ellen_datlow

It's a weirdly crazy NYC summer that's more like tropical --sunny then downpour in the afternoon and then more sun.

I don't care, I'm taking off for upstate NY tomorrow (where I gather it's also been raining) for a real vacation for a couple of days.

Meeting with speech and physical therapists today (and my mom and dad and sister) and it went well. Dad's definitely improving. They're worried about his climbing up the stairs to the garden apt in Yonkers. And my sister, mom, and I worry too. But they just started putting him on steps a couple of days ago, so no surprise there. Ann gave us a rundown of how she's working with my dad to help with his reading comprehension as well as his speech. He can read simple sentences (he can definitely read and comment on the tabloids) Has more trouble with complex questions. But hell, he's only been in rehab two weeks come tomorrow (or about to be today).

My sister and I are more worried about our mom, who's having a very hard time of it. She refuses to take time off and is having major pain in her knee (this is new to us)--she's apparently had arthritis in it for awhile but it's been acting up. If possible my sister will take her to a walk in clinic (of course, this has to happen July 4th weekend when NO doctor will be around). She's taking aspirin and putting a heating pad on it. The only good thing about it is that it means she probably will take a day off visiting our dad tomorrow. We'd like her to take a day off and see friends. She won't. My sister is staying over till Saturday and I'll be back Sunday night, going up there Monday and Tuesday for the day.

I couldn't decide whether to blog about this or not but since La Cadigan, who has took me to St Bart's twice has...I'll just cut and paste her report (she's very succinct):

"It was one of those stupid things. Three weeks ago, Ellen fell down some stairs. Not long afer she arrived here, a bruised area above her ankle, just below her shin, suddenly decided to swell up and turn pink. I insisted she go get it looked at, so it was off to the Minor Injuries Unit at St. Bart's. The nurses there decided she'd be OK with ice and elevation.

Ha.

Today we had to take her back and as it turns out, she has a rather inconvenient infection, must gobble two different antibiotics several times a day, can't drink, and must be carried everywhere on luxurious velvet pillows. Or by taxi.

Of course, she always had to be carried everywhere on luxurious velvet pillows but now it's mandatory as opposed to simply by her whim.:)"

So it's cut down on my running around--had to cancel a tour of Scotland Yard (although if the leg's better we may do it on Tuesday afternoon); had to toss out the idea of going to the theater tomorrow night, and forget Chinese New Year's Saturday--no parade for me.
In addition to the antibiotics I'm chomping down ibuprofin. I hope I hope that the antibiotics will start working and that there will be improvement tomorrow. Luckily, it's been localized--no temperature or (much) spreading. This sucks.