We've had a busy morning already! Cat had a check-up for the sore she's had on her neck. She needed another shot and he (the vet) said she will probably need one every 2 weeks. But, he said it wasn't as bad as it had been so she didn't need to have the IV antibiotics, so we got to bring her home. We were just about home, turning the last corner when she started making a really funny noise and as we turned into the driveway, she threw up. She did that the last time she got a shot and then traveled, so apparently the shot plus the motion upsets her stomach. I just have to remember not to feed her before the next visit.

We've had a dull week. It was still beastly hot so we stayed in as much as possible. We got only a little relief from rain, unlike some areas that got several inches. It's much cooler today and is supposed to be pleasant all week-end.

I watched a couple of orientation presentation with McKenna for her virtual classes. She's doing the K12 home schooling this year and I'm one of her learning coaches. She's really going to have to apply herself and be disciplined. She's supposed to get her schedule next week and the classes start the 14th when regular school starts. Doesn't seem like it should be time for school again already!

We took both McKenna and Kiyann out for breakfast on Thursday for their birthdays. They share the same day, just 3 years apart. Kenna is now a teenager (or as she says, no longer a child) and Kiyann is 10 (finally made it to double digits). We took them shopping afterward for presents. Kenna just wanted a visa gift card and Kiyann is an easy shopper, makes her mind up quickly and doesn't need to look at everything first. I think she thinks about what she wants before we get there. Her party is this afternoon/evening. We're going for part of it, cake and ice cream and presents only. The kids are going to swim after that so we can come home then. Kenna had cake and ice cream with Bryan's family last night. There is too much turmoil there with the other grandkids so we didn't go, and Kenna is fine with that. She knows that the commotion is hard on Bill. So, our birthday breakfast makes up for that.

Bill sees the pulmonologist next week and I'm going to ask about an order for a portable concentrator so that we don't experience the problems we had the last couple of times we travelled. We don't have any plans to go anywhere until November when we have to go back to Florida, but if we want to take off for a week-end it will be so much easier, and easier on the hands.

That's about it for this time. Getting back to normal feels pretty good! I'll let you know how it goes with Dr. Burbeck!

The heat is on! No, not in the house. We have had heat advisories all week and yesterday and today it was elevated to an excessive heat warning. We're expecting the heat index to top 110. I've already cancelled the outside work we were going to have done today. It's only 8:30 and it's 83 with a heat index of 92 already. So, we will stay in.

Our recent trip was very traumatic, at least the first part. We arrived at my mom's around 3 Tuesday afternoon. The drive was uneventful with sparse traffic for the most part. There was one construction zone where 2 highways come together and we were bogged down there for a while. But, we knew that it was coming from 7 miles out. For the most part drivers were courteous, but there were some that were impatient.

After unpacking the car I set up Bill's oxygen concentrator and it ran for about 15 minutes and then it malfunctioned. Of course I don't travel with the owner's manual so got on line to see what the warning was. It was that it wasn't making the correct amount of oxygen. So, back to a tank he went while I called the company. The person I got was determined that I was talking about one of the portable units. I finally got him to understand that it was the "at home" unit. He said he would overnight a new one and I made sure he had mom's address. We had enough tank air to get us through the night so I wasn't too concerned. 

Wednesday morning I called our supplier at home to arrange for more tanks. She was quite put out that we had not made prior travel arrangements. I told her that we arranged for extra tanks before we left and this event was something that couldn't be anticipated. I told her where the nearest service center was and she said she would call me back. We waited all day for the concentrator to be delivered, but it did not arrive, nor did I get a call-back from Tammy. By this time we were getting to the danger time of running out of oxygen. I changed his flow to pulse instead of continuous and told him he had to breathe through his nose more than his mouth. 

Thursday morning I called the local supplier to see if ours had called and they had not. They also told me that they couldn't do anything without the travel orders, and besides, they didn't have any tanks! They could pull Bill's file and see that he was indeed a Lincare patient. I was very angry by now, and didn't want to talk to our supplier until I calmed down, so I moved on to the replacement concentrator. I was given a tracking number and when I tracked it, it showed that it was being sent to Richardson, TX instead of Ridge Farm, IL. I called them back and the rep I got was as helpful as she could be, including listening to me rant. She called UPS to see where the package was and...it was sent to Arkansas! She said she could re-route to Illinois, but we wouldn't receive it until Monday! At that point I threw the pen I was holding and said "by that time my husband will be dead"! I ended up having the address changed to our neighbor Joe and then called him. He told me he would take care of it, not to worry! As if...!

