I went back to see the Doctor on Tuesday. He shook my hand and was happy to announce the diagnosis for my problem was simply a reaction to the antibiotic. He thought that there was a chance that I had the flu in the middle of it. He said that after 29 years he is still becoming educated in his job by his patients. He said that when someone tells him that the last time they had a rash to sulfas that he will be more cautious about prescribing the drug. He found it baffling that my temperature was swinging so radically. He said that most of the time when you have a reaction, the temperature stays up. I was mediating it with my two weeks of motrin. He was happy that I went to Stanford, but a little dismayed at my experience. He said that was not the way it operated 20 some years ago when he did his residency in rheuemotology there. He told me to apologize to Sue for the drama that the antibiotic imposed.
I got my release to go back to work. The principal's secretary was happy to get the little form. The doctor was amazed that I needed it.
So that pretty much ends the saga.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Back to School
Today I am headed back to school to see what is left of my classes. Some teachers have been happy to take an extra period of my students so that they would not come under the scrutiny of a subs that did not quite understand them. I think that is generous on the part of my fellow teachers. On the other hand trying to work through difficult situations is one of the things that my students need to learn. If a class is boring or more difficult than what they usually encounter, they need to practice coping skills and get through it. Many of life's really cool things have started out too hard to do.
My lunch group as technological as they could be can only muster a weak phone call and then an email to my sister Kelly who informed them that I was still indeed alive. They should know that I don't answer the phone of people that I don't know. They call me so infrequently that their numbers are not of the pick up list. This new addition to the house makes it further to run to the phone. Besides I am probably watching something engrossing on my new TVs.
Speaking of new TVs, I got the Wii fired up this weekend. I thought that I had a bad unit as every time I tried to use a disc.. for the games it showed up as a bad disc.. could not read. I had a console flat.. it should work that way but.. no it doesn't. I had some fun learning how to point the hand held controller at the screen. It is very sensitive. I played some of the games and they were fun. I liked the fishing although it was kind of hokey. What was interesting was the propreoceptive feel of the controller. It did a lot of buzzing in your hand.
Onward and upward.. got to get ready for school. I hope your Monday is good.
Love
Pat
My lunch group as technological as they could be can only muster a weak phone call and then an email to my sister Kelly who informed them that I was still indeed alive. They should know that I don't answer the phone of people that I don't know. They call me so infrequently that their numbers are not of the pick up list. This new addition to the house makes it further to run to the phone. Besides I am probably watching something engrossing on my new TVs.
Speaking of new TVs, I got the Wii fired up this weekend. I thought that I had a bad unit as every time I tried to use a disc.. for the games it showed up as a bad disc.. could not read. I had a console flat.. it should work that way but.. no it doesn't. I had some fun learning how to point the hand held controller at the screen. It is very sensitive. I played some of the games and they were fun. I liked the fishing although it was kind of hokey. What was interesting was the propreoceptive feel of the controller. It did a lot of buzzing in your hand.
Onward and upward.. got to get ready for school. I hope your Monday is good.
Love
Pat
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Classic Lasagna
Today I made the classic lasagna.
I used the carb wise dreamland noodles.. there are always more noodles than sauce. I made the classic red gravy, and mixed up a batch of cheese. I had a large container of ricotta, and I had some mozzarella cheese left over from the pizza I made on Friday. I also had a chuck of piccorino romano dry cheese that Costco is selling under its own name. It got mixed with the Grad Prada cheese that was left over. A couple of eggs and some basil and away we go.
The cuisanart makes great greated hard cheese. Using its chopping knife, you can whirl it around until it is exactly the right texture. It will complain bitterly at first.. but later you get that wonderful swhoosh.
Its been a long time since I had made this from scratch. It is sooo good. I can see how it is the king of the casseroles. I ended up with three very large containers of left over.. wish you were all over to help me eat it.
I am enjoying the new kitchen and the room that it affords me to do an assembly thing like that. In the old kitchen this assembly had to be done of the dining room table. I miss the girls, they are such foodies. I wonder sometimes whether that is a gift or a curse.
Mom wanted me to served it to the TV room so that she would not miss her home improvement show. She wanted me to serve it in a bowl. I refused. She was so hungry that she came later to the table. She was not happy about it though.
I hope you a lasagna like Sunday.. and many happy reheats..
: ) Pat
I used the carb wise dreamland noodles.. there are always more noodles than sauce. I made the classic red gravy, and mixed up a batch of cheese. I had a large container of ricotta, and I had some mozzarella cheese left over from the pizza I made on Friday. I also had a chuck of piccorino romano dry cheese that Costco is selling under its own name. It got mixed with the Grad Prada cheese that was left over. A couple of eggs and some basil and away we go.
The cuisanart makes great greated hard cheese. Using its chopping knife, you can whirl it around until it is exactly the right texture. It will complain bitterly at first.. but later you get that wonderful swhoosh.
Its been a long time since I had made this from scratch. It is sooo good. I can see how it is the king of the casseroles. I ended up with three very large containers of left over.. wish you were all over to help me eat it.
I am enjoying the new kitchen and the room that it affords me to do an assembly thing like that. In the old kitchen this assembly had to be done of the dining room table. I miss the girls, they are such foodies. I wonder sometimes whether that is a gift or a curse.
Mom wanted me to served it to the TV room so that she would not miss her home improvement show. She wanted me to serve it in a bowl. I refused. She was so hungry that she came later to the table. She was not happy about it though.
I hope you a lasagna like Sunday.. and many happy reheats..
: ) Pat
Friday, April 25, 2008
No major snow left in Gunnison
Its amazing. This winter with its 19 feet of snow in the town of Gunnison Colorado is all but gone on the major land areas. I can tell from the internet camera on top of Cupula hill.
I was watching the Western State camera cam yesterday and I saw the beginnings of a track meet in mountaineer bowl. The big yellow busses were parked in the union parking lot and there were all kinds of figures around the mountaineer bowl. We are hearing county track meets from our house on the college track too.
The spring at Gunnison is usually marked by patches of gray vegetation after the snow is gone. For awhile the town is awash in puddles. Overall the drainage works like it has for thousands of years. Everything heads for the river and the river flows to the sea or at least to a muddle in Mexicali. It will be awhile before the grasses of Gunnison county are ready to turn green.
