yeah, that's where we be...arrived back in the Ol' Pueblo at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon via Southwest, which still allows FREE checked bags, folks...consider SW next time u need to fly. We live in a rural area that is designated "Open Range", hence the title of this posting. For those of you NOT in the know about such a designation, it means that the area you are driving through is not fenced and that very large mammals (cows, horses, etc.) are free to cross your path when they choose. Be wary!
It was warm (mid 60s) w/ some high clouds on the drive to Diamond Bell. Found that our super-duper mail service had not restored delivery, as requested, so we had no bills and junk mail to peruse afterward. Vern settled in just fine. He's doing remarkably well....no pain, NO GAIN (lost about 20 lb in 10 days!), and even walked 45 minutes with me Friday evening when i returned from office/town. We're planning on walking a bigger one today since it's quite sunny and will be around 70.
We'd been gone 10 days. Our 5 li'l darlin's were frantically missing us, despite the reputation of catzzz as being aloof. Panda desperately needed us to LET ME-OWWWWWWWWTTT...he is the only one among them who ventures out into Wile E. World. The 10 litter boxes we left were in various stages of dissarray. Some were almost pristine; others were loaded to overflow. I spent a half hour sweeping and vacuuming, depending on the degree of sullying. Due to the stench of cat pee in our 2nd bathroom, which is used by V, guests, and the catz, V spent an afternoon this week taking up the linoleum floor and baseboard. Afterward, he had to use Lysol on it at least three times to get rid of the pee smell. We're going to replace the floor with ceramic tile.
Outside, we found a good percentage of the roof of my greenhouse scattered into the next county. (I should explain that the California storm we experienced in SD moved to AZ shortly thereafter. It brought 75 mph wind gusts and lotsa rain to the Tucson area. Since we live at an elevation of about 3500 ft, we receive more wind than those down in the desert floor.) Our neighbor to the north's son, Gary Jr., fetched a bunch of the polycarbonate panels and stockpiled them for safekeeping. Most were broken and are now unusable. Vern emailed the vendor, who will get back with us with a quote. And the damn greenhouse, which was yet to be functional BEFORE we left cuz of V's procrastination and weather, is sooooo not functional now. If the replacement costs are more than our homeowner's deductible, we will seek relief from State Farm.
V has one more week of computer mahh jong and solitaire at home, then it's back to guarding the prison. He drove the truck back from the dump yesterday and did okay. We both believe that the restriction on driving that the doc recommends is related to pain med use rather than physical capability to maneuver a vehicle. Still, i drove only in short spurts locally after my surgery to be sure that the internal wounds would heal without stress, and he is doing the same. I had to lug our aptly-named luggage all over San Diego and back becuz of his "lifting" restriction. What a pain...i had a sprained hand for a few days from it.
While in SD, we stayed at a Travelodge in La Mesa, CA, which is 10 miles from downtown SD and 19 miles from Scripps Memorial Hospital, where surgery was performed. If it hadn't been for the torrential rain and high winds, I would have had an easy commute back and forth to the hospital. As it was, I prayed most of the time I was en route cuz visibility was ZERO. Fortunately, the rain ended on Friday. We went to Mission Beach on Saturday, where Vern spooked around a homegrown motorcycle show on the cul de sac, and i did a brisk 2-mile trek on the beach walk. i would have done more, but the walkway was PACKED, becuz the outdoorsy natives and tourists had been confined to their digs for 4 days during the stormy weather, and everyone needed a sunshine fix.