By this time Bill is down to 1 1/2 hours of O2. The only option I could see until I could get some replacement tanks, was to take Bill to an ER, explain the situation to them, and hope they would hook him into their system. I called my sister and she found a number for Lincare in the town she lives in. So, another phone call. I spoke to Lisa O'Brien and after explaining the situation for about the 15th time, in tears, she very quietly said "I have tanks". She pulled up Bill's file and saw what tanks we had and said she could take care of him. So, off to Champaign we go. While we were headed that way, I remembered that we still didn't have a concentrator and that we would be in the same situation in a few days without one. So, when we got there I told her that and she said no problem and added a concentrator to the order. She had already generated the paperwork for the tanks. It was so refreshing to have someone who works in customer service know how to deal with a customer! We arranged to have my sister return the unit for us so that we wouldn't have to go an hour out of our way on the way home and off we went! 

I still haven't heard from our supplier except for a new delivery driver this week. He restocked us Thursday, and even replaced the extra tanks, so we are a little freer to go than we would have been.

Joe called me Friday and told me that they wouldn't leave the concentrator because the shipping order said that the new one had to be unpacked and the old one put into that same box to be returned! Wouldn't have been a problem if it had been sent to the right place! So, UPS said they would deliver again Wednesday.

My high school reunion was fun and Bill did well for not knowing anyone. Several people who have kept up with us here and on Facebook were so glad to meet him and see for themselves the miracle he is. The class is already planning the next "major" one, which will be the 50th! How can that be!?! 

Mom had a mini ice cream social Monday evening. My sister, brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew, great-nephew, and 2 cousins with some of their grandchildren/spouses were there. It was a pretty good time, but we made it an early night. It seemed like all were tired.

We headed home early Tuesday morning and again it was a pretty uneventful drive. Traffic was heavier than it had been on the way up, but I've see it worse. We got home about 2:30 and then I headed out to pick up Miss Kitty. We ended up taking her to the vet instead of Brianna coming to stay with her. She scratched open a sore on her neck and when the vet looked at it he wanted to keep her.

Wednesday I put the old concentrator in it's original box and took it to Joe since we had to be in Memphis. He seemed to think that the replacement unit was in a smaller box. I was afraid that one of the rechargeable units had been sent instead of the at home unit. And, for any of you who are wondering, the unit we have is an extra one that Bill keeps in the apartment to use while he's on his treadmill. We have another unit provided by Lincare for in the house. I told Joe that if the box didn't say Inogen at Home to just have it sent back as the wrong product.

I found out that the problem with my foot is Achilles Tendonosis. The Dr. said that I had probably injured the tendon at some point even though I didn't remember doing anything. He gave me exercises to help stretch it. He said I will probably always have the "bulge" since it is mostly scar tissue, but the exercises should help with the pain. He said if it doesn't get better there are some more aggressive treatments. I also have to have shoes that have a small wedge heel. Now, I don't like shoes anyway, so that is a big challenge to me, she says as she sits barefoot typing this! At least it doesn't mean surgery!

We both woke up with headaches this morning and the cat is sneezing. I think it's probably from this dome of air just sitting over us. We're supposed to get some rain next week so maybe that will help clear things out.

That's it for this time. Hopefully I remembered everything that happened. I'll see you next week!

It's a gray, muggy morning and feels really oppressive outside. But, it's comfortable here in the house, so it will be another day of staying in as much as possible.

We made it through the 4th but I didn't think the neighborhood fireworks would ever stop! Just when we thought they were finally finished, only a little break and then start up again, I knew they had gone to buy more before the stands closed. Fireworks are only sold here before the 4th and sometimes New Year's Eve. Of course they give really good discounts the closer it gets to closing time.

When I went out on the 5th to feed the cats I was greeted by a very aggressive growling, barking dog under the house. I couldn't get it to come out to chase it off and I couldn't find the number for animal control to come get it. The number in the new phone book was not the right number. I called every vet in town and they were all closed for the holiday. I guess they took Tuesday and Wednesday off. I finally called the non-emergency number for the police and got the number. I didn't get a call back until late in the afternoon and the dog had finally left by then. I didn't see it leave, but I could at least open the back door. I was worried about the cats, but finally started seeing them that evening. Have only seen 2 of the 3 that are usually around, but there are others in the neighborhood that feed them, so hopefully it has just moved to another house for a few days.

We had some heavy rain on the 4th and I noticed some new water spots in the laundry room/computer room, so it looks like a new roof will have to be done. We had a roof put on shortly after we moved here and then have had it patched 4 times. No-one can seem to get the join sealed where the add-on is. I think I'm going to get quotes for both shingle and metal. I don't really like metal roofs but if it will solve the problem permanently I will get used to it.

Bill was pretty lazy this week again, mostly just sitting and working his puzzles. I don't think he walked any. I'm thinking we need to bring the treadmill into the house and maybe he would use it more, but he doesn't want to do that. I have noticed that the past few days he hasn't been coughing as much. I don't know just what that may mean, whether good or bad. But, it's something to ask Dr. Burbeck about when we see her next month.

