Thursday morning I woke up having slept a few hours, which was nice. I got another hour-long nap in the morning and was actually feeling decent, able to breathe a little bit during the day, but still weak. I even climbed our apartment stairs, once, very slowly. The Balzottis went to the campus for the day without us. I stayed home to rest up for the attempt to teach on Friday (fortunately my lessons were already prepared), and Dee stayed home to catch up on paperwork and take care of me. She finally turned in food receipts going back to August, which had been hanging over her head. We want the stakes here to see the true cost of the program, not just do it all ourselves.
Dee went out to Conad and the open market in the morning, saying goodbye to her favorite jewelry seller, Abdulla. She also went to the pharmacy to stock up on some meds, including prescription cough drops, which still come in handy for me occasionally.
By late afternoon I had the energy to take out the trash. I sent out notices to students about class tomorrow, urging them to come say goodbye to my wife. Ugo had offered to teach for me if needed, but with a little luck I can do that on my own. By bedtime I was feeling like that was a real possibility.
Friday, March 1, 2019
Thursday, February 28, 2019
Dee to the rescue
Wednesday morning I got up after almost no sleep again. My sinuses were completely blocked, making it hard to even swallow. In the morning, however, each of my nostrils cleared for a while, giving me a sign of hope, but it didn't last. Sorella Millet set up an 11:30am appointment for me downtown with Dr. Bacci, a GP whom she knows and likes. I took a taxi down there, not feeling alert enough to drive and too weak to take public transit. Meanwhile Dee and the Balzottis headed out to Lidl for food for Friday night and then to the campus. It was my first time out of the apartment door since the prior Thursday morning. Sorry to go into all this detail, but you have to understand how desperate I am feeling after so many days with very little sleep.
Dr. Bacci looked at my records, examined me, asked lots of questions, and then said that the house-call doctor on Sunday had done a good job, prescribing basically what he would have recommended. Nice to know. While talking with him, my sinuses were again squeaking/honking, which I pointed out. He looked startled and said that he had never seen/heard such a thing before, and he is older than I am! I feel so special. He added a decongestant to the antihistamine, plus prescribed a steroid nose spray to help with the swelling in the sinuses.
The taxi ride back home, like the one there (round trip fare 50€), was smooth and relaxing. Not! This is Rome. The good news is that all the jarring from the bumpy roads may have loosened some mucus in my sinuses 😀. I had the taxi driver drop me off at the pharmacy down the street from our apartment, where I attempted to fill the prescriptions, but neither was in stock. By then I was exhausted, feeling a bit feverish and unable to breath, with my teeth and my sinuses hurting. I almost had a "fruit salad" moment, which refers to a story from our family lore where my mom burst into tears at the end of a tough day when her waitress announced that they didn't have the fruit salad my mom had ordered -- the straw that broke the camel's back.
But I kept it together, stumbled back to the apartment, took some Tylenol and Advil to try to relieve some of my symptoms, and had a bit to eat. I called the young Sorelle below us, sending them a photo of the prescription (such things are fairly lax here) and asking them to buy the stuff on their way home for lunch. They were angels, very happy to help, but one of the items was not in stock either. They dropped off what they had bought and I paid them. As the afternoon went on, I kept feeling worse and worse. I called Dee to see if she could pick it up for me. I even asked her (only half jokingly) if she would check what the Delta luggage policy was for urns of funeral ashes: check, or carry-on? She sensed how out of it I was and immediately made the call to close the Institute for the rest of the day and come home to take care of me. Turned out to be a very good thing. The Balzottis were out at a doctor appointment of their own, so she left them to make their way back home on the subway, after she bought some stuff at the pharmacy around the corner. She overbought for me and for some things for her to bring home, but that was all good.
By the time she got home, I had taken my daily antibiotic which seemed to have calmed things down a bit. That has been the pattern: feeling worse until I take that pill, so apparently it is hard at work against the forces of evil. She cooked for me (another goose omelet -- maybe that's why my sinuses honk? 😉), got me to down some warm lemonade, and had me try a machine she bought that vaporizes a saline and steroid mixture into a mask to open up the sinuses. Not sure whether or how much that helped, but by evening I was feeling much better. I was very grateful to her for coming to my rescue.
