Caring For an Elderly Parent-Life In The Slow Lane

The Last Post

2009-02-05T08:01:00.003-06:00

Well...it has been a very longggg, hard winter. Larry passed away-peacefully in his sleep on January 18th.
He had gone to the hospital right before Thanksgiving- we all thought that his PD dialysis was not working because he wasn't pulling off the weight and his blood pressures were dropping way down when I tried to pull any more fluid off.
Then, the 3rd day that he was in, they sent him down to get hemodialysis. When I got to his room at 1:00 pm, he just was coming back, so I ordered him lunch and sat down to visit with him.
HE DID NOT KNOW WHERE HE WAS.......He always knows what is going on-what day, where he is, everyone's name. He had no idea. He thought it was summer and he was at home. I called the nurse and told her to call the Doctor immediately. She tried to argue that it was just pre-dementia! NOOOO! Call the doctor. Dr. Korker walked in and Larry started to talk to him about how nice it was that he was visiting us at home. Now, Dr. Korker is definitely worried too- this is not Larry's M.O. They pulled all sorts of blood and figured out that he had a really bad sepsis-infection in his perma-cath. They treated it over the weekend and when Korker came in on Monday-Larry was so weak, that he couldn't even roll himself up on his side. Korker examaned Lar and pulled me out to the hall- "I think that you should consider taking him home and hospicing him- he is never going to have a quality of life like he wants. This infection really took it all out of him. Or you can take him home on paliative care and he could live 5 or 6 months, if that is what he wants.
I went back in and talked to Larry- he said "SEE- I told you I was sick.
He said that he would like to be able to make it through Christmas. Ok.
I call everyone and tell them and then I have to contact the Social worker because Larry will have to go to rehab for at least a week- he can not move at all. He can't sit up- he can't stand. He is just miserable.
We also had to have new anti-axiety meds prescribed because he was so panicked that he couldn't breathe (Another reason for the panic is they gave him Ambien to sleep for 2 nights and he kept trying to climb out of bed and buzzing the nurse-totally unlike him)
So I have him transported down to Linden Grove- which is right next to the hospital and they supposedly do PD dialysis. This place was AWFUL! I felt so bad for him. It was like a torture chamber-with no cable TV. He improved enough in the 2 weeks that he was there that I could bring him home and he could slide board transfer to get out of bed for a couple hours a day.
We had home health care come in- a nurse and PT and OT therapies. He was making progress- grudgingly.
We had Christmas- he was in bed, but he made it. And the weekend after, our good friends the Wilsons, drove down from Minneapolis and had a really nice visit.
After that, he just slowly got a little weaker, couldn't eat, was either constipated or going like a goose, was hardly drinking anything unless he was prompted.
Biz flew in on Jan.10 to help me because I was starting to wear down. He was constantly buzzing for me- panicking that he couldn't breathe, thinking he had to go on the bedpan, uncomfortable, on and on...and I was only getting about 3 hours of sleep every night.
So, Biz came and we took turns getting up at night. I kept asking him "Do you want to pull the plug and change over to Hospice?" and he would look at me, but shake his head no, but, he was telling Biz that he just wanted to die.
WE moved the good TV and Dvr into his bedroom and the recliner so that we could sit with him. And the last few nights before he died, Biz and I took turns sleeping in with him on the chair. Not necessarily because we thought that he was close to death, but because he was uncomfortable and would get disoriented. We were working with the doctor to change his meds to get more of the anxiety under control and the discomfort with breathing under control.
And Saturday night, I gave him his pills and he had a terrible time swallowing them. SO I got pudding and finally after scaping them off his tongue seceral times, he got them down. But, he was breathing like he had a chest cold- heavy congestion-not wheezing, but you could hear him breathing. In the past- after he settles down at night and the pills kick in, his breathing relaxes and he doesn't have the real congested sound. So, I stretched out on the chair and got up to check on him several times. He seemed to be pretty out, which was good, at least he was getting some sleep. I heard his breathing starting to settle down at about 4 am. I did not get up because I did not want to wake him up since he was finally settling down. At 6:30 I got up and went over to check on him and did our normal wake-up. Ran my hand over his head and just was talking about the day. But, he was cold. It was hard to tell that he was not breathing because the machines were both running and you just don't hear subtle things over the noise. So I shut everything down. And....I was totally shocked, but he had passed early that morning. How can that happen with a defibulator??? Well, apparently (according to the M.E.) when the heart gradually slows down, like his must have, there is an override that lets you die.
I really am so happy for Larry, that he is finally done with all of this struggle and the body wearing out. I really, really miss him. And even though, his health declined so much the past year and he was so miserable most of the time, I still- miss him. His humor. His curiosity. I miss trying to find things that he will enjoy doing. We really were a team for a long time and it is hard to just stop.
So, I am being gentle with myself. I am crying alot- but, I think that I am not only grieving for Larry, but for Mom. I didn't grieve for Mom a whole lot because I had to keep Larry going and if I grieved, he really went into a funk. So, I am letting myself grieve this time.
And then I have to figure out where the heck I am headed. What do I want to do now? I don't have a clue. I have not had a life of my own in 7 years. Many people, thinking they are being caring, have been pressing me-What are you going to do? Are you staying at the house? Are you getting a job???? Don't know, don't know, don't know.
I don't know aht I want to do. I was very good at caring for Larry. Do I want to do that for someone else? Get a job in the nursing home arena?
I don't know yet, but I do know that I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to care for Larry. It was an incredible experience and I would not trade a minute. I was so lucky to be able to do this- for him and most importantly for me. I learned so much about what I can and can't do.It helped me grow in ways that I never expected.
Thank you Larry. I will miss you. I love you.

Cement Patching 101

2008-11-19T16:27:00.002-06:00

You would think that perhaps we would have patched the cement on the porch when it was nicer out. A little warmer. Some sunshine. That sort of thing. But, no. Apparently we are a bunch of cement ding dongs and we thought waiting until it is just above freezing, with glacial winds whipping around us would make the project easier. DUH!
In my defense, I kept trying to get the guys to patch the porch all summer. The edges where the wheel chair always runs over had big holes and were getting bigger. I figured that one more winter of that and the whole porch would drop off and then how the heck would we get Larry in or out?
I had been covering the major craters with outside rubber backed carpets, so, it kept major ice from forming in the holes, but still...Porch, dropping off the house...not a good idea.
So, there were Phrog and I, 3 times in the last week, filling in holes and cracks. Hopefully it will all cure and last through the winter.
I have to tell you, Larry and I are both not missing getting up at 5:30 and out the door by 6:15 am to get to dialysis 3 days a week, and now that it is starting to get cold, we are even happier.
And gas is $1.92 a gallon today!

A Long Road to Tipperary

2008-11-18T15:13:00.002-06:00

We have been doing the PD dialysis for a little over a month now. It is a lot easier than I thought that it would be for me. It is all about establishing a routine and that makes it easier to get into a rhythm and do it every day.
I have only contaminated the end of his exchange set once and I am not sure if I really did contaminate it- I just assumed that I did and drove Larry down to Delafield to get the exchange set changed out.
We do have some issues yet. The first and main issue is...we are supposed to weigh Larry every day when he gets up to see how we are doing at managing his fluid levels. They gave us this really nice digital scale. Unfortunately, the digital scale does not stay on long enough to get a weight. By the time Larry steps on the scale and gets himself balanced enough to let go, it shuts off. We tried everything. Biz and I finally(with Phrog's assistance and sawing skill) built a wooden frame to put around the scale so Larry could walk a step or two before stepping onto the scale (not UP onto the scale). Still could not balance enough to get a weight.
I do have a regular scale- with a dial, but, again, the balance thing is an issue and he can only let go of his walker for about 1/2 second, so if I am not looking at the right place in the fraction of an instant- too bad, so sad, no weight today. I do try to have him do it again and sometimes it works, but some days, he won't even try to get on the scale at all because he is too wobbly.
The second issue is trying to adjust taking fluid off without dehydrating him. He gets dehydrated so easily and I have been tweeking the combination of solutions to try to take off some fluid and keep his weight down. To make it more difficult 1.5 % solution doesn't even do anything, so I have to use a combo of 2.5% and 4.25%-the stronger I use the more fluid comes off. BUT.... also the more deydrated he gets because it is pulling fluid from places that don't need fluid pulled instead of places that it needs to come off of.
The result is, he has been very wobbly after his afternoon exchanges since Friday. So,5 days of afternoon and into evening wobbly. How fun is that?
I think that eventually, his body will get used to the fluid coming off this way and even out, but, it is mentally wearing to have the same discussions with Larry every day.
"Yes Larry, you are a little weak and wobbly."
"No Larry, you are not worse than you have ever been."
"Yes Larry, you can stand up, we just have to keep trying."
"Calm down.....Breath through your nose Larry."
"I think that you are dehydrated Larry. So have some sips of water while you are watching tv."
And on and on, reassuring him and trying to keep him focused because he has a tendancy to sink into poor me, poor poor pitiful me. Which really does not do him one bit of good, but he does enjoy a good pity party-as do we all.
So, overall- this PD dialysis right now is a mixed bag of nuts- mostly good and hopefully, all will be well as we progress.

Finally out! YAY!

2008-10-22T19:30:00.003-05:00

Well, it was a long road for Larry, but he got out of rehab Finally on Wednesday last week.
They would not let him out on the Friday before, because they had gotten his INR-(How thin his blood is with coumiden) up to 10!!! Therapudic is 2-3. 10 is extremely dangerous because you could bleed out from anything! I bumped his leg and he got a huge bruise. They took his blood pressure and his whole arm turned black and blue. He got hematomas all over his butt from the pressure of sitting. It was not good! And then, the doctor would not listen to me about the fact that you can not try to rush Larry's INR up to therapudic. You have to go slowly and it takes time. But, NO! She is the doctor and she knows best...and guess what? His blood started to get real thin real quick again over the weekend because she insisted on "Bolusing 5 mg into him for 2 days" Yeah right. I just can never understand why they don't listen to me. I really do know what I am talking about. I know what he takes and why he takes it. I know what happens to him when he has reactions to some stuff. I tell all the docs and nurses, yet SOME of them, just don't think that they have to listen because they have the degree and I don't.
Well, the upshot is, he got out on Wednesday and we have been driving down to Delafield several times a week to get out training for PD and we start on Thursday. I am a little nervous.
Biz is here, so at least I won't have to do it all by myself. She will be here for moral support. Wish us luck!

Getting out of Rehab on Friday

2008-10-07T17:19:00.002-05:00

Well, it has been a long road for Larry, but, he gets released from Virgina Highlands on Friday morning. Susan and Rose have been working him pretty hard and I think that he is a lot stronger now than he was before all this started, so that is a good thing. I do hope that his appetite improves once he gets home, because he has not been eating real well for the last couple of weeks. I don't know if it is because the food is not real good there or if he is getting nauseous for other reasons. I know that he is not pregnant, so that is not the cause for his nausea. All we can do is wait and see what happens over the next few weeks.
We have been driving down to Delafield to get his catheter flushed for the pd-dialysis and it has been flushing great. John says that we can probably start dialysis at home in the next couple of weeks. Biz is coming into town on Tuesday next week, so at least she will be here to give me moral support for the first week or so that Larry is starting. It is always a help to have someone else to say-"Hmmm, what do you think?' to.

Larry got a day at home

2008-09-28T16:52:00.002-05:00

It was such a nice day yesterday, that Biz and I brought Larry home all day and let him sit on the porch in the sun, then he came in and watched college football and then took his nap in his own bed. I think that he was a little nervous about walking around the house because the last time he was home, he fell down and got hauled away in an ambulance.
When we took him back to V.H., I think that he was a little pooped out from being out and about.
Biz and I went out to Katie's for a bonfire after dinner. It was a beautiful autumnal evening and we had a nice time. Biz had a little wine and plopped off of the stoop and twisted her ankle a little, so after a little ice on the ankle, I loaded her up and we went home.

Getting stronger every day

2008-09-24T13:34:00.002-05:00

Well, it has been a winding road for Larry, being in the hospital, then at Virginia Highlands, back in the hospital and back to VH, but, he is WAYYYYY stronger now than he was before this whole thing started. I am so glad that he is building up some stamina and reserve strength. When he had the procedure last week Thursday, they kept him over night because they had to take out the entire catheter and replace it, so he was laying on his back for 26 hours. He was a little shakey, but could stand and by Sunday could walk to the bathroom without a wobble. THAT! is amazing!
The poor guy was all bound up again after the procedure and on Saturday, they gave him a dose of Milk of Magnesia. That got things moving again.....alot. Poor Lar. At least his bathroom breaks are back to normal.
So, they think that he can get out later next week. I will let you know.

Indian Summer

2008-09-17T11:34:00.003-05:00

It is a beautiful day in the neighborhood! Sunny and nice- you just could not ask for a nicer day in mid-September!
I dropped Larry off at dialysis and am home doing laundry and dusting, etc. Thought I better check my emails and perhaps blog a little!
Sunday night, we were supposed to take Lar to CMH and be checked in overnight for the procedure that he was supposed to have done early on Monday morning. The general consensus was, that he could have the procedure, get dialysed and then be released back to Virginia Highlands afterwards. Should work out great.
Now, Wednesday, when they were setting this up, the woman from the hospital called me and I told her that I did not have Mr. Larson in my charge at the present time and he would be coming from VH, so she then called over there to get things set up. Never having had any procedure done from anywhere but home, or right at the hospital, I really did not know what to expect, but ASSUMED that they would have it all set and I would just have to transport Larry on Sunday night.
It will teach me to assume! On Friday, I said something to the floor nurse about Larry's procedure on Monday and she looked at me like I had 14 eyes sprouting out of my forehead.
"What procedure?" she asks.
And I explain about the PD catheter that has to be moved so it will start to flow and that they are admitting him so he can be dialysed.
"Oh..." she says.
And I didn't think too much of it, figuring they had it in his chart and she just had not seen it.
The same thing happened with the nurse on Saturday night...which kind of concerned me, especially since they usually have to hold at least his coumidin, if not a couple of other meds before the procedure, but, again...I am thinking "Well, this is their job. They must have it under control."
On Sunday, as we are getting ready to drive Biza to the airport to leave, I go out and ask if there is anything that I need later on when I take Larry to the hospital. Did they fax the meds list over or are they sending it with me. And the floor nurse said "HUH???"
They knew nothing about it. They had not received any orders for it OR...any orders to stop his coumidin, so we had to cancel and are rescheduled for Thursday.
I always think things happen for the best, so, maybe it wouldn't have been a good day for Larry to have it done. But, it does crack me up that they had no idea what was happening.

And Now...For something completely different!

2008-09-11T17:11:00.005-05:00

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Well, all right. Maybe not completely different. The short version of the long story....
Biz was here for 7 days -Aug. 26 til Sept. 2. Larry and I had gone to Waukesha on Tuesday before we picked her up and the catheter was not working. John said..."If he is constipated, that can keep it from working". Well, yes, Larry was constipated, but I had been giving him laxatives and felt that he would probably break loose soon, but, they suggested Miralax to coax it along, so I figured, why not?
Welllllll.... We picked up Biz on Tuesday at 3:30 ish. Every time he went, he was in terrific pain from his hemorrhoids, but we started to get some loosening over the next few days, so much that we had to stay close to the bathroom because he had to run for it (Not good with one leg and difficulty walking- I did alot of wash). And we were up every 1 1/2hours every night, so all of us were pretty tired.
We went back to Waukesha on Thurs. Catheter still did not work. They had us go to X-ray and get a picture taken of his innards. And it showed a large blockage on one side. The doc prescribed Lactulose, but that was not ready to be picked up until Friday, so we bought an enema on the way home, gave him an enema and about 1 hour later, things really started to move. And move. Still painful. We put him to bed on a pad, just in case and Biz said that she would get up to take him to dialysis.
I heard her go down at 5:30 and a few minutes later, she called up the stairs that she needed me. When I got downstairs, she said that he had blood all over the pad when she got him up, and then he pooped blood. BUT.... it was no longer painful to poop, so we figured the hemmie had popped and was bleeding. I said, let's get dressed and take him to dialysis and see what Beth says.
She also thought that it was a hemorrhoid. So, we left him to be dialysed. When he got home, he had another big poop with some more blood, but the next several were totally clear and no pain. Saturday, the poop even looked like poop and no blood. YAY!
At 6:00, I give him about 1/2 tsp of the lactulose and We go to bed at 10:00 . At 3:00 the intercom goes off. He has to go potty. We get him in there and it is a HUGE movement with blood. And blood on the pad again. At 8:00 am another HUGE movement with blood. Now we are fairly concerned, but don't want to haul him to the emergency room until we see how he does in a while.
Mushy was going to come and get him up and Biz and I were going to meet Katie and John at the flee market in Cedarburg for awhile. I figured that when we got back at about 10:30, Julie would be awake and we would ask for her input.
Nope! At 9:05, my phone starts singing and it is home. I figure Mushy is just calling to say that she got there and is getting him up. No again. It is Mushy, Panicked. Yelling that I have to get home now. I immediately change directions to head towards the parking lot and ask why and she screams that Larry is on the floor.
"OK, Martha. Did he have a stroke or heart attack?"
"No, he was wobbly and he fell."
"Have you called 911?"
"No."
"Hang up. Call 911 and then you can call me back and tell me waht happened."
The upshot is, he was woozy and when they stood up, he started to freeze up (A sure sign that his blood pressure is really low) and not respond and then statred to tip over. She got him to the hamper and when she thought that he was stable went to grab his wheel chair, but, alas and alack. He was not really stable and he fell over backwards and wacked his head .
They took him to emergency. They x-rayed him to make sure that he didn't break anything with the fall and then, they tried to figure out what was bleeding- and bleeding and bleeding.
He wound up in ICU and got 4 units of blood. The butt doctor- Dr. Staff (Really nice guy who actually TALKED to us and LISTENED to us) Gave us the lowdown and said he wanted to do a colonoscopy in the am, so on top of everything else, Larry had to drink a gallon of that stuff to make him go even more. What they found is...he has no polyps, he ripped his butt open when he was pooping so much and his coumiden level shot up to 5.8 and he bled like a stuck pig.
They transfered him to a regular floor. He had a beautiful corner suite for 1 night and then had to get moved to floor 2, so they could test his PD catheter ( I will get into that story another time), then they released him to Virginia Highlands sub-acute rehab to regain his strength. That is where Biz took our picture with her new lap top. He will have to be at VH till the beginning of Sept., but I think that it will really help him to regain his strength and endurance there, instead of him pretending he is doing his stuff here and getting weaker and weaker.
And now, I must have a little dinner and then go and visit him for a while.

Catheter working-so far, so good

2008-08-24T10:35:00.002-05:00

Well, we went to Waukesha on Friday to have John (the PD nurse) flush Larry's new PD catheter and check the incision sites. It took fluid well and drained well. We have to back on Monday and he will change out the dressings.
The only issues that Larry had were a little pain at one incision site , for which we took Tylenol in moderation and he was pretty wobbly until Saturday, so we took the pedals off his wheel chair and he used that to get from point A to point B in the house.
He of course, was full of gloom and doom..."Oh, I am so weak. I am sure that I am not going to recover and am just going to get weaker. Ohhhhh... I am so weak...Look at how weak I am. See? My arms are collapsing...my knees are collapsing. This is never going to get better . I am just too weak...." And on....and on....
I told him..."Larry, you just had anesthesia. That knocks your whole system for a loop and it may take a couple of days before the effects leave your body enough to counteract the weakness."
"No. I was fine after the cataract procedure. This is terrible. I am never going to be strong enough to get around again."
"Larry. You had a way lighter form of anesthesia for the cataract procedure. This was real surgery, where you were completely out for an hour."
"No. You are wrong. I am just getting weaker and probably won't ever be able to walk again."
So, we go to dialysis on Friday and the girls told him the same things that I did. He believed it a little more from them than from me and then yesterday, miraculously, he was able to stand up and walk to the bathroom. I said-"Wow Larry! Great job. You should be so proud of yourself that you walked so well today after being so weak for 2 days."
"Don't say anything! See! Look...you mention it and my arm collapsed."
So, we can say nothing, but, it seems that he is getting stronger again and THAT! is a good thing!

Catheter In Place-Zip-Swish

2008-08-21T17:13:00.002-05:00

Well, we were up at 4:30 this morning and Larry had the new PD catheter placed. Other than being a little sore where they did the incisions, he is fine. We have our first appointment with John in Waukesha tomorrow afternoon and he will flush it and check it out. Hopefully, everything will go smoothly.
I had to drive to Waukesha this afternoon with Louise. She bought an entertainment unit at Steinhafels and we could only pick it up at their Waukesha super center/warehouse. That is one big place! And, the guys wedged that thing into the caravan and you should have seen us trying to get it out and then into Louise's house! But, we did it. Now she has to get it in place, but that was a whole other kettle of fish and I did not stick around for that! Louise has more furniture in her house than you can imagine! I always say the rule should be- bring in something after you get rid of something else.
Larry always had a shoe thing- rummage shoes that is. He would buy all of these shoes and stack them in corners and in his closet. It didn't matter if they weren't his size, if they were a good deal, he still bought them. Finally, we told him- you may only bring a pair home if you get rid of a pair. It worked. From then on, her always got rid of a pair after he found some great Nike's or New Balance shoes.
The irony of his shoes is...all of his rummage shoes worked great for him. He got a brand new pair of expensive tennies for Christmas and they gave him a blister, which developed into an open sore, which then became infected, so the toe had to be amputated, which was wrapped to tight after the surgery, and his foot became gangrene...and that is how he lost his leg. New shoes.

Beautification Award

2008-08-19T14:44:00.002-05:00

Well! Hot-diggity-dawg! Yesterday, I was out in back, working in the yard and I heard Elvis going crazy barking inside the house, like someone rang the doorbell or knocked. Since I am expecting a couple of packages from UPS, I figured that perhaps, it was a replacement driver and he went onto the front porch and left the box there (even though I have signs up asking to please bring them around to the back porch, they still leave them on the front porch), so I start walking up the yard and see a couple of women getting into a car and backing out of the driveway.
"Hmmm" says I to myself- "Jehovah's Witnesses?" And I proceed to walk to the front porch to check it out. I see a piece of paper stuck in the door and go and grab it out.
"Your house has been chosen as one of the award winners of the Community Beautification Award from The Junior Women's Club of Germantown".
So, I went back around the front and sure as shoot! There was the sign in the front garden! I want to thank The Junior Women's Club! YAY!!!
But, I guess that I have to leave the garden alone for awhile, until they get a picture. I was kind of thinking about tearing it apart this weekend and moving all the plants around. This is a perfect time of year because you can see how the garden looks after everything blooms...what is getting too big or taller than you thought it would get. I have to move a bunch of my hollyhocks because they are crowding out all the other plants. And I have a patch of really cool grass that is not getting as tall as it should-which means that the sun is not hitting it enough anymore, so it has to get moved out to an edge. My irises have to get split. My yarrow is not getting enough light anymore (probably because the hollyhocks is too big) and my poppies never bloomed! So we will play rotate the plants. Just not this week.

Catch and Release

2008-08-17T19:00:00.002-05:00

Yesterday-Saturday was a gorgeous day. I went for a 3 1/2 mile walk with my friend Sharon and then Julie asked me if I would walk down to the antique mall with her to check out a roll top desk that she wants to buy. On our way home, Marv and Yvonne were out on their deck having an evening libation, so we stopped in to say hi.
Marv, has been having problems with the chipmunks and squirrels, so he set a small live trap and has been catching them and then driving out about 5 miles into a wooded area and dropping them off. He has dropped off 1 red squirrel (I hate those nasty little buggers!), 2 gray squirrels and 5 chippies.
Several years ago, Biz and I decided that we would trap the dang squirrels and release them in the woods about 2 miles from here. It was a home made trap that Larry got at a rummage sale, and real easy to set. So we baited it with a cob of corn and went inside and BAM! in about 10 minutes we had us a pissed off squirrel!
We put on big leather gloves (So he couldn't bite at us) and carried the trap to the big (We had a Dodge extended van then) van, loaded it in the back door and off we went. Now, as we are driving, the squirrel is not happy and he is screaming and rattling the doors trying to get out. This is making us a little nervous and we are going over our plan on what to do if he escapes in the van (the plan very simply was to JUMP!!!)(Trying to remember to put the van in park first, of course). We get him out of the cage at the drop site and zip back to the house. About 1 hour later-BAM!- another squirrel. Off we go, but this one is making the last one seem like a real wimp and he is really, seriously tearing at the cage trying to escape. When we released this one, we also dumped a bushel basket of black walnuts so they would have some food until they figured out where they were.
We are feeling pretty, darn good about ourselves! We are getting rid of a bunch of my over population of squirrels and not having to start a mini graveyard to do it.
On the third one, we are very nervous when we put him in and really try to block the cage so he can't push his way out and Biz rode in back next to the trap-what we thought she could do back there, I don't know, but, we got him to the drop off site and came back home.
It was amazing me that we were catching those buggers so fast, but, hey, what do I know about squirrels. We set the trap and went in to cook dinner and I see another squirrel go into it and it SNAPS shut! Well, he is just going to have to wait a few minutes. About 15 minutes later, we went out to take him away. Hmmmm....the trap is empty. Maybe the door didn't snap shut all the way and he got out. We set it again and I watch the squirrel go in....and push at the door until...he got out.
That was the end of the squirrel trapping. I could have just seen one of them getting out and running towards the front as we are screaming and leaping into the ditch, with the van still going!!!! And the squirrel would be standing behind the wheel, eyes glinting, heading for home.
Phrog was laughing so hard at us. He said "You have to take them farther away than that! They probably beat you home!" Sigh....

Larry's Catheter-Cancelled for this Week

2008-08-15T15:16:00.003-05:00

Well, Wednesday when Larry went to dialysis, Beth noticed that there was some funky discharge, so they drew labs and gave him 1000 grams of Vanco. We called the surgeon who is going to implant his PD catheter and never heard back from him on Wednesday, but, the consensus was, He probably would not cancel. OK.
Now, They also gave us a little notice on Monday saying that because the state had never done an inspection when they opened, that Medicare was not paying for anyones treatments and they were going to close the Germantown clinic until it got inspected. It has been open for 18 months and no inspector? What on earth is wrong with the department in charge of this? They told the person in charge of Purity (Who apparently has been calling them non-stop for many, many months) that they have to inspect the clinics that have problems first, recheck existing clinics next and if there is any time left in their schedules, they will check new clinics! I know that all of these departments have had major cuts, but, they should figure out how to make it work.
So, we go home and I spend the day writing letters to my senators, congressmen and state reps about the fact that the state still has not surveyed Purity Dialysis and as of August 20, if no survey is performed, we will be transferred back to the Falls and have to be there at 5:30 am Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays. This does not make me happy to have us shunted back there and my schedule messed with! I have everything set up with him going to dialysis Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays! Don't be messing with my schedule!
And, of course, I sent out all of the emails and apparently, the inspector was there on Thursday morning. I did get a reply yesterday from Sue Jeskewitz and she called Purity to find out what was going on, so I was pretty happy to know that at least one of the people that I wrote to tried to do something!
But, back to the catheter....so...it is 6:20 am on Thursday Aug. 14- we have to be to the hospital at 7:30, but since Larry can have nothing to eat or drink, I am waiting until 6:45 to get him up and we will just leave after he gets dressed goes to the bathroom. I get up and make my coffee, take Elvis out, get the paper and go get dressed. Then I come down and tell Larry that it is time to "Rise and shine!" As we are putting on his leg, the phone rings. Hmmm...the caller id says Purity Dialysis. "Hello?" "Oh Sarah! I am glad that I caught you! I just talked to Brodish and he is cancelling the surgery because of the chance that Larry has that infection."
Well, at least we didn't make it to the hospital and find out that it was cancelled! I let Lar go back to bed and then we went rummaging for a little while after he woke up and ate breakfast. But, all day long, I had the feeling that I was supposed to be somewhere else- I suppose because I knew that Larry was supposed to be at the hospital until after lunch.
And Larry is in Sports heaven this weekend! He has football, baseball and the Olympics! Woo-hoo!

