Friday, November 30, 2007

Chicago Report



This is new for Jim. He is sitting in a chair and playing freecell. The neck brace is to protect his neck while he is out of bed. The vent machine in the background is off.

Last night they told me Jim is doing great. He was off the vent all day but they put him on at night so he gets a good night sleep. He did not want to eat yesterday. He only drank some of the juice, milk and water. No fever. Mary told me he was a little depressed because he missed me.

I spent the day with my grandchildren and got a million hugs. It was wonderful. We went to Portello's for a birthday celebration. This is one thing I miss about Chicago. Most of the day was spent just playing with the boys. I even played Candy Land. Teresa's father brought me my favorite birthday cake from the Mexican bakery. Oh it was good.

Jackie and Mom thank you for taking care of Jim while I'm gone. Jackie I hope Misty is better. Yesterday she chewed through her collar and kept Jackie up all night.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Jim played freecell today

Today was a first. I borrowed a laptop and took it in to Jim today. He was in a chair and the computer was set up and he was playing free cell. Wow. We are making progress. He was concentrating so hard and it was a little hard for him to manipulate the mouse but he was doing it. This is so great for him to be able to do something besides watching TV. The therapists are going to work with him and see how far they can take him.

All is well and I am off to Chicago in a couple of hours. Jack I'm on my way.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Bingo Night


Can't remember if I posted this layout from my digital scrapbooking class. I really liked how it came out.
Well once again I did not Bingo. My sister Jackie won $50. She put her $5.00 in the pizza pot so that was good.


Jim is doing well. He is off the vent during the day and he is eating. The pulminary doctor was pleased today. He said Jim's lungs are clear and sound very good. The chest wound is the problem according to the doctor. Wound care continues and they are improving. Everyday is a challenge but hopefully things are looking up. He can now take his oral medication and this is so important. The antidepressants have started again along with the medication to prevent a stomach infection because of the antibiotics. He knows I am leaving tomorrow and he told me tonight that he is going to miss me.


Mom is making him a Notra Dame blanket for his birthday on Saturday. I know he's going to like that.


Don't forget to send him a birthday card. The address is in Sunday's blog. Love to all and for some of you I'll see you in Chicago. Jack, Josh and Luke, Grandma will be there to meet the school bus on Thurday.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

The end of Thanksgiving Weekend


Well I really haven't blogged much this weekend because I have been so busy. I have spent a lot of time with Jim. We have just been hanging out and watching movies or football games.
He's doing pretty good actually. He has been off the vent during the day and back on at night so that he can rest comfortably. They gave him two pints of blood yesterday to bring up his hemocrat level. This always gives him some extra pep. The nurse today decided Jim needed to get outside and breath some fresh air. So into a chair he went and we spent almost an hour outside. Now for Jim being outside for an hour for any reason is a lot. He isn't really an outside person. He did enjoy it though and I think it was good for him. The nurse said we should do this every day. We're hoping tomorrow they will allow him to eat again. So wish us luck.
Today was decorating day. Jackie and I put this outside lights on her house, mom's house and my house. So the season has begun. I have Christmas stuff everywhere, laundry to do and the house to clean. And I'm leaving Wednesday for Chicago. Windy City here I come. I'm coming for a much need break and some hugs from three very special little boys. They want to hug their grandma on her birthday.
Speaking of Birthdays. Jim's is Saturday. He needs birthday cards. We need to perk him up and what better way than to hear from all of you. Down with the get well up with the birthday cards. You can send them to Healthsouth Ridgelake Hospital, 6150 Edgelake Drive, Sarasota, FL 34240.
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend. A special thank you to my friend Barbara for a lovely Thanksgiving dinner. It was wonderful.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Black Friday

I was up early to start off Black Friday. Now I wasn't up that early but for me 7:30 is early. This year I did not think the bargains were as good as past years. I by-passed the electronics because those lines were just way to long and I really did not need a TV or a Wii. It's fun to get out there and watch the crazy people and the parking lots. Those people are crazy trying to get parking spots. No one has any patience any more. I did pick up a few things but not much.

