Well, a very eventful week has passed and I have been so lax in blogging. Ah well.
Kenny has done pretty well this past week. He has some swelling in his feet but his lungs sound fairly clear so no one seems to be overly concerned. He has been sleeping well but still interprets my insistence on his not retiring at night before 9:00 as thinking he sleeps too much. He cannot seem to wrap his thinking aroung the fact that if he goes to bed at 7PM, his sleeping meds have worn off by about 3 AM and after that he dozes and every thirty minutes thinks perhaps he should try to pee. The downside to that is that he awakens me every thirty minutes and I end up a zombie for the entire day since I cannot go to be along with him at 7 or 8. Anyway Dr. Charlie addressed that last night. Hopefully Papa has a better understanding of why I feel the way I do.
Loren, the Hospice chaplain, came over for a visit on Thursday and he brought his laptop to show Papa photos from Iraq when he was over there in the service. He is such a nice guy and Kenny enjoys his visits so much. Hospice has such a great organization and it is such a help to those of us who are depending on them
We moved down to Murrells Inlet last evening after the doctor's visit to Kenny and to Larry. Larry seems to have a neurological challeng in his back that is causing some Sciatica-like symptoms. He is in terrific pain. Last night Kenny was in a snit about coming to the Inlet where, admittedly we are not as handicap-friendly as his little three room cottage in Conway. He was snapping at me and I told him I was not going to allow him to talk to me that way. He said to just leave him alone, he was pissed! (his words) I asked him if he was pissed because of coming to the Inlet. He said yes. He did not want to come. Well...friends, I kind of lost it! I told him that I was just really sorry about that but that I had spent the last 5 months waiting on him hand and foot 24 hours a day, sleeping on a sofa and going back and forth to my house to dress every day...and that I had had 2 days off in 5 months. He would just have to adjust. I left him sitting on the pot and when I went back 10 minutes later his attitude was a bit different. However this morning he said that maybe we should call the VA and see if they had a place for him, so I guess today we will suffer the "poor pitiful me's today." As you can tell, today I do not have a lot of sympathy. Maybe tomorrow.
The weather is overcast and warm today. He may go out on the porch a little later. If any of you are in the area, "y'all come!"
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Splish splash, I was takin' a bath, long about Friday night...Splish splash, I jumped back in the bath. How was I to know there was a party going on?
Greetings after a weeks hiatus. We had a great two days in the North Carolina mountains checking on Eagle Rock, our almost-complete mountain house. It was an expensive weekend but worth it for me, at least. When we paid our sitter for the 48 hours of staying with Kenny, I believe we realized just how much my labor with him is worth on the market. I believe I could get a job doing this and we could easily survive the "crunch"! Anyway, we came home to a much appreciative Papa. He decided that I was okay. Nobody else knew quite how to do things right.
He has been doing really well with the exception of some occasional blood in his urine - something that we have to expect with this bladder cancer. Well now, we go from "pee to pee", pink to clear. I am sure that it is disturbing to him but we have tried to explain that this is going to be an ongoing condition that will not change. He and I have finally developed a kind of cheerleading attitude. "Yay, it clear!"
He told Jessie the other day that he was going to live a whole lot longer. And then yesterday he developed some pain in his lower abdomen which did not diminish immediately and he began to fret and then he got the jitters. Then he started having some tightness in his chest which led to him telling me that I had to give him a "triple dose of pain killer." I had already doubled his dosage so I told him that he had to give the meds time to work. In the meantime I call Ann, the hospice nurse on call, and she advised me to use the nitro and also to give him an Atavan for the shortness of breath and pain. He then decided that I needed to call Charlie and remind him of their bargain. (He thinks Dr. Sasser told him he would play "Kevorkian" for him, which he definitely did not.) I then informed Kenny that if he thought that Charlie had made such a bargain that he must have dreamed it. I reminded of what he actually told Papa. He let him know that he was not in the business of ending life, of only making his life more comfortable while it lasted. Well, Kenny did not like that and decided that he would just go to bed...at 6:00, without supper, which he did. Of course at 4:00 AM this morning he was wide awake. Last night we caught him twice climbing out of the bed, over the bedrails. I awoke this morning at 4:00 to the sound of the toilet flushing. He had climbed out of the bed, pushed the wheelchair to the bathroom, washed himself, changed his "pullups" and his shirt, brushed his teeth, peed and was on his way back to bed when I caught him. I asked him why he didn't ring the bell. "I didn't need to!" I was furious and he was furious that I was furious. I got him back in the bed and hid the wheelchair telling him he would have to walk to the bathroom the next time he tried something like that. And furthermore, if he fell and broke something, he'd end up in the hospital again and if he didn't like it here, he'd really not like it there. He would not have a slave handy to wait on his butt day in and day out! (I really know how to win friends and influence people, don't I.) I went back to bed, fretted for two hours and made him lie in the bed for three hours before I would let him up. (I am not a bit vindictive either!) This is further evidence to me that the more drugs we have to give him, the squirrelier he gets. He informed me awhile ago that the reason he took himself to the bathroom was that people were all over the house partying until after 4:00 AM and there was nobody to help him. We told him that we went to bed at 11:30 and that we did not encounter any revelers. (The higher the dosage, the wilder the dreams.)
