Saturday!!! (the day before Sunday)

Gosh, we are not supposed to water our lawns on Sunday because that is the day the city is supposed to use the water!! So, I tried to water the lawn about 9:00 p.m. tonight. It was dark!!!! Do you know what happens when you try to adjust the sprinklers in the dark and you don't know which way they are going????? Yup, you got it....go change your 'jammers!!!! I got it bad!!! It was cold too. It's a good thing Norm was in bed, cause I would never hear the end of it. Needless to say, the lawn didn't get watered tonight, but I don't have to take a shower before church tomorrow!!!!!

Norm and I had an "adventure" today. First of all, we went to Big Lots because there was a patio set there that I thought Norm would like for our deck. It was really nice and a wonderful price.....so, we went to see it. You guessed it.......GONE!!!! I was trying to be a good wife and talk to my husband first, but I will not do that again. It was beautiful and just what we needed, but noooooooooooooo, I had to try to do the right thing!!!! Nope, nope, nope....not again. I was so bummed cause we really wanted more places for people to sit out on the deck, and this would have been perfect and like I said, a great price, but I flat out missed it!!!! Rats!!!!

Then, after I missed the sale of the century, we went to Wal Mart!!!! On a Saturday, no less. Now, do you think that was stupid, or what???? I thought it would be pretty cool to get Norm one of those little "putt-putt chairs" and he could just move right along!!! Yea, right....maybe you could get to the end of the isle after you have mowed a few people over!!!! Maybe a cattle prod would help!!!! Norm had fun tho...at least for a while, then he got pretty tired and his blood sugar got a little low, so we had to make a dive for the orange juice. But, we got 'er done!!! I returned my toilet seat that didn't fit, got refunded for a sprinkler I didn't buy, and bought milk, week killer and Wheat Thins!!!! Boy howdy!!! That was thrilling!!!!

I think Norm would like to go back to the hospital so he can eat. My cooking really stinks and I think he would rather eat pureed cod!! (yes, they really did bring that to him once, along with pureed zuchinni) I am trying to learn how to cook healthy and it isn't working. No salt, no fat, no dark veggies, no nothing!!!! What is wrong with a good old casserole with sour cream and butter and whatever else you want to put in it. Real good for the heart!!! Guess we are stuck with Grape Nuts for the rest of our lives. My poor husband has been through so much in the hospital, and now I bring him home and do him in with my cooking!!!! No wonder his appetite has gone down a bit!!!!

We went for a walk today and it was so nice out there that when we came home from our walk, we hung out on the deck. I never did get to try to play "Little Miss Suzy Homemaker" and actually do some work. Totally forgot about my big ideas of making some summer clothes for my grandaughters. There's always flour sacks!!!! Oh well. Norm and I just seem to do a lot of talking and I get very little else done. Maybe when I am knee deep in "stuff", I will stop talking and start cleaning!!!! I am almost to that point now!!!

Really, it was such a pretty day, and so hard to make myself do anything except just enjoy the sunshine and clear sky. We love our deck!!!! It is nothing fancy, just a deck with some worn out and sun-bleached deck funiture, but it's comfy.

Norm gets pretty tired, pretty early. I spend a lot of time telling him that he has every reason in the world, to be tired. It makes me feel bad that he can't see the huge improvements he has made since he has been home. He is so much better than even two days ago. So much of it is due to being able to move around and get his body working again. The physical therapist that is working with Norm wants him to have a goal to be able to walk for five minutes without stopping. I am not sure if he means with, or without a walker, but, at least it is a starting point. The end result is hopefully, to end up in cardiac rehab. Last time he did that, it was so good for him, and to help condition his heart, and body, while being monitored. He learned a lot. But, this time he needs a little bit more rehab before he is ready to go into the cardiac end of things.

My mind is just contstantly full of the tons of stuff we have learned, the medicines, the technology, the fragileness of our health but yet the strength of our bodies and what they are able to withstand and deal with, the doctors, the nurses, the need for awareness of things that are harmful....the need to be simply aware and on top of the different treatments...tons of stuff. Sometimes I just don't know how to put it all in order and use what we have learned. Boy I will tell you that it is all different when you are home without all of the guidance and counsel from the nurses and staff. I think I have said something before about how many different kinds of doctors Norm had, and still does. Remember when there used to be just one doctor for everything, and some of them even made house calls???? I remember when I got sick and had to have my appedics (sp?) out. The doctor came to our house!!!! Norm has pulmonologists, dieticians, diabetes management, cardiologists, heart surgeons, the guys that put in the pacemaker, the guys in the cath lab, ex-ray guys, respiratory therapists, kidney doctors, you name it!!! Now, there are just the two of us and I am supposed to fill all of those shoes!!!!! Is that scary or what??? He is still breathing after almost two weeks at home, so, I guess that is a plus!!!!! We must be learning something.

