I almost forgot that this was Saturday! Sorry it's so late!
Bill had a good week, me not so much. My sinus infection has come back with a vengence along with a stomach upset. I think I just ate too much since Bill wasn't bothered and hasn't gotten anything, but it was a rough end of week for me.
The weather also didn't help much with the sinus infection. Started in the 50s then had another front come through. Had freezing rain/sleet/snow/rain and temps only around freezing, then 30's and now back to 50s with ANOTHER front set to come through Monday. I haven't heard what we are supposed to get. Memphis is supposed to get rain but who knows here.
Today was a momentous day...Bill's 70th birthday. This was the birthday many thought he wouldn't see. We didn't do much. I fixed a big breakfast and then we headed to Jonesboro. I needed to go to the jewelry store to have a ring inspected and we had planned to eat a nice lunch/dinner since they have so many more choices. But, because of the big breakfast we spent $1.50 on some coffee at the mall and came home and ate peanut butter sandwiches! We did go out to eat tonight and both of us brought half of our steaks home. At least I know what we will have after church tomorrow. Our neighbor Ron also brought over a German Chocolate cake Thursday. His wife Maria's birthday was Thursday and he made her one too.
So, that's our week. I'm so ready for spring! I think Bill is too...or Florida!
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
This has been a week of firsts and a week of letting go.
Since Bill has been given the go-ahead to drive he's ventured off a couple of times. As a friend of mine put it, it was like watching your teenager driving off for the first time. He did drive to church the other night and should not have driven home. The evaluator told him not to drive at night but he assured me he could do it. However, he nearly missed the exit of the parking lot and he did miss the turn for home. I think he realized that she was right. He hasn't attempted to drive after dark again, but we also haven't gone out after dark.
While at church he was thrown an impromptu birthday party! Our church has a fellowship each month for birthdays and anniversaries. Last year they called Bill and sang to him. This year it was the Sunday we were coming home and the time was changed from after the evening service to after morning service. Some people felt bad when they realized that it was Bill's month...so cupcakes and ice cream Wednesday night. I told a couple of people we could just celebrate his new birthday in May, but Emily pointed out that we would miss that one too, since that is when we will be back at Mayo for another biopsy!
He also has gone out to the apartment to use the treadmill alone. I make sure he has his cellphone with him and leave him to it, which gives me about an hour alone. After being with him at the fitness center at the condo every time (I was told not to let him go alone) this has seemed very strange.
We're getting into a new routine as far as his medication goes. I take each day out of the case (we keep it sorted) and just tell him to take his medicine when it is time. I was administering it before. I still fill it for him, but at least he's figuring out which one to take when.
I also left him for an afternoon to make a run to Memphis to the dr. with Emily. The dr. was running almost 2 hours behind so we got home much later than expected. But everything went well on both ends.
His mental state has been much better this week. He hasn't repeatedly asked the same question and has cracked several jokes or made quick comebacks to comments. That is like the old Bill!
Letting go was hard to do. After being in control of things for so long it's hard to let someone else (Bill) do it. I must admit that I was a bit nervous sitting in the passenger seat of the car after doing all the driving for almost 2 years.
As we were leaving Florida last week, Don told me to keep the faith as he gave me a hug. I started to think about that and realized that, through everything that has happened in the last 2 years, I have never lost my faith. I have never questioned why it had to happen to us. Because, it has happened to US. Yes, at times I have wished he had opted to keep the LVAD and not get the transplant, but that only happens when I'm frustrated when he's having a bad day.
I also realized one day that I don't have to worry about a heart attack as much as I did before. Of course he can still have a heart attack, and won't have any warning signs such as chest pain because the nerves were severed for the transplant. But basically, as far as the heart goes, he's healthy as a horse! The main worry in the night is the risk for falls if he gets up for the bathroom. Since this realization, I slept almost all night for 3 nights in a row, something I haven't done for at least 15 years. The first night I was amazed, and even more so when it happened the next 2 nights. I woke up later in the morning feeling rested and with lots of energy! I'm only hoping it will last!
I've gotten another sinus infection and the weather has been so wacky that my allergies are really acting up. But, I've got meds on board so hopefully it won't last long.
