Thunderstorms And Rain

7:02

7:19

I doubt if I will be kayaking this morning because it's been raining with occasional thunder since I got up at 7:00. If it stops by 9:00 or so, I may try. It's 8:15 and still raining, but no thunder or lightning. 

Yesterday began as usual with a nice long paddle, and some great photos of ospreys, eagles and cormorants. When I returned home, however, Evie called and said she could not move her legs; they were numb, and her feet were tingling. Because she had fallen on the dock on Friday, we immediately worried about nerve damage or back problems. She gradually was able to move without numbness, take a shower, and have breakfast, but we were worried enough that we decided to go to UPMC Hamot Hospital in Erie. 

We left around 11:00, arrived just before noon, and went through a metal detector, manned by a couple of police officers, before entering the Emergency Room. It was overflowing with people, all ages, colors, and most elderly.  We signed in and were told Evie would get a CT scan. Within an hour or two, they took her away for a test, and I walked to State Street, the center of Erie, where they had blocked off the street and were having a gathering and concert later in the day. I wanted lunch and stopped for some Ramen at Tasaocaa, a Japanese restaurant ten minutes from Hamot. It was a cool place where you were served your meal by a robot, which brought the food out of the kitchen to your table, where a server would then place it on your table. 

Lunch Is Served

Downtown State Street In Erie

It's a good thing I had lunch because we waited until 7:00 to be taken back to the Emergency room. So we spent close to eight hours, people-watching, a sad, often tragic look at mostly the underclass. Many were there instead of a doctor's office unless it was a real emergency. A couple of patients walked in, followed by the police. Some moaned and yelled and cursed, in pain, and were mostly ignored. So it was a real education for us. We liked Evie's ER doctor. She was thorough and ordered blood tests after talking with us and looking carefully at Evie's CT scan. To be safe, and after looking at Evie's blood tests, she decided Evie should spend the night and get an MRI. 

Finally, In The ER Hallway

 I left for home Saturday night around 9:15, when I found out Evie would be spending the night. I was home by 10:30, had some hummus and pita, a peach, and went to bed tired from a long, boring day. 

Evie just wrote me this morning that she is up and had her MRI at 3:00 in the morning. I will be heading into Erie around 10:00 at Evie's request.