All is well on the western front and we are gettin' the job done!!! Little baby steps, but like I said before, they are headed in the right direction!!! We are going to go to church tomorrow. That will be nice. Haven't been there in over two months.

Whoa....it is 18 minutes into Mothers Day!!! Have a good one. I am going to bed!!!!

"Don't tell God how big your storm is. Tell your storm how big your God is!!!!"

Frazzled Friday!!!

What an interesting day!!! Norm had speech and physical therapy today and did very well. The physical therapist wants to get him to not use his walker and wanted to know if that was alright with us!!! No, now we really want him to stay with that walker!!! He was just wanting to know if we were up to it I think and that if we wanted to work hard, but it just sounded funny. Yes, yes, yes...we would love nothing better than to burn that walker!!!! It has made life a lot easier for Norm but it can't go soon enough for either of us.

Speech was good. Norm is doing well. I think his memory and recall are much better than anyone thought they would be. They are working on his memory, and I could have told them that he has "selective" memory!!!! Especially when I tell him that he said I could go to the craft store!!!! Seriously tho, he really is doing fabulous. Everyone seems really pleased. The people there really seem to care, and it is running joke there, that they don't want to see us there again. Meeting in the store or something like that is fine, but they don't want us to "darken their doors". They really are all for getting people home and back to as functional life as possible. There are none of them that don't love what they do and work really hard. I miss them.

We generally get out of rehab about lunch time, so Norm decided he wanted a bowl of chili and a hamburger....so we did. Now, that is really good for someone who is diabetic and working on some heart issues, but it sure was good. We can't do that for another 10 years.

When we came home, we found our wonderful neighbor mowing our lawn. He is awesome and so is the whole family. They take care of us. I hope someday, that we can repay them.

I don't know why, but we have both been very tired today, so we decided that we were going to be early. Well, Norm was up using the bathroom and the toilet ran over!!!!! Water down in the laundry room!!!! Oh well. It was a good thing I am way behind with the laundry because I had tons of dirty towels to mop up the mess. Now, there are wet towels in the bathroom and in the laundry room, but I don't care.....I am going to bed anyway!!!!! I am going to get up tomorrow and do my best "Miss Suzy Homemaker" impression and try to make some order out of my trashed house!!! Maybe I will even find my way to my sewing machine. I have grandchildren that need summer clothes. Gonna try to get our sprinklers going too so that my lawn can be the proper shade of green, rather than brown!!!!!!!

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals.

Good night John-Boy!!!!

Plain old Thursday!!!

Today was just today...what do I say?? It was one of those days where you can turn around and wonder where the day went, but then in some ways it seemed to drag on....but, oh well.

Norm and I decided that we were going to walk three times today, and go to Wal Mart..among all of the other daily things one does. Well, we got one good walk in, and never did make it to Wal Mart, so, no milk!!!! We did get the bills paid tho!!! What a fun time that was.....NOT!!!! Norm always paid the bills before and while he was in the hospital I paid them. That's why he stayed in there so long...he didn't want to see what a mess I had made of things. I did, too. So much of a mess that I just took it all to the bank and some poor lady took pity on me and figured it all out, so, we are straight.....pretty much. I lost some debit reciepts so we aren't really going to be straight until next month. Norm was not a particularly happy camper!!!! But, we got 'er done and it will be easier next time. We just have to learn how to blend two different ways of doing it into one big arguement and then we will be fine!!!

Tomorrow is back to therapy!!! He has speech and physical therapy. The last two days have been "off", but we are still trying to walk and work on those things that they gave us to do at home.

It takes us so long to go anywhere now. We have to load the walker, and the oxygen, along with the two of us!!! Almost like having a diaper bag. It is getting easier tho. The first time we went for therapy, we hadn't realized how long it would take us to get ready and go, that we missed our whole first appointment!!! They were really nice about it and I was in tears!!! I hate being late and we were both very frustrated. This too will pass, and it did!!! It isn't too bad now. We got some of those smaller oxygen tanks and it is tons easier. Plus, we learned when we are going somewhere the next day, you take your shower that night. Works good. It won't be long and things will go pretty slick.

Norm gets awful tired when we have these busy days, but it is a good tired and he sleeps well. Now that we have learned how to do the blood sugar stuff, that is going well too. So far, I have not had to give him a shot, he can do it himself, although, he has been really shaky from time to time and has been known to stab himself in the hand before he gets it in his leg!!!! But, it gets where it needs to go.

