Well, I have to say that I can notice a difference in Larry since he started therapy. His arms, shoulders and legs were all pretty weak and after just 4 sessions with the therapist and doing 10 minutes 1 to 2 times a day, his right shoulder has a little more flexibility. Shana ,his therapist ( who I really think is doing a wonderful job) does not think that he will ever get a lot of flexibility back in it, because she thinks that he has a tear in his rotator cuff and that is why it has been so weak and unable to maintain strength. But she has been doing a fabulous job of listening to Larry (and me for that matter) and doing stuff specifically for him instead of just giving him the same bunch of exercises that everyone else gets for Y problem. It is pretty funny because Larry will be dipped if he is going to admit that he is feeling any stronger, so when we praise him on doing a great job with a movement, he can't look really pleased with himself because he is still trying to prove that IT IS NOT HELPING HIM!
I don't think that I have talked about my search for protein for Larry. Who would think that it would be so difficult to find alternate sources of easy protein for elderly people. I mean, you can certainly find Ensure everywhere. And that is good. Ensure is OK- it tastes kind of gaggy, but it is drinkable and we use it. I also have him on Nepro, which is more for a dialysis patient's needs. Then we have Proteinex- that you add 2 ozs to another liquid (Such as juice). Last week I found a bunch of protein powders that you mix with water and ice cubes and blend and it makes a shake kind of drink. They are not too bad. The dietitian also suggested protein bars, but all of the bars that we have tried are way too chewy and when you have false teeth, chewy is not a good thing. I just got a box on line the other day that said they were creamy. Wouldn't creamy indicate soft to you? Apparently not. They are stiff as a board. SO, to use them, I have been shaving thin slices off and then he puts them in his mouth and they kind of melt after a few seconds. They taste pretty good- they are not really sweet and gaggy- it's just that they are really tough to eat.
At the health food store, I got a protein cake thingee that I really liked. It was like eating a scone. Larry liked it too, but that store is not in town and so I have not gotten anymore of them. I would really like to figure out a recipe to make some protein cake things. I think that he would eat them. I just have to experiment with the few recipes that I did find.
I think that what would be a great help to anyone who is caring for an elderly person would be a resource site- that tells you where to get stuff. Things that worked for you. Things that really worked terribly. Ways to keep as healthy as you can. I suppose there is probably a site that does have at least some of that stuff, but it needs to be found easily. I love doing searches, and I still have not come up with a single site that I use as a reference. And I am on the internet a lot.
Time to change the wash over and maybe stroll around the house. Oh yeah!!! The Packer's won last night in Denver! Go Brett!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Ding-Dong the Squirrel is dead
Well....since last week. I got tired of the dang squirrel so I hammered a board over the hole that it made. Then as I watched from the kitchen window, I could see that it was still going by with nuts in its mouth and then coming back with out them. I knew the bugger was getting in somewhere. So, Phrog came over and we found another small hole that the bugger chewed up under the roof line. Down to the greenhouse he goes and pound, pound, pound. Bang, bang, bang. NO squirrel movement , so the squirrel must be outside. Now (In the rain, mind you) here we are sawing and nailing and screwing boards up and caulking. We checked every inch along the top and bottom edge and closed it up tight. Good job! One day goes by....I don't see any red squirrel. Two days...three days...still no squirrel. Well, either he is dead (From perhaps noshing on a poisoned nut or two?) or trapped in the greenhouse.
The weather was good this week, so Phrog decided we should clean up the mess that the squirrel made (He totally shredded and wrecked the insulation between the ceiling beams, so it all had to come out) in the greenhouse and he asks his buddy Jeff (Who is off of work right now) if he would come over and help me. "Sureeeee" says Jeff. So we start hauling empty garbage cans down and are getting ready to start when...scrabble, scrabble. EEEK! IT'S THE SQUIRREL!!!! We both scream like girls (Well I mainly scream like a girl 'cuz I am)and go flying out the door and slam it behind us! OK...OK....we call Phrog and he starts laughing his head off, but suggests that we uncover one of the windows and open it so he has an escape route. Good idea. We do that and Jeff goes back in and pounds around...no squirrel. Eventually we start to relax again and figure that the bugger must have had another hole somewhere that we didn't see. We get to the end of the insulation in the room. No squirrel- no nuts. Hmmmm.... where are the nuts??? All of a sudden, we hear scrabble, scrabble and here is the squirrel headed for the door, which is standing wide open out into the basement! EKKKK!!!! Jeff flies for the door and jumps out, slamming it behind him...unfortunately, leaving me trapped in the greenhouse with a panicked squirrel.
