Monday, October 5, 2020

Week 372: Stainless steel

 Just when you think there is no way the world could get more nuts than it was before, 2020 finds a way. I don't even know what to say anymore, other than as the parent of someone with CF, it is almost unbearable to watch people who were given the gift of healthy lungs to be so utterly cavalier about a virus that could forever compromise them and those around them. I am guessing the audience of this particular blog does not need any admonishment to wear masks, to stay distant, and to avoid unnecessary contact with others, but please be careful. Not everyone is, so those of us who are must be doubly so.

Other than the obvious, it was another fairly peaceful week in our tiny patch of Wisconsin. The only great tragedy, such as it was, is that Lime knocked over the mortar and pestle that I have been using for years to grind the enzymes for Lemon's nightly tube feeds, and the pestle broke. I decided to adopt the same coping strategy as I used when the butter dish met a similar fate years ago, and replace something ceramic with something made of stainless steel. And I have to be honest, the stainless steel one is actually a big improvement, so Lime did me a favor in the end, it is much easier and faster to grind the capsules with this one than its predecessor. 

Virtual school continues to roll along. The novelty has definitely worn off, but the kids still seem to be reasonably engaged and happy. We haven't received any kind of formal announcement from the school district yet about what will be happening as of the beginning of November, but given the current state of affairs in WI, I will be shocked if they do anything other than remain fully virtual through the end of the calendar year.

Lemon is scheduled for his flu shot this coming Wednesday, and is supposed to have a clinic visit and an appointment with the new GI doc next Friday. I'm keeping the appointment for the flu shot, but I am thinking that I will switch the clinic visit and the GI doc to telehealth visits instead of in person. When we made the appointments, it seemed like it might be reasonable to go in, but in the current circumstances I don't think it is worth the risk. Lemon is supposed to get a new scan of his liver, which obviously has to happen in person, but I am feeling like that can wait, too. His liver enzymes were good on his most recent bloodwork, and while I know it is important to get a good baseline measurement while he is young, is another 6 months going to matter that much? Probably not. We'll see what the doctor thinks.