Kayla Quote: Texting conversation
Kayla: "Hey Madre, r u coming by 2day?" May 22, 12:26 p.m.
Steph: "Yes, coming from New Jersey now in a little while." May 22 12:30 p.m.
Kayla: "kk cya soon the muracas r here :) could i have a collata again??? : D May 22 1:03 p.m.
Steph: Absolutely my little muffin...coming right up. May 22, 1:06 p.m.
Kayla: "almost here?" May 22, 1:29 p.m.
Steph: "Traffico...be there soon." May 22, 1:45 p.m.
Short Synopsis: Kayla is really beginning to know what she wants and needs. Almost daily she texts what items she needs at the hospital, especially special drinks and foods. She hates the hospital food, only plucking bits and pieces from the tray for me, like a container of apple sauce or a yoghurt, which she knows I like. I used to eat her hospital food but even I am finding it unappetizing.
When I get there, the nurse practitioner says tomorrow will be a busy day for Kayla. The weekends are quieter with a reduced staff. Kayla does not get physical therapy on the weekends.
The plan is set forth:
1. Pain specialists - Kayla is in pain all the time from the cannulars leading into her body. Sometimes it is unbearable. She needs specialists who can help her with this seemingly unsolvable problem. The methadone is definitely helping and the other narcotics are being decreased but she still has pain. Cardiology and the other doctor teams need to be on the same page with the medications. An evaluation is needed.
2. Her trach tube can go from a size 6 to size 4 to close up the hole in her throat. Things are progressing well here.
3. Physical therapy and occupational therapy will resume Monday.
Long Story: Bumpy was wonderful this morning, making cheese eggs for the three of us - me, Robert and Bumpy. Robert has come in second in the men's doubles and clearly he is not satisfied. I can tell by his face and eyes. He says nothing.
"Second is great." He still says nothing.
Bumpy and I go off for another long walk and it's wet out. She points out the endless stream of chipmunks dashing in and out of stone walls and lawn holes. This clearly is a place where they thrive because we are surprised them every few seconds - little ones, big ones, dashing-across-the-quiet-street ones. Their tails are sticking straight up.
Mordechai calls me in the middle of all this and I am walking briskly. As he speaks, I am breathing heavily. We are going at a good clip.
Mordechai informs, "My mother is off the respirator for three days now."
"Wow, that's great."
"Takayama won't do surgery. They say we need to find a long term facility for her now," he continues.
"I understand that. There are loads of people downstairs in the emergency room waiting to come up. People who are given chances to survive. Those ICU beds are in high demand. Your Mom's heart is strong, like an athletes, that's why she's still here. The only concern I have is that she is not moving. She will get bed sores with no physical therapy. You know, someone should move her arms and legs."
Mordechai says they are searching for a facility to move her to. He politely says he will let me get back to my exercise after he asks about Kayla.
Bumpy and I find Robert mowing the lawn when we get back.
His wife Carol will be home soon from the Girl Scout weekend trip.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I get another skim coffee coolata at an even closer and cleaner Dunkin' Donuts before the George Washington Bridge...
I bring it to Kayla and go down to the fifth floor waiting room to write chalk board messages. Now I am truly cleaning out. The roses I bought on the street to brighten up the place are all withered. I throw them in the garbage.
There are people in the next cubicle away from our cozy corner, a very large family. They took all of our chairs and moved them over. Our corner is totally empty!
From: Steve
To: Stephanie
Sent: Thu, May 19, 2011 11:03:48 AM
Stephanie:
So glad to get your note and to hear Kayla's doing so well. Please pass along a brass-band HAPPY BIRTHDAY from me, complete with tuba, trombones and drums. I'd suggest fireworks too, but that might not be a good idea given the way they leave oxygen tanks lying around the hospital. Hope you're planning a cake with the GW Bridge on it.
I've been in daily touch with Beth, keep tabs on how both she and mom are faring. I'm coming up again Friday night by train. I don't know if I'll make it into the unit then, but I'll be there all day Saturday (leaving Sat. nite).
My daughter Molly....is also coming to see grandma, so we'll all be there in force...I'd love for Molly to meet Kayla too, if she's in the mood for 15-year-old company.
I'm fuly back at work, with a story in this morning's paper. My editors are reaping their revenge on me for being out so long, demanding to see my byline in the paper. It drives me them a little crazy that I'm so hard to intimidate. Ah well...it's long past time they learned.
I am long overdue for a note to Mordechai and Dovid. I'm hoping to get to them today, if I can.