"Hey Dude! I am supposed to be out there and you are supposed to be in here!"
We trade places and he starts to chase it around and around. The thing is running behind the pegboards, so Jeff is poking at it to try to get it to go out and all of a sudden it jumps out at him-just like in National Lampoons Christmas when the squirrel lands on Chevy Chase's face! Fortunately, he turned his head and it hit the floor instead of him. He finally trapped it and eradicated the threat.
What a day!
Larry had therapy twice this week and I can really see a difference. He thinks I am cookoo, but if you have an elderly parent who just does minimal stuff around the house, they are loosing strength without even knowing it. Therapy helps rebuild those muscles that you don't even think about. The ones that help you stand upright without slumping over. The ones that stabilize your torso, help you bend over without falling on your nose and keep your knees from buckling. Every elderly person that I have talked to (And I talk to alot, believe me) insists that they are fine- that therapy is stupid and only for really sick OLD people. Never for them. NEVER...It's sad that they think that way because therapy probably would help them stay flexible and mobile a lot longer.
And speaking of Therapy. Jim Rother is over at a rehab place in Elm Grove. He is not doing really great. He is in a whole lot of pain and very weak and feeling pretty hopeless and lost. He doesn't know if the cancer has spread that much and THAT is the reason for all the pain, or if it is just a cumulative effect of everything that all has just wiped him out. It is so hard to see someone you care for, who has been relatively healthy and totally independent at 91 years old- to be so sick and not at all like himself. You never, ever would have guessed that Jim was 91 before-maybe in his 70s, but certainly not 91. Now, with all the pain, he is looking more and more like 100. If you see this say a prayer for him. Thanks!
Time to make dinner. Home-made beef pot pie tonight. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?
The weather was good this week, so Phrog decided we should clean up the mess that the squirrel made (He totally shredded and wrecked the insulation between the ceiling beams, so it all had to come out) in the greenhouse and he asks his buddy Jeff (Who is off of work right now) if he would come over and help me. "Sureeeee" says Jeff. So we start hauling empty garbage cans down and are getting ready to start when...scrabble, scrabble. EEEK! IT'S THE SQUIRREL!!!! We both scream like girls (Well I mainly scream like a girl 'cuz I am)and go flying out the door and slam it behind us! OK...OK....we call Phrog and he starts laughing his head off, but suggests that we uncover one of the windows and open it so he has an escape route. Good idea. We do that and Jeff goes back in and pounds around...no squirrel. Eventually we start to relax again and figure that the bugger must have had another hole somewhere that we didn't see. We get to the end of the insulation in the room. No squirrel- no nuts. Hmmmm.... where are the nuts??? All of a sudden, we hear scrabble, scrabble and here is the squirrel headed for the door, which is standing wide open out into the basement! EKKKK!!!! Jeff flies for the door and jumps out, slamming it behind him...unfortunately, leaving me trapped in the greenhouse with a panicked squirrel.
"Hey Dude! I am supposed to be out there and you are supposed to be in here!"
We trade places and he starts to chase it around and around. The thing is running behind the pegboards, so Jeff is poking at it to try to get it to go out and all of a sudden it jumps out at him-just like in National Lampoons Christmas when the squirrel lands on Chevy Chase's face! Fortunately, he turned his head and it hit the floor instead of him. He finally trapped it and eradicated the threat.
What a day!
Larry had therapy twice this week and I can really see a difference. He thinks I am cookoo, but if you have an elderly parent who just does minimal stuff around the house, they are loosing strength without even knowing it. Therapy helps rebuild those muscles that you don't even think about. The ones that help you stand upright without slumping over. The ones that stabilize your torso, help you bend over without falling on your nose and keep your knees from buckling. Every elderly person that I have talked to (And I talk to alot, believe me) insists that they are fine- that therapy is stupid and only for really sick OLD people. Never for them. NEVER...It's sad that they think that way because therapy probably would help them stay flexible and mobile a lot longer.