The sun can be pretty warm this time of the year. When I lived there it was a classic time. You could ski a few runs in the morning and play tennis with your friends in the afternoon.
There were two very cool things that made playing tennis fun in Gunnison. If you had any serve at all, the high altitude would enhance its speed. The other thing that made tennis fun were the cracks in the tennis court. All tennis courts in Gunnison had these enormous cracks in them. The cracks were formed by the freeze thaw action of the weather and the moisture. Playing off these cracks made a return much more difficult. The tennis ball had a funny skip when they hit these cracks.
Have a great day
: ) Pat
I was watching the Western State camera cam yesterday and I saw the beginnings of a track meet in mountaineer bowl. The big yellow busses were parked in the union parking lot and there were all kinds of figures around the mountaineer bowl. We are hearing county track meets from our house on the college track too.
The spring at Gunnison is usually marked by patches of gray vegetation after the snow is gone. For awhile the town is awash in puddles. Overall the drainage works like it has for thousands of years. Everything heads for the river and the river flows to the sea or at least to a muddle in Mexicali. It will be awhile before the grasses of Gunnison county are ready to turn green.
The sun can be pretty warm this time of the year. When I lived there it was a classic time. You could ski a few runs in the morning and play tennis with your friends in the afternoon.
There were two very cool things that made playing tennis fun in Gunnison. If you had any serve at all, the high altitude would enhance its speed. The other thing that made tennis fun were the cracks in the tennis court. All tennis courts in Gunnison had these enormous cracks in them. The cracks were formed by the freeze thaw action of the weather and the moisture. Playing off these cracks made a return much more difficult. The tennis ball had a funny skip when they hit these cracks.
Have a great day
: ) Pat
Thursday, April 24, 2008
How we Met
Dad is always interested in finding out how people that are married first met.
I first met Sue in a freshmen orientation meeting. At Western State, the Freshmen class is called in early to teach them about the school and the what is needed to survive. The Freshmen were required to wear a crimson and slate beanie to designate Freshman status. When an upper classman saw you with the beanie, they could ask you to "button." You buttoned by putting your thumb on the top of your hat and said, Go Western beat Saint Mary's of the Plains. That was our first football opponent. It was an away game of little significance.
There were activities for the freshmen, dances and barbecues and get togethers so that we would get to know our fellow members. My roommate, Terri Hybeck, went to Sterling Jc. before coming to Western. He found out that through Sue's roommate Vickie that Sue knew Don, Sue's friend Jean's brother that also went to Sterling. So they made plans to go the dance. When we all arrived at the dance, Terri said to Sue, who thought that she was meeting him there, that he was engaged and so shouldn't dance.. and dropped Sue off to me, his roomate. I asked Sue to dance and the rest is history.
Terri didn't make it one month at Western. One third of people signed up did not make the first semester. Many were connected more with the social life in Denver than the academic life at Gunnison.
Sue went out with other people at Western, and at one time as many as three. Her mom told her not to settle in quickly with just one guy. We would all call up and get reservations to walk her to classes.
We got married after the second year at Western. I got a job at the library. We lived in an 8x30 foot trailer that was insulated for Arizona weather. We stuck together and became stronger for it.
Love
Pat
I first met Sue in a freshmen orientation meeting. At Western State, the Freshmen class is called in early to teach them about the school and the what is needed to survive. The Freshmen were required to wear a crimson and slate beanie to designate Freshman status. When an upper classman saw you with the beanie, they could ask you to "button." You buttoned by putting your thumb on the top of your hat and said, Go Western beat Saint Mary's of the Plains. That was our first football opponent. It was an away game of little significance.
There were activities for the freshmen, dances and barbecues and get togethers so that we would get to know our fellow members. My roommate, Terri Hybeck, went to Sterling Jc. before coming to Western. He found out that through Sue's roommate Vickie that Sue knew Don, Sue's friend Jean's brother that also went to Sterling. So they made plans to go the dance. When we all arrived at the dance, Terri said to Sue, who thought that she was meeting him there, that he was engaged and so shouldn't dance.. and dropped Sue off to me, his roomate. I asked Sue to dance and the rest is history.
Terri didn't make it one month at Western. One third of people signed up did not make the first semester. Many were connected more with the social life in Denver than the academic life at Gunnison.
Sue went out with other people at Western, and at one time as many as three. Her mom told her not to settle in quickly with just one guy. We would all call up and get reservations to walk her to classes.
We got married after the second year at Western. I got a job at the library. We lived in an 8x30 foot trailer that was insulated for Arizona weather. We stuck together and became stronger for it.
Love
Pat
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Earth Day
Yesterday was "Earth" day, The focus was on green and improving our recycling and understanding of our gigantic eco system,
The original Earth day occurred in 1970. The college communities across the nation had erupted after the Kent State protests, Western State was no exception, Students rallied to get a day of memoriam from he president of the college, There was an "occupation" of his front lawn. Four students were shot to death in a senseless show of national guard force ordered by a governor that was insensitive to the understanding of public display of angst. Up to that point protests on campuses about the war were common. They were not violent. No one got roughed up. It was patterned after Ghandi.
The president agreed to a day of memorial and another day to repair.
Following a day of memorial, a day of coming together was prescribed. This focused on what a eco disaster the the Viet Nam war had been. How we could contribute to the healing of the world.
A couple of things changed the dynamic of college education everywhere. There was a demand to get more relevant education at the college and university level. After this women studies and ethnic studies were viable majors rather than just liberal studies. This was for larger institutions. It is still hard for some older people to understand that a these are viable areas of studies, It also opened up in academic community a way to teach what they had independently learned and what they were passionate about teaching, Many "free university" classes were offered after hours. Overall, students had a much greater role in determining what they would study and with whom.
So, yes in 1970 we took a day off and tossed the giant beach ball around the community as we sunned on the hill of Taylor Hall. But Kent State and Earth Day became much more than that. It became the core of academic freedom and the pursuit of education that was pointed in the direction of the learner not just some lofty ideal that the ancient Greeks had started many years ago.
Pat
The original Earth day occurred in 1970. The college communities across the nation had erupted after the Kent State protests, Western State was no exception, Students rallied to get a day of memoriam from he president of the college, There was an "occupation" of his front lawn. Four students were shot to death in a senseless show of national guard force ordered by a governor that was insensitive to the understanding of public display of angst. Up to that point protests on campuses about the war were common. They were not violent. No one got roughed up. It was patterned after Ghandi.
