She Sounds Good

Yesterday was a continuation of the conversation about where to after Heartland. The results? The same. Like so many of us, mom doesn't like change and what she is facing is a major change and her fear manifests itself with anger, self pity, frustration and more fear. It's very difficult to have a conversation when her defenses are up, but as long as she continues to hear the same message from so many different directions I believe some words will sink in. As Alexander Pope reminds us "Hope Springs Eternal".

When I arrived this afternoon, mom was in PT. Her roommate Jessie and I talked for a while about the conversations they've had during their time together. Jessie is leaving tomorrow and mom may have a new roommate to welcome in the new year. Jessie feels mom will eventually come around, but her determination to return to Meadowlark is so strong, she just can't move beyond it. She wishes us well.

The bed sore that has plagued mom since Beaumont has worsened and Heartland has made an appointment for her at the Wound Center on the campus of Beaumont Royal Oak for Tuesday, January 5 at 2:45. When I spoke with the PA about it, she wasn't sure what all they would do about it, perhaps antibiotics, so we have that to look forward to. I'll be transporting her and staying with her during the visit. Hopefully the nurse or doctor will be able to explain how/why bed sores develop and the potential problems if they go untreated. I believe we've all tried to share our knowledge but what do we know. Stay tuned.

Her menu is planned for tomorrow with a special dinner of Prime Rib with all the fixings. She wants Jessie to stay because it's going to be a feast, but Jessie is pretty determined to be home by lunch time tomorrow. You Go Girl!

1. My plans are to get her through the appointment Tuesday and hit the road to Ashland on Wednesday. Since my plans are in pencil, I'll wait and see what God has in store for me when the time comes.

If I don't get a post on here tomorrow, have a safe NYE.

Let It Snow!

When I arrived this afternoon Justin & Byron were visiting. Mom was very happy to see Justin and enjoyed her visit with him. They were here for several hours and enjoyed spending time with mom. She's tired today, doesn't understand why, just tired. She participated in PT earlier and enjoyed the workout, passing on the afternoon session.

No discharge date yet. According to the SW on duty, with approval they could keep her until the 3rd of March 2010. She continues to make progress but still requires assistance walking and taking care of her bed sore.

That's about it from here for today.

Greetings From Ruth

I grought mom down to the internet cafe this evening to show her the blog and comments that have been made. I asked her if she wanted to type a message but said her typking skills aren't what they used to be.

She wants to wish everyone a healthy and prosperous 2010 and let you all know she appreciates your love and support.

When I arrived today she was a little blue. Byron had been to see her earlier but she had not had any other visitors. She was real glad to see Tim & Laurie along with their boys and foreign exchange student. They visited yesterday afternoon and had a very nice visit.
she was glad to hear Laurie's father was doing well.

Pretty boring day here today, they played bingo earlier and attended services provided by a local Methodist church. Other than that. It's been a slow boring day.

Happy Boxing Day

Christmas day was interesting for mom. She left Heartland around 3 or so and went to Colleens sisters for dinner.

She has received several phone calls and well wishes from friends. I brought out some mail and a box of cookies from Priscilla. The dialogue about returning home with assistance and going in to assisted living continued with the expected results. I talked about what it would mean to have someone in the house with her again, after all these years of living alone and how little tolerance she has for people that do things differently than they way she feels they should be done. She maintains that she will be fine, but continues to require assistance when using the bathroom, not all the time, but frequently and lacks the strength to rely solely on the walker when walking. While her progress with PT & OT is good, those that work with her maintain she can't be home alone. Stay tuned, she may prove everyone wrong yet!

Christmas In Rehab

Sounds like a bad country western song doesn't it?

Spent an interesting afternoon with our girl. Concerned about the bed sore she has had for a while. Colleen called me last night about it, expressing her concern and today I was privy to actually seeing it. Another one of those things a son doesn't need to see on his mother. In talking with the staff, they are concerned about it as well. They have been measuring it, putting medicine on it and keeping it covered. Mom removes the covering when she cleans up every day and then fails to tell anyone. I shared with her what I know about bed sores, the nurses talked about them with her and she seemed to understand. Today. It's really ugly, and when I spoke with the nurse and nursing director they suspect it's from where the biopsy was done while she was in beaumont. I expressed our concern that when she left Beaumont it was considerably smaller than what it is now. They will continue to do what they do. I also asked mom about her eye, Colleen seemed to think it's infected. Mom minimized that by saying she's always had some drainage in the corner of her left eye. I again discussed infections, why she is prone to them, and how important it is to let nurses and doctors know. She was also weighed today at 114.8.

This afternoon activities included playing JINGO, a seasonal version of bingo, some OT and watching a seasonal movie on AMC. I wanted to get this post out before leaving this afternoon and let all the readers know that even though she did not send out cards again this year, she wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe holiday season.

Another Day, another menu to fill out....

Mom was looking pretty good this afternoon. Bored, happy to have a visitor. The PA came in to check mom out, when asked about recent blood work she said her hemoglobin is within acceptable range 8.6-8.9. I thought it was supposed to be higher, but they're satisfied with it and are keeping a close eye on it. We talked briefly about the shoulder problem that mom is pretty sure is just bursitis. Don't know why she doesn't listen to them, she's been right on so many things including "I'm fine, can't complain about a thing".

I brought out what mail she had and her church directory. She likes to call people when she's lonely and feeling sorry for herself so watch out FCC. While we were sitting around talking a friend from church, Bruce, came in for a visit and I ventured to the internet cafe. Earlier today, the employee luncheon took place and I accepted a pizza that no one wanted. Yippee, now I've got dinner AND breakfast!!!!

Mom's bored. She wants to go home. She doesnt' seem to comprehend that she is still pretty weak even though she is progressing with her PT and OT. The PA commented that they plan on keeping her a while to get her strength back. While I was watching her earlier, she had to get something out or put something back in her Armoire she was so wobbly when standing and relied on the opened doors to steady her legs. It's difficult to watch and even more difficult to realize she thinks she's fine and can be home alone, or with part time assistance.

Considering all she has been through this year I'm amazed at her ability to selectively accept life on lifes terms. I doubt if I was in a similar situation I would be as patient and gracious as she is. This must be what it means when people remind me that I have teachers everywhere.

Like A Timex.....She Keeps On Ticking

Yesterdays visit with mom was brief. She shared how well she was doing in therapy, how amazed the staff was that she was progressing and doing so well. Ken, a neighbor of Sheila Renders, came by for a visit, arriving the same time I did. After he left we continued our conversation about assisted living, having someone at the house for her and in general what was next. She is adamant about going home. She feels that having someone in the house with her, either part time or full time, would cost the same as being in assisted living and doesn't understand why we (her kids) want her out of her house. Val had purchased some edible gifts for the nursing and PT/OT staff for mom to distribute (mom actually paid for them). She decided she didn't want to give them out so I had the pleasure of passing them out with our thanks and several of the staff came by to thank her for the gifts. I stayed for a while longer then left for a quiet evening on Meadowlark.

When I arrived today, her PT said she was doing the stairs requiring only 25% assistance. The look of shock/amazement and worry on my face prompted her to say mom isn't capable of returning home without assistance. I was relieve with that news and look forward to talking with mom about her progress when she returns from the Christmas Party on the second floor.

I've always admired moms determination and drive to do whatever she thinks is right, for her.
The fear of change that motivates her to NOT want to go to assisted living and stay in her house is giving her the opportunity to work hard at regaining her strength and proving everyone wrong. That alone gives her a tremendous amount of satisfaction and the right to thumb her nose (figuratively) at us all without actually saying I told you so.

Having gone from an initial assessment of she needs to go to assisted living to MAYBE she can return home with assistance is scary. But, she's pretty headstrong, has always maintined her independence and finds some kind of pleasure in proving everyone wrong. Who knows?

I think I'll go looking for her upstairs and see how she's doing.

Keeps those prayers and thoughts coming.

"I don't want to make an entrance"

I had been offering to take mom to Church for the Christmas music since Friday. She couldn't decide if she wants to go, didn't know what she had that she could wear, what the weather was going to be like etc., etc., etc. Last night she told Val she would like to go, so Val went to Meadowlark and got the appropriate wardrobe to include, coat & scarf, gloves & hat, boots & shoes, pants & blazer. When I called her at 8 this morning she said she still wanted to go and was in fact dressed and ready. When I said I'd be there between 9 and 9:30 she pointed out that church didn't start until 10:30, but she would be ready.

When I arrived at Heartland, I told her it would be a good idea to get to church early because of the crowd and we could grab the handicapped parking spot nearest the door. She was going through her wallet, needed to go to the bathroom, hadn't put on her boots or shoes, but she was ready to go. Her shoes and boots wouldn't fit over her socks, she put on her support hose. Her boots wouldn't fit, but her shoes did. Then she was off to the bathroom with me suggesting she might want to step it up to avoid making an entrance. The response is the title of todays posting, imagine the tone of voice.

We were finally able to leave shortly after 10 and arrived at FCC about 20 after 10. After getting her into her chair, receiving assistance from someone to get her into church and finally finding a parking place she got there just as the choir was entering the sanctuary. She didn't want to make an entrance.

Sitting in the back of the church she acknowledged waves, smiles and greetings from a number of her friends, enjoyed the program. I was able to get her out into the hallway before everyone started to leave. An effort was made to place her out of the way of traffic where she could see everyone and everyone could see her. It worked for a while. She held court and received greetings for a number of people and enjoyed sharing her recent experiences with whomever would listen. Several friends shared with me they encouraged her to move in to assisted living, that she really shouldn't be alone and how nice it was to see her in church. I've been booked for next Sunday now as well. June Hall and I joked that we could have left, had lunch and come back and she wouldn't have even noticed.