On Sunday, we lounged at the hotel pool for several afternoon hours. We were the only folks there, probably since checkout is at 11 a.m. and checkin is not until 4 p.m. Most of those who were in SD for the weekend were gone. The sun shone all day long, uninterrupted by any clouds. V got a sunburn on his rotund belly. I don't usually burn, just brown like a holiday turkey. Mid-week, I wrote a review of the hotel, which is now posted online. You can read it by cutting and pasting the following URL and clicking on the review by MamaToucan, Wilkes-Barre, PA (my pseudonym, to protect me from identification by hotel mgt):
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g32579-d83269-r54546480-Travelodge_La_Mesa-La_Mesa_California.html
We were up early on Monday to prepare for my visit to the endocrinologist (Dr. Dailey), who has managed my diabetes medication since 2003. He was elated at my successful loss of weight and the general decline in blood sugars. I had a bunch of bloodwork at Scripps Clinic afterward. I rec'd the results yesterday, which showed all things in order. My long-term blood sugars were slightly higher than a diabetes-free person, but were within the low bounds of a controlled diabetic. That is good news, since I am using no meds to control it! Rec'd a note from Dr. D w/ a printout of lab results that advised me to keep an eye on blood glucose (random tests) until i see him again in June.
I learned this week from the Forest Supervisor that she covets my parking space adjacent to the Fed'l bldg, which I was graciously provided about 5 years ago because of difficulties presented by my right foot post-surgery in 03. The handicapped slot is no longer available, and I am going to have to make alternative parking arrangements. It was not a surprise to me that this happened, given my weight loss and ability to walk long distances without pain. Plus, the Forest had to pay about $600/yr to GSA for the spot.
This posting appears to be winding down, as it has deteriorated into reporting the mundane....so i leave readers with a wish for peace and love in their lives.
a
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
High Noon
He's baaaaaaaaackkkkkkkk!
Vern got sprung from Scripps Memorial Hospital at high noon today. Radiology ran a GI test this morning to ensure that his re-plumbed innards were not leaking fluids. He said he almost barfed after ingesting 3 gulps of the nasty stuff that glows in the dark.
After I fetched him, we stopped at CVS in Pacific Beach to get him mas drogas and liquid nutrition (chicken broth)and to show him the massive waves that came in with the latest El Nino storm. He's uncomfortable, but not ill, and is managing to move around fairly well. Already took a dump and ruined the air quality in the hotel room.
My role is to watch that he doesn't overdo it and to change the dressing on a tube he has inserted in his large bowel as a pressure relief valve. I didn't have the pleasure of wearing that little jewel becuz I do not have sleep apnea. Apparently, those who do sukkk a lotta wind into their belly and it can back up in the bowel and blow out the nice needlework that the doctors added at the new plumbing connections. So he gets to wear the tube til Tuesday, when, if all is well, the doc will remove it.
The next few days here should be quiet and hopefully, less rainy and windy. By Saturday, I hope to be walking 4 miles again on the Beach Walk in the SUN, while V lounges on a park bench and watches the waves and the sparsely-clad females who jog by.
More updates as they happen. Familia en Tennessee, stay high and dry!
a
Vern got sprung from Scripps Memorial Hospital at high noon today. Radiology ran a GI test this morning to ensure that his re-plumbed innards were not leaking fluids. He said he almost barfed after ingesting 3 gulps of the nasty stuff that glows in the dark.
After I fetched him, we stopped at CVS in Pacific Beach to get him mas drogas and liquid nutrition (chicken broth)and to show him the massive waves that came in with the latest El Nino storm. He's uncomfortable, but not ill, and is managing to move around fairly well. Already took a dump and ruined the air quality in the hotel room.
My role is to watch that he doesn't overdo it and to change the dressing on a tube he has inserted in his large bowel as a pressure relief valve. I didn't have the pleasure of wearing that little jewel becuz I do not have sleep apnea. Apparently, those who do sukkk a lotta wind into their belly and it can back up in the bowel and blow out the nice needlework that the doctors added at the new plumbing connections. So he gets to wear the tube til Tuesday, when, if all is well, the doc will remove it.
The next few days here should be quiet and hopefully, less rainy and windy. By Saturday, I hope to be walking 4 miles again on the Beach Walk in the SUN, while V lounges on a park bench and watches the waves and the sparsely-clad females who jog by.
