Received word from Dana that Bruce has been admitted back into the hospital. Obviously, the situation with the rehab center was not working out. He just wasn’t getting the level of care to preserve his stability, and so the notion that perhaps he wasn’t ready to leave the hospital is affirmed. Dana drove him back to Methodist herself and ran interference, answering numerous questions that the institution could have made unnecessary, but the ER people didn’t have access to his extensive chart.
Archive for July, 2005
Book Two
Sunday, July 31st, 2005All I can say is… :::::::::::::::::::: W O W :::::::::::::::::::
Saturday, July 30th, 2005Commonwealth of Kentucky
Ernie Fletcher, Governor
To all to Whom These Presents Shall Come, Greeting: Know Ye That
HONORABLE JOHN ANDREW DIXON
having been duly appointed is hereby commissioned as a
Member of the
KENTUCKY BICYCLE AND BIKEWAY COMMISSION
and shall serve for a term expiring October 20, 2008
Happy, happy, happy
Friday, July 29th, 2005• Happy Birthday to my favorite stepdaughter…
• Happy Birthday to my favorite Russian composer…
• Happy Birthday to my favorite among favorites…
(I beg your pardon; the last one is totally not a joke.)
Now, that’s more like it
Thursday, July 28th, 2005Bike, swim, run… within 24 hours…
Didn’t anybody tell her, Didn’t anybody see
Wednesday, July 27th, 2005My life may have changed significantly today, but I’m not actually certain of that yet, and I’ll have to sort it out before I can write about it…
Chapter Two— at long last
Tuesday, July 26th, 2005Don’t you eyeball me
Monday, July 25th, 2005I got an email from the optometrist today, He wasn’t able to provide any answers, but recommended that I see an ophthalmologist for my “interesting” eye deviation (which doesn’t surprise me at all).
Do I want to buy a ticket for this ride? I’d better have a chat with Jerome first.
Memorable day in the history of my Clan
Sunday, July 24th, 2005The Clan Council made its historic decision to expedite the Living Trust on behalf of Mombo. After the meeting I finished most of the trimming in the cemetery and then picked a gallon of blackberries with Marty. Before leaving the valley, I took possession of Dadbo’s Marlin 1894s lever-action rifle—the one chambered in 44 Rem. Magnum. It’s the only firearm of my father’s that I ever had any interest in taking home with me. I’ll find a case for it and then test it out with David at his range.
Meanwhile, Lance Armstrong had a pretty good day, too.
And I think to myself
Saturday, July 23rd, 2005It’s my month to care for our family cemetery, so I spent most of the day doing my duty on the quiet hillside. I’ve come to notice that when I’m working there, I actually take the time to absorb the natural beauty of our secluded valley, especially on days like today, with the cerulean hue of an N.C. Wyeth sky, and the wooded knobs in their full summer contours. It was hot and humid, but I didn’t mind. I’d gotten any discomfort out of my system early in the day during a 10k run on Bluegrass Pike (after Buck showed off his new MINI Cooper topless—super-swank!).
Lust for power, Kentucky style
Friday, July 22nd, 2005The Attorney General of my state is revealing himself as just another clever scoundrel, in keeping with the worst traditions of Kentucky politics. Will the Democrats of this Commonwealth transcend partisanship long enough to rebuke his self-serving manipulation of the legal process? I refuse to believe that my friend Basil left a distinguished (and comfortable) retirement in Danville so he could idiotically commit misdemeanors in Frankfort on behalf of the Governor. Yes, it’s a travesty, indeed… inflicting political damage through multiple indictments as if it’s a matter of scoring hit points in a role-playing game. If there’s actual evidence of wrongdoing, let the proper authority look into it—one that’s free from such a blatant conflict of interest.
When the way things oughta be ain’t
Thursday, July 21st, 2005Dana’s been putting in too much overtime trying to sidetrack any effort to discharge Bruce to an inappropriate facility while his medical situation remains tenuous. Thankfully, Jerome has taken time to advise Pam, plus valuable counsel is coming in from friends who know their way around the health care system.
Two examples—
“I know that you don’t need any more pressure at this time but that is the reality. Don’t hesitate to call the case manager and tell her/him that they need to make something happen. Also, call the chief of nephrology and any other medical team caring for Bruce, as well as the hospital administrator. If you’re not getting the satisfaction that you need then you keep going up the ladder. You’ll eventually rattle the right person.”
“…there is absolutely no excuse for the quality of care to be sacrificed. Problem is, physicians are pressured by administrators to rapidly get costly patients out of the hospital. You will never get an admission by anyone that this actually happens. If you aren’t getting the response you need I suggest making an appointment with the hospital administrator and in as nice as manner as possible serve notice that you are unwilling to tolerate poor quality in the name of a dollar. I can’t tell you the number of times I have seen patients drop through the cracks after an acute battle. Doctors loose interest or perhaps they just move on to the next big challenge. Feeding the ego can be such a dangerous thing….especially in medicine.”
Lad, you can handle only a taste
Wednesday, July 20th, 2005Tonight I drafted shamelessly off anybody whose wheel I could suck behind, but they still made me suffer on our 34-miler to Forkland and back. Multiple “knobs” make for tough cycling, but it’s got to be a mere fraction of a percent difficulty compared to racing in the Alps or Pyrénées.
