Bags are packed, car is gassed up, just a few odds and ends left to do and we are out of here in the early morning.
We had a great visit with my sister and niece last week-end, it was just too short. There were 11 of us here Friday night to eat and my sister and I stayed up into the wee hours talking. Saturday she and I went shopping for a bit and then came home to see Brianna before prom. She looked absolutely beautiful, so grown up. Sunday we ordered pizza and then the visitors headed for home.
Bill did pretty well with all of the commotion. He mainly stayed in his usual seat and watched TV while most of the hoopla was going on in the dining room. Somehow he managed to set the security alarm off while we were gone. I don't quite know how he managed to do it but Em and McKenna heard it beeping when they opened the door and they managed to get it turned off before it activated.
We did set the alarm off ourselves yesterday. We had to take my car to get some recalls taken care of and get the oil changed before the trip. We set the alarm and then Bill unlocked the garage to get his car out to follow me. Neither of us thought anything about it...until the monitoring center called! But at least we know that it works!
It rained most of the day today and I'm hoping that the next wave gets through during the night so that we will have decent driving tomorrow. But, if not, we'll deal with it.
We were going to meet Bill's sister and her husband for brunch on the way home where I-75 and I-10 meet, but Donald has been very sick with cellulitis and MRSA. He's in rehab right now but supposed to get to come home for in-home therapy Tuesday. He was unable to walk or stand and he will have to give up his organist position since it was both ankles that were affected. They would really like for us to go on down to Clearwater after Bill's check-up but MRSA is too contagious to chance it.
If all goes well we should be home Thursday and I don't expect anything to be really wrong. We'll see if they want to address the kidney cyst since his kidney output has been declining for awhile now. But we shall see. I do have some questions to ask about 1 of his medications but I really expect this to be a routine visit.
All for this time. I'll update after we get done with all of the appointments Monday.
Friday, April 29, 2016
Friday, April 22, 2016
A rare Friday post but there's a good reason. My sister and niece are coming today! Brooke, my brother's daughter, is coming to do Brianna's hair for prom and Ronna, my sister, is just coming along for the ride. We're all pretty excited! Most of the local clan will be here for dinner tonight. Nothing fancy, pulled pork sandwiches, chips, veggies, and birthday cake and ice cream for dessert. Yesterday was Bryan's birthday so we're celebrating tonight.
We've had a good week getting things ready for our visitors. Bill has walked every day and has seemed a little more aware. I don't mean to sound as if he's not aware of his surroundings, but sometimes I can tell from his comments or the look in his eyes that his mind is a little fuzzy. Some of that is due to hydration which is still a major problem for him, but it's been getting somewhat better now.
I forgot to mention last week that he fell coming into the house. He said he told his foot to lift for the step but it wouldn't move. Of course his upper body was already moving in anticipation of the step up and when that didn't happen, down he went. He scraped one elbow pretty badly, but it is healing nicely. He took out both of the rocking chairs and set off the panic alarm on the car in the process! I was more worried about breaking a hip or something, but everything seems fine.
Next week's post will probably also be on Friday since we leave Saturday morning for Mayo. Of course I'll keep everyone updated as to how that goes.
All for today, I have pork to shred. I cooked it overnight in the crockpot and the house smells really good this morning! Have a good week-end!
We've had a good week getting things ready for our visitors. Bill has walked every day and has seemed a little more aware. I don't mean to sound as if he's not aware of his surroundings, but sometimes I can tell from his comments or the look in his eyes that his mind is a little fuzzy. Some of that is due to hydration which is still a major problem for him, but it's been getting somewhat better now.
I forgot to mention last week that he fell coming into the house. He said he told his foot to lift for the step but it wouldn't move. Of course his upper body was already moving in anticipation of the step up and when that didn't happen, down he went. He scraped one elbow pretty badly, but it is healing nicely. He took out both of the rocking chairs and set off the panic alarm on the car in the process! I was more worried about breaking a hip or something, but everything seems fine.
Next week's post will probably also be on Friday since we leave Saturday morning for Mayo. Of course I'll keep everyone updated as to how that goes.
All for today, I have pork to shred. I cooked it overnight in the crockpot and the house smells really good this morning! Have a good week-end!