This "getting sick stuff" sure entails a lot of doctor appointments. He has an appointment with his heart surgeon on Wed of next week, an appointment with one of the rehab doctors the following week, an appointment with the doctor that did the pacemaker, and on and on, and on, but, at least we are able to do it. I feel so bad for the people who are not able to go to doctors. How blessed we are, that have insurance, and are old, and have Medicare!!!! I don't know where we would be without it.

All is well, really. Norm and I have really been able to spend some quality time together and talk a lot. It has been good for both of us. Not that I would want him to go though this just so we can talk, but, that is just one of the "perks".

On to "outpatient" rehab tomorrow. Outpatient sounds much better than "inpatient".

The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings. ~Eric Hoffer, Reflections On The Human Condition

Wintery Wednesday

Well, there was not much porch sitting today!!! It was a little cool so we were in most of the day, watching it rain. I started the sprinklers and it rained, so shut them off and it stopped raining!!!! I was just about ready to put some water on the garden and it really gave us a nice little rain. So, I was done watering.

I found out today, how fast Norm can walk!!!! He was getting a little bit house-bound, and wanted to take a walk. When we got outside, we felt a couple of little sprinkles, but thought we would go ahead and go. We got just a few feet up the street and some neighbors came by and visited. Norm has this nifty neat-o walker with a seat on it, so he can just sit when he wants to. By the time we got done visiting, it began to get a little more cloudy, but heck, it wasn't going to rain on us!!!! The further we got, the more insistent the "sprinkles" got, so Norm decided maybe we should turn around. You should have seen him go. He was really bookin' it. When we got back to the edge of the porch, he wondered if he was going to make it. I told him to sit down because he was under the eves of the roof. He sat and then looked up at me and after getting rained on a bit, said "I am NOT under the eves!!!" (wasn't my fault he didn't look!)

Walking is so good for us both that we decided that we are going to make it our goal, to walk at least three times a day. The heart doctor said that he wanted him to walk at least five minutes several times a day, working up to 45 minutes a day. But, that was when we thought he was only going to be there for about a week, maybe a week and a half. So, we are a little slower than that, but not by much. Norm is getting around so much better and doing most things on his own, that I really don't think it will be too long before he can walk like that. It is something we can both do, and both need.

He has made amazing progress. Leaps and bounds every day. It is overwhelming to think about the miracles we have seen throughout this whole ordeal and the blessings we have been given. Norm and I were just talking about how blessed he has been. When we were in ICU we met the families of two young men in their mid-twenties, who had broken their backs, and had their lives changed in an instant. Norm has everything he had, mentally and physically, in his grasp and he has had a good life. We are in the 38th year of our lives together, and these two couples were in the beginning of theirs. One of them had only been married a year and were looking forward to children and the normal "married stuff". They can still have all of that, but will have to go about it a different way. They are all wonderful kids and will be just fine, but I think there is something to be said about the fact that they have been dealt the things they have had to deal with and Norm has had what he has had, dealt to him. They sure have the more difficult path. This whole thing sure is something to ponder.

We sure have learned a lot from this ordeal. Tons, as a matter of fact. Some of it has been a surprize to us, and some of it we should have learned a long time ago, but never the less, we have learned, and I guess that is the key to it all.

Thank God..for what you have.
Trust God...for what you need.

Tremendous Tuesday!!!!

Alright, here is the evidence.....sittin' out on the porch again. What happened to those chores???

It has been a really nice day and plenty warm enough to just sit and enjoy. The fresh air does wonders.

Today Norm had speech therapy and is doing very well. They are more and more surprized every time he comes there because of the amount he can remember, and how well he can function mentally. It really is another miracle. A 12 minute "code" is awful long, but he has truly amazed everyone. The other day, there were some of the men from our church over working on the sprinkling system and they were missing a certain part. Norm had taken it off last fall, and I had no clue!!!! So, when they needed the part, Norm remembered right where it was. He has been pretty much out of it for about nine weeks now, and with at least two cardiac arrests, he is amazing.

Speech therapy also works a lot on memory and recall, etc. In most areas of testing so far Norm has breezed through it. In a couple of areas there is some work to do, but it won't be bad at all. At first, I think Norm thought it was all silly, but now he sees that it is necessary and that it is helping. Teaching him tools to remember things. When he first came out of his coma, he didn't know any of us or the kids. I think we were familiar to him, but he didn't have a grasp on why. Now, He remembers where every little thing that is out in his shop, and just about anything else. Right now, the doctors don't want him to drive and he seems alright with that. He has always hated my driving, but he tolerates it because he knows it won't be forever. I will tell you a secret tho...I don't like his driving either!!!! During his next speech therapy, they are going to go over balancing the checkbook. I will be glad to get that back to him. It is hard!!!!

