Yesterday got away from me...
...happily. It is always a good day when Mom revives a little and is up enough for me to enjoy her eyes-open company.
    Yesterday included an appointment with her PCP, the last review before the colonoscopy. He was surprised and pleased that I managed to have the colonoscopy scheduled so quickly. Apparently this is rare. I'm not sure what I did, besides mentioning to the scheduler that it was urgent.
    At the beginning of the appointment the doctor asked her how she felt, and, as usual, despite her looking pale and moving slowly, she answered, "Fine," while, just out of my mother's line of sight, I shook my head vigorously, indicating that she isn't "fine". Next, he asked how her energy level was (an unusual but welcome question). To both my and his surprise, she answered, with an ironic twist to her delivery, "I have no energy!"
    The doctor and I both sat up. I laughed and said, "Well, Mom, I'm glad you're telling the truth on that one!"
    The doctor laughed, too. I've been assuring her that, once the lot of us focused on her health manage to bring her anemia under control she'll feel better. To my relief, the doctor told her exactly the same thing.
    As I mention in the Colonoscopy Instructions, I will be withholding her lisinopril the day before and the day of the procedure. Without prompting, the doctor mentioned yesterday that I should do this in order to insure that her blood pressure not drop too low. This was a relief, as well, to know that I am, for the most part, making proper decisions about her medical care on a case-by-case basis.
    I told him that I am posting her test results online for the benefit of my sisters and asked him if it would be possible for me to obtain all test results in her history so I can post them. He was not only agreeable to this but surprisingly enthusiastic. Once the results come in from the colonoscopy he said he will have his staff pull all test results, blood, imagining, urinalyses, etc., and copy them for me. So, it may be a few weeks before I can complete her history with this physician but there will be no problems obtaining it.
    Last January Mom's hematologist scheduled her for a follow-up appointment July 22nd with a blood draw the week prior. Since that date turns out to be the day before the colonoscopy and he was also one who felt Mom's anemia treatment would benefit from this procedure, I called to see if he might want to move that appointment to after the test. He not only wants to do this, unless the results are "unproductive" he wants to wait to see her until her PCP has had a chance to address the results and work with them toward successful anemia treatment. Her appointment has been rescheduled for August 12th, blood draw to take place the week previous.
    I don't know what this is going to do to our transferring to Prescott. A lot will depend on how quickly and successfully this path of discovery and subsequent treatment proceed. I'd like to think that, either way, we'll get up there before August 12th then come down for that check-up but I'm not holding my breath. One way or another I need to take mail forwarding off the Prescott address for at least a month, just to keep mail delivery up and make sure that this listing of that residence as her primary residence for tax purposes isn't undermined. I hope this means we'll actually be up there for at least a month (I'm hoping, actually, two or three months), but it may turn out that I'll simply be making a trip to Prescott every 3 or four days during September to pick up mail being delivered to our home. I hope this isn't what happens, but, we'll see.
    I have a few more things to report but I want to pay some direct attention to Mom, who, as usual, was up late last night, arose late, and is having a little trouble making it through breakfast because her bowels are particularly active this morning (good sign). It looks as though it's going to be a low key day, so I'm sure I'll be posting again later.
- posted by gail rae @ 12:13   email...this post