Had a sudden change of plans today. I spent most of the day catching up with Karen over brunch at Panera in San Bernardino and then moving to a Hawaiian BBQ place so we could have dinner. I was just about to get in the car on my way home when my mobile went off, and it was John telling me he was heading out to Hemet. Mom's caretakers at the assisted living place had found her on the floor this morning, conscious but unable to get up, and she was now in the hospital. So I drove straight south and met up with John just as he got to the hospital, and both of us went up to see Mom.
The good news is that she was tracking much better than usual. The bad news is that she is slurring her words and having trouble with her right arm. I'm not impressed with Hemet's hospital; while I was there, they brought a tray with dinner on it, dumped it on her bedside table, and walked out again. I asked if someone would come help her, so someone grudgingly came in, took the lids off and told her what was on the plate, but then walked out again. I ended up helping her with dinner. She could, very slowly, maneuver the broccoli and rice onto her spoon and make it to her mouth (although she came in a bit low at times, and often dumped part of it on her gown). Mom complained constantly about pain in her wrist (she evidently fell on it and sprained it) and the doctor who came in took her hand and then wagged her arm up and down and side to side, and said, "See? When it moves like that, nothing's broken," while Mom nearly turned white from pain. Asshole. When I asked him about her slurring and the weakness in her arm, he said he wasn't concerned about that. He recommended that she go to a convalescent hospital for some physical therapy to get some strength back in her extremities, and then she could return to the assisted living facility.
While John went to get some paperwork from Mom's sister, who lives nearby and has been taking primary responsibility for her, I entertained Mom with stories from our childhood. She still gets a joke and was able to follow my stories, which is more than I've seen from her in a while. She could hear herself mumbling and slurring and it frustrated her to the point that she got so mad that she said "How's Your Job?!" completely clearly. So, while it's a setback, it's not as bad as it could be.
So now I'm not sure what's going to happen. I'm letting John and Emma take point on this, since I have no idea of what she's been through or who her insurance provider is or anything.
Sheesh.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
Friday, 10 June
Not much has been happening. My doctors' appointments went swimmingly, no one seemed to have any surprises for me this time, so the rest of my vacation is mine. Today I do laundry and some shopping, and try to finish the pile of "to file" that one of John's lady friends left for him when she sorted through some of the paperwork. John has to work, so I may meet him for dinner. He has traded a room for house repairs with a work buddy of his, and they carpool, so it means John has much better hours and we have dinner at a reasonable time. Greg owns a Golden Retriever by name of Chewy, who seems to be the world's quietest dog. He stays closed in the back bedroom all day and I don't hear a sound out of him. Suits me, and Charlie, John's cat.
It is mostly cool and overcast, typical June weather. Highs so far are in the low 70s. For security and the indoor cat, John keeps everything closed up all day, which means it's often warmer and damper inside than outside. He also has the typical male cave mentality, which means the curtains are permanently closed. I can't even GET to some windows, as he has the same clutter gene that I do. He noticed that I'm very distractable (Oh! Bright Shiny Thing! What's that noise?), and I've noticed that he procrastinates on things he needs to do. I have some suggestions but I know the first reaction from him will be NO. But I hope he thinks about them and implements something because he needs a much better routine than he has. It's really similar to the one I was in when I was so depressed, and changing it was part of what got me out of the depression. (Spring did a lot for it, too, but California never really has the dark winters that England does, so spring goes kind of unnoticed around here.)
The first time I turned on the TV in the motel, it was just starting up an ad that said, "Do you suffer from non-valve-related atrial fibrillation?" Got my attention in a big hurry. It was an ad for Pradaxa, the new alternative to Coumadin/warfarin, with fewer side effects for most people. Both my GP and cardiologist said this was a good thing for me, so I started it about 48 hours ago. I have learned that when it says "take with food," it MEANS it. I waited a little too long after dinner and woke up at midnight with the worst case of heartburn I've had since I had to take steroids. Even though I now take it with meals, I still get a little discomfort now and then. I'll hope it goes away as my system gets more used to it, because warfarin requires blood tests to get the dosage just right, and I can't have salads, and neither one of those is a problem with Pradaxa.