Anyway, things are getting better every day. He now has a real desire to get out and walk and do what he can to further his progress. Occupational therapy has given him some excersises to do at home and he really wants to get going on them....so, we will see. It certainly can't hurt!!!!

His diabetes is getting under control again. They have a wonderful team from the Diabetes Managment Dept. and they are really teaching us both a lot, and getting on top of his blood sugars. Thank goodness for dedicated, loving people that really care about their patients. We have sure seen a lot of them throughout this whole thing.

We don't know how long he will be on oxygen. He is moving around a lot more and making his lungs work, and that is how we are going to be able to get him off, at least during the day. He may be on it at night for a while, or maybe always, but, we can live with it either way. There is a company that is located right near here and they just deliver tanks whenever we need them. We also have a machine in the house with a long tube on it, so that he can go anywhere inside, and we don't have to use the tanks. Pretty slick, huh??? We even have some of those little tanks that can fit into a little compartment on his walker, so no one has to carry or pull anything. Much more mobile.

I, again, would like to thank all of you for your love, prayers and concern. It has meant a great deal to my family, and especially to Norm. He has heard from people that he used to work with in Calif, when he worked for CalTrans. That really made him happy. Hearing from dear friends, and family is like salve to a wound. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

" In life you are either a passenger, or a pilot...it is your choice!!!"

Sunny Monday!!!

What a beautiful day it was!!! I think spring is in the air!!!! How nice it was to wear my flip flops!!!!

Norm had a doctors appointment today and it went very well. This appointment was with his "primary care" doctor which is the one that has taken care of him for years. After waiting for an hour and a half, we finally got in to see the doctor. I am not sure exactly what he meant by his first words to us, but he said, "well, you are alive!!!". Well, thank you very much!!!!

He seemed really pleased with the results of the blood work, and said that a number of things had improved a lot. It seems Norm is having a problem with water retention and that could all be due to being anemic so he recommended Norm take iron. He went over all of Norms meds and the changes that were made in the hospital. Everything seems in order and the doctor didn't seem alarmed by anything. He wants to see Norm back in 6 weeks. What a relief that was. So, as far as his primary care doctor is concerned, all is well, pretty much.

When we came home from the doctors office, our son had been over with his children and put our deck furniture out, so we could use the deck. That is one of our favorite places to hang out!!! Also, our son in law had roto-tilled our garden, so, now the work begins. What a great family we have!!!

Our neighbor was over to work on our sprinkler system and get it going after the winter. He has been working on it for two days now!!! We are so lucky to have such good friends and neighbors and friends, although it was pretty hard for Norm to sit and watch them do stuff he used to do. But, he will again. Like I said before, he has no clue as to how bad he was, and that he almost left us four different times, so, he just can't understand why he can't get up and go out to the shop, or fix the sprinklers, etc.

We made a promise to each other just yesterday. We have had so many wonderful things done for us, and so much help, if we need anything....we promised each other that when he got better, and we could do things for ourselves, that we would be there for others, and try to repay all of the kindness shown to us.

We are on the way!!!!!

When a group of professional people asked a group of 4-8 year olds, "What does love mean?" One child replied,"Love is what is in the room with you at Christmas time, if you stop opening presents and listen."

Sunday!!!!

Well, Sunday has come and gone. It was very strange to be home and not go to church, but Norm just is still too weak. He is getting around better tho. He now goes up and down the stairs by himself, but it is slow. What a huge amount of progress he has made since he has been home. Just on this last Tuesday!!!!

We were able to sit out on the front porch and enjoy the beautiful weather for a while. Might sound very uninteresting, but it is so nice for Norm to be outside. It makes him feel a lot better. And me too!!! Nine weeks in the hospital is enough for anyone. It is a wonder, what the fresh air can do for ones spirit.

We are so lucky to have all that we have. It really was fun to sit out on the porch and see friends go by and wave. A ton of them stopped by to say hello. People that we haven't seen for almost two months.

We will catch up and we will do it!!!! Norm gets a little frustrated by the fact that he is so weak and so tired all of the time, but he doesn't remember anything about his hospital stay so he has no idea about how bad he was. I guess it is a blessing that he can't remember, but it is hard for him to understand why he cannot just jump up and do what he wants. He will!!!!!

"There would be no rainbow, if not for the rain".