So much was happening this week, that I almost forgot.
It wasn’t until commenter Roberta gave me the geek signal (May the 4th be with you) that I snapped to attention.
Luckily, I had time this morning to dress for the occasion.
May the Falcon be with you.
A lot of goings on today. First was the telephone call from the Physician’s Assistant to give me results of the ER tests.
Leading up to the call, I received reminders during the week to expect the call between 12:30 and 1:30. At 1:00 sharp the phone rings. The PA identifies herself then asks, "How may I help you today?"
Insert pregnant pause, because the conversation starting off with "How may I help you" had me at a loss for words.
Once I found my words, said I was confused, she said she was responding to a call I’d made to my doctor’s office requesting the doctor call me back.
Yet another screw up by my provider.
"No", said I, "I was told a doctor would call me to go over test results".
It took a little while for her to do some research, but finally got it right saying, "Oh, I see".
Long and short of it is you readers are stuck with me a little while longer. Feeling dizzy fading in/out is attributed to "A temporary drying of kidneys due to dehydration". Something about a "Flotation Rate of 54 dropping to 48".
Odd diagnosis, but I guess I'll have to take their word for it and drink more water.
When I asked the PA how that relates to my BP running much higher than normal, she didn’t seem to even realize that had been an issue, but upped the medication dosage by half.
In the interim, I am to take my regular pill, then ¼ of another pill. A gradual build up so as not to drop BP too low.
So, there you have it. Much ado about very little.
Once the call was terminated and I was in the kitchen making lunch, I saw Next Door Neighbor’s two caregivers arrive.
So, that mystery is solved …… they are not live ins and NDN was up and around inside yesterday, able to remove the calendar from her door.
A short while later, I observed the caregivers gently leading NDN down the stairs and out to a car.
Another check up at the hospital perhaps?
But wait, there's more ……… shortly after NDN left, I heard banging and clanging.
Looking out the patio window, I spied a Budget Moving Van and Red Light’s family helping her to move out.
Like I said, lots going on today.
I just thought, that with the PA having handled the BP meds, I can cancel the June appointment with my doctor, who I’ve not seen in two years.
It's looking like you were correct, Linda in Kansas, about access to doctors being replaced by Masters Level providers. At the rate it’s been going, I expect I'll never see my regular doctor again and, hopefully, be blessed with no issues in future that cause me to have to deal with the Medical Center again.
This time it really was an earthquake.
While sitting on the couch this afternoon, I felt the couch jump.
That wasn’t me … That really was an earthquake this time, I said to myself.
After checking my phone for the time (1:49 pm) I logged onto the Earthquake Tracker and learned it was a 4.1 9km (5.59234 miles) SW of Corona 1:49 pm.
It felt so mild that I doubt many were aware we’d had yet another quake.
Earlier in the day, as I headed out for this morning’s workout, I saw the office had posted this month’s calendar to our doors.
Walking Club is twice this month — on the 7th and 21st, but the time has been changed from 15 minutes to 30 (8:45/9:15 instead of 8:45/9:00).
Also on the calendar is "Mothers Day Brunch", Friday, May 10, 12pm-2pm.
Listed on the 14th is another Mother’s Day event ("Social: Mother’s Day Celebration, 11am – 12:15pm").
Why two Mother’s Day events?
Your guess is as good as mine, but I think residents will respond, dress up, show up.
I won’t know for sure because I don’t plan on attending either event. Not just because my food choices are so limited that I’ll not be able to eat anything they serve, but because since bingo shut down and I’m no longer burdened with being sociable/participating, I’m really enjoying retreating into myself, not participating in anything going on around here ……… other than the Walking Club.
And to tell you the truth, I was hoping the Walking Club was over, wouldn’t be listed on this month’s calendar.
I think Activity Director is enjoying Walking Club, whether or not anyone shows up or not and she has to walk alone, because she’s somewhat training for a 5K.
I don’t recall how she learned 5Ks are my thing, but she’s been asking me a lot of questions about them, trying to work herself up to registering for one.
Inasmuch as Walking Club is still on the calendar, barring unforeseen circumstances, I plan to participate, but not push myself as I did last walk.
Last few days has been caregivers going in/out of Next-Door Neighbor’s unit so often I thought perhaps they are live ins, especially since I saw them doing her laundry day before yesterday.
However, when I returned from this morning’s workout, the Monthly Calendar was still posted to her door and the blinds appeared shut tight again.
Oh No! Is this going to be Déjà vu all over again, thought I.
The afternoon wore on, the calendar remained posted until fortunately, just as I was finishing up this post, a little after 5pm, I heard her door open and now see the calendar has been taken inside.
I've not seen the caregivers today, so perhaps NDN is up and about on her own.
I could call and check on her, but I don't want to get too involved, get myself sucked into anything.