After a drive through the cemetery and down Rochester road, we stopped at Nino Salvaggio's so I could check out a rumored sighting of Alexander Hornug lunch meats. To my surprise, I was able to score some smoked onion liver sausage, but no rye bread. Croissants did just fine. This prompted a whole new chapter for conversation when we returned to Heartlad. The staff quickly made themselves scarce.

Byron and Colleen came by while we were out and brought clean clothes and left a note. Mom was sorry we missed them as was I.

She continues to vascilate between knowing she needs to go into assisted living and the belief that she will be able to go home soon. Denial is so strong. I hope she listens to what her friends have been saying, what the staff here has been saying and maybe even to what her children have been saying. Okay, I'll settle for two out of the three.

Have A Great Day

If It's Friday Let's Get Our Hair Done

Yesterday was a busy day for our girl. She had some good physical therapy and a surprise visit from Tara East. I missed seeing cousin Tara, she couldn't find me but we did chat for a few minutes. Moms' spirits were okay and while she was doing her arm stuff the nurse brought her some pain medication and when asked how bad her pain was mom said about a 7. She was referring to her shoulder but it wasn't stopping her from doing her exercises.

After therapy we had a pleasant visit for a couple of hours. Continuing our conversations about assisted living she is thinking more and more about St Anne Meads primarily because of it's location. While we were talking I noticed her voice was getting that Elaine Stritch quality indicating she was getting tired and she was nodding out. I suggested she might want to take a nap and like any good 2 year old said she wasn't tired.

She finally laid down and I left.

When I got here today, mom was off getting her hair done and I noticed the bed was all the way down to the floor. Don't know why but will persue that when she's returned looking all purdied up, as we say in my part of the world. Yesterday I posed the possibility of going to church on Sunday for the Holiday Music Extravaganza. It made her think about what she could wear. I don't think she was real happy when I said if she goes, it's in the chair, no walker. It will be interesting to see if she has her wardrobe planned out today.

That's it so far, I'm sure more will be revealed in the near future.

This just in, she missed her hair appointment due to PT. I guess that trumps all so it'll get done on Monday. Her bed is lowered so she can put her feet up when she's sitting in her chair during the day. Good idea, wish I had thought of it and surprised she didn't. When asked, she said she's still thinking about church on Sunday. And there she goes, time for her afternoon nap. Later y'all

Thanks for reading

Baby It's Cold Outside - Happy 62 Byron!!!!

So this afternoon we were just sitting around talking. Enjoying going through her mail, putting the proper size lids under the plants and just having a nice visit. Someone from X-Rays R Us came in to take a picture of her shoulder and a PT tech came in to say she was scheduled for therapy at 3. Around 3:30 mom decided she was tired and got in to bed to take a nap.

While we were talking we focused on what's next. Does she go home? Does she go to assisted living? What are her plans? She feels no one wants her to go home. I pointed out to her that is the issue. She could go home, but it would be with someone living with her 24/7 and taking care of her. She expressed her thoughts that maybe she could have someone come in twice a day and it was pointed out that what would happen if she couldn't get off the toilet between visits? What if she fell? If she was trying to fix something to eat and knocked a pan off the stove how would it get cleaned up? I posed several situations that are real possibilities. I also pointed out her strength is not what it was when she was discharged from Heartland in July, and probably would not get back to that point.

She brought up the topic of assisted living and expressed interest in Sunrise which is out Rochester road. She said they have been calling her about coming out and maybe it would be a good idea. She likes the idea of Sunrise because someone from Church is there. When I asked about St Anne's she said it was okay but the rooms were too small.

While talking about this emotional subject she shared that she probably wouldn't be able to sell her house and the cost of having someone live in would be about the same as being in a facility she felt that living at home would be feasible.

As the discussion wound down we talked about how important it is for her to make the decision, at this point. I suggested that she look at the pros and cons of each scenario and keep in mind that nothing is permanent. Unless her house sells. I also expressed my feelings that if she was able to get into an assisted living environment when she's discharged from Heartland (sometime in January I guess) it would be better than returning to Meadowlark and going through what she did last winter.

Bottom line? She's thinking about things and starting to appreciate that regardless where she ends up, it's going to be a change from what she is used to. I reminded her that acceptance of things does not mean she has to like them she just needs to be willing to try.

So that's it for today.

The progress continues

I was impressed when I got here Sunday and saw Mom sitting up in her wheelchair, dressed and looking pretty good. She tried to prove how well she was doing by getting out of her wheelchair and attempting to walk. Didn't do as well as she thought she could and finally got the aide to help her to the restroom. And so it goes.

The gathering with the Kuxhaus clan in the family dining room at Heartland was nice (thanks, Maggie, for pulling it together). She enjoyed the food, conversation, and change of scenery and was able to get out of her wheelchair into a dining chair. When it was time for the evening to end, Colleen helped a very tired Ruth back into the wheelchair and off to bed she went.

I sat with her during her PT Monday afternoon and enjoyed watching her go through her paces. While we were in the gym, her PT Ancy told her that she is not going to be able to live alone. I don't think she heard that because she continues to talk about going back to Meadowlark.

Monday's care conference, which I attended in person and Val via phone, included her social worker, PT, OT, nurse, and dietitian (it takes a village). Concerns were raised about her not eating enough, and that they were supplementing her meals with Ensure (of which she just takes sips). She can't take her pain meds without eating something, and on Monday the doctor explained this to Mom. She tends to listen to men in white coats. Other than that, it seems they have her pain controlled enough that she can do PT. They reported that she is highly motivated and making remarkable progress, and adamant about returning home. But they reinforced what Ancy said earlier, that she will not be able to live alone. Mom has told her team that her friends could help her, but this isn't realistic.

We're also concerned about her emotional health. Last winter she wasn't able to get out and was isolated. Despite talking with her friends regularly and visits from us, she became very depressed. With her mobility even more compromised now, this would likely be a greater problem if she were home. One of the good things about her being at Heartland is the interaction she has with others. She's especially fortunate to have another good roommate.

As long as she continues to make progress, she'll be at Heartland, for which we are grateful as it is a good environment for her (plus it's covered by Medicare!). Mindy, the social worker, said that it's understandable she would want to go home; after all, she's lived there 60 some years, and it is her wish to finish her days there. Mindy added that it might take her going home and experiencing first hand how difficult it is before she would accept moving into an extended care facility. However, having someone live in with her might be a possible solution. It's an idea we will need to explore.

Bingo queen

When I arrived around 3 today, Mom and her roommate Jesse were waiting for the afternoon bingo game to begin. Making up for years of not playing bingo, Mom won the second of two games.
She is able to do a lot more for herself--is managing to get into the wheelchair by herself, and even toilet herself. However, she says she still has a lot of pain but "I'm managing."

Progress

We'll find out next Monday at the "care conference" just how well Mom is doing and what we can anticipate for the near future. While she isn't able to do a lot of physical therapy, she does what she can with the limitations she has. Byron and/or Colleen visit her daily, which helps a great deal, especially when she is experiencing anxiety.

Her spirits were lifted last week with visits from my kids, who saw her after they arrived at DTW Thursday afternoon and before they left on Sunday (they were in MI to attend the memorial service for their grandfather who passed away just before Thanksgiving). This Sunday the Kuxhaus Christmas get-together will be held at Heartland so she can participate. Dave plans to brave the elements so he may able to join us.

A little loopy

Some progress has been made regarding Mom's pain. The attending doctor talked with Colleen last night, and said that he upped the dosages plus made assurances she would be given pain meds during the night, even if it meant waking her up. The pain meds do make her a little loopy, and she's funnier than usual. We had quite the conversation with her roommate Jessie about Tiger Woods' indiscretions.

She had a shower and got her hair washed (first time in over a month!) this morning. However, being at more than a 30 degree angle is still pretty painful for her. As I write she's waiting to get her hair done, but I'm not real sure she'll be able to sit long enough for that.

I plan to speak with her social worker and discuss options, such as referral to a pain clinic. It would be so nice if she could sit at a 45 degree angle without being in such agony.

Pain pain go away

Mom was lying in bed, watching the parade with her roommate Jesse when I arrived around 11:30 on Thanksgiving. She said she went to physical therapy that morning, but only lasted five minutes or so because the pain was too great just sitting in the wheel chair. Today, however, she managed a half hour in the chair during an occupational therapy session. Getting the pain under control has been difficult in part because pain meds are given as needed, on demand, and being her usual stoic self, she doesn't want to ask for anything until it's unbearable. I spoke with the physician assistant who works with her doctor here, and she wrote orders for Mom to have Narcan (naloxone) every four hours, not just when she asks for it.

Her appetite is hearty, though. She claims the food has improved since her stay a few months ago (other improvements include wireless). The noon meal on Thanksgiving was traditional Thanksgiving fare, and she ate practically everything on her plate. How she manages to eat while lying at a 25 degree angle is beyond me.

Tara and her son Adam's visit yesterday afternoon lifted her spirits considerably. Byron and Colleen dropped by yesterday and today, and Mom's friend June also visited today. She's pretty exhausted from the day's activities, and as type she's napping. At least when she's sleeping she seems to get some relief from the pain.

She's Wearing Clothes

When I arrived for my visit, mom was talking with the dietian, planning her meals for tomorrow. She was dressed, the catheter has been removed and said she had been up in a wheelchair to get weighed earlier. When I asked, she said that the pain was severe earlier when she was being weighed and she wasn't sure if she had been given any pain meds prior to activity. She called her nurse and we discussed her level of pain and discussed receiving medication every 4 hours as needed instead of every 6. I shared with nurse Cynthia that it is our understanding that she would be given medication in conjunction with therapy and mentioned that mom is hesitant about asking for relief when she needs it. It was emphasized that she has to ask for medication when she needs it. I'm heading out this evening for Thanksgiving in Louisville on the farm, thanks Maggie for the invite, but I really would like to get home. Val will be down tomorrow and Tara & Adam will also be visiting.

