Tonight's picture was taken in October of 2006. Mattie was four and half years old and that day we went to a Fall Festival. We came across this giant pumpkin and we stopped to take a photo together. I remember this day as if it were yesterday! Prior to Mattie coming into my life, I had no feeling one way or the other about pumpkins. I certainly did not eat anything pumpkin. That all changed when Mattie came into my life. He helped me to learn to love the look and taste of this beautiful orange orb.
Quote of the day: How do you love someone and just… Walk away? Just like that. You just, go on as normal…. You get up, get dressed, go to work… How can you do that? How can you be okay with that? ~ Ranata Suzuki
After dropping my dad off at his memory care center, I returned home. This was what it was like coming down my block!
I took my mom to the hospital today for her pulmonary function test and examination. My mom is assessed every six months by a pulmonologist because she has two significant lung conditions, MAC [Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) lung disease is a rare but serious lung infection caused by the MAC bacteria. MAC is a type of nontuberculous mycobacteria that's found in soil, dust, and water.] and bronchiectasis [is a chronic lung disease that causes the airways to widen and become permanently damaged, making it difficult to move air in and out of the lungs].
My mom endured a Pulmonary Function Test today. She absolutely HATES this test. Since she has these lung conditions, breathing in, holding it, and blowing out are very debilitating for her!
This machine looks like a phone booth. It is used to show how well her lungs are working. The test measure lung volume, capacity, rates of flow, and gas exchange. A normal score is 80% or higher. My mom scored a 64%, down from her score of 68% in 2022.
The tech running the test was so concerned about my mom, that he gave her an albuterol treatment on the spot. He then questioned me as to why I wasn't having her use her inhalers daily! I told him he was mistaken, that she isn't on inhalers. But he kept pressing me. He made me so uneasy that I literally started questioning myself. I am juggling so much, that it is possible I could screw up! That feeling came and went, and then I gave it to him! NO my mom was NOT prescribed inhalers, and though it is in her chart, she only was given an inhaler in 2022, when she was ill. We disagreed back and forth, but when I confronted the doctor. Guess who was right? Correct, me! I have now gotten him to remove this from her medical record so that I do not have such an episode in the future.
My mom was concerned about her test score! So I gave her a reality check. I asked her if she felt physically bad? She said, "no." I asked her does she have trouble catching her breath when walking? She said, "no." Then I said to her, "as long as your quality of life isn't affected, then you need to forget about this test score. Let the doctor worry about it, not you!"
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