Helen F. Graham Cancer Center Dr. Stephen Grubbs
(Today is the 10th Anniversary of the Center -- big article in paper)
Good time to be seeing Dr. Grubbs as dad is having some facial swelling and a little slurred speech. He says the radiation did nothing to resolve the impinging on the superior vena cava and perhaps a stint might be called for. We shall see.
(Today is the 10th Anniversary of the Center -- big article in paper)
Good time to be seeing Dr. Grubbs as dad is having some facial swelling and a little slurred speech. He says the radiation did nothing to resolve the impinging on the superior vena cava and perhaps a stint might be called for. We shall see.
Mom is listening to a podcast of Car Talk with Click 'n Clack, the Tappet Brothers, Tom and Ray Magliozzi, from the Good News Garage in Cambridge, MA, ... "My fair city ..." and she has my incomplete work on today's Crossword, which is tough.
Just finished a short post to Norma V. Nyhoff and looked up, thankfully, her zip + 4 to her apartment address in Duluth.
Had to post this on Facebook after my encounter with the dog-food buying lover of his recently deceased, prematurely, bulldog:
CHECKOUT EPIPHANY: Bare with me on this. At Pathmark, man buying dog food. No Pathmark card. Thinks food is on sale, it is not. Checkout clerk, young and willing to please, goes to see about price. I mention that to the man, "He's going to see about saving you some money", and he begins to tell me about his 3 dogs, now 2 since the untimely death of his beloved bulldog.
"Didn't expect him to die," he said. "I loved that dog so much." He went on to say that he expected an older dog with all kinds of age-related symptoms -- hearing and sight loss -- would die first. "We're not getting any more dogs after these two are gone," he said.
The transaction complete, he leaves the store and I will not see him, in all likelihood, ever again; and yet, he has left me with a touching story of love and loss that will remain. That's what I mean about the human(ism) touch. It is so exquisite and so powerful.
"Didn't expect him to die," he said. "I loved that dog so much." He went on to say that he expected an older dog with all kinds of age-related symptoms -- hearing and sight loss -- would die first. "We're not getting any more dogs after these two are gone," he said.
The transaction complete, he leaves the store and I will not see him, in all likelihood, ever again; and yet, he has left me with a touching story of love and loss that will remain. That's what I mean about the human(ism) touch. It is so exquisite and so powerful.
Today is Jezibel Anat's birthday, seems auspicious on Mischief Day for a pagan/goddess/witch like herself ought to be born on the day before Halloween.
Spent some effective time calling Comcast and getting the signal back on the Vizio TV in mom's room. It has to be placed on "Component" and not HDMI 1 or 2 or TV or AV. We went round and round Robin Hood's barn but got it going with the customer rep, a young woman with an accent who got to the bottom of it, not necessitating a visit from a Comcast employee.
Spent some effective time calling Comcast and getting the signal back on the Vizio TV in mom's room. It has to be placed on "Component" and not HDMI 1 or 2 or TV or AV. We went round and round Robin Hood's barn but got it going with the customer rep, a young woman with an accent who got to the bottom of it, not necessitating a visit from a Comcast employee.
The decisions after looking at the CT scans and talking to dad were the following: (1) the tumor was stable, it had not grown significantly and even though the Superior Vena Cava was narrowed, it was not causing any serious problems; (2) dad will take risperdal, an anti-depressant, at night to effectuate better sleep; and (3)Delaware Hospice, an organization that Dr. Grubbs has been associated since its inception in the early 80s will call (indeed, has called already -- tomorrow, Thursday, 2 p.m., will come to our place for a first meeting) to get things rolling in the hospice department.
Optician, not Jamie Horisk, who was at lunch, displays type, The Presbyopia Times, for dad to check out with his new lenses, a first for him of some 70 plus years. The initial results were not too positive but we have a week for him to get use to these progressives ... he did see well, distance-wise.
Took a nap this afternoon, shortly before 4 p.m. and was listening to WDAV, the classical station out of Davidson College in Davidson, NC, when I heard that the next piece would be Mozart's 31st Symphony. I eagerly anticipated listening and then awoke at its conclusion ... RATS!!!!
The Symphony No. 31 in D major, K. 297/300a, better known as the Paris Symphony, is one of the more famous symphonies by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, written at age 22.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNQuYPGdqiI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNQuYPGdqiI
Symphony No. 31 "Paris" in D major, K. 297/300a (1778):
1. Allegro assai
2. Andante
3. Allegro
Conductor - Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Wiener Philharmoniker
Musikvereinssaal Wien, 1984
1. Allegro assai
2. Andante
3. Allegro
Conductor - Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Wiener Philharmoniker
Musikvereinssaal Wien, 1984
Delaware Hospice has already called, a certain Mr. Dew (?), and made an appointment for Thursday, 2 p.m., at our home. Dr. Grubbs is a man of his word. He has gotten the ball rolling.
16 Polly Drummond Shopping Center
Newark, DE
(302) 478-5707
http://www.delawarehospice.org/programs-services/hospice-care
16 Polly Drummond Shopping Center
Newark, DE
(302) 478-5707
http://www.delawarehospice.org/programs-services/hospice-care
Just noticed that Joe Jacobs, a nephrologist in the Philadelphia area, liked a photo of Doug petting Dancer with mom looking on from this past weekend. Sent him an extended FB message in my request for his FB friendship. Good to see his presence on the social media behemoth.
This was a surprising FB IM from Brandy Brookshier. Arthur is going to send me a check for the amount that remains after repairs were made to his rental house on Pershing:
Took Dancer for a walk down Limestone across the road, it's busy at this hour as night comes on, and went into deer country next and in back of Limestone Acres. Walked down into the woods and then made an ill-advised decision to go up the hill and hit thick thorn bushes and had to turn back and slowly make my way down (followed Dancer and that helped).
- Conversation started September 19, 2011
- Today
Took Dancer for a walk down Limestone across the road, it's busy at this hour as night comes on, and went into deer country next and in back of Limestone Acres. Walked down into the woods and then made an ill-advised decision to go up the hill and hit thick thorn bushes and had to turn back and slowly make my way down (followed Dancer and that helped).
Made phone calls to immediate family and was successful in contacting all three ... got a text from Lindsay, who was at work; spoke to Nick, who just got back from Vegas (did not gamble because he had no money) and was at work; and finally, Susan, who was late to her church but gave me a few minutes to update her on dad, et al. It was a worthwhile walk of a little over 1.5 miles. A good way to conclude a wonderful day for dad but weatherwise, overcast, a little drizzly but still warm. Tomorrow we get to meet Delaware Hospice and new avenues open up in the care of my father in the last stage of his life.
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