The president agreed to a day of memorial and another day to repair.
Following a day of memorial, a day of coming together was prescribed. This focused on what a eco disaster the the Viet Nam war had been. How we could contribute to the healing of the world.
A couple of things changed the dynamic of college education everywhere. There was a demand to get more relevant education at the college and university level. After this women studies and ethnic studies were viable majors rather than just liberal studies. This was for larger institutions. It is still hard for some older people to understand that a these are viable areas of studies, It also opened up in academic community a way to teach what they had independently learned and what they were passionate about teaching, Many "free university" classes were offered after hours. Overall, students had a much greater role in determining what they would study and with whom.
So, yes in 1970 we took a day off and tossed the giant beach ball around the community as we sunned on the hill of Taylor Hall. But Kent State and Earth Day became much more than that. It became the core of academic freedom and the pursuit of education that was pointed in the direction of the learner not just some lofty ideal that the ancient Greeks had started many years ago.
Pat
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Love of the Family
A lot of credit for my feeling better has to go out to my family.
Everyone took time off of their work to be apart of the Stanford Emergency support team for me. This was really appreciated. I know it was boring to sit and wait for the next shoe to drop. It took commitment from everyone. Stanford is not particularly close to Morgan Hill. And it is not very close to Los Gatos either. And the lobby is not a very comfortable place to be.
My girls did a yeoman job of organizing and my sister mentally advocated with Linzi to the point where the nurse practitioner was happy to see me go. They pushed so that I would get the best possible anti biotic. The national disease control was called to get the proper one. I don't think that this would have been possible without the push these two woman engaged. Its a good thing that they aren't in business together because I believe that there isn't a thing that the Brown women cannot accomplish.. lord help you if you get in their way. Kelly was right there too. She knew would would all be hungry. To keep the troops fed kept the pressure on.
Stanford emergency is not a very comfortable place to be. I am sure that some of that is by design. I was a little lost in the game plan. Without advocates I wouldn't know what to do.
Dad and Bob were great company and kept my spirits up high. The balloons from Mikie and Bob were great. I was the only one that was honored in that way. Mom brought some flowers that were very fragrant. We left them to the delight of the nurses station.
The last week has been one of rest. I am really able to feel some strength today. I went to the Dr. office to get my blood taken again. I caught the Dr. between patience and filled him in on the events.
He also signed a refill for my meds. The 75 dollar pills that I take twice daily. I asked the pharmacy people if the insurance would cover it before I submitted. They said sure. The bottle was worth $1,045. It should take care of me for another week. I am scheduled to see him in a week.
I also got the car filled with gas and washed. The medical supply place replaced all of my Cpap materials..air filter, hose, mask, couple of cushions.. So am reset for another 3 months.
It was sure nice to see Heather. Lindsay had to go at the same time that Heather was coming in to Morgan Hill. It was really nice of Bob to do some transport to get the girls where they needed to access the public transportation.
Last weekend Acacia got really sick again and they had to hit the 5 to San Diego. They got her lined up with new pills and she is doing better too. I am sure the BrownKorbels feel like medical angels... they are.
Here is hoping that if you get sick you have a family like mine that will rally around your needs!
Love
Pat
Everyone took time off of their work to be apart of the Stanford Emergency support team for me. This was really appreciated. I know it was boring to sit and wait for the next shoe to drop. It took commitment from everyone. Stanford is not particularly close to Morgan Hill. And it is not very close to Los Gatos either. And the lobby is not a very comfortable place to be.
My girls did a yeoman job of organizing and my sister mentally advocated with Linzi to the point where the nurse practitioner was happy to see me go. They pushed so that I would get the best possible anti biotic. The national disease control was called to get the proper one. I don't think that this would have been possible without the push these two woman engaged. Its a good thing that they aren't in business together because I believe that there isn't a thing that the Brown women cannot accomplish.. lord help you if you get in their way. Kelly was right there too. She knew would would all be hungry. To keep the troops fed kept the pressure on.
Stanford emergency is not a very comfortable place to be. I am sure that some of that is by design. I was a little lost in the game plan. Without advocates I wouldn't know what to do.
Dad and Bob were great company and kept my spirits up high. The balloons from Mikie and Bob were great. I was the only one that was honored in that way. Mom brought some flowers that were very fragrant. We left them to the delight of the nurses station.
The last week has been one of rest. I am really able to feel some strength today. I went to the Dr. office to get my blood taken again. I caught the Dr. between patience and filled him in on the events.
He also signed a refill for my meds. The 75 dollar pills that I take twice daily. I asked the pharmacy people if the insurance would cover it before I submitted. They said sure. The bottle was worth $1,045. It should take care of me for another week. I am scheduled to see him in a week.
I also got the car filled with gas and washed. The medical supply place replaced all of my Cpap materials..air filter, hose, mask, couple of cushions.. So am reset for another 3 months.
It was sure nice to see Heather. Lindsay had to go at the same time that Heather was coming in to Morgan Hill. It was really nice of Bob to do some transport to get the girls where they needed to access the public transportation.
Last weekend Acacia got really sick again and they had to hit the 5 to San Diego. They got her lined up with new pills and she is doing better too. I am sure the BrownKorbels feel like medical angels... they are.
Here is hoping that if you get sick you have a family like mine that will rally around your needs!
Love
Pat
Feeling Better
I am off today to get the blood retaken.
I am feeling much better. I am about back to 85% strength.
I put together a new laundry cart yesterday. Costco has a great one. It sorts everything into three bags.. or at least you sort everything into three canvas bags. It will help to get us organized on a daily basis.
The weather over here has been great. Its a little off the 80s we had earlier and just a little bit of wind.
Today is the big primary in Pen.. it will be interesting to see how well Obama does. It depends upon the young people getting out to vote.
Have a great day.
Love
Pat
I am feeling much better. I am about back to 85% strength.
I put together a new laundry cart yesterday. Costco has a great one. It sorts everything into three bags.. or at least you sort everything into three canvas bags. It will help to get us organized on a daily basis.
The weather over here has been great. Its a little off the 80s we had earlier and just a little bit of wind.
Today is the big primary in Pen.. it will be interesting to see how well Obama does. It depends upon the young people getting out to vote.