I think we're going to see if Brianna wants to stay here with Miss Kitty while we are gone instead of boarding her. She's gotten so used to having the run of the house I hate the thought of her being in a cage for a week. But, they have been on vacation this week so I haven't been able to ask her. They are supposed to be home sometime today so I can find out then.

That's all for today. I probably won't post next week. I'm not taking my laptop with me and since we are going to be busy visiting with friends and family, there probably won't be anything to write about. 

Until we meet again...

Happy July! It's only a little after 8 and I'm already tired! Someone in the neighborhood decided that midnight was the right time to shoot some fireworks, and they weren't little ones. They were probably in the intersection of the streets to get level ground and I could hear them talking. But, I suppose that midnight was better than the roman candles going off at 3:30 the other morning.

We've had an OK week. All of the cosmetic work on the outside of the house has been completed. We have found a place under the roof line where the flashing has dry rotted and our cellar storage room has a lot of damage. This is not the first time this has happened. I actually think it is the 3rd, so the roof problems we thought we had taken care of have still not been fixed. I'm about ready to just have a metal roof put on and be done with it!

We had to get a new microwave this week. The other one is more than 19 years old. It was my grandmother's and we got it when she passed away. Emily was newly pregnant with Brianna when she passed in June, and Bri was 18 in January. Don't you love the way I do the math? Anyway, I don't know how long Grams had had it. It does still work, but it has started the "cook one thing perfectly, cook the next thing halfway". We put it out in the apartment so that Bill can heat up a cup of coffee.

We also got a steam floor cleaner. My hands are getting so bad that I can't scrub or grip much. And since most of our floors are either hardwood or linoleum, it just made sense. I used it yesterday on the bathroom floor and it made a huge difference!

Because my hands are so bad, and of course Bill can't do it because of the muscle tone he lost with the stroke, I ordered one of the spin scrubbers that have been advertised on TV. I can tell you this...don't waste your money! It had to charge for at least 20 hours before using it for the first time, which wasn't a problem. It is supposed to last for an hour on each charge. Well, I did a better job on the bathtub after I switched to the scrub brush! It did absolutely NOTHING to clean, no matter which brush head was used. And, within 10 minutes the motor was laboring! So, it will probably just hang in the pantry.

Bill has been rather lazy this week, talked about going out to walk every day but continued to sit. Yet, he didn't like it that I was working. He kept telling me to sit down. But, someone has to do more than just keep things picked up and the dishes washed. I had noticed this before and this time I said I thought that he just wanted me to sit with him so he would know where I was. He said that it was, and then he said that he didn't want me to keep working and then complain that he wasn't helping, not that I've ever done that, and wouldn't do that! I have noticed that his mental state is deteriorating some, whether he's dry again, or normal aging, or both.

I finally got my appointment with the ortho dr. for my ankle. The first one they wanted to send me to in Jonesboro doesn't take Tri-care, which is the military insurance. I thought that if a dr. accepted Medicare, they had to accept Tri-care, but that could have changed. Anyway, I now have an appointment on the 19th in Memphis with the same group that did the surgery on Brianna's ACL, so I know they are good. The only drawback is that we will have to cut short our trip to Illinois, at least on the back-end of my reunion. We may go a little earlier since we can't stay as long. My foot has really been hurting this week and it seems like whatever it is, it is growing, or maybe I'm just looking at it from a different angle.

We have no plans for the holiday, just staying comfortable and in. We haven't gone to watch fireworks for years and if we watch any it will be on TV.  Other than that we'll stay away from the crazy people!

That's it for this time. Stay safe and have a Happy 4th!

Tropical Storm Cindy has come and gone, and we are none the worse for wear. It had been forecast that we would get 4-7 inches of rain. We may have gotten 2 inches and there was so localized flooding, in the places that usually flood with heavy rain. 

We had a quiet week, not leaving the house much. It was still so hot and steamy. Thursday morning it was 77 when I got up at 5:15 and 78 Friday at the same time. The rain didn't cut the heat much, except for when it was raining at times. We did have one little storm earlier in the week that dropped the temperature from 90 to 69. But as soon as it stopped raining, the temp started climbing again.

Bill hasn't had any issues this week, just the usual ups and downs. He had a couple of days where he stayed hydrated without me having to nag him, and then a couple of days where his mind was cloudy, which usually means he's a little dry. When I say that he's dry, I don't mean that he's dehydrated as most think of dehydration, but his blood volume is low. And, no, I don't check that, it's just how it was explained to me.

I'm still waiting for my referral to the ortho dr. about my ankle. Hopefully I'll find out soon.

