My eye is dry and very uncomfortable. Called my doctor back in New York and he suggested I call our eye doctor which I did, but he never called back. We went to a pharmacy and bought more artificial tears and a black eye patch. That helped keep the sun out and for a while gave me some relief. Johanna and Karl took us to Huntington Gardens and Museum. The minute we got out of the car into the sun, I began to suffer. Sandy had to give me his visor hat which helped a bit. Lunch was awful because eating in public is difficult. Some of the food gets caught on the right side of my mouth and I have no way to move it around. I have to cover my mouth with a napkin and use my finger to move the food over to the left. Horrible. We walked thru some beautiful gardens and I tried to take pictures, but it really wasn't much fun. I didn't want to be a burden and spoil everyone's good time.

I am sure there are blisters in my ear and now Sandy sees them too. We called my doctor again. The minute he heard about the blisters he said I must see a neurologist or a GP ASAP. Not only do I have palsy but I probably also have Ramsey Hunt Syndrome, which is shingles - those blisters. We spent the better part of the day trying to find a neurologist, none of which were available anywhere in the Valley. Finally, we made an appt with Johanna's doctor's partner, who agreed to see me at 4PM. I called my doctor and told him of the appointment and he gave me his home phone number, so that we could speak to him from the doctor's office. At 4:30 (7:30 PM in New York) she confirmed with him that I have Ramsey Hunt Syndrome, and prescribed Valtrex, an anti viral medication. We went right to the drug store and filled it. Also she recommended I get a special lubricant to put in my eye, and to tape it shut. This is to prevent the cornea from drying out and causing damage to that. After dinner we went to services and no one really paid too much attention to the "lady with the black patch."

The Bat Mitzvah was lovely. Had very small amounts of the egg salad and gefilte fish at the luncheon afterwards because I'm self-conscious about eating in public. The party at the country club that night was fun, the DJ was much too loud, but being with all of Sandy's cousins made it worth the whole trip.

Sandy spend a good deal of time and effort, changing our plane tickets to tomorrow. With the cream and the tape on my eye, I feel better, but still the pain is nagging. The two Tylenol tablets every four hours seem to be keeping the pain at bay.

We called my doctor from the LA airport to tell him we were coming home. He wants to see me in the office on Thurs. Something new has been added to my problems: now when I try to get up, vertigo makes me dizzy and I have to do it very slowly. So far I haven't fallen, but I do bump into things a lot more than I used to!