And speaking of Therapy. Jim Rother is over at a rehab place in Elm Grove. He is not doing really great. He is in a whole lot of pain and very weak and feeling pretty hopeless and lost. He doesn't know if the cancer has spread that much and THAT is the reason for all the pain, or if it is just a cumulative effect of everything that all has just wiped him out. It is so hard to see someone you care for, who has been relatively healthy and totally independent at 91 years old- to be so sick and not at all like himself. You never, ever would have guessed that Jim was 91 before-maybe in his 70s, but certainly not 91. Now, with all the pain, he is looking more and more like 100. If you see this say a prayer for him. Thanks!
Time to make dinner. Home-made beef pot pie tonight. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?
Friday, October 19, 2007
Another week come and gone....
Well, it has been an eventful week.
We went down for the echo and it took forever! Then we had to go down to get blood work done- as per the Dr.s request and they couldn't find the order in the computer, so we had to sit and wait for that. I have become a professional waiter after all the appointments that I have sat through with Larry. So, now we wait until the procedure on the 6th, then we see what happens from there.
Larry started therapy on Wednesday. I really like the girl who is giving him therapy. She has a great sense of humor and really has a feel for what she is going after, result wise. We decided to move all the rest of his appointments to Tues. and Thurs. because she saw how tired he is after dialysis and figured he would get more out of alternate days (This is what I had suggested when we scheduled, but the scheduler kind of blew me off) He was supposed to have a session yet today before we switched over but Shana called in sick this am, so Larry got a reprieve. So , even though it is cold, windy and rainy today,I loaded him in the car and we drove out to West Bend, picked up Martha, my older sister and drove to Cty hwy A for an estate sale. It advertised "All priced to sell! You will not be disappointed!" and indicated that it was a barn full! I can never resist a barn! So we're driving and we're driving...no sign....we keep driving...now we are in Waubeka- way too far from where we should be, but neither of us remembered to grab the ad to bring along. Into a gas station and .50 cents later we own another Milwaukee Journal Sentinal and have the ad. OK! We passed that road, we just must have missed the sign. We get back there-no sign on the corner....no sign on the driveway....no sign telling us where on the property it is, but, we finally find the open part of the barn and with great anticipation, enter. Very sad. And, I don't know where it was priced to sell at but-HOLY COW!-it wasn't priced to sell to me! Very expensive- retail shop prices on the antiques (and that is pretty much all she had)and they weren't great things. They were broken and or missing pieces and in need of repair- dirty- need I go on? Very, very sad ; ( But, Larry loves the drive, so what the hey! We hit another estate sale on the way home and it was probably her sister because again- very expensive on everything! Oh well! I'll just have more money to spend somewhere else!
On a sadder note-Jimmy R. (the one who went in for the procedure earlier this week) was told that he has cancer in several places, including his bladder and pelvis and it is totally inoperable (Although he wouldn't have wanted that because in his eyes, he is 91 and has lived a pretty good life) When they release him he and Evie are going to have to move into the Nursing Home section of the place they live because he is going to need way more care and they are setting up hospice service. He is very worried about what will happen to Evie, but, he is going to have to trust his daughters to take care of her because he isn't going to able to. Keep them in your prayers. I am going to see him this weekend.I did not see the blasted red squirrel today, but have not been home too much. I can only hope that he ate a little of the rat bait we put out for him and perhaps he won't be back.
It is supposed to be another beautiful weekend and Katie and I are going to a craft show tomorrow. And tomorrow night I am going to see a play put on by the Patio Players. I don't remember which one they are doing, but they always do a really great job and we get season tickets every year so we make sure to see them all! Hot dog!
We went down for the echo and it took forever! Then we had to go down to get blood work done- as per the Dr.s request and they couldn't find the order in the computer, so we had to sit and wait for that. I have become a professional waiter after all the appointments that I have sat through with Larry. So, now we wait until the procedure on the 6th, then we see what happens from there.
