DOING GREAT

He is doing great!  The doctor took him off one of his blood pressure medicines and he stopped being light headed and dizzy; so he can now walk without falling – wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.  It happened a few days ago but I could not blog it because my laptop is having a nervous breakdown (along with me).

Will do some stories in the next few days.  Feel so much better since he is doing better.

I really appreciate all you people who are following my blog.  Thanks.

ALWAYS A GENTLEMAN

My darling is always such a gentleman;  I guess some things don’t change. 

When I was bringing him home from the hospital last week I pulled into a service station for gas.  He started getting out of the passenger’s seat.  I asked where he was going and he said to pump the gas.  The sweet man could hardly walk but he remembered his old fashion manners. 

The other day I was walking behind him holding on to his gait belt so he would not fall.  We came to a door and he stopped dead still and I crashed into him.  I asked  him what was the matter and he said for me to get in front of him so he could hold the door for me.

DOWN HILL

Darling is too dizzy headed to do much walking now.  This morning we went about 20 feet and he leaned against me and the wall and just crumpled down to the floor.  Believe it or not it was not hard to get him up and back to the chair with the gait belt.  God bless gait belts.

THANKSGIVING

We have the holiday figured out.  Our family will celebrate on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  We did this last year and it worked out great.  James and I stayed at home on Thanksgiving day but we never turned on the TV so he never knew it was Thanksgiving.  Then on Saturday all the kids and grandkids came with turkey and the trimmings and as far as he was concerned it was Thanksgiving day.  As I have mentioned before, count your blessings no matter where they come from.

HOME AT LAST

James home from the hospital.  Don’t think he will ever get strong and good at walking again.  It is like pulling teeth to get him to get up from sofa and refill his own coffee cup.   He will have home health care and physical therapy.  To be eligible  for this he has to be homebound.  They only permit leaving for three things 1) doctor appointments  2) church and you won’t believe 3) for hair appointments!  They put that in there for people like my mother.  And yes, she was a beautiful lady.

I woke up sad this morning.  Guess that could be expected on occasion. 

IS THIS THE NEXT STEP?

This morning he feels tired.  The nurse stood him in the bathroom to take  a shower.  He has not taken  a shower alone yet.  I kept listening and no water was running.  I went in and asked if he needed some help.  He said he guessed he did; he did not know what to do.  Heart breaking.  I bathed him and got him back in bed.  I hope when he gets back home he will remember how to take a shower etc.

WONDERS NEVER CEASE

Darling will be in the hospital another week.  His pneumonia is not gone and they are giving him more drip antibiotics.  Believe me this is good news.   They were telling us he would leave soon and they recommended going to an interim facility for physical therapy before going home.  I kept trying to tell them he gets sundowners and does not do well when I am not around.  They kept just not taking it in and telling me how great the care was.  They would look at this sweet, gentle man  sitting up in bed drinking coffee and know I was exaggerating.  When Missy, our daughter came in and   they told her about the suggestion, she told them she saw it as being a full blown disaster.  Drew, our son thought the disaster would be if we took him straight home before his walking was good, he would fall, take me down with him and break bones in both of us.  We were in a real quandary.  So it is great news to all of us that he will be here another week to practice walking and balance.  Also, of course, for the antibiotics.

 

I have tried not to let the alcohol affect our social life.  When we go out in the evening, I drive and I used to hold his hand getting into our destination.  Since we fell going into Vetoni’s restaurant I don’t always hold his hand.  Coming across the parking lot it was one of those 10 or 12 step falls,  more and more out of control – going down – going down – going down – splat.  He was holding my hand so hard, I could not get away.  Oh yes, I’m that kind of gal; I would have let him go down by himself if I could have gotten away.  After all, someone has to stay healthy to take care of him. A young family was coming in at the same time.  The father, a mountain of a man wearing starched, creased jeans, cowboy boots and a shirt with the name of one of the local ranches embroidered on the pocket .  He picked us up, me first, naturally, after all we are still in Texas.  He helped dust us off and put us at ease with a fall story of his own in the pasture and how he looked around to see if anyone saw him, even though he knew no one was around.  I told him that at our age we were more thankful for help than embarrassed.  Oh yes, I do love East Texas.