's Wednesday*

Okay, gang, everyone but Suldog's checked in, and he may still make an appearance today.
I'm here because it's what I do.
I have lots to say about a bunch of stuff.
I'm not going to do it today because it will only piss me off.

GS's brother and his wife are here from Michigan.
He's another ol' tin can sailor.
So we told sea stories this morning when he finally rolled out of the sack and they came over.
He also has a lot of cool cop stories, too.
He's the brother-in-law who married into an Irish Catholic family and converted.
Not only was he baptized Catholic.
He became Irish.

I saw something the other day and had to take a picture because it reminded me of another blogger.

Do not ask why I am flogging that blog.
Somebody knows, but it isn't me.

*that's all I know for sure, besides the fact that it's already Thursday somewhere.

we're in a funk today

I was reminded of a joke

I sure wish I could remember how it goes...

There's something about some tourists visiting a desert island that has some birds that are found nowhere else on the planet.
One of the permanent residents of the island is showing folks around and pointing out the various specimens as they come across them.
Lat in the day they find a ground nest with a huge egg in the shape of a perfect cube, corners and all.
One of the tourist pipes up and asks, "What bird laid that egg?"
Their guide says, "That was laid by the Giant UA bird."
The tourist responds, "I've never heard of an UA bird."
"Oh, that's just what we call it. Because when it lays its egg it goes. 'Oooooooooooonnnnnh! Aaaaaaaaaaaagh!'"

Thanks to IT over at this place I remembered dredged that from places I'd just as soon forget.

memories are funny

Maybe we fixed it

The ol' desktop (we determined it's actually been sitting here for almost seven... or is it eight years) is plugging along just fine again.
The Dustbuster did its job.

I forget what I was going to post on Saturday because there has been some excitement around here.
I don't mean the kind of excitement you have when there are three kids and a dog hanging out.
We're still wavering about whether to call GS's daughter who's living with us PHG or Whatsername.
I guess it depends on the mood?
Either way I lover her like she was mine... most of the time.

I would use her actual name, but that would breech her privacy.
That is also why I have not posted Baby Teeny's name.

Speaking of whom...

Big Brother can't get enough of her

I'm jealous

Looks like it ain't gonna happen

A regular post, I mean.
The desktop, even after cleaning still restarts itself about every half hour.

So enjoy the words of wisdom on the biker's helmet.

I will save you the trouble of clicking on the image.
This is the one that caught my attention.

Maybe we'll have the PC desktop unit up and running regular by Monday.
That's so we can start a new week.

The cursor on the laptop makes for weird typing situations...
...and the touchpad is the devil's spawn.

being sorely tested lately

My perfect grandson has a little sister

She got lucky.
They came up with a real name for her.

She will not be known as Baby Teeny, which was how she was known until a little after noon today.
She arrived at 7lbs. 14 oz and 21 1/4 inches.
There is much joy in this house and probably a few others tonight.
For the record, I will come up with a suitable moniker for her eventually.

the laptop's good for something

TW3

Once upon a time there was a tv show... I'm sure I only heard about it because I can't conger up any visual from inside my head... called That Was The Week That Was.
Hence TW3.
Later I will attempt to recount the adventures of this past week.
For now I am trying to deal with the idiosyncracies of the dreaded laptop.
The PC that sits on the desk in my office/den/library has decided to take periodic naps in the middle of my efforts to write a post.
Do not fret.
I'll be back.

later

Normal Friday

We managed to stretch this into a third week ...and another month.

interesting

How is everybody today?

Lord Vader has spoken.
"No soup for you," he said.

When you were last here, we (that would be GS, the oncologist, and I) were running an end around by having GS admitted to the hospital with extreme malnutrition.
Everyone involved agrees GS is extremely malnourished, even Wedontcare,
But it seems that even when everyone agrees on the diagnosis, they don't necessarily come to the same conclusion for treatment, even when there is no doubt in anyone's mind what the best treatment is.
The system is broken needs to be junked.
It is beyond repairing.
It's set up like a flow chart for programming computers.
Each box in the chart asks a question with a yes or no answer.
As long as every answer confirms that certain criteria are met, the next step is in order.
If not, the process goes back to a previous step and starts over until all criteria are met.
There are no third options.
The only advantage to anyone is for the folks operating the system.
They are not to blame if someone doesn't like the answer because they can't change it even if they want.

The robots are already running things.