We have a new woman in the house. Misty is in heat for the first time. Poor thing is having cramps and is not feeling very well. She just looks at me with those sad eyes. I feel so sorry for her.

Spent the afternoon with Jim and he is doing fine. He was off the vent again. They put him back on last night at midnight which means he was off for almost 11 hours yesterday. Today he did not have a fever so that is good. Today they took him off at 11:30 and just now put him back on. We watched a couple of TV movies and just hung out.

Tonight I went to Scraptherapy and had a good time. We did more chatting than work but that is OK because it's just nice to have some down time and girl time. I love having a place to go hang out and enjoy my new friends.

Hope everyone had a great shopping day and are now home safe and sound.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Thanksgiving Playtime




I was taking a little time today to relax before I started my day. I decided to play with my digital scrapbooking. My 4 week class is now over and I wanted to see if I could make a layout from scratch. Here's what I came up with.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving



Happy Thanksgiving to one and all, to my family, to my friends, and to every single medical person who is working today to take care of my Jim.
Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks for all that we have. These past months have been very hard for me and for Jim but I am thankful for every single day we have together. We have grown closer because of these days. For him I am his rock and his soul mate. We love each other and we tell each other every day. We did not always do this but I am thankful that now we do. Everytime I leave him I am leaving the unknown as to what will happen. But I know in my heart and my soul that he knows I love him and he loves me. That is all that is important. In our other life anything could have happened -- a truck could have mowed us down and maybe that would have been a day we did not tell each ther that we loved the other. That I would have hated. But today I will not feel that way. So yes I have thankful for Jim and my time together.
Today he is doing better. His temperature is normal. He is alert and even smiling. We watched Hairspray today and trust me he was dancing. We also watch Next. A great movie with Nicolas Gage.
I have thankful that I am now closer to my mother and sister. I love them both so much and they are so much a part of me.
I am thankful for my two wonderful nephews Rick and Donald and my new neice Heather.
I am thankful for the extended family Jim has given me. Each and everyone of you is special to me. I had never dreamed I could have such a wonderful gift given to me.
I am thankful for my three wonderful grandchildren. Jack, Josh and Luke. The unconditional love these three boys give to me is a gift from God.
I am thankful for my health and the strength that gets me through these troubled days.
I am thankful for my new friends that I have made at K2 scrapbooking store. You give me such friendship.
I am thankful for my precious Misty and for all the comfort she gives to me. She is a wonderful sounding board.
I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and may all of you count your blessings and share them with the ones you love.

Update on yesterday

Jim is now back on all of the antiabiotics. He still has a temperature and they are checking the pic line. This always seems to cause problems. Dr. Hume put him back on the meds about 1:00 this morning. I did not talk to Dr. Hume but the nurse told me about this.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Having a Melt Down Day

Today has not been a really good day for me. Earlier I did not know why. I went to the hospital around noon today to just hang out with Jim. I picked up Live Free Die Hard with Bruce Willis that came out on DVD today. I had seen it in the theatre but that was after Jim's surgery. He was excited to see the movie. I pulled up 2 chairs and pillow and put the rail down on Jim's bed and we cuddled and watched the movie. Both of us fell asleep for awhile. Jim longer than me. The nurse told me Jim was doing just fine.

I watched Oprah and when Josh Grosman sang one of his songs I just cried. They tired to take Jim off the vent but he just wasn't strong enough and that made me cry. I came home for awhile and that made me cry. My mom came over and that made me cry. It just was not a good day.

I went back to the hospital at 8:00. Guess what Jim is not fine. I am so mad I could spit and may spit before the night is over. Jim has a temperature of 103 and has had all day and no one told me. Plus Dr. Vega took him off of all the antiabiotics. I was there 5 hours and no one told me. What is wrong with these people.

Nurse Mary put a call into the doctor and he is coming in. I have been calling there every half hour and I still do not have any answers. Dr. Hume told me that Jim would be on these antiabiotics indefinitely. Linda Johnson told me today that she faxed BCBS today that he would be on these antiabiotics indefinitely. Now I can't get any answers from anyone. I know I am ranting but it's all I can do.

Mary said they are running all the cultures but that takes days. This may be a very long night for me.