Jake's Senior Pictures

2008-08-11T12:23:00.003-05:00

Biz flew into town on an over night last Wednesday. She got to G't own at 1:15 am and slept till about 7:30. After we got Larry up and fed, we drove out to Slinger and Biza took pictures of Katie's son Jake. He is going to be a senior this year and did not want to spend $300.00(At least) on photos, so he asked Biz if she would come and take pics. And of course, she wanted to!
We had a lot of fun posing him in all different locations and doing different things. Biz had to be back at the airport by 3:30 because the flight she was working out on left at 5:00pm, so we did not have a lot of time to dilly-dally and retake some of the ones that wound up being the neatest ones. If we had had some more time to readjust the lighting and change angles a little, some of the pictures would have really been neat! But, she took enough shots that we got many pictures to choose from that are very nice! It does help that Jacob David is a nice looking young man. And he is such a sweetheart! And he is going to graduate high school this year! YIKES! Where has the time gone?
Larry is in Olympic heaven. The TV has been non-stop Olympics since Friday. He is in heaven! He switches back and forth between Olympic coverage, baseball, football and golf. It is also a relief from the Brett Favre drama that was dominating the Milwaukee TV stations. I don't have any idea what the Packer's are thinking, but I think that they made a HUGE mistake. But, unlike everyone else in the universe, I realise that the Packer's do not give a hoot about my opinion, so, I will leave it alone at that!
First pre-season Packer game tonight though. I bet that they all said a whole bunch of football related prayers "God, please don't let Aaron Rodgers get injured in this first pre-season game" "Dear God, please don't let Aaron throw a whole bunch of interceptions" "Sweet Lord, PLEASE don't let Aaron turn out to be a flop"...you know the prayers they are saying. Time will tell.
Jake is going up to Green Bay for the game and will let us know how it was up there! I just know that I have to go and find a Jets t-shirt before the season starts. Go Brett!

Bathroom Roulette

2008-08-04T15:13:00.003-05:00

When you are Larry's age, many things upset your digestive process. It probably does not help that he had c-diff for so long this winter. But, now we are playing bathroom roulette.
He gets constipated. Then we give him a laxative. One a day. If that does not work, we do am and bedtime for 1-2 days and that usually gets things moving again. However....you always run the risk that-hmmmm...that last laxative pushed it a little too far and then the poor guy spends the next 8 hours running for the toilet.
That is how we spent our night last night. 13 times he ran. 10 times he made it there. I feel so bad for him, but, shit happens and that is why God created paper towel and sponges with anti-bacterial Mr. Clean! But, neither one of us got much sleep because he was constantly putting on his leg and running for the toilet. Call me on the intercom to help him clean up. Back to bed. And repeat- sometimes every 20 minutes!
Well, no laxative today. Hopefully things will even out one of these days soon!

I took a picture yesterday out in the garden. When I was out weeding, I felt something small and cool jump onto me and then off right away. When I looked, it was a tiny green frog! He was so cute- but hard to get in a photo because he was trying to hop away as I was trying to get a picture. And he wouldn't smile! But I caught a cute pose on one of the rudbeckias.

So When the Cat is Laying on the Keyboard...

2008-08-01T12:03:00.003-05:00

I am hiding inside for awhile because it is pretty hot and humid out and
thought that I would check my emails ,etc. So, I crank the computer on and Max comes and lays down on the desk-as he always does when I am working on the computer. I really don't even pay attention to him. Anyhow, I went to Iwon to check emails and the screen started to flash and move up and down and all kinds of weird stuff.

I figured that it was just the iwon site because pop-ups and flashing ads somehow still come on even with all the blockers.
Ok... I decide to switch to email 2. Still doing weird stuff! Wow! I hope I don't have some terrible virus that got in somehow. I'll shut down the internet and see what happens. Hmmmm....still flashing and doing weird stuff! Well, I'll shut it down and reboot and see what happens. And as it is shutting down, I feel Max shift his head closer to the middle of the board. He must have had his head on the left side of the board the whole time.
I moved the cat down 6 inches and turned it back on and -voila! Perfect Solly!
You would think that I would have that figured out because he does it all the time. But no. I blame the computer first. I think that it is because I listen to all of my friends who have pcs complain about all the weird stuff that happens to their computers on a regular basis. I have a Mac. Very little weird stuff occurs. And when it does, if you shut it down and turn it back on, it is almost always fine! I love my Mac. Love it, love it, love it! And I loved the Mac that I had before this one.
We had a busy day yesterday. It was Larry's last day of therapy. It is only the last day because Medicare has therapy capped if you go out patient and it isn't at a hospital. He could use at least another month's worth to try to rebuild his endurance and strength a little more, but, I figure with all the stuff that we are going to be doing to start the PD dialysis, I can always restart him at the clinic after Jan. 1.
And just in case I haven't mentioned it before- I am a firm believer in therapy for just about anyone! I think that Medicare should make it mandatory that you have to have your balance and strength checked, etc- at least every 3 years. I know that all of Larry's friends poo-poo therapy or the classes that they can take for strength and balance. Yet every single one of them has fallen at least once in the past year. They are all just darn lucky that they didn't break something.
Speaking of Larry's friends, we had lunch with everyone yesterday after therapy. We were supposed to go to the Colonial House in Menomonee Falls, but they closed their doors right after July 4th. He had expanded the place and it must have been a little too much money wise and he declared bankruptcy.Very sad. We really liked that place. So, we went to the Oasis instead and had a very nice lunch, then went over to Jim and Elaine's for dessert (Which Elaine made). Larry had a wonderful time. I always enjoy seeing everyone too. Jim is in the green and his wife Elaine is in the black and white. Bob has the striped white shirt and Grace has the light colored print top. I am the youngster in black! They all always crack me up! Bob can hardly ever get a word in edge wise with Grace. If he starts to tell us something , Grace will take over the story. He usually just lets her. After 60 years of marriage, I figure you know which battles to pick! Elaine does it to Jim too, but Jim usually stops- looks at her and says "Do you want to tell this story for me?" and Elaine generally shuts up and lets him continue. Maybe we will see Bob and Grace again before they go back to Az.

Still Humid-Just Not so Hot!

2008-07-21T12:02:00.002-05:00

Well, the humidity level is still up there. But, it is cloudy, and therefore, cooler. All weekend long, Lar kept saying that his catheter hurt and this am when he got to dialysis, they said that it was pink around it, so they drew cultures to see if it is an infection. He also feels like crap, but I think that it is because he went in heavy and then they try to pull that extra weight off. So, he ate his after dialysis snack, had a protein drink, his pills, his shot and read his paper all on his bed while reclining. If he still fells so crappy at 2:00 when I get him up to feed him a light lunch, I will just have him sit on the side of the bed and then lay right back down.
Travis came home on Friday and Katie had a small party/bonfire on Saturday night for him. We were sitting and talking and passing around the bug spray. The spray had little effect in deterring the mosquitoes from biting, in fact, I think that it was attracting them Trav said that it is interesting living down south, but you have to be careful of using some terms. Like "Coon". Travis was talking about going coon hunting to some of his friends one night and they all were looking at him aghast- "Travis, do you know that coon is a racial slur down here?"
"Uhhhh...no. I didn't. So I guess the guys went hunting raccoons?" I love Travis! He has always been a great guy!
We left at 9:00 and had a nice drive home, watched a little T.V. and then tried to sleep in the incinerator upstairs! It has not been below 80 degrees up there in about a week, but, I just crank the fans on and do the best that I can. The humidity is supposed to end by tomorrow, so there is an end in sight!

A Day to Hide Inside

2008-07-18T08:44:00.002-05:00

I am really not complaining. Heat and humidity is part of summer and we have been very lucky that the weather thus far has been so pleasant. And any day that it is not snowing, is a good day!
If it was just me that I had to think about, it would be one thing. I flip on a few fans and move a little slower- try to avoid going upstairs (THAT is just an inferno up there!)But, Larry, because his one lung is compromised with the fluid that is always in it, has a difficult time breathing when it is this humid. And, since breathing is kind of important....His energy level also goes right down the poop shoot. I would imagine it is because his body can not oxygenate enough. I know that my own energy level is way lower in the heat and humidity.
Yesterday, I cancelled an afternoon appointment because I just didn't feel comfortable taking him out in this. What is the point? You can always reschedule and that is what I did!

I'm Melting!!!!!

2008-07-16T15:04:00.003-05:00

It is pretty darn hot and humid today! It feels like about 100 degrees outside and when I just went upstairs, it is about 110 up there! I almost passed out! It is 79 out in the living room, but not humid, so it is not too terrible for Larry. But, if we had had an appointment this afternoon, I may have called to cancel because it is a little tricky with the heavy air, dialysis and breathing. Right now, he is laying in his 72 degree bedroom watching Fred and Ginger.
The other thing is- what about the mosquitoes? I have never seen them this nasty! They are everywhere! And mosquito spray does not even slow them down! Maybe they are a super species- stronger- more vicious- able to withstand any poison thrown at them! And soon they will take over the world!!!!
The picture at the top is of a calla lily growing in my garden. 2 of them came up orange this year! Very pretty! I love them and don't mind the extra work every year when I have to pull them out before winter. The best part is, I started with 4 little tubers that I got at a rummage sale about 4 years ago and now have about 16. All for $1.00. Not too bad!
Heard from John today about the PD. He had me schedule a consult with Dr. Brodish (Who has done Larry's surgery in the past) and so, we have the ball rolling.
The girls at dialysis today were talking about PD and how I need a sterile room. They suggested that perhaps I will have to make one room cat free..... They obviously don't have cats. Because what is a cat going to do if you try to keep them out of a room? They are going to think-"Hmmm.... she must have something great in there. I must find out!" and then they dash at the door when you least expect it. Causing you to loose your balance because as you try to stop them. They run nimbly by as you crash to the ground, spilling whatever you were carrying, breaking 3 finger nails and darn lucky you broke nothing else. There is no way you can catch the darn thing unless you have 3 other people in each corner. So...no. No cat free room. A room with less cat presence, especially when we are connecting is doable. We will figure it out I am sure.
Right now, Max is laying almost on top of my key board, helping me type and relaxing. Got to love him!

We have lettuce!

2008-07-15T12:34:00.002-05:00

Well, the garden is doing great! And the lettuce is ready to pick. I have been using it for about a week and probably will have a bout 10 more days of lettuce harvesting after today. I love fresh lettuce and stand at the sink and eat it as I rinse it! Who needs salad dressing?
We are supposed to have the hottest day of the summer today. I had the doors open until about 1 hour ago, and now have everything shut down, the air in the breakfast room on and the fans all blowing. We also have the upstairs door open and fans going up there, so it creates a wind tunnel like effect and sucks that hot air up and out. It works really well for short spells...2 or 3 days. I don't know how well it would do in a prolonged heat wave!
We had therapy this am and Larry did great! I think in part because I told him that he can only do 4 more sessions. $1800 worth of therapy- That is all Medicare will pay for at a therapy place that is not a hospital. Now, if I wanted to take him to the hospital, we could continue. And if I think he needs another push, I would certainly do that. But, for now, I will let him get through this round and see how he does after. What ridiculous rules they come up with at medicare for some of this stuff.And the thing that cracks me up is therapy at a clinic, is cheaper than therapy at the hospital- so, why the limits at a clinic instead of at a hospital?
You would think that medicare would be tickled pink to have people going to therapy- especially at 75 years and above. It helps people maintain their stability, balance and core strength, which keeps them from falling down, which is one of the most common reasons that elderly people are admitted to emergency rooms. But nooooo....we don't want to PREVENT people from hurting themselves. We would rather spend thousands and thousands replacing hips and shoulders and paying for intense therapy at a rehab place like Linden Grove.
And then having these people with reduced mobility placed back into their homes, where, because they are weaker and have less mobility, they are more than likely going to fall again! Aaaaannnnnd.... if they started out this whole cycle already physically compromised because, they were not really active before they fell, they are even more likely to get weaker and weaker.
And, the sad part is, they don't know it. Larry still thinks that he is going to wake up some morning and miraculously be back to how he was before all this started 4 years ago. And that is why he feels it is unnecessary to go to therapy. He thinks that somehow-poof! he is going to be just how he was before, and...if he can't be that way, he don't want to work towards anything else. Thanks for asking...NO.
One of the things that I have learned as I have gotten older is that everything changes. Sometimes we like the changes and sometimes we don't. Doesn't matter...change is where it is at and if you don't roll with the flow and figure out how to work with the changes, you are going to be one sad panda, always trying to recapture the past.
I know that I can not do all the things that I could do when I was younger- and would not want to do, anyhow! With age comes a little bit of wisdom and I enjoy working smart instead of working hard all the time. I worked hard and played hard when I was younger. And really enjoyed it. Don't want to do it that way anymore. Thanks.

P.D. Dialysis

2008-07-14T12:35:00.003-05:00

Last week, Linnea, Dr. Korker's assistant pulled me aside and said "You know, we have been having trouble trying to get the weight off of Larry each time because his blood pressure keeps bottoming out and we have to stop. I talked to Beth (the nurse) and we think that Larry would be a good candidate for P.D. dialysis at home."
She then proceeded to tell me a little about it and the pros and cons. The best pro is that it would be way easier on Larry and his blood pressure. The biggest con is you have to do it every night and it would be my ball game.
I figured, "What the heck? Set up an appointment for me to get the spiel and we will decide."
Kelly calls John at Waukesha where we would go as our base (another drawback because it is 25 miles away). We set the appointment. Larry is kind of jazzed because this means he won't have to get up at 5:30 3 times a week and sit in that too small chair for 4 hours each time.
Thursday, we head over towards Waukesha. John had said that it is right next to the hospital in the professional building.
Have you ever driven in Waukesha? Who planned this city? And they do not have hospital signs out on Mooreland Rd., where most people are coming from since it kind of circles around the entire hospital. Anyhow, we finally get there and they have valet parking, so we don't have to park-YAY! We get in there, right at 3:00- exactly on time.
We stand in the lobby of the office that we are told to go to and hear people talking, but no one is around. A few minutes later, a guy comes around the corner. It turns out to be John, the nurse we are meeting. He thought the meeting was at 3:30.
So, he walks us through the procedure- the pros, the cons, he asks questions, he answers questions that I have. It was a very good explanation and after discussing everything, we are going to give her a go.
He has to call Dr. Korker this week to get the go-ahead, then we have to schedule the procedure to have the catheter placed in his stomach. After that is done, we have to drive to Waukesha 2 times a week to have the catheter checked and to train to do the procedure. We'll see how it goes.
On another note, it was Travis Cody Fischer's 23rd birthday yesterday!!! Happy birthday Travis! He is coming home this week for about 10 days and I am looking forward to seeing him. He does like graduate school and Atlanta is OK, but, there is no place like home!

Cats on the Porch

2008-07-11T13:39:00.002-05:00

When Larry and I were watching TV last night, the wind shifted and the breeze coming in was making Larry cold, so I closed the side porch door. As I did it, I thought to myself-"Remember to check to make sure that there are no cats out there before you go to bed."
Well, I went down to the basement to get the last batch of laundry and when I came back up, Larry had switched off the last 5 minutes of Burn Notice. I said-"Larry- I was watching that show" and then he turned the tv off, because he wasn't paying attention to me. So, I yelled- "Larry! I was watching that!"(I think that most of the time he hears like a mosquito noise when I talk to him and he just nods and says ok) Then he was all twitter-pated because"You yelled at me", so I didn't get the wash folded or get to watch the last 5 minutes of Burn Notice, because I had to try to sooth his ruffled feathers.
I got him into bed, then went and folded wash, took Elvis out, shut down the windows and doors and went to bed. At 12:30 I was awakened by a pretty big storm that lasted for a good hour. Wind- rain- thunder- lightening.
At 5:30, when I came downstairs, I remembered- "Crud! I forgot to check the side porch!" I went and opened the door and Max comes rushing out meowing like crazy, probably telling me that he is going to have to have therapy after being trapped out there, in the storm, with Peaches! It took him a couple of hours to calm down. But, I bet that he won't go hide on the porch anymore!

Wow! It is July 9th already!

2008-07-09T12:50:00.004-05:00

Wow! Can you believe that it is into July already? It is amazing how fast time goes!
roads were already blocked for the 4th of July parade! We drove to Pilgrim. Couldn't turn. I suppose that was justified because there were fire engines and trucks backed up all the way to the intersection. So, I flipped around and figured that we would cut down Main Street to 145 and over to Pilgrim. Wrong. And the traffic on Squire was backed up and not going anywhere because some car was trying to turn down Main Street and arguing with the cop. So, finally, we got to turn and go back out to Mequon Rd., over to Maple, to Friestadt and back over toWe had a nice 4th. The weather was perfect. Not real hot- about 78, sunny, with a light breeze. Larry had to go to dialysis and when he got out, the Pilgrim from the other direction. 40 minutes to get home. It is 2 miles from here to dialysis, so, it was quite a ride with an 82 year old man who just wants to get into his bed and sleep!
Later that day, we drove over to the Piggly Wiggly to get corn on the cob for dinner and just drove for a little bit to get Larry out.
We watched the fireworks from the front porch with Julie and her friend Annette. Good fireworks and a great finale, but, we were in bed 20 minutes later! So much for rabble rousers!
Today, is gorgeous! It is cool- about 76 and breezy and no humidity! Which I am so happy about! The past 2 days were terribly humid. It is really nice to just have the doors and windows open and the house is cool.(I can tell that Pewter is not outside. It is quiet!)
I Picked lettuce from the garden today and ate my first radish. Everything except my tomatoes are doing really well! I don't know what is up with that, but, I went to Menard's and got some little tomato plants and will set them in different spots to see if I can get any tomatoes at all! I love tomatoes. Maybe they were too wet or the wet and the cold nights is what is doing them in. Sigh...
John and Deb and Mickey are heading back from seeing Biza in California. They were there from July 3rd and had a good time apparently. If I get pics, I will post some.
Larry and I have to go to Waukesha tomorrow to meet John. He is the nurse in charge of PD- home dialysis. He tells us what it is and sees if we would be good candidates for it. I will let you know about what it entails when we get back.
I am reading a book titled-"How Doctors Think". It is excellent! It tells you how doctors think about patients, how they diagnose what is wrong with you(Very interesting) and all sorts of insights into how patients are treated by physicians. I think that when I am done reading, I will start a blog or post about "How to visit a doctor". I tell you, from talking to all my friends and Larry's friends, it amazes me how people go to the doctor. Almost everyone that I talk to, just goes in. They don't really think about what their symptoms are. Most people do not write anything down, and so they go in and forget to ask anything (I learned to do that right away when we were going in with Mom)Almost across the board...people go in and expect the doctor to miraculously figure out what is wrong with them (Usually while the fudge the truth about questions that the doctor asks about habits, exercise, diet, etc. Then, they head out of the office, clutching their miracle prescription in their hot little hand,( which, by the way, most people have no idea what the prescription does or what its side effects are...)and hope like crazy that they are cured.
I am not saying that this is wrong. If that is what you want to do, more power to you. But, most people, complain that they are not miraculously cured after 2 days of taking their miracle pills!
I think that if people went to the doctor and had an idea of what the doctors think about as they listen to you give your spiel, it would help a lot. And what questions you should ask. I am canoodling it in my head. We'll talk.
Hey! When I went outside a few minutes ago, mama wren is out and I could see baby mouths inside the bird house. I don't know how many! But, I am an aunty!

The Wren and Pewter

2008-07-08T16:23:00.003-05:00

Here, in the top photo, sitting on the weathervane, is the pissed off little wren.

This next series of photos shows Pewter investigating the wren's house, and now...I will begin the story.

A couple of years ago, I bought a red,white and blue bird house at a rummage sale and I hung it on these ladders that I configured to be a trellis/bird feeder holder. It has never had a resident until about 1 month ago. A pair of wrens decided to make it home, and busily set about making their nest in it and getting ready to start a family.
All was well the first couple of weeks. The pair flitted in and out with nary a notice from anyone, especially Pewter. Pewter would lay on the porch and never even noticed the little guys going back and forth. She is not a major hunter anyhow, and birds are not of great interest to her.
So, for the past week or so, I think that just the male has been flying in and out. The female must be sitting on the eggs. The one that is going in and out, has decided that Pewter is a threat. And the thing sits right above her and scolds her whenever she is outside. This has led Pewter to pay attention to it..... And she has figured out where it is.... And decided to investigate. "Hmmm....."says Pewter, "I must check this out!"
And now, several times a day, Pewter jumps up onto the trellis/ladder and shimmies down to the bird house to try to see what is going on. I don't know if you know this, but for an itty-bitty bird, wrens can make A LOT of noise!
The wren freaks every time Pewter comes out, and hops around hollering at the cat. This just makes Pewter more interested. The poor little thing does not realize that he is attracting attention instead of diverting it. I can always tell just where she is by where the little bird is hollering from! The good news is Pewter can not reach around to the front of the birdhouse. So, unless the little wren is totally daft and flies right into her, they will be safe. I have also been chasing Pewter off when I see her. I will keep you posted.
This bottom picture is Pewter relaxing on the chair. The wren is probably 4 feet to the right hopping up and down and screeching! You can see Pewter cares.

Maybe We Will Have Chicken for Dinner

2008-07-02T14:10:00.003-05:00

So, yesterday.... Larry had therapy in the morning and then we came home and Larry napped after lunch for a couple of hours. When I was getting him up, I said to him in conversation-
"Hey, I think that I am going to go to Pick and Save and get one of those cooked chickens that they make and we will have that and some Rice-a-Roni and beans for dinner."
As I say this, he gets that look on his face that little kids do when you are making them eat something they don't like. Sort of like Mr. Poison's face on those poison stickers. I started to laugh-it was so funny to see an 82 year old man get that look on his face. I wish that I had had my camera!
"What's wrong Larry?"
And he mutters under his breath-"I don't want any chicken."
" I wouldn't give you half of the chicken Larry- I would just give you a little with the rice. Wouldn't that be good?"
"I don't WANT chicken."
He was twitter-pated about it for the next half-hour, so...we did not have chicken.
I miss chicken. I love to eat chicken. It is very sad that he does not like it at all any more. I don't know what it is about chicken that makes him nauseous, but, I can tell you that it surely does. Makes him puke. Almost every time. And sometimes, just smelling it, makes him puke. So, I do not get much chicken any more. But, my feeling is,you have to give it a shot once in awhile to see if it is any better. Then, you can give me that look.

I need some sleep!

2008-06-20T14:25:00.002-05:00

Well, that male grey cat was back again. He comes anywhere from 10:30 to 3:30. And my cats go berserk! Last night I closed down all the doors and just left the window in the breakfast room open about 4 inches. At 1:30, I hear the low growl from cats at the window- Oh-oh! Then I hear the screeching and the hissing and yowling- indicating the male is next to one of the windows and one of my 4 legged angels is at said window having a hissy fit!
I jump out of bed, pry the screen off the window and toss a bunch of water (That I put there for that reason) down at the cat. He takes off running into Julie's yard. Whew! Catastrophe averted!
I crawl back into my nice soft bed and start top snuggle in and I hear whining and hissing and yowling from downstairs. What the heck??? Finally, I go down to check it out and Peaches is just having a fit. She is hissing and yeowling at Sassy and poor Shaggy and Max! Both ran for cover from her! When I went to pick her up, she swatted at me hissing and tried to bite me. We don't bite the Mama. Ever. She was so upset, that I tucked her under my arm (careful to avoid claws and teeth) and shut her into Biza's room upstairs. There are windows, but none that look out towards Julie's where I am sure that little stinker was going to start causing trouble next.
She calmed down after that and the rest of them seemed to be a little calmer, but no one came to sleep on the bed or in the bedroom, which is totally abnormal.
I did not sleep well after that- and when I did sleep, had weird dreams.
Then this morning, at 5:20, when I came downstairs, I smell cat poop. What the heck? I look around and here, on one of the oak built in bookcases, between the dining room and living room, is a pile of cat-doo. I am sure that Peaches was sitting there and saw the male cat outside and pooped to mark her spot. Like he could get in through the window. But, what do I know, I am not a cat. I just know that I have to get that cat to stop coming to my house and causing a ruckus. I have the live trap set up. I am going to put some wet cat food in there again tonight and see if I can lure him in. Of course, then, if I do catch him, what the heck do I do with him? Maybe I can get Debbie Jean to talk to the cat lady and see if she will take him.
On a Larry note- He had dialysis today. I dropped him off and went off to rummage. Finally hit a couple of good ones and even found a high chair for Matt (John and Deb's son)and Kim's little girl Denalli. So, at 10:00 am, I am cruising down Stonewood Dr. towards the dialysis clinic and I look ahead at the parking lot and there is the rescue squad sitting in front of the doors. That is never good. I check my cell phone while I am parking to see if I missed a call from the clinic while I am speed walking up to the broken (Long story) door and back through the waiting room to the treatment area. Relief floods through me as I see Mr. Larson's size 12s loom into view as I round the corner. Whew! At least it was not Larry that is getting hauled away....but, who? I look around and the guys that are teching today say-It's Sarah. Crap! Sarah is such a little sweetheart. She wasn't feeling good when she got there this morning and said that she really felt backed up with fluid and just did not feel right. So if you read this, send a little love and light to Sarah. Hopefully she will be back Monday.

We got Through Therapy-YAY!

2008-06-19T14:59:00.002-05:00

Larry, was not too happy with me for resigning him for therapy, but, he needs help and won't listen to me. Then, before we left this morning, he was almost in tears because his neck hurt so much. There is nothing I can do or say, because he won't listen to a word I say about it. He just says-"You don't know how bad it hurts". Not true, I probably do know, but, none the less...he will not be consoled, and no one knows how bad he has it. Period.
So, when we went to our appointment today, Shanna asked how it was going and We told her about the neck thing and he says "I don't know why it comes or why it goes. It just does. There is no reason for it." Well, this is not true...and I know it, so Shanna is looking at me around his head and mouthing what do you think? And I quietly say that it happens in certain chairs, where he is more likely to lean forward and as he sits and gets tired, his head starts to droop and then we start the neck pain.
"WELL!" he huffs- "I am moving my head so that I am more comfortable and it has NOTHING to do with the pain that starts in my NECK! You don't know ANYTHING!"
Alright.... Then Shanna does some work with him on his legs and when she sits him up she tests his back and neck strength and guess what??? Hmmm...they are pretty weak. No wonder it hurts his neck to sit for any length of time when he does not have support behind his head. She did some isometric exercises with his back and neck that we can do at home and the rest of the session went really well.
When we left, I asked him how his neck and back were and then I said,"Well, does it make sense to you that Shanna found out that your back and neck are weak and that is why it is hard to hold your head up for any length of time. And that is why your neck hurts so bad- your muscles won't hold your head up."
And he said...."Yes, it makes sense."
Now this is what I have been telling him for weeks, but apparently(As we all know) My opinion counts for zilch when we are talking about therapy. That is OK- just so long as he finally gets it and starts to work to fix it.
It is a very pretty day. Sunny and blue skies. Breezy. Just beautiful. I am going to clean bird baths, but not for too long because the mosquitoes are vicious! They would eat the skin right off you in the last couple of days! That is not right!

Amazing, but True- Larry is Feeling Much Better!