Ugo got involved, asking if there was anything he could do. He is very concerned, and he was supportive of Dee's call to come home. The activity would have been small that evening anyway. We really don't want to end our time here together limping like this, but we are doing our best.
Our daughter Chiara sent us a report on her visit to her grandfather in the hospital on Tuesday, together with Dee's sister Donna. He was very sleepy and disoriented, at one point authorizing her to pay up to $900 to repair something in one of his apartments. She had no idea what he was talking about, but he loves to be busy fixing things. Poor guy.
Dr. Bacci looked at my records, examined me, asked lots of questions, and then said that the house-call doctor on Sunday had done a good job, prescribing basically what he would have recommended. Nice to know. While talking with him, my sinuses were again squeaking/honking, which I pointed out. He looked startled and said that he had never seen/heard such a thing before, and he is older than I am! I feel so special. He added a decongestant to the antihistamine, plus prescribed a steroid nose spray to help with the swelling in the sinuses.
The taxi ride back home, like the one there (round trip fare 50€), was smooth and relaxing. Not! This is Rome. The good news is that all the jarring from the bumpy roads may have loosened some mucus in my sinuses 😀. I had the taxi driver drop me off at the pharmacy down the street from our apartment, where I attempted to fill the prescriptions, but neither was in stock. By then I was exhausted, feeling a bit feverish and unable to breath, with my teeth and my sinuses hurting. I almost had a "fruit salad" moment, which refers to a story from our family lore where my mom burst into tears at the end of a tough day when her waitress announced that they didn't have the fruit salad my mom had ordered -- the straw that broke the camel's back.
But I kept it together, stumbled back to the apartment, took some Tylenol and Advil to try to relieve some of my symptoms, and had a bit to eat. I called the young Sorelle below us, sending them a photo of the prescription (such things are fairly lax here) and asking them to buy the stuff on their way home for lunch. They were angels, very happy to help, but one of the items was not in stock either. They dropped off what they had bought and I paid them. As the afternoon went on, I kept feeling worse and worse. I called Dee to see if she could pick it up for me. I even asked her (only half jokingly) if she would check what the Delta luggage policy was for urns of funeral ashes: check, or carry-on? She sensed how out of it I was and immediately made the call to close the Institute for the rest of the day and come home to take care of me. Turned out to be a very good thing. The Balzottis were out at a doctor appointment of their own, so she left them to make their way back home on the subway, after she bought some stuff at the pharmacy around the corner. She overbought for me and for some things for her to bring home, but that was all good.
By the time she got home, I had taken my daily antibiotic which seemed to have calmed things down a bit. That has been the pattern: feeling worse until I take that pill, so apparently it is hard at work against the forces of evil. She cooked for me (another goose omelet -- maybe that's why my sinuses honk? 😉), got me to down some warm lemonade, and had me try a machine she bought that vaporizes a saline and steroid mixture into a mask to open up the sinuses. Not sure whether or how much that helped, but by evening I was feeling much better. I was very grateful to her for coming to my rescue.
Ugo got involved, asking if there was anything he could do. He is very concerned, and he was supportive of Dee's call to come home. The activity would have been small that evening anyway. We really don't want to end our time here together limping like this, but we are doing our best.
Our daughter Chiara sent us a report on her visit to her grandfather in the hospital on Tuesday, together with Dee's sister Donna. He was very sleepy and disoriented, at one point authorizing her to pay up to $900 to repair something in one of his apartments. She had no idea what he was talking about, but he loves to be busy fixing things. Poor guy.
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Conatti returns
Tuesday was the sixth day at home in a row for me. This stuff seems to be getting better, but far too slowly. My cough has largely subsided, with occasional small flareups, but now it is just congestion keeping me up at night. I finally decided to stop fighting it and try to sleep while breathing through my mouth, since my sinuses are completely clogged anyway. It feels kinda like drowning, but I was able to get a couple of hours of sleep that way. I showered but didn't shave -- still haven't done both on the same day for almost a week. Taking the antihistamine in the afternoon didn't provoke as much activity as prior days, so maybe that is progress.
