the week in review

rangoon creeper

I can’t believe it’s Saturday, that a week has gone by without a post or even time to read others and comment. I wrote the following yesterday with every intention of getting it posted, and this is kind of long, but we all know about good intentions and the road to hell. Not that I’m on the road to hell, at least I hope not or not yet anyway.

It’s been a busy week and I was gone three out of the last four days. Monday I went with my friend to her two doctor appointments in Galveston, a two hour drive from here. M was diagnosed with breast cancer last April and it has proved to be aggressive and spreading and they have yet to start any treatment. She’s had every type of scan and imaging you can imagine and more than once, just a constant series of doctors’ appointments. Usually her husband accompanies her but he needed to work so she asked if I would keep her company. I said yes and we left at 7 AM. Now she needs another biopsy, this time on spots in her lung and another lymph node. She met with the oncologist last Tuesday and they finally signed all the paperwork to start chemo in July. My own heart and brain problems pale in comparison. 

Speaking of which, I removed the heart monitor yesterday morning, boxed it up and sent it back. It had come with 4 sensor strips and I ended up using three of them. When I removed the last one in the shower Thursday morning this is what my skin looked like…

and these were supposed to be the ones for sensitive skin. It’s shiny because I had put antibiotic ointment on it before I took the picture. I’m glad I only had to wear it for a week.

Tuesday was grocery shopping for the week and my night to fix dinner. I made tostadas and a mango/peach/a little orange juice fruit salad.

I had a follow up appointment with the electrophysiologist Wednesday morning. He’s still not happy with my blood pressure even though it’s not terribly high so added another med to help bring it down some before the two upcoming procedures. He didn’t want to increase the dose of the one I have been taking because he felt it would slow my heartbeat too much. I asked him if I would still have to take the afib medication, too soon to tell, he said. Maybe lower the dose I asked, too soon to tell and really it’s only been a little over three weeks since the ablation. Feels like it’s been longer.

I usually get in within 30 minutes when I go see him but once in a while it takes longer. Wednesday was one of the long waits and it’s a small waiting room, only 10 chairs for two doctors and about half the people bring a spouse or adult child. My appointment was for 10:45 and I got the last empty chair and then a constant stream of people started coming. Nowhere to sit so they waited out in the hall. I have no idea why they were so backed up but it happens. Maybe there was an emergency earlier, who knows. I had brought a book so I just sat and quietly read while I waited. After a while an old guy with a walker (most of the patients were old and using walkers or canes this day) and his daughter came in and sat down and then another old guy with his walker and his wife with her walker came in. He sat in the only available chair and she went out in the hall. There was already one lady grumbling about the wait to whoever would listen and then this guy came in and he talked non-stop and LOUD, engaging the woman and the guy with his daughter and two other men waiting, talking about their individual heart problems and bitching about everything, the doctors scheduling too many people and making them wait eventually getting around to the bullshit nobody wants to work cause the government pays them to stay home (a total MAGAt). I just wanted to yell would you please SHUT UP! I mean, really, every time there was a lull of a minute I’d think finally and then that old fart would start up again about something else. I could have told you his whole life story, his medical history, and everything else he didn’t like if I’d have paid attention. I didn’t get in the room til 12:30 and was so thankful for the peace and quiet.  On my way home Abby texted me to see if I would lead the class that night so I did that.

Thursday of course was SHARE and then three errands and always feeding the not so wild wildlings every day unless I get Robin to do it for me, and yoga. Wednesday when I went to feed them Minnie slipped out and ran over. I always leave her at home because she will want to chase the kitties when I’m there to feed them. But she was a good dog so I’ve been letting her come with me the last two days albeit on a leash which I hook around a post to get her used to the kitties and the kitties used to her. 

Twin trying to keep cool under the back porch

I refused to watch the debate Thursday night, it would just have made me angry, waited instead to read about what people were saying. Apparently part of the rules were that the moderators would not fact check the candidates in real time which allowed Trump to lie relentlessly. And I read that Biden had a cold but got better as it went. if all people are going to look at is how they looked and spoke instead of what they said it does look bad. Biden is a measured and thoughtful speaker while Trump is bombastic and everything he said was a lie, projecting his own criminality and intentions on Biden, took credit for things that Biden has accomplished, continually trashed the country, didn't answer any of the questions. I don't think either candidate lost any votes, or gained any for that matter, as a result but I do wish certain democrats and news outlets would stop harping on Biden’s age. Trump is 78, so basically just as old as Biden, and in recognizable severe cognitive decline and if he gets elected again he will also be in his 80s during his term. Why does no one ever point that out? They want Biden to step aside and allow another candidate except there’s a big problem with that. No one else is running. It doesn’t matter who you would prefer or support, if that person doesn’t want the job you can’t make them be the candidate just because you want it. Everyone that has been suggested has said no, they support Biden. Fortunately, this is early still and will be long forgotten. And Biden on Friday gave a speech to a group where he admitted he may not debate as well or speak as strongly as in the past but he knew one thing, he knew how to tell the truth. Perhaps if he had prefaced his performance in the debate with ‘folks, I’m still recovering from a cold I got in Europe last week so forgive my raspy voice’, certain democrats wouldn’t have gone into a tailspin. His speech on Friday when he wasn’t being bombarded by one lie after another proved that Biden is still the man we need. Let’s give him the House and a bigger margin in the Senate so that he can finish what he has started and then a younger candidate can carry it on next.

red periwinkles