We haven't had a real good week, or at least I haven't. The changing of the seasons cold got me the first part of the week. Felt really miserable Monday, but it's been off and on the rest of the week, feeling good one day and not so hot the next. I think it's been a combination of the weather changing plus smoke all around from the fields being burned.

I noticed Tuesday night that my right calf was very tender just below and to the side of my left knee. It didn't feel feverish, but I could tell it was swollen. It still hurt Wednesday so I got in to the the nurse practitioner. She said she could feel good pulses everywhere along the leg, but was concerned that my foot was cold...until she felt the other one. It was freezing in the waiting room and I had worn sandals. Since there is a family history of blood clots, plus being overweight and a mostly sedentary lifestyle, she sent me to the hospital for an ultrasound of the vein. She also told me to then go home and put my leg up with heat on it. The technician said she didn't see any clots, just that it looked like a varicose vein. I followed Connie's instructions and sat with my leg up with heat, but that seemed to make it hurt more. When the nurse called the next day she said that there were no clots, but there was no plan of action. So I guess I'll just watch it and try to move some more and sit differently. I do tend to sit with my legs curled most of the time, and I know that I shouldn't, but it is what it is.

I haven't slept well most of the week. Part of it was because of the baseball play-offs, with one game going until 2 am. I think it's more stress than anything since I've been worried about my leg, getting ready to go to Florida and just general worries.

Bill's cough has gotten worse, or so it seems to me. He's also been stuffy and then runny so it may be the same thing I've had. He's been doing better with keeping his O2 on when he's moving around and I can tell there's a difference in his cognition. He seems to be more aware of things. 

I've got to figure out all of the logistics with the oxygen again for traveling. I know I can have some delivered while we are there but it's for all of the down time we will have at Bill's sister's house. We could take the small concentrator to her house from the hotel, but her house is very cluttered and I don't know that we could find a place to put it and plug it in. I could also have one of those delivered to her house, too. Something else to work on before we leave Thursday. I also need to find a rolling tote that opens at the top to carry a couple of the small tanks while we are at Mayo. I looked here in town and couldn't find anything so will probably have to make a trip to Jonesboro in the next few days. Need to start making my list.

We tried an automatic feeder for the cat this week and Thursday night I think we fed every nocturnal animal around. We were afraid that the cat was gone or dead since she didn't come out when I took her some wet food. It stayed in her dish all day, but when I checked about dark it was gone. I went out with some dry food and she finally came to the opening of the crawl space, and then came out after I went in to eat, so she's OK. She didn't look injured anywhere. So now we have to figure out something about getting her fed while we're gone, but I think we have a plan for that.

We do leave Thursday for Florida and will be in Jacksonville for the week-end, then to Clearwater for a week to visit family and then back to Jacksonville for Bill's check-up and then back home. We'll be gone a full 2 weeks this time, the longest in a quite a while. I was hoping that early voting would start before we leave but it doesn't start until the 24th. But, we'll be back in time to vote. I just don't want to have to stand in line on election day.

I guess this is it for this week. I'm not sure when I'll get this updated while we're gone. I'll try to keep on the same schedule of sometime Saturday, so don't worry if it's not updated until later in the day or evening. Until next time...