Happy Turkey Day y'all

And Here's The Update

Mom has been discharged from Beaumont and is currently in residence at Heartland Oakland. As Val mentioned in her earlier update this is where she was in rehab following her hip surgery. She liked the facility, we liked the facility and they were willing to accept her with the physical limitation she currently has. Following yesterdays activities, mom and I discussed her options and she made the decision to try rehab. Her determination is strong and she wants to at least try to sit up in bed and a chair with minimum pain and is determined she will walk again. It's important to her that she at least try and she appears to be willing to do whatever it takes.

The address for Heartland - Oakland is: 925 W South Boulevard
Troy, Michigan 48085

She is in room 101-1 and her phone number is 248-729-4337.

Once she was settled in her bed, she was trying to figure out how the ambulance drivers got here, telling me how she would have driven and I'm sure offered similar suggestions to the drivers.

That's it for now, if there's anything else I'll let you know.

Moving day

This just in -- Mom is being moved to Heartland-Oakland, where she was last spring/summer, this afternoon. So it looks like rehab it will be. Details will be forthcoming.

Addendum

I forgot to add in yesterday's post that Dave returned Sunday evening ... I don't know what we would do without him being there for Mom. One thing for sure is that I don't think she'd have the level of care she's enjoyed. On Sunday Mom had several visitors, which brightened her day.

From stage four to stage zero

We learned early this afternoon that the growth on Mom's sacrum is not malignant, nor is it related to Paget's disease. It appears to be a bone infarct, and is pressing on nerves which causes the pain. To paraphrase the Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary, an infarct is an area of necrotic (dead) tissue resulting from the obstruction of the local circulation. It is not uncommon for bone infarcts to mimic bone cancer, which apparently it did in Mom's case. As I understand it, she also has a hairline fracture in her pelvis.

There really isn't a cure. Dr. D. indicated that pain management and physical therapy would be the likely treatment. In that she's been in bed for nearly three weeks, and wasn't exactly active prior to her hospitalization, she has considerable muscle atrophy. We're hoping she can get to the point where she can sit up without overwhelming pain and possible use a bedside commode. Looks like another stint at Heartland is in her future.

A quiet Saturday

Mom had a quiet but disappointing Saturday. She didn't have any visitors other than me, her roommate (the 5th? 6th? I've lost count) left before lunch and the new one didn't arrive until the early evening, so she had several hours of peace and quiet and got a lot of rest. She was certain that she'd be able to sit up for a while, so a half hour after she had some Vicodin, we got her up so she could sit on the side of the bed. The pain was too much, though, and she barely lasted seven minutes. She described the pain as being so great that "it took my breath away." She was so disappointed; "I was certain I'd be able to sit up." Poor thing. As long as she does nothing and doesn't have the head of the bed raised more than 25 degrees, the pain is tolerable. But if the bed is raised more than that, it's excruciating, even if she's had some pain meds. She keeps asking "why am I not working right?" Hopefully we'll find out tomorrow.

Same old, same old

Dr. D. stopped by around 11:30 this morning to report that the bone biopsy results wouldn't be available until Monday (big surprise). Another exciting weekend at Beaumont. Mom reported that she had a good night's sleep. I'm sure Dave did too, sleeping in his own bed for the first time in two weeks (and being able to use his own shower).

Mom still has some bouts of nausea. Right now she's not on any pain meds; she says if she doesn't do anything, she doesn't hurt much and since all she's doing is lying in bed, pain isn't a big factor. But she can tolerate having her bed raised only about 30 degrees, making eating somewhat challenging. When we made her food selections for tomorrow earlier this morning, the ease of edibility was a factor.

Mom's view is of another hospital wing, but it's buffered by several beautiful plants and treats (get here soon if you want to sample the gourmet popcorn (thanks, Tara and Steve)). And thanks to everyone for your thoughtfulness and continuing concern.

The Wait Continues

Hanging out at the hospital this morning & afternoon was pleasant. PT came in and got her out of bed into the chair with the goal of eating breakfast sitting up. That lasted about 5 minutes and the pain got pretty bad. She received her pain medication just before getting up and commented that it would have been better if it had been given 30 minutes before PT did their thing. We live and learn.

I started back to Ashland about 2:30 and Dr D called while enroute and let me know that the results are not back and probably won't be back until Monday. Since she is on duty this weekend she'll be making rounds and I let her know Val and/or Byron would be on "duty".

I'm home, have a good weekend.

The Waiting Game

I missed the Doctor's visit this morning but checked with nurse Kristen, there wasn't much to report. We're still waiting for the results of the biopsy and won't be able to make any plans until then. I did speak with the discharge planner and learned that there are no beds at St Anne Meades. After explaining the situation to her, I requested she persue a bed at Heartland Oakland, just in case. Several visitors today including Maggie Robbins and Marlene from church. She also ate well, for her and is enjoying the Candy Cane Joe-Joe's I brought her from Trader Joe's.

I think I'm going to leave pretty soon and head home. If anything else happens, we will let you know.

Evening update

Mom's iliac bone biopsy went well this afternoon. We won't have results for several days, so it's pretty much status quo right now. It seems the pain is better controlled, although she still cannot sit up without excruciating pain. Keep those positive thoughts coming.

Yes, there is one more test

The CT and bone scans did not show any markers of tumors elsewhere, which we could take as good news. Dr. D. expressed that she was mystified by all of this, and mused that maybe it was Paget's disease, to which Dave and I said well, yeah, she was diagnosed with Paget's years ago--wasn't that in her chart? No.

Paget's is an interesting disease in that it can be asymptomatic for years; in fact, many never manifest any symptoms. Mom had been taking meds for it, but we discovered today that she quit one of them earlier this year. She had requested a refill through Medco and it was denied, likely because the prescription expired, and she didn't get a new prescription. Apparently it was not mentioned in subsequent doctor visits (of which there were several) so she rightfully figured she didn't need it. In retrospect we should have been on top of this, but until now, she's done a relatively good job of taking care of herself (and was adamant about doing so). And who knows, it may not have mattered anyway.

Anyway, the upshot is a needle biopsy has been ordered. This will provide more specific information regarding the tumor. If it's determined it's a metastasis from another site, palliative radiation may be ordered to shrink it to help with pain management. If it's a Paget's cancer (a rare but possible complication), the thought right now is radiation won't help much. In either event, pain management will be a major factor and possibly physical therapy so she can have some mobility.

We know now that we don't know. So what else is new? Being in the hospital is not an enjoyable experience for patient and family alike, but at least Mom is getting good care; she has had some exceptional nurses, several of whom stop by to see her even when she's not their patient. It also helps that she was moved to the bed by the window, which is less claustrophobic than the bed by the door.

If you're reading this, happy birthday, Laurel!

Are There Any More Tests Available?

The results of last nights bone scan aren't in yet, and when I arrived this morning mom was drinking some fluid for her CT Scan said she slept well and mentioned some pain. I told her her pain medication had been suspended and some time today we would be meeeting with the Pain Management group to look at how best to manage it. She left for the scan and I left for a while.

On my way back to WBH I received a call from moms nurse informing me she wanted to speak to me. The point of the conversation was that mom felt there was nothing wrong with her, she didn't have a doctor, no one has told her what's going on and she was being a nuisance. By the time I got back to her room, the pity party was over, her Dr was there patiently explaining everything again and assuring her with professionalism and kindness. I did pretty much the same thing.

Shortly after that, she again was transported for an x-ray of her right shoulder. Back in her room she was very alert, talkative and appeared to know what was going on. We talked a little about what's going on and why.

Her friend Sally came for a visit, Byron showed up as well & so did lunch. After Byron left Pricilla & Sheila came to visit and have been working on getting her to eat and drink. June Hall & Pat Martins showed up for a visit as well so I'm sure the room is humming with lots of solutions to all the worlds problems.

Right now, there are no more tests scheduled. It is hoped that with the bone/CT Scans we will finally get a diagnosis and prognosis and proceed well informed. Discharge planning came by to let us know they have spoken with St Anne Meades, mom didn't know about that and it ruined the surprise. Once we have solid information to proceed with, we will head in that direction, hopefully before the weekend.

That's all I know for now. Val is coming to town this afternoon so I may be getting out of here earlier than usual, thus the early post.

Have a Great Day Y'all

It Keeps Getting Curiouser & Curiouser

When I got here Monday morning, mom was sleeping but woke up long enough to tell me she slept well and her pain was minimal.

Starting about 9:10 things got interesting. Dr C, the oncologist, called regarding the planned needle biopsy. A CT Scan from 2008 was located and it appears the tumor we believe is causing the pain was present then. He felt that with this information it was a more prudent decision to do a bone scan than a biopsy if necessary. So nuclear medicine was notified and it was scheduled for that afternoon.

There were several other doctors and groups of doctors representing several disciplines to include physical medicine focusing on physical therapy, oncology hematologists, cardiac and palliative care.

Around 10:30 nuclear medicine came to inject the chemicals for the bone scan stating they would have her transported in 3 hours. Shortly after the injection, Dr Murphy from palliative medicine came in to discuss what are next steps might be. We discussed continuing the pain medicine to keep her comfortable and consider stopping the other medication she takes. There really is not much need for her to continue taking calcium and she felt some of the other meds could be discontinued and would recommend that. We also talked about moving towards hospice care, when we had a definitive diagnosis and prognosis. I explained to her that if the prognosis is 4-6 weeks we would prefer her to be at home, otherwise a residential facility would be used for a longer diagnosis. I requested a Hospice bed at St Anne Mead's, mom seems to like that facility, and I had a discussion with discharge planning/continuing care.

