Tuesday, December 7, 2021
No yoga because rain early heavy and overcast threatening. Elsa and I got in our morning walk between the 4:30 am. downpour and 7:30 am one.
I worked on the updates. This is a full-time job. At some point, I will have to cut back if I want to do something else with my life.
I called my regular dentist this morning. I had a serious question about the man they sent me to check if I needed a root canal. He told me I had two abscesses in one tooth. It didn't hurt because the root had died. His receptionist made an appointment for April. That's all, folks! I had several friends freak out; What! He didn't give you an antibiotic? That was my question, too, particularly with the appointment being so far away. I didn't feel I could take to the root canal doctor; he made no eye contact and was obsessed with dispensing information about his work. I thought he was on the autism spectrum from the first moment I saw him. All would be good except 1) I had to sign a document stating that I knew I could die from an untreated abscess, 2) my appointment was four months away, 3) he didn't give me any antibiotics for the abscess, and finally, 4) he didn't tell me what to do if the abscess became bad during the four months, nor did he tell me what to look for. Earlier in the week, I spoke to Susan, the receptionist at my regular dentist. She was surprised her boss hadn't called me. She answered most of my questions. She said some people loved this dentist, and others responded as I did. Did I want to speak to the root canal dentist? No, I didn't believe he would respond to my questions satisfactorily. I remembered a friend from church was also a client of his. I wanted to ask her how she dealt with him. She wasn't quite as direct as I was, but she wasn't a shrinking violet either. I asked Judy for her number. She sent me one, but it didn't work.
I had a PT appointment with Terry. I did two chores before I went there. I stopped at Petco to pick up some dental chews for Elsa. She was used to getting some each night. She looked forward to it. The other day, I had looked for a supply at Costco. They were out of my preferred brand. Poor Elsa had to do without her treat last night. Today, I stopped at Petco to get an emergency supply. Whoa! They didn't even carry the brand I bought at Costco. I had to decide on something different. I picked one with 'toothpaste.' We'll see how this goes. I'm sure Elsa will like whatever it is.
After Petco, I went next door to Office Max. My eyes bothered me after working on the computer for a while. I do a lot of writing. I noticed it is easier for me to read hard copies than on the computer. I Googled the question if there was anything I could do to protect my eyes from computer screen eye strain. Yep! Bluing. Amazon sold glasses. I tried to find a screen I could put on my monitor. I went to ask the folks at Office Max for suggestions. A young woman employee was standing by the opening. I asked her for a blue screen. She looked confused. I assumed she was a new employee and didn't have the information. Au contraire! She knew exactly what I was talking about. Office Max didn't carry blue screens for computers. They carried large blue scrreen for TVs; most people got blue-tinted glasses. I told her I already had a pair. She flashed her glasses, showing me the blue tint. I had to have my optometrist apply the tint. Oh! I can do that. I had an appointment with my optometrist at the end of the week. Perfect timing.
I had texted adolescent D's mother, asking her to call me. I was very excited about D's work yesterday.
I had an appointment with 3rd grade A. They were on time today. The mother had told me at least two weeks A's teacher had given them information on where he needed help. His dad got him on Zoom. I asked him what the information was. While there was an improvement in his reading, he needed help with his writing. It wasn't up to grade level. No kidding. I would be glad if he could do any writing. Writing is a very complex neurological activity. Knowing A had an auditory processing problem, I started with that. He read a sentence from second-grade material that he could see. He repeated it easily. Then I asked him to tell me the first word. He couldn't do that, "Pat and Jan put their ducks in a race." I don't know how much of this is his auditory processing problem versus his spatial problems. I do know that his problem is one of the most severe I have encountered, and these parents are in denial. I have asked the mother to play the 5 Stories audiofile from YouTube. She has basically refused. She claims she is too busy. Too busy to press a button before she goes to bed at night so he can hear it as he sleeps? How long does that take? I am furious at this woman. Below is the email I sent A's parents.
I'm not holding my breath, waiting for an answer:
Have you been able to play the tape? I haven't seen the kind of improvement that I usually expect when students have been listening nightly to it for a while. Some of his problem in writing, as well as reading, is with his auditory processing. The tape often helps people with this problem. It doesn't seem to have helped if you have been playing it. If you haven't, please start.
The Phonics Discovery System 5 Stories. There is one ad at the start. Please, let me know if you have been playing it nightly as requested, so I know it hasn't worked with him. Thank you. Betty
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