I find it interesting that when I manage a day off or even a morning off, the work load becomes very interesting when I return. I am beginning to realize that change in routine, regardless of how trivial, has a cost and an effect on him. It makes perfect sense; I just had not figured it out. All of this tells me that the next few days will no doubt be eventful and interesting. I will keep you posted. Stay tuned....
He has been doing really well with the exception of some occasional blood in his urine - something that we have to expect with this bladder cancer. Well now, we go from "pee to pee", pink to clear. I am sure that it is disturbing to him but we have tried to explain that this is going to be an ongoing condition that will not change. He and I have finally developed a kind of cheerleading attitude. "Yay, it clear!"
He told Jessie the other day that he was going to live a whole lot longer. And then yesterday he developed some pain in his lower abdomen which did not diminish immediately and he began to fret and then he got the jitters. Then he started having some tightness in his chest which led to him telling me that I had to give him a "triple dose of pain killer." I had already doubled his dosage so I told him that he had to give the meds time to work. In the meantime I call Ann, the hospice nurse on call, and she advised me to use the nitro and also to give him an Atavan for the shortness of breath and pain. He then decided that I needed to call Charlie and remind him of their bargain. (He thinks Dr. Sasser told him he would play "Kevorkian" for him, which he definitely did not.) I then informed Kenny that if he thought that Charlie had made such a bargain that he must have dreamed it. I reminded of what he actually told Papa. He let him know that he was not in the business of ending life, of only making his life more comfortable while it lasted. Well, Kenny did not like that and decided that he would just go to bed...at 6:00, without supper, which he did. Of course at 4:00 AM this morning he was wide awake. Last night we caught him twice climbing out of the bed, over the bedrails. I awoke this morning at 4:00 to the sound of the toilet flushing. He had climbed out of the bed, pushed the wheelchair to the bathroom, washed himself, changed his "pullups" and his shirt, brushed his teeth, peed and was on his way back to bed when I caught him. I asked him why he didn't ring the bell. "I didn't need to!" I was furious and he was furious that I was furious. I got him back in the bed and hid the wheelchair telling him he would have to walk to the bathroom the next time he tried something like that. And furthermore, if he fell and broke something, he'd end up in the hospital again and if he didn't like it here, he'd really not like it there. He would not have a slave handy to wait on his butt day in and day out! (I really know how to win friends and influence people, don't I.) I went back to bed, fretted for two hours and made him lie in the bed for three hours before I would let him up. (I am not a bit vindictive either!) This is further evidence to me that the more drugs we have to give him, the squirrelier he gets. He informed me awhile ago that the reason he took himself to the bathroom was that people were all over the house partying until after 4:00 AM and there was nobody to help him. We told him that we went to bed at 11:30 and that we did not encounter any revelers. (The higher the dosage, the wilder the dreams.)
I find it interesting that when I manage a day off or even a morning off, the work load becomes very interesting when I return. I am beginning to realize that change in routine, regardless of how trivial, has a cost and an effect on him. It makes perfect sense; I just had not figured it out. All of this tells me that the next few days will no doubt be eventful and interesting. I will keep you posted. Stay tuned....
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Over there, over there, send the word, send the word the Yanks are coming...over there!
