The Sick Room

[Dawgluver]

Oh Carol, so sad to hear this. Healing thoughts and hopes for both of you for a complete and painless recovery!

 

[JustJoel]

Dreadful story, Carol, for your whole family. Unfortunately, it’s not an uncommon one. Mark went through a horrible experience in a rehab facility after having a stroke and breaking his hip. Four dreadful months, and we’re looking into litigation for medical negligence.

I hope things are looking up for you and your husband. Best wishes for his recovery!

 

[Andy M.]

Carol, You two have been through a terrible stretch of time. I"m so sorry you had to endure it all.

I'm glad to hear things are improving. I hope you can get some help from other family members.

 

[Addie]

Carol, you need to look into your medical insurance to see if the pay for a part time caretaker. This service is not a luxury, but a necessity. For not only your husbands well being, but yours also. Medicare just may pay for part of it and State Medicaid pays the rest. Worth looking into.

 

[Addie]

Carol, I just reread your post. His kids need to wake up. I don't blame you if you don't want to start a family, but his kids need to hear the truth. I hope when they call, you are not waking him up for a phone call.

There is bit of advice doctors give new mothers who claim they are exhausted.
"When baby sleeps, you take a nap also." Not bad advice.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

So sorry to read about your troubles, Carol. I hope your dear hubby heals quickly and completely. Take care of yourself, too. I hope your holidays end up being happy, and the new year brings you good health.

 

[Cheryl J]

Oh my gosh, Carol. Good to hear from you again, sorry it's under these circumstances. Best wishes to DH for a speedy recovery, and try to take care of yourself as well!

 

[taxlady]

I'm so sorry, Carol. What a horrible series of unfortunate events, and right before the holidays Would it work to ask his children for specific help rather than complain? Ask them to stop at the grocery store on the way over to see him, or to stay with him for an hour or two so you can run errands? Sometimes people need specific suggestions.

I hope he feels better soon and you can get some relief.

(((Hugs Carol)))

I'm so sorry you and your husband are having to go through this.

GG is right, "Sometimes people need specific suggestions." It's much easier for people to do something specific than to have to figure out what to do. It may also sound a lot easier than what they might imagine helping would entail.

 

[taxlady]

How are things going Carol?

 

[taxlady]

I went for my annual ophthalmologist appointment. My glaucoma is stable, but I have a small cataract in each eye. Nothing to worry about yet. However, I will be seeing the ophthalmologist twice a year from now on. This getting old stuff is annoying.

Still waiting for my eyes to go back to normal after the dilating drops.

As to the arthritis, cutting out the nightshades really seems to help. Luckily, hot peppers and a bit of raw tomato don't seem to bother me at all. I'm still working my way through the list to see which ones do make a difference. Potatoes and cooked tomatoes make things noticeably worse.

 

[Addie]

I went for my annual ophthalmologist appointment. My glaucoma is stable, but I have a small cataract in each eye. Nothing to worry about yet. However, I will be seeing the ophthalmologist twice a year from now on. This getting old stuff is annoying.

Still waiting for my eyes to go back to normal after the dilating drops.

As to the arthritis, cutting out the nightshades really seems to help. Luckily, hot peppers and a bit of raw tomato don't seem to bother me at all. I'm still working my way through the list to see which ones do make a difference. Potatoes and cooked tomatoes make things noticeably worse.

As the saying goes, "Getting old is hard work."

I have an appointment with my ophthalmologist this coming Monday. I had cataracts taken care of quite a while back. But the lens in one eye slips every so often. So he is keeping an eye (no pun intended) on it every six months, more often if I see a drastic in my vision. Then I know the lens has slipped again.

Under the old plan of Elder Service Plan, you were entitled to only one visit in a 12 month period. Now that we are in the PACE program, I can go as often as necessary and order any glasses I choose to. Even designer frames.

The only time the eye drops bother me is if it is a really sunshiny day. I discovered quite by accident one time, that crying hastens the eye drop effect and dilutes them. So either start thinking really sad thoughts, or poke your finger in your eye.