Monday, November 19, 2007

A little depression today

Because Jim is back on the vent he can no longer eat. Because he can not eat he can not take any oral medications. This means he can not take his anti depressant medication. He has now been off this for four days and it is showing. He just layed there today looking at the ceiling. I could not get him to talk to me or get interested in anything. I stayed most of the day with him trying to perk him up. Finally I just put in a movie. I had rented 3 today. I put in the comedy Chuck and Larry and did not say anything to him. I could tell he was getting into the movie and then I started to see him smile.

I don't know about you but I would be depressed also. He has been so great throughout this ordeal and we have come so far. I hope he can hang in there and see this through even though there are bumps in the road.

The nurse told me tonight that he was awake and watching the football game. He was totally cooperative so that is a good sign. Good night to all.

Digital Scrapbooking Class


I just finished this layout from week 4 of my Digital Scrapbooking class. It has 27 layers to make up this page. If I were paper scrapping that would mean I put 27 items on the page. I think it turned out really great. Just wanted to share with everyone. I'm off to the hospital now. See you tonight with an update on Jim.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Jim had a good Football Sunday


Jim had another good day. His secretions are down and he was resting comfortably. He was awake most of the day -- Football keeps him interested and busy during the day. Personally I was rooting for Kansas City today and they almost beat the Colts. In our losers pool 50 people picked Kansas City so I wanted them out. I choose Miami and they lost so I'm still in.
I just talked to the nurse (11:30 pm) and Jim's doing fine. We'll see what the week brings.
This photo is from Nancy and Caroline's visit this week. He loved having you guys here.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Jim's Improving


Jim had another good day. He is still on the vent because the doctor wants to make sure that he has the best chance of getting back off he vent. He said that he wants Jim to rest over the weekend and not work to hard with his breathing. Any time the lungs fill with co2 it takes some time to completely rid the system of the co2. Thus the vent. He is only on pressure support, much like a cpap machine. Luckily it is the weekend and Jim loves to watch football so that keeps him occupied. Today the Fighting Irish won 28-7 over Duke so this made him happy.

Today was busy for me. I started the day with a breakfast party given by the Women's Club. My sister Jackie was in charge of the baby shower program and it was a buffet at Yoder's. Now Yoder's has one of the best breakfast buffet's outside of the fancy hotels.

Then I was off to the hospital to see Jim. ONce I was home I finally finished this layout from my digital scrapbooking class. It was really complicated and I think it turned out pretty good. What fun this is. I used some old Easter photos that fit the theme of the class.

Tonight I went to a party to unveil the new Creative Cafe at my local scrapbook store. We had a great time playing with the new cafe items, eating and drinking. I even won two door prizes. Now that is fun.

Friday, November 16, 2007

So Much Better Today


Jim is so much better today. When I got to the hospital this morning he looked rested and comfortable. He was on the vent but they had changed it to pressure support. This means

that he is breathing on his own but if he needs help it is there. He had a lot os secretions but they were staying on top of them. His vitals were all normal and his oxygen saturation was back to 100 percent. We watched I Thee Wed DVD and he was laughing throughout the movie. I felt it was OK for me to go ahead and play in the Sarasota Sectional for one session.

I came back after the session and he was doing great. The tech said the doctor had been in and they decided to keep in on the vent overnight and try to take it off in the morning. So that is the plan. All vitals normal. All blood oxygen levels are fine. He looked happy and content. I shared some bridge hands with him and he told me what I did wrong. So the day went great and we'll see what tomorrow brings.

I told him that Paul Soloway died this week and he was sad to hear this news. Our sympathies go out to his family. Deibetes is such a horrible disease and is relentless on the body.

It was so sad to see Jim's family leave on Wednesday. We hope to see they again soon. Guys, remember when it snows a foot it's time to make a trip to Florida.

Thanks Kay and Bob for the card. Jim loved your hug.

Thursday Not So Good

Yesterday was not a really good day. I spent the morning fighting with the insurance company. They wanted Jim moved yesterday to a skilled nursing facility. The doctor did not want this to happen. I called my insurance agent in Chicago and they got BCBS on the phone and we were trying to work it out. The three doctors were all against the move. Jim had been told he was moving and nobody was happy. BCBS finally said the doctors could fax more information.

