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Friday, February 29, 2008

Happy days!

Dad has been home for a week now and is doing great. They took him off the Loritab and that solved all his mental confusion. He and Mom are able to take care of each other without help, so that's a huge blessing. I'll be headed down there March 10-14 because Laura's flying in from Indiana to visit them.

I'm so swamped here, I don't know which end is up. I've managed to get way behind this week, but I'll try to post more next week.

Take care!
~pinkie

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Bits and Pieces

With Medicare's restraints, Dad has to leave the hospital on Friday. He'll either go to a rehab facility or home. We have no guess which one, but he does seem to be doing some better. He's doing well on his physical therapy and walked 130 feet yesterday with a walker.

On the home front, Stanley Steemer is coming to clean our bedroom carpet, the entryway and kitchen tile, and the oriental rug in the living area. Thank goodness because one of the dogs (I'm thinking Max due to sheer volume) got sick last night, once on the tile and once on the rug. That's really unusual for him. We're talking about a dog who ate a frisbee a couple of years ago and didn't get sick. Sam is the one who has the delicate stomach.

I'm making progress on my edits but not as fast as I'd like. I'm hoping to get a lot done this afternoon while the cleaning guys are here. I'm also making CDs for my boot camp classes, and that's taking a lot longer than I'd figured it would. I'm nearly done though.

Oh, here's a funny (a red-faced funny). I put my car in the shop to get it fixed from when that guy hit me. The insurance paid for a rental. They didn't have much to choose from, so I got a Tundra to try it out. Lane's always trying to get me to get a truck for all the yard work stuff. I went to pull into the garage, turned way too tight and scraped the side of the truck. I'm hoping I can buff it out. *sigh*

Tonight is dinner with the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun club, so named by our enemies a few years ago. We loved the name and kept it. Take that Three Horsemen of the Apocalypse (hehehe).

Gotta get busy now.
Have a great day - tomorrow it turns cold again!
~pinkie

Thursday, February 14, 2008

The Continued Perils of Pinkie

Holy cow, how stubborn can one man be? I have an answer to that:

Pretty Darn Stubborn

I think my dad has decided he'd rather have a Hoveround instead of walk (even though he's proven he's perfectly capable of walking) and he'd like to live with one of his daughters. Unfortunately, he has discovered how stubborn three women can be.

Pretty Even More Darn Stubborn

Oh yeah. We've gone with him to his physical therapy to make him work. We've talked about all the things we'll do when he's well. We've made him eat. Rewarded him for good behaviour.

He's complained of chest pains to get out of PT. He's complained of being lightheaded and swears he'll faint when we make him stay out of bed for a while. He's sung the Restless Leg Syndrome song with all 99 choruses. He swears he's too nauseated to eat, but he sure feels good when we're wheeling him around the hospital.

He's worn us out. (I should mention here that I came home last Sunday to rest up for my next tour of duty, so he's worn my sister out more than anyone. She definitely deserves the purple heart.)

We finally had to get real with him. We will not let him be an invalid. If he won't walk, he'll have to go to a nursing home. We hated being so blunt, but if he won't do things for himself, he'll waste away. Mom is not strong enough to care for an invalid, and we refuse to let him waste her as well. The mortality rate for elderly caregivers is frighteningly high. Plus, he's freaking capable!! He's been able to walk from the start of his physical therapy.

I'm cautiously optimistic. Sis and Mom have stood firm and gave him a good report yesterday. My sister is going home for a break this weekend, and Mom promises to keep up the pressure. She'll do it too because she wants him home and well. They're perfectly capable of continuing to live on their own for now, and that's what she wants. Can't say I blame her.

Me, I'm catching up on housework in between fielding sis's calls. DH did a pretty good job, but there was still plenty to do. I've sent 4 chapters to my CP's this past month and a half, but I'm still behind on my goal. I need to finish in the next week or two so I can go to work on the other WIP. I have 5 contests I want to enter in the next month.

And it's Valentine's Day!!! The DH and I are taking the grandkids to Chuck E. Cheese and we have presents for them. This Saturday we're going to the Sweetheart Banquet at the church. It's also OKRWA meeting day and that's always good.

Ah, life. What would we do without it? :-)
~pinkie

Monday, February 04, 2008

What a Difference a Day Makes

A week ago this past Sunday, my dad fell and broke his hip. He's 81, so it's been a rollercoaster since then. We're fighting delirium (reactions to pain and sleep medications), kidney function deterioration (now seems to be reversing itself), low blood count (CT scan soon to determine cause), 'silent' heart attacks (2 so far), ultra painful restless legs syndrome spasms, and a plethora of other minor issues.

I'm writing from Texas, preparing to take the night shift with him tonight. Thankfully, he's much more himself now and we've found the right combination of medications to manage his pain.

On a positive note, I'm getting some work done on the WIP and other commitments I have. Praise God!

~pinkie