President Pickerd called me and Dee. We have a farewell lunch planned with them for Wednesday, but we'll see if it actually happens. In the late afternoon, I was feeling pretty cruddy, but in the evening it seemed like maybe I turned a corner. Let's hope so.
It was a very busy day at the campus, with 16 GANS-aged kids. Dee had no free time, but they were able to leave a little early. She got home before 9pm, not even having had time for dinner yet.
Dee home somewhat early, famished. Anziano Conatti, a Ganziiano from a year ago, returned to visit from Brazil, and I really hated to miss that!
President Pickerd called me and Dee. We have a farewell lunch planned with them for Wednesday, but we'll see if it actually happens. In the late afternoon, I was feeling pretty cruddy, but in the evening it seemed like maybe I turned a corner. Let's hope so.
It was a very busy day at the campus, with 16 GANS-aged kids. Dee had no free time, but they were able to leave a little early. She got home before 9pm, not even having had time for dinner yet.
Dee home somewhat early, famished. Anziano Conatti, a Ganziiano from a year ago, returned to visit from Brazil, and I really hated to miss that!
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| Anziano Contti in the middle, with his brother on the left |
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| Taco Tuesday crew |
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Dee alone at the Institute
Sunday night to Monday morning was a bad night. My sinuses were very full and roiling all night, as if there were a big battle going on in there, but at least it wasn't painful. I had weird and fitful dreams about sleeping in different locations with different pillows, but I couldn't have had more than 2-3 hours of sleep total, yet again. By morning, it felt like things were calming down in there, and briefly my left nostril even cleared up. So perhaps this is a good sign, but I still felt cruddy all day and never even showered. To add insult to injury, our smoke alarm decided to go off on its own in the middle of the night, for no apparent reason. It kept chirping, and I finally just broke off the kill tab, so I will need to get a new one. These non-removable batteries have real downsides.
The Balzottis were still in Napoli, having driven down Sunday with the Burns, and they would do some cameo shopping at the De Paola factory there, arriving back at the train station about 9pm. That left Dee to go down alone to the Institute on the subway, which she is very capable of handling. I certainly wasn't going anywhere. She picked up some tortillas at Todis on the way to the subway, since we were a little low.
During the day I was able to rest a little bit and started to feel slightly better. The Sorelle below us bought me some of the Ricola cough drops that I love; I repaid them with change in a napkin so that they didn't have to touch anything I had handled recently. Sorella Millet brought by some Italian decongestant to try, as well as a saline nasal rinse kit which she uses every day. I tried it and it does seem to clean things out somewhat.
At one point, I actually had enough energy to call Delta airlines and see about recovering the Comfort+ seating funds that we had spent originally on our March 21st return date. Unfortunately, they told me that I could have used those funds to buy Dee's ticket, but not to upgrade the seats. Having already purchased the tickets, it was too late. Bummer. Maybe I can use the money for another trip after we get home. I was able to get an exit row (leg space, for free!) on my flight from Rome to Atlanta.
Dee gave the FHE lesson and made the dessert all by herself. I had hoped to video in by Zoom, but wasn't feeling up to it.
She met the Balzottis at the train station just after 9pm, taking the subway and walking home with them. We worry about a cute little lady walking home alone in the dark, so that was nice. I was already out for the night when she got home.
The Balzottis were still in Napoli, having driven down Sunday with the Burns, and they would do some cameo shopping at the De Paola factory there, arriving back at the train station about 9pm. That left Dee to go down alone to the Institute on the subway, which she is very capable of handling. I certainly wasn't going anywhere. She picked up some tortillas at Todis on the way to the subway, since we were a little low.
During the day I was able to rest a little bit and started to feel slightly better. The Sorelle below us bought me some of the Ricola cough drops that I love; I repaid them with change in a napkin so that they didn't have to touch anything I had handled recently. Sorella Millet brought by some Italian decongestant to try, as well as a saline nasal rinse kit which she uses every day. I tried it and it does seem to clean things out somewhat.