Larry started therapy on Wednesday. I really like the girl who is giving him therapy. She has a great sense of humor and really has a feel for what she is going after, result wise. We decided to move all the rest of his appointments to Tues. and Thurs. because she saw how tired he is after dialysis and figured he would get more out of alternate days (This is what I had suggested when we scheduled, but the scheduler kind of blew me off) He was supposed to have a session yet today before we switched over but Shana called in sick this am, so Larry got a reprieve. So , even though it is cold, windy and rainy today,I loaded him in the car and we drove out to West Bend, picked up Martha, my older sister and drove to Cty hwy A for an estate sale. It advertised "All priced to sell! You will not be disappointed!" and indicated that it was a barn full! I can never resist a barn! So we're driving and we're driving...no sign....we keep driving...now we are in Waubeka- way too far from where we should be, but neither of us remembered to grab the ad to bring along. Into a gas station and .50 cents later we own another Milwaukee Journal Sentinal and have the ad. OK! We passed that road, we just must have missed the sign. We get back there-no sign on the corner....no sign on the driveway....no sign telling us where on the property it is, but, we finally find the open part of the barn and with great anticipation, enter. Very sad. And, I don't know where it was priced to sell at but-HOLY COW!-it wasn't priced to sell to me! Very expensive- retail shop prices on the antiques (and that is pretty much all she had)and they weren't great things. They were broken and or missing pieces and in need of repair- dirty- need I go on? Very, very sad ; ( But, Larry loves the drive, so what the hey! We hit another estate sale on the way home and it was probably her sister because again- very expensive on everything! Oh well! I'll just have more money to spend somewhere else!
On a sadder note-Jimmy R. (the one who went in for the procedure earlier this week) was told that he has cancer in several places, including his bladder and pelvis and it is totally inoperable (Although he wouldn't have wanted that because in his eyes, he is 91 and has lived a pretty good life) When they release him he and Evie are going to have to move into the Nursing Home section of the place they live because he is going to need way more care and they are setting up hospice service. He is very worried about what will happen to Evie, but, he is going to have to trust his daughters to take care of her because he isn't going to able to. Keep them in your prayers. I am going to see him this weekend.I did not see the blasted red squirrel today, but have not been home too much. I can only hope that he ate a little of the rat bait we put out for him and perhaps he won't be back.
It is supposed to be another beautiful weekend and Katie and I are going to a craft show tomorrow. And tomorrow night I am going to see a play put on by the Patio Players. I don't remember which one they are doing, but they always do a really great job and we get season tickets every year so we make sure to see them all! Hot dog!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
The Battle is on- More RED SQUIRRELS!
Well, the little bugger is still going around all the traps we set. I have snap traps, live traps, glue traps, bait chunks, bait bags, rat poison on a lovely tray of walnuts- nothing! He jumps over everything and how he can get over all the stuff I have at the hole that he enters is beyond me, but he does. He even went into the live trap and got the nuts out and actually sat in the trap and ate a couple! I feel like Bill Murray in Caddyshack! Next thing you know, I'll have dynamite and blow off that part of the basement as he sits there looking at me wondering what that crazy human is doing!I think we are just going to have to go into the green house and pound on the ceiling and all other hiding places to make sure that none of the squirrels get trapped in the house and then cover all of the vulnerable spots with metal. When they were getting into the barn a couple of years ago, Phrog sealed it up and you should have seen the chew marks where they kept trying to get back in! YIKES!
I had my 2nd cousin Jimmy's wife Evie here yesterday. Evie is 90 and has the beginning stages of alzheimers. Jimmy is in the hospital for prostrate surgery and Evie gets really confused if she is alone for long periods of time, so I just brought her home with me after we dropped Jim off at the hospital. Then I took Evie back after lunch, when he was out of recovery and she got to sit with him until their daughter Diane came to visit and then take Evie home. Diane is staying at their apartment until Jim gets out probably tomorrow. Evie is such a sweety. She was entertained for almost the whole time she was here with watching the bird feeders and petting all the cats.
I am taking Larry down to Froedert today for his echocardiogram. We go for his procedure on Nov. 6th where they are going to put the extra line in the lower chamber of his heart from his defib/pacemaker. They think that this will help keep his blood pressure up, give him a little more energy and help keep the fluid from backing up into his lungs, among many other benefits. We think that it is worth a little risk if you can get so many positive benefits.
And tomorrow he starts with physical therapy. YAY!!!I will let everyone know how every thing shakes out on both of those fronts and also what happens with the squirrel. Time for Larry to get up from his post breakfast nap.
I had my 2nd cousin Jimmy's wife Evie here yesterday. Evie is 90 and has the beginning stages of alzheimers. Jimmy is in the hospital for prostrate surgery and Evie gets really confused if she is alone for long periods of time, so I just brought her home with me after we dropped Jim off at the hospital. Then I took Evie back after lunch, when he was out of recovery and she got to sit with him until their daughter Diane came to visit and then take Evie home. Diane is staying at their apartment until Jim gets out probably tomorrow. Evie is such a sweety. She was entertained for almost the whole time she was here with watching the bird feeders and petting all the cats.