Saturday, April 16, 2016
God is good! Wednesday was a very long day for both of us. The PET scan took 2 hours and wasn't scheduled to start until noon. They came and got him about 11:45 and he didn't come back until a little after 2. Of course since he was NPO since midnight he was pretty hungry and getting a little cranky. I don't like to eat in front of him on days like this but I did sneak a cinnamon roll while he was shaving and taking the trash out and then had some M&Ms after he left. So, before we even checked into our hotel, we got a late lunch/early dinner. We took dessert back to the hotel with us and that was our dinner.
We weren't able to see the Dr. Wires got crossed and she was totally booked, so after a quiet evening we waited until rush hour had ended and then headed home. We were home an hour and Dr. Burbeck called with the results of the test and the first thing she said was "It's good news". So here goes...
The nodule that was seen in January is just a fold in the lung but she said it's a big sucker, about the size of an orange. She didn't say if there is anything to be done about it, so it may be something to just keep monitoring. He has a little congestion in his right lung again that could be more pneumonia or a little bronchitis but since he is asymptomatic we're not treating at this time.
He does have a little hardening around his aorta that Mayo will probably address. I will have a copy of the test and a written report to take to them. They also saw the part of his brain that was affected by the stroke during transplant. There is also a big cyst on his right kidney that we didn't know about. I know those can be quite painful if they become inflamed so we'll consult with other drs. on that before calling a kidney dr. Of course Mayo watches his kidney function closely and may want us to go ahead and see yet another dr. Bill did say he gets tired of all the different dr. visits.
The best part of the results was that nothing lit up so there are no cancers anywhere from his skull to his midthigh. The radiologist recommended that it be repeated again in 3 months, but Dr. Burbeck didn't see any reason for that at this time. We do see her at the end of June so that she can check his pulmonary function since he will have been on the inhalers for 6 months. I told her that I can tell a difference. When he first started on Turdoza he would have to do it 2 or 3 times to get it to click, which means that the full dose has been dispensed. Now it's almost immediate.
That's the most we had going on this week. We're getting ready for our visitors next week-end and then the next week-end we leave for Mayo. After that, who knows!
Today is a Walmart run and groceries. We will probably have to go out for breakfast since Bill ate the last of the frozen waffles yesterday! So, I'd better get a move on and get dressed or he'll think he's going to turn into a Halloween decoration again! Have a good week-end.
We weren't able to see the Dr. Wires got crossed and she was totally booked, so after a quiet evening we waited until rush hour had ended and then headed home. We were home an hour and Dr. Burbeck called with the results of the test and the first thing she said was "It's good news". So here goes...
The nodule that was seen in January is just a fold in the lung but she said it's a big sucker, about the size of an orange. She didn't say if there is anything to be done about it, so it may be something to just keep monitoring. He has a little congestion in his right lung again that could be more pneumonia or a little bronchitis but since he is asymptomatic we're not treating at this time.
He does have a little hardening around his aorta that Mayo will probably address. I will have a copy of the test and a written report to take to them. They also saw the part of his brain that was affected by the stroke during transplant. There is also a big cyst on his right kidney that we didn't know about. I know those can be quite painful if they become inflamed so we'll consult with other drs. on that before calling a kidney dr. Of course Mayo watches his kidney function closely and may want us to go ahead and see yet another dr. Bill did say he gets tired of all the different dr. visits.
The best part of the results was that nothing lit up so there are no cancers anywhere from his skull to his midthigh. The radiologist recommended that it be repeated again in 3 months, but Dr. Burbeck didn't see any reason for that at this time. We do see her at the end of June so that she can check his pulmonary function since he will have been on the inhalers for 6 months. I told her that I can tell a difference. When he first started on Turdoza he would have to do it 2 or 3 times to get it to click, which means that the full dose has been dispensed. Now it's almost immediate.
That's the most we had going on this week. We're getting ready for our visitors next week-end and then the next week-end we leave for Mayo. After that, who knows!
Today is a Walmart run and groceries. We will probably have to go out for breakfast since Bill ate the last of the frozen waffles yesterday! So, I'd better get a move on and get dressed or he'll think he's going to turn into a Halloween decoration again! Have a good week-end.
Saturday, April 9, 2016
It's a gorgeous but chilly morning this morning! But, the sun is shining.