2008-06-18T11:07:00.003-05:00

Well folks....amazingly, Lar is feeling way better after dialysis for the last week. He has not but hacking and bringing up tons of flem (That was always so enjoyable, not only for him, but for everyone in the vicinity), he has not been cramping.His breathing is much better, he has more energy and his legs are not buckling under him when he stands up. I am tickled pink! I think after he has been back at therapy for a few weeks, his endurance will go up and maybe, we can drive up to Door County or something. That will make both of us very happy. I can't tell you how difficult it is for him to not be able to do the things that he used to do. It is very discouraging when he felt so crappy all the time. We could never plan anything on a dialysis day. The few times we did, it was short and then he is wiped for the rest of the day and into the next day. So this is a HUGE thing for us. Even his blood pressure has improved a little bit lately. We will take it.
The other day, Katie called and said that they were going to sell off all of their sample rugs at the Home Depot. Ten bucks a piece, do you want any?They all have a black tag that says SAMPLE- but some are just stickers and even the ones that are cut in- just stick a chair over it!
" Sure, I would love an area rug for my room and for Biza's guest room upstairs. "
Great! She would look through them and put a couple aside and then call me when I could come and get them.
Saturday- "The boss has decided we are not going to sell them."
Then she comes in on Sunday and one of the managers had taken at least 5 rugs. She wanted to know what was up with that???
And why did he get to TAKE them and no one else can?
Alright, after the reset, they can be sold. They will be $10.00 each.
So, then, on Monday, she calls me and says "Well, we can't put them out because we have to figure out which ones get reset, after we figure that out, they will go out, when I get in on Wednesday, but the boss says $20.00." That is still OK by me, give me a call when you need me to get them.
Tuesday am she calls and is a-twitter-pated!"I took Sam to work and just thought maybe I should stop in at the Depot to see what was happening and when I walked in the door, there was a cart full of rugs! Those buggers put all the rugs out and took all the ones that everyone had marked and put them out too. Without calling me and telling me" (She is the head of that department- you would think that she would get a courtesy call). So, I finish feeding Larry his breakfast and we zoom out to West Bend.
Katie and I look through the rugs and I pick out one I like for my room. The one she picked out for the other room was perfect, so we let that one be and then she had rugs for herself and Claire and Collen- We had 14 rugs total. And...guess how much they were??? Five dollars EACH! Five bucks! I paid more than that for a scatter rug at a rummage sale! So, a few people are listening and hear- $5.00. For what? For these rugs! And then it was like the locusts arrived! People were just pulling rugs off the cart and stacking them onto their carts. Katie had called Mushy and Debbie Lynn (David's wife) to get over there and get their rugs! They got there just as the frenzy started and Mush got 2 and Debbie got 3. They said that it was getting a little tense there for a while! But, no fisticuffs erupted, so all was well!
And my rug looks beautiful! I put it down and Max threw himself onto his back in the middle of it and just lay there, spread eagle. I do believe that he loves it!
In the first picture- he is on the rug in my room (Sorry- I did not make the bed before the picture) The second picture is the one that Katie picked out for Biza's room-and the third pic is the solid rug that I figured for $5.00, 2 rugs in that room is good! All the cats were in helping me, so I took a pic of Max watching from the bed. Sassy would not hold still for a pic and I forgot to transfer Peaches picture, so I will put her up later!

Father's Day-And it Was Dry!

2008-06-16T15:57:00.002-05:00

Well, at last, it is going to be dry for a few days so that some of the flooding around the state can go down. We went for a drive on Friday afternoon and there were a lot of areas where we could not get through because the roads were flooded. And, the flooding around here is nothing compared to how much water they have in other areas. Fortunately, we did not have any problems. We lost one tree branch, and had no water back-up into the basement.
The houses behind us had some problems with back-up. Billy and Carl always have problems if there is too much rain and the village guys worked like dogs trying to get the water out. There was a reason that Grandpa built the house up here on this rise. A lot of the area that the subdivision is built on was swampy. Grandpa Schlaefer did not use the land for grazing his cows because it was too wet. And now a-days, it always amazes me how many houses they build in lowlands and swamps and then the people who buy these houses wonder why they keep flooding. But, I digress.
It was Father's Day yesterday and I took Larry out to Slinger. John and Debbie had a barbecue. The weather was perfect and for some reason, the skeeters were not around. We all had a nice time and I had Larry home by 7:30. Poor Katie- had to work until 7:30 at the Home Depot. I told her that she should come after work- I did not think that Lar and I would still be there, but figured that everyone else would still be around. I was wrong. Everyone else left shortly after we did, so when Katie got there, she and Dave (Her hubby) sat and had a couple of beers with John and Deb and then headed her home. Katie said-"I told you no one would stay past 7:00!"
Jake and Dave (Katie's Youngest and Hub)came at about 5:00, but Dave was all twitter-pated because Sam was being a pooper-head (As Sam is want to be)and I think that Dave likes to be twitter-pated about stuff.
Westill have the OTHER grey cat wandering around. I set out the live trap and we will see if I can catch him. He keeps making a fuss with Julie's cats at 3:00 am and waking me up! They yeowl and moan and hiss for 1/2 hour. It has to stop. If I can catch him, maybe Deb and John's neighbor will take him to find a home. She is a cat person and has a shelter and LOTS of cats and kittens. We will see.
I signed up on facebook at Biza's urging. I doubt that I will use it, but she said that I should sign up, because it will be a great networking tool and she promised that I wouldn't regret it. I am sure that I will not regret it. It is just something that does not interest me- it feels very teenagerish. It reminds me of those notebooks that we used to have in middle school where you said what you liked and who you liked and what music you listened to- your favorite bands- and then you had your friends sign in and write stuff. Just like facebook, but in 1969 and no computers involved.
Well, maybe I'll surprise myself and really enjoy the Facebook experience.

Ooopsy-Daisy!

2008-06-11T11:36:00.002-05:00

I went to pick Larry up at dialysis before and he was just miserable, but they couldn't let him go until his blood pressure came up- 72/37 is a bit low even for him. So, he is huffing and puffing and moaning and squirming and finally Dave, the guy who was taking care of Larry today, got a decent pressure, so he wheeled Larry over in the treatment chair and stood him from there.
Larry does not do well with changes and different ways of doing things, so it was hard for him to stand and then he was really confused and kept letting go of the bars (He NEVER lets go of the bars) and when we told him to just swing his butt towards his wheelchair, he got really flustered and collapsed. Dave and I grabbed him so he did not hit the ground, but then Larry had himself REALLY worked up and was almost hyperventilating! The other guy (I think his name is Aaron) came over to help us get him situated in the chair to calm down and then to help transfer to the wheelchair. He looks at me and says-I felt a little pee shoot out of me when Larry started to go down! Yes indeedy folks. Excitement all the time. The important thing is, he did not hit the ground-we caught him. He did not hurt himself. A couple of deep breathes and you have to move on. I am sure that he will tell everyone we meet for the next 2 days that he almost fell and how scared he was.
The weather man is saying that we get another day of no rain today. It is beautiful out. Sunny and cool and just delightful. I love this weather!The other day, it was so hot and humid, I put the screens on by myself and put the air conditioner in the breakfast room window, all by myself. I made sure that I had my cell phone on my belt with the screens, because I had to climb up to the top of the ladder to get them on- not exactly a job meant for a single person, but, what are you going to do?
And the air conditioner thing is not something that I will repeat by myself any time soon. I put it in the window-no big deal. But, it tilts too much and has to be shimmed. So, outside, up the ladder, weasel it around so the lip is against the frame and then start to place boards under it. Crap! It moved forward, pull it back, boards all fall out, start to slide them under again and it slides forward. Again. With sweat pouring off of me and I can't see because I am growing my ras-a- frassing hair out and it is always where it should not be and sweat is running into my eyes. Down the ladder, back into the house. Prop the front so it won't slide. Back outside. Up the ladder. Well, you get the picture. If I was a guy, I would have lost about 15 pounds just from sweating. Being a woman, I think I GAINED 5 pounds and broke a dang nail! But as daddy used to say-Good Voman! Strong like Ox!
I am waiting for a phone call from KMAWF. She says that Home Depot is putting all of their sample area rugs on sale today. $5.00 each- they just say Sample on them somewhere. For $5.00.... I can certainly live with it saying sample.

The other Grey Cat

2008-06-08T14:25:00.003-05:00

Lately, there has been a young male cat that has been hanging around. He comes at about 7:00 and drives the other cats nuts when they see him. Pewter runs for the basement and hides and everyone else yowls at the top of their lungs. Then he usually goes over to Julie's and riles up her cats and wanders back and forth between the houses.
He looks like a sweetie pie- maybe 7 or 8 months old and definitely not fixed yet. He is grey with white stockings.
For the past few days, Pewter has been mad at me (Anyone who has a cat KNOWS when they have done something that offends their feline friend) I assumed that it was because Sassy got into the basement the other night and wouldn't come up. The next morning when I let Pewter out, she huffed off without even stopping for a scratch and I didn't see her all day, even when I called to her, she would not come in and sit with me. So, when I went into the basement to put fresh food out for Pewter, there was some rather large poop in the litter box. I did not think too much of it, since Sassy had been down there, maybe she had a big poop (Pewter saves her big poops for outside in the summer). So I changed the water, put out new kibble and a new can of some of the stuff Pewter likes and went upstairs.
Finally, at 4:00, Pewter deigns to show up and allows me to pet her a bit, but then I have to put her in the basement because we are going to get a storm. In she goes, I see her enter the basement and then I go back upstairs and get Elvis to do a quick potty before the storm and think "I better block the door shut so it can't blow open in the storm".
I don't have a doggy door for her, I just have a brick that holds it open a couple of inches and she squeezes in and out when she wants. It has worked thus for 3 years.
So, last night, after the real major part of the storm, I decide to check on Pewter and open the basement door. What the??? I see a grey cat running down the steps-A. Pewter never runs away from me and B. the cat had white feet! YIKES! Outside I go and as I am walking to the basement door, Pewter strolls up to be let in! How on earth? I opened the door wide and don't have any idea if he is in or out. He looks like a cute cat, but I do not need another cat! And especially an unfixed male!
Right now, I have Pewter on the side porch (She is not real happy with me) and I am waiting to see if he comes out to eat something. That explains why Pewter was eating her food so fast!
We have been having huge storms and tons of rain- over 6 inches since yesterday. The humidity is awful! The whole inside of the house feels like it is wet. We only have the air conditioner in Larry's bedroom window, so we can't get the dampness out! I have all the fans going.
My vegetable garden was pretty flooded for a long time yesterday and today, so I don't know if all the seeds washed away or what! I feel we are pretty lucky not to have been in the tornadoes or major flooding!
I do love a good storm! Nothing like having the wind whip around the house and the leaves are all a-shaking while you are tucked all warm inside, looking safely out the window.
We were supposed to go and see Mickey play fast-pitch at Uhlien Field down next to County Stadium in Milwaukee, but they cancelled that tournament. We watched her play yesterday in Cedarburg. Her team won 15-5. She has a bunch more games over the next month or 2 and she is also playing in a basketball league, so we will have plenty of opportunities to go and watch her play.
Tommy's son Ryan also should be playing a bunch more soon. He plays Little League and those games are fun to watch too, but hose kids are so serious about the game! Holy Cow! I tried not to be too serious about anything when I was that age! We played baseball, but only a neighborhood game and I don't think there were too many cut-throat players out there! We also played all the regular games, especially at this time of year...hide and seek...tackle pom-pom...red light,green light. God we had fun!

Both eyes are done! Now he can see!

2008-06-05T14:49:00.004-05:00

Well Larry had the cataract removed from his right eye yesterday and he notices the difference already. In fact he told me this morning when he was reading the paper that he would not need the strong reading glasses any more. I had found him 5 + glasses at a specialty store online and that is the only way he could read for the past year (And then he wanted to argue with me that he could see just fine?)
We got to the hospital at 10:30, going directly from dialysis, do not pass go, do not collect $200. They rushed us in and started to dilate his eye while we were still rolling back to the room where they would prep him. Apparently, Dr. Veere was already running ahead and they wanted him asap. He was out of there on on his way to surgery by 11:30! And if his blood pressure had not been so low afterwards, we could have been home by 1:00 pm. As it was, we were home by 2:00, and we stopped for a burger and to pick up his insulin at Walmart.
He did pretty good considering how long a day it was for him. In fact his only issue was, the instructions said not to sleep on the side that the surgery was done on. Well... he can only sleep on his right side, so he tossed and turned trying to get comfortable and just did not sleep well. So today, when we went for the follow-up, we asked the Dr. and he said- as long as he has the shield on so he doesn't poke the eye, go ahead and sleep on your side! Larry was very happy!
We also rummaged a little on the way home today and I have to tell you, I don't think that I have ever gotten so little at rummages as I have all spring. I have found virtually NOTHING! Most days, I spend $0, and that is just wrong! You should not get skunked when you rummage! I should find books or something! But, no. I think for April and May, if I have spent $50.00 on stuff at rummages, that is a lot. And $23.00 of that was all at one sale where I found a gate leg table and a lamp full of glass prisms, so, that, at least was a good one. But overall, I have not seen too much to buy. Very sad....

My Own Little Patch of Garden

2008-06-03T10:44:00.003-05:00

It took me 4 long, hard days, but, I finally got the new patch of garden done. I dug it all by hand, with my trusty spade, into a screen sifter, to sift out rocks, roots, etc. then, I added manure, mulch and peat moss when I returned it to the hole. I just went out and planted my zucchini and sweet corn and will go out in a few minutes to put the rest of the seeds in the soil, where, they will get lots of sun and flourish all summer long! And we will have lots of fresh veggies to eat and to share.
I have tried vegetable gardening in several spots in the yard and none of them get enough sun. Then, this spring, I thought to myself..."Hmmmm.... Look yonder at the ramp. Is it not in sun almost all day?" And, yes indeed, it does get quite a bit of sun all day long on the south side of the ramp. And it is mostly protected from wind and cold because it is kind of in a nook. So, I am giving it a shot! That is all I can do, right?
My flower gardens are doing great, although, I did loose a bunch of perennials to the long, hard winter, I just moved some stuff around to fill in the holes. I just won't have as wide a variety of perennials- no foxgloves or canterbury bells. All of the bells of Ireland look like they went away- at least half of my pestemon (?). I can't tell about some of my butterfly bushes- 1 of them is still not showing any signs of life, so, I must wait and see.
I do love this time of year. Watching to see what springs up. My tulips were awesome this spring. I had put in a bunch of new bulbs last fall and they all came up and looked fabulous! And the lilies of the valley are blooming now, so you can smell them any time you go outside!
Larry goes tomorrow to have his right cataract done. The last one went pretty easily, so I intend that this one also goes smoothly and easily.
Then next week, we start therapy again. He still argues with me that therapy will not make him stronger- I don't care what he thinks, I know that it does make a difference and I need someone other than myself to bug him about it for awhile. He is to the point where he can barely make it from the living room to the bedroom without getting totally wobbly and out of breath. He is walking totally lopsided- leaning hard to the right, with the old vulture head pulling forward- and then he wonders why his neck and shoulders hurt. He will argue that it has nothing to do with how he is walking...or sitting...or standing. He thinks that it is his arthritis- that AMAZINGLY goes away once he lays down and takes the pressure off his poor neck stretching forward.
I called Medical Associates and Tiffiny and I set up all the appointments for the next month, so...he is going. Period.

Test 2 is Clear! Let us All Give a Cheer!!! YAY!!!

2008-05-31T20:14:00.001-05:00

Well, it was a long haul, but, we got the results back for the second stool sample that Larry had to send in and he is clear of c-diff!Good grief! Who would think that it would be that difficult to get rid of????
The important things we learned were...
A. the Doctors really don't know too much about c-diff. They are treating it by formulary. If you test positive for c-diff 98% of doctors will prescribe Flagil. And if that doesn't work they go to plan B, then to plan C and plan D. If they all fail, THEN, they send you to the infectious diseases doctor. Most don't recommend a probiotic and when you mention tapering dose they say,"Huh?"
B. TAKE A GOOD PROBIOTIC! It is important! And they infectious disease guy said-eat the good yogurt and any of the other stuff with the good probiotic stuff in it...like Activia and Danactive.
C. The tapering dose was what did it...and it makes sense because, apparently the c-diff spores hide in the folds of your intestines and bloom later on- weeks later, sometimes. The infectious diseases guy said that the spores can pop out for months after!
D. He prescribed a powdered cholesterol medicine that apparently binds with any remaining spores and takes them away without letting them blossom.
You can tell that Larry is feeling much better, and now we get to focus on other stuff again! Like going back to therapy. You can not believe what flack he gives me about doing therapy. He says that "Therapy does not help anything. I don't get stronger or feel better when I do therapy. I don't need it. It doesn't work."For an intelligent man, he sure can be bull-headed and not very smart at times. I say- "So, walking for longer distances and not getting tired so fast. Being able to lift your arm better. Being able to stand without felling like you are falling over...these are all just figments of my imagination and you never really got those benefits from therapy?"
And he looks at me with that look and I can tell he is mad at me.
I am signing him up for therapy again next week. After we get his right eye done. So there. And let him argue with Shanna!

Memorial Day Weekend-Means Summer is Here

2008-05-24T08:34:00.003-05:00

Here it is-Memorial Day weekend. I still have the furnace on because it has been getting down into the 30s and 40s at night! It isn't kicking on a lot because this is a brick house and it holds the heat pretty well. But, I feel that with Larry and how cold he is all the time, I have to keep the furnace on until it warms up more.
It is a beautiful sunny day. Tommy called yesterday and said that Ryan has a Little League Tournament in Racine today and normally, I would load Larry up and off we would go. But, Phrog said he is coming this afternoon to work in the yard, so that is a no brainer- Hmmmm....help in the yard? or blow off help in the yard and go drive 45 miles @ $4.19 a gallon.
And, you know, I really would not mind paying $4.19 a gallon for gasoline if it weren't for the smug buggers running the oil companies and making BILLIONS in profit, because "This is their 'up' years and they have to take advantage and make the money while they can, so when the market goes down again, they have the profits to fall back on". Right......
So, what I am doing, is trying to cut back on my driving, turning down the thermostat, turning off lights, growing more of our veggies. I talk to people who say,"What good does that do? We need more help than those little things that you are doing."
My thought, and I am sure it is the thought of many is....You have to start somewhere. And if everyone made a little effort to help....turn out lights, use electric off peak hours, don't mow your lawn as much, cut back on driving that is not necessary. You know what I mean. Little things add up. Especially if many people do a little bit more every week. But instead, most of these goof balls are focused on- "What we need is..." and then they espouse their views on what will turn the country around. All well and good. The country does need lots of help. A new direction and someone who can really lead the country. But, at this point, talking is just talking. Yes, as with anything, it has to start somewhere, but I really think that most of these guys that they show on the news, just talk to hear themselves talk. It is just so much rhetoric and that is all. Talk about it to placate the masses and then just go on our merry way and do just what we want to do, to the benefit of big business and , ooops, so sorry little guys! Sorry, but you are going to get royally screwed in this deal, but, maybe, we can think of something to help you out further down the road. Don't despair! Next year, we will review the subject and put a bill before congress that might, on some off chance have a little benefit for you. No worries!
Well, enough of my venting . That soap box could be going and going for weeks.
When Biz was here, she took pictures of Julie and Elvis. Julie is my neighbor. She has even more cats than I do!
She also took pictures of Max- the big black cat. He is hiding under the wash in the basket, thinking that no one can see him.
Peaches...she is slightly overweight and I assure her that it is because she is big boned. She is very sensitive about people calling her fat, so we try to build up her self-esteem.
And the last picture is the Shaggy-Baggy baby, hiding in Larry's Packer jacket!

Shaggy is so sweet and such a cutey-pie!
Sassy- is Peaches sister and is the total opposite. She is skinny as a rail and very active.
And last, but certainly not least is Pewter. Pewter lives in the basement-by choice. She hates the other cats and went down into the basement several years ago and refused to come back up and join us. So, she has her own litter-box and food down there. None of the other cats are allowed (although, they do sneak down once in awhile and Pewter then gets all huffy). Pewter is also allowed to go outside. She is a fair weather cat- if it is nasty, or a storm is coming up, she won't go out. But when it is nice, she roams the yard. No further. She is a pretty big chicken and any strange sound will send her fleeing towards the basement door and safety!
And, that is everyone! So, thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great holiday!

2008-05-24T08:33:00.001-05:00

The Sky-Trak is a Calling!

2008-05-20T08:36:00.003-05:00

I look out the window. And see it. Sitting...orange and calm in the driveway. Waiting....hoping that today is the day. To fire her up . To stretch out and cut some errant branches from the trees.
Well, I just want to cut some trees down! There are so many trees with dead branches that fall all over when there is any wind. And Phrog (The Baby) won't get on the platform with me at the controls! Like I would send him flying or something!
I just hope that we get some of the branches cut before Thomas has to get the sky-trak moved to a job site. Sigh....
On a different note, Larry has been having weird pains. Yesterday, he was almost in tears when I went to pick him up at dialysis. His stump hurt and nothing that they did helped. So, I took his leg off and adjusted the lined and he was good to go. Sometimes, the simple fix is the one that works the best.
But then, for the rest of the day yesterday, he had himself all twitter-pated because of the leg pain and even though it was all gone once I adjusted his liner, he still had himself all shaken up. Worried that something was wrong. So then he had all sorts of pains. Pain in his shoulders and neck (Larry you have yourself very tense, so of course your neck and shoulders are going to hurt)...his stomach...his neck again....his other leg....he was huffing and puffing because he couldn't catch his breath. It was just not a great day for him. Hopefully, he will be better today. We do not have to go anywhere or do anything, so that is always a plus.
Last night we watched part 2 of the thing on PBS about FDR. It was really good and we both learned quite a bit. He lived through that whole era. To me, it was only something we learned about in school, and then, probably just glossed over most of the pertinent info, so I really learned quite a bit. We would be very sad pandas without PBS at night. Not too much to watch anymore on regular TV. There are way too many reality shows. When Biz is here, she watches "Survivor" and "American Idol". There is no way Larry would watch Survivor, but he watched Idol with her a couple of times (his comments were classic as these people sang) It is not something that he would like to make a regular practice-to say the least. This from a man who will watch just about anything as he cruises the channels!

Happy Birthday to Jake! And Phrog!

2008-05-18T16:31:00.002-05:00

It was Jake's birthday Friday. Jake is Katie's youngest son and a delightful young man. All three of her boys are great guys-each in their own separate way of course. And all 3 have been very special to me since they were born. I couldn't love them more if they were my own!
Jake turned 17 Friday. He and his buddies were going to do a canoe trip- not really a roughing it canoe trip- a canoe trip, paddling from Jake's house to Decorah Island. Staying at Claire and Tom's house on the island over night and having a bonfire and cookout and then today, paddling down into Gilbert's Lake to fish. Jake is an outdoorsman and would be outside all the time if he had his druthers. He loves to fish and hunt. He wants to be a farmer when he grows up- well, actually he wants to be a DNR officer/gunsmith/farmer. He has it all planned out and is a blast to listen to.
I gave him my guitar a few weeks ago to use and he is enjoying learning all kinds of songs. It is way easier than when I was learning. We had to either go buy the whole song book or if someone had the album, we could pull the words and chords off of the record. He just goes online and downloads the words and music for like a buck a song.
I think that when I gave him the guitar to use ,he thought it was just an old guitar. But his buddies all were impressed with my Guild. It is a really nice sounding instrument and looks good too. It was a shame to just have it standing in my closet only to see the light of day every once in a blue moon, so I am glad that he is enjoying it.
Phrog had his (We think) 41 birthday yesterday. He came down today and mowed the lawn while I weed whipped and dug out dandelions. It got pretty cold and windy and even rained several times, so we finally gave up and he went home. I went back out and putzed around pulling more weeds, etc. I really love this time of year. Watching everything coming back to life. I also just saw my first hummingbird at one of my feeders.
The Orioles have been around and I saw an Indigo Bunting the other day. And we got a picture of a White-Crowned Sparrow that was passing through. He was pretty cute.

One 'Possum,Two 'Possum,Three 'Possum-WHEE!

2008-05-11T19:38:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, I had everyone come and help clean out the chicken coop and bee cellar. It was a nice enough day and not real hot, so that is always good when you are doing hard physical labor.
Brother Dave and his son Kyle, showed up at about 10:30 and we sat and talked to Larry for a bit and then decided to get started.
I bundled Lar up and sat him on the porch with Elvis and we started the fires burning (I had my burn permit and checked the wind). We kind of musheled around the yard at first cuz none of us wanted to head into either dark hole, but, finally, we went into the bee cellar and started to pull out wood.
You have to understand that Mom was an antique dealer for 45 years and her specialty was country furniture, so, when she went to auctions and got dilapidated furniture, she would have Larry and Dad take it apart and store the pieces to repair other pieces. We has drop leaves and leaves, sides, drawers, tops, hankie boxes...you get the picture. Parts is parts. And most of it has been attacked by post beetles or water damaged, and had to go.
So, Phrog gets there and the pulling starts in earnest. He is kind of tossing stuff aside if he didn't know what to do with it, and I walked in and saw a pile of plastic bags.
"What is this?" says I.
"I don't know." Says Phrog.
"Well, it's probably something scary, but I'll check" and I grab the bags and lift and start shrieking and back peddling, pushing Biza as I scramble for daylight! It was a opposum.... Alive! YUCK! They are not the most beautiful creatures God put on this earth, but, I think I scared the poor thing nearly to death because it hightailed under the furnace and wouldn't budge.
He kind of put the kabosh on much more being done in the bee cellar, but....now we have to go to the chicken coop and I KNOW that something is dead in there and I don't want to be the one to find it.
Brother Dave starts pulling stuff and stacking it towards the door and Biz and I stack it into the cart and then haul it up to the blazing inferno.
By now, Phrog has arrived and is in charge of the fire and he has the flames shooting 15 feet in every direction. It is hot enough to scorch your eyebrows at 20 paces. Dave keeps saying "I think whatever it is that smells is under there" and he points to the raised floor. Whatever, let's just get it done.
At 2:30, Dave and Kyle had to go, but Katie arrived and she took over handing stuff out of the chicken coop because she couldn't smell anything and thought we were all lying.
She is joking and cracking us all up and then she lets loose a shriek and Runs out of there like a cat afire! YUP! She found it! She runs up the yard doing the ol' dry heave bit, but, By now, Thomas arrived, so we talked him into scooping up George to dispose of him. I dug a hole and Tom scraped it up and decides to chase Katie around the yard with George hanging off of the shovel. We finally got him to put it in the hole- as Katie went over and puked up her lunch. The baby wouldn't get back into the chicken coop after that.
As we are working, Tom keeps up a running patter with the possums- because he's a thinking that there is probably another corpus delecti somewhere under the piles of wood. The smell was enough to gag a maggot, but, Tom just kept a-going....saying he would probably have to burn his clothes after he got home. And then, yes indeed, we have another possum. He is way deader than the first one. And way bigger. He didn't fit into the hole I dug, so Biza went and scooped him out and made the hole bigger.
We finished pulling wood shortly after finding corpse 2 and concentrated on having a couple of beers(Not me, I do not drink anymore) and watching the giant pile of burning wood.
Biz and I were pretty pooped by bedtime last night, but, I am happy that we accomplished so much. And Tom says that he will come and rebuild the chicken coop so that he can use it to store wood for projects that he is working on, so that is a really good thing too!

Cataract Number One-Surgery is Done

2008-05-08T07:12:00.002-05:00

It was a long day for us yesterday, but, the left eye has its cataract removed. We grabbed Lar right from dialysis and drove to the hospital for the out-patient procedure. They were right. It is an easy procedure-didn't take long at all. It just is a little more difficult when you have as many medical issues as he does . Especially since he couldn't eat or drink after midnight. But, it worked fine. His eye does not hurt, he is just pretty tired. And of course, we have to put the drops in every 2 hours.
Biz and I are going to get him up in a few minutes because we have a lot of running around to do. Coumidin clinic, the eye doctor, up to West Bend to get the emissions checked on the van so I can get my new tags, Pick and Save and Piggly Wiggly for groceries and Home Depot to check out what plants they have and perhaps a few rummages along the way.
Biz and I got my bedroom primed yesterday and will paint later on, so I am happy about that and Phrog got the riding mower out and started mowing, so we can maybe get the mowing done if we have time. We do have a busy day ahead!

