Berkeley Weekend

My flight to Berkeley was a full week after the gum surgery, but there was still enough pain to make traveling an ordeal.  I was behind on everything due to having to take it easy that week. There were bills to finish paying, overdue errands and watering. I had to be sure to water everything because the weekend temperatures were supposed to be 115 degrees over the weekend. It was midnight before I got to sleep, and I set the alarm for 3 AM as I still needed to pack, shower and finish the dishes.  The whole day felt like "one foot after the other."

The Southwest Airlines plane I flew in had newly designed chair backs. The top pocket only fits the Southwest literature, so customers keep all their stuff in the net basket below. Less chance to forget something on the plane; good design.

The flight wasn't that difficult because I took one of the opioid painkillers before getting on the plane. Going through security is pretty easy for me lately because I seem to get "pre-check" all the time since I started flying so much. One of these times I won't get it and I'll probably feel quite huffy!  Soon my pain was gone and I dozed on the plane.

Taking BART was fun because it was the day of the Oakland city parade for the Golden State Warriors. Lots of excitement and people wearing Golden State Warriors gear.

Once in Berkeley, the painkiller had worn off and it seemed more difficult than usual to do the things I had to do to ensure that I would be able to make my "mushy" food meals all weekend. I bought a Cuisinart food-processor at the former Berkeley Hardware, go get potatoes, onions and vegetables at the former Andronico's, and lug everything to the bus stop. Of course I missed the bus that does the Campus Dr. Loop.

Display at Safeway, the former Andronico's:

I was quite impressed with Ariam, the aide who was at Campus Dr. when I arrived. She is a Eritrean Christian who has been in the US for five years and was married this year. A cheerful, pretty, "zaftig" girl with a lovely smile and long wavy brown hair. Her husband moved here four years ago, but she said he has less of an accent than she does, because he grew up in Saudi Arabia speaking English with the kids of other foreign workers, and had to speak English early on because that was the language they all used to talk to each other.because that was the language they all used to talk to each other. He is studying Computer Tech, and has already started a "starting up" (I think she means "start-up") company which uses a computer program to reserve places in different San Francisco parking lots owned by his boss. Very enterprising.

I was so tired, but I could not get much of a nap. By the time I cooked my cheesy mashed potato soup and washed the dishes associated with cooking and blending it, there were only fifteen minutes left before Ariam had to leave. I felt that I had to wash the dishes right away or else Ariam would have washed them, and that wouldn't seem right.  As soon as Karina got there at nine, I went up to sleep.

I have mentioned the coming hospital bed to Karina, Vivian, and Ariam, and they have all reacted with such pleasure and relief. 

Karina's new husband has gone back to Greece to wait until his papers are straightened out. He is with the police, there. He wants them to have a child but she worries about having a child at her age. She says that she didn't want to go ahead and get pregnant until they have actually lived together, "because maybe when we live together I find out we don't get along." Meanwhile she's working a full-time day job at a facility on top of the night job with us, because her boss would not let her go on vacation (from the facility) unless she promised to sub for another employee when she came back. 

It was good to have Vivian on Friday, as we know her well and I could take several naps during the day. The pain in my face just seemed to make me so tired.

 
I am sorry, Mom, that you did not like the way I washed your hair, by leaning you back in the wheelchair.   I didn't expect that you would find it unpleasant, as I was holding your head securely as I poured water over it, which went into a basin on a high stool under your head.

I discussed the subject  with "Abby" later, she suggested that if you don't like leaning back in that wheelchair, you could have been clenching your muscles tight, which could have made your muscles hurt. 

 However, your hair looked so much better clean! Vivian said she hadn't even known that it was so white and pretty. And the shampoo was over very quickly.

Before and after the shampoo:

It was such a hot day that you even asked to have your sweater taken off, and said you did not mind the fan being on overhead!

It was really nice to see you reading again, Mom! You looked at the papers almost all day. You would read a headline aloud, and we would discuss the subject.

   I was able to do do one of the transfers myself from the bed to the wheelchair. I had told Vivian I would try, and asked if could she listen in case I had to call for help. But you stood yourself up, and did the little steps to where you could be lowered onto the wheelchair. It felt really good to see you do that, Mom.

