Nurse Scott came to take Mom for her x-ray. Gerald the plebotomist came to draw Mom's blood for testing. (He saw me working on the blog & asked how I liked using a Mac since he is contemplating getting a laptop; I told him it was great & he would like it.) After reviewing all the test results, Drs. Chin & Rodriguez said the good news was that Mom's platelet level was still high so she did not need another platelet transfusion. The questionable news was that the x-ray showed a shadow in the area where Mom says it is sore. It may be pneumonia starting in that area or a contusion caused by a bump. The options were to keep her overnight for observation (but that would expose her to iatrogenic diseases as well as a higher concentration of people with infectious diseases that she might get) or go home and keep an eye on it (but knowing that it would mean another ER visit since tomorrow is a holiday & there are no regular office hours). We made a deal with Mom, she could go home tonight but if the pain gets worse or she has difficulty breathing or she develops a cough or she develops a fever, she has to not argue with me and go back to the ER immediately.
Mom had a good question for the doctors, can she pass on whatever she has to Kaia? The verdict is that pneumonia is spread through vapor droplets being spewed out by the patient, so Mom should wear her mask whenever she is around Kaia, no snuggling or kissing allowed. Mom decided she would not even touch Kaia for the remaining 12 or so hours that they will be here. (Sarah started Kaia on some vaccinations before they left home, including the one for pneumococcal pneumonia.)
I packed treats in my backpack after the last ER visit on February 1st so I was prepared this time. I had a packet of the same Trader Joe's coconut snacks that I had last time. Yum! But I also had a QuestBar in my backpack. It was a free sample and I am glad that I did not spend any money on it because the Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor was horrible! No peanut butter or chocolate flavors, just a funny sort of sweet flavor and kinda nasty mouthfeel.
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| NOT recommended as an ER snack; the stuff from the machines at the ER is better. |
After Sarah, Kaia, David, & Randi returned, Curtis left Dad in their care and went to Popeye's and got some dinner for Mom & me. He brought it to the Kaiser Moanalua facility and met us in the ER lobby since Mom was getting discharged just as he was getting off the freeway. Much better than that QuestBar!
David got up bright & early this morning and started working before breakfast on the planter in the back yard. He removed the scattered weeds in the planter, put down new weed barrier over the old stuff, then added the red cinders. Due to my lack of communication, he used all 24 bags of red cinders here; 5 were actually supposed to go to complete the area I started last year. So instead of a 4" thick layer of red cinders it is more like 5" thick, which is not a big deal since the cinders are so porous. When I went to get 5 more bags of red cinders I also picked up a pot with 3 papaya seedlings in it; Mom has been wanting to plant papayas for a couple of years but the ones I got before died because she forgot to water them. These should survive and hopefully they will be productive. (I will move the cinders away from the plants while they are young & short, otherwise their leaves will be at the same level as the cinders!)
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| After |
For breakfast I made another breakfast casserole with the gluten free biscuits, I added some of the salad from last night. I think this one is better than the first one. These biscuits were less dense than the first batch so they soaked up the batter better and still held their shape. The extra vegetables also added to the flavor & texture of the casserole.
After breakfast we took a final group photo; all our visitors leave tomorrow afternoon. It was nice that Dad was feeling good enough to come out and join us for breakfast.
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| L to R: Mom, Randi, David, Sarah with Kaia, & Dad. The photo above Sarah is of Dad's 442nd K Company. |
Kaia was being shy with Dad, then she would get playful with him.
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| Kaia being shy with Grandpa. |
Kaia table dancing with help from Uncle Dave!
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| L to R: Randi, Kaia, & David. |
After breakfast I ran out to fill up the RAV4 (good thing otherwise I wouldn't have made it to the ER!), get more lotion for Mom, & pick up more red cinders. After I returned, Sarah, Kaia, David & Randi went to the north shore where Sarah's friend Kara lives. They spent the day there, returning after dinner. (They were on their way back when Mom & I left for the ER.)
Before all the excitement of going to the ER, I continued working on my bedroom reorganization. Today I concentrated on the desk. I had picked up some Quake Hold Museum Putty to help tack things down, especially the phone in the family room that Mom has knocked of the table 3 times in the last month. I am using the Quake Hold to tack down the plastic storage drawers that I am using. (The calendar in the upper right of the After picture is the National Day Calendar. Today is Chocolate Mint Day and Lash Day. Go to www.nationaldaycalendar.com to find more days to celebrate.)
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| Before |
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| After (I still have to update the calendar.) |
Back on February 11th we had a lot of rain for most of the day. I have repeated the 2 photos to show the rain & the mountains and included a new one below of the farthest set of mountains.
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| During the downpour, not a mountain in site. |
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| After the downpour, the closest mountains are visible. |
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| Today, the farthest mountains are also visible. (Still a little hazy though.) |
Happy Birthday to Barb & Rachael! Happy Chocolate Mint Day! Happy Lash Day!
Tomorrow get ready to celebrate Cherry Pie Day and Love Your Pet Day!
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