Monday, February 12, 2024

 Monday, February 12, 2024 

   Kona Vet called before I had a chance to reach them. I wanted to check the dog food situation. I asked what they were selling now that could be a substitute for the Royal Canin Ultimo. The receptionist asked a doctor and reported that their Purina product was not a good substitute for the Royal Canin. Wait a minute! They prescribed the Royal Canin when they stopped carrying the Science Diet I had been feeding her. The Royal Canin is expensive, and the shipping charges are high. I needed to check the fee on the Purina prescription brand. The receptionist said I had to ask one of the doctors.

     The vet's office had called me to offer me another appointment. The receptionist knew I didn't like the doctor I had the original appointment with. This new appointment was with the one I wanted.

  I also had a same-day appointment with one of my doctors, Dr. Reed, at Kaiser at 2 pm. She had been my primary for several years; now, she only makes same-day appointments twice weekly. She wanted reduced hours as a primary after she gave birth to her first child. Kaiser said no part-time primaries. Dr. Reed is the best doctor and human being I've ever met. She is incredibly empathetic and compassionate. I also hear reports from friends about what a great doctor she is. She diagnoses problems everyone else misses and finds the minimally invasive solution.

  I left at 12:45 because I had chores in town. I stopped at the bank to deposit $2000. I would need $1500 in cash for Dan when he extracted those Ficus trees from my yard. I had time afterward to check on battery-powered lawnmowers at Lowes. The grass is short; it's the seed spikes that drive me nuts.  

     The lawnmowers were less expensive than I thought, and Lowes had a bigger selection than I thought they would have. An employee advised me on which one suited my needs. They were not cheap, but not nearly as expensive as I feared. I have to check the maintenance. I remember our Honda gas-powered lawnmower's maintenance was several hundred every spring.   

      I had two surprises when I checked in at the kiosk at Kaiser today. I was asked if they could take my picture today. They needed an updated photo. Although, I don't remember having my picture taken at any time in the past. The surprise was seeing how tilted my head was. I knew I tilted it to the left, but how much was a shock. It was a good shock because it inspired me to correct the problem. I found that when I tilted it the other way, I no longer had problems keeping my weight evenly distributed between my two buttocks.

    The second surprise: I asked the nurse to measure my height today. They usually ignore that. I was 5'3". I thought I had already regained some height from doing the Gokhale stretching exercises. Then I remembered the last time my height was measured was at least ten years ago, maybe longer. Who knows what my height was before I started the stretching exercises.

    I saw Dr. Reed today for two reasons. I had a rough spot on the outside of my lower right leg. I couldn't get a good view of it. Melanie, my esthetician, took a look. She said it was worthwhile seeing a doctor about it. That was six months ago. Recently, I heard of someone with a cancerous growth exactly where my rough spot is. Dr. Reed got down on the floor to look at the growth with a pinpoint flashlight. She recognized it as a benign growth of old age.

  I also wanted to talk to her about my painful case of grief. 

Several incidents brought home my loss. I have dealt with people who have been, let's say, harsh with me. Mike was my protector; Mike was my comforter. Boy, do I miss him. Dr. Reed asked me about the Lexapro I stopped shortly after Mike died. I had taken it because he wanted me to. I used to say I took it for my husband's anxiety. There was a truth to that. I could be 'expressive.' It was a trigger for him. He needed calm. His mother was an hysteric. There is no question that while he didn't like that trait in me, he also married me because of it. We marry the members of our family, especially those with traits that are disturbing to us. Unresolved issues. Dr. Reed felt I suffered more from circumstantial issues than depression and recommended 5 HPT, an amino acid the body uses to produce serotonin. It doesn't interfere with the natural chemical process. Thank you, Dr. Reed. She Googled the pills on Amazon before I left so I could see the label on the bottle.

   After the doctor's appointment, I returned to Target and Island Naturals. At Target, I picked up kiwis for my fruit salad, tomatoes for my bagels, cream cheese and lox, and two frozen dinners on sale. I have become more dependent on them.

  I went to Island Naturals to find the 5HPT and check if they had tuna fish salad in their deli section. I love their tuna salad. They did. I also picked up mini strudels and a lilikoi tapioca pudding. I loved the strudels. The tapioca was a disappointment. I prefer the vanilla tapioca. Finding the 5 HPT was too complicated in the store; I went home and ordered them on Amazon.

   At 4:45, I received a text from the mother of first-grade B, "Are we meeting today?" Huh! I was sure she had ghosted me. She apologized. It had been her son's first birthday over the weekend. First birthdays are a very, very big deal in Hawaii- think Bar Mitzvahs, think weddings without the ceremony, just the hoopla. B read the passage from last week. She read it well. I wasn't sure what was going on.

   Tonight was the last episode of No Offense. It was a cop/comedy series. It was good for what it was, but a little too stressful for my sake. I started watching Poker Face on Peacock as per Damon's suggestion. Also a little stressful. I loved Murder in Provence, an elegant contemporary knockoff of The Thin Man with Myrna Loy and William Powell.