We have iron! The ironwork has been delivered to the house and most of it is installed. I love it. Mimi had the idea to take the design from the old iron door that was removed from the kitchen. We decided on a piece of the pattern for the stairs. We're going to hang the original yellow door on the wall of the upstairs terrace.We spent the last few days mainly hanging out at the hospital/medical center. I've had an ultrasound, given blood, pee and I'm in the process of donating 3 days of poop. Once I have all the results, I'll go back to the doctor with them. Yesterday, we went back over with our friends Kathy and Jaime and the kids. Jaime had a physical therapy appt and Kathy had picked up the MRI of her brain.
This had to be scary, she's a trooper and acts like it is nothing. Having 3 doctors tell you that you have to get a brain scan right now is cause for worry. It seemed that Jaime, Mimi and I were more worried than she was but I think she just hides it well. Anyway, we walked in to her doctor's office and I think she was just going to make an appointment for 'some other time' but I asked if he was there and the receptionist said yes, have a seat. Heh! Kathy was stuck. Did I mention that she couldn't walk unless someone had her arm or she could hold on to the wall because the vertigo was so bad?
So, I help her into his office and you could see the shock on his face. He took the MRI's and spent at least a half hour studying them in silence. Kathy and I sat there and watched him. It was hypnotic and felt to me like we were just floating and waiting. Then he told her that there was nothing in the MRI's, no tumors, nothing to worry about. I thought all the air sucked out of the room for a minute, whew! He was funny and caring and very perceptive about her, plus he said her name in the most sexy, amazing way. Not the usual Spanish pronunciation of Kathleen but almost Italian sounding.
She kept telling him that this vertigo only happened occasionally, it wasn't a big problem, etc. I kept my mouth shut, hard to do but I did. He seemed to see right through her though and said that it was not ok for her to be like this at all and they had to find the answer. He told her that her hardware was fine so the answer was somewhere in the software. I like that analogy. So, he wants blood work and other stuff to see where the 'software' problem is. After all that, Kathy was still barely walking so we took her to the hotel and got the boys and went off to Mimi and my favorite taco stand, Tacos Arabe. We had a blast, the kids are great and Mimi becomes a 10 yo playing with them.
Today is Ellen's birthday. She is the youngest and is a funny, beautiful girl. She reminds Mimi and I so much of our friend Tucci in Seattle. Something about her eyes and the shape of her face makes us think of what Tucci must have looked like as a child.
Happy Birthday Ellen!!
posted by Jonna at 1:23 PM
20 Comments:
the railings are absolutely exquisite and are perfect!!!! what a wonderful idea to use the door as the inspiration as well as a piece of 'artwork'. of course my fav part of the railings are the sections that do not attach to each other...(like stalactites and stalagmites) beautiful.
glad you are doing your tests as i am sure mimi is too. i want to know what is going on amiga.
so glad that it is a software problem with your friend.... how i crave a good doctor here in the states.... wishing good thoughts for her.
I like those parts too, I call them the 'dangly bits'. ;)
Here from Kathy and Jamie's digs, and wanted to say thank you so much for being such excellent friends to them. You guys are the tops!
Love, love, love your renovations. The pool is just stunning. Can't wait to see all the other details as well.
Give Kathy a big hug from her Texas family!
ditto what dreamwoven said....
Can't wait for more pictures. Is this your first renovation? What an amazing home. I have been following your progress all summer. Part of me does not want you to ever finish.
I hope you feel better really soon.
Thanks for sharing.
Corrinne, Seattle,Wa
Jody, they are good friends to us as well. I'm not sure Kathy was all that happy that I understood the doctor in Spanish and ratted her out to Jaime :)
Corrinne, not to worry, part of me is pretty sure the house will never really be finished :)
I'm feeling a lot better now, I just want to figure out what was happening.
The place looks FABULOUS, love the railings!
Glad you and Kathy are both getting things taken care of, sending all kinds of healthy vibes to you both. It's lovely that you have each other as friends, how lucky all of you are!
Big hugs from Cancun and a "Hola!" from Max who says he wants to play with you both again. :)
Great rails amiga - jeeez will you still talk to the poor people when this place gets completed - I hope so ;-)
CC, give Max a hug and we'd love another beach visit when we get back to the coast.
Juan, we will BE such poor people when this house is done that we hope you'll still talk to us ;) Truthfully, I could not build a house like this elsewhere for double the cost here. I credit my architect, his style makes the inexpensive look fantastic.
This looks very expensive and beautiful. What a great design for the railings. I love that you are keeping the door in the new house. It means something. Question, how do you keep the cement wall from sweating moisture?
I am just a little late with my 'echo comments'...the railings are gorgeous...very delicate looking instead of the ponderous railings one usually sees...what a great job you are doing...you go girls!!!! KK
Jonna, your ironwork is beautiful. I wish I could see it in person.
