grandson jaxson

grandson jaxson
grandson jaxson

granddaughter coraline

granddaughter coraline
granddaughter coraline

grandson mason

grandson mason
grandson mason

Monday, May 31, 2021

01-31MAY21 - Sultan, WA (lots of medical appointments🚑)

 

Saturday, 01MAY, still in Port Angeles hospital waiting on three different therapist (physical, occupational, speech) to evaluate extent of stroke damage?  Their opinion is stay on new meds, go home, and then follow-up with primary care asap.  That afternoon Corrie, Rebecca & boys pick Dan up & off to RV park.  Dan, Rebecca boys & dogs walk on beach; too windy for camp fire; so smores on the BBQ stove.  At this point the noticeable cognitive issues Dan had last Thursday are quickly disappearingJ!






Sunday morning wake up to no wind & sun.  After breakfast start prep’ing for departure; great sunny weather on the drive.  Unfortunately Corrie, who was driving, had minor allision with part of the Kingston ferry terminal toll booth – no damage to tollbooth, one window in cab over sleeping area of RV gone.

Monday after lunch into Sultan to see primary care doctor & discuss recent stroke.  Very good interview & further action planned – CT scan this week to see if new meds are working; appointment made with cardiac specialist to see if atrial fibrillation is a risk; and primary care will locate therapy specialists to test & determine what cognitive impacts remain from stroke.  Back home Corrie gardens & Dan mows; but after dinner it is off to ER at Monroe hospital because Dan is having another angioedema episode.  As we have noted in our BLOG Dan has suffered several of these for no diagnosable cause since SEP2020?  So as per other ER visits its IV administration of meds & 3 hours of observation & back home by 1130PM.

So here is a summary of what occurred in the month of May in regards to Dan’s stroke and the rapid recovery.  First good news was the medical decision that there is no need to see a physical therapist.  Three visits with an occupational therapist are scheduled but the therapist says recovery is so good no need for third visit.  That leaves a speech therapist to see once we can find one that isn’t booked solid.  (Note – Dan’s speech is fine; speech therapist will start by administrating another series of cognitive tests.)  

Eliquis prescribed to treat A-fib and reduce risk of future strokes.  Meeting with cardio specialist uncovers previous undiagnosed cardiac issues that were also exacerbated by A-fib.  Won’t bore you with the details; primary cardio efforts directed at preventing anymore strokes; cardiac issues need to be addressed in due course but no need for immediate action other than one more pill to take daily.

We also started another big project on the property, a professionally installed fence around Corrie’s vegetable/fruit garden.  There has been a fence since we built the raised beds; but it consists of a hodgepodge of different wire fencing & different metal posts & doesn’t like nice or neat like all the other items we have built over the years.  And the present fence is too close to the raised beds & almost like walking thru a jungle when some of the climbing plants reach full size.

So we had the contractor increase the size of the garden area, install pressure treated posts, string four foot high heavy gauge wire mesh between posts; & add two gates.  It took two visits to get that done & then we spent rest of month adding two feet of chicken wire to the bottom of the wire mesh to keep small critters out.  We also removed old wire fencing; & will be adding gravel to the new bigger walkways later this summer.









Saturday 08MAY, we celebrated Mothers’ Day early.  With covid restrictions/precautions we decided not to try to find a restaurant on Sunday.  Rebecca & grandkids come by for the Day.  We had BBQ ribs & strawberry/rhubarb pie ala mode before they headed back to east Bremerton.






And to finish the month Rebecca & the boys came back to spend Memorial Day weekend (29-31MAY) with us.  But first before they arrived on the 29th we headed to our friends Jan & Rich Formisano for get-together, late BBQ lunch, & Bocce Ball.  As always an excellent time!


Then back to house where Rebecca & grand boys show up for early dinner (of course boys have to try out pool that we set-up couple of weeks agoJ; movie & popcorn & spend the night.  Sunday Corrie & Rebecca go shopping, Dan babysits & mows, family fire after dinner.  Monday (last day of May); Rebecca & kids make preps for going home;  after couple of sessions in pool hit the road about 1230.











