Saturday, May 8

And it Continues...

Today I was able to do a bit more around here. Got some orders for dish cloths mailed and a couple of other things. We put up the curtains in the computer room, washed sheets for the boys' bed and made it up so it's all ready for them to stay overnight. The night table is in place with a coaster for their drinks and a doilie. They can store their things in the drawers and they have their own little space now. They are happy about that.

I hadn't talked to Mom since she went to the hospital. I've been told not to visit her because the wound on my right ankle is still open. So today I sent hubby to visit her and have a phone hooked up in her room so we can talk. She phoned tonight just after 8pm and we had a nice talk about all that's been going on. She seems to be in good spirits. She said she's been cold and the nurses have given her warm flannelette blankets and she has been sleeping a lot. That is good for her. She probably needs the rest. They're giving her tylenol 2s for the pain and she is much more comfortable than when she was home. Some women from the church has visited, the pastor dropped by and my aunt (her sister) went to visit her yesterday. Today my brother (Josh's Dad,) hubby and my niece visited. She said that was enough company as she's been very tired.

Keep my brother in your prayers. My sister is away on vacation and since I can't go and visit Mom, everything is falling on him. He's visiting Josh in a hospital out of town and then Mom here in town. Hubby is trying his best to help out but he also has his plate pretty full taking care of everything here.

Other than that, there's not a lot that's new here. It was cold and windy today....more like a fall day than spring and it's to be in the minuses tonight. A cold Mother's Day to be sure.

Happy Mother's Day to all my friends and readers. I hope you all have a great day.

Thursday, May 6

Prayers Needed

Well, I'm on the mend. Today was not as good a day as yesterday or the day before but maybe I did a bit too much yesterday. Tomorrow will be better. The nurse came and changed the dressing on my leg and there is no infection but the wound is still open. So, she will be back Monday to check it. In the meantime hubby will take care of changing the dressing twice a day. He does a great job with it.

Josh is doing better. Had his first food, is craving a Big Mac, wants a smoke and is having therapy for his voice. He is wheeling himself around in a wheelchair and trying to pass the hours when he's not getting therapy of one kind or another. He's also on the mend.

Prayers are needed for my 82 year old mother. She was having a lot of back pain and was seeing a chiropractor for sciatica, but last week mentioned she was having bladder problems. I sent my brother on Sunday night to take her to the hospital but she talked him out of it. This morning about 2am she phoned him to take her. She has been in the ER all day and has had blood work and an MRI. Since I've been instructed to stay out of waiting rooms and hospitals, I can't go to see her, which makes it very difficult for me, but no sense taking the chance of getting more infection or catching a bug while I'm healing.

Michelle (daughter) went to see her this afternoon and they are going to be admitting her. Apparently they think she will be in hospital for at least a week. Michelle said that they will deal with the bladder next week, but need to administer pain killers for the sciatica over the weekend. She is asking for her Bible, so will have to get hubby to drive me to her house and see what I can find to help keep her occupied. Mom, like me, is a doer and not one to be sitting or lying still. She is a go-getter.

Please keep us all in your prayers. Seems that since Josh had his accident in March that one family member after the other does their stint in hospital. I'm hoping that this is the end of that trend.

Wednesday, May 5

Day by Day

Day by Day things are getting better. Today I decided it was time for a hair cut. I phoned my hair stylist and asked her if she thought we could manage a shampoo and cut. She said sure, she could do it a 4pm. So hubby took me and sat patiently while she took care of business. I feel so much better just getting that taken care of. It really should have been done before going to hospital but I didn't have much warning about the surgery. Everything happened so quickly but now it's done and it feels great.

Yesterday Mom's friend came and washed down all the walls in the computer room. We decluttered the entire room but much of it is in the living room waiting for me to go through it. Some will go into a yard sale, some will be sold online and some will go to charity. Many of my old manuscripts will be shredded and put in the garbage. I just don't have room for them anymore and I haven't used them in years. The rule is that a writer never throws away any of their writing, but that is not realistic. I will keep all my personal stories but the travel and health articles must go. That will actually make a huge difference. I have hundreds of them.

Brandon came tonight after school and helped hubby set up the bed and night table in the computer room. He now has his own little space at Grandma's and we even were able to get him a 20 inch TV at Bibles for Missions for $20. It is like brand new and I'm assuming it came out of an estate sale. He is one happy young man.

Early this morning I went for a walk. It was such a beautiful day. Hubby went with me and even though I can't walk far in this area because of the hills, it felt good to be out and about on such a beautiful day. The birds were singing and it was a great start to a good day. Things are getting easier.

I'm doing quite a bit for myself. Hubby gets the meals. I put in a couple loads of laundry and started them but he has to transfer them to the dryer and also out of it. I can fold it if he puts it on the table, but he's inclined to try to do it himself to save me the trouble. I've tried explaining to him that I need to do some things to build up my strength, but he still tries to spare me the trouble.

I'm only napping once a day now, which is a vast improvement from the 3 or 4 naps I was having when I came home from the hospital, so things are coming along.

Thanks to everyone for your loving support and kindness as I've traveled this difficult and sometimes scary journey. It's hard to believe all this can happen in a matter of 3 weeks or so.

Monday, May 3

Update

There's not a lot to update. I have good days and not so good days. Today wasn't so good, as I was really tired for some reason. I'm thinking my hemoglobin is still down. They told me that after heart surgery it takes a while to get your blood built back up to where it should be. That would be the reason for my exhaustion today.

Yesterday (Sunday) wasn't a bad day. I was tired but not the same bone deep tired as today. The boys came and we did an overhaul on the computer room, which is still a mess and is going to get worse before it gets better. The boys sorted all their childhood toys and decided what to give away and what to keep. We kept all of their die cast tractors, trucks and cars and packed them into a huge tote. Hubby will take them to the basement to store for the until they have homes or families of their own. Most of the things were from their baby days and had just never been put away or sorted. An entire box of goodies went to Griffyn and Tarryn... a Fisher Price barn, farm animals, a webble house, a PlaySchool school and lots of other things that are age appropriate for them. They thought it was Christmas and they have lots to keep them occupied.

Brandon has always slept on a cot when he came to stay over. He is a big boy and it was getting to the point where the cot didn't give him enough support. So now he will have a bed and a night table in the computer room where he can sleep and Jordan can have the cot instead of sleeping on the couch. For the time being, the cot is sufficient for Jordan.

So things are changing in the household. Tomorrow a friend is coming to wash down the walls and clean the windows for us. Hubby will lend a hand and hopefully things will look a lot different by the end of the week. If I decide I'm brave enough to show you the mess the computer room was in, I will take photos, but haven't decided yet. It's pretty bad.

As far as my health is concerned, I do have some trouble with shortness of breath at times. I will bring that to the attention of the doctor when I see him next week. Some days I can do quite a bit...others, not so much. I can get in and out of bed on my own, take care of my own hygiene with a little help now and then. I am on my way to recovery, but still have a ways to go. My blood sugar levels are better, but still not where I'd like them to be. I may have to up my insulin again, but at least there's been some improvement.

As for those who asked if I filled out a diabetic menu at pre-op, that isn't done here. The hospitals here have food brought in and no longer have a big cafeteria like they once did for the patients. They send what they see fit but I did talk to hospital administration about the meals served to diabetics. I doubt it will do any good, but at least I tried.