Friday, May 7, 2021

Friday, May 7, 2021

 

            My morning walk went exceptionally well. I felt like continuing when I hit an endpoint. While I hadn't been in pain, a nagging feeling dragged me down-not today.

            I meditated after breakfast. I always droop to the left when I fall asleep. I tried adjusting the upper back area. The problem is more in the hips. The right hip is higher or much further over to the right than it should be. When I pushed my right hip, moreover to the left, I didn't sag as much.

            Sandor had let me know that Thursdays and Fridays would be good days to stop by for them to do my retinal scan. I texted him to say that I was on the way. Perfect! I would make it there by 11:30. His office is about half an hour from my home.

            When I got there, the closest parking lot was almost full. I have never seen such narrow parking stalls. I fit into one, but then I couldn't get my door open to get out of the car. I frantically called Sandor to tell him my dilemma. He said he had run out to go to the bank, but his wife, Meaali'inani, his partner in the practice, was expecting me. The practice assistant recognized me. She knew why I was there. I was only there a few minutes when the tech asked me to follow her.  

            A woman had come in before me who expressed distress that I was going first. She said, "Oh, I'm not in a hurry." I assured her I was only there for this scan; I wouldn't be seeing the doctor. And that's what happened. I had the scan and left immediately. Sandor or Meali'inani would call me at their convenience.

            I have a puckered macular. I had been seen by the Kaiser ophthalmologist before, Dr. Kao. She recommended against surgery. I was going to have another appointment to consider what to do about the drooping eyelids when Covid hit. When I met with Kao, she thought it wiser to talk about the drooping eyelid rather than the pucker. Drooping eyelids were her specialty. 

            I pointed out to Kao that I didn't merely have a drooping eyelid but rather a drooping brow. My left brow is visibly lower than my right one. As every doctor has told me, everyone is asymmetrical. Yes, but I am visibly so. One eyebrow is hidden behind my eyeglass frame; the other is not. Dr. Kao went through the options. She talked through two surgical procedures that she offered and mentioned a third, more radical one that would have to be done by a plastic surgeon. I chose the latter. Might as well consider the full Monty. She arranged for me to be seen by one.

            When I returned to town, I headed to Safeway to pick up a few things. My first stop in the store was at the DMV kiosk to renew my car registration. A man was finishing up his registration. I asked him if he had time to guide me through the process. He said he had asked someone else to help him the first time he used the kiosk. Everything went well until I put in my credit card. The machine kept on rejecting it. My able assistant started looking anxious. I told him to go; I would figure it out. There was a help number listed. I called that. They stuck with me until I had completed the process. There was a service charge for using the kiosk, that on top of my $50 surcharge for my electric car. This has turned out to be an expensive deal. 

            I turned to find the chip aisle. Taco chips were on sale: two small bags for $8. Likewise, the salsas: two jars for another $8. If everything I bought was for the birthday party, that would be $16 I spent on this meal. That was considerably more than I usually spend a day for food unless I order takeout. I also looked for plain brown rice and vinegar. I found a five lb. bag of rice on sale, but they were clean out of vinegar.

            I stopped at the bank to cash the check and headed home. I took Queen K, my usual route when heading home from town. I think it uses less energy than the steady climb on Palani. When I first moved here, my ears would pop as I did that climb. I believe the flat ride on Queen K and the three-mile climb to the house require less energy. However, when I got to Hina Lani, I remembered my plan to pick up food and meds from the vet. That meant going up the mountain on Hina Lani, a steep climb. Once I was through at the vet's, I headed home.

            I only had adolescent E today. He had nothing to work on. He reported he had finished all his schoolwork for the week; it had been easy. When we first started working together, one of his complaints was how grueling schoolwork was. He had been first in his freshman class last year. He was shocked. He had to stop hobbling himself as he did his schoolwork so the load would be easier. We've accomplished that. My only concern for E is his passivity. I provided all the directions in our sessions. He tells me yes or no, but he never initiates independently. That's not good. One doesn't have to be as out there as I am with stating what they want and setting boundaries, but E is the opposite extreme. Something to work on.