One of my favorite moments of the trip so far was sitting in the IHOP attached to the motel and listening to a table of four grandmotherly types -- 65 if they were a day -- talking about how much they liked Lady Gaga's music. I do, too, and I thought it was just me. I do miss California.
This is the first trip where I've thought that east Los Angeles might have something on west L.A. Santa Monica was crowded, the courteous drivers I found on my first trip have all left and these New Yorkers seem to have taken their place, and parking was ALWAYS a problem. I got to Whittier and all the stores have parking lots and there aren't many cars on the roads and there's far more lawn space, even in the heart of town. Dirty and concreted it might be, but there are benefits.
So I'm going to have a big slice of Marie Callendar's blueberry "double cream" pie for breakfast, and take the underwear out of the dryer, and go shopping. What a life.
It is mostly cool and overcast, typical June weather. Highs so far are in the low 70s. For security and the indoor cat, John keeps everything closed up all day, which means it's often warmer and damper inside than outside. He also has the typical male cave mentality, which means the curtains are permanently closed. I can't even GET to some windows, as he has the same clutter gene that I do. He noticed that I'm very distractable (Oh! Bright Shiny Thing! What's that noise?), and I've noticed that he procrastinates on things he needs to do. I have some suggestions but I know the first reaction from him will be NO. But I hope he thinks about them and implements something because he needs a much better routine than he has. It's really similar to the one I was in when I was so depressed, and changing it was part of what got me out of the depression. (Spring did a lot for it, too, but California never really has the dark winters that England does, so spring goes kind of unnoticed around here.)
The first time I turned on the TV in the motel, it was just starting up an ad that said, "Do you suffer from non-valve-related atrial fibrillation?" Got my attention in a big hurry. It was an ad for Pradaxa, the new alternative to Coumadin/warfarin, with fewer side effects for most people. Both my GP and cardiologist said this was a good thing for me, so I started it about 48 hours ago. I have learned that when it says "take with food," it MEANS it. I waited a little too long after dinner and woke up at midnight with the worst case of heartburn I've had since I had to take steroids. Even though I now take it with meals, I still get a little discomfort now and then. I'll hope it goes away as my system gets more used to it, because warfarin requires blood tests to get the dosage just right, and I can't have salads, and neither one of those is a problem with Pradaxa.
One of my favorite moments of the trip so far was sitting in the IHOP attached to the motel and listening to a table of four grandmotherly types -- 65 if they were a day -- talking about how much they liked Lady Gaga's music. I do, too, and I thought it was just me. I do miss California.
This is the first trip where I've thought that east Los Angeles might have something on west L.A. Santa Monica was crowded, the courteous drivers I found on my first trip have all left and these New Yorkers seem to have taken their place, and parking was ALWAYS a problem. I got to Whittier and all the stores have parking lots and there aren't many cars on the roads and there's far more lawn space, even in the heart of town. Dirty and concreted it might be, but there are benefits.
So I'm going to have a big slice of Marie Callendar's blueberry "double cream" pie for breakfast, and take the underwear out of the dryer, and go shopping. What a life.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Tuesday AM, 7 June
Slept like the proverbial log last night. I'm in need of a nail spa and an Apple Store, natch, so I searched for a Yellow Pages. I guess they don't supply them to the hotels any more; I had to fire up the MacBook and look there. I found a couple of four-star nail salons but I'm put off by the "don't let the front of the building and the security locks fool you" reviews. I was wondering what people would steal from a nail salon but repeated references to sweat shops in other reviews make me think all the security is perhaps to keep people IN. Well, I've chosen two and will see how it goes. I'm not going for the full salon treatment, just two repairs. There's a shopping district called the Third Street Promenade that seems to have a lot going for it. I hope I can walk far enough to make it worthwhile.
