![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
1 comment | Leave a comment
twochip
20 January 2009 @ 12:51 am
So, is it just me?
For the past couple of days the news has been Obama crazy, and I can understand the historical significance. I can understand the joy at the fact that Bush and the other idiots are gone and there is suddenly hope...But I can't help but feel a little uneasy when all of these talking heads are comparing Obama to Lincoln, Kennedy and FDR.
I mean, lets fact it. None of them survived while in the White House! Isn't that kind of putting a jinx on the guy before he even takes the oath? Bob and weave my man...bob and weave!
For the past couple of days the news has been Obama crazy, and I can understand the historical significance. I can understand the joy at the fact that Bush and the other idiots are gone and there is suddenly hope...But I can't help but feel a little uneasy when all of these talking heads are comparing Obama to Lincoln, Kennedy and FDR.
I mean, lets fact it. None of them survived while in the White House! Isn't that kind of putting a jinx on the guy before he even takes the oath? Bob and weave my man...bob and weave!
15 April 2008 @ 03:54 pm
Greetings and Salutations!
So, I am on my second day of me new job at Countrywide Home furnishings. I am the delivery and Service coordinator. It's better pay, more reasonable hours (I get weekends off), and a foot in the door towards maybe getting back into sales. I got the job last Thursday and quit Sobey's the same day. God I hated that job.
Connie is doing well with her job as well. So with any luck, we can start to pull ourselves out of the pit we are in
anyway, here it is with 6 minutes left in the day, and I thought I would take advantage of the high speed and make a post.
So, I am on my second day of me new job at Countrywide Home furnishings. I am the delivery and Service coordinator. It's better pay, more reasonable hours (I get weekends off), and a foot in the door towards maybe getting back into sales. I got the job last Thursday and quit Sobey's the same day. God I hated that job.
Connie is doing well with her job as well. So with any luck, we can start to pull ourselves out of the pit we are in
anyway, here it is with 6 minutes left in the day, and I thought I would take advantage of the high speed and make a post.
29 February 2008 @ 09:16 am
Greetings.
I am just about to leave to start my trip back north. But first, I wanted to take this last opportunity on a high speed connection to thank everyone for their thoughts and condolences. You are all truly a strength that I have come to rely on.
The Service was very nice. It truly was a celebration of my father's life, and he would be very proud that he ended his life to a "packed house."
I managed to get through almost all of my Eulogy without breaking down, and Alex (My niece the writer) wrote a lovely goodbye. Sean's Powerpoint presentation was excellent, and even the minister, pastor...whatever got a little teary-eye'd.
So again. Thank-you very much for your kind wishes. I love you all.
I am just about to leave to start my trip back north. But first, I wanted to take this last opportunity on a high speed connection to thank everyone for their thoughts and condolences. You are all truly a strength that I have come to rely on.
The Service was very nice. It truly was a celebration of my father's life, and he would be very proud that he ended his life to a "packed house."
I managed to get through almost all of my Eulogy without breaking down, and Alex (My niece the writer) wrote a lovely goodbye. Sean's Powerpoint presentation was excellent, and even the minister, pastor...whatever got a little teary-eye'd.
So again. Thank-you very much for your kind wishes. I love you all.
28 February 2008 @ 01:31 pm
28 February 2008 @ 07:52 am
Greetings.
It is 8 o'clock in the morning, and I have just finished the Eulogy I will be presenting tonight. I hope I can make it through. For those who are interested, I will attach it below. For those who are not, feel free to not read any further.
Good Evening.
Born on February 5th, 1933 to Marjorie and Joseph Graves, Warren Curtis Graves was raised in London at a very interesting time. At the age of 7, during the London Blitz, it was decided that for his safety, he would be relocated out of London. As a promise to his mother, my father dutifully wrote at least one letter a week telling what he was up to. This naturally became a tradition that my father continued until the end of his life, and in his words was the catalyst of what he would later become.
At the time, in Great Britain, it was necessary for all males to go into military service for two years when they turned 18. Dutifully, my father joined the RAF, and with his usual flair for being different learned to fly planes before learning to drive a car. Upon completion of his service, he joined C&A’s, a major retail chain in Britain, where he excelled purchasing women’s dresses. Again, in my father’s words, this became a catalyst for his leanings towards the “Feminine” side of thinking, and an unusual fascination with Evening gowns. Actually, I just made that last part up.
In 1958, my father met my mother on a boat known as “The Josephine”, and after a whirlwind romance in which he enamored himself to her whole family, they were married 6 months later.
In September of 1963, Warren became the proud father of twin girls. Nichola Jane Graves and Deborah Jill Graves. In his words, this became a catalyst for later in life, as it taught him how to multi-task. Ever the wandering soul, it was around then that my father felt the need for change. And when he looked for change, to his character he looked for a change that would be dramatic. Upon several discussions, it was decided that the change would include leaving England for a new life in another country. First it was to be New Zealand, but after the sponsorship that was required to move there fell through, My Saskatchewan born Grandmother on my mother’s side suggested Western Canada.
Thus in 1964, he took the leap and moved to Calgary, with wife and young daughters following shortly afterward. Armed with a letter of introduction to the Sears chain, my father immediately decided to change his mind, and moved his family to Edmonton instead. There he got a job working for the Alberta Legislative as an assistant Clerk.
This was both fortuitous for him and for Alberta, as the province chose this time for a dramatic change from the long standing Social Credit Government, to the upstart young Progressive Conservative government and a young premier named Peter Lougheed. Not sure how to make the transition, in typical government fashion they dumped it on “The New Guy”, and told him to “Write the Script” for the transition. My father took this on with a tenacity and zeal that would continue throughout his life, and thus his Government Service in his new home began.
In January of 1967, I was born, thus solidifying my family’s membership to Canada, due to the fact that if they ever chose to move back to Great Britain, the paperwork would be horrendous.
But more importantly, it was around this time that my father started working in earnest with his true passion…writing stories, plays, and such. In 1968, he submitted a One Act play called “Yes Dear” to an Edmonton Journal writing competition, and subsequently won. He then approached the President of the local amateur theater company, Frank Glenfield, and was allowed to direct and present said play in that years one-act festival. This began a relationship with Walterdale Theater that would span almost a decade, and would train my father in the art of writing, acting and directing.
In the early 70’s, My father discovered that he was enjoying the work he was doing with Walterdale, more than his work with the Alberta Legislative, so again with a flare for dramatic change, my father left government service to become a writer for Access Television. In 1976 he walked out the backdoor, and came in the front door as a Freelance writer of his new company Wordsmith Productions.
Throughout the remainder of the 70’s, and really until recently, my father continued to create magical works. Receiving acclaim for such plays as Scrooge, Goodbye Cruel World, Beauty and the Beast, Mors Dracula, The Last Real Summer, Prisoner of Zenda and many more, my father also kept busy acting in commercials, local television productions and educational videos.
In fact, when I was called for Jury Duty in Calgary 3-years ago, we were shown a film that was to educate us on the differences between real life and TV’s view of the Jury system. And Lo and behold, there was my father playing the stereotypical “southern” Lawyer in the film’s “Matlock” segment.
But I digress.
It was also during this time that my father took on the job as the artistic director of the Bastion Theater in Victoria, and this too became a Catalyst for the remainder of his life.
Upon his return to Edmonton from the “Lotus Land” that Victoria was at the time, My father began a self-examination and an examination into life, religion and all that was here on earth. In our house, it was usually listened to with rolled eyes and the side comments on how dad had gone back off to “Do-we-do-do” land. (For those here who do not understand what that means. “Do-we-do-do” is how our family sang the theme song from The Twilight zone.) Still, with his stacks of books in hand, and his videotapes of PBS shows, he continued his search and regaled us with his latest discoveries. It would please him to no end when something he said would create a discussion and other points of view. In fact there were many a time when he and I would go round and round on something, never able to sway the other’s point of view, but all the while adapting with tidbits of the other’s argument. In fact, I remember reading the Davinci Code and thinking, “where have I heard this before?” Only to remember that it was a discussion around the kitchen table one night after supper.
My father’s search found him a peace when it came to the inevitable conclusion of life. As my niece so eloquently put it, he was only a visitor here from Zolten, and upon leaving this plane of existence, he would simply return there to regale everyone with “What he did on his summer vacation.”
I was very lucky to spend the weekend of my father’s 75th birthday with him and my entire family. It was a good day. Dad was lucid and I think was feeling very warm and loved. Later, while the two of us were alone, he said that he was at the point where he wished that when he went to sleep, he would “just simply not wake up.” And to his credit, that is how he chose to leave us.
So today we are here to say goodbye to Warren Curtis Graves. A beacon of light that was too bright to ignore. A wonderful Father. A Loving Husband. A caring Grandfather, a generous friend…and of course an alien.
But to quote what my father told me one night while sitting out in the back yard, drinking a beer and staring at the stars, “Death is not the end, it is simply the beginning of a whole new adventure.” So I wish him well on his new quest…which if I remember correctly from that evening of stargazing, is happening just left of the pleiades cluster.
Thank-you
It is 8 o'clock in the morning, and I have just finished the Eulogy I will be presenting tonight. I hope I can make it through. For those who are interested, I will attach it below. For those who are not, feel free to not read any further.
Good Evening.
Born on February 5th, 1933 to Marjorie and Joseph Graves, Warren Curtis Graves was raised in London at a very interesting time. At the age of 7, during the London Blitz, it was decided that for his safety, he would be relocated out of London. As a promise to his mother, my father dutifully wrote at least one letter a week telling what he was up to. This naturally became a tradition that my father continued until the end of his life, and in his words was the catalyst of what he would later become.
At the time, in Great Britain, it was necessary for all males to go into military service for two years when they turned 18. Dutifully, my father joined the RAF, and with his usual flair for being different learned to fly planes before learning to drive a car. Upon completion of his service, he joined C&A’s, a major retail chain in Britain, where he excelled purchasing women’s dresses. Again, in my father’s words, this became a catalyst for his leanings towards the “Feminine” side of thinking, and an unusual fascination with Evening gowns. Actually, I just made that last part up.