That's about it as far as our week goes. It seems like there was another insight into something but I can't remember what it was now. I'll have to jot it down for next week if I remember it! Hope everyone has a good week!
Since Bill has been given the go-ahead to drive he's ventured off a couple of times. As a friend of mine put it, it was like watching your teenager driving off for the first time. He did drive to church the other night and should not have driven home. The evaluator told him not to drive at night but he assured me he could do it. However, he nearly missed the exit of the parking lot and he did miss the turn for home. I think he realized that she was right. He hasn't attempted to drive after dark again, but we also haven't gone out after dark.
While at church he was thrown an impromptu birthday party! Our church has a fellowship each month for birthdays and anniversaries. Last year they called Bill and sang to him. This year it was the Sunday we were coming home and the time was changed from after the evening service to after morning service. Some people felt bad when they realized that it was Bill's month...so cupcakes and ice cream Wednesday night. I told a couple of people we could just celebrate his new birthday in May, but Emily pointed out that we would miss that one too, since that is when we will be back at Mayo for another biopsy!
He also has gone out to the apartment to use the treadmill alone. I make sure he has his cellphone with him and leave him to it, which gives me about an hour alone. After being with him at the fitness center at the condo every time (I was told not to let him go alone) this has seemed very strange.
We're getting into a new routine as far as his medication goes. I take each day out of the case (we keep it sorted) and just tell him to take his medicine when it is time. I was administering it before. I still fill it for him, but at least he's figuring out which one to take when.
I also left him for an afternoon to make a run to Memphis to the dr. with Emily. The dr. was running almost 2 hours behind so we got home much later than expected. But everything went well on both ends.
His mental state has been much better this week. He hasn't repeatedly asked the same question and has cracked several jokes or made quick comebacks to comments. That is like the old Bill!
Letting go was hard to do. After being in control of things for so long it's hard to let someone else (Bill) do it. I must admit that I was a bit nervous sitting in the passenger seat of the car after doing all the driving for almost 2 years.
As we were leaving Florida last week, Don told me to keep the faith as he gave me a hug. I started to think about that and realized that, through everything that has happened in the last 2 years, I have never lost my faith. I have never questioned why it had to happen to us. Because, it has happened to US. Yes, at times I have wished he had opted to keep the LVAD and not get the transplant, but that only happens when I'm frustrated when he's having a bad day.
I also realized one day that I don't have to worry about a heart attack as much as I did before. Of course he can still have a heart attack, and won't have any warning signs such as chest pain because the nerves were severed for the transplant. But basically, as far as the heart goes, he's healthy as a horse! The main worry in the night is the risk for falls if he gets up for the bathroom. Since this realization, I slept almost all night for 3 nights in a row, something I haven't done for at least 15 years. The first night I was amazed, and even more so when it happened the next 2 nights. I woke up later in the morning feeling rested and with lots of energy! I'm only hoping it will last!
I've gotten another sinus infection and the weather has been so wacky that my allergies are really acting up. But, I've got meds on board so hopefully it won't last long.
That's about it as far as our week goes. It seems like there was another insight into something but I can't remember what it was now. I'll have to jot it down for next week if I remember it! Hope everyone has a good week!
Saturday, February 9, 2013
We are a little more than halfway home. We had a good visit with Bill's sister and her husband. Also got to see a niece for lunch which was an extra bonus.
As far as the driving evaluation went, he did very well on all of the tests. She did several cognitive tests and gave him different situations and had him tell her what should be done. They went for a drive and she said the only time he had a problem was when they were pulling into the parking lot. He was a little fast but she could see that he was tired. So, she recommends now that he drive only short distances in areas that he is familiar with so that he won't overdo. This will benefit both of us since he can now go to the store on his own if I'm busy.
That's basically it for this week since I updated through the week. We'll get home tomorrow afternoon or evening. We're not going to be in a big hurry to get going in the morning and the weather is supposed to be wretched the entire trip...heavy rain with a chance of severe storms. So, we'll just take our time and hunker down somewhere if we need to.
As far as the driving evaluation went, he did very well on all of the tests. She did several cognitive tests and gave him different situations and had him tell her what should be done. They went for a drive and she said the only time he had a problem was when they were pulling into the parking lot. He was a little fast but she could see that he was tired. So, she recommends now that he drive only short distances in areas that he is familiar with so that he won't overdo. This will benefit both of us since he can now go to the store on his own if I'm busy.
