Wednesday, March 16, 2022

 Wednesday, March 16, 2022

 

   I'd done this before but was doing it now from a different perspective. Terry told me I didn't have the full range of motion in my left foot. I tried to push through more on my toes, but that didn't do much. I realized, again, that I didn't have the correct heel strike. I landed on a flat heel instead of the back edge, shortening my left leg stride. Getting the correct heel strike required an extension of my left leg out of the hip socket.  

    When I returned home, I prepared for my trip to Hilo to see the endodontist. I needed to make sure I had something to eat. I also worried if  I had the right day. I have been suffering from temporal disorientation. I entered the doctor's address into my Maps app. 

     I remembered to switch the car to HEV (Hybrid Electric mode) the moment I got in the car. I hadn't done that the first time I drove to Hilo in my electric car, and I got stuck on the first big hill. My car is an electric/hybrid. The car automatically switches to hybrid mode when the electric engine's blue bars are used up, leaving four white bars. I never had a problem driving my Toyota Prius.

    The hybrid uses electricity as well as gas. Moreover, the gas engine doesn't work when the electric battery has been drained. That's what happened on my first trip to Hilo.

      I figured I'd run on electric as long as possible and relied on the hybrid mode to take me the rest of the way. That's not what happened. I used most of the blue bars to get to Saddle Road, which runs between the two mountains, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, across the island. After turning onto Saddle Road, the car had to climb a steep hill. I made it about halfway up when the car died. I was out of white bars. I made a U-turn, got in the shoulder lane, and drove the car very slowly down this very steep hill—the battery charges when I go down hills slowly when I brake. At the bottom of the hill, I had enough bars to make it back home. That ended my trip to Hilo that day.  

   On my next attempt, I knew to keep the car in HEV mode the whole way. I had to stop the car several times in Hilo. The car reverted to EV mode every time I turned it on, using up bars. I discovered I had a problem as I started the journey back to Kona. That was an interesting trip. 

      Fortunately, our mountains aren't all uphill. Because of the lava flow, they look more like melting ice cream, up and down, up and down. Periodically, I made a U-Turn, got onto the shoulder, drove the car slowly, braking frequently, and charged the battery. I made it there and back safely, even if it wasn't a relaxing trip.

    I turned on the GPS with the doctor's address when I got to Hilo. It took me on an interesting journey, basically a maze. Make a left here, a right up the mountain, and another left down. When I left the doctor's office, I asked his receptionist. She told me to make a left at the corner, then a right at another intersection, and I would be on Saddle Road. I have no idea why the GPS chose that convoluted path. 

   I was over in Hilo to see this endodontist because I wasn't comfortable with the one my dentist recommended in Kona. I think the Kona guy is autistic. Whatever, he made it clear that he wasn't into responding to patients. I asked a question, and he told me not to interrupt his lecture on root canals. I envisioned spending an hour with my mouth forced open while he worked and unable to say, "Can I have a break?" It wasn't a pleasant image. I decided to stick with him when I got a notification that he no longer accepted the new dental insurance plan. Most dentists on the island are refusing it. That did it. It was two strikes against the Kona endodontist. I was going over to the other side of the island.

   Dr. Munley's assistant greeted me with a cup and pointed to the bathroom. I said, "I just peed." No, it was a mouthwash, half a teaspoon of something. It foamed up in my mouth. It was lovely. I asked her what it was and where I could get it. She said it was only used in dentists' offices and was prescription only.

   Dr. Munley was more delightful than I expected. He explained everything to me. Ah! This appointment was just diagnostic. Because the Kona doctor hadn't addressed my concerns, I wasn't sure that I had to have a root canal. Dr. Munley explained that there was a small abscess in there. It might stay mute for two days, two weeks, or every two years, but eventually, it would rupture and cause a problem. An abscessed tooth is a serious problem, possibly life-threatening. It causes a major infection because there is no way it can drain effectively.

   On the way home, I called St. Michael's to offer Fr. Joe a place to stay for a month before going home to the mainland. He used to stay in a church-owned condo, but they sold it to pay for the parish center. He had to be out of wherever he was staying before it was time to go home. Susan said she would contact Joe and let him know.  

   Realizing I should check with Yvette before offering him a place to stay, I called her. The call dropped while I was talking. I had no idea how much she had heard before it did. I thought nothing of it at the time. Yvette thought I was calling for help, having run into trouble on Saddle Road. Oh, boy. 

    My calendar said I had a PT appointment with Terry at 1. I got home in time to catch a short nap. When I arrived at Club Rehab, they told me my appointment was for Friday. I had changed it so I wouldn't have to worry about returning from Hilo in time. I recorded the Friday appointment but hadn't erased the Wednesday one. Oh, well. Looking at my calendar, I realized I had missed my Monday appointment with the M & W sisters. Boy, my head is doing something interesting.

   On the way home, I stopped at Home Depot to pick up AA batteries and two metal post-reflective driveway markers.  

   My friend Jean called to invite me to join her and her grandkids on a visit to a beach. She asked me yesterday. I chose to stay home then and sat in Mike's deep leather easy chair, feeling embraced by him. It felt like it still had his energy. I also realized I couldn't go to the beach without aid. I needed someone to carry my beach chair. Jean assured me that she and her grandkids would help me. 

    Jean drove to my house to pick me up. Getting into the truck was a trick and a half. I tried getting my tush into the seat and then hauling myself up. The seat was too high while I was standing on the ground. I had to step up. Getting my right foot on the running board was challenging, but I did it. Then I got hold of the grab handle, hoisted myself to a standing position, and lowered myself into the seat.  

   We went to Pine Trees beach. It's a favorite of surfers and has a kiddie pool. We could sit in the shade while the kids, Jack, 8, and Isobel, 5, ran around. Jackson was so sweet and helpful. We left around sunset. It got cold.  

   I finished watching the second movie in the Movie, Movie video. It was a 1940s flick, as was the first. After that, I watched a Brokenwood mystery.