In 1958, my father met my mother on a boat known as “The Josephine”, and after a whirlwind romance in which he enamored himself to her whole family, they were married 6 months later.
In September of 1963, Warren became the proud father of twin girls. Nichola Jane Graves and Deborah Jill Graves. In his words, this became a catalyst for later in life, as it taught him how to multi-task. Ever the wandering soul, it was around then that my father felt the need for change. And when he looked for change, to his character he looked for a change that would be dramatic. Upon several discussions, it was decided that the change would include leaving England for a new life in another country. First it was to be New Zealand, but after the sponsorship that was required to move there fell through, My Saskatchewan born Grandmother on my mother’s side suggested Western Canada.
Thus in 1964, he took the leap and moved to Calgary, with wife and young daughters following shortly afterward. Armed with a letter of introduction to the Sears chain, my father immediately decided to change his mind, and moved his family to Edmonton instead. There he got a job working for the Alberta Legislative as an assistant Clerk.
This was both fortuitous for him and for Alberta, as the province chose this time for a dramatic change from the long standing Social Credit Government, to the upstart young Progressive Conservative government and a young premier named Peter Lougheed. Not sure how to make the transition, in typical government fashion they dumped it on “The New Guy”, and told him to “Write the Script” for the transition. My father took this on with a tenacity and zeal that would continue throughout his life, and thus his Government Service in his new home began.
In January of 1967, I was born, thus solidifying my family’s membership to Canada, due to the fact that if they ever chose to move back to Great Britain, the paperwork would be horrendous.
But more importantly, it was around this time that my father started working in earnest with his true passion…writing stories, plays, and such. In 1968, he submitted a One Act play called “Yes Dear” to an Edmonton Journal writing competition, and subsequently won. He then approached the President of the local amateur theater company, Frank Glenfield, and was allowed to direct and present said play in that years one-act festival. This began a relationship with Walterdale Theater that would span almost a decade, and would train my father in the art of writing, acting and directing.
In the early 70’s, My father discovered that he was enjoying the work he was doing with Walterdale, more than his work with the Alberta Legislative, so again with a flare for dramatic change, my father left government service to become a writer for Access Television. In 1976 he walked out the backdoor, and came in the front door as a Freelance writer of his new company Wordsmith Productions.
Throughout the remainder of the 70’s, and really until recently, my father continued to create magical works. Receiving acclaim for such plays as Scrooge, Goodbye Cruel World, Beauty and the Beast, Mors Dracula, The Last Real Summer, Prisoner of Zenda and many more, my father also kept busy acting in commercials, local television productions and educational videos.
In fact, when I was called for Jury Duty in Calgary 3-years ago, we were shown a film that was to educate us on the differences between real life and TV’s view of the Jury system. And Lo and behold, there was my father playing the stereotypical “southern” Lawyer in the film’s “Matlock” segment.
But I digress.
It was also during this time that my father took on the job as the artistic director of the Bastion Theater in Victoria, and this too became a Catalyst for the remainder of his life.
Upon his return to Edmonton from the “Lotus Land” that Victoria was at the time, My father began a self-examination and an examination into life, religion and all that was here on earth. In our house, it was usually listened to with rolled eyes and the side comments on how dad had gone back off to “Do-we-do-do” land. (For those here who do not understand what that means. “Do-we-do-do” is how our family sang the theme song from The Twilight zone.) Still, with his stacks of books in hand, and his videotapes of PBS shows, he continued his search and regaled us with his latest discoveries. It would please him to no end when something he said would create a discussion and other points of view. In fact there were many a time when he and I would go round and round on something, never able to sway the other’s point of view, but all the while adapting with tidbits of the other’s argument. In fact, I remember reading the Davinci Code and thinking, “where have I heard this before?” Only to remember that it was a discussion around the kitchen table one night after supper.
My father’s search found him a peace when it came to the inevitable conclusion of life. As my niece so eloquently put it, he was only a visitor here from Zolten, and upon leaving this plane of existence, he would simply return there to regale everyone with “What he did on his summer vacation.”
I was very lucky to spend the weekend of my father’s 75th birthday with him and my entire family. It was a good day. Dad was lucid and I think was feeling very warm and loved. Later, while the two of us were alone, he said that he was at the point where he wished that when he went to sleep, he would “just simply not wake up.” And to his credit, that is how he chose to leave us.
So today we are here to say goodbye to Warren Curtis Graves. A beacon of light that was too bright to ignore. A wonderful Father. A Loving Husband. A caring Grandfather, a generous friend…and of course an alien.
But to quote what my father told me one night while sitting out in the back yard, drinking a beer and staring at the stars, “Death is not the end, it is simply the beginning of a whole new adventure.” So I wish him well on his new quest…which if I remember correctly from that evening of stargazing, is happening just left of the pleiades cluster.
Thank-you
25 February 2008 @ 05:14 pm
Greetings.
As Connie already mentioned in her post, my father passed away this last weekend. It was quick (in the way something like this can be quick.) I had been down here earlier this month, and along with both my sisters and a couple of his grandkids, we sat around on one of his good days remembering and sharing our love. I am currently a loss for words, but my darling niece made a post to my father's mailing list entitled "the final blog." and I am going to attach that, as I think it puts this in the right perspective.
"Hello Everyone,
This is Lindsay, Warren's grand-daughter. I am writing to tell you all that my Grandfather, or as I liked to spell it, Grampa, has passed on. He went peacefully in his sleep at the Raymond hospital on Saturday, February 23 with my Grandma at his side.
I am honestly at a loss at what to say now as I know I will never be as great a writer as my late Grampa. As much as I'm going to miss him I know he has moved on to a better place and was not happy being here in the state he was in for his final days. I do recall a story that he told me and my friend Nickey at our cabin one evening though. He had told us that before he was born he had lived on the planet Zolten and read a pamphlet entitled "Visiting Earth." He was so intrigued that he filled out an application form and was granted a chance at life on Earth. By the end of his mezmorizing and obviously humorous story he turned and looked at me and said, "I think I did rather a good job, if you are one of the few that will carry on my legacy." I remember nodding and suddenly feeling honored that I was related to such a creative, thoughtful, loving man. He then told me that when he died he wouldn't be gone really, he said that he would simply leave his body and be beamed back up to Zolten to share his experiences with his time on Earth. He will surely have lots to tell.
We are having a private funeral on Thursday, February 28, not to mourne his death, but to celebrate his life.
Thank you all for being a part of my Grampa's life, I'm sure you'll all be mentioned on Zolten."
I thank you all for your thoughts and hugs. I will miss him terribly, but as he once told me while having a beer in the back yard. "Death is not the end, it's the beginning of a whole new adventure." So, I will remember the glorious time I had with my father, I will cherish the memories we shared, and I wish him well at his new home, which as he told me that night while looking at the stars is 'just left of the Pleiades cluster.
As Connie already mentioned in her post, my father passed away this last weekend. It was quick (in the way something like this can be quick.) I had been down here earlier this month, and along with both my sisters and a couple of his grandkids, we sat around on one of his good days remembering and sharing our love. I am currently a loss for words, but my darling niece made a post to my father's mailing list entitled "the final blog." and I am going to attach that, as I think it puts this in the right perspective.
"Hello Everyone,
This is Lindsay, Warren's grand-daughter. I am writing to tell you all that my Grandfather, or as I liked to spell it, Grampa, has passed on. He went peacefully in his sleep at the Raymond hospital on Saturday, February 23 with my Grandma at his side.
I am honestly at a loss at what to say now as I know I will never be as great a writer as my late Grampa. As much as I'm going to miss him I know he has moved on to a better place and was not happy being here in the state he was in for his final days. I do recall a story that he told me and my friend Nickey at our cabin one evening though. He had told us that before he was born he had lived on the planet Zolten and read a pamphlet entitled "Visiting Earth." He was so intrigued that he filled out an application form and was granted a chance at life on Earth. By the end of his mezmorizing and obviously humorous story he turned and looked at me and said, "I think I did rather a good job, if you are one of the few that will carry on my legacy." I remember nodding and suddenly feeling honored that I was related to such a creative, thoughtful, loving man. He then told me that when he died he wouldn't be gone really, he said that he would simply leave his body and be beamed back up to Zolten to share his experiences with his time on Earth. He will surely have lots to tell.
We are having a private funeral on Thursday, February 28, not to mourne his death, but to celebrate his life.
Thank you all for being a part of my Grampa's life, I'm sure you'll all be mentioned on Zolten."
I thank you all for your thoughts and hugs. I will miss him terribly, but as he once told me while having a beer in the back yard. "Death is not the end, it's the beginning of a whole new adventure." So, I will remember the glorious time I had with my father, I will cherish the memories we shared, and I wish him well at his new home, which as he told me that night while looking at the stars is 'just left of the Pleiades cluster.
Current Mood: 
sad
sad11 February 2008 @ 08:20 am
Greetings and Salutations.
I am down in Raymond, logged on to a high speed connection, and after checking out some of the post on LJ, thought I might just drop a note myself. I will say right now, there is no point in replying to my post, as I will probably never read them. This of course is due to my trek back north and my painfully slow internet connection.
Anyway, this weekend was about coming to see my parents for their birthdays etc. Dad's was his big 75th birthday, and we had the whole clan (My sister from Windsor was also here.). We figure that this is probably the first time that our whole family has been together in the same place for about 7 years!. Sadly this will be the last time that we will be doing this, and it will be my dad's last birthday. End stage cancer is taking it's toll. The man I met this weekend is not the man I know. He is a skeleton who is on rather large doses of morphine and sleeps most of the time.
Still. It was good to see him this one last time, to tell him I loved him to pieces. I expect that my next trip down will be in the next couple of months, and it will be a "black" affair.
Anyway, must have some breakfast, hit the road, and apparently wash the floor and cupboards when I get home.
I am down in Raymond, logged on to a high speed connection, and after checking out some of the post on LJ, thought I might just drop a note myself. I will say right now, there is no point in replying to my post, as I will probably never read them. This of course is due to my trek back north and my painfully slow internet connection.