A Sunday Drive...at $3.65 per Gallon

2008-05-04T08:55:00.001-05:00

It is a beautiful Sunday morning. We deserve it. We have had cool days and rain, so, I have not had Larry outside except to dash for the car.
One thing we have always loved to do, is drive around and explore. We pick a direction and just drive, turning down little country roads. We love to look at the old buildings- the farms- the scenery. When Mom was alive, we would do this and hit rummage sales and little stores. It was a lot of fun and you met all kinds of really interesting people.
I don't know how far we will go with gas prices the way they are, but.... it will be good for Larry to get out in the sunlight, and be part of something other than his normal every day routine. I'll let you know .
This week is going to be a busy one. Biza is flying in on Tuesday, so we have to pick her up. Wednesday, Larry is getting the cataract removed from his left eye after dialysis. The Dr. only does surgeries on Wednesday, so we had no other choice. It will definitely be a long day for Lar.
Then Thursday, he has his follow-up eye appointment and coumidin clinic. Friday is the Slinger rummage sale- which is usually a good one. On Saturday, the whole village has rummages and on the Friday before, about half of the people open up, so you get to hit a whole bunch of rummages in the same area and it isn't as nutsy as it is on Saturday. So Biz and I will drive out there after we drop Larry off at dialysis and then zoom back to grab him at 10:00.
Saturday, hopefully, I will be having the family over to clean out the old, rotten wood that has been stored in the chicken coop and the bee cellar (And yes, they really were a chicken coop- with chickens until I was 6 and a bee cellar where Grandpa wintered his bee hives) I thought we would have everyone bring a dish to pass and we can work and then eat. Depends on the weather forecast though.
Sunday, Katie and I have to load up her suburban to take the drive to Door County to get the mall set up on Monday. We were thinking of pulling out of the mall because it is going to be so expensive to drive up to clean the booth every few weeks- With my van, it would be about 1 tank of gas- so around $60.00 per trip, just for gas. And if we have a head wind, you have to figure even more. The trip up on Monday is gonna be an arm and a leg in the sub, but, I have to leave the van home with Biz to get Larry from dialysis, so....
I figure probably over $100.00 for gas. WOWIE-ZOWIE!
Biz is heading home the next Tuesday, so have to get as much done as possible while she is here. And this time she better not bring pestilence and disease with her. We have no time for being sick! My bedroom IS getting painted this trip- no matter what!
The best part of having Biz here is the fact that I have another person to talk to- I love Larry and love taking care of him, but- I feel like a Mom with a toddler. You are always having to re-enforce behavior. Coerce, behaviors that are more positive. You have to be very patient.
By the time Biz gets here every few months, my patient factor is starting to frazzle and I am sure that Larry is ready for a change from my constant "lecturing" , as he calls it. Please stand up straighter, if you don't your muscles will atrophy even more and you will have no trunk stability.....have you done your leg exercises...have you done you face exercises...please sit up straight....please come to the breakfast room to eat...I am always telling him to do something or asking if he is ready to do something. So, I am sure that he gets tired of me.
It just is nice to not have the weight of everything that he does rest on my shoulders for those few days. It is as close to a vacation as I have gotten in 5 years. That is a pretty long time to be working basically 24/7. So, I am grateful for the respite that I do get from Biz.
I suppose I should go eat some breakfast and discuss where we can go.

Infection? Maybe...maybe not!

2008-05-04T08:22:00.005-05:00

Last week, we were at the emergency room. How fun is that?
I dropped Larry off at dialysis as usual and he was fine. He got up fine. He was walking fine. He ate breakfast. He still is now semi-constipated, but not too bad- going at least every few days, and much better than the c-diff screaming runs! So, all is well in our world.
I drop him off and head for West Bend to meet Katie for some rummaging. We get about 1 hour and 45 minutes of speed rummaging before I have to drive like the wind back to the dialysis clinic to get Larry.
We were heading back to where Katie had left her car when my cell phone sang- Oh-Oh....it's dialysis. You never like to get calls from them when Larry is on. It usually is not good news.

Beth was on the line, she is the nurse in charge (And a delightful woman). Larry presented with shaking chills and a fever about half-way through the session, so per, Dr.'s orders, they are giving him one gram of vanco through his catheter as a precaution, because he is prone to sepsis in his catheter. They also drew blood samples, but the results won't be back til next week. The upshot is- he has to be there for an extra hour. OK.
So, Katie and I hit a few more rummages and I throw her out at her car and head for Germantown in the now, driving rain...with thunder and lightening.
I get there and Larry is just whipped. He is panting and when he gets like that, he gets himself all freaked out and then gets even worse. I talk to Beth. She says- "It seems like he has some sort of infection going on. We drew cultures here, but I would advise you to take him to his primary to check and make sure that it isn't something else.
When Larry gets done, he is really wiped out- panting and barely able to stand. And....now it is raining cats and dogs and thundering...and lightening. A real heck of a storm. I pull the car under the portico and load him in and decide that I will swing through the clinic to see about an appointment with the primary instead of wheeling him in through the rain and back ou through the rain if they have an opening soon.
Turns out, his primary was out of the office, but they called back for her nurse. Heide and I talked it over and were trying to figure out whether it was prudent to wait until 2:00 (Dr. Miller's first open appt.) or to bring him in and let another Doc look at him. What she decided was perhaps, she would come out and look at him and then decide. Great! So, I pull the car under their portico and she comes out, in the storm (we are talking it rained almost 4 inches while it was down pouring!) Yep- he better come in right now and see another Doc.
I don't remember his name, but he said- I think that you should take him to emergency because they can get the tests done and get the results back. We, have to wait until Monday (Since it is Friday) for any test results, and we are both thinking that if it is the fluid in his lung, he is going to have to have a cat scan anyhow and probably will be admitted.
Off to CMH we go. Thankfully the rain stopped before I had to get him out there. They were expecting us, so we got right into triage and then into an exam room.
Long story short (Thank-you Sarah) They decide that it is a urinary tract infection and prescribe an anti-biotic and say he can head home.
OK......
I look at the guy and say...
"Did you guys call and consult Dr. Letzer at infectious disease. He wants to be appraised of any antibiotics because we have been struggling with c-diff all winter and he told me that he should be appraised of anything that would affect that."
I ask him this several times in several different ways.... And got the ol' fish-eye.
The upshot of what he told me is- yes, we ARE aware that he has just had c-diff. We feel that this antibiotic should not affect that and just will go after the UTI. We did NOT call infectious disease because we ARE Doctors and KNOWwhat we are DOING (This last part is heavily inferred).We are giving him the first dose and you guys can go home. Let us know if you have any problems- or just come back. La-la-la-la-la!
We go to get the 7 pill prescription (7 pills) at Walmart to the tune of $85.00 ($45.00 of which we have to co-pay) and go home.
On Monday, I call Dr. Miller and get Larry an Appointment for after dialysis. At dialysis, Beth says that the culture was growing positive (???) and that means there was no UTI, but they think an infection around his catheter, so they are giving him another 1/2 gram of vanco and then Wednesday, will measure his vanco level to see what to do from there.
We get to Dr. Miller and she says that the culture that the Hospital grew is NOT a UTI so to stop the antibiotics, which she has no idea why they had me get 7 days worth, they usually treat with that med for 3 days. She is calling Dr. Letzer to appraise him of the situation. Keep your fingers crossed that it did not re-infect him.
And then on Friday, at dialysis, the said that the vial was a false positive, so they had to re-draw and will know if there is really some infection next week.
Did you get all that? My head is still spinning! And, today we start on the eye drops for his cataract surgery. What was I thinking???

The Sun is Out to Warm the Earth

2008-04-22T14:25:00.002-05:00

The sun is out to warm the earth-Spring arrives with Joy and mirth.....
That is the opening line to some one act play that I was crew on as a senior in high school.
Don't remember what play and I don't remember any other lines in it, but it is one of my favorite spring lines.
It really is not sunny out today- cloudy and raining off and on, with thunderstorms expected later. I like the rain and I love the thunderstorms (As long as we are not getting sucked up into a tornado or anything like that!) Spring in Wisconsin means plenty or stormy, scary weather. We used to hide in the basement regularly. Now, I can't get Larry down there, so if they say we should seek shelter, we head for the hallway in the center of the house. We have been pretty lucky the last couple of years and have not had too much really severe weather in our neck of the woods.
Speaking of tornadoes.....
In the late 1970 until 1993, we had a country band called The Kinfolk. We started with Martha, my older sister and her husband Frank and myself. 3 guitars and lots of harmonies. Then Frank bought an autoharp and wanted me to learn how to play base guitar. I took some lessons, but did not like it at all, so, then we talked our younger brother John into learning how to play base. He was a natural and also has a great voice, so we added more harmonies. We stared getting jobs around the area bars,as a show band. We dressed in matching outfits with fringe and rhinestones-. Mushy (Martha) either made the stuff from scratch or we bought things that we decorated with flashy trims. As we got more and more jobs people were wanting us to add a drummer so that we were more danceable. After much discussion, we asked Tom, another younger brother if he wanted to learn drums and be in the band. He said "Sure", so Frank signed him up for lessons at the music store where he was working ( we never made any money playing in the band because Frank was always talking us into buying the newest, bestest stuff from the store that he was working at) and on New Year's Eve, 4 months later, we played our first job with Tom as the drummer. He did pretty well, and only changed the beat a couple of times which not only screwed us up, but you should have seen the people on the dance floor!
So, we are fairly popular and play at all the best places (just joking- but, we did play as much as we wanted to!) and one spring, we played at a couple of bars in Fillmore, just north of West Bend. The bar we were at that night was Fillmore Junction and we had a pretty good crowd who were having a really good time. Many of the patrons at the bar were also the volunteer firemen of the town and all of a sudden, their beepers started to make those annoying sounds, and then the storm sirens started to sound. OK...what should we do? The one guy says- don't worry about it- there was a tornado spotted but it isn't near here- everything is cool.
Fine- so, we start another song and get everyone stomping and hollering- you can see the trees whipping around outside- but, they said we are fine- we are singing and all of a sudden....WOOOOF!...the entire drop ceiling got sucked down and crashed all over everyone, including us! You have never seen any one move so fast in your life! In high heals yet! I was ripping the cord out of the end of my guitar and high hurdling the monitors and debris in front of the stage and flying down the steps to the cellar before the dust had even pouffed up from the ceiling hitting the ground. Apparently, the tornado, shifted a bit and passed within a mile of Fillmore and the vacuum action pulled the ceiling down. We waited about 1/2 hour in the basement and then went up and did a land speed record pack up to get the heck out of there. There was no power, so we had to work by candle light. On the ride home, there were trees sheered off and laying like toothpicks, road signs twisted like curly cues- branches stuck into tree trunks like daggers- barns down, roofs all over. It was pretty freaky and I was really glad that we had all driven up together in the van so I didn't have to drive home alone through all that stuff.
That's the closest I ever got to being in a tornado and that was close enough for me! But...I still really like a good thunderstorm!

What Do You Think?

2008-04-15T08:23:00.002-05:00

Last week we took in the stool sample and it came back positive, according to the Dr. who was covering for Larry's primary who was off all last week. He called at 9:00 pm-I think that I wrote about this at the time- anyhow, he said he would get in touch with Dr. Letzer of infectious diseases and have him get in touch with us.
Finally, yesterday, a girl from his office called and took all the info and then went and talked to him and called me back. He isn't worried-as long as the symptoms are not uncomfortable and worrying us. Pretty much what I thought he would say.

But now, the last few days, Larry as been exhibiting cold symptoms-runny nose, chest congestion, coughing, sneezing. With you and me, this is nothing to even really think about.You just get cold pills, orange juice and any other way you can think of to make yourself comfortable and ride it out. With Larry, I have to really pay attention and worry about-do I take him to the Doctor or not? He has way too much going on medically- and he always has fluid in his right lung, so we always have to be aware of that and prevent it from backing up more and becoming pneumonia.
He is still in bed and I am putting off getting him out of bed because then I have to evaluate whether or not we are going to the doctor's office and more than likely to the hospital from there. He sounds pretty good when he is laying there-no wheezing or rattling. That's good. So, if he has no fever and isn't coughing that is also good.
I always feel like a mother with her first baby- you worry about little stuff and don't want to run to the Doctor every time he isn't feeling right, but then again....What if I don't take him and it turns out that he was really sick?
When Katie had her boys, Sam was always doing something-he always has been a real daredevil and this started when he was born. I can't tell you the number of times he rolled his go-cart, wiped out his bike, jumped from something. The point is- he was always coming in with bruises and scrapes and owies.
So, we are in Door County and he rolls the go-cart and comes in holding his are. A. there is no "Doctor" up there- there is a clinic (finally) that has a nurse practitioner. B. Katie had no insurance. We look at each other....we look at the arm....no bone sticking out (which is always a tell-tale that it must be handled immediately , don't you think?) That is good. No swelling or bruising, he could move his fingers. I say- Let's ice it and see what happens. That day and the next, Sam was still really favoring his arm, so Katie finally took him to the clinic- You guessed it-BROKEN wrist- and Sam to this day has never let us forget that we let him languish for 2 days with a broken wrist- It was more of a crack than a break and I say, that if he wasn't always going hell bent for leather , he would not have rolled the go-cart and hurt his arm.
But, the point is, you can not run your kid in for every single bruise or scrape- and the same would be true for Larry. Although, I am leaning towards calling the Doc.
I'll keep you posted.

Fast Pitch Season

2008-04-12T08:27:00.003-05:00

Well, Mickey's fast pitch season has stared. Almost all the games this week were postponed because of weather!
I went on Monday, because they played here in Germantown. Normally, I would have walked up to the park-it is only about 1/2 mile away, but it was about 40 degrees and the wind was whistling at about 25 mile an hour with the gusts!
So, I get there just as John and Deb pull up and we go over and sit on the bleachers. It was so cold!!! Everyone was wrapped in blankets and mittens with winter coats and hats! I felt so bad for all of the players because it is really hard to stay sharp when it is that cold. Slinger wound up loosing -in the 6th inning Germantown walked in 2 runs and Slinger never caught up again. Mickey struck out 2 times and walked once. When it is nicer, I will take more pictures of the girls playing ball.
Then Tuesdays
's game was cancelled because of the driving rain. Wednesday was cancelled because it was freezing again and Thursdays game was called because it was raining and cold! Well, at least Larry and I will have make-up games to go to. And eventually it has to warm up. Right?
My friend Sharon just called and they are off on errand running- trying to get the house ready for when Millie gets to come home this week. They are going to replace the toilet with a high one so Millie has an easier time going to the bathroom. I told her to check at Hobo before they go and buy one at full price at a regular store. That is where I got ours and saved quite a bit of money. But, you never know what they are going to have in stock because it is one of those clearance places for building supplies.
It is very cold and rainy again- with a chance for snow...... you know what I am thinking. But, I am going to Menomonee Falls tonight to see "The Pajama Game" put on by the Patio Players. We always enjoy their plays and buy season tickets to see the 3 that they put on every year. We also go to see plays at the Schauer Center in Hartford. In fact, we just saw "Men in Plaid" a couple of weeks ago. Larry is not so into plays or movies in that setting. He likes concerts- and I have taken him to a few of those- but plays...not so much.
We even took him to the Comedy club a few years ago. That was not a success. It was a family outing and we had quite a crew along. He did not think the guys were funny and was offended by a lot of the material and swearing. I do admit, the guy was pretty off base-taking about retards and handicap people. My brother Dave and his wife Deb were along for that outing and they have a daughter who has numerous mental and physical handicaps and Deb works at a group home. So, they were not too amused either. And, to top off the night, a brawl broke out between several groups of people who had too much to drink and the comic had insulted over and over. They were trying to get to the comic and maybe do bodily damage to him. When we left, the cops were arriving. You win some...you loose some.
You just never know. And besides, we all had fun being together and it has provided many great stories when we are telling tall tales at parties.

Happy Birthday to Claire!

2008-04-09T15:54:00.002-05:00

Well, another cold, gray day....spring. Way better than snow, but....once the snow melts and you have a couple of nice days, you just get impatient to have nice weather all the time! And I don't think that it is too much to ask, to have a little nice weather every few days. Sigh....
I went to the Falls and met Katie and Colleen and Claire at the new J.C. Penny's store. It is Claire's birthday- we won't say how old- just old enough to know better! We had fun looking at all of the ugly clothes. There was not much in the whole store that I would have even considered buying. Most of the stuff looked like junk left over from my closet in the early 1970- late 1960s. It didn't look good then (As you well know when you go back and look at pictures of yourself that you thought were so cool then!) and it sure looks gacky now. And to put it on a 51 year old woman who is 25 lbs over weight-NO!
Colleen has been a good friend of ours for many, many years. I bar tended at her wedding and became fast friends with Tom and 'Leen. Tom had a heart attack about 8 years ago and passed away. Colleen was a mess for quite awhile, but is doing much better the last few years. Her main thing is -she has a hard time making decisions. She and Tom had remodeled before he died and were going to start getting new furniture, etc. So, she still wants to redo all the furniture, rugs, etc... she just can't quite make up her mind.
About 3 years ago, we talked her into painting. We painted her down stairs a creamy yellow and a light terra cotta. It is very nice. She also FINALLY got a wood floor installed with the floor heating system under it so, it keeps the room really nice and toasty without being too hot and dry. And Katie talked her into 2 areas rugs. THAT is as far as she has gotten. But, today, they stopped at Ashley Furniture and she ALMOST bought a couch and lounger. And she DID buy wall stuff and 2 lamps, so, we feel that that is at least some progress. At this rate, she could have her living room done in about 12 or 14 years. No rush.
I had to get back home to get Larry lunch, but they went to Chili's for lunch. I had a quick iced tea before I had to skeedaddle.
I talked to Biz before and she said that she is coming up in the beginning of May and we are going to paint my bedroom (I have had the paint since October, just no time to paint) and hopefully finish the ceiling in her guest room.When Biz comes up, usually, we get many projects done. And that is a good thing!
I don't know if I mentioned Millie... She is my friend Sharon's Mom(I walk with Sharon) and last week, she broke her hip. Well, she is now in rehab at Linden Grove for a week to 10 days. I love Millie! She is a hoot and at 85 still going strong. This hip thing will only slow her down for the 8 weeks of the recovery. After that, I am sure that Sharon and Tom (Her brother) will have their hands full trying to keep her from over doing! She still wants to do her spring cleaning! My spring cleaning usually consists of-taking down to curtains and airing them out, washing inside windows and wiping up the hard wood floors with a good wood conditioner (you have to after all that salt that gets dragged in all winter). That is pretty much it.
I know people who change out all their curtains and couch coverings, blankets and comforters, their china, throw rugs and other accessories for the various seasons. Way too much work for me, but they can certainly have at it!
To each their own, I always say.
But anyhow, Happy birthday Claire and Mary and Dave F. Here's looking at 'cha all!

Hot Dog! Spring is Springing!

2008-04-05T11:24:00.004-05:00

Hot dog! It is finally getting nice! It is warmer feeling-even if the temps aren't really where they should be and the sun is out!
I was going to go work in the yard, raking up winter crud (Where does all that crud come from, anyhow?) but I stood up to fast before and now my back hurts- I didn't throw it out, but definitely threw something out of whack! So, no raking today. It is going to be really hard not to....My hands are itching to get to the rakes and clean up some of the gravel that got pushed onto the lawn...and the twigs and branches that came down...and the dead, matted grass that is all gunky looking. Maybe after lunch?
We went to Peggy's funeral on Wednesday. For being dead and in a casket she looked pretty good- relatively speaking. Joe looked OK too at his funeral, so obviously they got a different make-up person at the funeral home. Jen had a bag piper at both funerals and he was very good. Gave out lots of cards afterwards.
This time, the Derse family flew in. Well 5 of them and it was really fun to see them and talk to them. Their Dad was Peggy's brother and in the early 1970's , the whole family (9 kids) would come to Wisconsin to visit Peggy and Joe. Then, they would bring the kids out to our lake cottage-over on Big Cedar Lake- and drop most of the kids off (between the 2 families, we ranged from late teens to about 6 years old) and the adults would go do what ever they wanted, while we water skied, swam, ran, played, fished, talked, laughed. We had a blast! And always looked forward to seeing them!
Mushy and Jim sang a couple of songs at Peggy's funeral. She is just getting over a cough/cold and did a pretty good job considering. They play in a blue grass band called "Big Cedar". (Someday, I will write about the country band that we had-"The Kinfolk")
Larry really enjoyed talking to everyone again, so that was great for him. The picture above is Brother Andy(As a Union Soldier and Mary Derse at Magic Mountain sometime in the mid 1970s.
We also went to see the infectious disease Dr. on April 1. He was pleased that Larry is doing so well and prescribed an oral suspension medication that is used to lower cholesterol 2 times a day. He says that they have found that it also binds up left over c-diff spores and isn't as hard on you as those hard core anti-biotics. He has been feeling so much better-overall- in the last week or so. But, last night we had a oh-oh run for the bathroom that didn't quite make it to the toilet. I really don't think it is the c-diff, every loose stool he has from now on just can't be c-diff! But I will really be paying attention.
Well, I am off to dig out rakes and the hoses and turn on the outside faucet! YAY!

2 Funerals This Week! YIKES!

2008-03-31T16:10:00.003-05:00

OK- before we start this story, we should do a little background here.
My sister Cindy, was the oldest in the family. Cindy was the little princess and grew to love being the center of attention. As each new child was born, Cindy got huffier and huffier because I think that in her mind, she should have been an only child. If she could have figured out a way to kill us all off without getting caught and/or spoiling her angelic reputation, she would have done so....without hesitation.... As it was, she tortured us unmercifully and we were ALL very happy when she went away to college. (Our nickname for her was "Snydley Whiplash-like in the cartoon. You know- The guy who was always torturing Nell and Underdog had to save her?)
She never returned to the family nest from school, but got married to Joe Martin Jr. of West Bend. ( I have to interject here, that she was absolutely livid with Mom as her wedding day approached because...GASP! Mom was PREGNANT with Phrog! ) We never could figure out what was up with that, because Jody was (and still is) the quintessential redneck. But, whatever, we were just glad she did not come back to torture us anymore.
She and Joe moved to a little farm in Neno and she soon became pregnant with her first born, Jennifer. Fast forward...they have 3 more children, Scott, Jessie and Patrick. Cindy still thinks that the world revolves around her and we are pressed into service as babysitters- sometimes for a week at a time- for FREE- at the drop of a hat. It would make no difference if you had plans to do something. If Cindy swooped in and you were there and she needed a baby sitter- you were it! Sometimes she just dropped the kids at our house and sometimes we were taken up to their house in Lomira. And I am not kidding- it could be for 3 days...5 days....a week. Who knows. Whenever they came back. And if the kids were not at our house, they got dropped off at Joe's parents house- Nonny and Poppy in West Bend. Cindy did not like leaving the kids at Nonny and Poppies because they "Spoiled "them and did not follow her directives. However, it did not stop them from dropping the kids at the free baby sitting service.
As the years passed, we saw less of Cindy's kids- mostly because we all grew up and weren't home much. It took me many, many years to really understand Cindy. She was diagnosed with cancer and operated on and was doing fine. Then it came back and spread to her brain, so Jenny had her move into her house and asked all of us to help spell her because Cindy could not be left alone- not that she was helpless and bedridden, but she would forget she was sick and take off her oxygen or go wander around. Not good. I really got to know her pretty well at that point and came to appreciate her for who she was now- not as she was when I was 8. So, when she passed away, I also became a lot closer to her daughters Jenny and Jessie.
Jenny has (through proximity and the fact that she jumps in and does what is needed) been taking care of Nonny and Poppy as they have been getting older. Non has had pretty severe dementia and hasn't known anyone for quite some time , so they had to put her in an Alzheimer's unit . That left Poppy at home alone and he was getting more and more cantankerous- he would call the police on them when they would stop to check on him. He called the bank and told them to revoke Jenny's ability to manage their accounts (that thrilled Jen no end). He would drive his car- which was a danger and he was a danger behind the wheel! (they finally took something off of it so it wouldn't run) And then, he started to not take care of himself and suffice it to say, they had to have him hospitalized to take care of severe infections. When they finally released him, the Dr. said he could go home only if someone checks on him several times a day. Joe Jr. semi-moved into the house and stayed over several nights a week and one night, Poppy lured Joe outside-I can't remember the reason- but, Joe went outside without shoes or jacket and Poppy locked him out. Fortunately Joe had his cell phone attached to his belt. But, that was it. He was in the nursing home faster than you could spit after that. They just didn't know what he would do next because (they diagnosed him finally) he also has dementia.
So, They have both been over at Cedar Lake Home and Nonny has been having a whole bunch of medical issues. Poppy has been doing pretty good for the condition he is in. The nurses called on Monday last week and expressed their concern over a medical issue for Non. On Tuesday, Jen gets a call-"You should come to the home, Joe probably won't make it through the night."
Jen says-"Do you mean Peggy?"
"No-Joe. Is failing fast. We think he had a heart attack."
So, off they go to the nursing home and sure as shoot- Joe dies 3 hours later.
The funeral was Saturday. It was a nice funeral- oh, and by the way, Larry is related to Peggy, so, he is more of a relative than I am. Larry got to visit with a bunch of people and look at old pictures. The best part was the bag piper during the service.
Then Sunday morning at 5:00 am the phone rings- Nona is failing fast, you better get here. And she passed away a couple of hours later.
So, Peggy and Joe are together again. I suppose it was hard to be apart after 66 years.
As a little aside- Jenny called to say that Papa Joe wanted a whole 9 yards funeral- casket, visitation and burial and Joe and Tom said "Let's use Schmidt's". So, when Jen told me that, I said..."HELLO??? Remember Uncle Andy's funeral??? The orange, pumpkin-head, alien look?( He really looked awful, but it kind of provided a little comic relief for us during his funeral)
Jen, do you not remember- Vicki (Andy's wife of 2 days- he died on their honeymoon) had Schmidt's do his funeral!"
"NOOOOO!!! Oh Yikes!" So she rushed down to the funeral home and told them that there would be no orange makeup and Poppy better not look like an alien!-
They said that they have a new make-up person. Well, thank god! And Joe did look OK- I mean, for being dead and all.
This funeral is Wednesday and Larry is thrilled to be going to another funeral. Not that he is happy that Peggy is dead, but, he loves going to funerals to talk to people he doesn't see too often. Peggy relatives from California are flying in. Not Doris (their Mom) , but the daughters- we haven't seen them in over 20 years! We always had a lot of fun when our families got together, so it will be nice to see them.
And just for the record-the snow is almost gone! YAY!

Larry Turned 82-WOW!

2008-03-25T11:43:00.003-05:00

Well, we had an exciting week- more snow.......sigh...... on Good Friday, no less- 15 inches of snow. Needless to say, it kind of put a kabash on our kite flying and baseball playing Easter Sunday.
However, my family, is not to be denied outside time, so they all just had a HUGE snowball fight. It was very entertaining to watch- how the loyalties were divided and how they would switch as the battle progressed. And no one had on boots or gloves-that is tough Wisconsin natives for you! Katie and Jessie were both out there in their high heeled dress boots- not real practical for running from a bombardment of snowballs and getting chased across the lawn. Very funny! I forgot to take pictures, of course. And poor Elvis had to tinkle in the midst of the madness, so I took him out on the porch and called for a truce while he peed. RIGHT! NOT!!! They kept bombarding us as he tried to go, so he was very happy to see everyone leave later. Finally, he could tinkle in peace!
It was Larry's 82 birthday yesterday. Everyone sang happy birthday on Sunday and we had cake then too, so I didn't really do anything special for him Monday- I just let him sleep more than he normally would. He appreciated it.
We are almost at the end of the antibiotics- he has 3 more to take every other day. But, he seems to be feeling better. I am really intending that it is gone. We need to move on! And when spring finally gets here and he can sit outside again, he will definitely fell way better! Unfortunately, it feels as if spring will never get here! It has been a long, long winter.
I also am finally almost completely over the cold/cough thing that I had going on. That was nasty! Many people that I have talked to have either had it before or have it now. I am just glad that I am over it. Thank you very much. I am also very grateful that Larry never got it.
We went to Columbus last weekend to see what they did to the town so that they could film the new Johnny Depp movie about Al Capone. Really interesting! Larry loved it! John and Mickey picked us up and we drove the scenic (Well, like there is any other way BUT scenic) route there. Found parking and got Larry out and pushed him around. It was kind of hard with him in the wheelchair because everything was roped off, so you couldn't just walk straight to it. You had to turn around and go around the block one way to see one side of the street, etc. It was worth it because we saw them painting store fronts and changing awnings and signs. They had a bunch of fake cobblestone down on the street and many store windows were filled with 1930 era stuff. I had often wondered how they use towns in movies, but make them look so different. Now I know.
We did not see Johnny Depp, but, that wasn't one of our goals anyhow- although Mickey would have fallen over if we had seen him!
I am hoping that it will be warm enough to walk this week. Sharon and I walked several times last week before all the new snow. Felt good to get outside and really walk! We will see....it is supposed to get to 50 degrees today- I do not think it has gotten even near that.
This week is relatively calm for us- April we have tons of appointments- May we have tons of appointments. We are having his cataracts done in May and June- so that adds a whole bunch of appointments right there. And...rummaging should be starting any time now! YAY!!!

What a beautiful day!!! YAY!