 

[Addie]

You May Take A Giant Step Forward

Well it seems I have turned the corner today. I have been accepted to receive a prosthetic. Next week I will go to have the mold made for my stump. And within the coming month I will be standing with two feet again. I am so excited. I can spend more time out of the wheelchair.

Right now I have a great deal of problem trying to stand on one leg and not lose my balance. With the prosthetic, that will help solve that problem. Updates to follow.

When he went to measure my stump, the guy mentioned how short I am. I let him know that I am a legal midget, and this procedure is a tax relief for everyone. Being a legal midget it is considered a medical condition. If I pay someone to hem a dress for me, that is tax deductible as a medical expense. Any money spent on me, if it is because I cannot reach a shelf, or need a step stool, etc, it is all tax deductible. Unfortunately, I am the only one who will not benefit from this law. I no longer work and do not have to file my taxes anymore.

 

[Addie]

I am not having a good day at all. My stump is hurting me a lot today. This is causing me to be concerned about my appointment tomorrow for my cast being made. I know they have bars for me to hold onto while they make the cast of my stump. I have to stand during the whole process. I think I may just be nervous and worried that they will decide I am not a good candidate for the prosthetic. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in this wheelchair.

And if they do decide to give me one, I have a LOT OF HARD WORK ahead of me. They gave me a thick book explaining everything that is going to happen in the coming months. Kind of scary. All day I keep weeping and crying. I feel like I am right back to the day I looked under the blanket and saw the stump.

I am having a lot of problems keeping my weight on that I have worked so hard to gain. When I first got sick I was 160 pounds. I quickly started to lose pounds by the tens. I went all the way down to 69 pounds in just a couple of months. Since being released from the hospital, I have made it all the way up to 86 pounds. Every time I showed a weight gain, even if it was just one pound, everyone in the room would applaud. I would be happy to stop at 90 pounds. Instead at my last weigh-in, I was 82 pounds again. I guess today has to be another "pig out" day. It is extremely important that I maintain the weight I am at when they make the cast.

The employees that work in the PT room looked at my picture that is in the computer. One of them asked if I had someone else stand in for me when that picture was taken. Today my face is thin and very gaunt. My eyes are sunken in and my cheekbones are sticking out. I look like I was starved during my illness. They want to take a new picture. I don't think so.

God, I hope I feel better tomorrow.

 

[taxlady]

Hope you are feeling better soon Addie.

 

[Just Cooking]

Hang in there Addie... It will all come together soon..

Ross

 

[Addie]

Hope you are feeling better soon Addie.

Thank you TL. Now if only I could only stop this crying jag I seem to be on. I thought I was well past that. The first round came when I came home. I cried for a couple of days because of the loss of my leg. Now it is because I may get a prosthetic. None of this makes sense to me anymore.

 

[cjmmytunes]

Hope you feel better soon, Addie. Your emotions could be on the edge because of things that are unknown. I am like that sometimes.

 

[Addie]

You wouldn't think so, but my new wheelchair has given me a whole new freedom. For instance:

1. I can turn around in the kitchen and bathroom without getting jammed in or banging into the bottom cabinets.

2. My shoulders don't hurt anymore because the arms are adjustable for height. I would have to bring my shoulders almost to my chin in order to reach over to turn the wheels.

3. The one footrest I use folds under the seat and not to the side only. It no longer gets in the way of walls. I can get through doorways so much easier.

4. The safety belt has a press release button. Not the kind where I need to use two arthritic hands to release.

5. The seat is low enough to the floor even with a thickly padded seat that I can often use just my foot to propel myself.

6. And best of all, I can sit in it all day and not end up in pain. With the old chair (that Winthrop just threw together) I could only sit for an hour. Then back to the bed. I would end up in hideous pain and have to take a narcotic. I HATE to take narcotics.

I just LOVE my new wheelchair!

 

[taxlady]

Addie, I'm glad to hear the new wheelchair is a blessing.

 

[Dawgluver]

So happy your wheelchair is working out so well for you, Addie!!