THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOLUME 63 FEBRUARY 2011
Dear Readers,
I opened the deck door this morning and gingerly stepped out only to find myself flying Bambi style across it - fortunately I managed to grab the patio table before I literally hit the deck. I decided to cancel your dad's appointment scheduled for this afternoon with his urologist at KU Med - fearing that the trip on icy roads would be more hazardous to his health than his prostrate cancer. I didn't think your dad would appreciate me skating around the KU Med parking garage with his wheelchair – he's nervous enough under the best of conditions about my ability to negotiate obstacles like curbs without sending him flying. I think he should be grateful that he married someone young enough and strong enough to be able to push him around in one!
Ethan “volunteered” to skate to the mailbox and push the garbage can to the curb for me. He ended up trying to stay on the grass as much as possible because it was so slick on the cement: watching him slip and slide I congratulated myself on my wise decision to stay indoors all day.
Sean and Josh invited us over to watch a movie one weekend recently and I spent time cleaning in the kitchen – I had hoped that their new counter-tops, beautiful farm style stainless steel sink and high end faucet would be a great incentive to be more house proud but unfortunately they still seem content to wallow in the muck and mire of their bachelor pad. They so desperately need some neat freak girlfriends.
Over the last few months I have noticed that my vision seems to be diminishing so I made an eye appointment and was devastated to learn that I have cataracts. I asked the doctor how someone my age could possibly be stricken with such a thing- she assured me that it wasn't that unusual and she reminded me that one of the side affects of taking Tamoxifen was the early onset of cataracts. She thought they would be ripe for surgery in about three years. Apparently they are contributing to my night time driving difficulties. It seems that I am rapidly approaching old age before I am even comfortable with being middle aged! But worse was to come. A few days later I was chomping on a breakfast bowl of Special K when I bit down on something hard. I assumed it was a piece of almond shell and spit it into my napkin. I took a few more mouthfuls and found my tongue straying to a very rough feeling tooth. I explored my back teeth by sticking my finger in my mouth .What I felt was alarming enough to send me racing for a mirror which showed that I had lost part of a tooth. I put my reading glasses on and checked in the napkin, now seeing that the “nut shell' was actually part of my tooth. I called the dentist and am now $1000.00 poorer as the tooth had to be crowned – you'd expect diamonds for that price! The dental office declared this the first loss of a tooth to Special K in their history and seemed to find the whole thing very amusing. The dentist explained that as we age our teeth tend to fracture more easily. I realized that two health professionals had diagnosed me as having age related health issues within a week. I immediately regretted weaning myself off my anti depressant- could anything be more depressing than to be told you are obviously a card carrying ARRP member? I'm wondering if it's worth maintaining my natural hair color at this point!
Coryn has enjoyed many snow days recently – interesting that we were able to make it to the movie theater on one of them to enjoy 'The King's Speech' – very worthwhile seeing- and I was amazed to note that the theater was full that afternoon of hordes of women who I suspected were usually in the classroom at that time. It would seem that people have no problems getting anywhere other than school. I told Coryn that I was glad to see that our tax dollars were being wisely spent by her school district. I don't think she has worked five days a week since school resumed after the Christmas break.
Ethan spent his last weekend here watching the Super Bowl: he was almost sandwiched on the couch between two geriatrics - fortunately Josh arrived to save him from this fate. Bryn and Sean were attending a friend's party and Coryn and Jeremy had other plans too. Maybe it will be game on for me next year? However a few days later we were all together for a farewell dinner before Ethan left to return to England so perhaps it was just as well that I didn't have to cater two big bashes back to back.
Norm and I took Ethan to the airport on Thursday and fortunately the weather was not a factor. It seems that we have had ice and snow to contend with since the start of the new year. Ethan is now safely home again.
Your dad had his rescheduled appointment with his urologist and once again his PSA is rising so the doctor feels that it might be time to start hormone therapy again. Your dad has elected to wait for a couple of months because he is having numerous seizures again and doesn't feel that he needs any thing else to deal with now. The doctor did prescribe some medicine to help with his urinary flow – interestingly enough I think it's the same stuff that Marc has to take. Quite unusual to have one's relatively young son taking the same medicine as his aged father. Too bad Marc doesn't live here as he could double up with his dad on doctor's appointments and prescriptions.
Taking your dad to KU Med is quite a challenge at this time as the hospital is undergoing some major building work and the roads leading to the parking garage are jammed with bumper to bumper cars all trying to find a place in the multi level parking lot that always seems to be full irregardless of what time of day one goes. The spaces in the garage are so small that even if one manages to find one the chances of being able to open all four car doors are very slight - even for my compact car! I don't think I have ever found a handicap space open in the three years we have been using the facility. So once I've succeeded in getting your dad in the wheelchair I usually have to push him quite a way to the elevators which are barely big enough to hold one patient in a wheelchair - leave alone the usual hordes trying to get on board. This last trip six of us squeezed in with Norm in his wheelchair because people were so concerned about being late to doctors appointments. One poor lady was worried to death that she was going to be so agitated by the time she reached her doctor's office that he would want to admit her! She claimed that she was so stressed out by the elevator ride because she was claustrophobic. I do hope that the hospital is going to improve the parking situation as I'm sure it's not a situation that helps anyone's health. I'm surprised that they don't have paramedics right there to triage all the drivers who are probably on the verge of a stroke or heart attack driving around and around trying to find a parking space. They could really drum up some business for the ER.
Today is gloriously warm and sunny, and for the first time in ages I was able to have your dad sit out on the deck basking in the sun as he so loves to do. Josh was here so I took advantage of the chance to take a long walk although I had to climb over snow piles here and there as no-one seems to be into clearing off their sidewalks in our neighborhood - despite our home owners association sending out an E-mail to remind us that we are legally responsible for them. I’m truly grateful to my neighbor who does ours with his snow blower and of course I had Ethan to help out with snow removal too! Quite a treat for him to experience his first American winter with snow on the ground for weeks and bone chilling temperatures. I'm sure he'll find it much warmer back in England.
Happy Valentines Day to all my readers, I always think of you all with heartfelt love but I barely have time to celebrate the day before I need to start preparing for your dad's eighty-third birthday and our thirty-sixth wedding anniversary in a few days! Love Mom
