Back to Huntsville

I woke up with the first alarm. I stayed in bed until the second alarm, which woke Chris up. We cuddled for awhile, then I got up to start my morning routine, or as much as I could do in a hotel room. Chris took a shower and I ate breakfast. Then we both read e-mail. I listened to two tapping audios. About 9:30 we packed the car and got on the road. We listened to the book on CD all the way to Huntsville.
I was supposed to meet Elaine at the church after entering the offering, so Chris just dropped me off at the church, then went home to unpack the car. I entered the numbers for this week, then sent her a text. She was not feeling well, so canceled. I discovered the numbers from last week and entered those as well. I ran into problems, but solved them by calling Lars. After I printed the reports, Chris came to pick me up. We stopped at the bank to deposit the money, then went to Publix for groceries.
We unpacked the groceries, then I unpacked my suitcase. There was a ton of little things to do to get everything back where it belonged.
Chris cooked bison and onions and garlic for supper. I added sprouts to my portion. I ate two bowls because we did not have lunch. We spent most of the evening listening to the next two CDs of the book we had been listening to. It put me in a kind of stupor. At midnight the second one ended and we just went to bed.
* This is Chris, getting something from the trunk of his car. *

The irrepressible Earl

I got up around 7. I brushed and swished and got dressed. I gathered my stuff together. I made and ate breakfast, plus made breakfast for tomorrow. Patrick suggested I take some sewing stuff with me, so I kind of went through some of it that Michele might want or need. I was certain to leave myself stuff to mend Dad's clothes with.
I meant to eat the bits of meat left on the chicken bones from last night, but there was no time for that. Chris showed up at 10 and started moving my stuff to the car. I looked around one last time and found I had forgotten a pair of shoes and a quilt that I had intended to work on. I also took the crock pot since we need one and Mom's hadn't been used since before she died.
So then we got on the road. I asked Chris how things went at his parent's house. He said he had tried to replace his computer fan, but when he opened the case, there were multiple fans. The one he ordered was not the one that was dead. To make matters worse, when he reassembled the laptop, the screen didn't work. So he had gotten a HDMI cable so he could hook it to a TV and use that for a screen.
We finishes listening to the book on CD and started a new one by the time we got to Bristol. We encountered some snow flurries in the last hour of the trip. We checked in and moved our stuff into the hotel room. We spent some time together.
I called Faye to check on Dad. She said she had found him sitting in his wheelchair by the nurse's station. I think he was in time out because they caught him walking down the hallway looking for a place to dispose of a banana peel. (If only I had a pic of that). Then, in the wheelchair, he tried to use the elevator. Yesterday I would have sworn he could not do either. So they had a seat alarm on him to be sure he didn't get up.
Chris hooked his laptop to the TV in the room. I read e-mail while he played his game. Then we went to Red Lobster for dinner. I ordered the lobster. Chris ate all the biscuits while we waited for our meals to come. His meal did not take long to eat, but it took me a while to get all the meat out of the lobster. And boy was it good! Mmmmm. The waitress happened to mention that we were her last table for the night. It took me awhile to realize that we were keeping her there by not leaving sooner. They had a credit card reader at the table so we could pay without bothering the waitress. I didn't like sitting so close to a signal-emitting device.
Chris drove us back to the hotel. He dropped me off at the door, then parked the car. We went up to the 10th floor together. He played his game while I talked to Faye and Dad. Then I called William to let him know about the key.
Chris specced out a laptop for me on the Dell site. But when he tried to order it, the delivery date was Dec 23rd. So then he found something similar on Newegg. Although both sites claimed Cyber Monday prices, they still wanted upwards of $2000. Maybe my hinges are worth fixing after all.
We watched one episode of The Good Place. It was the season ender, so then we saw an episode of ST:NG. Chris went to bed and I stayed up to post to my blog.
* I ordered the live Maine lobster. But he didn't make it. *