Anyway, this weekend was about coming to see my parents for their birthdays etc. Dad's was his big 75th birthday, and we had the whole clan (My sister from Windsor was also here.). We figure that this is probably the first time that our whole family has been together in the same place for about 7 years!. Sadly this will be the last time that we will be doing this, and it will be my dad's last birthday. End stage cancer is taking it's toll. The man I met this weekend is not the man I know. He is a skeleton who is on rather large doses of morphine and sleeps most of the time.
Still. It was good to see him this one last time, to tell him I loved him to pieces. I expect that my next trip down will be in the next couple of months, and it will be a "black" affair.
Anyway, must have some breakfast, hit the road, and apparently wash the floor and cupboards when I get home.
25 July 2007 @ 10:12 pm
To my Happy Feet. My beige Bullet. To My big lie.
You were not a Yorkie. You were not Female. You were older than 1, and most definitely not house trained. You were a friend. A comfort during a rough time. A walking buddy whose tail and head gave an aura of pompousness and royalty. You were not wanted by me...at first, but you wormed your way into my heart quickly and efficiently. When I left this morning, I did not say goodbye, I had said it the night before. I knew your time was short, and my only hope is that for those few, oh so few, months you were with us, you experienced the love from me, that you showed to me unconditionally.
Goodbye my sweet dog. My happy feet. You shall be missed.
You were not a Yorkie. You were not Female. You were older than 1, and most definitely not house trained. You were a friend. A comfort during a rough time. A walking buddy whose tail and head gave an aura of pompousness and royalty. You were not wanted by me...at first, but you wormed your way into my heart quickly and efficiently. When I left this morning, I did not say goodbye, I had said it the night before. I knew your time was short, and my only hope is that for those few, oh so few, months you were with us, you experienced the love from me, that you showed to me unconditionally.
Goodbye my sweet dog. My happy feet. You shall be missed.
Current Mood: sad
sad28 May 2007 @ 08:35 am
Greetings.
R&J came up this weekend. They didn't show up until about midnight Friday, and not knowing for sure if they were coming or not, I decided to check LJ and see. Sadly, this is when I heard the news. After a discussion with My Beloved Monster, it was decided that I would make my way Calgary, stay at R and J's place overnight, and then represent CG squared at the funeral.
I do not have a many Chad stories, as Sadly I came upon him only recently, however the one that comes to mind is the party at R and J's.
Chad, who had since had his surgery and treatments, and was into his drug therapy had come with Tammy. As with most parties in Canada, a small group had gathered in the kitchen. Chad came in and was taking part in the conversation. At one point he leaned against the wall and kitchen went dark.
Chad: Did it just go dark for everybody?
Group: Yes.
Chad: Oh...Good. I thought I was in trouble there for a second.
It made me smile. It seemed to me that Chad never wanted anyone to tip-toe around the subject. in fact he took great pleasure in turning it into a joke for the whole night. it is a loss that will be felt far and wide.
I'm sure I will see many at the funeral today, I apologize in advance for the "hit and run" I will be doing, but I must get back up north quickly.
R&J came up this weekend. They didn't show up until about midnight Friday, and not knowing for sure if they were coming or not, I decided to check LJ and see. Sadly, this is when I heard the news. After a discussion with My Beloved Monster, it was decided that I would make my way Calgary, stay at R and J's place overnight, and then represent CG squared at the funeral.
I do not have a many Chad stories, as Sadly I came upon him only recently, however the one that comes to mind is the party at R and J's.
Chad, who had since had his surgery and treatments, and was into his drug therapy had come with Tammy. As with most parties in Canada, a small group had gathered in the kitchen. Chad came in and was taking part in the conversation. At one point he leaned against the wall and kitchen went dark.
Chad: Did it just go dark for everybody?
Group: Yes.
Chad: Oh...Good. I thought I was in trouble there for a second.
It made me smile. It seemed to me that Chad never wanted anyone to tip-toe around the subject. in fact he took great pleasure in turning it into a joke for the whole night. it is a loss that will be felt far and wide.
I'm sure I will see many at the funeral today, I apologize in advance for the "hit and run" I will be doing, but I must get back up north quickly.
17 May 2007 @ 12:37 am
Greetings!
So, I happened to be downstairs after putting Connie to bed, and thought I would go on line for the first time in quite a while. After waiting for my lovely Dial up internet to finish downloading all of the email that I hadn't looked at (As a side, while I would probably love the pictures and such, at a speed of 28.8 It really clogs up my email for a while.), there was an annonymous reply to an old post of mine giving me a nudge.
I appologise to everyone who has been waiting with baited breath on updates about Connie, but to be honest, most of the stuff going on right now is not stuff I feel comfortable sharing. I will however give you a quick point form.
- Connie is now walking about 450 meters without too much effort.
- Every time the nurse comes to change the dressing, Connie's wound has closed a little more.
- Connie's voice is coming back, and she is eating...there are some issues, with food but we are working through them.
- Connie's bowels are working fine.
- Connie is almost sleeping through the night.
- Connie has been diagnosed with a slight case of post traumatic stress disorder, and when we go for her next check up at the begining of next month, this will include a vist with a shrink.
- Connie is losing weight.
As for me, well I don't know. my time is mainly taking care of Connie, being there when she needs me, and trying not to think about the other things. I have submitted my paper work for UI, and fingers are crossed that they will give it to me. I am also looking at the job postings for St. Paul, and considering getting back out there (it kind of needs to be done.), however everytime I think that Connie is ready for this step we have a slip backwards which makes me think we're not ready for Connie to be alone for most of the day. Psychologically? I don't know, I think I'm just numb. I don't feel much of anything anymore.
Anyway, we have to go to Vilna tomorrow morning so Connie can get some blood work done. I should probably get to bed.
Goodnight all.
Oh! By the way. For those of you who are trying to call Connie on her cell phone, please use our land line. We live in a valley and have next to no cell service. It will ring, but if we try and pick it up, it immediately disconnects. thank you.
So, I happened to be downstairs after putting Connie to bed, and thought I would go on line for the first time in quite a while. After waiting for my lovely Dial up internet to finish downloading all of the email that I hadn't looked at (As a side, while I would probably love the pictures and such, at a speed of 28.8 It really clogs up my email for a while.), there was an annonymous reply to an old post of mine giving me a nudge.
I appologise to everyone who has been waiting with baited breath on updates about Connie, but to be honest, most of the stuff going on right now is not stuff I feel comfortable sharing. I will however give you a quick point form.
- Connie is now walking about 450 meters without too much effort.
- Every time the nurse comes to change the dressing, Connie's wound has closed a little more.
- Connie's voice is coming back, and she is eating...there are some issues, with food but we are working through them.
- Connie's bowels are working fine.
- Connie is almost sleeping through the night.
- Connie has been diagnosed with a slight case of post traumatic stress disorder, and when we go for her next check up at the begining of next month, this will include a vist with a shrink.
- Connie is losing weight.
As for me, well I don't know. my time is mainly taking care of Connie, being there when she needs me, and trying not to think about the other things. I have submitted my paper work for UI, and fingers are crossed that they will give it to me. I am also looking at the job postings for St. Paul, and considering getting back out there (it kind of needs to be done.), however everytime I think that Connie is ready for this step we have a slip backwards which makes me think we're not ready for Connie to be alone for most of the day. Psychologically? I don't know, I think I'm just numb. I don't feel much of anything anymore.
Anyway, we have to go to Vilna tomorrow morning so Connie can get some blood work done. I should probably get to bed.
Goodnight all.
Oh! By the way. For those of you who are trying to call Connie on her cell phone, please use our land line. We live in a valley and have next to no cell service. It will ring, but if we try and pick it up, it immediately disconnects. thank you.
19 April 2007 @ 08:19 pm
Greetings!
It has been a week since my beloved monster has been home, and I felt it was time for me to rise from the ashes and post an update.
First Connie: Well, as I said before the battle is won, but the war is far from over. Connie is home, and even though she was hoping this would be the "Magic Bullet" that would make everything better, the reality has been a hard truth to swallow. Connie is fine. She eats, she sleeps, she walks, she talks, she has good days and she has bad days. Emotionally, this is hard, and I do my best to keep an even keel (even though there are times I want to get angry, or even say something like "Don't be so stupid."...all of which are things I would NEVER do.), but it is hard.
Still, Connie has been getting home care, and the wound vacuum is doing it's job well. We have figured out a way for Connie to sit on the couch, and even walking from the living room to the bedroom is quicker than it was. Yesterday, we made a trip into Edmonton (the weather had not arrived to Northern Alberta yet) and the doctor removed the spoons and pulled out the "G" tube. I just have to say that it was a good thing Connie was laying down and I was sitting down, because when they say 'pull out the G tube', that is exactly what they do.
Picture the examining room, Connie on the table, the doctor in front of her, me in a chair reading a book and staying out of the way. Cue the doctor:
"Well, Connie, what do you say we get this G tube out okay?"
"Kay."
Yank.
"Ouch"
"Sorry Connie, I guess I should deflate it first. There we go, now I'll just get a better grip..."
Yank. Pop. Splurge of a greenish black liquid onto the side of the table and on the floor.
"There we go, oh don't worry about that, we'll just pack it off and you'll heal in no time."
End scene.
*shudder*
Thank you all by the way for the phone calls, Connie has appreciated them.
Okay, next...me I guess. I am still in the fight. I am tired. I am taking care of Connie and that takes my time. I am preparing her food, I am getting her from the bed to the couch, to the bathroom, and whatever else she needs, no matter what time of day. Thanks to Gay we have some walkie talkies...which are not necessary for anything else except the call button that is loud enough to enter my sleep and get my ass out of bed when Connie needs me. Other than that, there is not much to report.
Finally, Good news for April. Or, should I say potential good news. My father called yesterday and after talking to the radiation people, it looks like he is going to put off dying for now, and see if he can kick this thing in the ass. The people involved are giving it good odds. There will be Chemo and radiation treatment involved in this promise, and like Connie it will not be quick...but all in all, it's the right path.