During the weekend we were able to read a few more chapters of the Yellow Dog book, one of the dog books which Helen sent.

A beautiful poster of a heron arrived, Audubon I think. Madelyn and you picked out some posters for her bedroom, Mom. There may be a painting from Sarah for that bedroom, so Sandy is waiting to see about that before he decides where the posters will go.

On Saturday, it was great seeing Dannette again. She and you had picked out a new outfit for you to wear to Mariah's wedding picnic on July 8th, Mom. After discussion with Sandy, I went ahead and ordered the outfit. We also picked out a straw-type hat which has a narrow back so it can be worn while sitting in a chair.

Sandy arrived home mid-afternoon. He definitely seemed refreshed by his two-day outing. He did some shopping down on the peninsula, and found a new route up to Inverness which he really likes, many ocean views. GPS sent him on this new route just because he chose a different cafe to have lunch in.

Because it was so warm outside, we went down to see Sandy's "little free library". I asked then if you wanted to go for a walk as well, Mom, and the answer was a quick and definite, "No."

Before she left, Dannette asked if either of us had experience making gluten-free pie crust because she wanted to try making a chicken pot pie, for you, Mom. We didn't, but after she left Sandy and I gave it a try, using the pulse setting on his Cuisinart food processor. I made a beef pot pie; I didn't think it was the greatest and you only had a few bites of it, Mom.  Sandy liked it enough (he tasted a small piece on the edge) that he plans to use it to try some fruit pies for the tea.

The night-time caregiver was Diana, and I warmed to her immediately. She in her early 70's, and is originally from Crowley (sp?) Louisiana, not far from New Orleans. When talking with her you feel like you are sitting on the porch at Jim Mercer's house. I thought she had a nice manner with you, Mom.

The reason that "Abby" was not there is that Saturday night was "Destiny Night". Many Muslims go to the mosque that night and pray for hours and hours, some all night. Prayers on that night are supposed to be more likely to be fulfilled.

I asked her if her name was short for Abigail, and I learned something interesting. Her actual name is "Abiodun" which is a Yoruba name used by both Muslims and Christians of that tribe, and it is used for both boys and girls.  In the Yoruba language, "Abi" means "born" and "odun" means festival. Christians of that tribe might be named "Abiodun" if they are born at Christmas, whereas Abby was born during Ramadan. She says many at school assume her name is Abigail and it doesn't bother her. (Nothing ever seems to bother "Abby"; she's blessed with one of the happiest personalities I've ever come into contact with.)

Vivian is also from Nigeria, but her tribe is Edo (sp?).

Sunday was still very hot, and I worked up a sweat while packing. But the pain had definitely grown weaker than it had been on my arrival. What a relief! The trip home was pretty easy.

Love to all,
Lennie

Good Week (Except for the Surgery and Pain)

On Sunday evening the 4th I had a nice time singing with my friend Laure, the first time we'd sung together since last winter. It had been a bit of a let-down that no one had rsvp'd to the music jam I had scheduled, (though I didn't regret scheduling it because getting ready for it finally gave me the motivation to get my "front rooms" and my patio neat and tidy).

And then Laure showed up anyway! She said that she had been too tired and grumpy from a day without air-conditioning to face meeting other people. But when she got my e-mail that the other people were not coming, and that I was "just going to go home and sing anyway and drink the beer and eat the cheese and crackers I'd bought for my guests" she called and asked if she could still come over.

We chatted and harmonized for a couple of hours, (and drank Dos Equis and ate cheese and crackers) and it was lovely!

Scheduling the music jam also motivated me to make five copies of the song booklet of old favorites which I'd compiled to use for my own practicing. Since I've been using it to practice with, I've realized that the same "collection" might be ideal for family music get-togethers, and much more packable than the big songbooks. The booklets each have two packets in a folder, and each packet has around 15 songs in it, with a table of contents on the front.

A couple of years ago, Kevin Gee gave me a piece of their tall many-armed "twisting" cactus, and that piece just bloomed! Too bad cactus blossoms bloom and die in just one day.