At least he got lots of sleep

After I finished writing my blog post last night, the washer finished. So I threw the clothes in the dryer and went to bed.
I got up about 7 local time. I ran the dryer again because the clothes weren't quite dry. Then I took a shower. I got dressed. I found some matching thread and sewed down the placket in one of Dad's shirts. Then I cut up a lemon and made lemon water. I put some chicken in a jar for lunch. I grabbed two bananas and some blueberries and strawberries, and Dad's clean clothes.
Then I went to the hospital. I got there about 10:30. Dad was sitting in a chair and had finished breakfast. I talked to Faye who was not ready to go. And just after 11:30, lunch arrived. The male nurse came in to set him up for lunch. I suggested he eat in the diningroom. So Jeremy helped Dad use the walker while Faye followed with the wheelchair and I carried the tray. Dad walked most of the way, then sat in the chair and got wheeled in. Dad sat in front of the tray and Faye sat beside him. I went back to the room because our purses were there. I ate the chicken in the jar and two strawberries. I started reading the book on handling estates.
Faye and Dad returned from lunch. Dad was put in bed to rest. His cath was still in place. Faye left to run errands. Dad fell asleep. I deleted e-mail with my phone. I texted Kurt and Faye. I read. I fell asleep too, for awhile. After several hours, Dad woke up. He was not totally with it. Supper arrived early but he was not hungry. In fact, he was having trouble with his bowels. So I called the nurse, who came, took him to the bathroom and cleaned him up, then put him back in bed. Jeremy went to find a clean gown.
Dad still wasn't interested in eating, so I ate most of his meal: chicken, green beans and broccoli and cauliflower. We watched the news, then turned to the classical music channel. I offered him some strawberries and he accepted two of them. He also ate the half a banana from breakfast. Then he closed his eyes. I think he slept a little. I went to the nurse's station to get a gown, and I put it on Dad. I read for awhile. Then the nurse Jeremy came back with nurse Anne who was taking his place for the night. He gave her the low down on Dad, then they left.
I talked to Dad as we listened to classical music. He wanted to practice standing up, but he could not manage to sit up. Then I called Anne who had to change Dad because the cath had slipped off. She said she was coming back with another cath, but I did not see her for another hour. Dad was wet so I tried to change him, but failed, so I called for help. A different nurse came and started the process before Anne came back. Anne fixed the catheter and Dad relaxed in bed. She also gave Dad his evening meds, probably before she went looking for the cath.
Then Faye came in, a little after 10. Dad let her have his dentures to clean. She also took his hearing aids. We talked until Darleen arrived. Then Faye started explaining to her all the things she should tell the aids tomorrow morning. I said goodbye to Dad and told him I would be back for Christmas. I bid farewell to Faye and Darleen. Then I went back to the house.
Dad had 29 messages on his machine so I listened to all of them. The only one that counted was the one about his prescriptions. Faye had wanted me to flake the leftover chicken and freeze it. The chicken was not well done, so it was hard to flake, and took some time. Then I sat down to quickly write my blog post and get some sleep.

57 years young today

I woke up beside Michele. I got up and let her sleep. I checked e-mail. Chris and Cecily went to the church to help decorate for Christmas. I called Kurt. He said he was packing and was going to stop by the hospital before he left town. I thought that meant I didn't have to hurry. I made and ate breakfast, then got dressed.
Al and I put my stuff in his car. Alfred dropped me off at Dad's house and helped me carry stuff in. Kurt was still there. He and Patrick were going out for breakfast. We talked briefly, then I drove to the hospital. I found Faye and Dad in the gym with the PT. I watched Dad walk with the walker in the hall, and go up and down steps. Then he laid down and the PT stretched his legs.
My foot was bothering me so I went back to the room. Lunch was sitting on the table. Kurt showed up. I gave him Dad's water bottle and sent him to the gym to see Faye and Dad. I found the fat bombs: melted in a bag. I put some in the soup. Then I stretched my foot before resting and jotting notes in texts to myself. I ate a few seed crackers.
Faye and Dad came back to the room for lunch. We talked while Dad ate pulled pork and … something else. The OT came for another session. She left for a few minutes so Dad could finish his meal. When she came back, Faye and Kurt asked safety questions. Knowing Dad could have his meals in the dining room under supervision helped Faye to feel better about not being here for that. The OT took Dad to the bathroom. Faye finally left. Kurt and I chatted. Dad was tired so the OT put him in bed before she left. She also moved some of the markers on Dad's whiteboard. Kurt left at 2:45.
Dad slept and I tapped. I also sent a few texts for entertainment, as well as deleting new e-mails. His dentures came loose so I pulled them out of his mouth so he could sleep better. After a few hours, he started to wake up. Supper had already arrived. He said he wasn't hungry, but that he wanted to get started eating. The nurse set him up to eat. The fat bombs had solidified on the window sill. I put some in the soup. I cut up the turkey and Dad mostly fed himself. When he decided he'd had enough, I ate the remaining green beans and sweet potatoes. There was fat free sherbet, but he wasn't interested. I didn't want it either. I gave him some CBD oil. Someone came for the tray.

