A quiet day in Pacific Grove...
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
When it rains...
Actually, it has been raining here, and pretty cold, too. We've seen snow on Mt. Toro, which is at best an occasional sight. The title of this entry refers to life events, however.
A week ago Saturday my 94 year old mother was complaining of back pain. She had done her usual walk into town, but was unable to make it all the way back. She sat down to wait for the bus, but none came. Monterey-Salinas Transit has recently decided that Pacific Grove no longer needs bus service on Saturdays. Fortunately, a good Samaritan who was having a cup of coffee at an outdoor table for the Little Red House noticed her distress, and gave her a ride home.
When we went to have our usual afternoon snacks with her, she was clearly in a lot of pain. She took some pain killers, and that seemed to help. Two hours later we received a call from the Lifeline service that she had fallen out of bed and needed help. By this point she was in agony, and couldn't move at all without screaming. It was clearly time to bring in the professionals, and an ambulance came and took her up to the hospital, where she remained for four days.
They never did determine the source of her pain, and she was doing better, so she was to transition to the local convalescent hospital for a few days so they could come up with a plan to manage her pain. Unfortunately, there were no open beds, so at the last moment they took her to a different facility.
She had an absolute fit. She thought they had taken her to an insane asylum and that she was being locked up. She demanded that they call the police. Of course, they didn't. By the time we got there she was literally foaming at the mouth she was so upset. She accused them of locking her in bed - actually, they had simply raised the rails so she wouldn't fall out. She managed to lower one end and climb out the foot of the bed.
I got her up out of the wheelchair and walked her around the facility a bit. She was able to do this without trouble, so I decided the best course of action was to take her home. No way, no how was she going to let them keep her there.
Because of the departure against medical advice, there was no opportunity to come up with any sort of a pain management plan, so she has been having to suffer for the past few days. The visiting nurse association was supposed to send somebody, but this doesn't seem to have happened yet. Her place is going to need some modifications, and she definitely needs to have some pain medications.
Oy.
A week ago Saturday my 94 year old mother was complaining of back pain. She had done her usual walk into town, but was unable to make it all the way back. She sat down to wait for the bus, but none came. Monterey-Salinas Transit has recently decided that Pacific Grove no longer needs bus service on Saturdays. Fortunately, a good Samaritan who was having a cup of coffee at an outdoor table for the Little Red House noticed her distress, and gave her a ride home.
When we went to have our usual afternoon snacks with her, she was clearly in a lot of pain. She took some pain killers, and that seemed to help. Two hours later we received a call from the Lifeline service that she had fallen out of bed and needed help. By this point she was in agony, and couldn't move at all without screaming. It was clearly time to bring in the professionals, and an ambulance came and took her up to the hospital, where she remained for four days.
They never did determine the source of her pain, and she was doing better, so she was to transition to the local convalescent hospital for a few days so they could come up with a plan to manage her pain. Unfortunately, there were no open beds, so at the last moment they took her to a different facility.
She had an absolute fit. She thought they had taken her to an insane asylum and that she was being locked up. She demanded that they call the police. Of course, they didn't. By the time we got there she was literally foaming at the mouth she was so upset. She accused them of locking her in bed - actually, they had simply raised the rails so she wouldn't fall out. She managed to lower one end and climb out the foot of the bed.
I got her up out of the wheelchair and walked her around the facility a bit. She was able to do this without trouble, so I decided the best course of action was to take her home. No way, no how was she going to let them keep her there.
Because of the departure against medical advice, there was no opportunity to come up with any sort of a pain management plan, so she has been having to suffer for the past few days. The visiting nurse association was supposed to send somebody, but this doesn't seem to have happened yet. Her place is going to need some modifications, and she definitely needs to have some pain medications.
Oy.
Daffodils....
I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud
- That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
- A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
- And twinkle on the Milky Way,
- Along the margin of a bay:
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
- Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
- In such a jocund company:
I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
- In vacant or in pensive mood,
- Which is the bliss of solitude;
And dances with the daffodils.
By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Narrowing it down...
We met with the radiation oncologist on Tuesday. A wonderful man who clearly knows what he is doing. We were tickled to learn that he had originally been a piano major at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music - until (as he said) they kicked him out for playing Pop Warner Football one summer instead of devoting himself to his art.