Kenny's interview with Pat Gable of the Veteran's Herald went very well and Pat did a terrific job. You can see it online at www.veteransherald.com. I hope that all of you enjoy it. Kenny is such a great story-teller and his memory is still phenomenal as you will see. We are hoping to figure out a way to get him to talk about all of his adventures so that we can get it on video. I have always regretted that we did not get to do that with my mama. She also had an incredible memory and loved to talk about her life and especially the funny incidents. I see a lot of correlation between the two of them even to being "journey proud" the eve before a big event. I am not sure where the expression comes from but normally Mama used it to describe her inability to sleep well the night before going on a trip, but also just prior to a big event. Papa did not sleep well night before last because he was anxious about his big interview. It was worth being "journey proud" for a night.
We are doing well. Papa is resting better now that the interview is over. He is eating well...especially once I figured out that it was better to serve him on a salad plate so that he did not feel that he was eating so much. Frankly to me it looks like more but he realizes, I guess, that there is less food on the smaller plate. The things that I have learned from this experience! I can prepare a good meal in 30 minutes or less including dessert...that is if I get organized before hand and visit the freezer in the morning to choose a meat or fish. I wish I had been better organized when the kids were small, but, as Marshall and Casey would say, "How much organization does it take to fry a bologna sandwich?" Oddly, those are the memories that stuck, not the nutritious hot suppers I cooked. "I don't get no respect!" (to quote Rodney Dangerfield.)
This may be the last blog until Sunday, the 17th, since we are leaving early in the morning for Beech Mountain, NC to check on our construction up there. I want to ask a favor of some of you. I know that Kenny would really appreciate hearing from you. It would be great if you all would drop him a line, give him a call, send him a post card or you may email him. I will check it daily and print them out. Please do not send any forwards, only personal messages to him. I do not have time to sift through the funny stories or jokes to get to the real stuff. Thanks for your understanding.
We hope that all of you are doing well. We value your friendship and your messages of support and love. All of you are treasures without measure. God bless each of you.
We are doing well. Papa is resting better now that the interview is over. He is eating well...especially once I figured out that it was better to serve him on a salad plate so that he did not feel that he was eating so much. Frankly to me it looks like more but he realizes, I guess, that there is less food on the smaller plate. The things that I have learned from this experience! I can prepare a good meal in 30 minutes or less including dessert...that is if I get organized before hand and visit the freezer in the morning to choose a meat or fish. I wish I had been better organized when the kids were small, but, as Marshall and Casey would say, "How much organization does it take to fry a bologna sandwich?" Oddly, those are the memories that stuck, not the nutritious hot suppers I cooked. "I don't get no respect!" (to quote Rodney Dangerfield.)
This may be the last blog until Sunday, the 17th, since we are leaving early in the morning for Beech Mountain, NC to check on our construction up there. I want to ask a favor of some of you. I know that Kenny would really appreciate hearing from you. It would be great if you all would drop him a line, give him a call, send him a post card or you may email him. I will check it daily and print them out. Please do not send any forwards, only personal messages to him. I do not have time to sift through the funny stories or jokes to get to the real stuff. Thanks for your understanding.
We hope that all of you are doing well. We value your friendship and your messages of support and love. All of you are treasures without measure. God bless each of you.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Time after time, I tell myself that I'm so lucky to be loving you...
And I do love him. Kenny is so precious, even when I want to wring his neck, I still adore him. He is doing so well mentally. He is still sharp as a tack. He is tiring physically, but mentally he's still going strong. He is still trying to figure out if I would rather him wet his "pullups" during the day or have him "ring for me to take him to the 'latrine'." Also he has yet to figure out why I was upset with him for going to bed at 7 PM the other night. Today he told the nurse that we thought he was sleeping too much. I had to explain again that going to bed so early was my challenge, not how much he sleeps. I told him he could sleep all day in his chair. I finally simply said, "If you insist in going to bed early, you will not receive your sleeping pills until 9 or 9:30 - no earlier!" That is also what I told Laura today. Laura McCormick sat with Nanny (Hyrtha) after her stroke. She has been so wonderful. She stops in occasionally to check on Kenny. She has agreed to come and stay with him this weekend so that Larry and I can go up to North Carolina mountains to check on our house we and the kids are building. I am really looking forward to getting away for a little while. Add us to your prayers that Kenny will fare well without us and that we will have a safe and fun trip.