The nurse came back. Dad wanted to sleep, so she dressed him for bed and put on the cath. He was so hot that she took his temp: 99. The room was also hot, so she turned down the thermostat from 85 to 75. Dad dozed off, then became fidgety. I turned on the weather and we watched that for while. Then I turned to the classical music channel and he fell asleep.
Dad started mumbling about transformers and trains. So I talked to him about Poppy's trains. That seemed to be the ticket. He got more lucid all the time. When I told him he was in the hospital, he responded with “Johnston Willis?”. That surprised me.
Eileen, an RN, came in. She recognized us from last February. She remembered Faye, too. She referred to us as the F and F sisters. She listened to his lungs and heard a little something that she wasn't allowed to talk about. She asked if we needed anything else, then left.
Faye arrived just before 10. She brought me a birthday present. It had the nicest card with it. We talked about tagteaming tomorrow. Dad wanted to know when I was coming back. He held my hand and I assured him I would be back.
I left the hospital and drove to Dad's house. Patrick was there. He threw his clothes in the dryer and I threw clothes in the washer that Faye gave me. Patrick proudly showed me old spice cans that he found in the cabinet. I was too tired to care. I wrote up my blog post and downloaded pics from my camera. Then I got ready for bed.

Black Friday

I heard my alarm go off in the den. I must have fallen asleep again and had a dream about Faye being missing. Then I saw her with a cult and thought they had brainwashed her. I shouted “Let her go” and woke up myself and Michele.
No one else was up. I checked e-mail and looked at the organic acids test results which had just come in on my laptop. My vitamin C level was high. Then I made vitamin water. I was going to make vinegar water but Cecily's vinegar was old and dark and not organic. And I left my second lemon at Dad's house.
I called Kurt and talked to him and then Faye. She said Dad had a bout of diarrhea. I apologized for not mentioning that he had prune juice for lunch yesterday. Then someone came in the room. Faye kept the phone open so I could hear, but it was not clear enough. I deleted a bunch of e-mail while waiting for her to get back to me. Finally I hung up to preserve Kurt's phone battery. I started composing my blog post for yesterday. Then I called Faye's phone. She was still at the hospital. We talked about Dad getting out of bed for breakfast (which an OT did earlier). We talked about whether he needed an assistant (like Faye or Darleen) if he went to the 5th floor rehab. Someone came to do an assessment. So I hung up and let Faye concentrate on that.
Cecily talked to me about rehab and such. Then I made breakfast and got dressed. I called Kurt who was about to text me that Dad was accepted into rehab on the 5th floor. YES!!! I told him to send Faye the new room number when it was determined.
When Michele was ready, the three of us drove to JohnstonWillis. We met Kurt and Faye in Dad's room getting ready for the move. Dad finished eating and we pulled the tray away. Faye asked me to compose several meal menus for next week. The nurses brought a wheelchair and two of them got him into it. Then he was wheeled to the 5th floor while Chris and I looked around the room to make sure nothing was left behind.
The room on the 5th floor was the same size as the 4th floor, just enough for a bed and a chair, but there was no chair. We found an empty room with one and Kurt moved that chair to Dad's room. However, it was not a reclining chair. We tried to stay out of the way while Perry (my favorite nurse from last February) got him situated in the bed and weighed him. Faye and I made a list of things Dad should have from home. Then Faye went home to get the stuff. William arrived after work. He chatted with Michele and Chris.
I assured Dad everything would be fine. He was in worry mode. Chris said we had to leave, so William stood by Dad while we said goodbye and left. On the way to the elevator, we ran into Allie, his OT from last time. I spoke to her briefly and she said she would check in on him even though he was not assigned to her this time.
Then we went down to the hospital entrance. I had to use the bathroom. Then I realized I did not have my purse. So Chris ran back to get it while Michele and I walked to the car. When he got back, we went to his parent's house for supper.
Supper was almost ready. I deleted some e-mail, then sat down with the family. Chris said grace, then we feasted on prime rib, au jus, salad, potatoes, brussels sprouts, and yorkshire pudding. Cecily could not finish her meal so we all pitched in to help.
I talked to Faye. Then the nurse came into Dad's room. Faye asked him for a reclining chair, and a phone. He was surprised that the room had no phone. I was feeling dizzy so I ended the call. I ran out of vitamin water so I made more.
The family was watching the food channel. I tried to catch up on e-mail and the very few Black Friday sales that I was interested in. Chris called me to him in the den to complete the CEL survey for the housing community that we live in. There was no place to complain about how high the prices are for the size of the house. And that they charge extra because we can't sign a long term contract.
I went back to my contemplation of special sale prices. I marked the sales that run all weekend and ordered from two that end at midnight. Then it was high time I went to bed.

