4 April …
Sorry I am a bit late. It has been an interesting week.
My first cataract surgery was last Thursday. I was somewhat anxious. However, that was just the least of the concerns for the next few days.
Daughter Kamille had been in pain (mid-right torso) for quite some time. First diagnosis … ovarian cysts. Wrong. Second diagnosis …irritable bowel syndrome. Wrong. Third diagnosis … gall stones. Correct. Come back for further work-up in two weeks. Wrong. Trip to Emergency late Wednesday afternoon … pictures taken … referred to surgeon (it was after office hours) … left message with surgeon requesting an appointment.
Thursday morning Mark took me to Ashland for the eye surgery. All went well and we were on our way home by 1300.
When we got home about 1430, Kamille was waiting for us. She was due at the hospital at 1500. The surgeon had seen the pictures and scheduled her for surgery at 1700. So Mark loaded her in the truck (we drive three trucks at this farm) and off they went. Paul and I settled in (me with a pirate patch) to take care of each other and wait for word.
We finally gave up waiting and went to bed at regular time for a school night.
(Picture not for the squeamish … yes, those are gall stones))
As it turned out, Kamille’s surgery went okay but her recovery didn’t. Her post-op pain was not controlled and they were sedating her heavily. As a result, her oxygen saturation had dropped to 80 on room air (normal is 95+ or -), so she was admitted. Mark didn’t get home until after midnight.
Friday Mark was due to drive school bus for Weed on the morning run, a field trip, and the afternoon runs and so was up at 0430. He had planned to take Paul with him on the morning run and then take him to school.
I had a post-op appointment with the eye surgeon in Yreka at 1050, but I took over with Paul. We got to school early so I had a tour of the school and met several of his classmates (more about that another time). I stopped in to see Kamille to let her know all was well with Paul (if it had been me, I would have been worrying about my son). Then I went home to change for my appointment and took off for Yreka.
Mark was keeping track of what was happening with Kamille via phone.
I got home from Yreka just in time to do a quick shopping stop and meet Paul’s bus (it was a minimum day at school). We had fish sticks, roasted asparagus, green salad, and malted moo ice cream for our dinner and shortly thereafter welcomed Kamille home. She was still having a lot of pain, and went almost immediately to bed.
Saturday morning everyone slept in.
Mark had gotten a full night’s sleep. Kamille’s pain was easing. Paul was being a great help and being very protective of his mom. And my eye was doing as expected.
My left eye will be done the 19th but without all the extras … we hope.
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Weather is getting warmer. The only patches of snow left (and they are small patches) are in well-shaded spots in higher elevations.
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This month, in honor of the coming of Spring, the painting I have chosen is called “Garden with Butterflies” and was painted in 1890 … just at the beginning of Van Gogh’s descent.
I can see the onset of his ability to see motion, sometimes at the expense of overall perception.
What do you think?
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Paul lost his first baby tooth last saturday … the left lower central incisor.
He was playing out in the meadow and accidentally dropped the tooth into the creek while washing the blood out of his mouth. He came to tell me and said he was sad. I said maybe there was a chance the water fairy would talk with the tooth fairy and everything would be okay, so he wrote a note to the water fairy saying he was sad because he lost the tooth and asking that they talk together. He then put the note in an empty Tylenol bottle and put it in the creek where he had lost the tooth.
Sunday morning there was a quarter on his clock radio. I guess the fairies were able to talk together.
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As you all know, last Sunday was Easter. NBC did a presentation of “JesusChrist SuperStar” updated from the 70s. The staging reminded me a lot of the original production of “Hair” with everyone, including musicians, on stage.
The music is heavy. The casting was heavy. The lesson is heavy. There were too many commercials. But for me, it was time well spent.
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That was about enough excitement for the week … so …
Everything is going to be okay. Even when you feel unsure or confused, still believe that eventually everything will make sense.
‘til next week …