On the Big Island of Hawai’i we enjoyed our grandson immensely.

And it was so nice to spend time with Chris and Jonika too.
I had a little snafu on New Year’s Eve – my suction machine broke. And it being Sunday and New Year’s Eve, no medical supply companies could be reached and wouldn’t be reachable until Tuesday. It is lucky I married a MacGyver like guy – he tried to fix the suction machine but he could not – “I could fix this if I was at home.” So in true MacGyver fashion he hooked it up to the vacuum cleaner so I could use it. It gave me an appreciation for the ALS patients in Puerto Rico and other islands after the devastating hurricanes. They were left in a worse state than I was – not a broken motor with a McGuyver guy around but no power for days. It is truly scary to be without suction when you need it badly.After a nice dinner at our condo with Jonika, Chris and Ollie; Andy decided to break the rules and swim after sunset on the last night of 2017.
Then he stayed up to watch the fireworks from the condo deck. But he is the only one. Stan and I hit the sack before even midnight in Chicago. But I was up at 3 AM coughing and I saw the moonlight on the deck.

I did not feel I could turn on the vacuum at that hour of the night, because most condos had windows and sliders open. So I took some benadryl and went back to sleep. But I used the vacuum cleaner suction quite a bit on New Year’s Day.
Stan and I took it easy on New Year’s Day. But in the afternoon Andy walked to the pretty, rocky beach down the street. He called to report that the waves were big. So he came back and in the waning light of the first day of the new year we drove to Magic Sands Beach. Andy and I ventured into the water.

I watched him bodysurf a couple waves and then I dove to ride one myself. But I forgot to close my mouth and got a mouthful of salty sea water. I came up coughing – not having a working epiglottis I can’t protect my airway. Plus I haven’t had salt in over a year, so it was very salty in my mouth. A woman asked if I was ok and Andy came over to help me.

I bent down to write in the wet sand to tell Andy what happened.

We walked back to where Stan was sitting on a rock.


After sitting a few moments, Andy and I went to rinse off in the outdoor shower. When we got back, I sat for a few minutes and realized that I had just done a natural netti pot – my sinuses were draining mightily. So we had to go back to the condo so I cough assist and use the jerry rigged suction. Then I slept for an hour but had to get up at 8 pm to eat dinner. I woke up coughing at 2 am and not being confident of sleeping with such irritated lungs or willing to turn on the vaccuum cleaner with all the windows open in the neighboring condos, I stayed up and finished my book. But at least I went in the ocean and it was exciting before scary.
It wasn’t until Tuesday after the holiday that we could work on a replacement for the suction machine. Our home Durable Medical Equipment (DME) company Bennett arranged for a machine from a Big Island DME. It was delivered Wednesday. It is not portable.
It is heavy and has no case. And we are supposed to carry it back with us so Bennett can ship it back to Hawaii. So Stan called the company but all he got was a run around and voicemails. I texted our rep from Bennett and she had the local DME call Stan. He got a call back Thursday morning saying the DME didn’t have a portable suction machine. But they said they will look for one.
We went to the Hulihe’e Palace with Jonika, which we had not seen before.
This historic home was built in 1838. It belonged to the governor of the island of Hawai’i. When his son married into Hawaiian royalty it became a favorite retreat of royal families. It houses a collection of ancient Hawaiian artifacts and personal memorabilia of 19th century Hawaiian royalty, including beautiful koa wood furniture and bowls. There was also ancient jewelry and weapons. There was a very entertaining guide upstairs.

After the palace tour we had a nice lunch in a new restaurant that Jonika had wanted to try.
Still dealing with mucous, I tried a medrol dose pack and a stronger antibiotic. I also had to refill my Xanax which I take for ALS anxiety which is a very real thing, especially after watching my mom go through it. I had a refill from my Reno doctor but in Hawai’i for controlled substances, only prescriptions written by Hawai’i doctors can be filled. So we went to urgent care Tuesday night and got the prescription – and will have to send the bill into our insurance company. And then we went to dinner.

Another night we had a nice dinner at Jonika’s house with friends of theirs from Portland, Oregon. Jonika and Mike have been friends since riding the bus to middle school and high school from our house – he lived around the corner from us. Jonika made a pumpkin soup in a pumpkin that I heard nothing but raves about.
While Stan and Jonika were grocery shopping for the dinner party, Stan got a call from the DME that they had a portable suction machine, so they went and picked it up. It is the best suction machine I have had yet.
We babysat for Ollie quite a bit. He is a sweet helpful child until he is tired and I think he is growing this week – he is sleeping a lot and we see him learning new things.
Jonika’s work on phones for Seaquest, the boat company she works for, is wonderfully flexible. She can be at home or wherever and just has to answer phones and book trips on her iPad. She can get things done between phone calls. She can do this work in Reno too when she visits later this month. She also works in the office and does sales presentations for the company.
Despite his lethargic parents, Andy had fun.
Chris took him cliff diving (video by Chris):
And Jonika took him zip lining.
Andy and I took Ollie to the pool.
It was a week of love, connection, and hope – hope that my sinus mucous would clear up. I could be reacting to the vog which is gases from the volcano. Vog and dogs and cats and pollen – my body reacts to the world I live in and I may be managing mucous the rest of my life. Allergies and sinus infections used to be minor inconveniences but now I can’t blow my nose or cough or swallow well but I am still hopeful the problem will clear up, and in the meantime I will pick my nose and hack into cough assist and suck out mucous with suction and be thankful for electricity.