Just need to talk to my friends (207)

Good morning.

I was probably up as early as Jerilynn this morning. I wasn't sleeping well and around 3 noticed DS was awake because there was a light on. He does this some time. I dozed off and awoke about 30 minutes later to a series of rapid clicking sounds. I came downstairs and asked what the noise was— expletives may have been involved. There were scads of flying insects and DS was zapping them with his trusty electric racket. Ick. I sprayed with an organic essential oil-based spray and they seem gone, but I'll need to pick up some traps. DH was exposed to organophosphates as a bench chemist and doesn't do well around such things— like he can't even walk down that aisle at the hardware store without feeling twitchy.

Lorita— Congratulations on that win! 🏀

Carl— That is a scary car. I still have a dent in my forehead from an accident when someone ran a red light and dad t-boned it. FTR, while dad didn't develop dementia until his 70s, his judgement was always questionable. He bought that car the day after they found out my mother was pregnant with my sister, and it served as the "family car" for a couple years. What were they thinking?

Gothic G— I do remember Liddle Kiddles. My sister was very into them. She got the Romeo and Juliet set that came with a story about them living happily ever after which got a serious eye-roll from 10-year-old me. I was more into Barbie.

I wonder if that recipe would work with chicken? The boys like hot and spicy and I'm allergic to soy and shrimp.

I need to shower. Mom's got the cardiologist at 11 and the road between her house and the office is closed through the start of school and I imagine the detour will be ugly. This is not convenient at all. She wants me to take her new pants to the seamstress for hemming but she's closed Mondays which means 2 more trips to get that done. She needs to stop buying things that don't fit. she got at least 20 pair of nice summer pants. Enough already.

HB

And the site is doing its thing again.

Lorita— my check engine light alerts me when the oil reaches 85% of its intended lifespan— either mileage or time.

Very unpleasant here even with moderate humidity. Tomorrow will be worse.

I expected mom's cardiology appointment to be just a perfunctory 6-month check. She's been doing really well and back to a baseline physically of about 5 years ago. Silly me. Things went sideways in one of those appointment cascades.

First, they closed a lane on the already busy detour route to the office which used up every extra minute I'd padded into the schedule. Then mom couldn't understand the tech who checked her in and performed the EKG; the woman did have an accent, but her English was perfect and she projected her voice. I ended up repeating all the instructions.

The doctor asked for an update since the early December visit— that would be 3 hospitalizations with sepsis and pneumonia and new medication. The doctor asked about testing done. He was looking for a transesophageal echo which should have been done. He described it to her. She swore it wasn't done. He saw a note from the January hospitalization that one was canceled. I recalled her having it done and even the meltdown that ensued when staff didn't return her to her room promptly. I did find it in her electronic chart— it was her birthday. Some gift.

Before we left, he asked if she had any new symptoms. She reported tingling hands and numb hands in the morning. This is most likely due to her carpal tunnel and noncompliance with her overnight splints. We go around about this constantly with me threatening not to take her to physicians she ignores. She's even lost one of them. She even tried to tell me she only has the one. Ugh. I distinctly recall 2 as her insurance will not pay for 2 OT appointments on the same day so I had to drive her there twice.

He's ordered her another echo (tomorrow), bloodwork (also tomorrow) and an amyloid scan (next week) which can only be done downtown. At least he didn't add the 24-hour urine test.

It's hot and I'm cranky. Dinner with friends tonight.

Be safe out there.

HB