Speaking of being sharp as a tack, some of you may remember that last summer he was interviewed by Greg Everett on our local FOX affiliate TV station. Greg was really fascinated with Kenny's incredible memory. Well, he is sending one of his reporters over tomorrow to interview him again focusing on his military service during WWII, especially his stint in the Far East when he served under General Claire Chennault. Kenny is a wonderful story teller and is great talking about his experiences during that time during the war. As soon as we find out when it will be shown, we will let you all know how to access it on the Internet.
Things are looking up for us to try to spend some time at the Inlet. I even got a wonderful email from my friend Ann Rymski in New York State. She and her husband spend two weeks at the Inlet almost every fall. In the letter, she went into great detail as to how I could make the house more handicap accessible. I have it saved. I will print it out and may use it as a blueprint for what to do. I felt really good today when Sherry (Papa's nurse) told Kenny that she thought it would be very good for him to go to the Inlet. She feels like he could use the change of scenery, especially since it is only a 30 minute trip; sitting on the porch and watching the birds and marsh would be really therapeutic for him. (It will truly be therapeutic for me too!) Now if I can just find one of those upside tomato planters that I can take over there with me and maybe plant some basil and mint, I will be really ready for summer. So, if we get down there, y'all come....
Speaking of being sharp as a tack, some of you may remember that last summer he was interviewed by Greg Everett on our local FOX affiliate TV station. Greg was really fascinated with Kenny's incredible memory. Well, he is sending one of his reporters over tomorrow to interview him again focusing on his military service during WWII, especially his stint in the Far East when he served under General Claire Chennault. Kenny is a wonderful story teller and is great talking about his experiences during that time during the war. As soon as we find out when it will be shown, we will let you all know how to access it on the Internet.
Things are looking up for us to try to spend some time at the Inlet. I even got a wonderful email from my friend Ann Rymski in New York State. She and her husband spend two weeks at the Inlet almost every fall. In the letter, she went into great detail as to how I could make the house more handicap accessible. I have it saved. I will print it out and may use it as a blueprint for what to do. I felt really good today when Sherry (Papa's nurse) told Kenny that she thought it would be very good for him to go to the Inlet. She feels like he could use the change of scenery, especially since it is only a 30 minute trip; sitting on the porch and watching the birds and marsh would be really therapeutic for him. (It will truly be therapeutic for me too!) Now if I can just find one of those upside tomato planters that I can take over there with me and maybe plant some basil and mint, I will be really ready for summer. So, if we get down there, y'all come....
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Happy Mothers' Day
We have had a fairly uneventful week until this morning. At 7:00 AM I went inside the "big house" to get dressed and to water my hanging baskets before it got too hot. I walked into the cottage at 7:15 and "what to my wondering eyes..." - a wheel chair being pushed by Kenny. He had to pee and he couldn't get me to respond to his bell. Well, needless to say, we had to have a meeting of the minds about the purpose of wearing disposable underwear and I asked him what he would do if he fell? He told me that he would not be able to get up...and " if you break your hip when you fall?" "Oh I would not like that. That would be tough." You'd better believe it would be tough! Then, would you be surprised that he was really tired all day? Just could not imagine why! So at 7:30 tonight he is ready for bed. I might add that he has been up twice since then to go to the bathroom. It appears that my night will be lively tonight. Last night was lively too. The AC is off upstairs in the "big house" so Larry slept with me on the double futon last night...along with Winston Churchill, our Jack Russell, who joined our other "bird russell" or "deer Russell" - Gypsy, who sleeps with me. Prissy, the pomeranian was not to be outdone. She slept in the recliner adjacent to the futon and everytime Winston got up (4 or 5 times) to check things outside, she would moan to me begging for his spot in the bed, and Gypsy would sit up at the foot of the bed waiting for him to come back. Needless to say, I invited LB to sleep on the hide-a-bed inside the house tonight. I guess you could say the honeymoon is over.
Papa has gotten used to me answering his bell so he rings it even if Larry is sitting right next to him. Today he startled Larry by ringing the bell for me to come take him to the bathroom...have I made myself indespensable? Seems so. I keep trying to retrain him to call the closest one to him; it does not seem to be working.
In addition to that, he still has the idea that he should not drink alot so that he will "not have to pee so much." He really does not seem to grasp how lucky he is to be able to pee. We have all tried to explain to him what happens if he deprives himself of fluids...he remains unconvinced, I fear. Life continues to be interesting around here. The adventure continues, thank heavens.