We've had an OK week. Bill caught another cold. I could tell Saturday that his voice was very deep, but he said he felt OK. But, Sunday he felt terrible and stayed in bed until 1:30, which is very unlike him. He also left his oxygen on all day, even after he got up, so I know he wasn't breathing well. He only had a very slight fever and his BP, heart rate and O2 sats were good.
He's felt better as the week has progressed. He's coughing a lot every morning and I think it is now more from the COPD than the cold. Once he's up and has coughed and used his inhalers the coughing mainly stops for the day.
I've notice, and he's noticed now, that he has absolutely no stamina at all. He keeps saying that he needs to get on his treadmill, but then he just sits. He also wants me to just sit. I've started some spring cleaning, not the heavy cleaning yet, just going through things and putting things where they need to be instead of piled up in places. I just get started good and he tells me I need to sit down. I would like to just sit, but someone has to do the chores.
We've enjoyed watching baseball again, except the Cubs have opened the season on the west coast which means that the games don't start until late, which makes for very late nights. I'll be glad when Monday comes for their home opener. At least it will be in the same time zone!
Bill is having his CT/PET scan Wednesday. It hasn't really sunk in yet that the test is at noon and he has to be NPO from midnight on except for water. He also can't take his meds until the test is done. We're supposed to see Dr. Burbeck the next day to get the results so we are spending the night. We aren't staying at the hotel that is next to the hospital complex, the rates have really gone up since we were there last. So we are staying a short drive away at another hotel. I also had enough points to get a free night!
My sister and niece are coming for a visit in a couple of weeks. Brooke, the niece, is going to do Brianna's hair for prom and my sister is just coming along for the ride. It will be nice to see them.
That's it for this week. Next week we'll have the results of the tests. We're hoping that it will show that the "nodule" was just where the lung had folded and not something more dire. Have a great week-end!
We've had an OK week. Bill caught another cold. I could tell Saturday that his voice was very deep, but he said he felt OK. But, Sunday he felt terrible and stayed in bed until 1:30, which is very unlike him. He also left his oxygen on all day, even after he got up, so I know he wasn't breathing well. He only had a very slight fever and his BP, heart rate and O2 sats were good.
He's felt better as the week has progressed. He's coughing a lot every morning and I think it is now more from the COPD than the cold. Once he's up and has coughed and used his inhalers the coughing mainly stops for the day.
I've notice, and he's noticed now, that he has absolutely no stamina at all. He keeps saying that he needs to get on his treadmill, but then he just sits. He also wants me to just sit. I've started some spring cleaning, not the heavy cleaning yet, just going through things and putting things where they need to be instead of piled up in places. I just get started good and he tells me I need to sit down. I would like to just sit, but someone has to do the chores.
We've enjoyed watching baseball again, except the Cubs have opened the season on the west coast which means that the games don't start until late, which makes for very late nights. I'll be glad when Monday comes for their home opener. At least it will be in the same time zone!
Bill is having his CT/PET scan Wednesday. It hasn't really sunk in yet that the test is at noon and he has to be NPO from midnight on except for water. He also can't take his meds until the test is done. We're supposed to see Dr. Burbeck the next day to get the results so we are spending the night. We aren't staying at the hotel that is next to the hospital complex, the rates have really gone up since we were there last. So we are staying a short drive away at another hotel. I also had enough points to get a free night!
My sister and niece are coming for a visit in a couple of weeks. Brooke, the niece, is going to do Brianna's hair for prom and my sister is just coming along for the ride. It will be nice to see them.
That's it for this week. Next week we'll have the results of the tests. We're hoping that it will show that the "nodule" was just where the lung had folded and not something more dire. Have a great week-end!
Saturday, April 2, 2016
It's a beautiful day...finally! We had a dark and stormy few days this week so it's nice to see the sun. The downside is that it's gotten cooler, only going to be in the 60s instead of the 70s we had most of the week.
We've had a good week as far as health goes. I did not go to the dr. after my little "episode" Friday night. I also haven't had any more problems. I've started keeping track of what I'm eating. I had noticed that in the past when this would happen, it was mostly after a bite of meat. It started after a bite of steak, but since then I've had pizza, burgers, pork chops, chicken, ribs, all with no problems. So, I'll just keep track, keep eating small bites slowly, and hoping it doesn't happen again. One thing the article I read said was that certain drinks and food could trigger the spasms so watching what I eat could help.