     I had a good dentist visit Monday morning the 5th, but the rest of the day I was worried and agitated. Why? A call to the periodontist's, made at a coffee shop stop right after the dentist appointment, revealed that the huge check I'd sent to pre-pay for Thursday's gum surgery had not yet been credited to my account! I felt so stupid for sending a cashier's check through the mails. I visited the bank where I have my savings account to buy large cashier's checks and money orders needed for  homeowner's insurance, my secured credit card payment, Ann for the airline tickets to India. I did little else for the rest of the day and evening than to watch one of the British DVDs I'd bought at Costco when I stopped that huge, crowded bustling place to order some photo prints. I went to bed too late and woke up at 3:00AM unable to sleep. 

     It was a huge relief when the periodontist's office called early Tuesday morning, even before they opened, to say that they found the check! I went  back to sleep for an hour and a half because I'd slept so little. The rest of the day was my usually busy Tuesday, getting drama papers ready, going to my weekly Arabic lesson at my tutor's apartment in Mesa, making copies for drama club, going to the Boys & Girls Club and finding out that drama club was not scheduled, going to the Apache Junction library just down the road from there and printing invoice from Intrepid Travel for the India trip, and e-mailing their U.S. agent about arranging extra hotel rooms at the beginning and end of the tour, yoga. I started to watch "The Great Train Robbery" but didn't make it through ten minutes of it!

     Wednesday I finally (it's been three years) had an eye appointment, and was so glad to find out that my prescription has changed little and that I have apparently not damaged my eyes with that three years of not wearing glasses. We got to the gym in time to have a good cardio session and still get to my 8:00 eye appointment on time. Dale Sr. drove me home because the dilation made driving in the Arizona summer sun next to impossible. The dilation drug seemed to put me rather "under the weather" and hours later I was still over-reacting to sunlight. I was relieved that my friend Alba canceled our afternoon coffee date, though we had a nice chat on the phone. Another on the list of friends whom I hadn't seen all this busy spring.

I spent the rest of the day indoors watching the remainder of "The Great Train Robbery" which I highly recommend. It is divided into "A Robber's Tale" and "A Copper's Tale". I've never seen Jim Broadbent play a character that "together", he's usually playing lovable losers. And actor Luke Evans was mesmerizing as the young mastermind of the robbery, leader of a gang of young South London criminals who had all gone to school together.

By the evening I felt recovered enough to sing through the first half of my song compilation, and enjoyed it. I really like having the songs in a "singable order" instead of alphabetically.

The Thursday surgery was, as expected, quite traumatic, and as I write this blog the following Tuesday, my face is still throbbing. As with the December part of the procedure, it seemed like I was given around 15 anesthetic shots, skillfully administered all around my upper and lower gums, but painful.The body rather goes into what feels a bit like shock, much as I concentrated on staying relaxed. Dr. Whetstone was very careful about making sure I was numb enough, adding a couple more shots of anesthetic later during the procedure because probes revealed that I was not completely numb up in the connective tissue. I found that I trusted him implicitly. 

     The ordeal was helped a bit by the personality interchange between the tall, athletic youngish periodontist and his assistant, the photographer, and a young intern girl, lots of jokes. The procedure is quite something, called "the tunnel procedure". Two slivers of flesh are removed from the connecting tissue at the top sides of the roof of the mouth. A tunnel is made in the gum under the very front teeth, and the slivers are pulled through it using what looks like red fishing line. Once the slivers are stuffed in there, short row of stitches is left on each sides of this tunnel, and also along the top left and right right below the inside of the teeth where the connective tissue was removed.
 

    When I heard him refer to the first sliver of flesh as "fish bait" in an aside to the intern, I asked in my mealy-mouthed way, to see it. Sure enough, it looked like a 1/2" long, 1/4" in diameter sliver of salmon-colored raw chicken meat, hanging from its red fishing line.

      The amazing thing is that the bit of tissue which is stuffed into the lower jaw will graft on to what is already there and continue to be living tissue. Most amazing of all, the place where it has been taken from will regenerate more!  He said that the good thing was that I had plenty of connective tissue up there, whereas some patients have little more than a millimeter.

