Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Tonight's picture was taken in May of 2007. This was a typical occurrence in our home in the spring! Mattie would bring home tent moth caterpillars, we would feed them, clean their jars daily, and then when they emerged from their cocoons, we would have a moth releasing event on our deck! Honestly when Mattie first brought home caterpillars in a cup, I wasn't a happy camper. However, I could see his interest in the metamorphosis process, so I went with it! After the first year of Mattie doing this, I came to expect and like the spring event that we did together. As I always say.... Mattie was my greatest teacher in life. 

Quote of the day: The person who is truly effective has the humility and reverence to recognize his own perceptual limitations and to appreciate the rich resources available through interaction with the hearts and minds of other human beings. ~ Stephen Covey

It was a typical day of juggling multiple things. This morning, while getting my dad ready, we had Sunny's groomer here and our chandeliers were also being cleaned. I found Virginia, who is an expert at chandelier maintenance and cleaning, when we first moved into the house. I had Virginia come back today to take care of my mom's chandeliers, which have been sitting in crates, and in storage, for 4-5 years. Needless to say that needed cleaning. I remember as a child, helping my grandmother clean these chandeliers. So I can do it, but given the three ring circus that I manage, there is just NO WAY. 

I couldn't stick around for the process today, because I had to take both of my parents to appointments. We first went to the hospital so my mom could have her physical therapy session. I brought with me snacks, so after the therapy session we could sit in the hospital atrium and eat before running to the next appointment which was in another location. 

While in the hospital atrium, our favorite pianist was playing. Aija is so gifted that I literally can be on a different floor of the hospital, however, even without looking, I can tell it is her playing versus another pianist. She puts her heart and soul into everything she plays and transforms you mentally to a better place. So to me, sitting and listening to her even for a short period of time, is the highlight of my day. 

After this one hour pause, I then helped both of my parents to the bathroom, and then got them into the car, to head to my dad's urology appointment. When my dad was rushed to the hospital in May of 2020, he had a large kidney stone blocking his ureter. Unfortunately because he isn't cognitively intact, he never alerted my mom to the symptoms he had been having and of course my mom wasn't paying attention to the signs. So by the time my dad was hospitalized he had a serious medical condition..... urinary sepsis. I am quite certain this condition and hospitalization both triggered his rapid decline in his dementia. I should note that my dad's current doctors have diagnosed him with Alzheimer's Disease, which is NO surprise to me. 

In May of 2020, my dad had surgery to remove the kidney stone blocking his ureter. However, the doctor left a 12mm stone in his left kidney. I never understood why lithotripsy wasn't performed to remove that stone. Afterall, my dad was in surgery and already was under general anesthesia. Needless to say, once my dad left California, his kidney stone hadn't been on my mind. Particularly because he is asymptomatic. 

However, since the CT scan he took last week picked up on the stone, his pulmonologist felt we needed to consult with this urologist today. I liked today's urologist a lot. He had access to my dad's records in California and could chart the timeline of my dad's surgery and where we are today. In a nutshell, this large stone is in a area of the kidney that will not block or cause issues, well until it moves of course. But it is too large to be passed. So if it causes problems, surgery will be required. If my dad was in his 70's, then surgery would be recommended, but given that he is 88 years old, the doctor feels that doing nothing now is a wise course. I naturally know all the signs and symptoms to look for if a kidney stone is problematic, given that I too have had 8 kidney stones so far in my lifetime (with the hope of never having anymore!).

I was impressed with this doctor because he wasn't only competent and thorough, but he was sensitive to my dad's health and to his overall quality of life. I think every time my dad gets sedated or spends time in a hospital, the more disoriented he gets and frankly I am not signing him up for a guaranteed cognitive decline if it isn't absolutely necessary!