More updates as they happen. Familia en Tennessee, stay high and dry!
a
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Vern Is On Drogas (Druggzz)
Amigos y Familia,
We flew to San Diego on Sunday morning, arriving at 10:30 a.m. Rented a car and drove to the Travelodge to see if we could check in early. No dice. Desk clerk took our phone number and promised to call when our room was ready. Sooooo we drove to Pacific Beach, parked on the next street over from our favorite digs, the Pacific Terrace Hotel (now pricewise in the stratosphere), and walked 4 miles along the paved Beach Walk.
It was a brisk wind off the Pacific that chilled the flesh despite that fact that some locals breezed by nekkid from the waist up as they skateboarded, roller-bladed, or biked alongside us pitiful walkers. After we did the 2 miles up to the Life Guard Station at Belmont Park, we walked the return trip thru an alley that runs between houses on Mission Blvd and houses on the Beach Walk. It cut down on the icy wind except where the paths to the beach intersected the alley.
Afterward, we headed up to Jasmine Chinese Restaurant for dim sum (Chinese brunch), my first attempt at ingesting such since my surgery. It was quite enjoyable....I was careful to choose shrimp filled delites instead of pork or any other meat, and I peeled off the noodles in which the delites are wrapped. Well, all except some of the pot stickers, which indeed have ground pork in them and yummy fried dough. I also popped a 1-inch-diameter egg custard into the trough. Everything went down well and I was real pleased to have been able to join Vern for the treat.
As we finished our dim sum, the hotel called, and we journeyed back over to La Mesa, the San Diego 'burb in which it is located. Our first room faced the street, and when the front desk clerk phoned about 5 minutes into our unpacking, she asked how we found the accommodations. I expressed my concern about the street noise (trucks, sirens etc.) in light of Vern's impending slaughter. A few minutes later, she phoned and had switched rooms for us for a second floor berth on the back side of the building. We slept like babes in fuzzy blankets.
What a nice gesture. The place is owned by a family of Asian Indians, who are very cordial and maintain an immaculate lodging. Our room rate is 37.99 on week nights and 47.99 for the weekend. For 9 nights, we are paying 371 total. And, Expedia took $50 off that (down to 320) because i put it on their MasterCard. Great deal. We paid 125 per night for a room at the Hilton Garden Inn during my surgery. Granted, we were a stone's throw from the hospital, but the place did not have a free breakfast (Vern paid 12 + tip each morning) and the rooms were comparable in size. Not the newest interior at the Travelodge, but not Dogpatch either.
On Monday, V had to see the doctor for a mini-physical and visit the hospital for pre-admission tests. He had an EKG, blood work, ultrasound and X-ray. It was a lonnnng day becuz the doc was late to arrive to the office, and there were 2 other surgery candidates awaiting the same tests. He passed with flying colors and we left the hospital complex around 4 pm. A raging storm was underway as we departed. V got soaked fetching the car. Becuz of the weather, we opted not to venture downtown to Vincenzo's for Italian. Instead, V's druthers was Barbarella's, a quaint funky bistro in La Jolla Shores that was empty due to the weather. I had French onion soup with extra cheese, and for his last meal, Vern chose the Barbarella-burger and fries. We were outta there by 5:15, and it was a hellacious ride to the hotel in the wind and rain.
At the hotel, Vern then proceeded to gag down a bottle of cherry magnesium citrate, which of course, by its name, infers the effects of magnesium on one's large intestines. He spent the evening shooting flames from his posterior and continued well into the morn. We arose at 4:30 and headed to the cutting room.
I said adios to him at 7:45, by which time he was heading to dreamland and the OR. I waited til 10:15, when the doc and his assistant doc came in and told me he did just fine. Said it was routine and he would be in Recovery for at least 3 hours becuz he has sleep apnea and they need to monitor his oxygen level to be sure he'll heal well.