Have a great day.
Love
Pat
Monday, April 21, 2008
Quick Fried Pork Chops and Scalloped Potatoes
The Cuisanart is a wonder for making scalloped potatoes. It slices the potatoes so evenly, will easily grate the cheeze you need and chop the onion.
This version was a little souper than previous versions. I think the reason was I cooked it hotter (400) and the pan was deeper than usual. Still really good. I pan fried some pork chops (Sue likes them thinner than the stock ones at Costco) So I cut them in half. Sue said she really liked them that way.. very plain.
We had some apple sauce on the side. It turned out great.
Yesterday the emergency call back nurse got called me and said that they only had one culture on me that showed that they had gram positive rods in it. This is usually steph instead of staph.
I am to get to my doctor and get another culture done so that can be verified.. although the medicine that I was prescribed would probably take care of it.
Love
Pat
This version was a little souper than previous versions. I think the reason was I cooked it hotter (400) and the pan was deeper than usual. Still really good. I pan fried some pork chops (Sue likes them thinner than the stock ones at Costco) So I cut them in half. Sue said she really liked them that way.. very plain.
We had some apple sauce on the side. It turned out great.
Yesterday the emergency call back nurse got called me and said that they only had one culture on me that showed that they had gram positive rods in it. This is usually steph instead of staph.
I am to get to my doctor and get another culture done so that can be verified.. although the medicine that I was prescribed would probably take care of it.
Love
Pat
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Campaign Jetsam and Flotsam (corrected)
As the campaigns come to an end, desperate measures seem to arrive at the same time. The media gets tired of reporting the same positions over and over and instead looks at some little comment that someone said 7 years ago that the candidate knew.
There's a simple mnemonic that helps distinguish flotsam from jetsam. Flotsam (or floatsome) are those items which are floating as a consequence of the action of the sea. Jetsam are those which have been jettisoned by a ship's crew (although that may float too of course).
Why don't they stick to the issues and the differences of the candidate with the issues? Because frankly, they are not that much different. They are different between parties. This will be seen again in the Fall elections. I am hopeful that the primary elections will not push the opposition into some swift boat response. That was ugly and again off topic. It is these things that set the headlines and in the end move the independent voters to move away from platforms that would do them good.
In debate you never win or lose a contest over the side issues, its over the rationale for change or no change that really win or lose contests. The longer you can get the other side to talk about issues that are away from the major point, the better your argument looks. The same is true here. The more time the candidates are off of point, the more chance that the imperative of change will be diluted.
It really doesn't matter which church Obama went to or what pastor Wright said 7 years ago. What really matters is does Obama have the courage of his convictions to stand up to the big business interests in this country and say, we have to bring the troops home, we have to have universal health care, we have to take care of our vets, we need to spend the money that is required for categorical programs demanded by the Fed Government.
I believe that Obama does have that courage, and will promote that agenda. He is not a Washington insider, or a thwarted politician that has been told for the last 8 years no you can't. The vision is there. It is fueled by youth. If the young people get out and vote in November it should be a very embarrassing moment for the GOP. Just like it was a very embarrassing moment for Hillary in Iowa, and Wisconsin. Youth power at the polls is a pretty exciting thing.
Have a great day!
Pat
There's a simple mnemonic that helps distinguish flotsam from jetsam. Flotsam (or floatsome) are those items which are floating as a consequence of the action of the sea. Jetsam are those which have been jettisoned by a ship's crew (although that may float too of course).
Why don't they stick to the issues and the differences of the candidate with the issues? Because frankly, they are not that much different. They are different between parties. This will be seen again in the Fall elections. I am hopeful that the primary elections will not push the opposition into some swift boat response. That was ugly and again off topic. It is these things that set the headlines and in the end move the independent voters to move away from platforms that would do them good.
In debate you never win or lose a contest over the side issues, its over the rationale for change or no change that really win or lose contests. The longer you can get the other side to talk about issues that are away from the major point, the better your argument looks. The same is true here. The more time the candidates are off of point, the more chance that the imperative of change will be diluted.
It really doesn't matter which church Obama went to or what pastor Wright said 7 years ago. What really matters is does Obama have the courage of his convictions to stand up to the big business interests in this country and say, we have to bring the troops home, we have to have universal health care, we have to take care of our vets, we need to spend the money that is required for categorical programs demanded by the Fed Government.
I believe that Obama does have that courage, and will promote that agenda. He is not a Washington insider, or a thwarted politician that has been told for the last 8 years no you can't. The vision is there. It is fueled by youth. If the young people get out and vote in November it should be a very embarrassing moment for the GOP. Just like it was a very embarrassing moment for Hillary in Iowa, and Wisconsin. Youth power at the polls is a pretty exciting thing.
Have a great day!
Pat
Thursday, April 17, 2008
When I am out of breath you know something is Wrong
My journey with cellulites (infection of the tissues below the skin) has taken a journey in to the world of pneumonia. The treatment of cellulites took me on a wild and crazy journey through some exotic and not so exotic antibiotics. Two drugs that really work on the condition probably came the closest to doing me in... Kflex, and Septra. clinamyician stopped the spread of the leg infection but did not stop the infection. Leva something which started the mad run on March 6 had little effect. The whole thing came to a crashing conclusion Tuesday night while visiting my home doctor I was experiencing shortness of breath, and continued high temperature (forth week of that), rash and dizziness.
He strongly recommended that I see an emergency section of a major hospital that night. We thought we were going to St. Agnes in Fresno.. but we were strongly encouraged by other members of the family to go to a bigger facility that would have more options for diagnosis and treatment. Since most of my family lives in the South Bay.. Stanford was chosen. It was midnight as we entered the doors. My symptoms were taken and I made the grade from the triage nurse into the cue rooms. Staffing was one nurse for every 3 patients and one doctor for every 6 patients. A battery of tests were ordered and an Iv portal was established. No small task considering I have blood vessels that are very hard to tap.
The first results of the blood test revealed that I had an enzyme count that was out of compliance for heart issues or lung issues.
I blood test was then taken from both arms every hour and compared to the one that was out of shape. I was laying down in high adreline discomfort the entire time.
At 2 am it became obvious that was indeed to be admitted and Sue and Linzi headed off to look for a hotel.