2008-03-14T15:49:00.003-05:00

Well, it seemed like it would never come. Warmer weather- the sun- no snow. Yet, here it is, March 14 and 58 degrees and sunny. The snow is slowly fading into the earth. I feel like sitting outside on a lawn chair, but, it is not quite warm enough for that. Still, it feels great to even be able to consider it!
We drove Biza down to the airport this afternoon so that she could fly back home. We were a couple of large bumps on logs while she was here this time because we were so sick! I do not remember being this sick for a very LONG time! But, it feels like everything is clearing out. I still have a bit of a cough, but compared to yesterday or the day before, it is nothing! I thought that I was going to turn inside out- that is how hard I was coughing. And I can't take a lot of over the counter cough meds because something in them does not agree with me and makes me feel like I am dieing-not fun- so, I just try to manage with the natural stuff that I have. We were doing the apple cider vinegar and honey and we tried the onions sauteed for 40 minutes with honey. Took lots of echinacea and lots of emergen-C and drank copious amounts of water. I drink a lot of water everyday anyhow, but I think that we drank 2 gallons the other day. That's a lot of water.
Larry seems to be doing OK through all of this. We tried not to cough on him and I kept spraying the air and surface sanitizer everywhere. He had dialysis today, so is down for the count for the rest of the afternoon.
My Dad's sister, Nettie passed away right before Biz got here, so we went to the funeral. Nettie and her 5 boys were frequent visitors when we were smaller, because Nettie's husband passed away when she was pregnant with her youngest. She raised those 5 boys all by herself, while working full time. She was quite a gal! And up until about 1 1/2 years ago-probably right before she turned 90- she was still living by herself and still doing her thing! Her son Dick moved in with her ( He is retired)when she started to have some more serious problems, and she got to live out her life in her home. He and I were on the same learning curve with the cooking of food. Salt restriction means -NO PACKAGED FOODS! You learn to cook creatively ,freehand- no boxes. I do cheat once in awhile with Larry because he goes to dialysis to take off the fluid, but Nettie really retained fluid if she had even a little bit of extra salt! Not fun for a good Kraut woman who likes a bratwurst and a beer now and then!
Her family had a 90th birthday party for her and she had a brat and a beer. The Dr. , kind of scolded her the next week and she told him "You only turn 90 once!" Last year on her 91st birthday, her sister brought her chocolate cake . She said-"Oh! It was so good!" Unfortunately, it was loaded with sodium and she puffed up! Sigh...no more chocolate cake. Now there is only one of my Dad's family left- the baby Collette. She looks pretty good for being 82ish!
Well, I feel like a slug, but I could do nothing all week because I had cotton candy between my ears. Kind of sad when you can't even focus on anything! I couldn't read a book...I had trouble following TV shows... Oh well, I am on the upswing ,so, I should probably get to work trying to get stuff up for sale. Have a sunny day!

C-diff 101 or What I have learned About C-diff

2008-03-12T15:56:00.003-05:00

First of all, let me just say that I really think that at this point I know more about treating c-diff than most of the doctors that I have talked to. The infectious diseases doctor confirmed- YES!!! You need a really good probiotic twice a day and she wanted Larry to have as much acidophelis yogurt as possible- up to 4 times a day. The tapering dose of antibiotics is important because it kills the flare-ups before they can get out of hand and it is easier to up the dose for a day or 2 to keep it from coming back, than it is to have to start all over again. It was nice to finally talk to someone who knew some of the things that I had read about online and didn't look at me like I was nuts asking about these different treatments. And Larry is feeling better. This is a good thing.
He survived the hospital stay- it was one of the worst ever-what the hell are they thinking at these places???? I wasn't going to say anything else, but I just wanted to say- They had Larry in isolation because of the c-diff. This means that you must gown up and put on gloves etc when you come into the room. So, they would come in and put him on the bedside commode and wipe his butt when he finished. Then they would help him back into bed and move stuff around-WITH THE DIRTY GLOVES ON! YUCK! Housekeeping did a terrible job on the room and they never once wiped down his hospital table. I was constantly getting anti bacterial wipes and wiping everything down! I think that it is totally ridiculous how lax they are with sanitary conditions. I can really see why they have so many problems in hospitals. It is a mess! I was glad to bring him home because I know that it is cleaner here then there!
Elizabeth is in town this week and she brought a lovely little bug with her- so she and I have been sicker than dogs since Saturday. Normally when she comes we have projects-like this time we were thinking of painting my bedroom. No.... we have been pretty much laying like sad little pandas doing Zip- Zero- Nada. I don't remember ever in my adult life coughing so hard and so much. Yikes!
Yesterday, it was finally kind of nice out, so we thought that we would take Larry for a ride. Into Milwaukee. There is a new restaurant that opened up that serves only grill cheese sandwiches and he has wanted to go find it for a few weeks. We headed down Pilgrim Rd- and I promptly blew through a stop-light (I did realize what I was doing and slammed on the brakes before I made it through) I then looked at Lar and Biz and announced- No Milwaukee today. Obviously my head is not quite there. We will get there one of these days.

Well, It's Finally March,But Where is Spring??

2008-03-03T16:31:00.002-06:00

We finally made it to March, which means that we are on the downhill side of winter. I know that I complained a lot.... I am not a huge winter fan, but, I do think that it was certainly a very pretty winter. With all the snow. All the time. And I can deal with the snow....it was just the seemingly never-ending cold! It snowed and then it would get cold...and then it would snow... and then get really cold.
Well, the end is in sight and daylight savings time is going to start this Sunday, which means that we will have the illusion of longer days!
Biza is also coming up this week. I am so glad. I can't tell you how nice it is to have someone else to be here and that can kind of take over some of the stuff to give me a little bit of a break.
It has also been a long winter with Larry's health. And-oh, that's right, I haven't said...he is back in the hospital with the c-diff. He was doing great. e took in a stool sample on the 22nd and it was good- no c-diff. He was feeling pretty good. Stronger, a little more of an appetite. We drove up to Fond du Lac to the Miracle Mile to get lottery tickets on the 24th and went to Culver's in Sussex and met Jim and Elaine for lunch on the 25th. All good. Feeling good. And then by Sunday night, he wasn't feeling so good. He was nauseous and couldn't eat. Then we watched the Oscars (BORING!!!But we always have to see the dresses and hope for at least one good speech) and he said-oh-oh! I have to go! So we rushed to the bathroom and at least he made it, but, I knew that it wasn't looking good. And then while he was on the toilet, he started the uncontrollable shivering (Again-not good), so when he was done, he says- just let me go to bed and we will see how I am in the morning.
I said-No....I think we better think about heading for the emergency room.
Please, can't we just wait and see if I feel better in a little while?
Alright.
Maybe if you got me a little ginger ale, it would help me feel better.
O.K. so off to the kitchen I go to get a glass of Ginger Ale, when I hear retching coming form the bedroom. Crap-he just threw up all over the place.
Now, I bring the ginger-ale and the thermometer in along with warm, damp wash cloth, etc to clean him up. He is shaking so hard that he can't keep the thermometer in- but it is reading over 99 so, we know that he has a temp.
I am sorry Lar- we have to go. I am not waiting until 3:00 am and have to call the rescue squad. So we got him cleaned up and into the van and off we went. This time, he was in a room by 5:00 am (11:15 pm to 5:00 seems about an average span, doesn't it?) They took a stool sample and ran all the other tests.
By 1:00pm on Monday, they knew that the c-diff was back, so we all have to wear the yellow isolation gowns again and they started him on Flagil. I told them that that would not work. But, they ignored me and sure as shoot, by Tuesday, he was pooping like a goose about 20 times during the day. Totally dehydrated (Yet-they had him on a severe fluid restriction). So, infectious diseases came in and started him on the 2 he was on before.
I will write more about that later because, right now, the sun is still out and I am meeting Sharon to walk.
Adios!

Blah-blah-blah

2008-02-17T15:38:00.002-06:00

As pretty much anyone who lives in the midwest in winter can tell you...by February, the winter blahs have set in and you just keep looking for signs of spring. The sun peeps out once in a while, but for the most part, it feels gray. And Cold. And snowy. BLAH!
We are under another winter weather advisory today. It has been raining all day. Which, may seem like that is a good thing, but the rain has turned all of the surfaces to glare ice. Everything is slippery! Poor Elvis slid right across the porch and down the steps this morning when I took him out for his morning tinkle. I had to use the ice chopper as a stabilizing pick when I went to get the paper this morning, or I for sure would have been flat on my back, sliding around in the cold and wet driveway. Then, the driveway is also flooding, so I had to dig out the drainage ditch so it could drain. I slid down into the water of the ditch and it was up to the top of my snowmobile boots-that is knee high to those who don't know! Then, it is supposed to turn into snow at any time now.
Yesterday, Phrog's buddy Randy came with a skid loader and pushed the snow around and back out of the way, just in case we got the 12 inches that they said were possible. Then I loaded Larry and Elvis in the car and we went on an ice melter mission. Fleet Farm was completely out of salt, so I had to pay $15.00 for a 50lb bag at Menard's. The price isn't the problem, it is the 50 lbs- that is not easy to pour into my bucket to take outside! I'll probably use the whole bag later on, after the snow stops!
Larry is not feeling very good today, but then again, neither am I. He got up twice to go to the bathroom last night, so I don't feel like I got alot of sleep. So I am kind of groggy and feeling just a bit off. Larry says his stomach doesn't feel good, but, I really think that is a side effect of those anti-biotics. The Doctor even said- these are really hard on your stomach, so you probably won't be really hungry, but you have to eat anyhow.
I had a talk with him again yesterday because he is again lamenting how weak he is and how he just doesn't feel good. I sat down and asked him- "So, are we talking don't feel good as in you feel worse than last week?"
"No, I feel better than last week".
"Then are you talking recent past that you don't feel as good as, or are we talking before your first heart attack?"
"Well, I don't feel as good as I used to before all this stuff started."
"So, several years, is what you are saying. That you have not felt good in several years."
"Yes."
"Larry, you are never, ever going to feel that good again. I am sorry. But, You are not. You have to come up with a new starting point for how you are feeling. You can't keep saying you don't feel good, when you are comparing it to 4 years ago, before any of your medical issues started."
And he just looked at me.....I really don't think that he sees that by focusing on how BAD he feels, that he is never going to feel good. You can't change how you are feeling if you are dragging around all the old crap and won't let it go. You don't have any room to let it in. Your arms are full, hugging the Bad feelings to yourself and telling yourself over and over, that no one understands how bad you feel.
Well, what about how when you feel OK?
Doesn't matter- I still feel bad and always feel bad and that is that. The days when I feel OK are flukes and I want to feel better than OK, so, it is not enough. Not enough ever.
Bless his pointy little head.
But, I guess that it is his life and if he wants to be miserable, I will let him- just so long as he stops trying to drag me down there with him. And every once in a while, I will point out that if he wants to feel better, he can- feel better. Just let go of the past and what you are expecting.

The Never Ending Snow

2008-02-12T12:25:00.000-06:00

Well,as it is winter in Wisconsin...it is snowing again. Between the snow and the cold (It was just -13 degrees on the weekend) it is making this one, long, winter. It sure is pretty though, so that's a plus!
I cleaned my keyboard before and must not have put the spacer bar back in correctly because my spaces aren't working!
Anyhow- Larry has finished the first 7 days of the 14 day course of Vanco and Xifaxan. He felt better within 48 hours of starting the meds. I am sure this will work-how's that for positive thinking? They are holding off on therapy for a month,so that he can hopefully, have a little bit more oomph to try to do the exercises. I was kind of sad that they stopped for the month,but with Medicare, it gets kind of tricky. For Medicare to pay-You have to show progress- which he hasn't because he keeps getting sick and then that makes him weak. So they feel that stopping for the month and then restarting is the best plan. I just am intending that he doesn't get even weaker than he has been because-as I stated before- it is really hard to get him to do anything here at home.
Oh- and this morning, I was getting his antibiotic doses set up for the week and low and behold-we are 9 pills short on the Vanco. SO I called the pharmacy when they opened and asked them about it.They put me on hold and came back about 5 minutes later-"Well,I don't know how it happened,but I show 9 extra in the computer, so you can just come and pick them up." What if I had not been paying attention to the days,or was like a lot of Larry's older friends who would never even think to question the amount. I tell you, since Walmart lost Dennis,their pharmacy manager, it has really gone down hill.
We haven't been doing too much because the weather has been so cruddy. I don't take Larry out too much to just cruise around when the roads are this bad. It isn't worth the risk that I would get stuck and then have to figure out how to get him out of wherever I am stuck at. I did throw him in the car so he could do errands with me yesterday.It was a balmy 8 degrees, so I got him a chocolate shake while I ran into the post office,then to Walmart (Where I politely declined a new prescription for a phosphorus binder at $195.00-which would be per month.No thanks!) and then to the Piggly Wiggly for Old Dutch Air Puffed Corn to make a couple more batches of carmel corn.That is the best carmel corn ever and easy to make.
Well,time to go shovel. BFN.

Is it Spring Yet???? I didn't think so!

2008-02-06T12:41:00.000-06:00

Can anyone in the mid- west believe the winter we have had this year??? It is either snowing or it's cold and sometimes it's snowing AND cold!
We are in the midst of another snow storm- this time we could get up to 20 inches! We are not used to that amount of snow! We get an inch or two. Maybe 3-4...but this is the second time in 2 weeks that we have had over 12 inches of snow! Well, at least we can stay home the rest of the day and not have to worry about it!
Monday, Larry had dialysis and wasn't feeling good- I was a little worried that the c-diff was coming back. And lo and behold, by 8:00 pm, he was pooping like a goose. So, I called the Dr. in the morning and had to wait for her to get back to me. I also had to cancel Elvis' haircut because Larry couldn't be alone for the 40 minutes that it would take to get Elvis to the groomer and get back home. He was really weak and wobbly again and that ain't good when you are sprinting for the john! Well, as sprinting as you can sprint when you are 81 with a prostesis, muscle weakness and a walker!
The Dr. finally called back (After we got to therapy, which we decided was a no go after about 20 minutes of Larry half heartedly sitting and trying to do his exercises) and said she would call in 2 prescriptions and I should just go pick them up. Take Lar back home, get him settled in bed, under a nice warm blankie and off to Walmart , oh so convieneant drive through pharmacy I go.
"Your insurance won't cover this one and it is $198.00"
"Why won't the insurance cover it?"
"They don't say."
"Well, I am just going to have to pay-he needs the antibiotics- what else can I do?"'All right, we'll get them ready because we didn't think you would want them at that price." and off they go to do whatever it is they do-and all of a sudden they popped back on-
"Hold on, we have your Doctor on the line and she says she will try to straighten it out, so call us back later and check".
My cell rings about 10 minutes later and it is Dr. Miller-" well, we don't know what the insurance company is going to do- they faxed me a letter saying I will have a decision in 72 hours. If I don't hear from them by noon and get it straightened out, I want you to take Larry to the emergency room and we'll treat it intreveineously from there."
I get home and tell Lar that he may being going in again and he just looks resigned and says-"OK".
She called at 12:15 "They just faxed me the OK, so, you can go pick them up at the pharmacy."
I am no dumb bunny and figured that I better call the pharmacy to make sure it was OK and that they had the meds, etc. And the answer to those questions was- sure they have the meds, but the fax that they got still shows they are not covered- call us back in 15 minutes and we'll see what is up.
15 minutes later, I call again. OK- we have it all set. They are done and your balance on the 2 is $191.54. I was not about to argue- I just want the dang drugs to get Larry going on them to hopefully knock this infection out for good!
He has had a days worth now, so hopefully we will see an improvement soon.
And in the meantime....SNOW! SNOW! SNOW! You can't even tell that it was shoveled out there! If I was a kid, I'd be in heaven with all these snow days they've been getting!
And as a foot note- Say a little prayer for my neighbor across the street. They just hauled him away in the ambulance- they think he had a stroke. God bless.

Awww Shoot! Guess Where Larry Is?

2008-01-19T17:33:00.000-06:00

Well, Thursday I had to take Larry back to the hospital.
He got up and I took him to therapy Thursday am. He was a little off- didn't feel quite right, but- it's Larry and he almost always says that he doesn't feel good.
Ok- we get back from therapy and I let him nap. Get him up for lunch- he is still not feeling good. He says that he is very cold and feels weak and wobbly- I pretty much ignore that because he ALWAYS complains that he is feeling weak and that his legs are wobbly. At 3:00 I let him lay back down for a nap and when I went to get him up at 5:00, he couldn't stand up. That is NEVER good. Now, I know that- alright, he wasn't just complaining, but something is really going on. Now- do I take him to the Dr. or the Emergency room? I call the clinic to find out how late they are there. 8:00 pm. Great! I explain the situation, they transfer me to the Dr.'s nurse Heide. Explain the situation to her and my dilemma- Clinic or emergency room I ask. "Hold on" she says. Goes and has a confab with the doc, comes back on the line- "Dr. Miller agrees with you- she would probably send him to the emergency room after she saw him anyways, so head for the emergency room."
Now.....It just snowed all afternoon....then it got really COLD! The car doors were frozen shut. I got one open and got the van running to thaw out. Finally, I get Lar transfered to the wheelchair (He could not walk at all, and could just barely stand), coat on, hat on, bundled under a blanket, bed buddy heated up and around his shoulders and out we go into the swirling snow.
What was I thinking? He could not stand because it was very slippery all around the car. Hmmm....I pulled the floor mat out and threw it on the ground. Perfect! Worked great! Still wasn't a piece of cake getting him standing, but at least his feet wouldn't slip out from under him. We roll up to the emergency room and do the car mat trick in reverse. Get him chaired and rolled to the door. SHOOT! Forgot the dang mat on the ground! Run back to the car and scoop the mat into the car. Run back and finish getting Larry into Triage.
We had the best nurse in emergency. She was really great and made the time go quickly, but it was still 10:00 before we were in a room- this time it was in ICU because they were a little worried about his blood pressures which were hovering around 68 over 35 ish. A wee bit low- even for Mr. Larson who normally runs about 88 over 45. And I was so hungry by the time I left at 10:30 ish, that I drove through Taco Bell- haven't had Taco Bell in a longggg time.
So, after all the tests- some of whose results are still not in- but the conclusion that they have reached is- the c-diff is back. So, we all had to wear the lovely yellow isolation gowns in his room. They classy thing about the ICU is they bring the dialysis equipment up to you and dialysis you right in the room. So,Larry and Phrog and the dialysis tech (very nice lady)sat and watched old movies while he dialysed. That made Larry happy. They keep saying they are going to move him out of ICU, but still haven't.
He just called me and they finally transfered him up to the MCU floor and he is now in room 226. We are not sure when they are going to release him. I am hoping Monday or Tuesday- not tomorrow. We will see what they say in the morning. Phrog is taking the first shift tomorrow, so Elvis and I can sleep in. YAY! And it is still supposed to be this cold tomorrow! Not looking forward to that. I can't imagine the Packers and the Giants playing in this weather! I LIVE in Wisconsin for the crying out loud, and I'll tell you- IT'S COLD!!!!! I went to get the mail and my hands were numb. How can you catch a football in that? Well, it will be fun to watch! Go Pack!

Let's Keep Our Fingers Crossed!!!

2008-01-11T16:34:00.000-06:00

Well, Larry finished the Vancomycin last night. When he did a stool sample on the 31st, it came back negatorie for the c-diff, but the Doc wanted us to use the 10 day course of Vanco to make sure that it really, truly was gone. We will keep our fingers and toes crossed!!!
Between the c-diff and the vanco, Larry was pretty wobbly. One of the more serious side effects is muscle weakness. We all discussed it and decided that the pros were much higher using the vanco to get rid of the c-diff, than stopping and trying to find a different antibiotic that would do the job and keep it gone- AND not have any bad side effects too.
So-I have had 10 days of Larry feeling not so red hot. The bad part about it is, when he is this wobbly, I can't leave him alone for any real length of time, so that I can go decompress. Not really great for my mental health, but you do what you have to do and roll with the punches. I have done a lot of meditation the last week-OMMMM- and laundry....in the basement..... with Pewter (you KNOW that I need to get away when I hide out in the basement!)
The really good news is, he is starting to feel a little better and I can tell that he is a little stronger. His knees are not buckling as much- only every once in a while instead of 8 times from the bedroom to the bathroom. So, I said to him- "Wow! Isn't it nice that you are doing better? You haven't had your knees collapse all morning?" And he says-
"No! I am not doing better. I am still very weak and see how my legs still collapse? That is NOT better!"
"Well, Lar, you seem way more stable and not nearly as wobbly"
"I AM NOT! See???Look!!! My legs just buckled right there! You just don't know how frightening it is! I never know when they are going to go! I am not doing any better!"
And it is true- I DO know how frightening it is for him to have his knees buckle and almost fall, but you have to keep going- BECAUSE the buckling is from being so WEAK! I do not know why he can not correlate that into his equation. Not gonna stop collapsing unless you get stronger- that takes exercise. HELLO. He still argues with me about that- that exercise is not helping him at all. sighhhhhh
I keep reassuring him that everything is going to be OK, you are getting stronger again. It just takes some effort and time.
Then he will tell me- no, it's not getting any better and none of this is doing any good.
Then I say- you are getting stronger. Slowly. But, it is improvement. You just have no room built in for any thing that makes you weaker. One day of not feeling good, wipes out all of the stamina that you had built up. It isn't quick, it isn't easy, but you have to keep going if you don't want to be completely unable to move at all. Dependant on others to do everything- and then, we would have to reevaluate whether you can be at home anymore if you are going to be completely immobile.
Then, he usually starts crying and telling me I am being mean and he is trying to do everything I say.
I am not trying to be mean-He does not get that he has to do this stuff for HIMSELF. Not for me...not for Phrog... not for anyone except himself. If it were really beyond his capabilities, I would certainly figure out other ways to compensate for the things that he can't do. I cut him way too much slack over the last year, after he started dialysis. I let him sit and not do anything. It was not good for either of us and the result of my letting him slack off, is his weakness. His legs were so weak, they were buckling all the time. He can barely raise either of his arms. That is why we restarted therapy. But- HE HAS TO DO IT FOR HIMSELF! And he doesn't get that.
Well, tomorrow is another day. And hopefully, it will be a day when he is a little stronger- and the next day, a little stronger...and pretty soon, the wobbly, weakness, will be a distant memory.

In the Front Yard I have Built a Snowman

2007-12-31T15:40:00.000-06:00

Christmas is gone. How sad. We had snow again this weekend- a pretty big storm that dropped 7 inches of wet and heavy white stuff. It was perfect for snowman building! It is just beautiful and still coating all the trees and wires! I took pictures . Some were at night-it was so pretty, but didn't translate into photos standing on the porch!
Mushy came down with her little snow blower and cleaned the walks and driveway. It was a heck of a lot faster than shoveling. Then Phrog showed up and roof raked. So, we are good to go until it starts to melt later this week when it hits 40 degrees. First we have to get through the cold snap- It is supposed to get down to 7 degrees tomorrow night! Brrrr!!!
I am leaving the tree up until the weekend for Lar- then it has to come down. It is drier than a popcorn fart. Even looking at it causes needles to fall of at an alarming rate. I'll leave alot of the other stuff up for a while 'cuz Lar loves it so much. And let's face it...it's a lot of work to put it all away, so why not procrastinate a bit??
Got a call the other day that Betty Schaetzel- who was one of Mom's best friends and always a good friend to the whole family- passed away. It is weird that I had not talked to her for months and then called her the other day to wish them a happy holiday. She said that they were going to try to come down for New Year's. Mom's friends are dwindling down.
Some day I will tell Betty stories. There are a lot of them- some involving mice (which she was deathly afraid of and you should never, ever let kids know your weaknesses if you are that scared). OK-I'll tell one quick Betty story. Katie snuck a white mouse home once. Finally, Mom found out and said- OK, just make sure that you take care of it. Well, the cats could get the poor thing no matter what we put him in- they would knock it over and chase him around. So we put him in a cage in the bathroom and kept the door shut tight so the cats couldn't get in. Enter Betty and Ruben (her hubby ) who were down in the basement antique shop one afternoon (Mom had a really nice antique shop in the basement and barn for 25 years). I am sure that there was beer or cocktails involved-it was the 1960s after all and everything involved having cocktails. Betty came upstairs to use the bathroom. In the bathroom was an antique bird cage. Betty goes in and you can hear her in there "Well, what did Mary Ann let those kids get now? I can't believe she would let them get a bird". She stuck her nose closer to the cage to check it out, just about the same time the white mouse stuck his nose out of the shredded paper on the bottom of the cage. All of a sudden therre was a blood curdling scream and Betty went running by waving her arms and screaming! The poor woman did not stop until she ran the full 3 blocks home.
Betty and Shirley and Mom were quite the 3 some and went to auctions and antiquing all the time. What stories they would tell!
Anyhow, the funeral is 3 hours away on Wednesday, so I won't be able to take Larry to it. I sent flowers and will send a card.
It is New Year's Eve. The last day of 2007. We are just making pizza and watching Fred and Ginger all night. Larry still has the c-diff and will start a 3rd course of antibiotics this evening. I had called the Dr. this am to tell her that it was not gone yet, so she had us do another poop sample and wanted to start a new antibiotic. She said to just go to Walmart and pick it up. So, I get Larry home from dialysis and head over to the Falls. The parking lot was a zoo at Walmart, but, the drive through was not open, so I finally found a parking spot and hoofed into the store to join the line at the pharmacy, where everyone is coughing and sneezing and snarffling. OK, my turn finally. "Oh, the med has to be pre approved by your insurance. We sent the form to your MD and you should be able to get that in 4 or 5 days." Okkkkkkk.....this is for an infection and she wanted to have him start now. "oh! well- you can pay cash" and how much would that be? She walks away to the computer behind the wall and comes back a few seconds later "Six hundred and thirty four dollars." WHAT???? Are you crazy?????That's not happening. "Well, I suggest you call your MD and find out what she suggests."
So, I call the doc's office and leave the message to get a call back. Heide the nurse calls after I get home and tells me that the doc just called the insurance co. and they OKed a one time over ride, so, now, I can go back and pick up the prescription.
Well, when I got Larry up from his nap, I loaded him in the car and we went over there again. I checked the drive through and Hallalujah! It was open! They only had 12 pills ($212 worth) no cost- and I have to go back on Wednesday to pick up the rest- hopefully, also at no co-pay.
We did get cheescake nuggets at Arby's on the way home- so it was worth it!

Fa-la-la-la-la,Christmas Cheer

2007-12-26T12:09:00.001-06:00

Well, it has been a long week and I am glad it is over.
I love Christmas and look forward to it all year, but this year, with all the stuff going on with Larry, I was one emotional wreck by Christmas Eve.
He went to the Doctor for a follow-up on Friday and everything seemed pretty good. It was his last dose of the antibiotic- everything seemed OK.
On Saturday, he started to get the diarrhea again and Sunday, when he had dialysis, he wound up having to go on a bedpan in the middle of his session. He was totally wiped out afterward and progressively worse as the day went on. He could hardly stand up much less walk and had to keep going to the bathroom. I would have taken him to the emergency room, but he would have been very, very, very depressed to spend Christmas in the hospital.
I finally pulled his lift chair into his bedroom so that he could at least sit up in a chair and then I drove through the blowing snow to get Gatorade because I figured he was dehydrated again. I also made the executive decision to give him another dose of the antibiotic (I had extras because he was in the hospital and didn't use the full course that I had at home).
So, he woke up at 3:00 am and pooped all over because he just couldn't get to the john in time. OK- I can deal with it. I get him up at 8:30 and he is walking a little better, but still not quite right. He goes to the john and then we go to have breakfast- which he barely touches. I in the meantime have calls out to the Doctors office to get a new script for the Flagil and she calls back-YUP! we'll do another 10 day course. Good- that is taken care of. Coumidin clinic called and we got that all straightened out.
Well Lar, you want to go lay down? Yes! So he stands up and poop gushes out everywhere- down both legs- into his shoes- into his prostesis- even into the liner IN his prostesis. It is everywhere. We get to the bathroom and get his clothes stripped off and his leg stripped off and washed up- shoes changed out so I could clean the pooped ones- I have disinfectant spray and paper towels and am running around trying to clean up. We get him washed up and back to bed and it takes me an hour to get everything cleaned up. Now I am weeping- Not because I am angry at Larry- or even angry at all. I am just weeping because it seems like my whole life for the last year- especially at holidays (Is what it seems like to me)revolves around cleaning up poop. And I was just feeling a little bit sorry for myself and cried all morning. At home, I cried- As I drove to the grocery to get the salad stuff (I was going to go at 8:00 am but had to wait for the Dr. call back)and could find no parking and had to circle the parking lot for 15 minutes, I cried. When Phrog called to see if I needed him to do anything- I cried. Brother David called to check on if I needed anything- I cried. I was pretty much a basket case all day, but finally stopped weeping around 2:00 when Travis and Jake got there (Katie's Sons) and went out to help them shovel the sidewalks.
When I got Larry up from his nap, he was feeling much better and we had no more real poop emergencies for the rest of the day. Everyone showed up and we had a lovely time. It was a very nice Christmas.
Then, on Christmas day, Larry and I decided to go for a drive because it was fairly warm (30 degrees) and sunny. We went to Katie's and I dropped off nuts and candy that were left over from the night before and had baked a monkey bread for the boys (That stuff is really Yummy!) She wanted us to stay and join the group -everyone goes to her house on Christmas Day and plays games. It is just too hard to get Larry in when it is as snowy as it is now, so we declined and left to continue our leisurely drive. When we got into West Bend, John called and said we should come back to Slinger and he would take us on a tour of the new Fire Station. WOW! They did a great job on the fire station, let me tell you! And, they got a fire call while we were getting ready to leave, so we got to watch the guys race in and get gear on and jump in the trucks and GO!
All in all a very nice day! We both enjoyed it- and so did Elvis because he got to come along in the car.
Today, Larry had dialysis and I had a talk with the girls and told him how bad he was on Sunday, so they aren't going to take him to his dry weight for the next couple of sessions. Hopefully, the Flagil will have a chance to get this C-Diff out of his system and we won't have to deal with it and dialysis can go back to doing what they feel is best . Until then- Nope! He has to keep some fluid on so he doesn't dehydrate.
We are going to go drive and look at lights with Travis and Jake this evening, so, I guess better get Lar up and fed.
Merry Christmas!