I bet you think I am pissed.
Yesterday, for a moment you might have been right.
And if it had been eleven years ago, there might have been blood.
I haven't really mellowed over that time.
But I have learned enough to keep out of trouble.
We are fortunate enough to have another option.
The best part is we won't have to sell the house... yet!

After the IV feeding (TPN) for GS was denied... Wedontcare said put her on a feeding tube even though it doesn't work, come back in a month and ask again, and if she's still alive we may approve... we asked (for the second time in a week) about paying for it out of our own pockets.

Here's where I will cut and paste from a reply I wrote in an email earlier this morning.
I apologize for any redundancy:

It is a GOOD MORNING. I'm on the right side of the grass.

So far we know how much it will cost, within a few bucks.
I talked to the billing department.
The technical side will be calling this morning, after they know what formula is needed to fulfill the nutritional needs of the patient.
I would bet Sharon won't taste anything, except whatever she eats.
BTW she had two meals while in the hospital and ate fairly well, for what that's worth.
She would rather drink flat soda pop (carbonation affects her belly gut).
We did find out that the stuff  (in the TPN) is a really great...

You know, I should be blogging this.
So I don't have to type it twice.

...source of nutrition for all kinds of nasty things that can grow in your body.
Infection is the biggest concern with TPN through a port.
Hepatitis is another.
I'm becoming a reluctant expert on things I never wanted to know.

I realized, along about the time the RN told us yesterday that Wedontcare had turned us down, that there is nobody to point the finger at and accuse of not caring.
She was almost in tears and apologizing.
I told her she needn't apologize for what she has no control over.
I thought further on it and realize that whoever set up the approval system... and they are probably long gone... didn't make allowances for common sense.
The folks implementing it are stuck just as much as we are because they're left one option short.
It's kinda like if you have a car with no reverse and you're in a parking lot.
You have to wait for whoever has the car in front of you to move it so you can move forward.

Maybe I will just copy and paste this into the blog.

Maybe I will stop here for now.

but I'm not done

Mondays aren't the only updates

We finally received word yesterday afternoon that Wedontcare had denied the request by the oncologist to put GS on intravenous feeding (TPN).
They, in their great wisdom, determined she should have a feeding tube.
Somehow the morons don't understand that a feeding tube only bypasses the mouth and not the rest of a non-functioning digestive tract.

However, Grandma Skip's doctor then had her admitted to the hospital with extreme malnutrition.
TPN will start soon.
The plan is for it to be continued when she's released from the hospital in a few days.
That may change though.
The doctor has pushed harder for Stanford to have her transferred there so an evaluation can begin and treatment may be started.

We are all just sitting here shaking our heads in wonderment.
That space between my ears that can create so much trouble has somehow remained my friend.
Though there were a few choice words that almost escaped.
Instead there was just some ironic laughter.
A lot of ironic laughter.

The laptop will probably start getting a workout again real soon.
You will be able to tell by the number of typos.

it's not funny

Ignore this post

So...
Have any of you noticed how there's some kind of paradigm shift when there are extra people in the home?
It's really a good thing there is.
 Otherwise we'd be shiftless.

My routine has been so out of whack for so long I forgot what whack is.
Then GS daughter, whatsername, moved back home.
Then GS went to the Dr. in August.
Then GS had surgery and healed.
Then we found out what's really wrong.
Now I find out that there are others who are out of whack.
There's a whack shortage.

I have found that if I pretend things are okay, most of the time they are okay.
That's because I'm not the one who is physically uncomfortable.
In fact, it isn't about me at all.
I just have to remind myself that I am only in control of my own attitude and actions.
I can't change anything else.
Now if I could only get others to see the same thing... that it's not about them, either [GRINS].

I really miss playing golf.
If you don't play, you'll never understand why.
Even if you do play, you may not understand.
It's not about the score, or winning, or the exercise.

need more sleep

Nope

There won't be a Monday update on Monday this week.
That is not an April Fools tale.
Despite the fact that GS saw two Docs last week there's nothing new to report.


Wait... there is plenty to report.
We've had as many as 14 people here, with 12 sleeping over, this weekend.
We still have eight here and as many a five may be back... even six.
We have  so far been unable to run anyone off... even with the second team doing somemost of the cooking.
Now the goal is for cooperative weather so the kids can go outside and stay there for awhile... and take the dog.
Ironically, the clan from Washington, where the Rain Festival begins on January 1 and ends on December 31, left a delightfully sunny weather pattern to visit the first real rain we have had here since the last time they visited.
I may be sensing a pattern here.

Other than that, I have already posted about Easter egg hunt, which was a little disappointing.

the kids are all still sleeping