I went down to see Jim again and the nurse was in with him and all of a sudden he stopped breathing. People came from everywhere and I went into the corner and just cried. Someone took me out of the room and just told me to breath and then the doctor came out and said he was ok that the trach clogged and he was now breathing. For the next hour I sat in the room with him and kept telling him I was there and holding his hand. The tech's never left his side. There were also 2 or 3 nurses there at all times.

They decided to put him back on the vent because his oxygen levels were very low. the CO2 built up in his lungs and they needed to clear that out. Once he was stable and talking to me I just put a movie in and we watched Ocean 13. He finally fell asleep and was resting comfortably.

I called at 10:00 and at 1:00 and he was resting comfortably.

Obviously he is not being moved now. I just checked with the hospital and he is comfortable and alert and interacting with the nurses. For those of you that I should have called I'm sorry. I just could not face this last night. I will check in with you this weekend.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Way to quiet at my house


Jim's sisters, niece and great niece left today so it is now really quiet in my house. Misty is running around looking for everyone. They spoiled her to death with all of the attention. We took out time yesterday to go to Siesta Beach. (Jack do you remember Siesta Beach?) and time for some photo ops. We picked up some sand for them to take back to Indiana.
Dr. Hume came in and talked to the family today about Jim's condition. According to him the most worrisome part is his chest wound. This is where the infection is. They believe it may have caused a small hole in his lung. They are aggressively treating this and we are not sure where we are going on this and what the possible outcome may be. The lung doctor was possitive tonight. He said the lungs seems to be clear but he has ordered a chest xray for tomorrow to be sure.
Tonight Jim was a little sad that the girls had left. I had been there two hours and was falling asleep and was going to go and he said please don't go. So I stayed another hour and we just talked. My heart just breaks for him and what he is going through. He did eat his soup for me tonight but he wouldn't eat anything else. He did not want his wound care but I told the nurse to just do it. It is too important for him to miss these treatments.
Off to bed early. Really tired tonight.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Jim may be moving




Jim may be moving to a Skilled Nursing Hospital. Blue Cross Blue Shield feels that Jim is now well enough to be moved to a skilled nursing hospital. The hospital he is now in is considered an ICU hospital. As we all know the insurance companies rule our lives. He has been accepted to Manor Health Care. But . . . the temperature that he spiked yesterday is causing some problems. The infectous disease doctor has order blood and sputum cultures to see why he spiked the temperature. Because of this he will stay where he is until we find the problem.


Now I am not all that happy about this situation. He will get a lower level of care and we really do not need this right now. Yes he is getting better but he is getting better because of the care he is receiving from the nurses at Health South.He has an exceptional wound care nurse and his entire care right now centers on his wounds. I am not sure how much say I am going to have on this but I am voicing my concerns. Dr. Hume/Liggett will no longer be his doctors and that is a problem for me.


I have been assured if there is any problem he will be sent to Sarasota Memorial and Dr. Hume will once again take over and ultimately he'll be back at Health south. This will be very trumatic for JIM and that is not what I want.




Today we did some shopping and visited with Jim. His sisters and Kathy spent the afternoon with him. This evening we went out to dinner and then came back to the house and played cards.

Football Sunday

Sorry no pictures. Too tired to put some together.

Nancy and Kathy spent most of the day with Jim today. Caroline had a bug so we did not want her there. I spent a little time with him today but not very much. I went in at lunch time to feed him and he was adament that he was not hungry and was not going to eat. And that was that. Cathy supervised the wound care dressing change to check things out. She said that the nurse was really good but the wounds are bad and a lot more care is needed.

When I went back to pick up N and K Jim had a fever of 100.8 and he was not feeling real well. He mainly just wanted us to leave him alone so he could sleep. At 6:45 temp down to 99.5 and at midnight it was normal. He actually ate something at dinner. Not much just some yogart and cranberry juice but it is better than nothing.

I fixed dinner for everyone tonight. Mom, Jackie and friend Barabara also joined us. The meatloaf was great, the potatoes not cooked and the veggies cold. The salad was perfect and so was the key lime pie mom brought. Oh well I tried. Afterward we played Hands and Foot. It was a fun night.

