I've had a hard time getting motivated to write this weeks update. 

Bill had leg cramps 3 nights this week. I finally had to threaten to start an IV if he didn't start drinking. He seems to think that when his legs cramp just drinking some in the middle of the night when they wake him will do the trick. He did better last night and slept most of the night, only getting up once for the bathroom.

He's also taking his oxygen off in the middle of the night and throwing it on the floor. He acts like it is just a big joke when I tell him it doesn't do him any good. 

I know he gets tired of me nagging at him to take his medicine, or use his inhalers, or drink, or keep his oxygen on, but if I didn't do it, he wouldn't take his medicine, or use his inhalers, or drink or use the oxygen. So, if anyone has any suggestions let me know.

We got his drivers license renewed on his birthday. I was concerned that he wouldn't pass the eye test, but he did fine. This one is good for 8 years which will make him 81 when it expires.

After we left the license bureau (revenue office for local folks) I took him out for a birthday breakfast. The weather was supposed to be bad that night so we knew we probably wouldn't be able to go out for dinner.

Our neighbor Ron brought his dinner on Wednesday, ribs and baked potatoes and some green beans. He brought an entire rack of ribs and the potatoes were big enough that we could have shared them. We got 2 meals out of them and then I had the last of them for lunch again yesterday.

That's about the highlights. Like I said, I'm not motivated to do this today. Maybe next weeks will be better.

Good Morning everybody! It's a nice warm morning, the sun is trying to come out, the wind has calmed down and I slept really well last night. The laundry is half done, supper is in the crockpot, and the bed stripped and remade. It's amazing what having energy can do for a person!

We've had a basically normal week. We both had eye appointments and neither of us had to get new glasses. I had to get new ones last year and Bill the year before so we were pleased that we were still good.

We went to Jonesboro Thursday to get my diamonds inspected to keep the warranty valid. We used to make it a day with shopping and lunch out or visiting friends, but Bill just can't do that anymore. We got the ring looked at and spent $1.50 on 2 cups of coffee and came home. For those of you who don't know the area we are in, there is not much local shopping. We have to drive an hour west, or 1 1/2 hours south, 2 hours north, or 45-1 hour east. That's why we would make a day of it. Maybe once he gets some stamina back we'll be able to do a little more.

Bill has been talking about getting back to his treadmill. While that is a good goal, he is nowhere ready for that. I told him that they only way he was going to do that right now is if I was with him and he only walked 10 minutes. I remembered last night how we worked up to the treadmill when we were in Florida and I reminded him of that last night. We would walk around the condo complex. When we first started we would usually only make it to the end of the building and back then worked up to around the block, to the pool, to the exercise room and then to the mailboxes. He did remember how we did that, so today, since there is no rain forecast until tonight, we're going to walk to the end of the block and back. That may not take 10 minutes, but it's a start. Hopefully the weather will keep cooperating this coming week and we can work up to around the block pretty fast.

Tuesday is Bill's 73rd birthday. His drivers license expires this year so Monday we have to go to the revenue office to renew it. We don't have any appointments scheduled for next week so who knows what kind of trouble we can get into!

That's all I can think of for today. I'd better get a move on before my energy is gone! Have a good week-end and a good week ahead!

We've had a pretty busy week since the last post.

Our neighbors came over Saturday for a visit. Joe comes over a lot and Barbara has started to come over more. So, we had a pretty good little visit. It was a relatively warm day, in the 50s and sunny.

Sunday we took a long drive. It was again a pretty day. We headed west for an hour and then south for an hour and then back east. We had lunch in a town that is actually about 45 minutes away, if you take the direct route. But, taking the back roads is much more interesting. We saw a lot of pretty houses, and several that were for sale, not that we are looking. 

Monday and Tuesday we had snow flurries off and on and it was so cold with a brisk north wind. We were both out for a bit, but not long.

Bill has had a pretty good week. He still doesn't understand that he will not be cured from the COPD and emphysema. I finally told him the only cure was a lung transplant and then asked if he really wanted to go through all of that process again. Since then he hasn't argued about using it at night and he's leaving it on all night.

I talked to our O2 rep about a smaller unit since we don't need the home fill unit (I can't see having it just sit unused when someone else could get some use out of it). They don't carry the portable ones but she did say we were supposed to have some bigger tanks to use for out of town travel and back-up. They were delivered this week, but the other small tanks and the home fill unit were not picked up...and the new tanks are both empty! I think he had been to exchange some for another patient and brought the wrong ones in. I haven't called to get them exchanged yet, I've been too angry about it. I'm considering more and more about changing companies, but I want to do some research first.I doesn't make much sense to me that they make this equipment to give patients a better quality of life and allow them to be more independent but insurance and companies don't want to use them. So, research it is.