Dinner at the hotel's IHOP last night. Got a small salad and some crepes stuffed with "garden vegetables". I must be getting old; the senior version of that would have suited me fine. It took a lot to finish the second crepe. I should have doggy-bagged it for breakfast this morning. But what wonderful veg in the crepes and the salad. I so miss California produce.
And the Brits are right -- not only do Americans not know how to make hot tea, but Lipton's is probably the most flavorless tea there is.
I'm learning to pack in bags. I have a bunch of various Eagle Creek containers in different sizes and colors that I pack with different things. I have the clothes envelope (sometimes two of them), the underwear bag, the computer bag (cables, chargers, iPod speakers), the bathroom bag (shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, comb), the bedroom bag (creams, Kleenex, deodorant, vitamins, etc.), the bedside table bag (prescription meds, jewelry, water bottle), and the car bag (car chargers for the phones & TomTom, sunglasses, etc). It makes it so much easier to find anything because I know what bag it should be in. And TSA can open my suitcase without exposing everything I own to the whole world. I really recommend it. I got so ADD about packing this time that I think I'm going to buy duplicates of what I use at home so I can keep a set in each bag and not worry about anything but clothing.
What I forgot to bring: seat belt extender. Luckily American put me in a seat with the world's longest seat belt.
What I didn't bring that I wish I had: aspirin. To keep the suitcase under 50 pounds, I dispensed with ANYTHING that I could buy here. I forgot it might be 48 hours (or more) before I could buy it here. I take one aspirin a day as a blood thinner, and since I'm back to the heart problems, I have the feeling I shouldn't be doing without it.
What I will need to purchase: iPod speakers. My Altec Lansing system is about to bite the dust. Damn... it's been a great little workhorse with good sound and everything. But it's falling to pieces.
More later.
Dinner at the hotel's IHOP last night. Got a small salad and some crepes stuffed with "garden vegetables". I must be getting old; the senior version of that would have suited me fine. It took a lot to finish the second crepe. I should have doggy-bagged it for breakfast this morning. But what wonderful veg in the crepes and the salad. I so miss California produce.
And the Brits are right -- not only do Americans not know how to make hot tea, but Lipton's is probably the most flavorless tea there is.
I'm learning to pack in bags. I have a bunch of various Eagle Creek containers in different sizes and colors that I pack with different things. I have the clothes envelope (sometimes two of them), the underwear bag, the computer bag (cables, chargers, iPod speakers), the bathroom bag (shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, comb), the bedroom bag (creams, Kleenex, deodorant, vitamins, etc.), the bedside table bag (prescription meds, jewelry, water bottle), and the car bag (car chargers for the phones & TomTom, sunglasses, etc). It makes it so much easier to find anything because I know what bag it should be in. And TSA can open my suitcase without exposing everything I own to the whole world. I really recommend it. I got so ADD about packing this time that I think I'm going to buy duplicates of what I use at home so I can keep a set in each bag and not worry about anything but clothing.
What I forgot to bring: seat belt extender. Luckily American put me in a seat with the world's longest seat belt.
What I didn't bring that I wish I had: aspirin. To keep the suitcase under 50 pounds, I dispensed with ANYTHING that I could buy here. I forgot it might be 48 hours (or more) before I could buy it here. I take one aspirin a day as a blood thinner, and since I'm back to the heart problems, I have the feeling I shouldn't be doing without it.
What I will need to purchase: iPod speakers. My Altec Lansing system is about to bite the dust. Damn... it's been a great little workhorse with good sound and everything. But it's falling to pieces.
More later.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Monday, 6 June
I had GBS take me to Heathrow instead of flying out of Manchester. This way I got on one flight in England and didn't get off until Los Angeles. They set it up for a 4:00 AM pickup, and when I called on Sunday to confirm, I said, "Tell the guy he can show up early if he wants to." The owner laughed at me and, as it turned out, didn't pass the message on. It took us FIVE hours to get there instead of four because the traffic was so heavy. I was beginning to get nervous, but I was at the check-in counter exactly the required two hours before flight time. The driver said he wouldn't have minded leaving at 3:00, and that's when I told him that I'd suggested that and been laughed at. The guy who now owns GBS Cars also owned Sherwood for many years, and Sherwood is the group who would have stood me up at Leeds-Bradford because no one bothered to turn on the computer when the boss took a day off. Luckily, the flight in to LHR was late, and I missed the LBA flight and called them to tell them that, and that was the first they knew that they had ANY pickups that day, and turned the computer on. Looks like nothing has changed. Next time I'll drive my own car to Manchester and stay overnight at one of the hotels that offers free parking for two weeks.