I shall now leave you all to you regular scheduled programs. I must finish paying some bills, and then see what else is required of me upstairs.
Goodnight.
It has been a week since my beloved monster has been home, and I felt it was time for me to rise from the ashes and post an update.
First Connie: Well, as I said before the battle is won, but the war is far from over. Connie is home, and even though she was hoping this would be the "Magic Bullet" that would make everything better, the reality has been a hard truth to swallow. Connie is fine. She eats, she sleeps, she walks, she talks, she has good days and she has bad days. Emotionally, this is hard, and I do my best to keep an even keel (even though there are times I want to get angry, or even say something like "Don't be so stupid."...all of which are things I would NEVER do.), but it is hard.
Still, Connie has been getting home care, and the wound vacuum is doing it's job well. We have figured out a way for Connie to sit on the couch, and even walking from the living room to the bedroom is quicker than it was. Yesterday, we made a trip into Edmonton (the weather had not arrived to Northern Alberta yet) and the doctor removed the spoons and pulled out the "G" tube. I just have to say that it was a good thing Connie was laying down and I was sitting down, because when they say 'pull out the G tube', that is exactly what they do.
Picture the examining room, Connie on the table, the doctor in front of her, me in a chair reading a book and staying out of the way. Cue the doctor:
"Well, Connie, what do you say we get this G tube out okay?"
"Kay."
Yank.
"Ouch"
"Sorry Connie, I guess I should deflate it first. There we go, now I'll just get a better grip..."
Yank. Pop. Splurge of a greenish black liquid onto the side of the table and on the floor.
"There we go, oh don't worry about that, we'll just pack it off and you'll heal in no time."
End scene.
*shudder*
Thank you all by the way for the phone calls, Connie has appreciated them.
Okay, next...me I guess. I am still in the fight. I am tired. I am taking care of Connie and that takes my time. I am preparing her food, I am getting her from the bed to the couch, to the bathroom, and whatever else she needs, no matter what time of day. Thanks to Gay we have some walkie talkies...which are not necessary for anything else except the call button that is loud enough to enter my sleep and get my ass out of bed when Connie needs me. Other than that, there is not much to report.
Finally, Good news for April. Or, should I say potential good news. My father called yesterday and after talking to the radiation people, it looks like he is going to put off dying for now, and see if he can kick this thing in the ass. The people involved are giving it good odds. There will be Chemo and radiation treatment involved in this promise, and like Connie it will not be quick...but all in all, it's the right path.
I shall now leave you all to you regular scheduled programs. I must finish paying some bills, and then see what else is required of me upstairs.
Goodnight.
Current Mood: 
calm
calm12 April 2007 @ 10:14 pm
Greetings!
Yes I am late. Yes there is a reason, but let us get the good news out of the way right now. As I type this, My beloved monster is on the couch catching up on Battlestar Galactica. *Sigh*
Now on to how this became.
Got to the hospital today with a dread that I was going to walk in and find Connie bawling because the doctor had said she couldn't go home today. Instead, I was informed that she had been told it would definitely be today, they just have to remove the wound vacuum and pack her with her normal dressing. Then she could go home. This was at 9 this morning.
At 9:30, a nurse came in to say they had been in touch with the home care nurse in Smokey lake, and she would be out to our place tomorrow...but she might not have a wound vac until Monday.
At 12 we went for a walk. At one, a nurse came in and said they were just waiting for someone to come out of surgery to remove something on Connie and she could go. At 1:30, a stretcher showed up to take Connie to X-ray. "Why?" was the question on Connie's, my and the nurses lips. The nurse went to call. Connie started getting worried. The nurse came back. "Apparently the sponge count was off on your surgery, so they want to X-ray you to make sure it's not in you." "Which Surgery?" I ask. "The first one." the nurse replies with a sneer. "You mean the one on March 6th?" I ask. The nurse nods. "And they're just looking for it now?" I ask. The nurse sneers and nods saying "It's some bean counter." Connie is starting to cry. "Does this mean they have to open me up again?" she asks with tears in her eyes. "No, of course not." The nurse replies. "Just humour them, and we'll get you home." "I don't understand." I say. "Since that first operation, Connie has had 5 more and a couple sets of X-rays. The sponge is obviously not in there." The nurse nods her head and mumble something like 'God damn bean counters.' Just then another nurse comes in. "What's going on." She asks. The first nurse replies, "Connie's going for X-rays." "Why" the second nurse asks. "The count is off on the sponges from the surgery." "Which one?"..... Well you get the idea.
Connie is back at 2:30. A couple of nutritionists come in to discuss diet with Connie. The someone from Home care comes in. It is decided that Connie should have a shower stool. They have one she can use for free for three months, but I have to go the General hospital to get it. I dutifully do this. I come back, and Connie...still in bed, tells me I missed the excitement. One doctor came in and told her she wouldn't be going home today, then another doctor came in and said she was. Finally a nurse came in and turned of the wound vac, and told us they had to wait an hour and then they would do the dressing.
An hour and a half had past, and they still hadn't done it. Finally, Connie buzzed them. One nurse came in, and we explained to her, that as soon as this dressing was changed, Connie could go home. She went and talked to another nurse, and then came in and removed the wound vac and changed the dressing.
I sprung into action, taking the fan and everything else I could carry to the car while Connie changed. I came back, grabbed her suitcase and took that to the car then moved it to the front of the hospital. I came back, we waited 30 minutes for a wheelchair, and I got her out of there. (I now have to go back and pick up a couple of things we forgot.)
2 hours later, I had her home, and after some work we got her set up in the bedroom, and tried the couch. It is now 10:41 and Connie has gone to bed. The couch was not a good idea as Connie doesn't feel she can get back up, but we'll work on this.
Anyway, My beloved monster is home. This shall conclude my daily postings, as the recovery is from home, and I'm going to take some time to recover myself. If you so wish to welcome Connie back, feel free to call us at 780-636-3677. If we do not answer, leave a message and we will return the call.
Finally, I would just like to thank all of you one more time for reading my posts, commenting on them, and showing your love for Connie. It has been a strength that has gotten me up everyday to do what I had to do to reach this point.
The war is not over, but the battle is won.
Thank you again, I love you all.
Yes I am late. Yes there is a reason, but let us get the good news out of the way right now. As I type this, My beloved monster is on the couch catching up on Battlestar Galactica. *Sigh*
Now on to how this became.
Got to the hospital today with a dread that I was going to walk in and find Connie bawling because the doctor had said she couldn't go home today. Instead, I was informed that she had been told it would definitely be today, they just have to remove the wound vacuum and pack her with her normal dressing. Then she could go home. This was at 9 this morning.
At 9:30, a nurse came in to say they had been in touch with the home care nurse in Smokey lake, and she would be out to our place tomorrow...but she might not have a wound vac until Monday.
At 12 we went for a walk. At one, a nurse came in and said they were just waiting for someone to come out of surgery to remove something on Connie and she could go. At 1:30, a stretcher showed up to take Connie to X-ray. "Why?" was the question on Connie's, my and the nurses lips. The nurse went to call. Connie started getting worried. The nurse came back. "Apparently the sponge count was off on your surgery, so they want to X-ray you to make sure it's not in you." "Which Surgery?" I ask. "The first one." the nurse replies with a sneer. "You mean the one on March 6th?" I ask. The nurse nods. "And they're just looking for it now?" I ask. The nurse sneers and nods saying "It's some bean counter." Connie is starting to cry. "Does this mean they have to open me up again?" she asks with tears in her eyes. "No, of course not." The nurse replies. "Just humour them, and we'll get you home." "I don't understand." I say. "Since that first operation, Connie has had 5 more and a couple sets of X-rays. The sponge is obviously not in there." The nurse nods her head and mumble something like 'God damn bean counters.' Just then another nurse comes in. "What's going on." She asks. The first nurse replies, "Connie's going for X-rays." "Why" the second nurse asks. "The count is off on the sponges from the surgery." "Which one?"..... Well you get the idea.
Connie is back at 2:30. A couple of nutritionists come in to discuss diet with Connie. The someone from Home care comes in. It is decided that Connie should have a shower stool. They have one she can use for free for three months, but I have to go the General hospital to get it. I dutifully do this. I come back, and Connie...still in bed, tells me I missed the excitement. One doctor came in and told her she wouldn't be going home today, then another doctor came in and said she was. Finally a nurse came in and turned of the wound vac, and told us they had to wait an hour and then they would do the dressing.
An hour and a half had past, and they still hadn't done it. Finally, Connie buzzed them. One nurse came in, and we explained to her, that as soon as this dressing was changed, Connie could go home. She went and talked to another nurse, and then came in and removed the wound vac and changed the dressing.
I sprung into action, taking the fan and everything else I could carry to the car while Connie changed. I came back, grabbed her suitcase and took that to the car then moved it to the front of the hospital. I came back, we waited 30 minutes for a wheelchair, and I got her out of there. (I now have to go back and pick up a couple of things we forgot.)
2 hours later, I had her home, and after some work we got her set up in the bedroom, and tried the couch. It is now 10:41 and Connie has gone to bed. The couch was not a good idea as Connie doesn't feel she can get back up, but we'll work on this.
Anyway, My beloved monster is home. This shall conclude my daily postings, as the recovery is from home, and I'm going to take some time to recover myself. If you so wish to welcome Connie back, feel free to call us at 780-636-3677. If we do not answer, leave a message and we will return the call.
Finally, I would just like to thank all of you one more time for reading my posts, commenting on them, and showing your love for Connie. It has been a strength that has gotten me up everyday to do what I had to do to reach this point.
The war is not over, but the battle is won.
Thank you again, I love you all.
Current Mood: 
accomplished
accomplished11 April 2007 @ 08:25 pm
Greetings.
Posting a little late tonight as I stayed late with Connie and then had to go get a bed railing from Jack and Gay's. No, I am not drunk, or tipsy, or anything. (I know, shock of shocks.)