I hope all of you mothers out there have a wonderful day and that all of your family members truly appreciate you. I certainly do. Happy Mothers' Day!
Papa has gotten used to me answering his bell so he rings it even if Larry is sitting right next to him. Today he startled Larry by ringing the bell for me to come take him to the bathroom...have I made myself indespensable? Seems so. I keep trying to retrain him to call the closest one to him; it does not seem to be working.
In addition to that, he still has the idea that he should not drink alot so that he will "not have to pee so much." He really does not seem to grasp how lucky he is to be able to pee. We have all tried to explain to him what happens if he deprives himself of fluids...he remains unconvinced, I fear. Life continues to be interesting around here. The adventure continues, thank heavens.
I hope all of you mothers out there have a wonderful day and that all of your family members truly appreciate you. I certainly do. Happy Mothers' Day!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The simple things of life...
This will probably be short. Just a note to let everyone know that things are going well. Hospice is changing things a bit, in an effort to simplify the routes that the CNAs (Certified Nursing Assistants) travel to take care of the many different Hospice patients. Tammy Rutledge, our CNA, has been switched to another area and we are heart broken. Melissa will take her place and Melissa is a wonderful young woman, but we just love Tammy so much and we feel like she is ours. Papa told her we were going to put Melissa through her paces...but I told him we could not do that. Melissa nor Tammy had any say so in the decision. I can understand the need to make the routes as simple as possible so that the CNAs don't criss-cross the parts of three counties that Hospice serves. So I think we will keep a stiff upper lip and hope to see Tammy every now and then. Of course, the CNA's job here at the Biddles' is less complicated than it was. Kenny is so much better and is physically able to do a lot for himself so the bathing can now be done in the bathroom rather than the bed. Changing from the taped diapers to the "pull ups" made a huge difference in his attitude. He told me the other day that he would never take for granted such a simple thing as going to the toilet (latrine or urinal, he calls it.)
And isn't that true? Don't we often take for granted the little things? I know I do.
This week has been a good one for all of us. I have had some help from Larry, Courtney and Jessie so that I could get out a bit. Yesterday, Margaret -my baby sister- and I went to Charleston to take my car to be serviced. We were gone most of the day and I felt like a bird loosed from a cage. What a great time we had, both of us: Margaret resting and relaxing after the "wedding-a-thon" last week and I just getting out for a day. Tonight Jessie and her family (minus Chad, who is in California cutting his album with his band) came over and spent the evening with Papa so that Larry and I could go over to Litchfield for a get-together. When Jessie is here, Kenny has her almost undivided attention. She loves her granddaddy and he loves her. She and Courtney both spoil him rotten. But we all agree that he is deserving of all the spoiling we can do.
Tonight while we were out, we went by our place in Murrells Inlet. How I miss it! We are trying to figure out how we can make it a bit more "handicap friendly". I think it will mean removing some of the furniture. But we both agree that it would be great for him to be able to go over and spend some time on the porch watching the tide come in. The red-wing blackbirds, along with the blue jays and the swallows should be soon hatching their babies and it will be wonderfully noisy, especially early in the morning. Please pray that we will be able to accomplish getting Kenny over there for a week or so.
Thanks so much to all of you for your encouragement. We truly appreciate your support and love.
And isn't that true? Don't we often take for granted the little things? I know I do.
This week has been a good one for all of us. I have had some help from Larry, Courtney and Jessie so that I could get out a bit. Yesterday, Margaret -my baby sister- and I went to Charleston to take my car to be serviced. We were gone most of the day and I felt like a bird loosed from a cage. What a great time we had, both of us: Margaret resting and relaxing after the "wedding-a-thon" last week and I just getting out for a day. Tonight Jessie and her family (minus Chad, who is in California cutting his album with his band) came over and spent the evening with Papa so that Larry and I could go over to Litchfield for a get-together. When Jessie is here, Kenny has her almost undivided attention. She loves her granddaddy and he loves her. She and Courtney both spoil him rotten. But we all agree that he is deserving of all the spoiling we can do.