Remember at the first of the year I picked the word change? I also said that I needed to make some personal changes. Well, this was the time to do that. I had a dr. appointment this week. It was time for new prescriptions, which is about the only time I go to the dr. unless I am sick. All of the labs came back perfect and normal, but I told the nurse practitioner that it was time to take care of me. I haven't felt bad, or had any alarming things, just that it was time. So she ticked off mammogram, colonoscopy (it's been 8 years), pap smear, the usual stuff and then asked if I had ever had my carotids dopplered. I had not so she also wanted that done. She made the comment that too many people depended on me.

The doppler test was scheduled for yesterday morning and when the tech asked the usual questions all of the answers were no (heart attack, stroke, dizzy, falling, etc.) Then she said "Then why are you here?". I told her I didn't know and she said that they had put down that I had passed out and maybe they did that just to get insurance to pay for it. She spent a lot of time on the left side in one spot and finally said that she was having a hard time finding the place she needed to see, but that was just the way I was made, there was nothing wrong. She said she didn't see much plaque at all. She also told me that I had been scheduled for a mammogram for the 30 minutes before this test, but no-one had told me! I was able to get in after the test. I felt sorry for the tech, she had to deal with hairy pits! But, also got that done. I won't know those results until next week and unless they find something I will just get a letter. I imagine if there is something there they will call and have me come in. So, half of the tests are done. The rest are scheduled for March.

We both have eye appointments next week but that's it for awhile.

We don't have any big plans for Valentine's Day. Bill ordered me some flowers from McKenna. Their youth group always has a rose tent for a big fundraiser. They should be here any time. But, it's very cold again only going to be about 30 today so we aren't going anywhere. We're supposed to have sleet, freezing rain and then rain tomorrow so we'll stay where we are nice and cozy.

Hope everyone has a good week ahead!
 

Decided to update this tonight instead of in the morning.

We got the results of the overnight oxygen saturation test and it shows that Bill does need to use his oxygen at night. He doesn't seem to understand why he needs it and he keeps taking it off if he gets up to go to the bathroom and doesn't put it back on. He tried telling me this evening that it bothers him all night, but I've watched and he's sleeping fine, hasn't even gotten up much in the night for the bathroom.

The inhalers have worked wonders for him. The cough he had is almost entirely gone and he's not breathing as hard at times. But, insurance won't pay for one of them so they've substituted another one which is harder for him to use. I've also heard from my mother that it doesn't work as well for her as Advair. Yes, Mom, they put him on Symbicort. He was doing really well with the Breo, so we'll see how he does. Depending on cost without insurance, we might just pay for it out-of-pocket.

We went to Walmart today and walked most of the store. Started out in pharmacy then walked to automotive, back to electronics, to jewelry and then to vacuums and cleaning supplies. Bill did really well but asked if he could sit while I got the few grocery items we needed. So he waited at Subway while I finished up. He walked faster than he had for quite a while since he hasn't been active for so long now, so I was pleased with his effort.

I got our taxes filed this week, but our state return wasn't accepted. It's a glitch in the program. I was online with H&R Block trying to figure it out and then an hour on the phone with another tier of help yesterday. It still hasn't been resolved. I need to wait for a program update next week to see if that works. If not I'll have to mail the return in, which is no big deal. The guy on the phone gave me a $50 refund on the price of the program which was totally unexpected. I tried to talk him into refunding just the cost of the state program, but he was having none of that. I even told him that I was a retired Block employee and would have bought the program anyway and would continue to but he just punched buttons and said "Done".

Our weather was up and down again this week. It was 77 Tuesday and 48 Wednesday. I woke up Wednesday with a headache, sore throat, stuffy nose and just achy. I felt a little better yesterday and today I'm pretty much back to normal. I was supposed to go to the dr. yesterday for the annual prescription renewal appointment and had to cancel it. I still have enough meds that I can go next week and still get the renewal on time.

Since Bill only has to use the oxygen at night, we're going to see if there is a smaller unit that is easier to travel with. We know there is one by the same manufacturer, but we don't know if our supplier carries it. I felt so bad the last 2 days though that I didn't feel like calling to ask.

That's it for this week. We're slowly getting back to normal. Still not getting around a lot of people but we have ventured out a couple of times this week. Hope everyone has had a good week and hope your week ahead is good too.

Things are finally settling back down for us, and I for one am ready for it!

Bill saw our nurse practitioner Thursday and she thinks his arm and shoulder pain is bursitis. Nothing showed up on the xray. She's given him another round of prednisone and a mild anti-inflammatory. She's only taken 2 of those and he said it's already feeling much better. It was so bad Friday that it was hurting him from his elbow to his neck, so I'm glad it's helping. I think part of the problem is also the way he sleeps. He curls up into a little ball and he sleeps mostly on his right side which is the arm that hurts.