So, today was okay. Connie is still bound and determined that she is coming home tomorrow (thus the trip to pick up the bed railing.). The thing is, the nurse today was also saying that they are shooting for a discharge tomorrow morning. The only thing holding it back is a wound vac for the Home Care, and they were making calls today. Sadly, nothing had transpired by the time I left, so I tried to give Connie some confidence, and also brace her for the possible fact that tomorrow might not be the day. Still, we will hope it is, as I don't want to have to deal with the alternative.
Today they dropped her O2 to 1 litre per hour. They've done this before, and then someone else comes in and puts it up. They don't really understand Connie. I tried the damn thing today and my O2 Sats were 95. Sure, Connie tanks into the 80's after she comes back from the bathroom, or if she takes a walk, but let her sit for a minute and her Sats come right back up to 92, 93 or even 94 percent. Speaking of walking, we did 3 walks today. The first was 60 meters, the second was about 85 meters and so was the third. We were going to try for a 4th, but by 4pm Connie was a little pooped.
Finally, I have to say that the wound vac seems to be working wonderfully. I don't know for sure, except that the collection cup is almost full with...oh I don't know what to call it except "Ewwwwww."
All in all, Connie was in better spirits today, but today's not the issue. Tomorrow is. With luck I will be posting early that my Beloved Monster is home, and that I will be scheduling my collapse shortly there after.
Goodnight.
Posting a little late tonight as I stayed late with Connie and then had to go get a bed railing from Jack and Gay's. No, I am not drunk, or tipsy, or anything. (I know, shock of shocks.)
So, today was okay. Connie is still bound and determined that she is coming home tomorrow (thus the trip to pick up the bed railing.). The thing is, the nurse today was also saying that they are shooting for a discharge tomorrow morning. The only thing holding it back is a wound vac for the Home Care, and they were making calls today. Sadly, nothing had transpired by the time I left, so I tried to give Connie some confidence, and also brace her for the possible fact that tomorrow might not be the day. Still, we will hope it is, as I don't want to have to deal with the alternative.
Today they dropped her O2 to 1 litre per hour. They've done this before, and then someone else comes in and puts it up. They don't really understand Connie. I tried the damn thing today and my O2 Sats were 95. Sure, Connie tanks into the 80's after she comes back from the bathroom, or if she takes a walk, but let her sit for a minute and her Sats come right back up to 92, 93 or even 94 percent. Speaking of walking, we did 3 walks today. The first was 60 meters, the second was about 85 meters and so was the third. We were going to try for a 4th, but by 4pm Connie was a little pooped.
Finally, I have to say that the wound vac seems to be working wonderfully. I don't know for sure, except that the collection cup is almost full with...oh I don't know what to call it except "Ewwwwww."
All in all, Connie was in better spirits today, but today's not the issue. Tomorrow is. With luck I will be posting early that my Beloved Monster is home, and that I will be scheduling my collapse shortly there after.
Goodnight.
Current Mood: 
hopeful
hopeful10 April 2007 @ 08:17 pm
Greetings.
Today was a day that had more lows the highs.
Let me start off with a brief description of Connie's wound. I do this, so that those of you who have not had the pleasure of seeing it will understand the later paragraphs.
Connie's wound goes from just under her breast to her pelvic bone (about 8 or 9 inches long), and at it's widest point is about 3 to 4 inches wide. While her muscle is closed, her skin is not. so the wound is about 2 to 3 inches deep as well.
Okay, now having said that, today was the day for the attachment of the wound vacuum. Having watched it being attached, I can now describe it. First, they put a foam (I use this word for the lack of a better one.) into the wound...it kind of looks like the Charcoal filter you would put in a fish filter...the wound is then secured with a tight plastic wrap, a hole is put into that wrap and a disc with a hose attachment is stuck to that, that hose is then attached to the machine, which when turned on creates a vacuum. I don't know if you've ever seen those late night tv commercials for that vacuum packing, but one of the things they do is put a puffy pillow in the bag then vacuum all the air out, making it flat. Well, when turned on, this does roughly the same thing, the packing becomes concave in the wound, compressing the "Foam" and creating a seal, while at the same time, sucking out any excess liquid and such. All in all, kind of cool.
Anyway, they were putting this thing on when I arrived this morning. During this procedure, Connie told me that they let her have a shower first...which meant a good 60 meter walk, so the day started off on a positive note. (although, the thought of her showering with an open wound kind of gave me the shudders.) The nurses were concerned however, as the machine seemed quite noisy, and the screen was not readable. Add to that, there was a beeping noise that would come out of it now and then, and it sounded like the machine would stop, reset and start again. Well, the nurses came in several times to check it, and finally decided to change one of the hoses as they thought it might have small leak. So, later on, I go for a coffee, I come back and they have the machine off, and are putting normal dressings on. I am informed that the machine is not working properly, and so they have removed it, and will try again once they get another machine. I am then informed that they have to wait until tomorrow to get another one. The wound specialist comes in and hears that, and says "Bullshit." and goes off to make a phone call. Meanwhile, Connie is feeling a little pain physically, but has lost it emotionally. She is crying, and feels like she is going backwards. She was hoping to go home tomorrow, and now that doesn't look like it's going to happen. I do my best to calm her, I give her the stupid lines about "Small Steps." "No straight lines." Explain how she is not going backwards, and that this was a glitch with a machine, that's all. She is still upset, but calms down a bit. The nurse finishes the bandaging and leaves. Not more than 20 minutes later, they are back with another machine, and say they are going to remove the bandages and hook up the new one. Connie loses it again. I try and calm her down, stating that the sooner this machine is attached, the sooner she can come home. They can't give her another couple of Tylenol's, because she had some earlier. I turn on the TV, hoping that Star Trek will distract her while they attach the wound vacuum again.
It is completed and the machine works much better, you can see the screen, it's not as noisy, and you can actually see stuff going through the hoses. During the "Refit." her doctor came in, looked at what was going on, and made a comment about how the remaining two spoons could be removed, and said something to the effect of "and that tube can come out." Now I don't know if he was talking about the "G" tube, but he was very positive. Connie stated how she really wanted to go home, and the doctor said that they wanted to make sure the machine was doing its job, and if everything was fine, Connie could be discharged Thursday morning. Now I was starting to get excited. I went to get Connie a Gingerale, and in that time she had called her dad to give him the good news. Because of all of the trauma of the morning, I gave in when Connie said she was tired and wanted to stay in bed. I relented on the walks, because A) she had done about 60 meters even before I got in, and B) She had gone through alot both emotionally and physically.
Later on, while Connie was going to the bathroom, three other doctors came in. I don't know if they were apart of the team, or what. I told them that Connie was in the bathroom, and answered their questions about the wound vacuum. "Good." the one doctor stated. "Now all we need is to find one close to your area and she can go home." "Let me understand," I said. "If you can find a wound vacuum in the home care system near us, you'll send her home?" "Yes." he said. "If you can't, then what? Will you just dress it normally and send her home?" "Oh no," he replied, "She'll stay here until we find one." he replied and left.
Connie came out of the bathroom, and after being cleaned up, lost it again sitting on the side of the bed. I tried to calm her down, but I think my words were empty. I tried to tell her that the first doctor was the head doctor, and these guys were subordinates. 'maybe they don't know what they're talking about.' Connie stated she can do two more days, but she doesn't think she can do more. I tell her that we don't want her discharged too early, because that is what got us into this mess the first place. It sucks, but we've got to make sure everything is right before she can go home. Connie finally calmed down a bit, but is dead set that she is getting out of there on Thursday. Me? I just don't know. I hope so, but I just don't know.
Finally, at about 7:30 tonight, Connie called me from the hospital...in tears. She was very lonely, and I think she had hit the nurse button and no one was coming. It was hard to understand her through the crying. Again, I tried to calm her down, and then I think a nurse came in so she let me go.
I have to say, Connie is losing her strength and control. She's so tired of being there, and I just don't know if I've got anything left to bring her out of the pit when she falls in it. I am praying she's released on Thursday, but what if she's not? What can I say? What can I do when those few pillars she's managed to rebuild come crashing down around her again.
I don't know. I will be there, holding her hand, hugging her, and wiping the tears, but I just don't think I have any words to help her.
It's a roller coaster, and while there were positives today, I would say that for the most part it was a great big "Dip" today.
Goodnight.
Today was a day that had more lows the highs.
Let me start off with a brief description of Connie's wound. I do this, so that those of you who have not had the pleasure of seeing it will understand the later paragraphs.
Connie's wound goes from just under her breast to her pelvic bone (about 8 or 9 inches long), and at it's widest point is about 3 to 4 inches wide. While her muscle is closed, her skin is not. so the wound is about 2 to 3 inches deep as well.
Okay, now having said that, today was the day for the attachment of the wound vacuum. Having watched it being attached, I can now describe it. First, they put a foam (I use this word for the lack of a better one.) into the wound...it kind of looks like the Charcoal filter you would put in a fish filter...the wound is then secured with a tight plastic wrap, a hole is put into that wrap and a disc with a hose attachment is stuck to that, that hose is then attached to the machine, which when turned on creates a vacuum. I don't know if you've ever seen those late night tv commercials for that vacuum packing, but one of the things they do is put a puffy pillow in the bag then vacuum all the air out, making it flat. Well, when turned on, this does roughly the same thing, the packing becomes concave in the wound, compressing the "Foam" and creating a seal, while at the same time, sucking out any excess liquid and such. All in all, kind of cool.