Tonight while we were out, we went by our place in Murrells Inlet. How I miss it! We are trying to figure out how we can make it a bit more "handicap friendly". I think it will mean removing some of the furniture. But we both agree that it would be great for him to be able to go over and spend some time on the porch watching the tide come in. The red-wing blackbirds, along with the blue jays and the swallows should be soon hatching their babies and it will be wonderfully noisy, especially early in the morning. Please pray that we will be able to accomplish getting Kenny over there for a week or so.
Thanks so much to all of you for your encouragement. We truly appreciate your support and love.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Life is just a bowl of cherries?
Life is getting a little more settled, I think. We are all managing a bit better. This afternoon, Kenny decided to take advantage of the fact that I was in the "big house" making some iced tea and Larry was sleeping in the chair in the living room. He needed to go to the "urinal" ( I told him I have no urinals except those plastic things we brought hom from the hospital!) and he decided to get himself there by "pedaling" the wheelchair to the bathroom. He confessed when I came back in the cottage, saying, "I won't do that again!" I am surmising that it wore him out. He did sleep most of the afternoon. The Turkey! He is feeling much better. We are beginning to solve some of his less dangerous but nonetheless uncomfortable maladies (like hemorroids); did you know that compounding pharmacies even make suppos-itories? Rectal Rockets, they call them. More info than you all needed? Sorry!
The weather is just gorgeous. I think I will try to take him out for a short walk tomorrow. It is this time of year that I miss staying at the Inlet (for those who do not know, that is our place near the beach, on the salt marsh south of Myrtle Beach.) He always enjoys being able to sit on the screen porch and have his coffee or his lunch and watch the birds and enjoy the breeze. Although we do have a "lift" there, the house itself is a bit over-populated with furniture to be handicap-friendly, so I do not think we will be able to spend much time over there this summer. Seems to me I have already told you all that. Good grief! I am starting to repeat myself. Sorry! Anyway, back to the weather. We have had no rain in the last longest and with the horrible forest fires about which I am sure most of you have heard, things are a bit dry and a bit hazy part of the time. Usually in the evening when the wind shifts, we can smell the smoke. Thank heavens they are almost out; just some smoldering areas that will require vigilance on the part of the fire fighters. In spite of the lack of rain, our trees are bright green and all of our magnolias (12, I think) are covered in buds. We should have some beautiful blossoms in a couple of weeks. Maybe I can figure out how to post pictures. We have a great on of Harrison, Benjamin and Papa that we want to post. I'll see if I can surprise you all with that tomorrow. Good Night!
The weather is just gorgeous. I think I will try to take him out for a short walk tomorrow. It is this time of year that I miss staying at the Inlet (for those who do not know, that is our place near the beach, on the salt marsh south of Myrtle Beach.) He always enjoys being able to sit on the screen porch and have his coffee or his lunch and watch the birds and enjoy the breeze. Although we do have a "lift" there, the house itself is a bit over-populated with furniture to be handicap-friendly, so I do not think we will be able to spend much time over there this summer. Seems to me I have already told you all that. Good grief! I am starting to repeat myself. Sorry! Anyway, back to the weather. We have had no rain in the last longest and with the horrible forest fires about which I am sure most of you have heard, things are a bit dry and a bit hazy part of the time. Usually in the evening when the wind shifts, we can smell the smoke. Thank heavens they are almost out; just some smoldering areas that will require vigilance on the part of the fire fighters. In spite of the lack of rain, our trees are bright green and all of our magnolias (12, I think) are covered in buds. We should have some beautiful blossoms in a couple of weeks. Maybe I can figure out how to post pictures. We have a great on of Harrison, Benjamin and Papa that we want to post. I'll see if I can surprise you all with that tomorrow. Good Night!
Friday, May 1, 2009
A diller, a dollar, a ten o'clock scholar...
I cannot believe that five days has passed since I was last here on the blog. Apologies to those of you faithful who wonder if I had quit. This last week has just passed in a blur. You would think that it had been my daughter who was married rather than my niece. I was truly just worn out and I didn't have the wedding. Go figure!