Friday, April 30, 2021

01-30APR21 - Sultan, WA (do you know what FAST means? we do now)

 



Saturday, 03APR, not much done Corrie returns & starts prep’ing for tomorrow’s Easter dinner when Rebecca & grand boys show-up.  Sunday Easter dinner with Rebecca & grand boys; then Rebecca leaves & we have Jaxson & Mason for their spring break from school.  Monday, 05APR, Dan takes grand boys to Yesler Terrace Park in Seattle which was brand new in 2018.  Parking is impossible to find because of construction worker vehicles.  Boys play two hours straight (enjoy sliding on the artificial turf).  Go to Seattle Center for food & toilets – everything closed because of covid!  No food, one bathroom open, head home; outdoor fire & smores after dinner.





Yesler Terrace Park - Parks | seattle.gov

Tuesday AM Dan & boys head to Stevens Pass sno-park for sledding; find out it was closed all season because of covid & sledding hill covered in snowplow debris.  Find one spot somewhat open & make the most of it; back to house for dinner alfresco.




Friday, 09APR, AM we all head-in to Seattle Center to the Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP) for the Minecraft “The Exhibition”.  In addition to entry tickets we purchased Minecraft the card game, & played after dinner (actually pretty good game).







Minecraft is a sandbox video game developed by Mojang. The game was created by Markus "Notch" Persson in the Java programming language. Following several early test versions, it was released as a paid public alpha for personal computers in 2009 before releasing in November 2011, with Jens Bergensten taking over development. Minecraft has since been ported to several other platforms and is the best-selling video game of all time, with 200 million copies sold and 126 million monthly active users as of 2020.

MoPOP | Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle Washington

Saturday wake up to snow!!  Rebecca shows up noonish & we have early BBQ dinner before she takes kids back to east Bremerton.  Weather fluctuates between sun, hail, rain, sun.




Thursday (normal tax day), more good weather Dan heads to Stevens Pass for his last day of skiing; gets home; & washes truck; Corrie gardens.  Friday Corrie has girls’ day out with Jan Formisano.  Dan installs more shelves in greenhouse; 80 degree dayL

Friday, 23APR, cloudy again; Corrie returns from grand boy sitting in east Bremerton, bringing Jaxson & Mason w/her.  Then we all head over to our neighbors Hans & Martha Dankers so the grandkids can the witness the shearing of their five sheep.  Then they fed the Alpacas, Llamas & Nigerian Pygmy Goats.  After dinner it was smores around the fire pit.


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Wednesday, 28APR, most of day spent getting ready for tomorrow’s RV camping trip.  Following pic is a Sharp Shinned Hawk seen on the property 20APR:)

Edmonds ferry on our way to Crescent Beach RV west of Port Angeles.  Plan is for daughter Rebecca & grandsons to meet us Friday for family camping over weekend.  Dan’s driving becomes erratic while leaving ferry; causing Corrie great concern & for her to finish the drive to RV park. From there it was off Port Angeles hospital ER to have Dan checked out.  Appears he may have had some sort of stroke & they will keep him for observation for two more days. 

Tests consist of two CT scans of brain one with dye/contrast; one chest xray & numerous basic, cognitive tests.  Definitely a stroke event on right side of brain (apparently caused by Afib?).  It appears the stroke occurred on the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston; and there were absolutely no classic symptoms (ie FAST); & Dan believed his driving was normal.

Friday last day of April; another day in hospital for much more observation including ultra sound of heart & MRI to determine exact extent of brain injury.  Diagnosis is mild to significant stroke to right side of brain probably caused by irregular heart beat due to atrial fibrillation; another night of observationL  Meanwhile Rebecca & grandkids (Jaxson & Mason) join Corrie at Crescent Beach RV Park.  (Spoiler alert – Dan had no apparent long lasting affects.)  Looking back & now knowing the statistics of significant stroke impacts & outcomes, it is obvious that Dan/we were extremely luckyJ


More medical updates to follow!