Anyway, they were putting this thing on when I arrived this morning. During this procedure, Connie told me that they let her have a shower first...which meant a good 60 meter walk, so the day started off on a positive note. (although, the thought of her showering with an open wound kind of gave me the shudders.) The nurses were concerned however, as the machine seemed quite noisy, and the screen was not readable. Add to that, there was a beeping noise that would come out of it now and then, and it sounded like the machine would stop, reset and start again. Well, the nurses came in several times to check it, and finally decided to change one of the hoses as they thought it might have small leak. So, later on, I go for a coffee, I come back and they have the machine off, and are putting normal dressings on. I am informed that the machine is not working properly, and so they have removed it, and will try again once they get another machine. I am then informed that they have to wait until tomorrow to get another one. The wound specialist comes in and hears that, and says "Bullshit." and goes off to make a phone call. Meanwhile, Connie is feeling a little pain physically, but has lost it emotionally. She is crying, and feels like she is going backwards. She was hoping to go home tomorrow, and now that doesn't look like it's going to happen. I do my best to calm her, I give her the stupid lines about "Small Steps." "No straight lines." Explain how she is not going backwards, and that this was a glitch with a machine, that's all. She is still upset, but calms down a bit. The nurse finishes the bandaging and leaves. Not more than 20 minutes later, they are back with another machine, and say they are going to remove the bandages and hook up the new one. Connie loses it again. I try and calm her down, stating that the sooner this machine is attached, the sooner she can come home. They can't give her another couple of Tylenol's, because she had some earlier. I turn on the TV, hoping that Star Trek will distract her while they attach the wound vacuum again.
It is completed and the machine works much better, you can see the screen, it's not as noisy, and you can actually see stuff going through the hoses. During the "Refit." her doctor came in, looked at what was going on, and made a comment about how the remaining two spoons could be removed, and said something to the effect of "and that tube can come out." Now I don't know if he was talking about the "G" tube, but he was very positive. Connie stated how she really wanted to go home, and the doctor said that they wanted to make sure the machine was doing its job, and if everything was fine, Connie could be discharged Thursday morning. Now I was starting to get excited. I went to get Connie a Gingerale, and in that time she had called her dad to give him the good news. Because of all of the trauma of the morning, I gave in when Connie said she was tired and wanted to stay in bed. I relented on the walks, because A) she had done about 60 meters even before I got in, and B) She had gone through alot both emotionally and physically.
Later on, while Connie was going to the bathroom, three other doctors came in. I don't know if they were apart of the team, or what. I told them that Connie was in the bathroom, and answered their questions about the wound vacuum. "Good." the one doctor stated. "Now all we need is to find one close to your area and she can go home." "Let me understand," I said. "If you can find a wound vacuum in the home care system near us, you'll send her home?" "Yes." he said. "If you can't, then what? Will you just dress it normally and send her home?" "Oh no," he replied, "She'll stay here until we find one." he replied and left.
Connie came out of the bathroom, and after being cleaned up, lost it again sitting on the side of the bed. I tried to calm her down, but I think my words were empty. I tried to tell her that the first doctor was the head doctor, and these guys were subordinates. 'maybe they don't know what they're talking about.' Connie stated she can do two more days, but she doesn't think she can do more. I tell her that we don't want her discharged too early, because that is what got us into this mess the first place. It sucks, but we've got to make sure everything is right before she can go home. Connie finally calmed down a bit, but is dead set that she is getting out of there on Thursday. Me? I just don't know. I hope so, but I just don't know.
Finally, at about 7:30 tonight, Connie called me from the hospital...in tears. She was very lonely, and I think she had hit the nurse button and no one was coming. It was hard to understand her through the crying. Again, I tried to calm her down, and then I think a nurse came in so she let me go.
I have to say, Connie is losing her strength and control. She's so tired of being there, and I just don't know if I've got anything left to bring her out of the pit when she falls in it. I am praying she's released on Thursday, but what if she's not? What can I say? What can I do when those few pillars she's managed to rebuild come crashing down around her again.
I don't know. I will be there, holding her hand, hugging her, and wiping the tears, but I just don't think I have any words to help her.
It's a roller coaster, and while there were positives today, I would say that for the most part it was a great big "Dip" today.
Goodnight.
Current Mood: 
anxious
anxious09 April 2007 @ 07:25 pm
Greetings.
So, we're expectin rain in Edmonton and snow everywhere else. I don't know, but that might have been the reason for today. I had zero energy, and by the time I got to the hospital, I had found I hadn't even bothered to digest the egg McMuffin thing from Mundare yet. So needless to say I was not a lot of help for Connie today. She was also tired, and feeling "Off". So, we made today a true holiday Monday. She slept alot, I finished yet another book and took a couple of cat naps, and every now and then we would burst into activity where I would do something like put lotion on her feet, adjust the bed for her to go to the bathroom, or adjust the clutter on her little table so she could get to what she needed.
The wound nurse came in and took a look at the wound. They were still planning to use the wound vacuum, but first they were going to need a doctor to remove one of the "spoons" that is holding the skin in place. Well, that hadn't happened by the time I left, so either it will be done by the time I get there tomorrow, or not.
Finally, someone who was very eager, decided to change Connie's orders when it came to her meals. Normally, bariatric patients are on a full liquid diet. However, because of Connie's allergy, that means all she gets is some jello, an orange juice or something, and maybe some tea. (This we the problem we had before.) The lady who brings the meals noticed it first, and told us. We told the nurse, who couldn't see a reason for it. She told the nutritionist, who couldn't see a reason for it. So they went in and got the orders changed back in time for supper. It did mean that not only was Connie tired today, but hungry too. She did try drinking some Gingerale today. She had a serious jones on for it, so I relented and got a bottle. Also found out that Connie is no longer on any medications what so ever (except Tylenol for pain if she needs it, and Ventilin (sp?) for her breathing if she needs it.)
Anyway...all in all, it was a Monday.
On just a quick other note, Sadly I missed seeing the re-dedication ceremony at Vimmy Ridge today. I had a Niece and a Nephew there who were apart of the school children that went over. Listening to the news on the way, I didn't realize that not only were they wearing the name of a soldier that had died there, but they also were required to research everything the could so that they would be able to tell the "soldiers story." I personally think this is absolutely wonderful. Vimmy ridge is a very important part of Canadian history, and sadly I think it is being lost due to the way it is taught in schools. I personally was someone who would digest anything I could about the two world wars, and even I got "Glossy-eyed" when we took it in school. after all, it's not just a motto for November 11th, it is something we should be saying daily....Lest We Forget.
Goodnight.
So, we're expectin rain in Edmonton and snow everywhere else. I don't know, but that might have been the reason for today. I had zero energy, and by the time I got to the hospital, I had found I hadn't even bothered to digest the egg McMuffin thing from Mundare yet. So needless to say I was not a lot of help for Connie today. She was also tired, and feeling "Off". So, we made today a true holiday Monday. She slept alot, I finished yet another book and took a couple of cat naps, and every now and then we would burst into activity where I would do something like put lotion on her feet, adjust the bed for her to go to the bathroom, or adjust the clutter on her little table so she could get to what she needed.
The wound nurse came in and took a look at the wound. They were still planning to use the wound vacuum, but first they were going to need a doctor to remove one of the "spoons" that is holding the skin in place. Well, that hadn't happened by the time I left, so either it will be done by the time I get there tomorrow, or not.
Finally, someone who was very eager, decided to change Connie's orders when it came to her meals. Normally, bariatric patients are on a full liquid diet. However, because of Connie's allergy, that means all she gets is some jello, an orange juice or something, and maybe some tea. (This we the problem we had before.) The lady who brings the meals noticed it first, and told us. We told the nurse, who couldn't see a reason for it. She told the nutritionist, who couldn't see a reason for it. So they went in and got the orders changed back in time for supper. It did mean that not only was Connie tired today, but hungry too. She did try drinking some Gingerale today. She had a serious jones on for it, so I relented and got a bottle. Also found out that Connie is no longer on any medications what so ever (except Tylenol for pain if she needs it, and Ventilin (sp?) for her breathing if she needs it.)
Anyway...all in all, it was a Monday.
On just a quick other note, Sadly I missed seeing the re-dedication ceremony at Vimmy Ridge today. I had a Niece and a Nephew there who were apart of the school children that went over. Listening to the news on the way, I didn't realize that not only were they wearing the name of a soldier that had died there, but they also were required to research everything the could so that they would be able to tell the "soldiers story." I personally think this is absolutely wonderful. Vimmy ridge is a very important part of Canadian history, and sadly I think it is being lost due to the way it is taught in schools. I personally was someone who would digest anything I could about the two world wars, and even I got "Glossy-eyed" when we took it in school. after all, it's not just a motto for November 11th, it is something we should be saying daily....Lest We Forget.
Goodnight.
Current Mood: 
blah
blah08 April 2007 @ 08:26 pm
Greetings!
Running a little behind tonight, because we stayed later with Connie than usual.
So, it's done, and I can blame it on Chris (her brother.). Okay, sure, Connie made me promise to bring in the clippers (or Sheep Shearer's as I like to call them). But I was at lunch when Chris and Barb did the deed. This is my defence, and I am sticking to it. Connie is happy, Petgirl says it makes her look more like her mom, everyone was quite happy with it, and I am getting use to it. I do have to say however that with the salt 'n pepper effect, Connie is reminding me of either A) A concentration camp survivor, or B) A french woman after liberation when discovered she slept with the Nazi's. (Okay, that may be a little hard, but it is going to take some time for me to get use to it.)
Anyway, Positives: We did 50 meters today (not including the room which is roughly another 5 meters, so 60 meters.), we also did it with no added oxegen as the tank we had had nothing left. It took a little more time for Connie to recoup after each 10 meters, but it was good. Connie is eating, her bowl movements are solid, and the swelling is definitely starting to come down as she gets rid of all the water she's been retaining. Tomorrow is the start of the wound vacuum, and if they can find someone in the area that can work one, Connie still might be home early this coming week.
Negatives, Connie is really getting hyped up about getting home this week, I have to prepare for the crash if this does not happen.
Other notes of interest. Petgirl came to visit today, and Connie did much better than yesterday with a visit. She wasn't trying to be the host as much, and so just took the visit for what it was. Petgirl had also brought her laptop and some movies, so her and Connie watched most of "The Holiday" today. It wasn't qute over at 5:30, and I had to start thinking of coming home to rescue the dog.
That, ladies and gentleman is pretty much all there was to the Easter Sunday. Tomorrow I will get to see what this "Modern Day Leech" does, and we'll see what we can do about getting Connie Home.