That's basically it for this week since I updated through the week. We'll get home tomorrow afternoon or evening. We're not going to be in a big hurry to get going in the morning and the weather is supposed to be wretched the entire trip...heavy rain with a chance of severe storms. So, we'll just take our time and hunker down somewhere if we need to.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
We were blessed again with no rejection! Dr Yip was also pleased with his ejection fraction and bloodwork. The only change made was with a minor med (as compared to the anti-rejection "major meds) and it is now as needed instead of daily.
We went to the support group meeting and it was good to see everyone there. One of our social workers is VERY pregnant and will be out on maternity leave when we come back in May. There were 2 LVAD patients and the caregiver of another LVAD that was just implanted yesterday. One of the other guys is having a lot of external problems that add more stress to both of them so we did some extra praying for them. So we talked a lot about coping with things beyond our control.
We ran into the first ICU nurse to have Bill after surgery and she could not believe how he looked. He mentioned that the drs. didn't think he would walk again and I told him that at the beginning Nikki didn't even think he would survive. He's fortunate that he doesn't remember most of his time in the hospital. Maybe one of these days, if he asks, I'll tell him a little more and show him a picture of the Centrimag machine that kept him alive. Nikki was actually the nurse who saw the blips on the monitor when the heart started to beat on its own. We saw some other nurses too and it's always nice to see them. They also like seeing their patients come back. They have said it makes their jobs more worthwhile to know they have really helped someone.
Tomorrow we're having lunch with some other friends and getting some new tires put on my car. We got the tires for about $100 less than we could get them at home, and that's per tire! That's what I get for buying a vehicle with an odd size tire! Doesn't seem possible that we've put that many miles on the car in 3 years, but since one has already been repaired it seemed best to go ahead and replace all of them. As I say often, it's only money!
Thursday is the driving evaluation and then heading to Don & Shirley's for a couple of days. Won't update until we get there to give the results of the evaluation. So until Thursday night...enjoy your day tomorrow!
We went to the support group meeting and it was good to see everyone there. One of our social workers is VERY pregnant and will be out on maternity leave when we come back in May. There were 2 LVAD patients and the caregiver of another LVAD that was just implanted yesterday. One of the other guys is having a lot of external problems that add more stress to both of them so we did some extra praying for them. So we talked a lot about coping with things beyond our control.
We ran into the first ICU nurse to have Bill after surgery and she could not believe how he looked. He mentioned that the drs. didn't think he would walk again and I told him that at the beginning Nikki didn't even think he would survive. He's fortunate that he doesn't remember most of his time in the hospital. Maybe one of these days, if he asks, I'll tell him a little more and show him a picture of the Centrimag machine that kept him alive. Nikki was actually the nurse who saw the blips on the monitor when the heart started to beat on its own. We saw some other nurses too and it's always nice to see them. They also like seeing their patients come back. They have said it makes their jobs more worthwhile to know they have really helped someone.
Tomorrow we're having lunch with some other friends and getting some new tires put on my car. We got the tires for about $100 less than we could get them at home, and that's per tire! That's what I get for buying a vehicle with an odd size tire! Doesn't seem possible that we've put that many miles on the car in 3 years, but since one has already been repaired it seemed best to go ahead and replace all of them. As I say often, it's only money!
Thursday is the driving evaluation and then heading to Don & Shirley's for a couple of days. Won't update until we get there to give the results of the evaluation. So until Thursday night...enjoy your day tomorrow!
Monday, February 4, 2013
We've had a good day today! Bill's biopsy went well, still a little difficulty with "speedbumps" but Dr. Yip managed to get enough samples. Of course it will be tomorrow when we get the results. We spent a quiet afternoon and then met some friends for an early dinner. It was so good to see John and Cindi again. They told us that people at Mayo can't believe that we are still staying in touch with each other. We just hit it off and had an instant connection and we will be friends forever.
Tomorrow is the support group meeting and we're hoping to go to see more people. I know one couple we had hoped to see is not going to be there as his biopsy is tomorrow. But hopefully we'll see others we know. We also saw the girls in rehab today and they were very pleased with the way Bill looked and was moving.