Kathy's vertigo: There was a major item in the Oregonian newspaper about a local doctor who is able to instantly cure many cases of vertigo. See: http://www.aliveandwell.org/html/the_bigger_picture/cursing_the_cure.html
Briefly, the vertigo he cures is caused by stuff plugging up the canals in the inner ear. To fix this, he as a crazy chair that he straps the patient into. By using his chair to roll the patient head over heals in a careful sequence of directions, he is able to move the particles to another part of the inner ear and instantly cures the vertigo. Since Kathy says that her vertigo happens only part of the time, and nothing else seems to be wrong, this is at least an idea that more or less fits the symptoms.
Take care of yourself.
Linley
gumm at eaststreet dot net
Jonna, the ironwork is beautiful! At first I thought the 'dangly bits' were a little strange, but the more I looked at it, the more I liked it. I'm still madly in love with the floating stairs...especially in pic #2! That's just a gorgeous view.
I'm glad you're getting checked out and are feeling better. I'm also glad your friend's MRI didn't show anything. What a scary thing to go through.
Take care, and keep us updated. :)
The walls sweating moisture... you know I really don't understand how that will work either. Henry told me that because the first floor is on the original foundation there is a possibility that water will wick up somewhere. When that happens he has a couple of things he tries and if none of those work then he drills small holes into the wall near the floor to let air in and moisture out. He says they aren't that noticeable and I might not have the problem. I don't think it will be a problem upstairs, it's all new and there are barriers.
The walls need to cure and then get painted and then I guess we'll see. There are a lot of drains from all over the roofs and terraces and they go into 2 different dry wells. I was impressed with the number and size of the drains built into the walls.
Thanks, KK. Can't wait until you can see it.
Hi Linley! I will pass the info on to my friend. Thanks for that. Thanks for the compliment too, it's good to see you here.
Sandye, the dangly bits were not a copy from the door so the ironwork guy added them. I really like them in person, they are perhaps harder to see in the pictures. They give a lacy look to the design that I really like. There is one more railing that will be in the higher stairs in the second pic. I didn't get railings everywhere, just in places that were a little scary to walk up. I left them off where the stairs are wide and you can hug a wall if you want. I wanted to keep a cleaner, less busy look.
The ironwork is beautiful. Can't wait to see more pics. You two are doing a great job. The finished product will be one for the magazines!
Healthy vibes coming your way! Glad you and Kathy are taking care of business. And that Jamie is doing well too! Happy birthday to Ellen!
Re: Vertigo. I agree the problem is probably in the inner ear. Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to cure. My girlfriend in So. California has to be very careful not to throw her head back suddenly or she will be overcome by vertigo and nausea. She says it is very unpleasant but she is resigned to live with it...
I have had repeated episodes of vertigo. Thankfully they are few and far between now. It is terrible. The first time I had it I was staggering like a drunk, holding on to walls as I walked. There is an effective medication called "Serc" (betahistine dihydrochloride). It helps a lot with the nausea and vomiting too. This is an inner ear condition called "labrynthitis" - not sure about the spelling. Perhaps your friend could try the meds and see if they help. Its prescription NOB but probably available OTC in Mexico. If the MRI is normal, the inner ear is a likely culprit in her illness.
Your home is beautiful! I have been lurking here and reading your blog regularly. We reno'd a house in Progreso last year, but it doesn't look nearly as beautiful as yours. The end result in your home is sure to be stunning.
Joanne
What more can I say, Jonna. Your place is going to be outstanding. I don't think you will ever want to leave!
Jonna and Mimi, the house is gorgeous, just gorgeous. The ironwork is spectacular--I too love the 'dangly bits'--and the view from the front helped bring it all together. You and your architect, and your workers, are building a real dream.
My Mom suffered from intermittent vertigo for most of her life. Particles in the inner ear get out of place and cause this; it looks and acts like labyrinthitis, but it's not. When she was in her mid-70s, she went to Mayo Clinic and they did the same kind of repositioning that Linley talked about up-thread, using a Stryker frame. Lo and behold, all the little particles went back where they belong and she NEVER HAD THE VERTIGO AGAIN. The treatment was simple, non-invasive, and best of all, it worked.
Tell your friend Kathy to try it. She has nothing to lose but her nausea, dizziness, and despair.
And of course you will let all of us know when you have a diagnosis for yourself? Judy and I are so pleased to hear that you are feeling better.
xoxo
cristina
I love the iron work. It is absolutely beautiful and adds much elegance to the home. To do your home justice you will have to take us on a video tour of it when it is completed.
Jonna and Mimi,
I've been watching your website for sometime, and have been following the "construction" of the place. How much it has changed over the months! As others have written, the ironwork is fabulous. The whole place is a piece of art!
My hope is that with the great (finally) advances made in the house, any anxiety and worries you both have experienced over the trials and tribulations of having the place restored, will also bring healing. Your own medical challenges are worrisome, and hopefully with the smoking at bay, and getting a few pounds lighter will make a real difference.
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