Thanksgiving

I got up after the second alarm. My phone said it was 7:30 but that was CST. So I only had an hour and a half to get to the hospital. I made breakfast and ate it while adding things to my Swanson's cart. I re-read the list of things Faye asked me to do. I took pics of the papers she mentioned. Then I got dressed, and made vitamin water for the day. I also cut up a lemon and made lemon water to replace the vinegar water I have been drinking. Then I drove to the hospital to relieve Faye.
I got there just after 10. Dad was sitting in a chair and had just finished breakfast, I think. Faye and I talked. She said they cathed him at 4am and then he finally got some sleep.
Faye left around 10:30 for home and a Thanksgiving lunch at the Moose Lodge. Dad wanted to lie down. I told him the chair would recline, but he wanted to be in bed. I set up his walker, but he could not get up. The nurse came in to check, and got some help to move Dad. But in the process, the cath came off and the bag spilled. The male nurse cleaned it up, and then they hauled him into bed. They did not reinstate the cath.
While Dad slept, I chose food for his lunch order. Then I called it in and asked for late delivery. She said they had a Thanksgiving menu. But when I heard what was on it, I asked for the turkey to replace the baked cod in the order I had recounted. And that was fine.
I let Dad sleep. But a lady from Vascular came with an ultrasound machine. She put gel on a roller and got a visual of his heart beat on her screen. She examined from several angles. She needed a clearer pic so she asked him to take a deep breath and hold it. But he didn't hold it. After several tries, she left and came back with some sonically reflective liquid, which she injected into his IV. Some of it leaked, but he got enough that she could take the pic she wanted.
Kurt and Patrick stopped by at noon. Dad was sleeping, so the three of us chatted a bit and then they left to join Faye and Kevin for lunch. Dad's lunch came a little early and sat. But I waited until he woke up to offer it to him. The bed had a button that transformed the bed into a chair. So I pushed that, then pulled up the food tray. I cut up the turkey for him, and let him feed himself. I put a fat bomb in the tomato soup to melt. Then I fed him the soup to make sure he got his fat and protein for the day. He ate everything but the yogurt. Then I pushed the tray away and reclined him a little so he could rest again. I asked him questions about things in the past to stimulate his memory. When he went back to sleep, I did some tapping.
Kurt and Patrick came back, a little before three. Then Faye came. We all chatted. Kurt offered to spend the night with Dad on Friday. So I figured I could spend the day and night with the Damours. Then I drove over to Dad's house where Chris was waiting. We put my stuff in his car and went to his parent's house. I took a shower and Chris joined me to scrub my back. Getting dressed in the bedroom, I spied a book on prostate treatment. I thumbed through it and saw some info Faye might like to have. I asked Al about the book and he said I could take it. I called Faye. But then someone came in the room so she had to go.
Chris and Cecily finished up the preparation for Thanksgiving dinner. I joined the family at the table. We feasted on turkey, stuffing, cauliflower casserole, peas and onions, cinnamon rolls, and cranberry relish. Afterward, they had pumpkin and pecan pies with whipped cream. Michele ate very little because she was nauseous. Then Chris and I put all the food away. He rinsed dishes and I labeled containers of leftovers.
Chris and Michele sat on the couch with their laptops. I joined them. Then Faye texted me that she wanted me to order her a book on Amazon and have it sent to her house. But talking to Michele, I figured out how to buy it in Kindle form and e-mail it to Faye. She had to download the kindle app to read it. But she got it pulled up, so I hung up to let her read. By then Chris and Michele had left the room. I talked to Alfred until midnight, not realizing how late it was. I got dressed for bed and got in with Chris who had already gone to bed. But my ears were ringing from being so close to the router. So I grabbed my pillow and went to the livingroom where Michele was reading before going to bed. The couch was pulled out and dressed with sheets so I laid down and soon she did too. Then we went to sleep.

