We were running out of the Vicodin so had to make a morning run into town. So I changed our 4pm appointment to re-test the oxygen saturation to 10:15. We picked up the prescription and then mother passed her oxygen test with flying colors. Medicare should now cover the oxygen just fine. The problem was that no one was clear about what exactly they wanted to see and so we never did the test right. The point was that it had to be shown that the oxygen was both necessary and beneficial. The trick was to have mother breathe through her nose so she would actually get oxygen when we administered it.   

I also had a chance to talk to Dr. Mahoney about some anti-anxiety medication to help mother with the feeling of panic she has when the pressure gets stronger in her chest. It seems to come and go and as I discovered yesterday, doubling up on the Vicodin does not do much for her when she gets panicked until the dose is so high that she just goes to sleep. So Dr. Mahoney gave mother a prescription for Alprazolam which we are trying on for size over the next couple of days.   

From the doctors office we went to the grocery store and then to the Thai Restaurant for lunch. Afterwards we went to the Belindeba but instead of sitting inside mother chose to sit outside. She loved it so much that she stayed there for over an hour while we waited for the drugstore to catch up on a backlog and fill her prescription. Then we drove to see Arthur but he wasn't home and then stopped by Penny's store but she was off island so we chatted with Don. After that we went to County Park and mother slept like a baby in her chair for over an hour. I too had a nap on a blanket. So we didn't make it back home until 5:30. And mother's breathing was pretty good until she was home and had a chance to focus on it again. It was while she was emptying the dishwasher that she felt that she could not get any air.   

On the food front mother generally skips breakfast. Today she ate well at lunch dipping her egg roll into lots of sugar syrup. For desert we enjoyed a whole slice of cranberry loaf and then mother topped it off with a soft ice cream cone. At county park she polished off one and a half bear claws. She did not want any supper tonight but with a little prompting she ate half a tofu patty and a leaf of lettuce. There seems to be little desire or craving for healthy foods that might boost her immune system. When she thinks about it she seems to make an effort but since I don't push it at all most of the time the effort does not seem worth it to her. It is an interesting observation for me. Mother often said: "Everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die". I think this could be adapted to: "Everyone wants to be healthy but nobody wants to do anything about it."   

To quote a famous philosopher: "Humans; sometimes I wonder how we made it this far."   

So, now its likely off to the colors ceremony again. For my part I too am going to engage in some serious flag waving. I ordered a large "Earth Flag" from a supplier in Tacoma and intend to fly it with pride on the stern of my boat. the person that gave me the address where they got theirs told me that the reason she is flying it proudly on her front lawn is because she is tired of all this blind patriotism that pits one nation against another. Amen to that.   

Speaking of being blinded; it seems that the news of the London bombing quite conveniently eclipsed any media focus on the Bush administration's isolated intransigence on the issue of global warming. 

Very Interesting.