Dad Goes to the Eye Doctor

Took Dad to the doctor this morning. His left eye was red and looked sore when we first arrived a week ago. Some days it would be even redder, then 2 days ago there was a little discharge. Unfortunately, Dad has slowed down a lot more than I had thought he did, so we were a little too late for his appointment and we had to reschedule. Dad did not want to go to lunch or home so we waited at the doctor's office for 2 hours until his new appointment. We had great conversations while killing time. The doctor was great, she got us in as soon as she could. It was interesting. When I first arrived and asked Dad how long his eye had been red, he said "a little while". When Dr. Wang asked him, he said about a year!

The After Visit Summary says he has "Left blepharoconjunctivitis (eye condition)" and "right blepharitis (eyelid condition)" with "double pterygium, both eyes." Bottom line is that he needs neomycin drops 4 times a day in the left eye and erythromycin ointment in both eyes at bedtime; both for 7 days, Dad asked me to help him with the drops and ointment. Then after the 7 days he can use over-the-counter artificial tears 2 or more times a day in both eyes as needed. His eye looked a lot better after only 2 applications of the drops. Needless to say, he missed his after lunch nap so he decided to skip the dinner with cousin Erica this evening.

Erica's husband Marc had to work late, so we met just Erica and their son Mitchell at the Zippy's in Pearlridge. Mitchell was well behaved for the most part and charmed everyone nearby us. This Zippy's is different than Dad's hangout; it is more like a McDonald's than a sit-down restaurant. Mom had the wuntun min, Aunty Florence had the Korean chicken mini pac, Erica had the mahimahi plate, and I had the beef stroganoff mini pac. For dessert Erica got a chantilly cake from Napoleon's Bakery. We had a great visit which was over too soon. But Erica and I decided that when I am finally here, we will see if Jane (her aunty, my cousin) would spend one day a month teaching us her recipes. Here's Mitchell being his cute little not-quite-10-month-old self; we hope to be able to make it to his 1-year birthday party in Kona in June.


Erica is the one that took the photo of Mom under the mango tree for the Safe Harbor ad in the newspaper. (Erica is a professional photographer; there's a cute picture of Mitchell here on her FB page.) She gave Mom a print of one of the photos that was not used in the ad. As to how we are related, Erica is Mom's father's brother's daughter's daughter; got it? (She could also be Mom's mother's sister's daughter's daughter since Mom's father married the sister of his brother's wife; are you thoroughly confused now?) DeeAnn is Mom's father's brother's daughter's son's daughter. Don't know how many times removed either of them are, we just call them cousins. (Erica's mother is DeeAnn's grandmother's sister.)

Cousin DeeAnn & Mom (photo by Erica)

What was interesting to observe tonight was that on the drive to Pearlridge, Mom kept asking how we were related to Erica (not that the earlier recitation would confuse anybody...). And kept forgetting Erica's husband's and son's names; but once she saw Erica and Mitchell she instantly knew who they were. So somewhere she is unable to make the connection of the name with a face when her mind has to supply both pieces, but if she sees the person, she can come up with a name. At least, right now.

When Erica suggested Zippy's in Pearlridge, since it was half way between Ewa Beach (where they are currently at) and Kaimuki, I told her it was perfect since we needed to go to Sears to get a new disposal since Mom's leaked every time it was turned on. After talking to the sales guy, one of my chores will be installing the disposal before I leave. It's mainly plumbing with a very small bit of electrical wiring. He said You Tube had great videos on how to install it. (Uncle Kazu, who is a retired electrician, also told me I could learn how to do wiring from a book.) This time I will be writing the date of purchase on the shell of the disposal so we know for sure if it is still under warranty.

I found 2 other jalousie window handles that were broken. I fixed one last night, but as I was testing it the metal bracket that holds the pin popped off. I epoxied it in to place tonight and will try again with the popsicle stick fix on Friday. I fixed the other one tonight, it still appears to be holding. Both of these are in the main bathroom. One of the proposed tasks when I move here is to coordinate the replacement of the tub with a walk-in shower like Mom's as well as replace the sink that is corroding. I will also be proposing we replace the 45-year old windows. Here's the other thing I am adding to my "tool" kit along with the duct tape and WD-40.


Happy Birthday, Julie!