The overnight O2 test was done last night. We just happened to see the rep from the company supplying the oxygen while we were at the dr. and told her what we found out in Memphis. She took all the info and contacted the dr. for the script for it and brought it yesterday afternoon. She's going to pick it up sometime this week-end. I thought it would probably bother him last night but he slept all night and didn't get up at all. The last time he had one of these done it was at Mayo when he was evaluated for the transplant and it was a box that he had to carry with him if he went to the bathroom. This one was a watch which was much easier. We already have it packed up and ready to go.

Our weather has gotten warm again and will be 72 Tuesday with severe weather forecast. Then the high Wednesday is 47. I saw 2 robins yesterday morning and thought that even the birds are confused by this weather. It wouldn't surprise me to see the trees budding. I picked a dandelion in December!

We were saddened yesterday to find out that our friend Abner from Jacksonville passed away early yesterday morning. He and his wife became good friends while we were there. The men were in rehab together which is how they met, and of course Faith and I met in the waiting room! He had been very ill for several months and was in hospice care. I wish we could be there for her, but they have a lot of family there. I've told her we will be there in spirit.

That's about it. We should hear something this coming week about the test results so hopefully I can let you know if he's going to have to keep the oxygen for night use only. See you next week!

It's been a long day, with 3 hours spent driving. Left the house at 9 this morning and got home at 2:45.

We really liked this dr. She was very "common". By that I mean she spoke our language and didn't have the "I'm the dr" attitude. She is wheelchair bound so that put her on our level and the entire appointment was more like just a friendly visit with a few medical things thrown in.

Bill does have COPD and emphysema. She said that is clearly shown on his chest x-ray. The PFT (pulmonary function test) showed that he takes air in well but he has trouble expelling it. His walking O2 sat was 92/93 without oxygen and she was pleased with that so he can do away with the daytime oxygen if he wants. She thinks he may have trouble at night so she's ordered a home test to check this. But, I told him if he has to wear it at night it won't bother him since he'll be sleeping! She did give him 3 different inhalers to use to help with this. It will just be getting him to use them!

As far as the nodule goes, she wasn't overly concerned with it. She says sometimes the lungs fold and she suspects this is what has happened. Why it happens she didn't say. But, she's doing the follow-up CT scan and a PET scan in April to see if the size has changed. She also said the PET will show if it is actually a cancerous tumor. We will have to overnight in Memphis instead of driving back and forth because the scan will be done and then we will see the dr. the next day after it has been read.

So, that's it. I'm relieved somewhat. Of course we can call her if something else happens before April, but I don't think that will happen. But, I didn't think this would all happen either, so who knows!

He's been complaining about his right arm hurting the last few days, so he's going to see our regular dr. tomorrow. He says it's just a dull ache in his upper arm and shoulder so it could just be the way he's been sleeping. But, since it's going on 4 days now we're getting it checked out.

I'll do my regular update Saturday and let you know what we find out tomorrow. For now I'm taking some Tylenol for a headache. I still have a few phone calls to make to ones who need to hear these results. Thanks for all the good thoughts and prayers!

 

This has been a crazy week, but what in our life is normal anymore? Bill has done well this week and hasn't needed to use his oxygen much at all. He still gets somewhat winded when he moves, but it could also just be habit. I had noticed that for months he would breathe really hard but when I would ask him about it he immediately stopped. So it might be more habit than anything. 

Emily's family didn't have any water for the first part of the week. A company working for the railroad hit the water line and the entire housing area they live in was without water from Sunday until Wednesday. So, they were here showering and doing some laundry, which of course kept me doing laundry to keep the towels available. 

We had an ice storm Tuesday night and the kids were out of school Wednesday. It wasn't a really bad storm, but the roads were bad enough that the buses couldn't run. We were forecast to get quite a bit of snow from the storm that is now hitting the east coast on Thursday night into Friday morning. I had already stocked up on groceries before the storm on Tuesday so we were ready for anything. The storm started with freezing rain about 11 pm and we got way more ice than they had predicted. It was snowing really hard by 4:15, but by 10 it was all over. We only got a couple of inches of snow, compared to the 4-6 we were supposed to get. If you're wondering why I know the times, I'm a storm junkie and couldn't sleep, so I was up and down. The forecast had been so dire that the schools announced closings before any of the precip started.

We did lose power a little after 10 yesterday morning so we were running on generator power until about 2. We knew that the air conditioner wouldn't run in the summer, but we thought that the furnace was hooked in to run. This was the first time we had to use the generator in the winter and the furnace did not run. It didn't get too cool and we didn't need to have a fire. Just kept the coffee going. So, this spring, when the weather is nice, we're going to have the generator switched from manual to automatic start and have both the air and heat connected. It will cost a little bit of money, but it will be worth it in the long run.

Bill's appointment in Memphis is Wednesday but I don't think we'll have to worry about the roads. It's supposed to get well above freezing from tomorrow on so they should be clear. I'll post again after the appointment to let you know what we found out.

All for this week. If you're in the path of this storm, hunker down and stay safe and warm. Until Wednesday or Thursday...