Good Morning! It's still dark out, but the cats don't know that 4:30 is not the time to get up on a Saturday morning, or any morning for that matter. But, here we are. They (the inside ones) have been fed and Kitty is back asleep. Mouse has been wandering around chirping like he's really unsettled about something. And since he is dark gray with black stripes and I'm sitting here with only a lamp on across the room, looking at a computer screen, I can't see where he is. He was at my feet with a catnip pillow, but he's gone off somewhere. He can't get in the bedroom, the door is shut, so he's probably either in the dining room on top of the stereo or in the computer room in my chair.

We've had a decent week and reached another milestone. Bill has now been discharged from Home Health nursing! So we are not tied down as much as we were since we don't have to wait to know when they are coming. Ricky said his lungs sound good so the coughing he's doing must all be from sinus drainage and is coming from up high. I'm anxious now to see just what his labs will show when we go to Mayo next week-end.

 We did have a mixup this week with his insulin. I requested refills from the dr. last Sunday night and I know they got the request. Emily checked on Monday afternoon with the nurse and she said she had seen it. So, since they don't call when it is sent, I waited to check with the pharmacy and when I went by Wednesday, there was nothing. So, I called them and Emily said she reminded Amy again and said they had to be done by Thursday because their office and the pharmacy were going to be closed yesterday for Good Friday. When I went to the pharmacy, it was a different insulin and only 1 of the 2 he takes. So I called them back and asked and they said to bring it back, that even though it was the same as the one he was taking, they would exchange it for the other one so that it was consistent. I also took all of the vials for all of them and we went over how long to keep them. No one had ever told us what the shelf life was and some of the information with them contradicts itself. Then, another phone call to Amy for the other one and then back to the pharmacy. She actually wasn't aware he was on regular insulin since Connie called it in on a week-end from home but didn't enter it into his record when she got to the office. So, the order that Amy sent was to fill ALL insulins. But that also included the Lantus that he was taken off of since it was taking his sugar too low. I think we finally have it all straightened out and I should be able to switch them to home delivery and save a little money in a few days when it all gets through the system to ExpressScripts. So, now having to keep track of when the vials are opened and figuring the end date...just another thing to keep track of.

Bill has been a little more self-sufficient this week, getting his own coffee and breakfast and taking the trash from the smaller trash cans to the kitchen to put in the larger can. He still can't take the trash out (tubing won't go that far and he doesn't need to take the O2 off to do it) but that little bit helps. He's a little more winded the last couple of days, but I think that's just all from the sinus drainage. So, I've been giving him some extra sinus medicine to help with that. We are both ready to go to Florida to breathe some of that good sea air.
 
Bill has been asking about getting the PEG tube removed since we aren't using it, just flushing it. He said it doesn't bother him or get in the way, it's just something else to deal with, especially getting dressed or using the bathroom. I told him that if it's removed and he needs another one, they will put it in his nose (which they will do initially) and he wasn't too keen on that idea. I kind of like having the backup there in case he needs the extra nutrition. His weight has stabilized at 140 which is still low, so Mayo may want him to have some supplements. So, he agreed...for now...that the PEG will stay.

I got my shoes ordered and they've come in. And while they aren't super comfortable because of the arch supports, they are tolerable (at 2 of the 3 pair). They are all Skechers with Memory Foam insoles. They are a little tight and I'm hoping they will stretch some. 

I actually have to keep the ones I wanted to return, since the return address they gave me is India and it would cost more to send them back than what I paid for them. But, I put the insoles in from the dr. and tried wearing them. They weren't bad that way, but my legs went to sleep, both of them, from my toes to mid-thigh. So that won't do. But, after wearing the Skechers for the past 2 days, and switching between the different styles, my heel does feel better. So, they are doing some good, now if they will just stretch some.

I have all of our reservations made for Florida and we leave a week from tomorrow. We'll get there Monday afternoon and have all day Tuesday free. Bill decided that he didn't want to go on to his sister's house this time, so after his visit with Dr. Patel on Thursday morning, we're going to go ahead and head home and should be home Friday afternoon. I know that sounds like pushing it, and it is, but I think with where I've planned our stops we'll be OK. I think we have enough oxygen to get us through, if not I'll arrange for some replacements.

I think that's it for this Easter week-end. The big egg hunt at Emily's church is today and it's cold right now and wet but supposed to warm up. Maybe when the sun gets up it will warm up fast. The church is near us and it will be difficult to get out of the neighborhood during that time with all the cars. But, there are other ways to go, even if it's a little out of the way. And I can always time any errands for before or after.

Happy Easter!