Wednesday the 27th

Near morning, he fell asleep when the nurses came in, turned on the lights and changed his wet bedding. I tried to go back to sleep, but daylight made it difficult. Around 7:30 I ate the second half of Faye's sub. At 8 I ordered breakfast for Dad. At 9 I woke him up and opened the blinds. Then someone brought breakfast in. I set him up to eat in bed. Faye came at 10. I made some vitamin water for Dad. I made it stronger to help him provide a stool sample for the lab. But it wasn't enough so I rubbed his tummy. He kept telling me to rub harder because it was moving something. He also wanted me to move the head of the hospital bed up and down. The nurse put a bed pan under him. It seemed to take a long time, but he finally was able to produce a specimen.
Chris came to the hospital to visit Dad. He stuck around for awhile. He watched us go through the stretching exercises with Dad. The OT came and asked questions, then stood him up and got him in the chair I slept in. Dad ate his lunch in the chair. The blood doctor came in to talk about blood thinners. He said to use a low dose while Dad is in the hospital.
Chris then took Faye back to the house so she could get her vehicle. Then he came back to the hospital. He watched Dad and I eating lunch so I told him it was ok for him to go back to his parents' house. The case worker came by to discuss Dad's living conditions. She wanted to send his info to three acute rehab places. Ok by me. I called Faye and told her.
Later the hospitalist came by. He said he didn't think Dad had pneumonia and wanted to order a CT scan of his lungs to be sure. He had an x-ray and saw signs of water. But he thought the high white cell count could be entirely due to the blood clot. He talked about options if Dad did not meet the criteria to be admitted to acute rehab.
Dad wanted to lay down, but in his own bed at home. I told him we couldn't leave. He wanted to call a taxi. I gave him the walker and stood there while he tried to get up on his own. He couldn't do it. I delayed so supper would arrive while he was still in the chair. And it did. But he needed a change and the nurses arrived during supper. So we interrupted supper, cleaned him up and put him in bed. The nurses left and I fed him as much supper as he wanted. Then, I ate the rest. Someone came to take the tray. I put on the TV news and Dad kind of watched it.
Faye showed up at 8. We talked. I tried to explain all that the hospitalist told me about non-acute rehabs and assisted living. We got interrupted by Patrick calling, and then the nurse. They come in a lot to take vitals and to change pee pads. Faye gave me Dads dirty clothes to take back. She gave me keys to the Olds, which I then drove home. William met me there and let me in. He presented me with a pair of practically new shoes from Goodwill. I took off the other ones he gave me, and put on the new ones. They felt fine at first, but then I realized the arch support was in the wrong place. I paid him for the first pair. He gave me a key to the house. Patrick left to take stuff to the storage unit. I wondered if he did not want to be alone in the house with me. I spend some time catching up on my blog posts. I also took some pics for Faye. I was really tired, so I did not do everything she asked me to before I went to bed.

* This pic was actually taken on black friday. *