Tonight's picture was taken on January 6, 2009. This was what our living room looked like back then. Mattie got this cute little tree from the hospital and he brought it home and set it up as part of his train village. As you can see we had Legos, trains, and buildings all set up. This was not an unusual occurrence in our home even prior to cancer. Mattie was always active and gravitated to all sorts of vehicles. If it moved, it fascinated him. After Mattie died, it was a huge for us on so many level. Particularly not hearing him and seeing his projects in process throughout our home.
Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins.
- Number of people diagnosed with the virus: 68,013,571
- Number of people who died from the virus: 855,647
This morning, I got up early because I had to get myself together, breakfast made, my dad up, showered, dressed, given breakfast, started laundry, and completed cognitive exercises with my dad, prior to leaving the house at 10am. My mom had a 10:30am appointment in Arlington, VA with HealthQare for an ultrasound of her legs. If you have read my blog before then you know I am SUPER critical of most doctors and our healthcare system. Which is why when you find a well run practice, it stands out in my book. I would HIGHLY recommend HealthQare for any vascular issues. The office claims that they "deliver exceptional, patient-centered, personalized care across all service lines. When you visit our center in Arlington, you will notice a difference the moment you arrive, starting with our friendly, welcoming staff. Our center strives to be the premier source for vascular care with a focus on patient education."
This quoted line above is not just a nicety, it is a reality. They are correct, as soon as you walk in the door, you are greeted, people working in the office seem happy and want to help you! This patient centered approach wasn't just with the admin. It was true for the ultrasound tech, the physician assistant and the physician who worked with us. They allowed me to go back into the office with my mom and they conducted a thorough ultrasound both seated and standing of her legs. Honestly we were in the office for two hours. Each and every person was kind, respectful, competent, and very patient focused. This office and practice needs to be cloned.
The good news is there is nothing vascularly wrong with my mom. She doesn't have chronic venous insufficiently like her primary care doctor suggested. Of course we are seeing a cardiologist in two weeks to rule out heart issues, but I stick with MY first diagnosis, she overused her feet in physical therapy and this caused swelling in her ankles and foot. Right now she is wearing compression soaks to help with the swelling and we will monitor her progress. But overall, she got an excellent report.
In the process of our three hour time away from home, we both felt better. Certainly going to a doctor is not anyone's highlight, but it actually was a major change in our routine and we did not have my dad in tow. In fact, the office would not allow him to come. Only one person was allowed with my mom. So my dad stayed at home with Peter and Peter assisted him through his occupational therapy session. Needless to say, we appreciated the diversion, getting out of the house, and interacting with cognitively intact people.
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