Byron came by around the same time they were serving lunch and we had a nice visit. Before he left the nurse came in to give mom her pain medication before being transported to nuclear medicine. Following procedure prior to administrating the medication, mom's blood pressure had fallen quite a bit. She was also disoriented and non responsive when asked questions. The suspected problem was dehydration and she was given several bags of fluid to bring her BP up. An EKG was also taken and blood was drawn to check cardiac enzymes. The fluids did the trick and her BP started to rise, EKG and blood work were normal. When the blood pressure dropped, CCU was notified for a consult thinking we may be moving. When the CCU resident came down and checked mom out, it was decided she was fine right where she is. In talking with CCU I discovered the DNR we thought was in place wasn't. She spoke with Val, got the appropriate information and will notifiy Dr D to complete the paperwork.

As it stands right now, the bone scan is on hold, maybe tomorrow. This also applies to the biopsy. She's resting and sleeping right now. I expressed my concern that the amount of pain medication could be causing the BP problem and her disorientation.

This just in: the bone scan is on for this evening. Mom had a full bladder and was finally able to empty it, nurse checking with Dr D to reduce oxycontin and possibly catheterize her.

Colleen called about 8 or so to say they took her down for her bone scan and she was leaving. Thanks Colleen. Tomorrow is CT Scan and maybe needle biopsy. Stay tuned!

Sunday With Lots Of Company 11.15.09

When I arrived this morning mom was eating breakfast and chatting with her nurse Stephanie. Around 10:00 we had some excitement when transport arrived to take mom to nuclear xray for a CT scan. The exciting thing was no one knew that one had been ordered. Turned out ortho ordered it, but since no paperwork was available it didn't happen. Her doctor will check with oncology tomorrow to determine necessity of that test and discuss the possibility of radiation to shrink the tumor which may help enable her to sit up and maybe even get out of bed.

Starting with Colleen & her sister Nancy, mom had a steady supply of visitors most of the day. Shortly after Col & Nancy left, her brother Art and his son Ben came to visit. Along with them were Ben's wife Julia and their children Tim & Anna. They all had a great visit, took a break for lunch and cider at the Franklin Cider Mill, and then returned for a while before heading back to Cleveland. Mom really enjoyed their visit, reminisced with Art and enjoyed talking with Ben & Julia and their children. Priscilla Krippendorf and her daughter Denise also came for a visit.

Timing is everything and shortly after Byron arrived, a Dr from oncology came in for a consult. We reviewed the events leading up to this hospitalization and then he asked us to leave the room so he could perform a brief physical exam. While waiting, Tara & Andrea East arrived and the meeting resumed with them present. After explaining that the family needed a diagnosis and prognosis to determine what's next for her continuing care, the oncologist recommended a needle biopsy to determine where the cancer originated, what type of cancer it is and also provide a prognosis. He didn't feel that it was necessary to do a bone scan at this point since all the information needed could be obtained from the biopsy.

Dr East and Dr C talked Dr talk for a while and some additional blood work was ordered, but the plan did not change, biopsy, then possibly radiation.

Sounds like a plan to me so I left around 8 p.m. with Byron & Colleen in the room

Sorry this is late getting out, I was unable to access any unsecured networks last night.

"I'm Not Dead Yet"

Friday afternoon, Dr D informed mother and I that a tumor had metastasized to her sacrum (?) which has been identified as causing all her pain. Because it has metastasized to her bone it is considered a stage 4 cancer. We discussed possible treatment options that would include the palliative step of reducing the tumor through radiation thereby relieving some of the pain. Having a bone scan and CT scan were also considered. Oncology was not in the picture at this time, mom expressed a desire not to go through any heroics and just be kept comfortable. I requested that Hospice be added to the list of people seeing her and placed a request that they consult with Byron, Colleen, Val and myself Saturday 111409.

When I arrived this morning mom informed me that the ortho surgical group had already visited her and told her that she is not a candidate for any surgery. We discussed the options we discussed Friday and then moved on to other things like breakfast using the bed pan and getting cleaned up.

I took a little break and when I returned cousin Tim Tuma was visiting with mom. She was very animated and in pain but enjoying the time they spent talking, giving me not too subtle hints that I didn't need to be in the room. While I was walking Tim to his car, Val arrived with home made peanut butter cookies, lemon drops and more fruit slices. We were enjoying each others company and Reverend Miller came to visit. Again, she was very talkative and animated, but still bothered by the pain. Her lunch arrived and with a moving prayer from Reverend Miller, she commenced eating.

Byron & Colleen arrived while I was walking Reverend Miller out, bearing cake and ice cream to celebrate a belated birthday for Val. It was mom's suggestion and B&C pulled it together. Thanks guys.

About the time we were getting ready to kick the party off the Hospice nurse came in as requested. We discussed criteria to become a hospice patient, and other options. The outcome is we have to get oncology involved, determine if radiation is an option and request a CT scan to determine how much cancer is present. An oncology consult was requested.

In mom's presence we, the 3 of us, discussed what steps were necessary to get additional information. Right now, we only know there's a tumor, it has metastasized and surgery is not an option. With additional information we will be able to make a better, informed decision.

We had cake, ice cream and sang Happy Birthday to Val and enjoyed some pleasant family time.
The title of today's entry is based on a comment mom made which made us all laugh.

Val & Colleen also made a flow chart to help make sure we obtain the information we need. I admit that it will help me ensure I ask the right questions.

After I left, according to Val, an oncologist came in and was informed of what we are trying to do to assist mom getting the best care possible. He is contacting Dr Weissmann to see which group (?) he wants to use.

Mom has been experiencing episodes of vomiting which could be attributed to the type of pain medication she receives, and is taking a Carnation supplement to try and get something in her.

She is aware of what is going on, in reasonably good spirits but continues to be in pain. She welcomes visitors and talking with them. Cards that are being sent to the house are getting to her and she appreciates them as well. I've shared comments posted here an is grateful that so many people care.

That's it for today. I'm going to skip church tomorrow to be with her when the Doctors come around and look forward to seeing her during the planned visit from Tara & Andrea and Priscilla and Denise.

Thanks

Friday the 13th....So Far

I arrived about 7:15 in time for mom to learn she wasn't going to have breakfast because of the scheduled MRI. Then breakfast was delivered and it was okay to eat. She got cleaned up, bathed, brushed teeth and hair and had clean linens on her bed.

At 0840 Dr Fishman from the orthopedic group came in, said he would contact the spinal group and have them do an evaluation. The usual Q's & A's and brief history of pain. At 0845 Dr Nowinski came to to make sure her left hip was okay.

At 1030 Dr Kuzma from the spinal group came in. The usual Q's & A's were posed and answered, spent time having mom move legs and manipulating her legs. Said additional review will take place after the MRI.

At 1045 Dr D came in to evaluate mom's pain since the increase in pain medications 111209. She was quite disappointed that mom hasn't been able to walk, sit up, or get out of bed because of the pain, even with all the meds they've been administering. I shared the same concerns and mother expressed her frustration as well. She is contacting the pain management group to see if anything else can be done that might make mobility possible, assured me the MRI is still scheduled and hopes to have the results this afternoon.

At 1200 I asked nurse Debbie to contact the MRI department to see if mom really is on the schedule and will have her MRI soon. She assured me she is still on the list, and will be going some time today.

Happy birthday Val! You're a great sister

What We Know So Far - Part 2

I spoke briefly with the Dr this afternoon, the trip to the vascular lab was focused on the circulation in mom's right thigh. Everything was fine, no apparent problems. When asked about the clots . . . well, they weren't looking there. As previously reports an MRI has been ordered, don't know when that will be.

Mom did get up and sat in the chair this afternoon. She lasted for about 35 minutes. She reports it hurts, but the pain medicine seemed to help somewhat. I was out of the room for most of this time and when I came in she was in tremendous pain. When asked, the pain had been there the entire time but she did tough it out. She'll probably do that again tomorrow.

That's about it for today. It's about time for me to call it a day.

Thanks for reading

What We Know So Far

X-rays were taken yesterday afternoon and the results weren't available until today. When the Dr came to discuss the results, transport was present to take mom to the vascular lab to check the status of her blood clots. The Dr took off with her chart, her nurse was missing and transport was getting impatient. Found the nurse, found the Dr & then found the chart. It was an interesting time in the hallway.

The good news is there are no broken bones or fractures or anything that would indicate what is causing so much pain. There is signs of arthritis as well as bone loss. In consult with ortho the Dr requested an MRI of her back for this afternoon, I hope. We also agreed mom needs to get out of bed and stand/walk/whatever. Her nurse checked with the Dr about giving mom some nutritional supplements as well. Ensure or something like that.

While she was off the floor, I made a quick trip to CVS for supplies. When I returned she was back in her room and I discussed what I discussed with the Dr earlier, explaining that an MRI of her back was being scheduled and she was going to have to get out of bed.

Since I did not get what she wanted from CVS, I dashed off again, giving up a primo parking spot, and returned to see cousin Pat visiting with mom. Seemed like a good time to put this out for everyone and will post more when more is revealed.

Cards now being accepted

While visiting Mom this evening, I conveyed that many were concerned about her and wanted her to know they were thinking about her. I asked her if she'd like to reconsider her "no cards" statement of last week, and she said yes, she would welcome cards. So, go ahead and mail those cards! It would probably be best if they were sent to her home address as we don't know when she'll be leaving Beaumont or where she'll be going.