    I asked him who invented the procedure, and he said "You know, I don't know. But I've been using it more and more because I get such good results with it." In spite of the pain, I am so grateful that someone invented it, and also that I can afford to have it done...(around $3,000 for the December part and $5,000 for what I just had done.)

    This is me with my swollen, bruised Marlon-Brando-as-the-Godfather jaw, the following day. 

     In some ways recuperation from this procedure is easier than from the December one, and in some ways more difficult. ln this second half of the procedure, all the "wounds" are stitched up, unlike the December procedure where large areas had to grow back onto the teeth on their own.This means I only had to stick to soup one day, then I could go right to the mushy food like mashed potatoes and gravy.

The down side is that there was much more pain in the following afternoon and the following day, than in the December procedure. especially in my lower front jaw. Not surprising when you realize that the lower front gums have been ask to stretch around quite a bit of new tissue.

      The assistant had given me a prescription for an opiate painkiller "just in case" but I was so glad that I insisted that we stop at Safeway on the way home and get it filled. The pain grew so bad first day, that during the last hour of each four-hour pill, I was counting the minutes until I could take it again. It would have been really difficult to go get the prescription filled after the pain got that bad. And it was in the class of drugs which is a controlled substance, someone else cannot get filled for you, you have to sign for it yourself. Also, you cannot drive a vehicle while you are on it. 

     Dale Sr. had made me some delicious butternut squash soup, but he hadn't finished making it yet, so I bought several canned soups at Safeway and blended them. What is surprising is that, not having eaten canned soup for years, I can't see now how I ever thought it was any good! A simple homemade potato cream soup with melted cheese in it is so much better! Canned soup just tastes so canned!

     I stopped the opioid painkillers at noon the following day, and switched to the prescription strength Ibuprofen. I still had quite a lot of pain, as the anti-inflammatory pills were tapered off it seemed like the pain even got a little worse. I re-watched a lot of old DVDs, the whole first season of "As Time Goes By", and "The Syndicate: All or Nothing" (which I also loved).

     Saturday morning we had to go to our dear friend Marilyn's memorial for her mother. I put makeup over my bruises, found something pretty but comfortable to wear, popped a prescription-strength Ibuprofen, and we went. I did all right, in fact I did just fine. It is a beautiful church (I always think the statues of the saints make a Catholic church look more homey than a Protestant church), and there was an incredibly good singer as part of the service. At the lunch afterward in the Catholic church social room, itwas fun talking to Judy Venuta who has been part of the Jerome Halloween weekend the last two years and who keeps inviting me to the Democratic women's group. But when Marilyn invited us to stop by her home with the rest of her family and close friends at the end of the lunch, I realized I was completely tired out. And I was hungry, there had been no mushy stuff to eat at the buffet at all!

     Below, Marilyn reads a poem as part of the service.

Below: Judy Venuta, Marilyn Giannone, and Jerry Gargalione.

    Sunday  I did little else besides the two things that one can't ignore (going through bills and watering dry plants). I just lay in bed watching more old DVD's. In the evenings I cleaned myself up and went to Starbuck's to check e-mail and check in with my anti-obesity group. I have gone from taking one prescription-strength Ibuprofen a day to none at all, and yesterday I did a couple hours of gardening. So things are better. There is still enough throbbing in my face to make me pretty grumpy, but it feels better to me not to depend on pain medication. Also, having to put everything in the blender before I eat it is getting pretty "old". I feel like I've washed that thing a hundred times!

    I did take one Ibuprofen before I went up to do Drama Club today. Actually I didn't have to do the club, because the activities director got a promotion to a bigger club.   I arranged with the interim director to start up the club on the 20th,  because this Thursday I'll be flying to Berkeley. I also walked around talking to kids and telling them what drama was and that we would be starting in a week. Now I'm at the library, doing this blog and the Ibuprofen is still keeping me without pain. 

Love, Lennie

That Was the Week That Was (Not Too Eventful)

Not too much happened this week, except for one accomplishment which is exciting to me but to no one else. I continued to catch up with friends and slowly getting our home back to livability. It's less hot this week, under a hundred degrees mostly....but more humid.