I headed back to the hotel to do some office work, and when I called Recovery at 1 pm they said he'd be ready to head to the room in 30 minutes. I departed the hotel in yet another hurricanelike storm. There was a tornado watch thru 3:15 pm for the area, and man, the wind was fierce. I hate driving behind SUVs and of course, semis. Could not see a damn thing. Just prayed for safekeeping.
When V was wheeled out of the elevator around 3 pm, he was alert and chatting with his attendants. But after we got him settled in the room, the meds took hold again and he was snoring for the duration of my 1.5 hr visit. Given the crappy weather, I begged his indulgence, saying that I wanted to leave before it got dark (about 5:30 this time of year).
No problem-o. All he feels like doing right now is ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. So here i am sat in the hotel and writing a summary of the surgery for y'all. I'll be heading back manana a.m. and will update u later in the day. If all is well, he will be discharged on Thurs. We'll spend the remainder of the week and weekend here in La Mesa and he will see the doctor next Tuesday to be released to fly home in the afternoon. He's had his last Barbarella-burger for awhile.....sigh.
I didn't mention that our visit included my seeing the doctor as well for my 3 month appointment. I've dropped 60 lb and feel just wonderful. A very good report indeed, even with dim sum in my belly.
Peace to all.
a
We flew to San Diego on Sunday morning, arriving at 10:30 a.m. Rented a car and drove to the Travelodge to see if we could check in early. No dice. Desk clerk took our phone number and promised to call when our room was ready. Sooooo we drove to Pacific Beach, parked on the next street over from our favorite digs, the Pacific Terrace Hotel (now pricewise in the stratosphere), and walked 4 miles along the paved Beach Walk.
It was a brisk wind off the Pacific that chilled the flesh despite that fact that some locals breezed by nekkid from the waist up as they skateboarded, roller-bladed, or biked alongside us pitiful walkers. After we did the 2 miles up to the Life Guard Station at Belmont Park, we walked the return trip thru an alley that runs between houses on Mission Blvd and houses on the Beach Walk. It cut down on the icy wind except where the paths to the beach intersected the alley.
Afterward, we headed up to Jasmine Chinese Restaurant for dim sum (Chinese brunch), my first attempt at ingesting such since my surgery. It was quite enjoyable....I was careful to choose shrimp filled delites instead of pork or any other meat, and I peeled off the noodles in which the delites are wrapped. Well, all except some of the pot stickers, which indeed have ground pork in them and yummy fried dough. I also popped a 1-inch-diameter egg custard into the trough. Everything went down well and I was real pleased to have been able to join Vern for the treat.
As we finished our dim sum, the hotel called, and we journeyed back over to La Mesa, the San Diego 'burb in which it is located. Our first room faced the street, and when the front desk clerk phoned about 5 minutes into our unpacking, she asked how we found the accommodations. I expressed my concern about the street noise (trucks, sirens etc.) in light of Vern's impending slaughter. A few minutes later, she phoned and had switched rooms for us for a second floor berth on the back side of the building. We slept like babes in fuzzy blankets.
What a nice gesture. The place is owned by a family of Asian Indians, who are very cordial and maintain an immaculate lodging. Our room rate is 37.99 on week nights and 47.99 for the weekend. For 9 nights, we are paying 371 total. And, Expedia took $50 off that (down to 320) because i put it on their MasterCard. Great deal. We paid 125 per night for a room at the Hilton Garden Inn during my surgery. Granted, we were a stone's throw from the hospital, but the place did not have a free breakfast (Vern paid 12 + tip each morning) and the rooms were comparable in size. Not the newest interior at the Travelodge, but not Dogpatch either.