I will say that last Saturday was the beginning of a great improvement in Kenny's daily life. First, he no longer is wearing diapers but rather "pull ups" (disposable briefs) which make him so much more comfortable and feel so much freer. I am working a little bit more but that matters little. He is able to tell me when he needs to go to the bathroom and I can push him there and he can take care of those personal matters almost completely by himself. He feels so much better and more in control - and indeed he is more in control. He really has very good days and restful nights, which makes all of us more content. He had visitors yesterday - two Laurens. The hospice social worker Lauren, and the hospice chaplain, Lauren Bulla. He and the chaplain hit it off really well and I think he will enjoy that relationship. Lauren, the social worker, is pregnant and due in September so he will look forward to that. It is nice when he has visitors because it gets his mind off of the fact that he is tired of sitting around. I think his little butt and his back get really tired. We have graduated to a memory foam pillow for him to sit on to aliviate some of that discomfort.
He asked me if I had heard from The Hundredth, Chad's band. (Chad is our oldest grandson, 20.) They left Saturday afternoon for California by way of Phoenix. They are making an album in CA and drove straight through to Mesa where we have a house (Papa's house). They were strictly illegal because the house is in a retirement village and without Kenny or us there, they were not supposed to stay. So we told them to keep a very low profile. Actually, I imagine that they slept all day and waited til almost dark to investigate the area. I do think that the kids enjoyed having a place to rest since they drove straight through - all 2221 miles.
We had a little scare Monday morning. Papa told me that he has some really tight "bands" constricting his chest that were painful. I grabbed the nitro and the tension eased after three. I think this had something to do with fatigue. He had a busy weekend and he was literally worn out. We have had no repeat of the "bands" so I am hoping that was simply being tired. Other than that, he is really doing well and eating well also. He has talked to a number of his friends from out west and that did him a world of good. Anytime you all have a chance to call him, please feel free. If he initiates the call, it is usually around 9AM here which means 6 or 7 AM out where you are, so it might suit you better to call him (843-248-3234). One morning, we were up exceptionally early and he had finished breakfast by 8:00 so he thought he would give Venus a call in Napa, CA. I had a hard time convencing him that she would probably not be awake at 5 AM. He kept saying "Well, she's an early riser." That early?
I'll be in touch tomorrow, no doubt. 'Til then...blessings and love to all of you.
I will say that last Saturday was the beginning of a great improvement in Kenny's daily life. First, he no longer is wearing diapers but rather "pull ups" (disposable briefs) which make him so much more comfortable and feel so much freer. I am working a little bit more but that matters little. He is able to tell me when he needs to go to the bathroom and I can push him there and he can take care of those personal matters almost completely by himself. He feels so much better and more in control - and indeed he is more in control. He really has very good days and restful nights, which makes all of us more content. He had visitors yesterday - two Laurens. The hospice social worker Lauren, and the hospice chaplain, Lauren Bulla. He and the chaplain hit it off really well and I think he will enjoy that relationship. Lauren, the social worker, is pregnant and due in September so he will look forward to that. It is nice when he has visitors because it gets his mind off of the fact that he is tired of sitting around. I think his little butt and his back get really tired. We have graduated to a memory foam pillow for him to sit on to aliviate some of that discomfort.
He asked me if I had heard from The Hundredth, Chad's band. (Chad is our oldest grandson, 20.) They left Saturday afternoon for California by way of Phoenix. They are making an album in CA and drove straight through to Mesa where we have a house (Papa's house). They were strictly illegal because the house is in a retirement village and without Kenny or us there, they were not supposed to stay. So we told them to keep a very low profile. Actually, I imagine that they slept all day and waited til almost dark to investigate the area. I do think that the kids enjoyed having a place to rest since they drove straight through - all 2221 miles.
We had a little scare Monday morning. Papa told me that he has some really tight "bands" constricting his chest that were painful. I grabbed the nitro and the tension eased after three. I think this had something to do with fatigue. He had a busy weekend and he was literally worn out. We have had no repeat of the "bands" so I am hoping that was simply being tired. Other than that, he is really doing well and eating well also. He has talked to a number of his friends from out west and that did him a world of good. Anytime you all have a chance to call him, please feel free. If he initiates the call, it is usually around 9AM here which means 6 or 7 AM out where you are, so it might suit you better to call him (843-248-3234). One morning, we were up exceptionally early and he had finished breakfast by 8:00 so he thought he would give Venus a call in Napa, CA. I had a hard time convencing him that she would probably not be awake at 5 AM. He kept saying "Well, she's an early riser." That early?
I'll be in touch tomorrow, no doubt. 'Til then...blessings and love to all of you.
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