2023 Life Logs, Day 348: Video Medical Call, Jonah’s Winter Jazz Band Concert
Date: Thursday, December 14, 2023
Weather: Sunny and Cold; High 37, Low 30 F; Sunset 4:14 pm (+0)
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue, Falmouth, MA
Jed came to walk Shadow this morning and I rushed to continue the research about back surgery prior to my 9:30 am call. The call was with the neurosurgeon’s assistant, Shannon. The doctor is just too busy to fit anyone else into his appointment schedule right now, but Shannon spent almost an hour on Zoom with me answering all of my questions and explaining that the doctor has reviewed my MRI twice and will try to get me into the surgical schedule as soon as possible if that is my choice. We tried the less invasive track of epidural injections of steroids after I met with him last November and that did not work. The next step he is recommending is minimally invasive laminectomy surgery in the lower spine area, L4-L5, for those of you who know what that means. That specific part of my spine is where descending nerve endings are being entrapped and that is the cause of my severe pain. Laminectomies have about a 90 percent success rate. If things go terribly wrong and a nerve is damaged … well, I don’t want to think about that. But if it works and I could walk pain free again, then at this point, I am willing to take the chance. The surgical scheduler called me later in the day and offered surgery next Wednesday, the 20th, or on Wednesday the 27th. I wasn’t expecting something so soon, but I guess no one wants surgery at Christmas time. I was tempted, but it is just too disruptive. So, the schedular is looking for another possibility in January. When the assistant interviewed me about my pain level and my inability to walk or stand for more than 5 minutes without taking a break, she must have decided that doing something before the end of February was a good idea. I have always said I would never have back surgery and now I am saying, “How soon?” Things are moving so fast that I might not be able to get a second opinion, but I will work on that tomorrow.
All of this had my head spinning and I am not sure where the day went. But all of a sudden it was 3:30 pm and time for Jonah and Heather to drop by to help me with some things. And then all of a sudden, it was time to go to Jonah’s Winter Jazz Band Concert at the high school. Heather and Jed wanted me to park in one of the handicapped spaces up close, but I just couldn’t do that. I’m the person who for years, could not walk on the grass if a sign said not to. But I did take the time to fill out a form to get a temporary handicapped placard for a couple of months. It would make life so much easier. I will try to get my primary care to sign the form tomorrow and then get it to the DMV. It takes 30 days to get one, but Jed suggested that I just put a copy of the signed application on my dashboard and hope for the best.
I arrived early to the high school concert so I could get a close parking spot and then waited for it to begin.
The Falmouth High School Chamber Ensemble played first. They had two pianos, a cello, a bass, a guitar, and a xylophone. Not your normal array of instruments for a chamber ensemble, but the music teacher had chosen some interesting pieces that made it all work. I loved their “Blue Ridge Reel.” Then it was time for the Jazz Ensemble.
Jonah plays trombone and bass and, as with all of the musicians, you mostly saw his legs and feet as his music stand covered the upper part of his body and his face. All you could see was the tops of their heads. And Jonah had great hair, but he definitely got my vote for best looking shoes. He was stylin’.
He is the lone trombone player at the end of a row of dynamite saxophone players,
including Sam’s longtime friend, Sebastian. Jonah’s love is the bass and he got to play two of the six songs on bass. The jazz ensemble was a delight to listen to and they were followed by the Falmouth Concert Band. Again, the music teacher, whose name I think is Casey Synder, made some really interesting choices in music pieces and the students were up for the challenge. It was another great evening of showcasing Falmouth’s public school music programs.
I left right after the concert, but as I left, Heather was headed to get a photo of Sam and Jonah with good friends. Later, she sent me a photo I took of Sam and friends on his 5th birthday along with a similar photo from tonight. In the 2012 photo, the boys were dressed as astronauts. Jonah was on the left, then Sebastian, Sam, Harrison, and Alex. Harrison and Alex have been replaced by Robert in tonight’s photo, but it will be another one of my all-time favorites. They are no longer ‘wanna be astronauts. They are handsome young men. It has been a gift to be here to watch them as they have grown through the years.