Tuesday - An Update

I slept in this morning and didn't arrive at Beaumont until after 11:00 a.m. As a result of that I missed seeing the cardio people as well as the physician. I guess it's true, you snooze you loose.
C'est la vie.
The report I received from nurse Colleen was cardio was here just to make sure there were no complications for yesterdays event. The physician was here to discuss having PT come for an evaluation before she could be discharged to the sub-acute facility (aka Heartland). The order has been placed for that to take place, but it may not be until tomorrow.
The Reverend Miller was visiting when I called about when I would be arriving. He called me afterwards and talked about his visit sharing with me that when asked, mother rated her pain at a 1. She hadn't been up and moving around so that makes sense. He also expressed that her attitude was good.
When I arrived mom was indisposed, she was up on the bedside throne but was unable to sit up in the chair due to the pain. When I returned to the room, she was back in bed and obviously in pain. She told me that she was sure the nurses and staff felt she was being a nuisance because she couldn't do anything for herself and she was a nuisance to her children because she couldn't do anything for herself. If this sounds familiar to anyone reading this, you can imagine the rest of the conversation and tears. My people refer to this as a pity party. Wish I had an appropriate hat.
Prior to lunch, because the pain was so bad, a .5 mg dose of dilantin was administered to help alleviate the pain. At that time, I asked nurse Colleen if it might be prudent to persue the cause of the pain, rather than continue to treat the pain. She sent a text for the doctor to call the room while I stepped out to return a couple of calls. When I returned I believe I missed the Dr's call since we haven't received a call, or mom ignored the phone.
After sitting in the room for 4 hours, I stepped out to get my computer out of my car. Upon my return mom said there were two visits from Drs. One from the gastro folks to let her know they weren't going to do the endoscopy - same information we received last night. She couldn't remember who the other one was. Damn my luck!
At this point we know nothing more than we did yesterday. Pain continues, PT has been ordered for an evaluation and we are waiting on that. Since I have been unable to contact the Dr regarding cause of the pain, I plan on being here early in the morning to catch all these wonderful professionals before they go into hiding.
Thanks for listening.

This Just In

After becoming quite frustrated with the lack of information being provided I contacted patient services to speak to an ombusman. After explaining the situation, the nurse manager for mom's floor got involved. I met with her and her nurse Colleen to discuss just what is going on. I explained my frustration that no one seemed to be accepting responsibility and the admitting doctor wasn't very clear about what we were going to do next. I learned that PT/OT has been ordered for tomorrow and discharge is planned for Wednesday. I also learned that no blood thinners are ordered, she's to resume taking baby aspirin. Efforts will be made to get her up this evening, at least to sit in a chair. She's looking forward to eating something, hasn't eaten since last night, but says she's okay, not hungry, feeling fine and can't complain about a thing.

I think it's the Versed.

The Never Ending Story

Without elaborating on Val's previous entry, I'll just say that mom is still in a lot of pain, not only in her legs but her entire body. Medication that is being administered does not seem to be doing the job. She was offered some medication earlier but refused it.

Around 4 this morning she vomitted several times. Staff cleaned her up and when I arrived at 7 this morning she shared what had happened and that she hadn't slept since. Breakfast was not served because she is scheduled for her procedure at 2:30 this afternoon. Her nurse, Colleen, came in, did her assessment and talked with mom and I. Mom said her pain level is at 10, I explained that she has a very high pain threshold and when she complains of pain, it's serious. Her regular meds were administered to include pain medication, all on an empty stomach. She vomitted that up within a 1/2 hour.

Saturday morning her nurse, Debbie, noticed some redness on her butt. Not surprising since she has been in bed since Wednesday. I requested we see about getting an air mattress or specialty bed in to help alleviate that problem. Yesterday I learned that the Dr had signed off on the order for the bed, however, there wasn't a supervisor available to confirm and place the order. It being Sunday and all. This morning the midnight nurse manager approached me, discussed the procedural confusion, apparently there was someone available to confirm and place the order yesterday, and assured me the bed would be here within an hour. This was a 8 a.m. Around 10 I learned that the bed (mattress with pump) was not kept on site, the order had to be placed, processed, loaded on a delivery vehicle, delivered and set up. The turn around time is 4 hours, I was told they had until noon. My dissatisfaction was expressed.

The admitting Dr came to see mom this afternoon. Additional discussion of pain ensued. Mom stressed again the continuing problem throughout her body. I shared, again, that mom's pain tolerance would kill a rhino and so far, nothing that has been administered has resolved the pain issue. The Dr ordered IV pain meds, Dilaudid I think.

There is some good news, the bed was delivered at 11:58, within the 4 hour parameter, and Discharge Planning let me know that Heartland Oakland (where she was last spring for her hip rehab) is holding a bed for her. That made me smile; the admitting problem hasn't been resolved, but they've got her aftercare handled.

Later y'allPublish Post

Pain

I wish I could write that Mom is resting comfortably, but sadly, she isn't. The pain meds she gets hardly touches the discomfort of the blood clots. She needs to move her legs to keep from getting other clots, but her legs are so painful that she can't move them. Added to this is the uncertainty of her other conditions and the beginnings of a bed sore. She's understandably not a happy camper. Monday she's scheduled to have filters inserted in her leg veins to keep the clots from migrating to other parts of her body, where they could cause a stroke or heart attack. We thought she'd be having the gastro scope done too, but apparently that's off the schedule. A specialty bed (one designed to help prevent bed sores) was ordered for her, but Dave (who arrived Friday) was told today that because it was Sunday, the order couldn't be filled. This is a little hard to phantom, in that Beaumont is a 1000+ bed hospital and it seems strange that a department wouldn't be staffed every day of the week. Ah, hospitals.

No cards, no calls

Yesterday evening I visited Ruth. She seemed to be okay, although annoyed she has to use a bed pan and can't walk. She says her legs don't hurt as long as she doesn't try to do anything. Being in the hospital is rarely restful, and this time she has a noisy roommate making it more so.

Her nurse said that Mom is supposed to have an upper GI endoscopy sometime today. At the hospital yesterday afternoon, Byron ran into one of her docs who implied that they were going to put in filter to keep the clots from migrating elsewhere in her body (like, her heart), but the nurse wasn't aware of that. Apparently they're addressing the bleeding issue first. I emphasized to the nurse, with Mom present, that our objective is for her to be pain-free and comfortable.

Ruth was adament about not having any visitors, calls, or cards. "I have enough cards to last me until I'm 185!" (She doesn't throw any of them out, so she's probably right about this.) I volunteered to disconnect her phone, but she said, "no one knows I'm here, so I shouldn't be getting any calls." I think it's mostly because she doesn't want people seeing her in this state (horizontal with bad hair). She is, after all, a very private person. Yet, I know she appreciates peoples' thoughts.

Dave will be arriving later this afternoon, and I'll return Saturday morning.

Back at Beaumont

Ruth has been doing okay at home until a couple days ago, when she began having excruciating pain. Byron ended up taking her to Beaumont Hospital's ER yesterday afternoon. She was diagnosed with blood clots in both legs and anemia, received two units of blood and was admitted. At this writing I don't know how long she'll be there, but if anyone is interested, her room number is 8667. Stay tuned for further developments.

Sowing seeds

Just a quick report about the tour d' assisted living earlier this week. Of the three places we visited, St. Anne's Meade was the favorite. Surprisingly, she said they weren’t as bad as she thought they would be. While she claims she's not ready to move, she may never be ready. Baby steps. No move is imminent but at least seeds have been planted.

This just in

During my mid-week phone conversation with Mom last night, she revealed that she braved the basement steps Wednesday, and that it was "a good thing I did because the laundry tubs were filthy!" (They didn't look "filthy" to me when I did a load of wash last Saturday, but maybe I was missing something.) She claims it was no problem for her to navigate the steps since there are hand rails on both sides of the stairs and the stair pitch isn't that great.

Dave reports that she also scrubbed the kitchen and bathroom floors because they were a mess, or so she says. It's curious how they can be a mess, given there's very little traffic in the house.

Having her best interests in mind

I made appointments for Mom and me to visit the three facilities she selected on September 22. We’re checking out Waltonwood on 13 Mile near Woodward, America House on Woodward Heights, and St. Anne’s Mead on 12 Mile. They’re all very different. Waltonwood is assisted living with three meals a day included with the monthly fee. While America House provides two meals a day, it’s not assisted living. Each unit has a small kitchen, and assistance type services are in addition to the monthly fee. Like Waltonwood, St. Anne’s features assisted living but also has a skilled nursing unit attached, so she wouldn’t have to move if she required that level of care.

On Saturday she got quite emotional when I talked to her about the upcoming field trips. She claims that everyone she knows who moved into assisted living regretted it. She doesn’t understand why we want her to leave her home, as she feels things are working out just fine. And in some ways, things are working out. She’s lined up someone to clean her house every other week, a physical therapist visits a couple times a week, Colleen does her laundry, Byron mows the lawn, she gets a ride to church, Sally takes her grocery shopping and to get her hair done. She’s wobbling around the house using the four-prong cane, manages to walk out to the mailbox, and seems to be feeding herself okay. I have to admit sometimes I wonder if we’re acting prematurely. But then she’ll do something that clearly shows she’s not firing on all cylinders. She’s more forgetful and redundant. And even with people coming and going, she’s alone most of the time. With physical therapy ending soon and winter quickly approaching, she’ll become increasingly isolated. She doesn’t view that as a problem, but it is. Not to mention maintaining the house and yard.