Here's to a better week.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

ND Loses Again

Once again Jim watched a losing ND game. This really depresses him. He wasn't in a very good mood today. He's kinda depressed. He goes through this periodically but it only lasts a couple of days. He didn't want to eat and he didn't want his dressings changed. Hopefully he'll do the 11:00 ones.

Jim's sisters and niece and grandniece arrived tonight so hopefully this will perk him up. Everything is status quo. More tomorrow.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Sand Bed is Back


Jim's got his hot air/sand bed back. His lungs are clear so he no longer needs the pulsating bed. Now he needs the wound care bed. We are moving along. Normal wound care today and the are showing improvement. He ate very little today. He does not like the food and he is not shy about saying so. I guess I'll need to meet with the dietician again tomorrow. His spirits are good but now he wants a coke and some black coffee. I keep telling him soon.
He's looking forward to seeing his sisters and his niece. That will be a real pick up for him.
Misty had her first bone this week. I grilled a rib eye steak and gave her the bone. She loved it. She did not leave the kitchen for an hour.
Jackie and I were the receipients of a random act of kindness yesterday. We had to go through a toll bridge that cost $2.00. When we got to the window they lady said the guy in front of us paid our toll. How cool is that.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

I'm totally exhausted -- from shopping

No photos today because Blogger is not working.

Today my sister and I went on the Scrapbook Shop Hop. We went to Bonita Springs, which is an hour and a half south and then worked our way back to Sarasota. WE went to 6 scrapbook stores and had a ball. Each store had a project for us to do and what fun that was. Plus we got some great ideas for more projects. We left this morning at 9:30 and did not get back to Sarasota until almost 7:00.

Once we were back I picked up Misty and we headed to the hospital to see Jim. He missed me today but was relaxed and watching TV. They gave him tomato soup for breakfast. Guess what he ate it and was happy about it. They are loading him up with soups now and that is good because he likes them. Dr. Liggett came in while I was there and said Jim is doing great. The stomach wound has now closed up. Now this hole was completely open into the stomach and now closed. I can't believe it. The center portion of the chest wound is also closed. We are hoping this continues to heal and that the underneath portion is not tunneling. The butt sore is also showing improvement finally. She was concerned about the adema but is going to change the meds and order some albumin tests. The is a balance between the dryness in the heart and the fluids in the extremities. Not sure what this means. We won't be seeing Dr. L. until Thanksgiving now as she is off rotation.

Off to bed now. Shopping is such hard work.

Monday, November 5, 2007

Busy Monday



Well today was really busy. First my ice maker is broken. For the past couple of weeks it would not make ice. Last night it decided to just pour out water. It filled the ice bucket with water. Overflowed into the freezer (don't know how I'm going to get rid of this ice) and then poured out on the floor. I had to call Bill (our resident handy man) and he came to my rescue. But I have to get a new ice maker so my frig is sitting in the middle of the kitchen. Yuk. But this to shall pass.


Then Misty was past due for her 9 month checkup. Finally got her to the vet and had to leave her for 4 hours. I then went to Bradenton for my scrapbook Shop Hop.


After that I went to see Jim and had to meet with the case manager. We are having some insurance issues but they are handling these for me. BCBS thinks Jim should go to a skilled nursing facility. The doctor does not agree and he is fighting this. The doctor said that if he is moved in all likely hood he will be back in the hospital within 48 hours and ultimately back at Healthsouth. So the fight is on. BCBS does not know who they are taking on.