At 2:30 I received a chest x ray, and at 3:30 am I received a CT scan of the my body from the neck down. In the process of injected the "contrast dye" into my system, the connection to my IV broke open and spewed dye from my arm above my head on to my head and shoulders.
The call as out for a nurse that reconnect the IV. He arrived and reestablished the one that was there. The assistant found a needle nosed pliers and cranked it back on and they revisited the CT scan again.
I was told that everything was fine with the scan and no spots were seen. This was not true. On my release (16 hours later) spots were found on the lung (start of pneumonia a spot was seen of my kidney (need to pursue) and a bit of water was discovered on my knee (I twisted my knee a week ago).
As daybreak came. I was sent, as were others to the "clinical decision" rooms. Here the service breaks down. nurses are not often seen. No doctor showed up to any of the 6 patients that were there the entire day. If you needed anything you were encouraged to use the call button. Otherwise nurses were there only to take blood and ocassionaly reset you up to the monitoring equipment. No information was provided as to what was going on in your behalf. This is the outer Mongolia of the emergency ward. I was not offered any food or drink until after my echo cardio stress test at 5pm. Apparently I was waiting for this test.
Finally it was my turn for this. They took my gurney (narrow as it was) with me in it up one floor to the echo lab. I was wheeled in. The techs there but me on there own guney and told me that i was not going to use the treadmill. My target was 139 heartbeats and they would chemically induce this level and then check my heart. They checked the action of my heart and then they dropped the chemical laden with adrenaline into my system. I could feel my heart begin to rise in beat as if I were jogging, but instead I was lying flat on the gurney. The lights were low and on the orange side of the spectrum. As I approached 130, they handed my a couple of balls, one of them soft and one of the hard. I squeezed the balls until I reached their appointed number. They looked at my heart and I was okay. It would not go back to normal as quickly as they wanted it to. I got 3 shots in my IV to slow it down over a 35 min. period of time. Still it was up there and irregular. The cardiologist looked it over and said that by the next day I would be okay and that they had one of these every month. He also said that I should remember the name of the person that did this to me and we practiced her name. This made the tech pretty mad.
I was wheeled back to the ward and my family took turns cheering me up. They finally decided to give me the pulse lowering drug in a pill. It worked and at 10 o'clock I walked out of there.. unaided by any hospital staff.
What an ordeal.
I am glad to be home. Thanks to all my family for stopping by and cheering me up. It sure made it easier to survive.
Love
Pat
He strongly recommended that I see an emergency section of a major hospital that night. We thought we were going to St. Agnes in Fresno.. but we were strongly encouraged by other members of the family to go to a bigger facility that would have more options for diagnosis and treatment. Since most of my family lives in the South Bay.. Stanford was chosen. It was midnight as we entered the doors. My symptoms were taken and I made the grade from the triage nurse into the cue rooms. Staffing was one nurse for every 3 patients and one doctor for every 6 patients. A battery of tests were ordered and an Iv portal was established. No small task considering I have blood vessels that are very hard to tap.
The first results of the blood test revealed that I had an enzyme count that was out of compliance for heart issues or lung issues.
I blood test was then taken from both arms every hour and compared to the one that was out of shape. I was laying down in high adreline discomfort the entire time.
At 2 am it became obvious that was indeed to be admitted and Sue and Linzi headed off to look for a hotel.
At 2:30 I received a chest x ray, and at 3:30 am I received a CT scan of the my body from the neck down. In the process of injected the "contrast dye" into my system, the connection to my IV broke open and spewed dye from my arm above my head on to my head and shoulders.
The call as out for a nurse that reconnect the IV. He arrived and reestablished the one that was there. The assistant found a needle nosed pliers and cranked it back on and they revisited the CT scan again.
I was told that everything was fine with the scan and no spots were seen. This was not true. On my release (16 hours later) spots were found on the lung (start of pneumonia a spot was seen of my kidney (need to pursue) and a bit of water was discovered on my knee (I twisted my knee a week ago).
As daybreak came. I was sent, as were others to the "clinical decision" rooms. Here the service breaks down. nurses are not often seen. No doctor showed up to any of the 6 patients that were there the entire day. If you needed anything you were encouraged to use the call button. Otherwise nurses were there only to take blood and ocassionaly reset you up to the monitoring equipment. No information was provided as to what was going on in your behalf. This is the outer Mongolia of the emergency ward. I was not offered any food or drink until after my echo cardio stress test at 5pm. Apparently I was waiting for this test.
Finally it was my turn for this. They took my gurney (narrow as it was) with me in it up one floor to the echo lab. I was wheeled in. The techs there but me on there own guney and told me that i was not going to use the treadmill. My target was 139 heartbeats and they would chemically induce this level and then check my heart. They checked the action of my heart and then they dropped the chemical laden with adrenaline into my system. I could feel my heart begin to rise in beat as if I were jogging, but instead I was lying flat on the gurney. The lights were low and on the orange side of the spectrum. As I approached 130, they handed my a couple of balls, one of them soft and one of the hard. I squeezed the balls until I reached their appointed number. They looked at my heart and I was okay. It would not go back to normal as quickly as they wanted it to. I got 3 shots in my IV to slow it down over a 35 min. period of time. Still it was up there and irregular. The cardiologist looked it over and said that by the next day I would be okay and that they had one of these every month. He also said that I should remember the name of the person that did this to me and we practiced her name. This made the tech pretty mad.
I was wheeled back to the ward and my family took turns cheering me up. They finally decided to give me the pulse lowering drug in a pill. It worked and at 10 o'clock I walked out of there.. unaided by any hospital staff.
What an ordeal.
I am glad to be home. Thanks to all my family for stopping by and cheering me up. It sure made it easier to survive.
Love
Pat
Monday, April 14, 2008
Where Is he?
We thought we had a speech and langusge man...
He hasn't shown up to work for awhile.
Subs (quite able I must add) have taken his place
I hear that he is going back to see the doctor today
Just
Like
He
Did
Almost every day last week.
This week is the Star testing for the high school.
He probably won't be missed too much.
He probably wants to get back to work and the routine.
Someday we will have a speech and language person back.
He hasn't shown up to work for awhile.
Subs (quite able I must add) have taken his place
I hear that he is going back to see the doctor today
Just
Like
He
Did
Almost every day last week.
This week is the Star testing for the high school.
He probably won't be missed too much.
He probably wants to get back to work and the routine.