Tomorrow is moving day for Red Light, but I don’t think we’ve seen or heard the last of her. Turns out her new apartment is only 39 minutes 23 miles from here.
She doesn’t drive, but she’s so into what goes on here that she’ll find a way to keep her fingers in the pie.
But for the fact the Mother's Day Brunch indicates "residents only", I wouldn't have been surprised to hear Red Light showed up.
I’m still here, on this side of the veil, going through the motions of my normal day-to-day activities, except without coffee and other stimulates that cause a rapid rise in BP.
So far so good in bringing the pressure down from the danger zone, fewer instances of being lightheaded, fading in/out, woozy.
Consequently, I'm taking granddaughter's dream as more of a warning, rather than a predetermined event, but we shall see.
In the meantime, life goes on as Justin and the Boys ring in the month of May.
Enjoy!
Color me doubtful Next Door Neighbor is, as her son said "Doing okay" because yesterday I spied what looked to be a care team of two visiting nurses exiting her unit.
As for me, first priority for yesterday was to get the button on the phone fixed, but before heading out for technical assistance I turned to Google where I learned it’s not unusual for that button to fail.
It just picked the worst possible day to fail on me.
A so-called easy fix was to go into the settings, remove "swipe" replace with "one tap".
That worked because, shortly after changing the settings, a call came in from the medical center and I had no problem tapping in.
Individual on the line was calling to schedule an appointment with my doctor to go over the test results.
Good luck with that, thought I.
As she began checking the doctor’s schedule, I could hear her on the line going "hmmmmm?"
"It looks like your doctor is booked very far ahead".
"Ha! Welcome to my world", thought I.
It’s so difficult to get in to see my doctor that I’ve not seen her since August of 2022, and I won’t even bore you with how it was the visit solved nothing.
It’s not that she’s a bad doctor, it’s just that the medical center’s system is broken and fixed to particular procedures I'm guessing the doctors have to follow if they want to continue to be employed there ………… us members are fast food and pushed through with various medications. Focus is never on solving what brought us there in the first place.
Like the time I had an allergic reaction to something. Luckily, I managed a one-day appointment with a doctor new to the Center who examined my legs, arms, said, "I don’t know what that is, but here, let's give you a shingles shot".
I kid you not. A medical professional uttering the words, "I don't know what that is" and left it at that. Didn't call anyone else in. Didn't try to research.
I walked out with what I came in with.
I’ve had to research symptoms, find holistic ways to cure what ailed me then and since.
And when I did have a problem holistic could not help and called or texted the doctor’s office, I’d run into Know-It-All Beoches whose job it was to shield the doctor from being bothered. This created such a problem for me last time that I had to go to the clinic down the street for care and later file a complaint against the doctor’s care team.
So, anyway, "Let's see if I can book you with another doctor" said the woman on the line.
More "hmmmmm?"
Finding no doctor available in the near future, I was asked if I’d be comfortable with a video visit.
That would be no. Too much technology for me who didn’t even know the TV wasn’t working because the cable box had been turned off.
The call ended with my being scheduled for a phone visit next week to go over the test results …… not with a doctor, but with a "physician’s assistant".
That sounds like code for a Know-It-All Beoch, but it doesn’t matter, because it’s going to be the usual bull crap whether coming from a doc or an assistant.
I already know the tests are not going to solve the mystery of fading in/fading out. I’ll probably get the standard pat answer they give everyone, that it’s due to aging, so eat healthy, get in some exercise, maybe even lose some weight.
In the interim, watching my BP run high first thing in the morning, then fluctuate from high to low to high during the day (165/74 …… 146/61 …… 124/54 …… 141/63), my instincts are telling me to avoid the stimulates I’m so fond of for the time being, like coffee, jalapeno peppers, chili peppers, anything that might cause BP to spike.
Other than that, it’s business as usual, with still the occasional lightheaded sensation, as I wait to hear what this Physician’s Assistant has to say on Thursday.
Thanks for all the good wishes and concern.
I'm not a fatalist, but I'm good with whatever.
On the other hand, perhaps I am a bit of a fatalist because for quite some time, I've been going through the motions, taking life as it comes, having fun with it, but not all that vested in it. I equate myself to the character Beth from the TV comedy-drama "Good Girls".
One particular scene Beth did sums up how it's been for me for far longer than I care to admit.
I did say in a recent post that life can literally turn on a dime, a healthy today is not promised for tomorrow.
And so it was I went from going Beastmode on Wednesday to a visit to the Emergency Room this afternoon.
Sitting at the computer around 4:00 yesterday, the room suddenly began to rock and I got so lightheaded that I had to grab onto the edge of the table to steady myself.
EARTHQUAKE!, thought I.
Logging into the Earthquake Tracker, I found no such event.