Hot Damn! We're building ice dams!

2007-12-22T17:45:00.000-06:00

And that is not a GOOD thing- ice dams are bad! I had to call Phrog last week and have him come over and chip on the ice over the back porch because it was starting to leak into the house around a couple of windows. NOT GOOD!
He worked out there for 6 hours- raking snow, throwing salt up and hitting the ice with his hammer. Don't do this at home folks- he is a professional. Well, sort of. And it worked and the ice has been melting, melting! What a world! What a world- oh- sorry, started to channel the wicked witch. Anyhow, the weather has been warmer with rain and fog, so almost all of the ice is gone. Just in time for another storm tonight.
Mushy and Jim took Larry out to look at Christmas lights last night. He had a good time, although they couldn't see much through the fog. He loves to go see Christmas lights and wanted me to take him tonight, but, it is just as foggy and rainy to boot. Maybe we can go drive around on Christmas day night.
I also went out last night and man oh man! You could hardly see anything. Cars headlights coming at you were not visible until you were almost on top of them. And then ,when we were on this back country road, all of a sudden this teenage boy came running at the car waving his arms- have you ever had anyone appear like that, out of the fog in front of your car???? It scared the heck out of me and Louise! Aiiiiiiiiii!!!!! Turns out he was chasing his little dog around on the road, but he is just darn lucky that we were going slow enough to stop without killing him!
Larry has dialysis tomorrow so he doesn't have to go in on Christmas Eve. That is nice, to have Christmas off, but, I am going to have a heck of a time keeping the days straight for the rest of the week. You wind up being off a day for everything. I'll make notes and put them on the fridge to try to keep track of what day is what!
And speaking of Christmas, I have to make my Tirimasu torte tomorrow. I made 3 batches of carmel corn today. It makes a great little something to give to people. Everyone is coming here. I have the house pretty well cleaned and am just finishing up the last of the wash before Christmas. I even did all of out blankets with the sheets this week, so everything is clean and fresh!
I also have to find an ugly Christmas sweater for myself to wear. We always have a gimmick -hats, socks, vests- one year we made everyone cat-in the hat hats- and one year we made Grinch teeshirts for everyone. You get the drift. I will try to find some photos of Christmas pasts. It is always fun. And we always would go out caroling. Caroling ended when Kurt died- we tried that first year, but, it just wasn't the same. He always led the charge and decided what we were singing. He had a great voice and loved to harmonize. I wanted to start caroling again, but, I really doubt that the rest of the crew wants to do it. We'll see.

Hi-ho! Hi-ho! Back to the Hospital We Go!

2007-12-16T17:07:00.000-06:00

Wednesday morning, Larry was feeling OK- still had loose stools, but, not feeling too bad. So, we go to dialysis. I tell them what new antibiotic he is on and for what. I leave and return at 10:00 as I usually do and Larry is jusy getting off the machine. The poor guy is shivering, he is so cold! And then when they weigh him, Oops! he is 84.7 k- a little under his dry weight. Oh well. He can have a little extra fluid today.
Right..... So, we go home and he can barely keep his protein drink down. Solid food is a no go, he is shivering like he has palsy. We finally get him under his electric blanket and it takes 2 hours to get even fairly warm.
Larry, you have to get up and try to eat and drink something. You are feeling so terrible because you are dehydrated.
"Noooo! I can't eat...I don't even want to try. So, it goes like this all day. He is nauseous and flemmy and cold. No making him feel better. And he is moaning and groaning and generally miserable, but at the same time-DRIVING ME NUTS! Phrog stopped by and even visiting with him did nothing to boost Larry's mood. I kept saying- "Do you want me to take you to the emergency room?" "NO". O.K....
We go to bed at 9:30. And Larry is still just miserable. At 12:30 am on Thursday (or Wednesday nite if you prefer) Larry paged me. Down I go and he had not made it to the bathroom with the diarrhea. We get cleaned up, clean up everything else, tuck him back into bed.
Now, I am awake and tossing and turning. I don't know why I couldn't get back to sleep, I just know that it is very frustrating when you are so tired and just laying there staring at the clock.
Well, at 3:00 am on Thursday morning, my intercom goes off again. So, I fly out of bed, run down the steps and there is Larry, laying on the floor next to his bed. Now, he must have woken up enough to turn on the bedside light, because that was on, but he said he passed out as he was sitting up and just slid off the bed (you know, when you only have one leg to stand on, you got nothing on that side to break your slide)He cut his shoulder and his foot on something, so there was blood and I knew that there was no way on God's green earth that I was getting him off of that floor by myself, especially since we didn't know why he fell or if he was hurt.
911
"Hello- I have an 81 year old male on the floor, bleeding from 2 areas that I can see. He says that he just must have fainted when he tried to sit up."
Ambulance is on the way. Great!
I have to mention here, that we live about 1 mile from the fire station and have several rescue squad people in our neighborhood, including Nikki, who lives across the street with her husband and 2 kids and her father next door. So, I was very glad to hear- "Hey Sarah! What's up with Larry?" coming through the door. I have to say that I am always impressed by the Germantown Rescue Squad people! They are always so great! Which really helps when you are in a stressful situation like that.
They get him off of the floor and onto the stretcher and haul him away, while I change from my jammies to clothes, take the dog out and get in the van to follow. I got to see the baker guy making bread at the bakery in the Falls. Not something you normally see because who in their right mind is driving around at 4:00am???
In the emergency room they do all the tests and xrays and a cat-scan of his head (To make sure he didn't have a stroke) Looks like he's pretty dehydrated. Well, that is a Duh- but, OK- now what? Well, he gets admitted and put in isolation (for the C-diff) and given fluids. And on Friday, no fluids get taken off at dialysis, just clean his blood and all weekend he got to rest up in the hospital while they try to get rid of the C-Diff and keep him hydrated. So, he wasn't too happy to be stuck in the hospital all weekend, but, at least they are letting him out tomorrow after dialysis. And that's the way the ball bounces.
I myself personally, also got some rest. I went to bed at 9:00 pm for the last few nights. Tonight I am going to get Chinese take-out for dinner and watch something other that a football game! Last chance I'll get for that for awhile, so I plan to enjoy it!
And did I mention that we had another 6 inches of snow last night? Yeah baby! I have no idea where the heck I am going to go with any more snow. I had to shovel around the ramp before I could shovel the ramp. Oh well, it could be worse! We could have gotten that ice storm that they got south of here! That would NOT have been fun, so I am grateful. And I really don't mind the snow. I just wish a little would melt before piling more on.
2 years ago, I made these ice luminarias- Martha Stewart had them in her magazine. They were beautiful in Martha's magazine. So, I got my 5 gallon buckets and my smaller buckets and over 2 weeks time made 15 ice luminarias-Very time consuming to make, but well worth the effort. They were beautiful! They will look so spiffy lining the front porch, all aglow on Christmas Eve.
As Christmas approached, the weather got warmer and warmer. By 2 days before Christmas, I had only 2 half luminarias left. I was very sad. I guess maybe I could have made those dang things again and that would have guaranteed a warm up!
Time to call my order in.

Ho-Ho-Ho! C-Diff for Christmas

2007-12-12T12:54:00.000-06:00

Well, we got the results back from the stool sample we had to take in and Larry has C-diff. Caused by all of the antibiotics that he has been on in the last 10 days for the "unknown"infection- which turned out to be -a cold.
The poor guy was pooping like a goose for the last 4 days! I would think that at the hospital, they would automatically give these elderly people who they load down with antibiotics the c-diff poop test, because apparently, it is quite common. And not entirely easy to get rid of once it really takes hold. Well, I am just intending that we caught it early and this course of antibiotics (Which really is counter-intuitive to me to give someone an antibiotic for an ailment caused by an antibiotic) will take care of it and Lar will feel better!
We had yet more snow yesterday. It is beautiful outside- all white and pretty. But, I wish some would melt because I don't know where to go with the stuff along the ramp and porch! I am going to have to shovel the stuff that I shoveled-not fun : ( I also had to get the roof rake going and try to clear snow from the eaves. We have major icicles going on and I don't want the ice to damn up under the shingles. That is bad!!! We don't like that! We really try to keep the ice from building up whenever we can! The good news is, it is sunny right now, so maybe some will melt. From the roof- from the walks- from the driveway- from the car.
I hope Larry is feeling a little better! I think they took too much fluid off of him at dialysis today, so he was very nauseous and cold when I got him home. We will have to talk to them on Friday when he goes in.

And then off to the Hospital

2007-12-08T20:05:00.000-06:00

Well........ we wound up at the emergency room and at the hospital for 3 days. Larry went to the Dr. on Wednesday and she looked at him and said-"To the hospital you go!" You really can't take chances when an elderly person has as many medical issues as Larry does. They were worried that it was pneumonia, or some other type of infection. So they ran tests and drew blood and took xrays- 6 1/2 hours worth in the emergency room. And then they admitted him FINALLY at 8:15 Pm and pretty much did nothing except keep an eye on him. On Thurs, the hospitalist,Dr. Choitani finally came in at 5:00 pm (I had been waiting since 9:00am, but you just never know when they will show up, so you just have to wait). He said that he thought that Larry just had a viral infection- a cold- and that was it. But they were having the pulmonologist check him out also, just to make sure. The pulmanologist agreed- Viral- probably a cold. OK.
So Friday, they do dialysis at the hospital and when he gets back to the room at 1:00, I ask the nurse if he is being discharged.
"Well, No, he isn't" she says.
Why on earth not? says I.
"Well, we didn't get any orders."
Well......do we think that perhaps we could contact the Doctor and check?
So, she calls Dr. C. and he says that he will be down in 15 minutes. When he gets there, he agrees- we are not treating anything here, he is feeling OK, eating OK, walking OK, so off we can go...eventually.
As anyone who has ever been in the hospital knows, gets discharged is not always quick and/or easy. But finally at 4:15, we got out.
Last night he was just happy to be home, but today, he is feeling not so hot. Lots of phlem again, which makes him nauseous, so he puked up his breakfast and didn't want to eat lunch, but I made him eat a little soup and some crackers. He also has diarrhea, so was running to the john all night and all am. That is probably from all of the antibiotics that they had been giving him before they figured out that antibiotics wouldn't help what he has. So, we are getting lots of moans and groans and I feel like banging my head on the wall. He was doing so much better at the hospital.
I did put up the tree, so that should cheer him up a little bit.
And we are getting more snow! Oy-vey! I am already tired from the shoveling! This will be the 4th storm in a week! Oh-well!
Maybe I can build a snowman!

More Snow and to the Doctor We Go!

2007-12-05T12:23:00.000-06:00

Well, We got 6 more inches of snow last night. Very pretty, fluffy snow....that I had to get up at 5:00am to shovel.
Larry has had a cold for the last few days and is really feeling bad today. He is coughing and sniffly, nose running, fever. I took him to the Dr. yesterday and she started him on an antibiotic because of his lung having fluid in it, she does not want it to turn to pneumonia. I have to agree- we don't want pneumonia. The antibiotics were $74.00 and that was just the co-pay part that I had to pay! Good thing it isn't something he is going to need a refill on.
We are heading back to the Dr. in an hour so she can recheck that lung and make sure that it is not filling up. At least it is sunny!!!

It's a HEAVY snow!!!

2007-12-02T13:11:00.000-06:00

Man oh man! This is some HEAVY snow!!!! Biz never got out last night. She must have gotten out early this morning though because she has not called yet. I got up and started shoveling and I have to tell you..... wet, heavy snow is not fun to shovel! Very pretty, but a bugger to lift off the walkways! I am also kind of effectively stranded for the time being because the snow is so heavy and deep at the ends of the driveways that it is impossible to drive through. So, I am waiting for the guy to plow out the grade school so I can get the van out. He just started to plow a little while ago so- it will be about 3:00pm before I can get through. Phrog was going to call Jeff (who plows the driveways for us) and see if he was coming today. He does it as a favor to Phrog , that started when Mom was alive. He would come and plow and shovel...I swear that he would have come in and done the dishes if I had needed help with that too! He is just a very nice young man and every year, when it snows, he comes and plows both driveways and does such a neat and tidy job, that it is amazing! And quick! I never take it for granted that he will show up, but he always does.
It does not appear that I am making it to Slinger for the baby shower for my nephew, Matt's girlfriend. Shucks! I will just have to drop off the gifts from Biz and myself later this week.
Larry is in heaven watching football today. I guess that I will start listing stuff on ebay.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!!!!

2007-12-01T15:25:00.000-06:00

It has been awhile since I have been on the Blog. Last time I wrote, Jimmy was just getting home from rehab and Tuesday night, he passed away. 6 weeks. It is a blessing that he went so quick because he was in a whole lot of pain most of the time. The hospice people never seemed to really get a handle on how fast he was worsening and definitely did not control his pain anywhere NEAR sufficiently until the very end. Monday afternoon they finally put him on a morphine drip where he could give himself morphine as often as every 15 minutes. FINALLY!!! He was not in writhing agony.
Evie took to her bed and would hardly get up or eat or drink while Jim was in such excruciating pain out in the living room. The poor lady! She did not know what to do to help her husband. So, she decided that maybe she could could beat him to heaven and just stopped eating or getting up.
I have no idea what the heck was going on with the hospice, but- I wouldn't pick that group-HORIZON- to care for a dog, much less a person. They had 24 hour care and while the CNAs were all nice, they really had no clue what to do to help Jim. And it isn't really their fault, it is the fault of the training that they are given-or to be precise-NOT GIVEN! The girl who was on duty when Jim passed was terrified of being in the room with a dead person (Do you think she chose the wrong vocation perhaps?) and had no idea what to do when he passed away. Jim's grand daughter was there and made the calls that needed to be made. And she is not a health care professional- she is a real estate agent! Yet, she seemed to be able to handle the details that should have been handled by the aide.
I just know that when we had Horizon for Mom, they did a good job, but all they had to do was make sure that we had the meds and stuff and I did not even need anyone to come out and help us. We had been caring for her for so long, that I certainly could handle helping her stay comfortable while she was getting ready to make her transition. We even painted the living room and dining room after we brought her home. She had been bugging me to paint the living room chartreuse (Yeah, I know and that's why I wouldn't do it before) because she really was into flashy color schemes. (I can tell you stories about colors rooms have been in my life time!) So, we asked if the painting would affect anything adversely, told the nurse what we were doing and painted the living room chartreuse and red and the dining room red and royal blue. Mom always loved a project, so I am sure that even though she was on the bed, she was in her glory, that she finally got the living room painted the way she had wanted!
I really like it-Mushy hates it and gets all bucky about it, but, hey, she doesn't live here.
Anyhow, Jim is gone and they are going to move Evie up to Manitowoc so that she is closer to the 2 daughters. We all thought that she was going to will herself to die right after Jim, but apparently, she is perking up and getting dressed, eating, etc. So, perhaps with Jim at peace, she has regained a little bit of a will to live. She is a sweetheart and I am glad that she is doing a little better. I just want her to be as happy as she can be while she is still here on this earth.
We had Thanksgiving at Katie's house. It was quiet and uneventful. Biz flew in on the 11:30 pm flight on the Wednesday and then had to stay up late on Thursday nite to try to auto out of the rest of her trip so that she could stay up for the week on a FMLA. It worked and she got to stay through until today. We put up Christmas decorations, bought the tree, got an electric "fire" insert for the fireplace so it looks like we have a fire going, but without the real logs and flames (Which I love but Phrog says Ix nay on the logs-ay. No fire for you! Because he is worried that the chimney is not working correctly or something. I don't know- I just know that he blows a gasket every time I mention "Fire in the fireplace".) She took Larry to dialysis so I could sleep in and sat with him when I went to see a movie and went out for dinner and several other little things that I normally can't just do without planning how long I will be gone and how will Larry get food, etc. So, it was really, really nice. I feel so much better-almost as if I went on a little vacation. BUT....This is the let it snow part.....Biz is down at the airport and thinks that her flight is probably getting out ,even though we are having the first storm of the year. With snow and wind and rain and sleet. It is pretty ucky out. But she says they are plowing the runways and they are going!
I walked down to see the Germantown Christmas parade with my friend Sharon before. Also very snowy and wet there! Winter in Wisconsin! And, we get to shovel yet! Happy day!

The New Medtronic Pace/Defibulator

2007-11-12T14:54:00.000-06:00

Well, Larry went last Tuesday for the procedure. They took out the old defibulator and put in the new Medtronic when they added the third wire. It took the Doctor over 2 hours to get the wire in place, but he said that it is placed in the best possible location to help Larry out. We won't really be able to tell for about 2 weeks if it is helping or not because your heart has to get used to the extra help that it is getting.
It was a really long day for Larry,the Doctor and for me. We got to Froedert at 7:20 and he didn't out of recovery to his room until 4:00 and then he couldn't move or sit up until 5:30. By the time he did try to stand, he was pretty wobbly and the nurses sat him back down again.
The, I talked to the Drs. and they said that they would get him all set to discharge by 10:00 am at the latest, so we could get to dialysis. They had thought that they would just do dialysis there, but since no one from nephrology came down to talk to us, they said that we should just go to his regular dialysis.
So, on Wednesday, I get up and go down to the hospital by 9:00 am- I know that if you are not on top of the situation, you sit there. Walk into Larry room and he is not there- he is down at x-ray. So a nurse sees me looking very befuddled that Larry is A. not there and B. I can see no evidence of them getting him ready to be discharged.
"Oh" she says "Judy Fox (The nurse practitioner who is supposed to do his exit check over) is at a dentist appointment until 11:30- Larry won't get out of here until at least 2:30."
Well....... this IS a problem because if we are not at Germantown at the very latest of 11:30, he does not receive dialysis. Now what?"
"Oh, well, we'll just dialyze him here." And nephrology sends someone down, they check him over, get his records faxed over and say he is good to go. They will pick him up at 11:00 ish and he should be done and ready to get out of here at 2:30 or 3:00."
GREAT!
So, I go to Menomonee Falls, because Jimmy Rother was getting sent home from rehab and his daughter Scottie was trying to get furniture out of the way because hospice was getting the hospital bed, etc delivered.
When I get to the Falls, no hospice- no equipment- no nothing. Scottie is fit to be tied. We took Jim's bed out and his chair out. There was nothing there to accommodate him and he was going to be transported any minute. When I left, Jim was there, sitting in Evie's chair (Because the wheelchair he was in was the transport companies)- no bed, no wheelchair, no potty chair. He was exhausted and no where to go. ( They eventually got the stuff there by 4:30-not very good)
At 1:30, I head back to Milwaukee and get to the hospital at 2:30.
No Larry. OK- no problem.
3:00- no Larry. The nurse walks by and says that he should be back any minute. OK- no problem.
3:30- no Larry. Nurse walks by again and says she will call up and see what is going on. She comes back a little while later and tells me that he is done, they just have to wait for transport. OK.
4:00- still no Larry.
4:15- they come to the room next to Larry's to take the woman up to dialysis. And Larry is still up there waiting to come down. NOW, I have a problem. So, I go out and the nurse sees me and says "Is something wrong?"
"Yes, something is wrong. An 81 year old man, who is weak to begin with and has been flat on his back for over 5 hours, is still up there laying outside of dialysis, flat on his back. This woman just got admitted and it took klless that an hour to get everything set and transport to take her up. HOW COME THEY CAN'T GET ONE OLD MAN DOWN HERE??? You saw how weak he was this morning, and now he has been laying there all day, even longer than he has to and I-MYSELF ALONE!- have to take him home and try to deal with it! I am getting pretty pissed off!"
And she says-"And what can I do to help the situation?"
"You can get him down here so I can see if he can even stand!"
"Well, it isn't as simple as that, the orders for transfers are entered in the computer and you have to wait your turn."
This statement really pissed me off because, I saw all these blue uniformed transfer guys standing around all afternoon! So, I said, well- I really don't care how you do it, but he better be down here soon.
She went up and got him herself.
Poor Larry! He was so thirsty and hungry! They gave him none of his pills. I just don't understand about this staying overnight for observation thing. You are supposed to bring your meds or they charge you, but they wouldn't let him take his pills!
Anyhow, back to Larry. So, I sit him up and he is really, really wobbly, but we get his clothes on and FINALLY she comes in and says that we can go at 5:30. I pushed him down (Yeah right! Like I am going to wait for transport again???) and we took off and stopped for Culver's on the way home. The Walmart Pharmacy was closed by the time we got there, so no pain meds and when we got home, I had to wheel him to his chair, then wheel him to the bathroom and finally, wheel him to bed. He was pretty darned weak. I asked him if he could now comprehend how quickly his strength and stamina go away if he doesn't use his arms and legs and he still does not get it. Thinks that I am exaggerating and that he is just getting weaker and weaker- no correlation to anything.
The next morning, we had therapy and he walked a little before and more as the day went on and by Friday night when we went for a fish fry with Jim and Elaine, he was doing pretty good, except his shoulder really hurt.
Then on Saturday, he threw up 2 times. Sunday, he REALLY threw up- like from his toes. Today, he is still feeling pretty putrid and weak and I really think he has the flu, but they took some blood and gave him a dose of an antibiotic just in case it is an infection.
I also don't feel real red hot and had a not so great day myself (A story for another day) and just feel like curling up and having a good cry. Just a little bit of mental stress on top of not feeling too great. I'll be fine later.
And the Packers won again! YAY! And Indianapolis got beat again! YAY!

Therapy Today

2007-10-30T15:01:00.000-05:00

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!

Ding-Dong the Squirrel is dead

2007-10-27T16:23:00.001-05:00

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?

Another week come and gone....

2007-10-19T16:49:00.001-05:00

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!

The Battle is on- More RED SQUIRRELS!

2007-10-16T10:23:00.000-05:00

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.

This is really October in Wisconsin????

2007-10-07T15:32:00.000-05:00

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!

Wisconsin in Autumn!

2007-09-27T15:51:00.000-05:00

I have to tell you-this is my favorite time of year! Autumn! The weather is gorgeous with crisp mornings and sunny, warm days. I have been trying to figure out my Halloween decorations because I like to change it up every year. Last year, I didn't even decorate because we were so discomboberated with Larry starting dialysis and feeling so awful. I didn't even carve any pumpkins last year! How sad is that?
So, this year, I want to decorate. I put up orange and purple lights in the kitchen and some other decorations so that looks fun. I have a scarecrow started for outside and 1 skeleton up. I will put up cobwebs and spiders and bats and make a couple of sheet ghosts over the weekend and maybe get a spooky spotlight. It is a big house and can look pretty spooky if you work at it. Martha Stewart has those silhouettes that you put in your windows and light from behind so it looks like shadows of cats or ravens or witches. I just think Elvis would be freaked out and bark every night-but, if I have time, I may give it a go.
I took Larry to Froedert last week to see his electrophysiologist and they are going to do a new echo cardiogram to check his heart function and maybe add a third line to a lower chamber on his pace maker/defibrillator. The Doctor thinks that it will help Larry with all sorts of issues-the first being his low blood pressure. It should help keep the fluid from gathering in his lung, give him a little more umph and generally just make him feel better. I am all for it- anything that helps him feel better with minimal risk is a good thing. I also really like the Doctors that he has had down at Froedert. Almost all of the time, they do a really good job and try to answer your questions, and believe me- I usually have a bunch of them. I get the feeling when I am at these appointments with Larry, that most people don't ask questions. They just accept what the Doctor says and blindly go fill 14 prescriptions without knowing what they are taking for what. I always ask what things are for. Why are we doing this instead of this. Will it react with anything. What are the side effects. Do they have any concerns about the medicine and Larry's condition- any particular red flags to watch for. It has saved me from filling prescriptions that he can't take because they react with other things he was on. And a couple of times they have prescribed stuff that I know he has had not so great reactions to. I always tell people- the Doctor works for you. If he does not want to take the time to talk to you and let you know what is going on with your condition, CHANGE DOCTORS! There are lots of really good Doctors out there, so keep looking till you find a good fit.
I changed Doctors for Larry after he had his foot amputated because we needed a doctor close to home. We were going to West Bend for everything-all his doctors, his therapy, everything. It was just getting to be too much- plus that Doctor could not come to the hospital that Larry would be in when we call an ambulance. So, I got a recommendation from a friend for a Dr. here in Germantown. Larry likes her and I think she is fine-very young, but she does a pretty good job and is thorough and easy to get in to see, so, that is where we go for his G.P. He also has the kidney Dr. who we see at Dialysis, the heart Dr. at Froedert, his Pulminologist and surgeon at the clinic in Menomonee Falls and his Podiatrist here in Germantown. We also get his coumidin levels checked in Menomonee Falls. We do a lot of running around. But, at least we can- he can still get in and out of the van and away we go! When Mom was alive, she couldn't walk, so we had to get a wheel chair lift installed in the big Ram van and we hauled he around like that. She never liked it and always insisted that she could get into the passenger seat if we gave her a chance (She could barely get in when she was healthy, before the stroke-there was no way she could climb up into that van after) I think she felt a little sea sick riding along in her wheel chair without the seat around her. But- I was so glad we had the van and the lift and we could take her out and do stuff. We took her rummaging all the time and could take her to all her appointments. We went for ice cream and other drive thru food (Her favorite!) It was so hard after she had the stroke because she could not tolerate things that she used to thrive with! Going to a restaurant was impossible- she would get all disoriented and agitated-couldn't stand the noise and movement around her. We tried a couple of times, but it just wasn't worth the stress that she went through. When we had family over, we tried to make sure that people came at her in manageable groups and noise was in the kitchen. When she started to get tired, we had her take a nap to get out of the stress of dealing with everyone.
Poor Mama- She never thought that a stroke could change how you react to people or situations. Boy, did we find out differently!
I have to go check my chicken! BRUCKKKK!!! Have a nice night!

Biza's Visit

2007-09-22T17:49:00.001-05:00

Biza was here last week visiting. I have to tell, you...it is great to have someone else around to take even a little bit of the responsibility. You really never know how much responsibility you have, until you have a chance to relinquish some of it.
The weather last week was kind of cool, so we got stuff done in the house- the major project was cleaning in the basement. YIKES! Phrog is not a real organized guy and neither is Larry. I love to know where stuff is so when I want something, I know just where to look. So, we went down and cleaned and sorted and arranged and- guess what? This weekend when I needed a tool, I didn't have to search- I just went down and grabbed it. Then it goes back where it belongs when I am done. Life is good:- )
We also went volleyballing -2 different times and fast pitch soft ball. AND we went to Cedarburg shopping. That was fun- we didn't buy much but just wandered with Katie and our friend Claire.
The picture at the beginning of the post is one of Biza's water colors. She really does a nice job and I love them. I will link her blog to this blog so you can check it out when she gets it up and running.
We had the rummage sale Thurs. and Fri. this week. Got rid of some stuff, but it wasn't real busy because the village keeps taking down rummage signs. What is up with that? I think they should keep their cotton picking hands off and go do their jobs. Fix a few streets. Do a little work-which is what they are paid for. If they are pulling signs then ALL signs should come down. All those little real estate signs- open house signs- political signs- advertising signs. Every one of them should come down. Buggers!
The walnut tree is being really nasty this year and almost knocked Katie unconscious while she was running the rummage. A huge clump of nuts came whipping down on her head. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but, really- they are not fun when you get pelted on the head with them. And then you have the squirrels to contend with, because they will also throw nuts at you! It is dangerous out there at this time of year!
I took Lar for a drive this afternoon. The colors are changing and it is very colorful to drive through. I love fall. And if we would just get rid of the mosquitoes, it would be wonderful! I could go get a little work done in my garden. I have to dig up bulbs that can't over winter and then I want to move a whole section around. Maybe this week.