Jim does not know any of this and I don't think he needs to know. It was in good shape today. He was awake and watching TV. I took in the baby food fruits and he loved the peaches. I got a variety so we will keep giving these to him. I met with the dietition and we went over the foods that he likes. They are going to add some Boost pudding to add protein to his diet since he doesnt much like their hot foods. I also asked him they could give him soups. He loves soup. When I told him this he smiled and said he would like soup.
Then I went back and got Misty and came home and put everything back in my scraproom/guest room. Not quie done but getting there. I cleaned out the car and then had dinner. About 8:00 I was sitting there and missing Jim so I said to Misty let's go see daddy. So off we went. He was getting ready to watch the football game so we chatted. I hugged him and felt much better. A nice way to end the day.
I came home and did my digital scrapbook lesson for the week. The layout above is what I created. I started with a blank page and put this together. Wow what a class.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Lazy Sunday

Today Jim and I just hung out. When I got to the hospital around noon Jim was coming down from a fever. He was sweating and then had chills and then the sweats. I asked the nurse for some ice and gave him an ice cold bath. It worked. The fever broke and he was so much better. When he has these fevers his face is beet red. After about an hour of this his face looked normal. We don't really know what spikes these fevers but around 2:00 his temp was 98 so that was good.

Misty was with us today and we watched some football. The Bucs won so that was good. Next came the Colts game and sadly they lost. (But guess who I had in the losers pool). Hint I'm still in. Jim is now out of the losers pool. He had Green Bay. It seemed like a normal Sunday. I spent the afternoon reading the paper and watching football with Jim.

Dr. Liggett came in and was gushing all over Jim. Wow looks what's happened in the six days I was gone. You're off he vent and it's not even in the room. You are eating. She said to Jim, "We are going to get you better and get you home. You have the right attitude and she patted his head and said, your brain and heart are in the right place and you are getting there. She wanted to tweak his lasix because he has some adema in his hands and feet but she said that is minor.

Muriel I asked her about the baby food and she said go for it. She said if he wants fruit that is the way to go. If he has a fruit craving something in his body wants it. I stopped at the store on the way home and bought 4 jars of fruit and some chicken and noodles. Will try it tomorrow. He just does not like their hot food.

I almost have my guest room done. It is all painted now I have to put everything back in order and hang the shelves. Pictures to come. I am done painting. I have been painting or 4 months. That is enough.

Took a Little Time to Play Today



I took a little time off to play today. The Women's Club was having their annual Luncheon and Card Party today and I went off with Mom and Jackie and had a really good time. We played Hands and Food and had a fun lunch. If was great to get out and have some girl time. Our friend Barbara played with us.
I went to see Jim after the card party and he was enthralled with the Notra Dame game so I ran home to take Misty out. I then went back to the hospital and watched 3 overtimes with Jim. It was pretty exciting but ND finally succumed to Navy.
They changed Jim's antidepressant today to see if they can get a better result. The old one was making him pretty irratable and we really don't want that. He once again did not want the hot food. He ate the yogart and rice pudding plus all of the fluids (milk, water and cranberry juice). He was having pain in his hip, his shoulder and neck. He said he didn't want anything for pain so I hope it was tolerable.
Went to the movie tonight and saw American Gangster with Denzel Washington. It was a pretty good movie. Would recommend. Don't forget to change your clocks today.

Friday, November 2, 2007

TGIF

Not much new happened today. They are now giving Jim all of his regular medications. Some of them he could only take by mouth so they have started them up again. Dr. Hume reviewed all of his medications today and made some changes. He had his normal wound care much to his chargin. He ate very little. He doesn't like the pureed foods but will eat anything that looks normal.

More tomorrow. Tired to night.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

A little let down after a good day


Today was kind of a let down after yesterday being so good. The day started out really well but we did some backsliding.

Harriette Buckman came to see Jim today. She was there in the morning while Jim was still wide awake. He enjoyed her visit and it was good to visit with Harriette and catch up on all of the news. Thanks Harriette. You brightened Jim's day.

Letter in the day we had pick line troubles. Jim's pick site is infected. This seems to happen about every 6 weeks. They have removed the old line and placed a new one in the other arm. We hope this is the reason for his fever. They also sent cultures out on every other thing they could think of. They just are being cautious.

Before Jim could have anything to eat or drink that is all he wanted. Now . . . he can have some of these things and he doesn't want them. He loves the yogart so he eats all they will give him. He likes the fruit juices, water and milk but does not care for anything else. I can't blame him it looks awful. Pureed meat is not pleasant to look at.

He spend most of the day sleeping but that is OK because he heals faster when he sleeps.

This layout was part of my digtal class this week. I can't believe I actually did this. What fun.