Interesting, thought I.
When waves of lightheadedness, sort of a fade in/fade out sensation continued on/off remainder of the afternoon, I began to think I might be having mini strokes.
Waking up this morning, feeling my usual self, I decided not to push it — skip Zumba, stick with the regular Pain Cave workout.
Just as I opened the door to head to the Cave, I came face-to-face with Next Door Neighbor’s son as he opened their door to head out.
"Good morning" said I and asked "Is L____ back from the hospital?".
"Yes".
"How is she?".
"She’s okay".
Like mother, like son. She’s a private person and he’s must be the same as he was not giving away any more than he had to.
As I was driving out of the complex, I saw him standing just outside the gate having a smoke.
Ha! NDN is back, so there will be no more Hanky Panky, if that’s what it was, or smoking inside her unit.
Shortly after returning to the complex, that fade in/fade out sensation began again.
Along about 12:30, granddaughter called and when I tried to accept the call, the button on the phone would not work.
Before I could call her back, she called again.
Still, the button would not work, but I got through before she could try a third time.
She sounded relieved and said she’d been worried when I hadn’t answered because "I had a dream my mom called last night to tell me you died".
Well, shit! but here’s the thing ………… I don’t mind going, I just don’t want to go slow with a stroke. Prefer to just go all at once.
So, taking granddaughter's dream as a sign, I called the medical center appointment line, where I had to run the gauntlet of that which is known as the appointment nurse.
When I described my symptoms, instead of scheduling the next available appointment — sometime in June, she directed me to head to the ER.
Six hours later, I was back home fading in/fading out, no wiser as to what the problem is and not an ounce of faith the doctor knows either.
Upon arrival at the medical center, I was checked in rightaway, directed to the waiting room.
It was a short wait until I heard my name called, stood up, began walking towards the nurse, who looked at me, called my name again with a question mark.
I signaled yes as her eyes and voice questioned if I was the correct Shirley.
While escorting me to the room, she said, "I was expecting an 80-year-old. I questioned it because you look 60".
Cool. I’ll take it.
As she was setting up a chart, she went on to say, "I’m 54. I hope I look as good as you when I’m 80. Do you still drive?"
ROFLMAO!
"Yes, so rest assured you will be able to drive when you’re 80".
The compliments did not help my symptoms as I continued to fade in/fade out.
I declared "IMPOSSIBLE!" when my BP registered 177 over I don’t remember.
The nurse took it three more times ………… Once while I was lying down, once sitting up, once standing. The best she could get was 169/80.
On the surface, the ER doctor seemed thorough and professional as he asked the appropriate questions, ran me through several tasks, said my dexterity and brain function were normal ………… not a series of mini strokes.
That was a relief as fading in/fading out arrived in waves while I was in the ER.
Doc ordered the usual lab work and said I should talk to my doctor about effectiveness of the BP medication.
Sure, I’ll do that just as soon as I can ……… which will be Tuesday, June 11.
Saying my heartbeat was "faint" he also ordered an EKG.
After the EKG, I was directed to go to the Lab for work, return to the ER after.
Once back in the ER, I was told there would be a 45 minute to an hour wait for the test results to come in, whereupon I’d be ushered back into the doc’s office.
Up until then, because of my symptoms when I'd arrived at the ER around 2:00, I'd immediately been put on the fast track ……… it took not much time to get checked in, see the nurse, the doctor, run through the questions/tasks, the EKG and lab work. So let’s say it was now around 3:30/4:00.
From there, I waited and waited and waited and waited and waited — I guess for the doc to tell me his findings.
I used the time to read a few more chapters of The Old Gays Guide to the Good Life until, along around 5:00, I began to question why bother.
They've made money off me running their little tests and procedures, not gonna find a damn thing, figure out or, like always, solve the actual problem. It's not a stroke, which was my main concern, so why stick around? I’ll give them until 6:00.
At 6:00 on the dot, I got up, walked out, headed home.
Phone rings at 6:12. It was my personal physician’s office.
I pull over but couldn’t answer because …… the button.
My personal physician's office called two more times and, on that third time, the button worked.
I apologized for not answering the previous calls, explained my phone isn’t working properly.
"That’s okay" says the assistant. "Are you still in the ER?"
Who told? How’d did that office know?
"No. I got tired of waiting and since they won’t figure out what’s wrong anyway, I left".
"Oh! Okay. I’ll put that in the notes".
Then the ER doctor called.
I couldn’t answer.
He called again, left a voice message "I have a few things to discuss with you".
He should have left a direct number for me to call him back, because when I tried, I ended up at the appointment line.
Whatever he had to discuss, I’m sure it’s not what I want to hear which is an answer as to why I continue to fade in/fade out ……… even as I’m typing this.