I try to put myself in her shoes. It's hard, it's traumatic. She’s lived in the house on Meadowlark for over 60 years, and has her routines which would be disrupted if she lived elsewhere. One thing that irritated her when she was in rehab was that the rehab staff dictated the schedule, not her. She was pretty upset when we talked, and said if we made her move to assisted living, she wouldn’t leave her room. It’s your choice, I told her.

One thing I also told her was that when my brothers and I were kids, there were occasions when we wanted to do something but she and Dad were aware of things we weren’t, and with our best interests in mind, didn’t allow us to do whatever it was (unfortunately I can’t think of a good example right now). I explained that the situation was similar now; that we were aware of things she wasn’t. She’s always resisted accepting my brothers and me as adults, and struggles to trust that we have her best interests in mind. If she could do that, she wouldn’t have to fight us so hard. But hell might freeze over first.

Drawing parallels

I wasn’t sure how this past Saturday would go with Mom. Earlier in the week we had a somewhat contentious phone call, in which she said she would never go into assisted living, reiterating all the reasons she’s given thus far. When I reminded her that on the previous Saturday she said (and I quote), “I know I can’t stay in my house,” she was mum. I pictured her with her hackles up, looking bewildered. It’s so frustrating. One step forward, a half step back.

She had a busy week, with her brother Art and his son Ben visiting on Monday, and niece Tara and her daughter Andrea on Wednesday. They brought her some tasty morsels from Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor, which lasted her through the weekend. She also got her hair done (thanks, Sally, for taking her). Colleen continues to do an excellent job on her laundry, and the refrigerator was full.

Doris’ demise continued to be a large part of our conversation. Mom is upset that no family member was with her at the end, like she was with her sister Rose, their mother, and Rose's husband Sam. Apparently Doris just quit eating, which I understand is not that uncommon for elderly to do when they feel they've had enough. It's always haunted Mom that no one was with Dad when he took his last breath, but perhaps he, like many, needed to make that transition without people at his bedside. She seemed comforted by that idea.

We do a lot of talking when I visit, and even though I've heard most of the stories many times, there's often a new tidbit of information that is revealed. I was wondering how my Dad was exposed to polio back in November 1952, and Mom remembered that he had been on a shrubbery purchasing trip for the GM Tech Center the week prior to his symptoms manifesting. The trip was to Hinsdale, IL, about 25 miles west of Chicago. A little bit of research later revealed there was a big outbreak of polio in that part of Illinois in 1952. Pieces of the puzzle.

The conversation morphed into the stories of Otto being hospitalized and in the iron lung, and how their life changed, but they made it work. Drawing parallels to that -- a physical condition requiring some changes in life, but the changes worked out -- I drew her into conversation about assisted living. We went over a list of assisted living facilities from the Oakland County Senior Citizens Guide, and she chose three to visit. I can't say she did so enthusiastically, but she's clearly getting ready for a change in her life as evidenced by her giving away some of her teacups, offering the crystal she and her brother Art bought for their parents to Art's son Ben, and designating Colleen as the recipient of her china. Those actions, I think, are encouraging. I'm making appointments to visit the assisted living facilities she noted later this month.

No doubt when I talk to her later this week she'll be back to her "I'm not going" mode, but I'm optimistic if we can continue to couch this change in her life to other changes she's successfully experienced, she'll be less resistant. Fingers are crossed.

I was hoping to stay in Grand Rapids over the upcoming holiday weekend, but I don't want to stall the progress I feel we've been making so I'll be returning again on Saturday.

Remembrance and teacups

The first thing that greeted me when I walked into Mom's house around 11 a.m. on Saturday was a photo of Doris on the kitchen table, propped against a vase. Nearby was an envelop with old photos plus the program from Rose's memorial service several years ago. Mom was in the living room, having nodded off while reading. My cousin Maggie Robbins arrived about the same time I did (with tomatoes), so we visited as Mom shared her memories of Doris. A few years ago (2006?) I took Mom to visit Doris, who lived in an upscale retirement center in Rancho Bernardo, outside of San Diego. I'm glad we had the chance to see her, even though Doris clearly was in the early stages of dementia then.

Doris was always independent and self-sufficient -- the classic "career girl." She worked in purchasing at GM from her late teens until her mid-50s. I remember her as always having a convertible, great clothes, and a beautiful singing voice. She played tennis competitively until her late 70s. Doris retired from GM when she married Ben Steinberg. They were married for just a few years, but she retained his surname after their divorce.

She found the weather in southern California to her liking, and moved to the San Diego region where she could play tennis all year and established a social network there. Still, Mom could never grasp why she would choose to live in California rather than return to Michigan to be near her sisters. To the end, though, Doris took care of herself. Her body has been cremated and her ashes to be scattered at sea. It's good that Mom's brother Art is planning to visit on Monday, and the two of them can talk about how they want to memorialize Doris.

While Maggie was still there, I shared some photos from Robert and Rebekah's wedding, which was last Saturday in Seattle. There was one photo of my daughter Margaret, Rebekah, Robert, and Byron's son Justin that Mom liked a lot, so we put it in a picture frame that previously held a photo of Robert and Justin. Maggie left, and we made BLTs for lunch.

When I visited Mom two weeks ago, we discussed some of the obstacles to her moving into assisted living. One of those obstacles was what to do with all her teacups. She wanted certain people to have some of them, so I suggested that we take care of it the next time I came down. After our lunch, I placed all of the teacups on the table, hauled out some priority mail boxes and bubble wrap, and we got to work. It turned out that there weren't that many she had identified for specific people, but of the ones she did, we put together boxes for Lori Tuma, Rebekah, and Laurel, and put cups aside for Andrea East and Colleen. There's a lot left, so if you'd like a Ruth teacup, let me know and I'll ship one off to you next time I'm there.

We also continued the conversation about her moving into assisted living. Even though she's getting help from Byron and Colleen and people such as her friend Sally, who's been chauffeuring her around, and is lining up some women to clean, she knows staying in her house isn't healthy or sustainable. But she worries about how she'll deal with all her stuff, selling the house, and paying for assisted living. I suggested if she wants, we could have a living estate sale. Otherwise I'm sure between my brothers, Colleen, and me, we can take care of things. What's critical is to identify some places and get her on a wait list, with the goal of having her moved before winter hits. I also suggested that we limit places to consider to ones that offer a continuum of care. It's going to be an interesting fall.

DEATH OF DORIS KOTOWSKI

Sad news: Mom's sister, Doris, died Monday in San Diego. Very sad for mom. She has been sad since Sunday when we got news of Doris being in Hospice, and she became even sadder when news arrived that Doris died. Even worse, she doesn't find out until Wednesday.

She got a shot of something, probably cortizone, Tuesday in her shoulder which has helped somewhat. Some friends were scheudle to come by Friday and on Monday, Dr. Andrea East said she would come by with Tara (Rose's Daughter) for Lunch. Hopefully that will cheer her up.

Val will be in town this weekend so that will be good for both of them.

NEWS ABOUT DORIS AND THE SORE SHOULDER

Having David around the last four weeks or so has been a Godsend and truly enjoyable. Mom misses him; we all miss him. THANKS, DAVE! I should have sabatoged his car so he couldn't get back to Ashland.

Mom continues to make due around her house. I hesitate to say adjust. She is distraught (my wording) over news that her youngest sister, Doris, has been transferred to hospice care where she is at in California. Nephews Jeff and Steve (2 of brother Art's boys) are apparently looking over this situation, and she spoke with Art Saturday. Mom is in a down mood as might be expected. She wants to take care of Doris, but realizes she can't travel there. This is not good news in any event. Aunt Doris has been a dear sister to Ruth, and a great aunt to all of us. It is sad that she is so far away.

Over the weekend, she mentioned to me some soreness in her right shoulder. She put an ice bag on it yesterday and was going to do that today (after I was there about noon). I asked her if this was a new thing, or something that has been around a while. She told me Saturday it was a new thing, meaning it starting Friday, but today (Sunday) she told me it has been painful to a lesser or greater extent for several days including Tuesday when she had her ortho apt. She said she didn't mention it to her ortho surgeon on Tuesday since he operated on her hip and she didn't think he could deal with the shoulder. Alas. Another Dr. apt. will have to be set up. She did cancel plans for church on Sunday, though which is bothersome. The thought here is that she is using her right arm largely to grab on to railings and such and maybe has strained it OR even pulled a ligament or something. These things heal with rest, something in short supply with Ruth as you know.

The shoulder soreness bothered her so much she wanted to go to an urgent care center. Later, Mom told Colleen that she was okay. (On Saturday morning, while talking with Colleen on the phone, she apparently dropped the phone: Colleen heard sounds consisteant with that and other sounds like a walker falling; Mom got back on the phone (maybe picked it up with the claw?) and told Coll that she (mom) momentarily lost her balance. ) She didn't try to get her mail on Saturday (which is fine with me: I need something to do!), but she did get down the stairs to the side door to get her Tribune this morning. Curiously, she didn't balk at me taking our garbage on Saturday or getting something from the Basement. It may be courious but it is encouraging that she is letting us assist her.

The coming week will be interesting. With David gone, she will need some help with laundry and that sort of thing I suspect. On Saturday, though, she was trying to get bend over/down to wipe up a spill on the kitchen floor so she must, to some extent, be feeling better. David mentioned the "assisted living" considerations. When I brought up that topic on Saturday, it appeared that was not on Ruth's Radar at the moment.

It's Time To Go

I must say this extended stay on Meadowlark has been interesting, but it's time for me to hit the road. Not that it matters but I plan on leaving tomorrow 081309 after I've cleaned my room, washed the bathroom and kitchen floors and get everything in my car. With luck, I should be on the road by noon.



Since the last post, mom has been busy.