Saturday was very social. In the morning I had a nice meeting with the beading/embroidery group. Then at 3:00 I met my dear friend Laure, also at Starbuck's, and we had a great talk, so glad to see each other again. My school schedule kept me so busy and she had broken her ankle. She is doing so much better the diagnosis of  severe sleep apnea and the resulting sleep-enabling machine. She really does look much more rested.

Because I was sick to my stomach Sunday the 28th, I decided I could not take part in the first two days of the Migrant Trail Walk. I had a horrible pain in stomach after eating lunch, and barely made it to Starbuck's to let Ann know that I wouldn't be able to go.  She had arranged for Barb and I to walk the seven-mile first day, sleep overnight with the group, serve them lunch the next day. At first I decided I would indeed be recovered enough to go, after I ate dinner and kept it down, and called Ann to tell her so. But then I felt too tired to pack, and also realized it was selfish to possibly expose the entire 50-person group, who would all be walking all week, to the chance of a stomach bug.
It was and is very disappointing not to be able to go, because I was so looking forward to seeing some of those exceptional people again. Many of the people who participate have dedicated much time to helping Mexican immigrants.

Monday I cleaned our living room. It took three hours because I hadn't cleaned it since early January when John and Kathy were coming to visit. The clutter and dust and dog-hair were so thick. I thought I was going to clean both living room and dining room, and also make it to yoga and treadmill, but the living room was as far as I got.

It's nothing new that I cleaned the living room, but what is a big deal is that I have kept it neat all week. I don't think I have ever kept it neat that long in my entire life, unless we had house guests. (So that's the big accomplishment which feels exciting to me but no one else.)

During the day I thought about Ann and Barb...."Now they should have gotten to Tucson, now they are in desolate gang-ruled Sasabe having lunch served to them by those Mexican church ladies, now they are being escorted to the border by those Mexican men in pickup trucks, now they are getting to camp, now they are getting up and rushing to pack up before having coffee, now they are driving to get ice, etc." I had to admit to myself that I still felt a little weak from the stomach flu, but I so regret missing the experience, and seeing some of those remarkable people again.

 On Tuesday evening I watched another episode of American Epic, a recent series of documentaries about American music which Dale Sr. alerted me to. This one about Hawaiian music, Cajun music, Mexican music (Lydia Mendoza), and the remarkable story of the rediscovery of Mississippi John Hurt.

The first Cajun record ever recorded was a song called "Allons a Lafyette". The lyrics went something like "Allons a Lafyette, allons allons, Vais a changer ton nam a Madame Comeaux" I must write that to Paulette, as her last name is Comeaux. She is up in Nova Scotia, having to sell her sister's house while her sister lies in the hospital, terminally ill. Oscar is on his own until she can return.

To our thrice-weekly cardio workouts I have added one Zumba class, one yoga class, and one longish walk. For two weeks I've been keeping healthy habits, not just concentrating on normalizing food intake but also on sleeping enough, the exercise, checking in daily with my on-line diet group, and other factors which are stressed in the book "The Willpower Instinct" by Dr. Kelly McGonigal.

Below, a photo of me and my very cool Zumba teacher, Avette. On Facebook, she goes by the moniker "Jus2Sassy", and that she is. She always chooses very rhythmic music, which I love. And her T-shirt is correct, her music is indeed always turned "all the way up", in fact I spend the class with tissue paper stuffed into my ears.

I'm also doing something that my Nutrition Lab class teacher suggested, which is to eat two servings of steamed vegetables, each as big as a fist, with each and every meal. It's helpful for three things: 1) it fills up the plate and makes one feel more full and less deprived; 2) the fiber in vegetables causes slower digestion and I don't feel hungry between meals, and 3) that many servings of vegetables brings the level of vitamins and minerals provided by the diet to the RDA in most cases (except Vitamin D and Calcium) it seems almost impossible to get enough of those from the diet.

Well, sorry to bore you with that. Anyway, I've lost three pounds. Since Christmas, Dale Sr. and I have each lost around ten.

Love, Lennie