Tonight's picture was taken in August of 2005. That day we took him to Griffith Park in Los Angeles. A park filled with all sorts of activities for children and adults alike. Mattie was three years old and we wanted him to try a pony ride. It wasn't like this pony could go anywhere, as he was teetered to a wheel. Nonetheless, Mattie was cautious about trying it so Peter walked besides him and the pony. From Mattie's facial expression, I can see that he was trying to smile, but felt a bit anxious on the pony.
Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins.
- number of people who were diagnosed with the virus: 2,629,372
- number of people who died from the virus: 127,322
Another early morning here. Peter and I arrived in Los Angeles three weeks ago today. A lot has happened in three weeks. We packed up my parents home, moved them to a new home. Unpacked and organized everything, worked on getting utilities and major things connected and with updated addresses. All of this was exhausting. But add a health crisis on top of this, and all I can say is wow. During this three week time period, we also took my dad to the ER, he was admitted and spent five days in the hospital. It has been a lot to balance and Peter and I are working around the clock to get things stabilized here. Which is why we postponed our flights. We were supposed to fly back to Washington, DC today. But I assessed where what was happening last week, and decided there was no way we could leave. Especially as caregiver were being assigned to work with my dad during the day, and I wanted to meet them myself and see them in action.
So far I have met two out of the three caregivers. I have gotten to know my dad's nurse (who comes once a week) and my dad's physical and occupational therapists (who each come twice a week). Since I live so far away, it is important that I know the cast of characters and they know how to directly reach out to me. But there is a lot to juggle here. As my dad needs constant support and in the midst of this the phone keeps ringing with doctors and other appointments. I am so tired that if I stop moving, I fall asleep.
I have been trying to get a hold of my dad's GI doctor today. This is the same office that we visited last week and I screamed at the receptionist because of her lack of sensitivity. As she wouldn't allow me to go with my parents into the doctor's appointment because of COVID-19. She said only one family member was allowed back into the exam room. I get it, but we were the last appointment of the day and no one else was in the office. My presence in that meeting would have been important. The way this GI doctor's office is run is poor at best and it is close to impossible to talk to a live person!! I called the office in the morning and left two messages. I called back in the afternoon and left a third message. It is now 6pm, and still no call back! I think this is unethical and criminal! What kind of doctor's office is this?
The reason I called was the discrepancy in medical advice as my dad's doctor prescribed one thing for a bowel regimen and the on-call doctor last night gave practically the opposite of advice. Needless to say, I can see my dad is getting constipated again, and we need a solution that will prevent this from happening and developing into a crisis. Meanwhile, the third caregiver arrives at 8am tomorrow. So this is my third training in one week's time! Training takes time, energy, and patience. Patience which is rapidly dwindling within me!
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