Thursday, December 22, 2016

Christmas Gifts


It wouldn’t surprise me if Jeff asked Santa Claus for a break from doctor visits for the holiday season.  We cancelled his December 29th appointment with the family doctor because the abdominal pain that hung on for at least two months (before and after the hospital stay for chicken pox) seems to have abated. 

Visits to the kidney specialist and the gastroenterologist – bad news and good news respectively – closed out the year 2016.  For some reason, we both had been experiencing some anxiety about these visits.  Sometimes we are able to take the uncertainties in stride and sometimes they get the better of us. 

Jeff is officially old.  We had to buy a blood pressure cuff for when the Lisinopril – which has been increased to 15mg a day (from 10) – makes him dizzy.  His blood pressure tends to be low and with an ACE inhibitor, it is even lower.  This medication is supposed to help the proteinuria but after the last dosage increase his urine protein was higher instead of lower.

Patients with proteinuria, according to Kidney Specialist Dr. Carpenter, fall into one of three buckets:  one – it goes away, two – it stays the same, or three – it progresses and can eventually cause kidney failure.  Dr. Carpenter didn’t want to say which bucket Jeff fits in.  I asked if we could choose.  Another urine test in a month will tell us whether a referral to a city doctor is in order.

During Jeff’s hospital stay in November he’d had an irregular heart beat and he passed out in the ER so an echocardiogram was ordered as a precaution.  All good there!  The cardiologist noted Jeff’s low pulse, “Like an Olympic athlete!”  Since then Jeff has often reminded me (with a weak voice while falling asleep sitting up in a chair) that he has “the heart of an Olympic athlete and the body of an 80-year-old.”  He’s so cute. 

Gastroenterologist Dr. Frank had good news for Jeff.  A follow-up colonoscopy after last year’s removal of a “very large, precancerous polyp” revealed only one small polyp - which was also removed.  And he heard the words he so hoped to hear, “Come back in five years.”  Joy!!!

He was not, however, able to pop up and leave right after his procedure.  When his nurse showed me to the recovery area I noticed his blood pressure was 73/58.  I thought maybe I was reading the wrong area of the digital screen.  Nope.  The nurse told me it had been lower and it was slowly coming up.  He couldn’t leave until his blood pressure was at least 100/xx.  It went up to 85 which Jeff attributed to seeing me (he’s such a charmer).  After awhile of slow progress, the nurse suggested a little walk.  He was dizzy but the walk did the trick.  It went up to 99 and then 101!  Home Ho! 

On the way home we saw Neighbor Carmen outside and asked her about her husband - and the ambulance we’d recently seen at their house.  He has had a couple of falls from which he could not right himself.  Jeff offered to rake the leaves in their front yard.  Although he wasn’t supposed to work the day he’d had anesthesia, he went right over to do as he promised.  I thought helping a neighbor might wait for another day.  Silly me. 

Jeff winks his bad eye closed when he finds his poor vision particularly annoying.  He does this far less frequently than he did right after his cataract surgery and complains about it far less often.  He must be getting used to it. 

Despite the challenges, 2016 was a terrific year and we are blessed to have the gifts of family, friends and each other.  May you all find gifts of the spirit under your trees this Christmas!

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