Speaking of Leeds-Bradford, it turns out we can't get ANY flights to London from Leeds. Even the Gatwick flights have been discontinued because the airport fees are so high. However... if you want to go to Islamabad, there are two flights a week. Go fig. (The driver said that it was hell at LBA on those days, because for every one that left, six would accompany him to wave him goodbye, and six would show up to welcome one coming in.)
I always book a wheelchair because I can't walk the long distances to the gates nowadays. The problem is that I can't just book one for that part of the trip; I have to book one from curb to plane. It's sort of embarrassing. Today the group at Heathrow took me to the gate in a Lexan golf cart. I think it may have been bulletproof. It was still quite a ways, despite all the improvements. The buggy driver told me that it's at least a 15-minute walk to the gate from the central shopping area. It would take me twice that, and I'd be dripping with sweat at the end of it. So I'll continue with the wheelchairs.
The flight was okay; American Airlines with a Boeing 777. Badly laid out, as you have to jog to the center to get through the doorway into economy from Business Class, and the overheads in the center can't be reached by people in the aisle seats. I think this is one of the old style, where Boeing changed their mind halfway through the process and went from a 3-3-3 layout in economy to a 2-5-2 layout. That's why all the doors are offset.
The flight was uneventful except for some interesting turbulence coming in to LA. Made it feel like a roller coaster and got some wonderful reactions out of the kids on board. They were terrified and loving it.
I bit the bullet and watched "Rango", which was good (ANYTHING with Johnny Depp is going to be a treat) but they could have done a few more jokes. And, speaking of Johnny, the other movie I watched was "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," the Tim Burton one with Depp in it. I don't normally watch movies but Jim always tells me to see them, so I did, and they helped kill the time. I also saw an episode of "CSI: Miami" which was kind of a bust because I haven't seen it in a few years and it was part 2 of a 2-parter. I noticed that American also had episode two of "Downton's Abbey"... what good will episode 2 do without episode 1?
This is the first time I've come to Los Angeles and not felt I was home. There is always the discouraging sight of concrete and industrial units on approach, but this time I kept thinking, "There's so many people!" Too much culture shock. Too many odd shops and vehicles I don't recognize. The weather, oddly, was spectacular: blue skies, little fluffy clouds, and 66 degrees F. So it's sort of weird to not feel "at home."
American TV sucks. Mindless crap from one end to the other. I may not bother buying a set when I get back permanently. The only thing I saw that may have been worth watching was an episode of "The Closer", but there's something about Kyra Sedgwick that I don't like.
I have a Nissan Altima hybrid. I like it. It's stark white, which I dislike, but the seat is comfy and it accellerates like a jack rabbit. When the gas engine cuts in, the car gives a ladylike little shudder, and you can hear the bass note of the exhaust, but there's no kick like there was on the Prius I drove some years ago. My problem, which I had with the previous Altima, is that the brakes are touchy. I almost put it on its nose at the Hertz gate.
I'm at my favorite LA motel, the Best Western Gateway in Santa Monica. My appointment tomorrow is for 1:30 but the first one on Wednesday is at 8:00 AM, and I decided that rather than schlep my stuff all the way across LA and all the way back to stay in a motel for one night, I'd just come straight here for both nights. So far I only have two days' of doctors appointments, but I think the cardiologist will have something to say because I went back into atrial fibrillation on Friday morning. I get so tired of this stuff.
Wow, I just told the MacBook to set the date and time automatically, and it determined I'm in Santa Monica, CA. it must have queried the ISP or something. At least now it's not telling me it's 5:00 AM on Tuesday. It certainly feels like it.