Mickey, Jenny and the Packers

2007-09-09T17:19:00.000-05:00

Well, Mickey's V'ball team lost their tournament. They gave it a good try, but, did not advance. It was such a beautiful day for the drive to and from West Allis, that we didn't care. We still had a good time. And the parents on Mick's team have figured out how to embarrass their daughters....after each point they start a slow loud clap and build in speed and volume. Even the girls on the other teams were looking with sympathy at Mickey's team- Probably thinking-"You poor girls! What are your parents thinking? Don't they know that they are embarrassing you?" But, as any adult will tell you, a little humility is good for these kids. It keeps them on their toes!
My brother David regularly embarrasses his kids. Katlyn, several times has stretched the truth about homework or other dopey little things and when she gets caught and has to face the consequences, she will try the old sneak out a different door with her friends and what can Dad do about it? Well, Dad, can come into the hallway and start calling her name (A MAJOR no-no in High School if you want your friends to not be totally appalled and not talk to you)So, the deal is, she tells the truth and faces the consequences when she screws up or Dad escorts her into and out of school. I tell you, Dave has his hands full with this one! And after the general ease with which Molly has gotten into her 20s, it is a very different story with Kate. I am sure they will all get through it. And, Dave has the old Payback to look forward to. The -"I hope your kids act just the way you act so you will see where I have been coming from". Mom said that to Dave and POOF! Katlyn! And Mom said it to Katie and POOF! Sam, who I love dearly, but, boy oh boy! A definite payback for both Katie and Dave!
So, today Larry and I went to the Paul Auction House for the auction that Jenny and her family had to disperse Poppa Joe and Peggy's belongings. Joe and Peggy are both in Cedar Lake Home. Jenny and her Uncle Tom and his wife Annie, have been taking care of Joe and Peggy for years and when their Alzheimer's got too bad for them to be safely at home, they had to get them somewhere safe and now they have to dispose of all of their belongings for them to stay where they are.The state apparently gets the $$ and if they pass away before it is all used, the family gets the remainder back. But anyhow, it has been a long haul and not easy to get all of this stuff done. Jenny has 2 young children, 4 dogs and a husband and house AND is going to school to become a yoga instructor. Plus getting all the paper work taken care of, plus, they bought Peggy and Joe's house to restore and keep it in the family. Now she has to get all the workers lined up and scheduled and not all coming at the same time. The house is in pretty rough shape and has had nothing done to it for way too long. But when you live on a fixed income-as they did- you do not have extra for fixing the roof or the well or any of the other multitudes of things that needed to be done. So, now it is getting done and it is a great house for Jenny and John to raise their 2 kids.
The auction was hard for her. She hated to watch all of Peggy's things get sold and she tried to buy a couple of things back and the auctioneer wouldn't let her. He thought it was a conflict of interest and had told the family they couldn't bid to drive the price up- but all Jen wanted was a few of the things that were Peggy's. Obviously, a miscommunication, and after he wouldn't let her bid, Jenny went up and talked to him, so then he said-oh- well, I just don't want a reputation for selling all the good stuff back to the family. I just don't understand what the auctioneer was thinking. The subject should have been thoroughly discussed with the family. The guy should have asked if there were items that they were planning to0 bid on and told them what the scoop was, instead of winding up with an interruption and Jenny being upset because she didn't get the China- Limoges, by the way-which went for dirt cheap!
Well, it is over and done and a big chunk of the stuff is gone! That is good. However, they still have a ton left at the house to get rid of, so they are probably having an estate sale in a few weeks. We will see what happens.
And last, but certainly not least....The Packer's won!!! YAY!!! It certainly wasn't a beautiful, resounding victory, but-A win none the less! GO BRETT!

Skeeters-Skeeters everywhere!

2007-09-06T13:48:00.000-05:00

There are Skeeters everywhere! It feels like they cover you from head to toe when you walk out the door! I sprayed myself with about a whole container of mosquito spray last night and went to water my potted plants...... I didn't make it. I only lasted about 5 minutes before I had to retreat, beating myself about the head and shoulders-slapping my legs! We get mosquitos in the summer, but THIS-this is the worst I have ever seen it. You can hear them buzzing outside the windows-trying to figure out how to get in.
When we pull up in the driveway, I can see that I have a whole bunch of tomatoes that I have to pick, but you can't get near the tomato plants. I'll have to figure out a way to do it though or I will have a whole bunch of rotten tomatoes!
We are off to see Mickey play volleyball inside tonight. That is good because it gets Larry out of the house for awhile. She is on the Freshman team and they are all just learning how to play as a team. Mickey is a very good athlete and plays softball, soccer, basketball and volleyball. She will also be starting Fast pitch softball soon. John and Deb spend a lot of time in gyms and driving to and from gyms, I'll tell you that! But, It is worth it because Mickey will definitely be able to get a scholarship to college.
I also am going to go to Indian Summer Festival down in Milwaukee at the Lake front tomorrow. It is my favorite festival to go to and we try to make it every year. Katie and I used to take the boys every summer when it first started too. It is just a really nice place to go to on a beautiful fall day.

It's A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

2007-09-03T13:16:00.000-05:00

Well, what a beautiful day! It is sunny and warm, a slight breeze and not a lot of humidity! And it's Labor Day-It ALWAYS rains on Labor Day! But not this year. Sun and nice.
Larry had dialysis this morning and I think we are going to go for a drive this afternoon and take advantage of the nice day! As autumn approaches, you just never know how many more really nice days you'll have. I think I'll get some more mums and replace of of my sadder potted plants with some happy little mums.
What is really nice is, Lar has been feeling so much better for the last week or so. Overall better-He's not feeling great every minute, but the amount of time he is feeling more upbeat and steady and alert has risen quite a bit this week. I don't think that he has even moaned much. Of course maybe I am not noticing his moaning because I have been whining myself!
I kicked the cement stair with the big toe on my right foot (not on purpose) and Baby! Oh Baby! It really, really hurts! I don't think that I broke it, but it is swelled up and black and blue and was pretty hard to put any weight on the front of my foot. It is much better today, but still hurts pretty much. I will be way more careful coming up from the basement in the future!

Almost brought home a puppy!

2007-08-31T16:29:00.000-05:00

I need that like a hole in the head, but we saw these absolutely adorable mixed breed puppies when we were rummaging yesterday. They were supposed to be some kind of toy size dogs and were so soft and cute and I KNOW that Elvis would love a playmate-Don't you think? But, I didn't do it-They were $300.00 (Which is pretty outrageous for a mistake puppy) and I just don't have the time to do a puppy right now- it is so much work to make sure they get enough attention and don't chew everything in sight and don't pee and poop everywhere. So....sadly, I did not bring one home.
They cut the big willow down today. It was across the street from us and was measured last year as one of the largest weeping willows in Wisconsin. But, alas and alack-it has had too much storm damage this year. 3 times big branches fell off-the last time, it fell all the way across the road and would not have been good if someone were driving by at that time. It looks very strange without that tree.
We are not doing anything special for the holiday weekend. I will probably take Larry and Elvis for a drive on one of the days. We all love to do that-so, that is the tentative plan. That and brats and corn on the cob and watermelon.

Five, Six -Pick up Sticks

2007-08-28T07:52:00.000-05:00

And that is what we are doing today. I have to pick up branches and sticks after the rain and wind yesterday. It got really windy-real fast. Katie said that the wind blew a whole bunch of piers down on the lake and that there were pier sections and boats floating everywhere after the storm passed.
We are then going over to help Jim and Evie pick up branches and sticks at their house. We'll meet them at 9:30 and hopefully be done by 11:00 because the weatherman (Who, by the way is not right a lot) said very hot and humid today. It should be a nice morning for Larry and Evie to sit out under the trees with Elvis while Jim and I do the raking and whatever else needs to be cleaned up.
You can tell that I live a life of excitement and danger, can't you?
Oh and another storm is supposed to come through tonight.

The Cat's in the Bag

2007-08-27T18:34:00.001-05:00

Max is my handsome boy- the lone male cat amongst all the females. He is a sweetheart, but likes to get into stuff. He knows how to get into my kitchen cupboards and will search the shelves for his toy mice and knock them out of the cupboard to play with. He doesn't take all of them- just one.
Today, I hung a monster tote on the door handle to put packages in to go to the post office. Max thinks this is a toy and has been trying to get into the bag all day. I bet that when I come out to the kitchen later on, he will be snuggled into the bag. None of the cats like expensive toys-I've spent lots of money on cat items and find that their favorites are boxes and bags. Go figure.
Lar had a good day at dialysis today. No puking, no nausea. He's awake and alert. He is even eating dinner.
The turkeys were strutting across the parking lot when we got there. They have 5 babies and are hilarious to watch. I wonder where they live? Do they have a turkey house around there somewhere? Hmmmm.....

The Need For Physical Therapy

2007-08-26T15:51:00.000-05:00

We have had problems with Larry's balance and muscle tone for the last couple of years. After his heart attack, he was pretty weak and even though he went to cardiac rehab, he wasn't nearly as strong as he was before. And this is to be expected....you are sick to the point of almost dying, and in the hospital for 18 days flat on your back, you are going to be physically compromised for quite a while. Larry has never understood this- he felt that he should have been able to get back to where he was before without a problem, so therefore, his health problems are alot more serious than anyone is telling him and he will just sit and feel sorry for himself. And when he feels sorry for himself.........he moans....LOUDLY......frequently. OHHHHH!!!!WOOOEEEEE!!! OHHH!!!! I do not like the moaning, because how can I tell when he really has a problem if he moans all the time? And besides, after awhile, it really gets on your nerves. HE had heard somewhere that a good moan makes you feel better and ever since reading that has implemented the theory frequently. But, I digress.
That spring after he was done with Cardiac rehab, all of a sudden (it seemed) he knees started buckling and he was falling down. So off to the Dr. and we do rehab for 4 weeks at the hospital to regain balance, etc. They never figure out why he was falling down.
We finish rehab and it starts to happen again! I myself personally think it was because he was not continuing doing his exercises and when you don't have any muscle tone, you can't afford to slack off- but, hey, that was just my opinion. So back to the Dr. who now refers us to an orthopedic specialist. We go in and they have no idea why his knee is giving out. So she gives him a brace and stars therapy again, this time not only working his legs, but also his shoulder (Which had gotten screwed up by a home therapist when he first came home). We went to therapy 2 times a week for 2 months and he really made progress and was walking really well. Had good balance again. Knee seemed to hold him. But, Those girls worked him hard and guilted him into doing his work at home every day.
Well, then, we had the leg amputated a couple of months latter. That means more therapy. First he had therapy to learn how to move around and hop on the one foot. It really is way different than hopping with both feet because you have to center that leg under your body. Then, he had therapy to learn how to walk with his prosthesis and did fantastic! He really does walk well for an 81 year old guy with a fake leg.
He has been done with therapy for exactly a year and I think he has to go back in and work on the leg muscles and shoulders again. He has been going to dialysis and felt so crappy for so long and I didn't have the heart to make him do his exercises on top of everything else. So he has definitely gotten weaker. And his protein levels are really low, which means muscle loss.
He won't listen to me at all and just gets angry when I ask him if he did his exercises. And gets angry and defensive if I tell him that he is not walking correctly and is going to wind up nose first on the floor (Which almost happened the other day-You can't push the walker way out in front of you) He needs to get some safety reminders and strengthening, so, I am going to call the Dr. and see if she can write a prescription for it. I got the evil eye when I told him that that was what I was going to do. Then I asked him-" OK, so you don't want to go for therapy. Do you just want to sit and get weaker and move less and less? Do you want to give up? That is OK if you do. You have worked hard and I know that you get tired and discouraged. But, do you really want to just stop trying? " I think that he just gets discouraged and it seems like he goes forward a step and then back a step. Life is like that . He was so fortunate all of his life. He was never really sick before and his life was always pretty easy. It has given him a skewed picture of how easy everything should be and if it isn't he doesn't want to do it. Sometimes, we all have to do things that we would rather not. They can turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to us. They make us look at ourselves and how we interact with others.
I think that if you are alive, then you should live- experience- have fun- love- laugh-if you can't do what you were able to do before, do something else! Life is a gift- a precious gift. Too precious to waste with moaning and groaning and complaining. To precious to stop living just because everything isn't perfectly the way you envisioned it.
And by the way, the sun is out and it is gorgeous! I just came in a while ago to get Larry up from his nap and I think that I'll walk after dinner!

I need the Sun!

2007-08-24T19:05:00.000-05:00

It seems like the rain will never end, so I just had to put in a couple of pictures of my gardens. It was sunny and nice the day that I took the pictures......not grey.....and gloooomy. Sigh....It is good for the garden and the trees. But, I am really ready for some sun and a day to have Larry sit outside. The weatherman says tomorrow, and I am holding him to it!

Elder Care- For Me and my Friends

2007-08-23T12:41:00.000-05:00

My friend Fran is about 10 years older than me and has been planning for when we all get old. No nursing home for us! She is changing her place over, little by little to accommodate a bunch of old ladies. She is putting in a chair lift, a handicap bathtub (With the wall that opens so you don't have to step over the edge and sit in a yawning hole and try to get out of said hole whilest you are slippery and nekked). Then we just have to hire a few people to come in and check on us and we should be good to go. Hopefully this is all a long time in the future- but what got us thinking about it is our own parents.
None of them had any plans except-we are not going into a nursing home and we are staying in the house until they pry our cold, dead bodies out.
This is all well and good and you really, really try to help them stay independent, but sometimes- as with Fran's Dad- there is nothing that you can do. His Alzheimer's got so bad after their Mom died that they couldn't leave him in the family home. He was adamant that he was not going to any of their houses, and really, how could he? He needed alot more care than any of them could give at the time with full-time jobs. So they had to get him into an assisted living place and in not too long a time span, had to move him to the Alzheimer's wing.
No one wants to think about getting old and loosing your independence, but, if you don't do it yourself, someone will have to do it for you- Then your choices are limited. They may not do things the way you want them done. The family has to rush with getting you placed and into somewhere....
Mom's cousin Jim and his wife Evie are 91 and 90 years young. They have lived independently at their home all this time. This spring, Evie had a slight stroke, that she recovered from beautifully, but her heart is not so good and her Alzheimers has gotten worse-especially sometimes at night- and the doctors and their daughters decided-"No More Living at Home Alone!" PERIOD-End of Story- No arguments- No discussion- You are going into an assisted living home.
Evie went right from the rehab center to an interim apartment. Their daughter took off of work for several weeks and came down and got everything set up- got the house cleaned out- then got them moved over. She did a yoeman's job in a short period of time, that is for sure. But, my point is, if they had thought ahead and talked about it and started to decide what was what, it would have been so much less traumatic for them. Their plan was- Hopefully both of us will die together in our sleep. Not too much of a plan.
I think that too many people tie their independence to their house, when really, a house as you get older becomes so much work. You have to clean it and maintain it and pay taxes and insurance. When you are in great health and feeling good, sometimes it seems overwhelming. Add a little financial stress because you are on a fixed income and the roof needs to be replaced and the yard needs to be mowed again and you have multiple health issues now, so you don't have the energy to do the small things, much less any larger projects....
Larry's friends who have made the change, by themselves before they had too, are so much happier than the ones who are struggling to keep the house maintained and have no money left over to do anything else.
So, Fran's plan seems like a winner! If I'm still blogging at that way in the future point, I'll let you know how it works out!

We're Not in Kansas Anymore!

2007-08-22T19:57:00.000-05:00

Holy Moly! We are having some wild weather tonight! Wind and rain and thunder and lightening. The huge tree across the street came down across the road. Fortunately, no one was under it! I am going to go dig out flash lights and candles just in case. Whee-Hah! I had to take Elvis out for a potty break and I felt like we were in a tornado! Hold on El! I don't think we are in Kansas anymore! We just needed a witch flying by on her broomstick. No leisurely strolls around the yard tonight before bedtime.

Door County to Travis

2007-08-21T18:51:00.000-05:00

Well, we made it to Door. Katie, Jake, Larry, Elvis and myself. It was pretty cool up there-64 degrees and very windy, but, at least it wasn't raining. The booth was a mess, which is good because that means we were selling stuff! Larry was pretty pooped by the time we got home and could barely walk from the kitchen to his bedroom to lay down.
At least it isn't raining at the moment and if I wasn't so burnt out from driving all day, I'd go out and mow because the grass has grown about 6 inches in the past few days! Hopefully it will still be dry tomorrow and I can git 'er done...
A big hello to Travis down in Atlanta, sweating his buns off at school. As you may remember, if you have been reading along, Travis is my sister Katie's oldest son and he is off at graduate school in Atlanta. School started for him yesterday and it is definitely a different campus than Whitewater. Quite an adventure! I think that he will have a blast! We are very proud of him!
Time for Jammies.

Holy! Moly! Break out the Ark!

2007-08-20T13:05:00.000-05:00

Whew doggie! I am not complaining, we needed the rain, But Lordy, Lordy! We have water! And some places across the state are literally floating. Our house is on a hill, so we are OK, but sometimes the lower part of the barn floods out. That would make Phrog very sad because he has a lot of his tools stashed out there that he isn't using on this job that he is doing. At least it appears that the rain is stopping here.
Lar had dialysis this am. He was so cold when I went to get him that he was shaking and could barely stand. This apparently is a pretty common problem with dialysis. You have to sit there not moving for 3-4 hours -Not counting the time to connect and disconnect and stop the bleeding if you are using a fistula. The rooms are kind of cool because the workers can't have the heat really cranked up or they will keel over, and it is summer right now, so the air conditioning is going. Everyone has blankets and pillows that they bring- Larry's is a very heavy serape from Mexico. It is very warm and keeps out drafts. They also have extra blankets at the clinic and the girls really make an effort to try to keep everyone comfortable and warm. Sometimes, nothing helps and he is frozen by the time he is ready to leave and shivering like a leaf in the wind and then I just get him home and tuck him into his bed with the electric blanket turned on high.
He is feeling better now and just had lunch. And kept it down-YAY
We got the van loaded to drive up to Door County tomorrow. It's a long day of driving, but he loves to come along, so we'll get up and be out the door with Elvis in tow, hopefully at 7:30 and head north. We all really miss the place that we had in Door. Larry especially misses all the things that he and Mom did while they were up there. They would go to Krist's Grocery Store in Sister Bay for breakfast- no, it wasn't my favorite thing either, but, at 75, those $1.75 breakfasts were what they loved. We all loved the rummages up there. Got lots of great stuff for cheap! They have fantastic parks-state and county, wonderful gardens, tons of shops, ice cream places in several towns, golf courses , an outdoor movie theater and of course, Mom and Lar had many friends up there. We will just wing up, unload the van, re-do the booth and head back down. If we have time we will swing up and around the horn and back down the other side of the peninsula, but it just depends on how the day runs. We shoot to get home by 7:00 pm-that is a long enough day for Larry. If we go too much longer, he gets too tired and we can tell for the next few days that he over did it.
So much for today! Time to work on ebay-

Larry & Type 2 Diabetes

2007-08-19T13:32:00.000-05:00

It was back in the early 90s, when Larry was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The Dr. prescribed Metformin and exercise and sent them on their way, without any other info. They really never did anything different.... Mom thought that diabetes meant cutting all the sweets out of your diet, so this was their main plan. They both had a carb heavy diet of bread and pasta. They ate almost all prepared foods (frozen or packaged, if it came prepared, it was Gold for them!) And Mom told Larry to just ignore all the sweets in the house and he could have a little sugar free treat at night after dinner. RIGHT...we know how that went. Larry ate whatever he wanted and Mom never paid attention to the disappearing food, so his A1Cs always came back high and they kept increasing his metformin.
When Katie and I started to go to Door County to help with the shop, we made real, balanced meals from scratch- every day. There are too many empty calories and garbage in all of that packaged food. We also started to try to help with Larry's diabetes control. Unfortunately, none of us knew anything about it and when Mom got a tester, we tested his blood sugar like every 2 weeks (The strips were expensive! And she said this was OK) We still were trying to just cut back on the sugar in his diet (Knowing that outlawing it was not a happening thing) ...and all this time, the Doctor never gave them any info about diabetes and controlling your blood sugars, what are normal readings, what A1C were they shooting for with Larry, etc.
One day, in the late 1990s, I was trying to get an auction up on ebay. It was for a quilt. I needed an extra pair of hands to help hold the quilt while I accurately measured it and checked for any flaws. I knew that Larry was right outside the door sitting on a lawn chair, so I asked him to come in and help me out. In he shuffles and I ask him to hold the quilt for me. He looks very uncomfortable and slightly guilty, but, I wasn't really too concerned. I just wanted to get this listing going. He grabs the quilt with one hand and the other hand is tucked at an uncomfortable angle behind his back. If you have ever tried to hold a large quilt aloft with just one hand, it is impossible... "Larry, please use both hands to hold the quilt. Then you can go sit down again." Slowly the hand comes from behind his back and clutched, dripping from his sweaty palm is a fudgsicle that he had snuck outside to eat. The poor guy! I told him " You don't have to sneak a fudgesicle, they are treats that we got specifically for you." It never stopped him from 'sneaking' food- maybe it was the thrill of the forbidden, but he loved pretending to put one over on us.
Well, over the years, we changed Doctors and got the information that we needed to better manage his diabetes, but, it wasn't until he was being released from the hospital after his heart attack that I finally got a crash course in diabetes management from a really, really helpful nurse. The light bulb went on for me and it all makes sense now. We started to pay attention to carbs, not specifically sugar. I learned how many carbs per meal were good for keeping his blood sugars in check. How many carbs were good to include in his snacks. We really got his numbers under control with that system and that is how I worked his diet until last summer .
Last summer we were very busy. He had therapy 2 times a week to learn how to use his prosthetic leg, we had heart failure clinic 2 times a week, 4 hours per session, doctors appointments, family events. Lots going on. By the end of July, he was starting to throw up almost everything he ate. He was on a strict fluid restriction because although he was hardly taking in any solid calories he was retaining tons of fluids. We went for tests and it showed that the fluid was going into his tissue around his stomach, which was what was probably causing him to have no appetite and all the nausea.
He also was loosing his balance and had no energy- not a good combo for when a person is physically compromised. He fell hard and developed a severe hematoma on his lower back and buttocks. This compromised his energy levels even more, and besides that-IT HURT! LIKE CRAZY! He could hardly sit, or stand or walk and this caused him to fall several more times (Although not as bad as the first one and fortunately, no broken bones)
So, enter the new kidney Doctor. He says that the problem is Larry's kidneys are working even less than they were and he needs to start dialysis immediately. So, the next day he gets the catheter inserted and they call from the dialysis center and tell me we have to be there at 5:00 (AM, I said???) We get there the first day and no one knew we were coming. THe nurse kind of yelled at me that we shouldn't have just come in (All I did was follow orders-they said that is when we were supposed to be there, that is when we got there), then she found out that the paper work just hadn't showed up yet- Oh, well, OK- he is going to take longer because we are not ready for a new person. Larry and I are both scared and a little freaked out. It seemed very harsh and foreign. No one had talked to us about what happens, how long it takes, etc. And no one had told me that you have to change your diet. As we were leaving the nurse throws some papers at me and says-Make sure you adjust his diet! The dietitian will talk to sometime in the next few days, but in the meantime, you have to change his diet.
Now, I am pissed. I have about had it with being chastised and told what to do and as I read these hand-outs about the kidney diet, I am really freaking out! What the heck are they talking about????? I am doing fluid restriction, low salt, diabetic, heart smart cooking for a man who throws up 3/4 of what I give him lately, so I am pretty much game to give him whatever he can keep down, and now I have to restrict his diet even more? Without someone talking to me? And making sure that I am not freaking? And Larry feels like crap, and pukes his guts out all day after treatment.
When we go back in 2 days, the dietitian is supposed to be there and they promise that she will come talk to me. There is steam coming out of my ears. I am so angry that I am vibrating. When she finally gets there, I have to admit, I was pretty hostile, although to my credit I didn't swear at her or call her nasty names (At least as far as I can remember) She tried to explain why you limit potassium and phosphorus when you are on dialysis. It really didn't compute at that point because I was too angry, but, I did listen and when we got home, I got on the computer and researched and felt better.
What I do have to say about the kidney diet is that everyone is different. Some people have to be very strict with what they eat and drink. With Larry, I figure that as long as his labs are good, we are doing OK. And don't forget the protein!
As Larry progressed with dialysis, nothing really changed physically with him. He was still nauseous all the time and very wobbly. I was despairing that he would ever regain any sense of Independence again. He was so scared to be alone or walk by himself that I couldn't leave him in the house by himself. The couple of times that I did go out, weren't good- both times I got calls from him that he was on the floor. Well, the second time was from Travis because Larry couldn't read the phone keys and just pushed one of the speed dial numbers and when Trav answered, he asked him to call me and tell me that he was on the floor. So then as I race home, talking to him as I drive to keep him calm, I have to hang-up a couple of times to call Phrog and have him meet me cuz I can't get Larry up by myself. Both times, he was not hurt or bruised. We did go and have him checked out, but we were very lucky.
Then almost imperceptibly he started to get a little better and a little steadier. It has been a very long haul. And we still play each day by ear, but, I have no qualms about having Larry home alone for an afternoon or evening and If there was an safe and easy way for him to get his food warmed and to the table, I would let him do that. For now, we are both pretty pleased with his progress. He knows that I keep an eagle eye on him and his health and I am not afraid to question any of the decisions that the Drs make for him. I question his treatments, his dry weight, his insulin level, his medications. I know what is going on with all of his appointments. I pay attention and he knows it and this comforts him because he knows that someone is fighting for him and keeping him safe.

Go Packers! In the Rain!

2007-08-18T18:31:00.000-05:00

As I have said before (Haven't I?), Larry is a huge sport fan and loves the Green Bay Packers! The Pack plays the Seattle Seahawks tonight, in the pouring rain. I am glad we aren't going! Although Sam and Jake (2 of Katie's boys went up) We will see how long they last in the rain, after all, it is only pre-season.
I spent the day baking cookies. I love to bake and share with several people so that we don't gain 800 lbs. Larry has type 2 Diabetes, but his caloric intake has been lower than I like because a lot of stuff that he used to love , no longer agrees with him. So I give him real cookies or cake instead of the sugar free stuff because he needs the calories. He used to eat what ever was in his path. I used to have to hide the snacks-regular, sugar free- he ate it all. He would sneak out to the kitchen after I went to bed and graze until he would go to bed at 1:00 am. I would get up in the morning and half the cookies would be gone- ice cream- pretzels- anything and everything. ANd he would always deny that he ate anything- like there was some sort of ghost wandering around eating? It's just the 2 of us and I know that I didn't eat the stuff- and I am pretty sure the cats couldn't get the packages open. That was before the leg got amputated. Now, I have to really coax him to eat things. And protein makes him gag - chicken- beef- we just had pork and I hear him out there gagging up part of it. Just makes life more interesting and our menu very unexciting. I throw a curve in there once in awhile, but try to make sure that at least part of the meal is something he can keep down if the main part doesn't sit well. And we always have the Protein shakes-like Nepro and Ensure plus. No one told me (until he started dialysis) how important his protein level is and how, when it is as low as his has been, he is more prone to infections, and his energy is low. Now I am preaching Protein to all his friends and all my friends that are helping with their parents. And exercise - 1/2 hour a day is all it takes to keep your blood sugars from getting out of control and helps to keep you moving. You either use it or loose it...and once you loose it, it's pretty hard to get it back.
Enough of the lecture! Time to watch the Pack!

Xango-We drink it! How about you?