At one point, I actually had enough energy to call Delta airlines and see about recovering the Comfort+ seating funds that we had spent originally on our March 21st return date. Unfortunately, they told me that I could have used those funds to buy Dee's ticket, but not to upgrade the seats. Having already purchased the tickets, it was too late. Bummer. Maybe I can use the money for another trip after we get home. I was able to get an exit row (leg space, for free!) on my flight from Rome to Atlanta.
Dee gave the FHE lesson and made the dessert all by herself. I had hoped to video in by Zoom, but wasn't feeling up to it.
Monday, February 25, 2019
Gurgling sinuses
Sunday morning I woke up after another bad night and started to get ready for church and for my talk. Dee listened to me coughing for a while and declared, wisely, that I was too sick to go to church or anywhere. She ended up driving there on her own, the first time she has driven that far since she broke her foot last May, but my woman is fearless. She gave her talk and they somehow arranged around mine. I was very bummed not to speak, since it would be our last regular Sacrament meeting in the ward. The bishop decided that they will have a ward lunch for us after our meetings next week. Dee spoke about the Beatitudes, but I haven't heard her talk. Several of our GANS came to listen and wish us well: Grace and Franz (brother and sister), and Francesco, back from Milano along with his parents. They gave Dee some fresh eggs, including (huge) goose eggs from their farm, which was very thoughtful.
I just stayed home and rested, but it didn't seem like things were progressing. Dee came home after teaching Primary, having visited (and cried) with a bunch of friends after church, saying that Elia, our bishop's wife, suggested a doctor house-call service, Guardia Medica. We looked into it: it's not cheap, but they seem to have a good reputation. We hope that our insurance will reimburse it, but I don't care! Sorella Millet, our mission nurse, offered help and a blessing. She was going to get me to a doctor on Monday, but I decided to go ahead with the house call.
The guy showed up about an hour after we called, young and sharp. He took my vitals, asked some questions, and prescribed some antibiotics, liquid cough drops, and an antihistamine (which we already had). For 180€, if it gets me on the road to recovery a day sooner without having to leave the house (not up to that!), I am all for it. My wonderful Dee walked up the street a few blocks to the around-the-clock pharmacy, where she got the stuff, as well as some things she needed. I took the antibiotic, the antihistamine, and some of the liquid cough drops, dissolved in water.
Soon, weird gurgling and squeaking sounds started to come out of my sinuses, just sitting there. It was very odd and would go on all evening. Never heard anything like it before. Even Dee could hear it from across the room. I took it as a good sign that something was happening, though I didn't feel any better yet. She made us a nice goose omelet for dinner, which I enjoyed -- it was good to have an appetite for the first time in a while. Anziani Millet and Thacker came by on the way to the senior missionary dinner, which we skipped for obvious reasons, and they gave me a blessing with consecrated oil. Maybe things are looking up. In the evening we calendared for our last week together in Italy. Sounds strange to say that.
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| Francesco with his parents |
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| The goose eggs on the ones on top |
The guy showed up about an hour after we called, young and sharp. He took my vitals, asked some questions, and prescribed some antibiotics, liquid cough drops, and an antihistamine (which we already had). For 180€, if it gets me on the road to recovery a day sooner without having to leave the house (not up to that!), I am all for it. My wonderful Dee walked up the street a few blocks to the around-the-clock pharmacy, where she got the stuff, as well as some things she needed. I took the antibiotic, the antihistamine, and some of the liquid cough drops, dissolved in water.
Soon, weird gurgling and squeaking sounds started to come out of my sinuses, just sitting there. It was very odd and would go on all evening. Never heard anything like it before. Even Dee could hear it from across the room. I took it as a good sign that something was happening, though I didn't feel any better yet. She made us a nice goose omelet for dinner, which I enjoyed -- it was good to have an appetite for the first time in a while. Anziani Millet and Thacker came by on the way to the senior missionary dinner, which we skipped for obvious reasons, and they gave me a blessing with consecrated oil. Maybe things are looking up. In the evening we calendared for our last week together in Italy. Sounds strange to say that.