We found out this week that one of the two great grandchildren we're getting this fall is a boy, so I've been looking at baby patterns. I think I cast on 10 different patterns before a very simple, but intricate looking pattern dropped into my lap (actually in my Facebook Newsfeed). I've also tried to work on some of the other projects I've had (4 afghans in various states of completion) and have aggravated the carpal tunnel in my right wrist and thumb. I don't know where I put my braces so I've been struggling through with just my compression gloves. I still really want to work on the afghan that causes the strain (it's really heavy and I have to manhandle it across the needles), But I want to finish it because the child that it's for is afraid that it will never get done!

That's it from this end. Just another normal boring week at our house! See you next week!

Good Morning!

It's only a little after 6 and I've been up for an hour. She still thinks 5 is a good time to wake up, and usually once I'm awake I can't go back to sleep, no matter how much I want to. Of course now that she's had some loves and a little food, she's back up on her perch snoozing away.

This week seemed to drag on forever. We got part of the outside painted. (Of course we didn't do it ourselves). We found that some of the trim had dry-rotted so I had to get a new piece of molding. It just needs cut. 

It was extremely hot all week, in the 90s with the heat index 95-100 most days, so we just stayed in as much as possible. We had a chance of rain every day, but most days it by-passed us. We finally got some yesterday and ended up with about 2 inches in about 4 hours. One town not too far from us got more than 4.5 inches! They said that the little cell just sat over the area for awhile. There were also some high winds and some places got some hail. We had a little wind and no hail that I could tell. It did drop the temp from 90 to 69 in a couple of hours before it started back up, ending in the 70s. 

Bill has done well this week. His coughing comes and goes and this week it mostly went. He seems to cough more as bedtime gets closer. I haven't followed it enough to see what could be the trigger for it. A couple of times this week he has used an extra pillow at night, although sometimes he gets all scrunched down so he may as well only have one.

Yesterday, for the first time in the 5 years since his transplant, I forgot to give him his medicine in the morning! I didn't even think about it until it was almost time for his night doses! That is so unlike me! And, I have an alarm set on my phone to remind me and I remember when it went off! I don't know if it's because we're getting up earlier or what. Bill doesn't get up at 5 with me since I try to keep the cat from waking him up, but he's been up by 6:30 most mornings, which is very early for him. So, I don't know what it is. I do know I was a little grumpy yesterday morning so maybe that was it.

That's about it, nothing major or newsworthy, and that's a good thing! Until next week, have a good one!

Sorry to keep you waiting today. I woke up sick and have spent most of the day in bed. I still feel lousy but decided to do this before going back to bed.

We had a quiet week ourselves, but it was a very productive week around here. We got all of the screens replaced and the outside windows washed. We also got the house washed and it looks so nice! Instead of hiring someone to pressure wash it, a friend of mine recommended Jomax Mold and Mildew cleaner and preventative. This stuff is great! You mix the cleaner with bleach and water, then spray it on the siding, let it sit 10-15 minutes and spray it off. That's it! There were a couple of places that had to be brushed where the buildup was heavier, but most of the time you could see it sliding off. We couldn't believe the difference. Now, to get the painted surfaces scraped and painted and the outside will be done.

Like I said, we didn't personally do much this week. Bill did get out and walk once. I went to the dr. for just a check-up and to get new prescriptions. Connie, the nurse practitioner, told me that I was perfect. All of my bloodwork was good, weight not so good but she doesn't tell you what you already know. I showed her the place on my ankle that I thought was a strained Achilles from the way I sit (curled up with most of my weight on that ankle), but my sister had said it looked like the fatty tumors my mother gets, so it needed seen to. She felt it and said that part of it felt like a tumor, but the other side didn't. So she's referring me to an ortho to have it checked out. He will probably want an MRI of it to make sure what it is. I'm still just waiting to hear back on it.

The cat that lives under the house now, I call her Lola, has had her kittens. I only know this because she's not as fat as she was and she now eats like a horse! When they are old enough to venture out I'll get animal control to come and trap them. Our kitty gave us a good laugh the other night and it was one of those situations that will cause giggles for quite some time after. She was sitting on her perch looking out the window. It was dark and she was really watching something. All of a sudden she jumped up and jumped down from her perch and took off running to the kitchen. We both looked at the window to see what scared her and it was a....lightning bug! She had been watching it intently until it lit up and that's when she took off. Bill laughed for an hour!

He's done pretty well on his own today. He hasn't eaten like he should have, but he did fend for himself. I think I will feel like cooking something light, at least for me, but he'll get a decent meal tonight. We went out to eat last night, and I think my whole problem is that I had a big salad. Sometimes I can digest greens and sometimes not so much. This just happens to be one of those times. I also have had a bad headache, but I think that it is from not having my usual amount of caffeine.

I don't think we have anything on the calendar this coming week, unless I hear from the other dr. I need to get some things ordered that we've been talking about getting. May do that this evening. They won't get here unless I get them ordered.

This is longer than I thought it would be for not doing much this week and not feeling well. I'll talk to you next week!