I am taking Larry down to Froedert today for his echocardiogram. We go for his procedure on Nov. 6th where they are going to put the extra line in the lower chamber of his heart from his defib/pacemaker. They think that this will help keep his blood pressure up, give him a little more energy and help keep the fluid from backing up into his lungs, among many other benefits. We think that it is worth a little risk if you can get so many positive benefits.
And tomorrow he starts with physical therapy. YAY!!!I will let everyone know how every thing shakes out on both of those fronts and also what happens with the squirrel. Time for Larry to get up from his post breakfast nap.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
This is really October in Wisconsin????
Who would think that it would be so darn hot in October in the state of Wisconsin? It is 88 degrees and HUMID. I am not complaining- I mean, any day that it isn't snowing is a good day in my book! It just is a little hot to get much of the normal fall grunt work done. I worked outside on Friday and Saturday and sweat up a storm, but decided to hide inside this afternoon after we returned from watching Mickey's Fast Pitch softball game in Grafton (They got killed, but in all fairness, they played a group of senior/junior highschool girls and Mick's team is 7th, 8th and 9th graders) It was a beat of a day for a drive and the trees are wonderful!
I got my Halloween decorations out last week and still need to get pumpkins to put out front. I love Halloween! We had so much fun when we were kids! Our house always had the whole front porch lined with carved pumpkins and all the neighborhood kids would try to figure out how to steal them and smash them. We would hide in the bushes and give chase and Dad would come running out when we gave the signal to chase after them too. Needless to say, it was a quite a coop if you got any of the pumpkins off of our porch!
About a month ago, I noticed that there was a red squirrel around again. I don't like squirrels, but red ones are just plain nasty little critters and extremely destructive to boot. Imagine my surprise and delight (NOT!) when I opened up the door to the workshop in the basement (I try to never go out there-YUCK!-, so probably have only been in it a few times since June)and saw a red thing running down the wall . At first I thought that it was a chippy, so I got a Chipmunk swimming pool made up-3/4 bucket of water with birdseed floating on the surface and a ramp leading up over the edge with seeds leading to the edge. I should have had a clue what was going on when I kept seeing the red squirrel dashing across the bird feeder trellis in front of the kitchen window. He would go by one way and a bit later come past again with a nut in his mouth- disappear- back up- across- disappear- nut in mouth, run across- disappear- well, you get the picture. So I went down later to see if any one took the plunge. I opened the door and the red squirrel was standing on the edge of a pile of wood and scolding me. I shrieked and slammed the door. Now what???? Well, I know where he is going in, so Phrog is going to have to plug the hole when we are sure he is out. You really don't want to trap a red squirrel in your house if you can help it because they are really, really nasty and extremely destructive and will chew through just about anything that they put their minds to chew through. I will let you know how it goes.
PAackers vs da Bears tonight- Go Brett!
I got my Halloween decorations out last week and still need to get pumpkins to put out front. I love Halloween! We had so much fun when we were kids! Our house always had the whole front porch lined with carved pumpkins and all the neighborhood kids would try to figure out how to steal them and smash them. We would hide in the bushes and give chase and Dad would come running out when we gave the signal to chase after them too. Needless to say, it was a quite a coop if you got any of the pumpkins off of our porch!
About a month ago, I noticed that there was a red squirrel around again. I don't like squirrels, but red ones are just plain nasty little critters and extremely destructive to boot. Imagine my surprise and delight (NOT!) when I opened up the door to the workshop in the basement (I try to never go out there-YUCK!-, so probably have only been in it a few times since June)and saw a red thing running down the wall . At first I thought that it was a chippy, so I got a Chipmunk swimming pool made up-3/4 bucket of water with birdseed floating on the surface and a ramp leading up over the edge with seeds leading to the edge. I should have had a clue what was going on when I kept seeing the red squirrel dashing across the bird feeder trellis in front of the kitchen window. He would go by one way and a bit later come past again with a nut in his mouth- disappear- back up- across- disappear- nut in mouth, run across- disappear- well, you get the picture. So I went down later to see if any one took the plunge. I opened the door and the red squirrel was standing on the edge of a pile of wood and scolding me. I shrieked and slammed the door. Now what???? Well, I know where he is going in, so Phrog is going to have to plug the hole when we are sure he is out. You really don't want to trap a red squirrel in your house if you can help it because they are really, really nasty and extremely destructive and will chew through just about anything that they put their minds to chew through. I will let you know how it goes.
PAackers vs da Bears tonight- Go Brett!
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