The appointment was at 10, but we arrived at 9:30 to make sure we were in the right place and had time for the paperwork. He met us at the front desk, and said he'd be with us in just a couple of minutes. I think that is the first time in my life I've been taken early by a doctor! He spent a good two hours with us going over all the current information on prostate cancer treatments, and did a very thorough exam.
He agreed that it would be good to have the biopsy sent out for a second opinion, so I will definitely do that. Still, I doubt there will be a change, and I need to decide how I want to proceed. The doctor recommended surgery to remove the prostate, as had the urologist. However, the reason for the recommendation is that we just don't have data yet out 15 years on the modern types of radiation treatment. The numbers from the past (which gave surgery a slight edge in mortality figures at 15 years) were based on treatments that had been done in the 1960s. Radiation technology has come a long way since then.
The person who is doing those types of studies is scheduled to speak at a convention in the next couple of months, and the doctor felt that they would probably be announcing the results of the current 15 year data at that time. I am very curious to see what it is going to be. The radiation oncologists experience was that in the very few cases where cancer recurs after treatment with radiation implants, it is not in the prostate. This means that the cancer had already spread before the treatment took place. I am confident that I am early enough in this discovery process that that has not happened for me.
Lots of friends have been very helpful with testimonials about treatment they or their friends have had. I have to look at the overall numbers, though. Quality of life is very important to me, and from what I've learned so far the risks of problems in that regard is far greater with surgery than with the radiation implants. That is the direction I am leaning, but I am still in the learning stage.
The appointment was at 10, but we arrived at 9:30 to make sure we were in the right place and had time for the paperwork. He met us at the front desk, and said he'd be with us in just a couple of minutes. I think that is the first time in my life I've been taken early by a doctor! He spent a good two hours with us going over all the current information on prostate cancer treatments, and did a very thorough exam.
He agreed that it would be good to have the biopsy sent out for a second opinion, so I will definitely do that. Still, I doubt there will be a change, and I need to decide how I want to proceed. The doctor recommended surgery to remove the prostate, as had the urologist. However, the reason for the recommendation is that we just don't have data yet out 15 years on the modern types of radiation treatment. The numbers from the past (which gave surgery a slight edge in mortality figures at 15 years) were based on treatments that had been done in the 1960s. Radiation technology has come a long way since then.
The person who is doing those types of studies is scheduled to speak at a convention in the next couple of months, and the doctor felt that they would probably be announcing the results of the current 15 year data at that time. I am very curious to see what it is going to be. The radiation oncologists experience was that in the very few cases where cancer recurs after treatment with radiation implants, it is not in the prostate. This means that the cancer had already spread before the treatment took place. I am confident that I am early enough in this discovery process that that has not happened for me.
Lots of friends have been very helpful with testimonials about treatment they or their friends have had. I have to look at the overall numbers, though. Quality of life is very important to me, and from what I've learned so far the risks of problems in that regard is far greater with surgery than with the radiation implants. That is the direction I am leaning, but I am still in the learning stage.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Whew!
After waiting with bated breath, we received our letters this week informing us we had passed our auditions and were being asked back to sing in the volunteer chorus with the Carmel Bach Festival! With the changes that have been made, there were no guarantees, so we are quite elated. St. Matthew Passion, here we come!
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Sing, sing, sing...
On Saturday we had our all day retreat with the Camerata Singers in preparation for our concert next month. It was a gorgeous day, and we made significant headway on all our music. I am particularly taken with Randall Thompson's "The Lord is My Shepherd" - just a gorgeous piece.
In the meantime: "Lagaramshu! Lagaramashu goyim!"
In the meantime: "Lagaramshu! Lagaramashu goyim!"
In Friendship's Name...
My college roommate Jim came to visit this weekend. We hadn't had much opportunity to see each other for some time, and it was wonderful to see him. It occurred to me that he and I use a lot of the same expressions - but I can't remember if I got them from him or him from me! We managed to pick up where we had left off all those years ago. It is an interesting time displacement phenomenon. Our comfort level and familiarity was such that it was as if we had been in close contact all along. Friends truly can be forever.
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