As always, mom enjoyed Vals' visit Saturday and insisted on taking all of us out for dinner Saturday night. An enjoyable time was had by all at The Avenue. Prior to dinner, the discussion on assisted living continued with no resolution. Ruth says she's thinking about it but is not taking any action to move in that direction, believing that she will return to her pre hospitalization soon, regardless of what her Dr., PT, Surgeon, family & friends tell her.



We attended church last Sunday, she enjoyed Rev. Millers message and had a good time visiting with friends and arranging transportation for this coming Sunday. We also were treated to a nice lunch and enjoyed visiting with friends. By the time we returned home she was pretty tired. There was some difficulty getting out of her chair at the restaurant, but she managed and once home, took a much needed nap.



The past two days have been pretty uneventful. Laundry was done on Monday. To avoid her throwing her laundry downstairs a laundry basket was placed in her bedroom to make it easier to gather for whomever will be taking over this task. Cousin Maggie brought lunch over from Pei Wei and we had a great visit. Again, the conversation turned to moving to assisted living, reminded mom how much she enjoys being around other people, the benefits of getting around in a safer enviornment and in general encouraging her to give this more thought.



The appointment with Dr Nowincski (?) went well. X-ray shows she is healing and it was explained to her that due to the arthritis in her hip and the metal that is holding it together she will continue to experience discomfort and was advised to keep treating the discomfort with Tylenol. He also wrote to extend PT for an additional 3 weeks. Mother asked the Dr. when she could expect to be able to walk without assistance. It was pointed out that she has been walking with assistance for several years and she is not going to be back to where she was prior to the injury. One of these days, she may actually accept that information, in the meantime I believe she wants to prove everyone wrong.

PT went well this morning. Ricky is very patient and assertive with her. She listens to him better than the rest of us and follows his directions well. Emphasis continues to be on improving her strength, doing her exercises and understanding that she can't use her cane without someone being with her. He'll be back on Friday.

When I returned this afternoon, she had made several loaves of zucchini bread and was just sitting down for a little lunch and a cup of tea. She continues to amaze me by what she is able to accomplish in spite of everything she's been told. I'm so grateful she is so determined and hope she continues to be careful.

That's about it. Hope everyone has enjoyed these updates, they'll continue periodically as necessary. Thanks for reading

Interesting Weekend & Week......So Far

Because she was having a little "problem" the planned trip to church on Sunday did not happen. She did enjoy dinner at Sheila Render's with Pricilla Friday night and we also enjoyed time at the pool and cookout at Krippendorfs Sunday afternoon. She was pretty tired and grateful to get home.

I guess I'm doing the laundry okay, at least she's not complaining to me, but she did express her dissatisfaction when I told her I would do my own ironing. I noticed while she was cleaning the house yesterday she was not always using her walker, relying on what was handy for support. We had a little discussion about safety and why she needed to use her walker at all times, reminding her of her agreement with Dr Weismann. She also didn't want to walk yesterday except to make a trip up and down her drive.

This morning PT Ricky came over, had her working with 1.5 pound weights, doing some resistant band exercies and leg exercises. She is suppoed to be doing these exercises daily as well as keeping ice on her thigh but I don't think she's actually doing them. We went to the dentist this morning, stopped for lunch and then to Trader Joe's. I could tell she was tired and when I left her to get online, she was sitting down, icing her thigh and proping her leg up.

I spoke to her PT regarding her using the 4 prong cane. He had her walking the sidewalk with it today, holding on to her and explained the proper way to use it in conjunction with her walker. He said she isn't ready to use the cane, needs to build her strength and confidence as well as try to overcome her fear of falling again. I will reinforce my efforts to ensure she does her exercises and get her to walk more. No guarantees how she'll respond, but it's what needs to be done.

On a lighter note, if anyone reading this has any pictures from her birthday party that she hasn't seen, she would appreciate seeing them. This past Saturday she went through her 100 cards that she received and enjoyed reminiscing about the party. For someone who didn't want to attend, she sure had a good time!!

That's about it for now. Ricky will be back on Friday and I think her SW comes tomorrow or Thursday. Visitors are always welcomed and she does appreciate phone calls.

Thanks for reading.

We Continue to Learn

Yesterdays appointment with Dr. Weismann went well. She weighed 109 pounds and her blood pressure was 164/78. Discussion centered around improving her bone density. The staff at Heartland suggested she discuss this with him, so we did. He had a lengthy discussion with mom about why she is not a good candidate for any of the medications being advertised and she should just continue to do what she's doing and be careful. When mom was telling him what happened, he made a valiant effort to not say I told you so. But failed. Previous visits had included conversations about being alone, what can happen, and now what did happen. He made her promise that if/when she fell again, even if she didn't break anything, she would move out of her house.

We also discussed why she did so well in Heartland. Being around other people, being active, doing things like walking around, talking and everything else she did had a positive affect on her recovery. I expressed my concerns about what happened this past winter when she stayed inside for 3 months and the accompanying depression that resulted. My disscussions with mom about moving into assisted living continue, and I do believe she is thinking about it. But not too hard.

Ricky, the PT from Heartland, visited this morning. I made myself scarce and when I was getting ready to leave, she said he told her she will be off the walker soon and using her four pronged cane. This alarming news will be investigated and an update provided when I get the chance to speak to him next week. Personally, I don't think she's strong enough and her balance is still bad. I also suspect that if she hears she doesn't need the walker, she will be resuing all her activities as she did before. She will do what she will do, regardless. Gotta love her for that.

Colleen is coming over this afternoon to pick her up to get her hair done and I think go to lunch. We are dining in Auburn Hills this evening and planning on spending Sunday at the Lathrup pool after church.

Hope y'all have a great weekend.

And So It Goes

Recovery continues. There are good days and not so good days, but mom continues to carry on. We went to church Sunday and she really enjoyed the service. It was nice to see her "hold court" in the narthex before and after services. Since she wanted to go for lunch after church, we ended up at the Del Mar where they don't have tables. She struggled with the booth, did okay getting in and out but agrees, dining out is nice, but only if they have tables. Several neighbors and friends have stopped by to visit and the phone calls have been wonderful for her spirits. During our Saturday evening stroll, she checked out the garage sale next door at Holly & Rachels. She commented that if she had known she would have put out some of her crystal.

The work on her cabinets continues. While doing laundry yesterday, I brought up canned goods and took things out of the cabinet now designated as her pantry. She has agreed to use it for a while, but still thinks she will be able to manage going up and down her stairs soon. She did mention how she would like to have her dishes so I hope to get that taken care of this afternoon.

Her PT arrived as I was leaving for Tim Hortons and asked how she was doing. I wished him luck, he laughed and I drove on. When I return we will be running some errands, there are several things she needs and I pointed out that her ironing can be done anytime and she needs to get out of the house so we will be out and about in an hour or so.

I continue to mention the possibility of moving to assisted living to her, and not surprisingly she gets a little defensive. We've talked about how nice it is to be around her peers, how she enjoys helping others and being active and how lonely it can get when she's at home and doesn't have that interaction. I hope to get her out visiting a few places this week, maybe visiting some friends, so she can see what it's like and give it further consideration.

Temperature in the house was 81 last night, 76 this morning.

Hope everyone has a good day.

Thanks

Week 1 - Progress continues

This week the O/T, P/T and SW visited for initial assessments. After talking with Ruth, discussing what she has been doing since she got home, making some suggestions on how to rearrange her cupboards said that she won't be coming back. That's a good thing I guess because she is adapting to being home using her walker......most of the time, and managing to get done those things that she can. She has mentioned she would like to get another walker so she can have an inside and outside one. The one currently in use is dragging dirt into the house and we all know how she reacts to that.

In addition to the aftercare team from Heartland, several friends have stopped by the visit and she has enjoyed their company. This afternoon Pat Kuxhaus brought over lunch and when I left to get on the internet they were having another cup of tea and talking about dessert. She has also had a lot of phone calls from friends and seems to be back in her routine of talking, visiting and writing notes.

We're approaching the task of rearranging cupboards slowly. I sense she is a bit defensive when it is suggested some of the items she has aren't really necessary. I made the mistake yesterday of suggesting the trays to the right of her sink be relocated. I will not make that same mistake again. It appears she knows this needs to be done, but doesn't have how figured out yet, suggestions are received politely. Stay tuned for updates.

The weather has prevented us from taking dialy walks, however we did walk to the corner, Kenwood, and back the other night and after I reminded her how to properly use her walker she was able to traverse the old aggregate concrete better.

So far, this has been a wonderful experience for both of us. I'm practicing patience (who knew I could?) and she're practicing tolerance and acceptance. Stay turned, it's going to be an interesting time.

Thanks

Recovering At Home

Since coming home last Thursday, mom continues to adjust to living with her walker. Friends and relatives have stopped by bringing goodies and support. She really enjoyed attending church Sunday and was grateful for the beautiful service under the trees and for all her friends that spoke with her. She hadn't been able to attend since her birthday, May 31st.

She is back into a routine she is familiar with and fixing her breakfast and lunch. I've kept her from going downstairs, so far, but she is determined that she will do that at some point. We are trying to get in the habit of taking a daily walk. The old sidewalks on Meadowlark make it difficult to traverse, but she takes her time, watches where she's going and does quite well, and is concerned about her walker tracking dirt into the house. Guess I'll be washing floors today.

Not sure what the plans are for today, but I'd bet she has something she wants to do and will let me know in her own way.

Keep the calls and visits coming folks, she really appreciates them.