Someday we will have a speech and language person back.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Sue's Brother Alan
Alan and his new wife, Kirsten came to San Francisco last weekend. We had a great time showing the sites of the city.. Twin Peaks, Japense Tea garden and Muir woods. Alan is currently spending one month in Qatar doing emergency doctor administration and work and the next month at home in his 100 acre farm house near Pittsburgh where they have a golden lab dog and motor about in their ATV. I was wondering about what Qatar was like and the web did not let me down. This is wiki version of its history.
During the pre-Islamic era, the peninsula was often dominated by various Persian dynasties, the last of which (the Sasanians) included the Qatar peninsula, which they called Meshmahig ("Big Island"), in their province of Bahran/Bahrain with its capital at Shirin (probably, the modern Qatif). This province included the island of Bahrain and the costal regions of modern Saudi Arabia.
In the Islamic era, Qatar was one of the earliest locales occupied by the Muslims. Qarmatians arrived in the area very early during the Islamic era and spread their influence widely, as they did in the neighboring Hasa region. In medieval times, Qatar was more often than not independent and a participant in the great Persian Gulf-Indian Ocean commerce. Many races and ideas were introduced into the peninsula from Africa, South and Southeast Asia, as well as the Malay archipelago. Today, the traces of these early interactions with the oceanic world of the Indian Ocean remains in the existence of small minorities of races, peoples, languages and religions, such as the presence of Africans and Shihus.
After centuries-long domination by the Ottoman and British empires, Qatar became an independent state on September 3, 1971.
Although the peninsular land mass that makes up Qatar has sustained humans for thousands of years, for the bulk of its history the arid climate fostered only short-term settlements by nomadic tribes. Clans such as the Al Khalifa and the Al Saud (which would later ascend thrones of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia respectively) swept through the Arabian peninsula and camped on the coasts within small fishing and pearling villages.
The British initially sought out Qatar and the Persian Gulf as an intermediary vantage point en route to their colonial interests in India, although the discovery of oil and other hydrocarbons in the early twentieth century would re-invigorate their interest. During the nineteenth century, the time of Britain’s formative ventures into the region, the Al Khalifa clan reigned over the Northern Qatari peninsula from the nearby island of Bahrain to the west.
Although Qatar had the legal status of a dependency, resentment festered against the Bahraini Al Khalifas along the eastern seaboard of the Qatari peninsula. In 1867, the Al Khalifas launched a successful effort to quash the Qatari rebels sending a massive naval force to Wakrah. However, the Bahraini aggression was in violation on the 1820 Anglo-Bahraini Treaty. The diplomatic response of the British to this violation set into motion the political forces that would eventuate in the founding of the state of Qatar. In addition to censuring Bahrain for its breach of agreement, the British Protectorate (per Colonel Lewis Pelly) asked to negotiate with a representative from Qatar. The request carried with it a tacit recognition of Qatar’s status as distinct from Bahrain. The Qataris chose as their negotiator the respected entrepreneur and long-time resident of Doha, Muhammed bin Thani. His clan, the Al Thanis, had taken relatively little part in Gulf politics, but the diplomatic foray ensured their participation in the movement towards independence and their dominion as the future ruling family, a dynasty that continues to this day. The results of the negotiations left Qatar with a new-found sense of political selfhood, although it did not gain official standing as a British protectorate until 1916.
The Emiri Diwan.
The Emiri Diwan.
The reach of the British Empire diminished after the Second World War, especially following Indian independence in 1947. Pressure for a British withdrawal from the Arab emirates in the Gulf increased during the 1950s, and the British welcomed Kuwait's declaration of independence in 1961. When Britain officially announced in 1968 that it would disengage politically, though not economically, from the Persian Gulf in three years' time, Qatar joined Bahrain and seven other Trucial States in a federation. Regional disputes however, quickly compelled Qatar to resign and declare independence from the coalition that would evolve into the seven-emirate United Arab Emirates. On September 3, 1971, Qatar became an independent sovereign state.
Since 1995, Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has ruled Qatar, seizing control of the country from his father Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani while the latter vacationed in Switzerland. Under Emir Hamad, Qatar has experienced a notable amount of sociopolitical liberalization, including the enfranchisement of women, a new constitution, and the launch of Al Jazeera, a leading English and Arabic news source, which operates a website and satellite television news channel. Qatar ranks as the ninth richest country in the world per capita [4].
Qatar served as the headquarters and one of the main launching sites of the US invasion of Iraq [5] in 2003.
In 2005, a suicide-bombing killed a British teacher at the Doha Players Theatre, shocking a country that had not previously experienced acts of terrorism. It is not clear if the bombing was committed by an organized terrorist group, and although the investigation is ongoing there are indications that the attack was the work of an individual, not a group
During the pre-Islamic era, the peninsula was often dominated by various Persian dynasties, the last of which (the Sasanians) included the Qatar peninsula, which they called Meshmahig ("Big Island"), in their province of Bahran/Bahrain with its capital at Shirin (probably, the modern Qatif). This province included the island of Bahrain and the costal regions of modern Saudi Arabia.
In the Islamic era, Qatar was one of the earliest locales occupied by the Muslims. Qarmatians arrived in the area very early during the Islamic era and spread their influence widely, as they did in the neighboring Hasa region. In medieval times, Qatar was more often than not independent and a participant in the great Persian Gulf-Indian Ocean commerce. Many races and ideas were introduced into the peninsula from Africa, South and Southeast Asia, as well as the Malay archipelago. Today, the traces of these early interactions with the oceanic world of the Indian Ocean remains in the existence of small minorities of races, peoples, languages and religions, such as the presence of Africans and Shihus.
After centuries-long domination by the Ottoman and British empires, Qatar became an independent state on September 3, 1971.
Although the peninsular land mass that makes up Qatar has sustained humans for thousands of years, for the bulk of its history the arid climate fostered only short-term settlements by nomadic tribes. Clans such as the Al Khalifa and the Al Saud (which would later ascend thrones of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia respectively) swept through the Arabian peninsula and camped on the coasts within small fishing and pearling villages.
The British initially sought out Qatar and the Persian Gulf as an intermediary vantage point en route to their colonial interests in India, although the discovery of oil and other hydrocarbons in the early twentieth century would re-invigorate their interest. During the nineteenth century, the time of Britain’s formative ventures into the region, the Al Khalifa clan reigned over the Northern Qatari peninsula from the nearby island of Bahrain to the west.
