Friday, January 7, 2022

Friday, January 7, 2022

Tonight's picture was taken on January 11, 2009. We were staying at the Affinia Gardens Hotel near the hospital in NYC. I will never forget this hotel. At check in, we literally wheeled Mattie into the lobby. The hotel folks took one look at us and they immediately upgraded us to a suite. Not just any suite either, but a penthouse suite. It had two bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen and balconies. It was an extraordinary room. I will never forget their kindness, compassion, and understanding. Even Mattie was thrilled by the room, so much so that he attempted to walk around the room holding onto the walls. 

Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins. 

• Number of people diagnosed with the virus: 59,031,556
• Number of people who died from the virus: 835,815

In my email inbox today, I got a photo reminder from Shutterfly. They created a collage from our trip in January of 2020. In a way our world and our personal life were dramatically different at that point in time. We were ignorant of COVID-19 and at that point my dad was still functioning and able to travel. 

These photos were taken aboard a Princess Cruise ship. I think about this and consider myself lucky that this cruise wasn't a month later. Because we would have been quarantined aboard the ship because of the virus. Pictured with me here are Oscar the Maître D' of the ship's restaurants and our wait staff..... Dani and her assistant (whose name escapes me right now). 

These photos remind me of something I learned earlier on in my life..... that things CAN and DO get worse. Traveling with my dad back then was not easy by any stretch of the imagination, but in comparison to now, it is a night and day difference. Our lives have basically stopped for us because of caregiving. Again a role, I know all too well. It just wasn't something I was planning for, maybe because of the ordeal we went through with Mattie. It was a time in our lives that we will never forget and I am still dealing with the physical ramifications of living under that intense level of stress. Now I face another crisis, that looks quite different, but still has great stress and at the end of the day provides me with no flexibility, freedom, and independence. 

Today I had a virtual visit with my endocrinologist. She is trying to find a medication that will work for me given my very poor response to Fosamax. While talking, I explained to her that I am a full time caregiver now and have little time to get sick or deal with negative side effects of medication. My conversation, triggered her own reflections.... regarding her mother, father, and mother-in-law, all who have died, but needed great support at the end of their lives. I have found that caregiving is a role that immediately unifies people together. We just naturally empathize and have insights into the perspectives, stresses, and concerns expressed by our fellow caregivers.