First Full Day At Home

After a busy day yesterday, mom seems to be adjusting to life as she used to know it. She's very good about using her walker when moving around the house and appears to like the tray she purchased. It does come in handy. She reported a good nights sleep, slept until 7:30 this morning, and is doing her thing. The visiting nurse from Heartland visited this afternoon and is scheduling weekly visits for the next four weeks. After dinner tonight we plan to take a brief walk and enjoy this beautiful weather. She's also looking forward to Val's visit tomorrow and going to church on Sunday.

She's Home

While getting her hair done, the tray for her walker was delivered and I signed her discharge papers. When she returned from being coiffed, she told me she had said her goodbyes to Sylvia and was ready to leave.

After stopping at Barb's Pasties, Hollywood Market, Star Bakery & The Bread Basket, we made it home around 1:30. She walked through Hollywood using the shopping cart instead of her walker and did quite well. Once home, she strolled through looking at the minor changes and deemed them okay. Following lunch she declined my offer to do the dishes and accomplished that task with her usual flair and attention to cleanliness, even using her gripper when she dropped a fork.

She made a few calls after unpacking and getting settled and after our naps, we discussed our lack of appetite for Pasties tonight. I know what's for dinner tomorrow!

When I left, she was planning on fixing a cup of tea and watching the news.

That's it for now folks.

Going Home

Good morning all. When I visited mom last night we discussed several things mostly dealing with food and shopping. As we talked, I prepared a list of places she wants to stop at on the way home. If we hit them all, we may make it home by 1 or 2 this afternoon. I reminded her that it's good to have a list of things we'd like to accomplish, but plans are in pencil and we will see how she feels as we make our way home.

I brought a lot of her things home last night and there remains a few items that will be in the car shortly. Currently, she is getting her hair done, waiting on the tray for her walker and discharge papers. She's anxious about going home but not sure why. I know her neighbors are going to be happy to see her back and we will proceed cautiously as she resumes her activities of daily living.

The house has been cleaned, floors swept and washed, furniture dusted, plants watered and carpet swept.

Let the fun begin!

Tuesday - A Brief Visit

Had a brief visit with mom after dinner last night. Dinner was over, it was good, and we had a nice chat. She looks and sounds good and is planning for her return to Meadowlark. We discussed what groceries needed to be purchased, what we will have for dinner tomorrow night (pasties), and how her therapy is progressing. The contractor Byron arranged is coming to make a few alterations this afternoon, after which I will clean the house, visit mom and start moving her out of Heartland.

Val's weekend report

Mom was on her way to the restroom to perform her evening ablutions when I arrived Friday evening. Wheel of Fortune was on the TV, but I think Mom is more fond of Jeopardy and chose to miss some of the former so she could watch the latter. I freshened her flowers with some additions from my yard, and watched Jeopardy with her and Sylvia (still can't believe I got the final jeopardy question wrong), then around 8 p.m. left with some shirts to wash.

Both ladies looked tired, but why wouldn't they be? I've had to remind myself that Mom customarily took a nap (she might not call it that, but that's what it was) most afternoons before her hip broke, and she really hasn't been able to do that while at Heartland because of the rigorous physical and occupational therapy. When my cousin Maggie and I showed up Saturday afternoon around 1 p.m., both ladies were doing the head nodding thing as they sat in their wheelchairs, Mom with Barbara Walters' autobiography, Audition: A Memoir in her lap. That didn't last for long, though. We got her up and walked to the refrigerator to put some treats we brought -- Oberweis ice cream from Maggie, the last of the Michigan strawberries from me (plus the freshly laundered shirts). Then we went to the internet room so she could see pictures on Flickr from Jeff, Amy, and Nick Robbins' recent trip to England (they're Maggie's son, daughter-in-law, and grandson).

Mom is understandably anxious about going home later this week. It's hard for her to comprehend that it's unlikely she will regain the same level of physical ability she had before her hip fracture. That and changes in her house -- kitchen rugs absent, more grab bars installed, her bedroom furniture rearranged, no going down to the basement -- will require adaptation. Plus there are more changes that need to be made, notably rearranging her kitchen cupboards. Considering she's had her cupboards the same way for 60 years, it will be a major shift for her. It would be a major shift for anyone! Fortunately Dave will be there to help her get settled and get used to the new way of living on Meadowlark.

Before I left late Saturday afternoon, we briefly discussed the merits of assisted living. I think she's warming up to the idea, but I also think it's important for her to spend some time at her house, if nothing else than to say goodbye.

SUNDAY SUNSHINE

Visted with mom late this morning until lunch time. She is in good spirits and looking forward to returning home which we expect to be Thursday. We walked outside and sat a while in the sunshine at Oakland Troy Rehab.

WONDERING RUTH

Colleen and I visited with Ruth today; I was her last evening as well. When we got here this evening, she and Sylvia were walking the halls: they have a regular walk. Mom is showing more confidence using her walker and looks stronger.

Discharge Date Is Set

I spoke with Mandy Munchmayer yesterday and discussed mom's progress and anticipated discharge date. According to her, mom is progressing in therapy, continuing to build strength and learning ways to adapt her activities of daily living to her new circumstances. Insurance approved her continued stay at Heartland for another week and she is scheduled to be discharged on Thursday, July 16.

According to Mandy, continuing care at home will consist of a nurse, PT/OT, and home health care support coming three times a week in one hour increments for six weeks, or as long as they feel it is necessary.

I spoke with mom this afternoon and shared this information, no one at Heartland had told her when she was leaving, but her roommate Sylvia is scheduled to leave on Friday the 17th. At least she won't have to adjust to a new person before she leaves. Mom also shared that whenever staff is showing the facilities to potential residents they stop by room 103 because it is always so neat. I'm not surprised! She also shared that PT is running out of things for her to do.

Byron is busy making the necessary adjustments to the house and I'm sure taking care of the yard. I will be coming up Monday or Tuesday and plan on making this an extended stay and look forward to transporting mom hither and yon for her various errands and hopefully get her to church.

TUESDAY UPDATE

I got here late and had to be let in.

Mom is continuing to amaze me. Tonight, she paid a few bills (although she had some problems it seemed balancing her check book--she put it off until Tomorrow). She says she is walking a lot and feels more comfortable with the walker and such.

We sold her car yesterday evening after my visit; she isn't happy but she isn't driving and why does she need the expense? We spent a few hundred fixing a few things (AC recharge, key fob batteries and the like). We got the asking price which was about double what most people thought we would get.

She had good therapy today, she said, and thinks she might be working with a four prong cane soon in addition to a walker. At the house today we had a contractor come in to evaluate the recommended grab bars and the like; I expect an estimate Wednesday. Also today I got a her glasses fixed. She loves visits; please don't hug her because it breaks her glasses.

MONDAY MOANIN'

Highlights of today: Mom had therapy morning and afternoon, and says they did everything: steps, arms, walking and the like. She and her current roommate, Sylvia, also went for walk around the inside of the facility. I offered to take her outside but she declined (probably because I got there just as she was finishing dinner).

She did have a visitor today, Rosemary. A highlight was a letter from grandson Justin and a copy of his church bulletin with his name highlighted for something. She likes his letters.

Val checked in by phone last night after returning from her track weekend at Mid-Ohio.

We are going to get her glasses fixed; I hope she gets visits but don't hug her: the glasses break!

More later.

LONELY SUNDAY

Visited with mom late Sunday afternoon, about dinner time. She said she had an active day walking around the facility but didn't go outside. Strangely, to me at least, she had no other visitors. She ate most of her dinner (in fairness, the portions are larger than she normally eats at home). Yesterday, they were playing historical bingo and Colleen came to visit. Today, they had a cheese and sparkling grape juice tasting and Mom and Sylvia, the roommate who may be going home soon, had a good time.

Mom mentioned her pain in the left leg is much better, so we got worried for nothing it seems.

I shared the posting from her soon-to-be granddaughter-in-law, Rebekah Winters (she and Rob are tying the knot in August, in Seattle where they live).

Mom may be going home yet this week. Stay tuned for further developments.

Wednesday Update

Quick visit tonight with Mom as Colleen and I were late. She looked pretty good, all things considered, but is experiencing some pain in her left leg (the one with the broken but mending hip). We thought it was muscular, but now we are not sure. This will continue to be evaluated.

She was having a pitty party for herself because no one came to visit. More Thursday.

CHILLY TUESDAY

When I arrived this evening, the heat was on in Mom's room. She and Sylvia told me they were cold today so the turned on the heat. On the other hand, I was out of the office on appointments this afternoon and had the car air conditioning on to cut down the humidity. Go figure. They have been walking around together the last few days and they planned to do that tonight.

Mom had therapy all day, and said she wants to stop it because her left leg (the broken hip leg) is sore in the thigh. Perhaps it is because she is building up some muscle. Anyway, maybe I will call and talk with the social worker Wednesday morning.

We are selling her car; if interested call Byron. 1996 Buick Century 90,000 miles, loaded and very clean on the inside.

Thanks for all your comments and postings.

Monday Update

During my visit tonight, Mom looked at the photos and explained everything. She said dinner tonight was very good, and that she had a good workout in Therapy today.

I wonder if any of the grandchildren: Laurel, robert, Margaret or Justin, are reading this blog.

Windy Day

My visit with Ruth was highlighted by a walk outside. It was windy outside, but warm so she didn't use her sweater (left it in the room). We sat on the EAST side, not the front tables where the wind was more pronounced.

She seemed in good spirits, but commented that on Sundays she doesn't get too many visits.

Her PT continues even on Saturday, and she is becoming more comfortable with the walker.

Old Photos

Yesterday when visiting Ruth at Heartland, Val and I were talking about old photos. I remembered this one of Ruth and Otto, a favorite of mine. Doesn't Ruth look fashionable with her pert suit and fox fur tails. So chic in the 40's! This photo was taken in 1945 before they were married.