On Monday, V had to see the doctor for a mini-physical and visit the hospital for pre-admission tests. He had an EKG, blood work, ultrasound and X-ray. It was a lonnnng day becuz the doc was late to arrive to the office, and there were 2 other surgery candidates awaiting the same tests. He passed with flying colors and we left the hospital complex around 4 pm. A raging storm was underway as we departed. V got soaked fetching the car. Becuz of the weather, we opted not to venture downtown to Vincenzo's for Italian. Instead, V's druthers was Barbarella's, a quaint funky bistro in La Jolla Shores that was empty due to the weather. I had French onion soup with extra cheese, and for his last meal, Vern chose the Barbarella-burger and fries. We were outta there by 5:15, and it was a hellacious ride to the hotel in the wind and rain.
At the hotel, Vern then proceeded to gag down a bottle of cherry magnesium citrate, which of course, by its name, infers the effects of magnesium on one's large intestines. He spent the evening shooting flames from his posterior and continued well into the morn. We arose at 4:30 and headed to the cutting room.
I said adios to him at 7:45, by which time he was heading to dreamland and the OR. I waited til 10:15, when the doc and his assistant doc came in and told me he did just fine. Said it was routine and he would be in Recovery for at least 3 hours becuz he has sleep apnea and they need to monitor his oxygen level to be sure he'll heal well.
I headed back to the hotel to do some office work, and when I called Recovery at 1 pm they said he'd be ready to head to the room in 30 minutes. I departed the hotel in yet another hurricanelike storm. There was a tornado watch thru 3:15 pm for the area, and man, the wind was fierce. I hate driving behind SUVs and of course, semis. Could not see a damn thing. Just prayed for safekeeping.
When V was wheeled out of the elevator around 3 pm, he was alert and chatting with his attendants. But after we got him settled in the room, the meds took hold again and he was snoring for the duration of my 1.5 hr visit. Given the crappy weather, I begged his indulgence, saying that I wanted to leave before it got dark (about 5:30 this time of year).
No problem-o. All he feels like doing right now is ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. So here i am sat in the hotel and writing a summary of the surgery for y'all. I'll be heading back manana a.m. and will update u later in the day. If all is well, he will be discharged on Thurs. We'll spend the remainder of the week and weekend here in La Mesa and he will see the doctor next Tuesday to be released to fly home in the afternoon. He's had his last Barbarella-burger for awhile.....sigh.
I didn't mention that our visit included my seeing the doctor as well for my 3 month appointment. I've dropped 60 lb and feel just wonderful. A very good report indeed, even with dim sum in my belly.
Peace to all.
a
Friday, January 15, 2010
Is Vern Ready for the Slaughter?
It's been a coupla months...wanted to let friends and family know that Vern is going under the knife on Tuesday, January 19th, having roux-en-y bypass surgery. He's the first one on the chopping block that day. oh goodie, i get to arise at 5 a.m. and accompany him to the hospital.
the reality of what's pending is beginning to affect his demeanor. i know the feeling quite well...he is anxious and excited and afraid and happy and optimistic and pessimistic, all at the same time. Makes for an interesting marital relationship.
despite my trials and troubles post-surgery, especially those dark, chilling moments as I lay on the cold slab marble floor in the john of my hospital room, awaiting SOMEONE to discover that "I'd fallen and can't get up!", I am 100% delighted with the outcome of my surgery. No more diabetes shots and medicines, substantial weight loss without much sacrifice, more energy than I've had since my pre-pregnancy years. Lots to which V can look forward.
i'll be back next week posting the outcome of his surgery.
blessings and peace to all.
a
the reality of what's pending is beginning to affect his demeanor. i know the feeling quite well...he is anxious and excited and afraid and happy and optimistic and pessimistic, all at the same time. Makes for an interesting marital relationship.
despite my trials and troubles post-surgery, especially those dark, chilling moments as I lay on the cold slab marble floor in the john of my hospital room, awaiting SOMEONE to discover that "I'd fallen and can't get up!", I am 100% delighted with the outcome of my surgery. No more diabetes shots and medicines, substantial weight loss without much sacrifice, more energy than I've had since my pre-pregnancy years. Lots to which V can look forward.
i'll be back next week posting the outcome of his surgery.
blessings and peace to all.
a
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