Bill has had a very good week, until today. He wasn't able to walk as much because of the weather, but he did walk. He also went to Walmart with me and walked some there. He woke up this morning very stuffy and his voice is very deep. He even admitted that he doesn't feel really good and that he felt fine when he went to bed last night. I know he didn't have a restless night, was only up once to the bathroom and didn't do any coughing in the night. He doesn't have any fever so I'm thinking it might be more the high pollen count we're having and not another cold. He did go out yesterday without a jacket and only a short sleeved shirt and it was only in the 50s yesterday. Today he has on a heavy flannel shirt! So, I'll just keep an eye on him...as usual.
I've also created a monster! When I gave him his pills this morning he just looked at me and waved his hand toward the side table and said "Am I supposed to dry swallow them"?!? I just told him to get off his behind and get some water! I do wait on him a lot, comes from when he was so sick, and he's gotten used to it. That will have to change!
Amanda has had a setback in her recovery. Her headaches are back and when she saw the surgeon Tuesday to get her staples out he did another CT scan which showed some fluid buildup. He also thinks she has had some mild seizures and some brain swelling. He added another seizure medication and her regular dr. put her on some Tylenol 3 and Xanax for anxiety. She's on bed rest until April 12th which is driving her crazy.
If you remember from a couple of weeks ago I told you we were trying to connect our new TV to the internet to watch ballgames. I bought the Chromecast streaming device and we never could get it to connect to the internet, except for 1 time and then it wouldn't "cast" anything for us to watch. So, after more research, we took it back to Walmart and got the Roku stick instead. It was only $5 more, but after setting up an account (free) and following the simple instructions, the remote found the stick and we were up and running! We've watched a couple of games on it already. I do need to go through the channel store to see what else can be downloaded for it that we would use and then customize our home page. So, if any of you are considering a streaming service, I would go with Roku over Chromecast.
All for today. Baseball season officially starts tomorrow afternoon and I am very happy about that! Have a great week-end and week!
We've had a good week as far as health goes. I did not go to the dr. after my little "episode" Friday night. I also haven't had any more problems. I've started keeping track of what I'm eating. I had noticed that in the past when this would happen, it was mostly after a bite of meat. It started after a bite of steak, but since then I've had pizza, burgers, pork chops, chicken, ribs, all with no problems. So, I'll just keep track, keep eating small bites slowly, and hoping it doesn't happen again. One thing the article I read said was that certain drinks and food could trigger the spasms so watching what I eat could help.
Bill has had a very good week, until today. He wasn't able to walk as much because of the weather, but he did walk. He also went to Walmart with me and walked some there. He woke up this morning very stuffy and his voice is very deep. He even admitted that he doesn't feel really good and that he felt fine when he went to bed last night. I know he didn't have a restless night, was only up once to the bathroom and didn't do any coughing in the night. He doesn't have any fever so I'm thinking it might be more the high pollen count we're having and not another cold. He did go out yesterday without a jacket and only a short sleeved shirt and it was only in the 50s yesterday. Today he has on a heavy flannel shirt! So, I'll just keep an eye on him...as usual.
I've also created a monster! When I gave him his pills this morning he just looked at me and waved his hand toward the side table and said "Am I supposed to dry swallow them"?!? I just told him to get off his behind and get some water! I do wait on him a lot, comes from when he was so sick, and he's gotten used to it. That will have to change!
Amanda has had a setback in her recovery. Her headaches are back and when she saw the surgeon Tuesday to get her staples out he did another CT scan which showed some fluid buildup. He also thinks she has had some mild seizures and some brain swelling. He added another seizure medication and her regular dr. put her on some Tylenol 3 and Xanax for anxiety. She's on bed rest until April 12th which is driving her crazy.
If you remember from a couple of weeks ago I told you we were trying to connect our new TV to the internet to watch ballgames. I bought the Chromecast streaming device and we never could get it to connect to the internet, except for 1 time and then it wouldn't "cast" anything for us to watch. So, after more research, we took it back to Walmart and got the Roku stick instead. It was only $5 more, but after setting up an account (free) and following the simple instructions, the remote found the stick and we were up and running! We've watched a couple of games on it already. I do need to go through the channel store to see what else can be downloaded for it that we would use and then customize our home page. So, if any of you are considering a streaming service, I would go with Roku over Chromecast.
All for today. Baseball season officially starts tomorrow afternoon and I am very happy about that! Have a great week-end and week!
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