I'm going to shower and it the sack, if I can. I forgot this motel has no sound proofing and the German guys next door are having a long conversation. Sounds like it might be soccer-related.
More tomorrow.
Speaking of Leeds-Bradford, it turns out we can't get ANY flights to London from Leeds. Even the Gatwick flights have been discontinued because the airport fees are so high. However... if you want to go to Islamabad, there are two flights a week. Go fig. (The driver said that it was hell at LBA on those days, because for every one that left, six would accompany him to wave him goodbye, and six would show up to welcome one coming in.)
I always book a wheelchair because I can't walk the long distances to the gates nowadays. The problem is that I can't just book one for that part of the trip; I have to book one from curb to plane. It's sort of embarrassing. Today the group at Heathrow took me to the gate in a Lexan golf cart. I think it may have been bulletproof. It was still quite a ways, despite all the improvements. The buggy driver told me that it's at least a 15-minute walk to the gate from the central shopping area. It would take me twice that, and I'd be dripping with sweat at the end of it. So I'll continue with the wheelchairs.
The flight was okay; American Airlines with a Boeing 777. Badly laid out, as you have to jog to the center to get through the doorway into economy from Business Class, and the overheads in the center can't be reached by people in the aisle seats. I think this is one of the old style, where Boeing changed their mind halfway through the process and went from a 3-3-3 layout in economy to a 2-5-2 layout. That's why all the doors are offset.
The flight was uneventful except for some interesting turbulence coming in to LA. Made it feel like a roller coaster and got some wonderful reactions out of the kids on board. They were terrified and loving it.
I bit the bullet and watched "Rango", which was good (ANYTHING with Johnny Depp is going to be a treat) but they could have done a few more jokes. And, speaking of Johnny, the other movie I watched was "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," the Tim Burton one with Depp in it. I don't normally watch movies but Jim always tells me to see them, so I did, and they helped kill the time. I also saw an episode of "CSI: Miami" which was kind of a bust because I haven't seen it in a few years and it was part 2 of a 2-parter. I noticed that American also had episode two of "Downton's Abbey"... what good will episode 2 do without episode 1?
This is the first time I've come to Los Angeles and not felt I was home. There is always the discouraging sight of concrete and industrial units on approach, but this time I kept thinking, "There's so many people!" Too much culture shock. Too many odd shops and vehicles I don't recognize. The weather, oddly, was spectacular: blue skies, little fluffy clouds, and 66 degrees F. So it's sort of weird to not feel "at home."
American TV sucks. Mindless crap from one end to the other. I may not bother buying a set when I get back permanently. The only thing I saw that may have been worth watching was an episode of "The Closer", but there's something about Kyra Sedgwick that I don't like.
I have a Nissan Altima hybrid. I like it. It's stark white, which I dislike, but the seat is comfy and it accellerates like a jack rabbit. When the gas engine cuts in, the car gives a ladylike little shudder, and you can hear the bass note of the exhaust, but there's no kick like there was on the Prius I drove some years ago. My problem, which I had with the previous Altima, is that the brakes are touchy. I almost put it on its nose at the Hertz gate.
I'm at my favorite LA motel, the Best Western Gateway in Santa Monica. My appointment tomorrow is for 1:30 but the first one on Wednesday is at 8:00 AM, and I decided that rather than schlep my stuff all the way across LA and all the way back to stay in a motel for one night, I'd just come straight here for both nights. So far I only have two days' of doctors appointments, but I think the cardiologist will have something to say because I went back into atrial fibrillation on Friday morning. I get so tired of this stuff.
Wow, I just told the MacBook to set the date and time automatically, and it determined I'm in Santa Monica, CA. it must have queried the ISP or something. At least now it's not telling me it's 5:00 AM on Tuesday. It certainly feels like it.
I'm going to shower and it the sack, if I can. I forgot this motel has no sound proofing and the German guys next door are having a long conversation. Sounds like it might be soccer-related.
More tomorrow.
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