Sphygmomanometer Is Fun To Say and Type

Today is supposed to be throw-up day, but Dad hasn't thrown up yet. Maybe that's a good sign, maybe not. His temperature is still normal, but his blood pressure is still a little high. It did come down today from a high of 187/100 to 151/83. When the hospital called to check on Dad today, and Mom told them about the blood pressure, they suggested that perhaps their sphygmomanometer was not working properly. I am happy to report that I spelled sphygmomanometer correctly the first time just now without having to look it up. I did look it up though to make sure I was right. So, Mom walked to CVS to buy another sphygmomanometer. My parents now own a total of three sphygmomanometers. I remember my grandparents having a few sphygmomanometers lying around the house in Laredo, and I think they had one or more at their other house in Leaky too. In fact, I also remember my Aunt Pete (yes, I have an aunt named Pete.)travelling with a sphygmomanometer, which is why I know how to spell that word because I was playing with hers one Thanksgiving, and I remember that it said "sphygmomanometer" right there on the front of the dial. All the old-school ones do. I think the older you are, the more sphygmomanometers you acquire. I wonder when I'll get my first sphygmomanometer--I wonder how many Jack LaLanne has. Anyway, it turns out the first sphygmomanometer was working just fine.

The next big day is Friday. Friday Dad has an appointment with the Nurse Practitioner, Annette. Hopefully, we'll learn if the chemo. is doing anything. I think she's going to take some blood, but that's all I know for sure. We met Annette at College Orientation, but she didn't say much then. She just sat quietly taking notes.

I posted the pictures that Mary Jo took yesterday. There is a link to them in the "links" section to the right, or you can view them by clicking here. The Kodak Easyshare gallery should load in a new window.

Whew! I think I know what it's like to be Andrew Lloyd Weber now. You know how he never, ever, lets you forget the title of a song because it is repeated over, and over, and over, in the lyrics? Well, I'm not going to let anyone forget that in this post, we're talking about sphygmomanometers!