Goodnight.
Running a little behind tonight, because we stayed later with Connie than usual.
So, it's done, and I can blame it on Chris (her brother.). Okay, sure, Connie made me promise to bring in the clippers (or Sheep Shearer's as I like to call them). But I was at lunch when Chris and Barb did the deed. This is my defence, and I am sticking to it. Connie is happy, Petgirl says it makes her look more like her mom, everyone was quite happy with it, and I am getting use to it. I do have to say however that with the salt 'n pepper effect, Connie is reminding me of either A) A concentration camp survivor, or B) A french woman after liberation when discovered she slept with the Nazi's. (Okay, that may be a little hard, but it is going to take some time for me to get use to it.)
Anyway, Positives: We did 50 meters today (not including the room which is roughly another 5 meters, so 60 meters.), we also did it with no added oxegen as the tank we had had nothing left. It took a little more time for Connie to recoup after each 10 meters, but it was good. Connie is eating, her bowl movements are solid, and the swelling is definitely starting to come down as she gets rid of all the water she's been retaining. Tomorrow is the start of the wound vacuum, and if they can find someone in the area that can work one, Connie still might be home early this coming week.
Negatives, Connie is really getting hyped up about getting home this week, I have to prepare for the crash if this does not happen.
Other notes of interest. Petgirl came to visit today, and Connie did much better than yesterday with a visit. She wasn't trying to be the host as much, and so just took the visit for what it was. Petgirl had also brought her laptop and some movies, so her and Connie watched most of "The Holiday" today. It wasn't qute over at 5:30, and I had to start thinking of coming home to rescue the dog.
That, ladies and gentleman is pretty much all there was to the Easter Sunday. Tomorrow I will get to see what this "Modern Day Leech" does, and we'll see what we can do about getting Connie Home.
Goodnight.
Current Mood: good
good07 April 2007 @ 08:48 pm
Greetings!
Sorry for the delay in posting, but we had to go over to Gay and Jack's for an easter dinner, complete with Chris, Barb and the kids.
Anyway, I shall not get into what I did yesterday during my day off. I shall leave that to Mav is so chooses to post it. (I can't hog all the good stories after all.)
As I stated, yesterday was a much needed day off from the hospital for me, as Gay had requested a mother/daughter day. From the report I got later in the night from a rather hoarse Gay, it was a good visit. The only news was that they were postponing the Wound Vacuum until Monday as the lady who specializes in it will be in to get it set up and such.
On to today.
Mav and I made our way in at the usual time, we did have to make one side trip as Connie had some grapes yesterday and was in such a serious craze for more that she sent the request home with Gay.
So, after a short stop at a local Safeway for Grapes, we made our way in.
Today was a good day, a rough day for Connie, but a good day. Mav marks the first visit by someone who was not family (Ronja doesn't count because frankly she is family, and according to the hospital she's Connie's sister...which is basically true anyway.). This caused an issue that I hadn't thought about. Connie...being the perpetual host, naturally wanted to make Mav's visit perfect (what ever the hell that means.) But due to a crappy night, Connie was rather tired and a little pale. So, this caused a couple of breakdowns by Connie. Add to that, the fact that she is totally, one hundred percent, sick of being in the hospital, and we had some psychological issues to deal with today.
Still...positives: Connie is no longer on antibiotics. The latest bloodwork came back and they are completely satisfied that the infection is gone. She is still taking some anti-fungal medication, but as long as she has her open wound, that's not going to change. Connie is eating quite regularly...and bland as hospital food may be, it is going down, staying down, and processing as it should. Connie's trips to the bathroom have reduced as well, In fact this afternoon she went a good 3 to 3 and half hours without a bathroom trip. Finally, Connie did about 50 meters today. I think she could have done more, but Connie was not in the right mindset, and it took a while to get her up to do the walk she did. I believe her colour and everything improved after the walk.
Concerns: Connie is totally expecting to be released by mid-week next week. While I will hold a small hope out for that, I think it's going to be a little longer than that as she is still getting her dressings changed twice a day, and with home care she is looking at once every two days...so until she is in a position that that can happen, I think her stay in the hospital will continue. This, naturally, is going to wreak some havoc later on in the week, but I still don't really know what this Wound Vacuum will do, so we're setting the goal for next week, and hope that we can achieve it.
Finally, I will say that the visit with Mav, while a little hard, was a good thing. I am bringing in her Cell phone tomorrow and leaving it there, so that she can call at night (when she really has the problems.) if she needs some human contact. Unfortunately, Connie's phone kind of sucks, and I don't know how good the reception is going to be. Still, it's another step.
I call today a victory. I think a lot of good things happen, and as far as the mental stuff well...there's going to be good days and bad days for the next little while.
Still, tomorrow shall be another busy day as Chris and Barb will be stopping in, we are scheduling a call to Connie's Grandma and Aunt in Brooks, and PetGirl will be visiting as well. On top of all that, I am shooting for 60 meters tomorrow.
Happy easter all...I shall now end with the joke I can only tell once a year. (for those who have heard it before, you can stop reading here.
Three guys in a bar are talking about easter.
The first guys says "You know, I love easter. It's a great time. The kids get dresses in costume, go begging for candy door to door..."
The second guy says "You idiot, that's not easter...that's halloween."
"Then what's Easter?" asks the first guy.
"Oh, it's a great time of year. You put up a tree, string some popcorn, hand stockings by the fireplace..."
"You asshole." says the third guy, "That's Christmas."
"Then what's Easter?" the first two ask.
"Easter is a religious holiday." replies the third. "It represents the crucifixion of Christ. After he was dead, they took him down from the cross, stuck him in a cave and then rolled this big boulder in front of him. Then, on Easter Sunday, Christ rose from the dead, magically moved the boulder, and stepped out of the cave. and if he see's his shadow he goes back in for another six weeks."
Cheesy, I know, but thus the only reason it can be used once a year.
Goodnight.
Sorry for the delay in posting, but we had to go over to Gay and Jack's for an easter dinner, complete with Chris, Barb and the kids.
Anyway, I shall not get into what I did yesterday during my day off. I shall leave that to Mav is so chooses to post it. (I can't hog all the good stories after all.)
As I stated, yesterday was a much needed day off from the hospital for me, as Gay had requested a mother/daughter day. From the report I got later in the night from a rather hoarse Gay, it was a good visit. The only news was that they were postponing the Wound Vacuum until Monday as the lady who specializes in it will be in to get it set up and such.
On to today.
Mav and I made our way in at the usual time, we did have to make one side trip as Connie had some grapes yesterday and was in such a serious craze for more that she sent the request home with Gay.
So, after a short stop at a local Safeway for Grapes, we made our way in.
Today was a good day, a rough day for Connie, but a good day. Mav marks the first visit by someone who was not family (Ronja doesn't count because frankly she is family, and according to the hospital she's Connie's sister...which is basically true anyway.). This caused an issue that I hadn't thought about. Connie...being the perpetual host, naturally wanted to make Mav's visit perfect (what ever the hell that means.) But due to a crappy night, Connie was rather tired and a little pale. So, this caused a couple of breakdowns by Connie. Add to that, the fact that she is totally, one hundred percent, sick of being in the hospital, and we had some psychological issues to deal with today.
Still...positives: Connie is no longer on antibiotics. The latest bloodwork came back and they are completely satisfied that the infection is gone. She is still taking some anti-fungal medication, but as long as she has her open wound, that's not going to change. Connie is eating quite regularly...and bland as hospital food may be, it is going down, staying down, and processing as it should. Connie's trips to the bathroom have reduced as well, In fact this afternoon she went a good 3 to 3 and half hours without a bathroom trip. Finally, Connie did about 50 meters today. I think she could have done more, but Connie was not in the right mindset, and it took a while to get her up to do the walk she did. I believe her colour and everything improved after the walk.
Concerns: Connie is totally expecting to be released by mid-week next week. While I will hold a small hope out for that, I think it's going to be a little longer than that as she is still getting her dressings changed twice a day, and with home care she is looking at once every two days...so until she is in a position that that can happen, I think her stay in the hospital will continue. This, naturally, is going to wreak some havoc later on in the week, but I still don't really know what this Wound Vacuum will do, so we're setting the goal for next week, and hope that we can achieve it.
Finally, I will say that the visit with Mav, while a little hard, was a good thing. I am bringing in her Cell phone tomorrow and leaving it there, so that she can call at night (when she really has the problems.) if she needs some human contact. Unfortunately, Connie's phone kind of sucks, and I don't know how good the reception is going to be. Still, it's another step.
I call today a victory. I think a lot of good things happen, and as far as the mental stuff well...there's going to be good days and bad days for the next little while.
Still, tomorrow shall be another busy day as Chris and Barb will be stopping in, we are scheduling a call to Connie's Grandma and Aunt in Brooks, and PetGirl will be visiting as well. On top of all that, I am shooting for 60 meters tomorrow.
Happy easter all...I shall now end with the joke I can only tell once a year. (for those who have heard it before, you can stop reading here.
Three guys in a bar are talking about easter.
The first guys says "You know, I love easter. It's a great time. The kids get dresses in costume, go begging for candy door to door..."
The second guy says "You idiot, that's not easter...that's halloween."
"Then what's Easter?" asks the first guy.
"Oh, it's a great time of year. You put up a tree, string some popcorn, hand stockings by the fireplace..."
"You asshole." says the third guy, "That's Christmas."
"Then what's Easter?" the first two ask.
"Easter is a religious holiday." replies the third. "It represents the crucifixion of Christ. After he was dead, they took him down from the cross, stuck him in a cave and then rolled this big boulder in front of him. Then, on Easter Sunday, Christ rose from the dead, magically moved the boulder, and stepped out of the cave. and if he see's his shadow he goes back in for another six weeks."
Cheesy, I know, but thus the only reason it can be used once a year.
Goodnight.
Current Mood: calm
calm05 April 2007 @ 08:56 pm
Greetings!