Sorry to hear our little nook has been invaded by newcomers, but it was inevitable. I wonder who came before us?
Much love to you all,
Steve
From: Stephanie
To: Steve
Date: Sun, May 22, 2011 9:24:44 AM
Steve:
Oh geez...did I miss you? You and Beth never even called me! Kayla would have loved seeing a 15-year-old. She was lonely yesterday...not enough people coming by and we had a big 40th party for my sister Deirdre, so I left early to go.
Deirdre's husband, Ty, is the most amazing cook and party giver. He does all the work himself and then sits back and watches people enjoy themselves. He is a treasure for our family.
By 10:30 p.m. my best childhood friend, Bumpy, and I left the Tarrytown party to go to her brother's house in New Jersey. I went immediatley to bed - getting old is not easy. The 40-somethings kept that Tarrytown party going until 2:30 in the morning...long gone are those days for me. As we were leaving, they were back out in the courtyard laughing and telling storeis, and I was disappointed in not being able to keep my eyes open.
I like to to go bed early and get up early to write for hours. Best writing time is probably between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. I should call those reverers and show them the light of day! Ha!
Mordechai and Dovid would have been amused by what I did in my new 7th floor waiting room...and no, there is no cozy corner there. I saw a young bored Orthodox Jewish boy sitting there. He was wearing the exact same clothes that they wear. He was probably 15-16. He picked up the Time Magazine (that I left there in a basket with loads of Kayla's entertaiment mags) that had Osama bin Laden's cover story. It's an amazing story with good detail coverage. (I was working on a blog posting in an opposite chair to this boy and he was reading that article.) I waited. The boy settled in with comfort, lying down, hand behind the back of his neck, and he read the entire story. He looked at every picture and flipped the pages to study every part.
Then I...yes, I told him "how could anyone be so evil" etc... The boy never said a word to me, not a single word, but he was was interested in what I had to say. So bright-eyed, intelligent...
Hope all is going well with your Mom and I hope to see you soon.
Regards,
Stephanie
Chalkboard:
Beth - You fink! You didn't call me when Steve came to town. Hope your Mom is doing well. Kayla great. Steph
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
John Blakeman, the red-tailed hawk expert. My new guru!
Ok, there is running commentary on the sidebar at the Hawk cam for Pip. People question John about all aspects of red-tails and about Pip. When John comes in and begins to speak, I am excited to watch what is being said. When he leaves, it's just a bunch of young kids fooling around. After a short while, it drops off. I definitely drop out if John is not commenting.
They say Pip has only a 20% chance of making it through his first year. I don't like this statistic much but I know nature is cruel - just look at my Kayla and her struggle to survive. Born with a bad heart, she has wrestled with trying to stay here.
I say Pip has a better chance than the predictions. He is an only sibling with the two devoid eggs next to him. He gets all the food and all the attention of his parents. He is growing faster than anything I have ever seen. He is 20x the size of one of those eggs and he's, what, 2 weeks and 2 days old? By 5 weeks, he will fly out of the nest for the very first time. He has to learn how to fly well and how to hunt. Lots to learn! But he is pre-programmed for all of this and he is hardy, plump, and willing!
According to John, Violet will spend less time on the nest and will begin to sleep in nearby trees and resume a more normal hawk life. Pip doesn't seem to know this as he cuddles and nestles under her. Bobbie continues to get food for both Violet and Pip. John comments that in New York City where the food supply for hawks is plentiful, there are generally 3 eggs in the nest. In rural areas there is usually only one egg due to less food.
There is one half a rat next to the sleeping Pip. The tail and back end from the mid-section down to the stretched out feet are all you see. And no, you cannot see gore. It's an illusion - you have to study it carefully to see that the front half is gone. It's just stored food in the pantry part of the nest.
Pip is one big ball of white fluff and all wings. Once in a while he stetches them out in his afternoon snooze.
First time nesters are generally 3-6 years of age. Violet was banded at the Delaware Water Gap - the band can be read from the window and it has the date 10/2006 and a specific number. It is believed she is around 5-years-old. The band is not bothering her or she would have died years ago.
Red-tails get bitten by their prey sometimes as they attempt to get them. It is believed that Violet was bitten by a squirrel as they can see the leg scars. The band was probably pushed up by injured scar tissue.
All banders report their bandings to the US Forrestry and Wildlife Service Bird Banding Lab and the records are stored on computers.
It is 4 p.m. Pip is sitting contentedly. Violet has left for a long time but now she is back preening him, picking at his feathers, maybe biting bugs off of him...
No comments:
Post a Comment