I’ll gladly leave such feats to the gods…
The proper perspective
Tuesday, July 19th, 2005Yes, Tiger is back on top, but the King of Awesome never fell from supremacy in the first place.
Why all this ink about whether or not the impossible Nicklaus feat can be matched or bested? Tiger is young. Lance was actually doing the impossible, past the recognized prime of cyclists, as all those keyboards were tippity-tapping away!
The summer of 2005 will shine with blinding intensity in the history of sport not because Woods won a few more majors or because the beloved Golden Bear walked proudly off the stage, but because Armstrong did the inconceivable and retired at the pinnacle of athletic achievement. This past weekend proved it, and the sports editors are fools if they don’t begin to take notice and more adequately document a true legend in formation, as they did when Jack was untouchable, and as they surely will do when the full potential of Tiger’s career is manifest.
Herding cats
Monday, July 18th, 2005We decided to spend the night, staying over long enough to monitor the situation with Bruce, to be sure he’s stable before we head in the direction of home. The surgical resident seems relatively free of tunnel vision and has agreed to attempt setting up a family conference with the various practitioners involved. We’ll see if that might happen any time soon. Since Bruce’s pancreas is still leaking, I’m mystified as to why that impressive pancreatic specialist who helped save his life in April is no longer a part of the team. Perhaps I shouldn’t be. The miserable economics of “safety-net medicine” or petty turfism would explain it.
Circling the wagons
Sunday, July 17th, 2005Something hasn’t felt right about the situation with Bruce, especially after having to avert his precipitous transfer to an inferior convalescent facility. When the harsh economics of modern health care kick in, sanity seems to drain away rapidly. After an enlightening (and fortuitous) conversation with Audrey, it’s my firm opinion that he needs hospital-based rehabilitation with aggressive physical therapy, while preserving high-level continuity of care. My viewpoint hardened last night when his potassium level spiked dangerously and the nephrologist ordered emergency dialysis, personally wheeling his bed out of the room. Dana has been persistent in her role as protector, but I see signs of a deep weariness. I must say that Bruce’s wife Pam has come through admirably as a forceful advocate of common sense over the past few days. Way to go! Let’s get some mileage out of that personality, Toots…
Saturday sojourn
Saturday, July 16th, 2005Headed north to hit the Seitz Family Reunion, and then west to Indy for a visit with Bruce.
I switched to a digital camera this year to take the portrait. It was tricky, but the group was surprisingly cooperative and full of good cheer. At least I had a real-time verification, which reduced the stress of whether I got a decent shot. Seth gave me a VHS tape of his editing work. I didn’t have time to talk to Brendan; wanted to discuss Urban Dead. James and I got a kick out of Mark’s hundred-foot row of zucchini. What was the poor devil thinking!?
(ps — Did anyone else get chiggers?)
Put the lime in the coconut, then you feel better
Friday, July 15th, 2005Thought a lot about Uncle Clarence today, so I sent him one of my cards. Knowing how much I’ll miss Aunt Alma, I can’t begin to appreciate his sorrow. They were married for almost 73 years!
Also spent some time on the Web trying to find out more about my eye condition. Nothing compares to medical science when it comes to creating barriers to basic understanding. Diplopia— Why not just say “double vision?” Asthenopia— Why not call it “eyestrain?” Nothing doing.
So I have to get used to decrypting phrases like “cyclovertical heterophoria” and “dissociated strabismus complex.”
HELP! I need Maria’s brain!
Dateline London
Thursday, July 14th, 2005Word comes from Brendan that his traveling mom—my sister Joan—saw Brian Dennehy perform on stage.
NO FAIR!
So long, my friend
Wednesday, July 13th, 2005Mack was buried in a family cemetery on his farm, as some day I will be at our farm (near the grave of my namesake). Mack was a generous man… no, more than that—magnanimous. The same can be said about my father. They also had in common a low-key personality that was somehow magnetic. They were both complex, multi-talented individuals with deep connections to the natural world. Whatever they chose to do, they did well—and they attempted many wide-ranging things. They also had a profound spiritual side to their character that was instructive by example, never overbearing. Until today, I hadn’t thought about how Mack and Dadbo were so much alike. Indispensable to their families, the void they leave can never be filled. It can only be honored. Mack was not a father figure to me, but perhaps a mentor, although I thought of him only as a friend, which, I believe, is all he would’ve wanted. And even though he defied the foe until the end—with his expansive optimism, quiet competitiveness, and good cheer—I think he knew that everyone in his world was watching how he countered death’s grasp, as we all must when our time comes, and continued to share his graceful spirit until called to run the unknown trail ahead of us.
A new concern
Tuesday, July 12th, 2005Dana and I made a Lexington run to do routine errands and get our eyes examined. The eye condition that I’ve had for some time was diagnosed as hyperphoria.
Jeanne, it’s time to cut me off again
Monday, July 11th, 2005Here we go; these painful losses seem to come in clusters.
First my Aunt Alma, then my good friend Mack, and now my pal Bob D, one of the outstanding Bobs in my life.
Don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing
Sunday, July 10th, 2005For the first time in a while, I felt like myself on a bike, riding through the stillness after daybreak—one of those quiet mornings when a triggered canine yelp ripples outward into the landscape as other dogs pick up the bark.
When I arrived at his cabin studio, I learned that my friend Mack had died yesterday.