Although Qatar had the legal status of a dependency, resentment festered against the Bahraini Al Khalifas along the eastern seaboard of the Qatari peninsula. In 1867, the Al Khalifas launched a successful effort to quash the Qatari rebels sending a massive naval force to Wakrah. However, the Bahraini aggression was in violation on the 1820 Anglo-Bahraini Treaty. The diplomatic response of the British to this violation set into motion the political forces that would eventuate in the founding of the state of Qatar. In addition to censuring Bahrain for its breach of agreement, the British Protectorate (per Colonel Lewis Pelly) asked to negotiate with a representative from Qatar. The request carried with it a tacit recognition of Qatar’s status as distinct from Bahrain. The Qataris chose as their negotiator the respected entrepreneur and long-time resident of Doha, Muhammed bin Thani. His clan, the Al Thanis, had taken relatively little part in Gulf politics, but the diplomatic foray ensured their participation in the movement towards independence and their dominion as the future ruling family, a dynasty that continues to this day. The results of the negotiations left Qatar with a new-found sense of political selfhood, although it did not gain official standing as a British protectorate until 1916.
The Emiri Diwan.
The Emiri Diwan.
The reach of the British Empire diminished after the Second World War, especially following Indian independence in 1947. Pressure for a British withdrawal from the Arab emirates in the Gulf increased during the 1950s, and the British welcomed Kuwait's declaration of independence in 1961. When Britain officially announced in 1968 that it would disengage politically, though not economically, from the Persian Gulf in three years' time, Qatar joined Bahrain and seven other Trucial States in a federation. Regional disputes however, quickly compelled Qatar to resign and declare independence from the coalition that would evolve into the seven-emirate United Arab Emirates. On September 3, 1971, Qatar became an independent sovereign state.
Since 1995, Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has ruled Qatar, seizing control of the country from his father Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani while the latter vacationed in Switzerland. Under Emir Hamad, Qatar has experienced a notable amount of sociopolitical liberalization, including the enfranchisement of women, a new constitution, and the launch of Al Jazeera, a leading English and Arabic news source, which operates a website and satellite television news channel. Qatar ranks as the ninth richest country in the world per capita [4].
Qatar served as the headquarters and one of the main launching sites of the US invasion of Iraq [5] in 2003.
In 2005, a suicide-bombing killed a British teacher at the Doha Players Theatre, shocking a country that had not previously experienced acts of terrorism. It is not clear if the bombing was committed by an organized terrorist group, and although the investigation is ongoing there are indications that the attack was the work of an individual, not a group
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Strawberry Season
Linzi was down this weekend. Sean is due to follow later this day. We got the first valley strawberries for this house. They were still firm, but could benefit with a light sugaring.
Linzi and I had breakfast at Jantz in Atwater. It is a restaurant run by a Mennonite family. Service is superb. The cook gave Linzi ham instead of bacon. The young waitress was genuinely apologetic and asked if she would be happy if she bought out the bacon and she could keep the ham slice.
We also bought a bag of homemade crescent rolls .. yum..
Its not open on Sunday or Monday. There is always a line. In the past year they moved to an upgraded more spacious area with a bigger kitchen and more booths. They are back at the growth limit if today at 8 am is any indication.
The big thing that most people come in for is there pies. They now have huge cakes too. All of them round.
No dinner service too. This is strictly a breakfast/lunch place.
After 1pm on Saturday they start selling all of the pies for 1/2 off
I hope you are having a great weekend.
Love
Pat
Linzi and I had breakfast at Jantz in Atwater. It is a restaurant run by a Mennonite family. Service is superb. The cook gave Linzi ham instead of bacon. The young waitress was genuinely apologetic and asked if she would be happy if she bought out the bacon and she could keep the ham slice.
We also bought a bag of homemade crescent rolls .. yum..
Its not open on Sunday or Monday. There is always a line. In the past year they moved to an upgraded more spacious area with a bigger kitchen and more booths. They are back at the growth limit if today at 8 am is any indication.
The big thing that most people come in for is there pies. They now have huge cakes too. All of them round.
No dinner service too. This is strictly a breakfast/lunch place.
After 1pm on Saturday they start selling all of the pies for 1/2 off
I hope you are having a great weekend.
Love
Pat
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
The start of Baseball Season
This week was the start of the Giants home baseball season. Opening day was a sight to behold with my new Hi Def TV.
As a 10 year old I used to bet my mother 10 cents on every game the Giants played. Most of the time the teams as barely above losing half and winning half. In 1960 they came very close to getting into the world series. The computers at the beginning of the season has predicted that the Dodgers would win. I spent hours in my bedroom listening to Russ Simmons and Hodges bring the game alive through radio. It kept me out of trouble. The season, in 1960 came down to one last game. It was basically a playoff game. The Giants and the Dodger were tied at the end of the season. The game that was to decide which team would go on and which team would end their seaon happened at Candlestick Park. It was a beautiful fall bay area day. The Giants had Juan Marishell and the Dodgers had Sandy Kofax in this era. The game ended up tied going into the bottom of the 9th. A ground ball squirted through the infield and the dreaded Dodgers made it into the World Series. There were no playoffs. There were no "wild card" teams. There were fewer teams an consequently better play. Most of what we see today was left in the minors.
Often over the last few years my sister and I would "watch" a game together, seperated by 150 miles. She would call me up when the game was on and we would enjoy the plays together.
After watching innings 5-9 on opening day it looks like there won't be many plays to cheer. A bounding ball hit in front of the pitcher's mound and the secound basman and the short stop converged and the the short shop did a wave at the ball as it passed between them. The second baseman was not in position before the ball headed in that direction. It was just poor fundamentals.
It seems like every other year is Kelly's interest in baseball. This should be the year.. but then again with the doctoral thesis staring her in the face, and a zillion books to read (I am so proud of her) it might not be this year either. The media is merciless on the Giants. They are fielding two teams.. one of old men and the other of young wannabess.. we shall see. They may be even worse then their football counterparts the forty whinners.