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Dee to temple with Anna and Roberto
Once again Saturday I never left the house, after a bad night. My usually dependable cold meds are not working, leaving me sleep-deprived and almost delirious. I can't breathe and have violent coughing attacks. This has got be get better soon! Dee had stayed up late again and slept in; not sure how she is doing it. I did finally get a brief nap in the early afternoon, which helped a little bit.
Dee walked down to Conad in the early afternoon and picked up some food for our place and for the senior missionary dinner on Sunday. About 3:30pm, she left for the temple without me to meet Anna and Roberto, taking a taxi. They apparently had a very nice visit. Roberto was very bummed that I wasn't there as was I. It was cold and windy outside, according to Dee, and she got back almost four hours after she left. Apparently the extra day of Open House was not as heavily attended as prior Saturdays, and it was mostly Italian nonmembers.
In the evening we worked on our talks for Sacrament meeting on Sunday. I am hoping for some kind of minor miracle to allow me to be well enough to go. Dee also had Primary to prepare for.
Dee walked down to Conad in the early afternoon and picked up some food for our place and for the senior missionary dinner on Sunday. About 3:30pm, she left for the temple without me to meet Anna and Roberto, taking a taxi. They apparently had a very nice visit. Roberto was very bummed that I wasn't there as was I. It was cold and windy outside, according to Dee, and she got back almost four hours after she left. Apparently the extra day of Open House was not as heavily attended as prior Saturdays, and it was mostly Italian nonmembers.
Saturday, February 23, 2019
Me home again, Dee dancing
Thursday night Dee stayed up until almost midnight, which was great for her jet lag, and she then slept 9 hours. I had a very fitful night, coughing and unable to breathe well. The meds that usually work for me at night -- Afrin and Delsym -- seem to be failing me. As a result, not only am I sick, but I am sleep deprived and feeling very out of it. Suffice it to say that I stayed home all day. I have almost no appetite these days, forcing myself to eat a little bit. My cough can be downright violent at times, and I am unable to lie down on my back without coughing.
Lisa from church travel made reservations for us, on the dates we had requested. My flights look good, but Dee's on KLM leaves Rome at 6am, which isn't very good for us. I booked her own ticket on Delta, using the same route as last time, leaving at noon. It costs a bit extra, but we will get reimbursed for most of it..
Dee went with the Balzottis to Lidl and then to the campus. They bought stuff for the party that night, and then they cooked the Sloppy Joes that the Balzottis had defrosted the day before. I stayed home and tired to rest, but could not get to sleep. In the late afternoon I finally showered after two days, but never shaved.
During the afternoon I had a Skype conversation with Anziano Mott about tech issues here at the apartment and at the Institute. I later sent him some documentation on how things work. He was able to install the SmartLife Home app and turn on and off the light in our living room, so he is good to go.
Dee dropped off some stuff here on the way to the GANS party at Roma 2 at 7pm. She and the Balzottis were there for the evening, and everyone was happy to see her again. As far as I can tell, she isn't suffering from jet lag! She is understandably getting a little weepy these days, as almost every encounter now is a final one for her. She got out and danced with Rhenald.
By the time she got home, I had just taken my cold meds and hit the sack, hoping for some sleep.
Lisa from church travel made reservations for us, on the dates we had requested. My flights look good, but Dee's on KLM leaves Rome at 6am, which isn't very good for us. I booked her own ticket on Delta, using the same route as last time, leaving at noon. It costs a bit extra, but we will get reimbursed for most of it..
Dee went with the Balzottis to Lidl and then to the campus. They bought stuff for the party that night, and then they cooked the Sloppy Joes that the Balzottis had defrosted the day before. I stayed home and tired to rest, but could not get to sleep. In the late afternoon I finally showered after two days, but never shaved.
During the afternoon I had a Skype conversation with Anziano Mott about tech issues here at the apartment and at the Institute. I later sent him some documentation on how things work. He was able to install the SmartLife Home app and turn on and off the light in our living room, so he is good to go.
Dee dropped off some stuff here on the way to the GANS party at Roma 2 at 7pm. She and the Balzottis were there for the evening, and everyone was happy to see her again. As far as I can tell, she isn't suffering from jet lag! She is understandably getting a little weepy these days, as almost every encounter now is a final one for her. She got out and danced with Rhenald.
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