2007-08-17T11:54:00.000-05:00

I wanted top tell you all about the Xango link on my page. I am not a person who pushes people to use certain products and MLMs ALWAYS rub me the wrong way, but I do make sure that Larry and I have our Xango every day.
Biza (Who works for an airline) brought some Xango home with her on one of her trips last fall. She said that the girl who sold it to her told her that it helps with constipation and tiredness and feeling run down, sinus issues, etc, etc and since she works for the airline, she always was getting colds and the flu from being on the airplanes with terrible air circulation. She got a case of Xango and said she would see what happened, but knew that We should probably give it a shot with Larry on the off chance that it would help him feel better. Since he had started dialysis his energy level was terrible- he slurred a lot and had trouble focusing,constipated, had no appetite, blood sugar readings were all over the place- all in all, he just did not feel good. I figured that if it helped at all, it would be worth the $.
We drank the case and I have to say, that I noticed quite a difference in Larry- he had more energy and was able to talk clearer and pay attention more. He was not constipated anymore and his appetite was improving and as a result his blood sugar readings stabilized.
For myself, I noticed that the shoulder pain that I had been having disappeared and I stopped having to take sinus pills because my sinuses didn't hurt. You would think that this would have convinced me about Xango, but no- I stubbornly thought that it was just the Mangosteen juice itself that had helped, not the specific Xango, so I kept Larry on the Xango, while I tried several other brands over the next weeks and oh-oh! I could feel the pains creeping back in. I switched back to the Xango and I have to tell you...I'm not switching again. It works for me. I have taken a total of 4 sinus pills since last November( I used to go through about a package every month) and I think that Larry and I both feel really good and have more energy.
So if you want to know more about Xango, click on the link to Biza's site and read some more about it! Even if you decide it is not for you, it never hurts to gather a little bit of info!

Chinese for Dinner!

2007-08-16T16:14:00.000-05:00

Well, it turned out to be a beautiful day! Lar and Elvis and I went rummaging this morning. We only went around here and into the Falls because we had to be at Coumadin Clinic at 10:15 and then I had to come back and mow the lawn.
As I have said before, I am NOT the lawn mowing queen. I don't mind doing it, but it is not an art form for me, so I just kind of mow how ever I feel like it . And am happy when I am done.
Our neighbor Carl is a dedicated lawnmower man and I am sure that as he watches me happily circle and weave around the yard, that he cringes and wants to tell me that I am doing it wrong. I know for a fact, that Kurt would have had a BIRD about the way that I mow! He was another lawn artist and mowed in patterns- you know, like the whole yard was mowed on a diagonal back and forth, so that it had textured stripes? Or the checkerboard pattern?
Kurt also swept and vacuumed the driveway (Which is kind of insane because it is 7/8 s gravel) These types of things gave him great pleasure. He would have loved the leaf blowers and pressure washers that everyone has today.
I called Katie (Who was in Bowling Green on their way back from taking Travis to Atlanta for school) because every sale I hit today had stuff that we searched all summer to find for Trav's apartment at school! Go figure,eh? Found a whole bunch of fun books (I am a book-a-holic) that I will peruse and probably eventually sell on ebay. Rummaging is a blast! You can get things that appeal to you and if they don't work for whatever reason-say a shelf is too big for the spot you were thinking of putting it, you can just re-rummage it or sell it on ebay! Or, if it was only 25 cents, you can just give it away! Gotta love that! And we still have a booth at the antique mall in Door County, so we always look for stuff to take up there!
Lar is napping- almost time to have him get up and move around for awhile. It is a beautiful afternoon, so I think I'll go for my walk and then it is
time to take out the garbage cans for trash pick-up in the morning. It seems like garbage day always comes pretty quick!
I am getting Chinese for dinner- No special reason, we just want a little egg-fu-yung. And that is that.

Sarah vs the Squirrels

2007-08-15T16:14:00.000-05:00

When we were kids we always would laugh at Dad because he would get so irate about the darn squirrels. Kurt would come running down the stairs in his boxers and go flying out the door with the beebee pistol clutched in his hands and run around the house yelling at the squirrel as it jumped from branch to branch or ran across the roof. I think the squirrels would sit up there and laugh at him!
So, little did I think that when I became an adult, the squirrels would awaken in me the same rastle-frastle feelings that my Dad had. I walk out the door and stand on the porch and-PLOP- right on my head- 1/2 of a black walnut with lovely squirrel drool still dripping from it. So then I'll move over a few feet. And so will that furry little monster up in the tree, so PLOP! on the head again.
I have tried to capture them and let them go somewhere else. Phrog said they probably got back to the house before I did and also, I freaked out when I saw how easily the squirrel could release himself from the trap. All I could picture as Biz and I were driving him to the country to release him Was a panicked squirrel racing across our heads, trying to escape from inside the van, while we crashed into a telephone pole.
So, I gave up the live trapping.
Then, I had my nephew Jake come down and hunt them (With great success) but he has been too busy for the last year and the population of squirrels is rapidly growing, with no relief in sight.
One year they got into the barn, and the mama and babies dies up in between the drop ceiling and the upstairs floor. THAT was not a fun job getting them out! YUCK! But, they have not gotten into the barn since.
If I had my druthers, the black walnut tree would be a thing of the past. Grandpa did not plant it.... It grew because squirrels bury the nuts all over and the trees start to grow. Mom thought-'It will be very pretty there'. And it was . Pretty. Until it started to fruit. And then you have the shells all over that leave black stains and the roots and dripping sap that kills everything around it (No more lilacs and all of the rock gardens died) And lots and lots of squirrels.
Last year was the nutless year, but it looks like we have lots this year! Oh well...maybe someday.....No Black Walnut tree.

Rainy Days and Tuesdays

2007-08-14T09:29:00.000-05:00

We had a nice thunder/rain storm all through the night. My garden is very happy! The lawn is too, but unfortunately this means I must mow.
It's not that it is hard to mow- I just hate doing the inclines and ditches, so my deal with Phrog is- I mow the wide expanses and he comes and does the ditches for us.
I have to tell you all, that Larry and I would be up shit creek without Phrog. He calls almost every day and stops in several times a week. When he says -" do you need anything done?" I know he is not just being polite, it means that if I have something to get done, he will do it either on the spot or in the next couple of days.
Everyone else in the family means well. They all say- If you need anything just ask. BUUUUUUT... past experience has shown me (Much to my frustration), that it is pretty much just talk- they WILL come through in an emergency, but anything else- not so much. We get the- "Yeah sure, I should have some time next week and I'll stop over and check that out" (RIGHT....) You get the picture and I am sure that some of you who are caring for a parent have found out that once you settle in as the major care taker,people figure that you have it handled and they can get on with their lives and you will let them know if you need anything, so they won't worry about it until you call. And then when you call the first time, it is OK they will gladly come and give a hand, but as time passes, they settle into the routine of their lives again. And forget. Forget to call or stop- "Oh I have been so busy- I forgot to call" " I think we can stop for a couple of minutes on our way home from VACATION next week and say hi-" "I just called you guys (3 weeks ago) and didn't want to wear Larry out". "I stopped but Larry was tired (Well DUH!) and so I left so he could get some rest"
I think that the number of times that anyone has called and OFFERED- OUT OF THE BLUE- ON THEIR OWN- WITHOUT MY ASKING- to come and sit with Larry so I could go out and do something without having to worry about how he will get his dinner or his pills or his meds , is under 10- in how many years? And going away for a weekend- I have tried to set up- managed 2 times- not easy, let me tell you. Biza, who lives in California for the crying out loud comes and helps more with Larry than the rest of the family (Except Phrog) who live within 30 miles!
And the funniest thing is, if you were to ask any one of my brothers or sisters, they would say that they certainly help out a lot..... So, Lar and I have learned through the years, to gratefully accept the help that is offered. We don't expect a lot and therefore are not disappointed. And when he is sad and blue that no one calls and talks to him, I dial the phone and hand it to him and HE calls them. We have our routines and Phrog stops in when he knows I am gone to check and make sure that Lar is OK.
I certainly realise that not everyone can do this- taking care of an elderly parent is a whole different ball game than what we are used to. But, I do feel sorry for my family as they rush about and forget to take the time to be there for someone who is important to them.
They always think- Well, tomorrow I will make more time or do this or that- and sometimes, you just don't get a tomorrow.
So that is why I make sure that Larry and I enjoy each and every day-(some days more than others).
I do not have any regrets about taking this time in my life to be here for Larry. To help him live a happy life. To enjoy the time he has be it 5 days or 10 years. I know that he values what I do for him, and you know what? I Value what I do- and that is enough for me!
Now, that I went totally off the track of what I meant to write about this morning! Yikes! From mowing the lawn to family issues. All in a days work, I guess!

Monday Night Football!

2007-08-13T19:06:00.000-05:00

Well, we had a long talkative lunch with the gang. It is kind of funny because when you get a bunch of people together and a couple don't hear too well, it makes for some interesting conversations! I always enjoy seeing everyone and Willie is a born entertainer! He didn't sing but had us all laughing at his escapades!
I had Larry dress in his favorite blue jeans this afternoon. He always looks very sharp with decent clothes on and used to dress very nicely all the time. He doesn't usually wear anything but sweat pants now because A-he lost a ton of weight & with it his behind B- without a behind, even with a belt, pants don't like to stay up very well and C-his prosthetic leg sticks and all of a sudden the pants start drooping and then BLOOP! To the ground and you hate to have the poor guy pantless in a nice restaurant! But he made it OK- no pants drop- Whew!
When we got home, Lar, took a quick nap and noooowwww..... It's time for Monday Night Football!!! He is in heaven! Football season is starting! It may be pre-season to you, but it means football to Lar! ANNNDDD...BASEBALL is still going ANNNDDDD there is still golf. This is Larry's favorite time of year!
In the old days pre-medical problems, he would head down into the basement and putz around doing some laundry or working on little jobs that I kept for him to do He had 2 TVs and a radio going. They were turned to different stations and if the Packers were stressing him out too much, he would wander over across the basement to the other set and watch a different game for a bit. Or sit and puff on his pipe just listening to the game on the radio. He does miss the basement. And his pipe. And I don't let him flip around if I am watching with him, so he is OK with me working on the computer while he watches his football games. I am rooting for the San Fran tonight-
And hopefully we will get some rain tonight and I don't have to water. Yay for me!

Singing and Dancing Willie

2007-08-13T11:07:00.000-05:00

Well today is the day that Larry has been waiting for since June of last year. That is when his old school chum Willie told him that he would be in town for a family reunion, so we have been planning to get together for a year! Until a couple of years ago Willie was a great song and dance man and used to entertain at a lot of functions in his area. Hopefully we can get him to sing one today!
Larry's group of friends has dwindled down to 4 men and 3 of the wives and actually Harvey doesn't count as a school chum because he joined the group later on, after the war.

(The picture here is of the guys about 30 years ago. Larry, Jim & Howie are standing. Bob, Harry, Willie and Gene are sitting)

Larry went to grade school with Jim and Bob and Willie-That is a heck of a long time to be chums! He was friends for even longer with Howie McKee-(I love that name, don't you?)Howie's Mom and Larry's Mom were friends and Howie and Larry knew each other since day 1 and were great buddys all along. Howie just passed away 2 years ago and his wife moved up to Door County, so we haven't seen her since then.
We get together with Jim and Elaine (His very lovely wife) every month and have lunch or breakfast...we always have to work around Doctors appointments and Larry's dialysis and laugh about that. Sometimes we have Harvey come along, but he likes fancier places than we do. We usually go to somewhere Greek and sit and talk for an hour or so after we are done! Those Greek places are great and they never rush you!
Bob and his wife Grace live in Wis. from May til Sept. and then head for Arizona. They have a lot of family here, and Doctors appointments, so their summer goes fast and we usually only get to see them a couple of times.
And Willie lives in Las Vegas and we haven't seen him for about 4 or 5 years. So we figured we had better do a get together this time- none of them are getting any younger .
So, I just got Larry from dialysis and he had his protein drink, pills and insulin and laying down for an hour. Then he gets up, we spruce him up, brush the hair, slap on his cap and head out to pick up Jim and Elaine and then off to meet Willie and his daughter Kathy and Bob and Grace.
It is an absolutely gorgeous day, so perfect for the drive over to the place that we are meeting. I'll post a picture when I get one- Bob always has his camera and takes pictures. Me- I have never been a big photo person and have never gotten into the swing of taking lots of pictures! So sad, too bad.
Well, time to rouse Larry and Elvis from their nap so we can get ready! I'll post later to let you know how it went!

What would I have said 10 years ago?

2007-08-12T13:46:00.000-05:00

If you had asked me 10 years ago what I would be doing in my life at age 51, I can guarantee that living at the house in Germantown, taking care of Mom and or Larry would not have even entered my mind. I always figured that Mushy (Being the one who got guilted into everything)would be guilted into caring for Mom if it ever came to that point. I think that like all kids, you think that your parents will go on and on and you will never have to think about it until you are about 80 yourself. And in our case, I thought that Mom had some sort of pact with God going on (She prayed enough) and wouldn't go until she was good and ready at about 110.
As I said in an earlier post, my sister Katie and I worked with Mom at her shop from May til October. When we started doing this, Mom was pretty healthy and we all took turns being up at the shop running it instead of everyone having to be there all the time.
As Mom's ability to be mobile went down, so did her ability to be at the shop without Katie or Myself there. So, for the last few years, Katie and I took turns being there with Mom and Lar and took care of them and the shop. Also, because we are talking a majorly old log house and falling down out buildings, we had to organize work crews several times a year (From our family of course) to do the 3 hour drive and come up and work their tail feathers off for 2 or 3 days to make sure the place did not fall down around our ears.
By the summer of 2001, even Lar was starting to think that it was too much. Several times he said to Katie and me-"You know, I was talking to a guy at an auction recently and he said that he and his wife finally sold their place up here because they just couldn't keep up both places anymore. He said it was a hard decision, but they feel like a weight is off their shoulders." Business in Door County had been declining over the past few years and so we weren't making as much money. Katie's kids were starting to get to the stage where they didn't want to come up to Door County for most of the summer-they wanted to stay home and do stuff there. I just wanted to do something different-didn't know what for sure, I just thought that it was time to move on to something else.
So, we tell Mom-"Look, you have to decide what you want here- We are pretty sure that this will be the last summer that we are willing to come up and run the shop. You can barely afford to keep both places and with the shop income declining, it will be even tighter. It is getting harder and harder to get the guys up here to do the ever increasing repairs, PLUS- come to Germantown and work on that house too. You have to decide which place you want to keep and sell the other one."
Well, of course she wanted to keep the place in Door. DUH! But, after talking to everyone in the family and understanding that she and Lar would be on their own up there , family would visit, but not every single week and there would be no one she could call at 10:00pm to come and fix the water that is leaking all over the bathroom and God forbid, medical assistance is 30 minutes away. We told her that we could open a shop in the barn in Germantown and still work on Ebay and all would be well. After much gnashing of teeth and tantrum (Oh yes she did!) throwing, she called the realtor and listed the farm in Door. And found 2 buyers immediately. And then we had the ill fated auction to get rid of the excess stock that we couldn't take home-that was bad....very sad.... and looking back from a distance, I think that she probably had several small strokes before we got home in October, but didn't realize it. Sigh....
Now, we caravan home with our loads of stuff that has to be fit in this house and Katie's house and the barn and as we are working on that drisslly October day, Jessie (Our Niece, Cindy's 2nd daughter) goes in to ask Mom a question and comes flying back out like the hounds of hell are on her heals. "There's something wrong with Grandma!" In we go and yes indeed, there is something drastically wrong with Mom-her whole left side was hanging limp and she kept slurring about her remote being broken on her TV because the channel wouldn't change (She thought it was in her left hand and didn't realize she had nothing in her hand now) We call 911, the ambulance comes, we circle the wagons-everyone comes to the hospital and waits. Serious...Blah, Blah, Blah....next 24 hours will tell, blah, blah blah.
Poor Mama. She kept telling us she did not have a stroke and she was fine and this jerk face Doctor kept trying to get me (Because I was her health power of attorney) to sign a DNR. I gotta tell you that to this day, when I hear that quacks name, the hackles on the back of my neck stand up. Lar and I took turns staying in her room over night because she would get so scared. And after my first night staying, I could understand why. Attila the Hun disguised as a nurse was on night shift. I have never met a woman with less empathy for her patients. She tossed my around like a sack of potatoes, changing her sheets, weighing her, checking meds. Yikes stripes! Then they decide Mom has to go to a skilled facility to get rehab before she can come home. This is OK with us because her whole left side is paralyzed and we have no idea how to handle this.
She arrives at Virginia Highlands on a Saturday and the guy who escorts her in is in a costume and she is freaking out! We figured out later on that some of the meds that they had her on caused hallucinations, but this was after arguing with the medical staff that she WAS NOT suffering from Alzheimer's or dementia. This was not a happy stage here. We were all wondering what the heck was going on. They slap these poor people in this place and there are not nearly enough aides to even come close to taking care of them. Mom was on a restricted diet-she had to have pureed food and thickened water (Yum! Sounds good doesn't it?)
The food was awful and after figuring out the rules, we brought food from home for her much of the time. She had therapy every week-day- physical therapy, Occupational therapy and speech therapy. She was not a happy girl with any of them, but did wind up improving. Larry went to the nursing home every day. Rain, shine, snow, sleet- Larry was there. I tried to make it for at least a couple of hours every day and became pretty adept at doing things for her. By January, I had moved down to Germantown so I didn't have to make the drive every day. This was fairly easy for me because I have no husband, no kids. I had been living at Katie's ( A story for another time) and we were selling on ebay as our winter source of income, so if there was a computer, I could work.
Mid- January, they said she was going to have to leave by the 1st week of February and where did we want her to go. Well, we want to take her home-Duh! Oh, you can't! She needs too much help, etc, etc. After you get to know me for awhile, you'll realize, you just can't tell me what I have to do because I will say-Oh Yeah? Watch me! So, we got the boys to build a ramp, we changed the toilet for a higher one that was easier to get on and off. We put grab bars everywhere, cleared the house of clutter and pulled up rugs and did everything we could to get the house ready. They came and checked it out and although they were not thrilled that we wanted her at home, they let us bring her, fully expecting us to call in a week and ask what do we do now.
Mom was so happy to be home, I think she slept for 2 days. Then the home therapy and visiting nurses started. We had some good ones and some bad ones. One lady came to help Mom bathe (Mom at this time weighed about 215lbs) and hefted her around,swearing and sweating up a storm(She was not a delicate flower of a woman herself) not considering the fact that MOM WAS PARALYSED ON HER LEFT SIDE AND COULDN'T MOVE!and the next day we get a call from the visiting nurse that in view of this Visiting scrub woman's opinion that Mom was recalcerant and wouldn't help or move, she should be put in a nursing home immediately and she was going to come out and investigate and make sure we were really up to the task of taking care of Mom. When the nurse came out, I gave her a piece of my mind after she checked Mom over and had Mom discharged from their care. What a BAG!
It was a day by day learning experience. Mom got fabulous care from all of us. Phrog found a used wheel chair lift that we installed in the van and we were mobile again, so we could take her to outside therapy and to the Drs office and most importantly-RUMMAGING! Not that she could get out of the van, but she sure loved to rummage (In fact on the way to the hospital when she had her stroke, she asked the driver to stop for any rummages on the way!)
It is a new way of life, but we are grateful that she is still with us and willing to figure it out as we go. But, in the meantime, Phrog's wife Nancy had been having some sort of problems with a recurring bladder infection (Is what the Doctor thought) and all of a sudden, on Easter weekend, her neck swells up. We all know that this is not good-This is what happened to Cindy when her (Again, this story will be told at a later date)cancer returned. They found out she had stage 4 non-Hodgkins Lynphoma. Not a good prognosis....It spread to her brain in July, the up side of that is it took out a lot of her short term memory so she couldn't remember a lot of what was going on.
I had Sarah's nursing clinic going on. I would dget Mom up and dressed and eating breakfast, then Phrog would drop off Nancy (She couldn't be alone because she would forget what she was supposed to be doing and go wander around outside-or worse- before they figured it out, she drove to a restaurant that they used to go to and she sat there waiting for Phrog, but couldn't remember her name or his or where she lived) In October she nearly died from blood clots, but came out of it enough to get sent to Virginia Highlands to get therapy because she was pretty weak and wobbly from almost dieing. We drove to Milwaukee every day to get radiation for her to keep the tumors from growing any more.
Everything was pretty status quo with Mom-we had several small emergencies, but nothing we couldn't handle and everyone focused on Nancy and helping Phrog (They were both 36 at the time)
At Christmas, Phrog got Nancy a tiny puppy who she named Elvis. Everyone loved Elvis. Even Mom wanted a little guy like him. On New Years Day, Phrog brought Elvis down in his kennel and asked me to watch him because Nancy couldn't walk with him darting between her feet and the next day, she was back in the hospital- they gave her about 1 month.
Phrog took her home and hospiced her. Not an easy thing for a young man to do, but, he really did such a wonderful job.
Anyhow....Back to Mom, it was a Saturday. I got her up and dressed. She was fine. Rolled her to the breakfast room, got her breakfast for her and then went up to shower and change myself. When I get back downstairs, she has cereal all over and her arm is dangling again. 911-ambulance to the hospital, they are trying to figure out what is going on. She is fine if she is laying flat and goes into spasms if her head is raised. No food, lots of tests. She is so scared, and we try to stay positive, but it is really hard and now I have a different Doctor trying to get me to sign the DNR orders. And I keep saying-If you can tell me what is going on and that she will not come out of it, I certainly will, but she is OK as long as she is flat, so I am not signing squat. Then 3 nights into the ordeal, the clot breaks loose and causes massive damage and they put her down in ICU and hook her up to all the machines...and we get the word that Nancy had passed away that night, while Mom had her stroke.
We got through Nancy's funeral and then decided that we would bring Mom home, so she could die here. It was set up and accomplished in mere hours. Her last trip to the house...and everyone came....and we had food...and we laughed...and cried...and believe it or not, we painted the living room chartreuse and red (She had been trying to get me to do it for months) And at 11:15 as I sat holding her hand and watching West Wing (Our favorite show), she peacefully went to see her parents and Daddy. And then we had another funeral.
So, that is how I came to be here. I am glad that I came. Glad that I had the chance to learn and grow as I have in the past years. I have come to understand myself a lot better . And as each day passes and Larry has some other issue pop up, I am glad that I can be here for him. He deserves someone to love him and to take care of him, not that the rest of the family doesn't love and care for him, I am just the one who, 24/7 is here. Through rain, sleet, snow and hail. I am here. And I am glad.

Saturday-We made it through another week!

2007-08-11T13:41:00.000-05:00

So, it's been a long week for us! Sometimes it seems like we don't do a lot, but, it takes mucho mental energy to manage all of Larry's issues, the house, myself, the animals, learning how to blog!!!
A typical Monday goes like this- up at 5:30 am- get Larry up, leg on change from jammies into his clothing for dialysis (Comfortable, loose fitting and warm!) Walks w/walker to the bathroom, then to breakfast room, get weighed, check blood sugar and eat a bowl of cereal, maybe back to the bathroom if needs be and then into the wheel chair, where we have to bribe Elvis with a treat because he is always mad that he doesn't get to come along, then out to the van for the 2 mile (Thank-God it's so close!)drive to Dialysis, where Larry walks in with his walker, gets on the scale to check weight gain for their records, thermometer strip under tongue and walk to his chair. I take his walker and leave the wheelchair (Because his blood pressure is too low to walk safely after treatment) and go home. I do several things while he is in treatment- I clean the house, or do my exercising (I walk 4-5 times a week and do free weights and yoga ball to stay limber) and usually do most of my errand running-groceries, pick up meds, go to the post office-all those kinds of things. Then at 10:00 am I head over to pick him up. If they used his catheter he is almost always done by 10:15, if they use his fistula, it could be 11:30 before we get out of there. Then we head home, I wheel him in and he walks to the breakfast room to drink his protein shake, take his pills, read the newspaper, have his insulin shot, walk to the bathroom and then go lay down. Elvis generally takes his nap with Lar on the bed. Then I get him up between 1 and 2, feed him a light lunch, if we have medical appointments, I try to schedual them for after 2 so he gets a pretty good nap. If the weather is nice, I sit him outside and do my yard work, if it is not nice, he watches TV and I have to try to work on the computer while he has the TV blasting with all sorts of weird stuff! He surfs up and down and falls asleep at strange spots-like the senate hearings(UGGG!!!) or Telemundo (Nothing against it, just don't understand why he Always falls asleep there because he speaks not a tiny bit of Spanish!) wrestling, boxing- I listen to more baseball, football and golf than any woman should ever have to listen to. Anyhow, you get the picture. Then he naps again from 4:30 til about 6. If I didn't walk early, this is my chance to get my walk in. Then I make dinner(Which is not easy, especially on dialysis days because he is very nauseus and will throw up at the drop of a hat), get him up, feed him, sit outside for a little while if it is not too hot, then come in and turn on the TV for him, while I clean up the kitchen and then go upstairs to wash my face and have a little bit of deep breathing by myself. After which, we watch TV until about 10-10:30 and then to the bathroom, undress, jammies on, leg off, oxygen on, sleeping pills taken. Make sure he has a midnight cookie and his heavily iced water, that his liners and leg and slipper are ready to put on if he has to go bathroom. Make sure his glasses and phone (To page me if he needs me) are in the pouch that is always with him. Make sure doors that he may use are unblocked if he gets up and there are no obsticles on the floor. Lastly Elvis and Larry have their goodnight ritual and then Elvis and I head upstairs where I usually watch Jay for awhile before calling it a day.
When I write this, it seems like-Hey, that is not too bad a day! And, it really isn't-It just takes a whole bunch of patience (Believe me, I have developed patience!) because I have to stand and wait for him to do things at his pace. You can't rush him or everything totally falls apart and for most of the stuff he does, I have to be fairly close by because his balance is not so great, his endurance is nil and he has very little confidence in himself anymore. So that is a typical Monday. Oh yeh, and one more thing- with the heat and humidity of summer Larry gets very dehydrated easily, wobbly and gets heat related diahrea- just a few more things to factor in here.
Now, this past Monday at dialysis they drew labs and when they came back on Wednesday, Lar's white blood cell count was up. A HUGE area of concern-cause we don't need no stinking infection! So, I had to make an appointment with his primary and we had to go see her at 12:45. We were supposed to take a urine sample (To rule out a bladder infection) and get a chest xray. He couldn't pee, which did not worry me because he just had dialysis and had all of the fluid removed from him. So, they take the xray and can't tell if there is anything new going on in there because he always has fluid in one lung. So, they send us immediately (Do not pass go....) to the hospital to get a cat-scan done. We had to swing through Culver's to get fries for him and a burger for me because who knows how long it will take at the hospital. They do the scan relatively quickly and we get home by about 4:00 pm. He has to lay down and nap and this puts a cabosh on going to see his granddaughter Mickey play in her All-star softball game at 5:00pm. But if he doesn't get a rest, he gets dangerously wobbly and that is not good! Especially since Wednesday is my night out-I go meet 2 of my friends, usually at one of their houses for dinner or sometimes we go to a movie. But, Wednesday, in the summer is my night to be gone at least 3 hours and I don't want him really tired and wobbly while I am not there because it is not fun to get the call from him that he is on the floor. Anyone with an elderly relative knows that falls are never good and often very dangerous (And to top it off, he HAD just fallen last Saturday night (I mostly broke his fall from behind)and still is very shaken up by it). So, I got him set up with dinner and his ICE tea and went to Louise's to get eaten by mosquitos. When I got home he was fine and hadn't even gotten up, but was fairly wobbly when I put him to bed.
Thursday we went rummaging with Katie. Larry love rummaging-LOVES it! And Elvis always rides on his lap and loves it too. Katie had broken (More like smashed) her foot in May and had the hard cast taken off on Wed. and just had her soft boot on ( so she was pretty happy about that). We were rummaging for the last items that she was trying to find for Travis's new apartment in Atlanta, where he is going to graduate school for Physics/astronomy. It rained all morning and was very muggy so Lar wasn't feeling 100% so when we came home, he mostly rested all the rest of the day. And still no pee for the pee sample by days end.
By Friday, I am a bit concerned that he still hasn't peed but the nurses at dialsis are not worried and after getting back results on the culture that they drew Wednesday , figure out that yes, indeed, he has something going on so they have to hook him back up and give him the antibiotic through his catheter. Lar was very worried that they were going to put him in the hospital, so was more than happy to only have to sit for an extra hour to have the meds administered there. I was also pretty grateful that he didn't have to go have his catheter removed or anything like that. YAY! Hopefully this will take care of it, but I will keep an eagle-eye out- and by the way-still no pee! What's up with that???
And the best part as far as Larry is concerned, is we are going to watch Mickey play 2 games tonight, so, Life is good! What more can you ask for?
Over and out for today!