Have a great day
Pat
As a 10 year old I used to bet my mother 10 cents on every game the Giants played. Most of the time the teams as barely above losing half and winning half. In 1960 they came very close to getting into the world series. The computers at the beginning of the season has predicted that the Dodgers would win. I spent hours in my bedroom listening to Russ Simmons and Hodges bring the game alive through radio. It kept me out of trouble. The season, in 1960 came down to one last game. It was basically a playoff game. The Giants and the Dodger were tied at the end of the season. The game that was to decide which team would go on and which team would end their seaon happened at Candlestick Park. It was a beautiful fall bay area day. The Giants had Juan Marishell and the Dodgers had Sandy Kofax in this era. The game ended up tied going into the bottom of the 9th. A ground ball squirted through the infield and the dreaded Dodgers made it into the World Series. There were no playoffs. There were no "wild card" teams. There were fewer teams an consequently better play. Most of what we see today was left in the minors.
Often over the last few years my sister and I would "watch" a game together, seperated by 150 miles. She would call me up when the game was on and we would enjoy the plays together.
After watching innings 5-9 on opening day it looks like there won't be many plays to cheer. A bounding ball hit in front of the pitcher's mound and the secound basman and the short stop converged and the the short shop did a wave at the ball as it passed between them. The second baseman was not in position before the ball headed in that direction. It was just poor fundamentals.
It seems like every other year is Kelly's interest in baseball. This should be the year.. but then again with the doctoral thesis staring her in the face, and a zillion books to read (I am so proud of her) it might not be this year either. The media is merciless on the Giants. They are fielding two teams.. one of old men and the other of young wannabess.. we shall see. They may be even worse then their football counterparts the forty whinners.
Have a great day
Pat
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Agravation
The Dali Lama says we need to mediate on compassion. This day was one that required more than my share.
I taught the first two period and then could not make it up to my other school. I had the chills bad. I felt queezy and somewhat dizzy.
So I barged into my Dr. life (he had to eat lunch with the pharmacy reps first) and I needed an extensive blood letting,
I commented to him that I thought the pharmacy reps were ruining his practice. He assured me that they didn't take up much patient time... ha.. every time I am there they are waiting three deep to go in.
I had good white cell counts so the leg thing was not going septic,, although he concurred that the same symptoms for septic conditions were my symptoms.. So I got a refill of the antibiotic pills and some tamaflu (which the insurance company did not approve. The white count in the blood suggests that I now have the flu.
I waited forever in the line for the meds. Then the pharmacists had to talk to me regarding my allergie.. I am taking a med that I am essentially allergic too.
Then I dropped by Polo Loco for some dinner.. I realized they didn't fill the Tamiflu because the insurance didn't authorize it.. I had it last month too. So I paid for it.. 125.00. Wait some more.
Pac Bell has not provided me dsl consistently for almost a month, Sunday I called them up anout it and low in behold, I do not have fiber.. yet all my neighbors do,, So I was the last squirt down the leg of the DSLs.. So they have assured be that I will be up and fibering by the weekend. At least it is up tonight,
Love
Pat
I taught the first two period and then could not make it up to my other school. I had the chills bad. I felt queezy and somewhat dizzy.
So I barged into my Dr. life (he had to eat lunch with the pharmacy reps first) and I needed an extensive blood letting,
I commented to him that I thought the pharmacy reps were ruining his practice. He assured me that they didn't take up much patient time... ha.. every time I am there they are waiting three deep to go in.
I had good white cell counts so the leg thing was not going septic,, although he concurred that the same symptoms for septic conditions were my symptoms.. So I got a refill of the antibiotic pills and some tamaflu (which the insurance company did not approve. The white count in the blood suggests that I now have the flu.
I waited forever in the line for the meds. Then the pharmacists had to talk to me regarding my allergie.. I am taking a med that I am essentially allergic too.
Then I dropped by Polo Loco for some dinner.. I realized they didn't fill the Tamiflu because the insurance didn't authorize it.. I had it last month too. So I paid for it.. 125.00. Wait some more.
Pac Bell has not provided me dsl consistently for almost a month, Sunday I called them up anout it and low in behold, I do not have fiber.. yet all my neighbors do,, So I was the last squirt down the leg of the DSLs.. So they have assured be that I will be up and fibering by the weekend. At least it is up tonight,
Love
Pat
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Finally.. A new post
The internet has been down in my house.
Its amazing the superstitious behavior it has lead me along. I have unplugged various phone lines. I have cursed the new satellite installers.. the internet went down at the same time the high def was installed. I was sure it was because I had not installed filters.. where are those filters anyway? It had to be that the modem was dead.. turn it all off turn it all on.. one time it resurrected with this approach.. so you cannot blame the TV guys.
I could be the cats that use my roof crawl space as a get away from humans area.. hopefully the telephone lines were stapled down. It could be the computer that is not reading through the ethernet line..no the ethernet light is on on the gateway..
It has to be my destructive little white cat that carries whole skeins of yarn around the house and whines and complains to it like he is teaching it to respond.
The reality is that looks like they have been redoing our connection lines.. It had to be started up with the proper browser.. no firefox I have to tell you.. and then restablished as a new upgraded account. I would have been nice to have some warning but.. but ATnT the 500 pound chicken.. can do just about anything that it wants.. without asking permission or warning..
It works now.. so cut your griping and get to computing.. Thanks to all those that have expressed concern that the blog has been off the wires..
: )
Pat
Its amazing the superstitious behavior it has lead me along. I have unplugged various phone lines. I have cursed the new satellite installers.. the internet went down at the same time the high def was installed. I was sure it was because I had not installed filters.. where are those filters anyway? It had to be that the modem was dead.. turn it all off turn it all on.. one time it resurrected with this approach.. so you cannot blame the TV guys.
I could be the cats that use my roof crawl space as a get away from humans area.. hopefully the telephone lines were stapled down. It could be the computer that is not reading through the ethernet line..no the ethernet light is on on the gateway..
It has to be my destructive little white cat that carries whole skeins of yarn around the house and whines and complains to it like he is teaching it to respond.
The reality is that looks like they have been redoing our connection lines.. It had to be started up with the proper browser.. no firefox I have to tell you.. and then restablished as a new upgraded account. I would have been nice to have some warning but.. but ATnT the 500 pound chicken.. can do just about anything that it wants.. without asking permission or warning..
It works now.. so cut your griping and get to computing.. Thanks to all those that have expressed concern that the blog has been off the wires..
: )
Pat
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