Bill has tried to share his cold with me, but hopefully the meds have caught it early. He's feeling much better and hasn't needed any medication for his today.
We will do some exploring in the next couple of days to find the place for the driving evaluation. I know the general area and I have the address so I can put it in the navigation system. Bill's very excited about it and he's really been paying attention to traffic and lights now so maybe he is ready...but am I? That's one of the hardest parts about being a caregiver, giving up control again. After such a long time it's hard to do and takes a real effort to do. At times I think that it will be wonderful not to have to do everything, but another part of me wants to do it all to make sure it's done right, at least the way I think it should be done. But, it's just another hurdle to get over. After what we've been through already, it should be much easier (and note that I said SHOULD)!
I noticed when I logged in tonight that this is post #400! Never did I imagine that this would cover over 4 years at one time or another. Sometimes I think it is the only thing that kept me sane. And, after all of these posts, Bill has not read a single one! Maybe one of these days I'll print them all and put them in order for him.
All for tonight. More tomorrow after we get the results!
Tomorrow is the support group meeting and we're hoping to go to see more people. I know one couple we had hoped to see is not going to be there as his biopsy is tomorrow. But hopefully we'll see others we know. We also saw the girls in rehab today and they were very pleased with the way Bill looked and was moving.
Bill has tried to share his cold with me, but hopefully the meds have caught it early. He's feeling much better and hasn't needed any medication for his today.
We will do some exploring in the next couple of days to find the place for the driving evaluation. I know the general area and I have the address so I can put it in the navigation system. Bill's very excited about it and he's really been paying attention to traffic and lights now so maybe he is ready...but am I? That's one of the hardest parts about being a caregiver, giving up control again. After such a long time it's hard to do and takes a real effort to do. At times I think that it will be wonderful not to have to do everything, but another part of me wants to do it all to make sure it's done right, at least the way I think it should be done. But, it's just another hurdle to get over. After what we've been through already, it should be much easier (and note that I said SHOULD)!
I noticed when I logged in tonight that this is post #400! Never did I imagine that this would cover over 4 years at one time or another. Sometimes I think it is the only thing that kept me sane. And, after all of these posts, Bill has not read a single one! Maybe one of these days I'll print them all and put them in order for him.
All for tonight. More tomorrow after we get the results!
Saturday, February 2, 2013
We made it to Jacksonville! The trip was relatively uneventful. I didn't feel well last night, stomach bug is still trying to get me down. And, Bill is coming down with a cold. So I've been doctoring him. No fever but he's really stuffy and then his sinuses drain so his throat is sore. But, he can take otc meds as long as they don't have aspirin in them.
I didn't think about the hostage situation in Alabama much, but the area is only about 10 miles from where we stayed last night. We passed right by the command center, which covers both sides of US 231. I don't know if that's where the bunker is because I was watching traffic, but it was a sobering moment. We had noticed helicopters flying yesterday afternoon as we were getting closer to the hotel and heard a couple during the evening. It all connected when the news came on last night, but still not that we were that close.
Anyway, we had good driving weather both days and it is in the 60's here...unlike the 19 when we left Friday! I'm glad we don't have any plans for tomorrow except for resting and buying a few groceries. We're staying in an Extended Stay hotel with kitchenette so we're going to get the basics for the week.
Monday is the biopsy and then we just kind of piddle around until Thursday for the driving evaluation. I'll let you know how everything goes!
I didn't think about the hostage situation in Alabama much, but the area is only about 10 miles from where we stayed last night. We passed right by the command center, which covers both sides of US 231. I don't know if that's where the bunker is because I was watching traffic, but it was a sobering moment. We had noticed helicopters flying yesterday afternoon as we were getting closer to the hotel and heard a couple during the evening. It all connected when the news came on last night, but still not that we were that close.
Anyway, we had good driving weather both days and it is in the 60's here...unlike the 19 when we left Friday! I'm glad we don't have any plans for tomorrow except for resting and buying a few groceries. We're staying in an Extended Stay hotel with kitchenette so we're going to get the basics for the week.
Monday is the biopsy and then we just kind of piddle around until Thursday for the driving evaluation. I'll let you know how everything goes!
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