So, before I start with Connie I just have to say that the reason I am running late is two fold. First, Mav has arrived for the weekend. Two, Gay stopped over tonight, and all I will say is thanks to Mav, Turnabout was fair play...only problem was I got a drunk too.
Anyway, on to Connie!
So, I arrive this morning to find that the last dressing change they didn't pack Connie as much as they usually do. The reason being was that at some point today (5 minutes or so in hospital time) a wound specialist was coming to to look at the wounds and see if they could use...and I quote..."A wound vaccuum".
I had no idea what the deal was, and realize I would have to wait to find out. All I knew was that with the apparatus, there was a possibility of Connie being able to come home earlier and deal with Home care (which is something else we had to see if it was avaialable.)
Anyway, I had missed morning rounds, but the Doctors were quite happy with Connie's progress, and thus had reconmmended this next step. In the mean time the "Physical terrorist" had arrived while Connie was in the bathroom to discuss todays plane. We had a discussion, and I explained my plan to her, and she replied (as I fully expected she would...because I had a sister who was a physical terrorist you know.) with "I have better idea." She then explained that out in the hallway are these yellow squares near the ceiling. the distance between each square is 5 meters. According to spy's from yesterday, Connie and I manages 20 meters (personally, I think it is wrong, I think we did 40 and the spy missed the second walk, but that is beside the point. ), the plan today was to do 40 meters, we did this by me taking her chair out and putting it at the 10 meter mark. Connie and the physical terrorist walked to the chair, where Connie sat down the the terrorist checked her O2 Sats. Each time she would be in the 80's after that 10 meter walk, but give her about a minute and they would jump back into the 90's. So, once they were back up, Connie would get back up, and I would move the chair another 10 meteres and Connie would walk to it. I have to say, the terrorist was good. This was a better way of doing things. Sadly, we did not get to repeat the process in the afternoon, but I will explain that later.
Now, lunch came. The girl said "Hey they changes your order, you get real food." and sure enough, on the tray was a plate with roast beef, rice and beans. There was a bannana, a can of ensure, Connie's packet of protien and a thing of milk. Connie socked into the meat, rice and beans, and well...she over did it a bit. But hell, who could blame her, it was the first real food in a bout a month. Anyway, she was a little bloated, and had a little gas in the afternoon, but her colour was better than it was in the morning, and her bathroom trips reduced. Later my next wife came in...I mean the nutritionist returned. She started says how great it was for Connie's menue to have changed, and for her to have been taken off liquids. "we know, Connie got a great lunch today." Replied myself and Connie. She looked at Me, I looked at her, and we knew that Billy Bob and MAry-sue would soon have a chance to play with the spinning blades of our garden tractor. Well, I want you to take it easy. For instance, I want you to avoid rice. My next wife states. "Funny." I reply, that's what she got for lunch. "Really? well, I'll have to get that changes. REally, she wants to make sure that she doesn't have anything that will not break down with chewing...you know, Rice, Roast Beef...that sort of thing. At this point, I am on the floor, I am no longer in love with my next wife, I am in drop dead desire. I mean, damn, this woman gets paid the big bucks to ensure that the patients in her care are getting the proper nutrition that they require, and so far, Connie has been batting zero. Forget the spinning lawn tractor blade, our children are now walking into the spinning engine of a 747!
Anyway, she left and not a moment too soon for me.
Finally, the wound specialist came in, and from what I can tell, this thing they are talking about is like a modern day, mechanical leach. It sucks out any seepage (sp?), and also creates a positive pressure that causes wounds to heal faster. So Connie looks good for it, and they are thinking of attaching "Robo-leach" tomorrow.
So, Good points. Connie is eating honest to goodness, real food. Connie was breathing better. Connie got up and walked 40 meters today...tomorrow will be at least 60 and we'll go for 80 on Saturday. Connie's O2 sats are better, they have her down to 1 litre an hour when she's at rest. Connie is still going to the bathroom alot, but CONNIE IS GOING TO THE BATHROOM.
Negatives, it looks like Connie will have the G-tube for another 6 weeks, the Doctors want to be 100 percent sure before they remove it, and well frankly, I'm okay with that.
Finally, a quick note. Gay has requested a "Mother/daughter" day tomorrow, and how am I going to say no to that. So, because of that, I A) get a day off and can sleep in, and B) may not have a post for you tomorrow. However, it is back to business as usual on Saturday, so stay tuned.
Goodnight.
(oh, by the way, I'm drunk and I have a guest upstairs waiting to return so I am not going to spell check this. Take it the way it came people.)
So, before I start with Connie I just have to say that the reason I am running late is two fold. First, Mav has arrived for the weekend. Two, Gay stopped over tonight, and all I will say is thanks to Mav, Turnabout was fair play...only problem was I got a drunk too.
Anyway, on to Connie!
So, I arrive this morning to find that the last dressing change they didn't pack Connie as much as they usually do. The reason being was that at some point today (5 minutes or so in hospital time) a wound specialist was coming to to look at the wounds and see if they could use...and I quote..."A wound vaccuum".
I had no idea what the deal was, and realize I would have to wait to find out. All I knew was that with the apparatus, there was a possibility of Connie being able to come home earlier and deal with Home care (which is something else we had to see if it was avaialable.)
Anyway, I had missed morning rounds, but the Doctors were quite happy with Connie's progress, and thus had reconmmended this next step. In the mean time the "Physical terrorist" had arrived while Connie was in the bathroom to discuss todays plane. We had a discussion, and I explained my plan to her, and she replied (as I fully expected she would...because I had a sister who was a physical terrorist you know.) with "I have better idea." She then explained that out in the hallway are these yellow squares near the ceiling. the distance between each square is 5 meters. According to spy's from yesterday, Connie and I manages 20 meters (personally, I think it is wrong, I think we did 40 and the spy missed the second walk, but that is beside the point. ), the plan today was to do 40 meters, we did this by me taking her chair out and putting it at the 10 meter mark. Connie and the physical terrorist walked to the chair, where Connie sat down the the terrorist checked her O2 Sats. Each time she would be in the 80's after that 10 meter walk, but give her about a minute and they would jump back into the 90's. So, once they were back up, Connie would get back up, and I would move the chair another 10 meteres and Connie would walk to it. I have to say, the terrorist was good. This was a better way of doing things. Sadly, we did not get to repeat the process in the afternoon, but I will explain that later.
Now, lunch came. The girl said "Hey they changes your order, you get real food." and sure enough, on the tray was a plate with roast beef, rice and beans. There was a bannana, a can of ensure, Connie's packet of protien and a thing of milk. Connie socked into the meat, rice and beans, and well...she over did it a bit. But hell, who could blame her, it was the first real food in a bout a month. Anyway, she was a little bloated, and had a little gas in the afternoon, but her colour was better than it was in the morning, and her bathroom trips reduced. Later my next wife came in...I mean the nutritionist returned. She started says how great it was for Connie's menue to have changed, and for her to have been taken off liquids. "we know, Connie got a great lunch today." Replied myself and Connie. She looked at Me, I looked at her, and we knew that Billy Bob and MAry-sue would soon have a chance to play with the spinning blades of our garden tractor. Well, I want you to take it easy. For instance, I want you to avoid rice. My next wife states. "Funny." I reply, that's what she got for lunch. "Really? well, I'll have to get that changes. REally, she wants to make sure that she doesn't have anything that will not break down with chewing...you know, Rice, Roast Beef...that sort of thing. At this point, I am on the floor, I am no longer in love with my next wife, I am in drop dead desire. I mean, damn, this woman gets paid the big bucks to ensure that the patients in her care are getting the proper nutrition that they require, and so far, Connie has been batting zero. Forget the spinning lawn tractor blade, our children are now walking into the spinning engine of a 747!
Anyway, she left and not a moment too soon for me.
Finally, the wound specialist came in, and from what I can tell, this thing they are talking about is like a modern day, mechanical leach. It sucks out any seepage (sp?), and also creates a positive pressure that causes wounds to heal faster. So Connie looks good for it, and they are thinking of attaching "Robo-leach" tomorrow.
So, Good points. Connie is eating honest to goodness, real food. Connie was breathing better. Connie got up and walked 40 meters today...tomorrow will be at least 60 and we'll go for 80 on Saturday. Connie's O2 sats are better, they have her down to 1 litre an hour when she's at rest. Connie is still going to the bathroom alot, but CONNIE IS GOING TO THE BATHROOM.
Negatives, it looks like Connie will have the G-tube for another 6 weeks, the Doctors want to be 100 percent sure before they remove it, and well frankly, I'm okay with that.
Finally, a quick note. Gay has requested a "Mother/daughter" day tomorrow, and how am I going to say no to that. So, because of that, I A) get a day off and can sleep in, and B) may not have a post for you tomorrow. However, it is back to business as usual on Saturday, so stay tuned.
Goodnight.
(oh, by the way, I'm drunk and I have a guest upstairs waiting to return so I am not going to spell check this. Take it the way it came people.)
04 April 2007 @ 08:44 pm
Greetings;
Well, I am running a little late tonight because once again I had to stop over to Gay and Jack's. I tell you, if you can get out of there without 2 or 3 beers in you belly you are a better person than me.
Okay;
So, I went into the hospital today with some decisions made, but last night (while laying in the darkness, nursing the mother of all headaches) I realized that I was missing something that I have had for almost 10 years now...my sounding board. My conscience. My Beloved Monster.
Thus, when I went in today, I decided the gloves were off, I was no longer going to protect her from the world outside. It was time she realized that a lot of shit has happened while she's been in the hospital. And for selfish reasons I would get my sounding board back.
So, in short, I told Connie everything. I told her about my dad. Oh by the way dad, when I told her you reaction to the news, she just grinned and said "That is so much like him.". I told her about the dear friend of ours. I told her about me holding out my hand to our friends and the amazing reply. I told her about my thoughts about my job. And well, a couple of hours later we had come to a consensus.
I'm not going to bore you with it all. Let's just say that decisions have been made, actions have been taken, and we'll just see where it goes from there.
Now. On to the Connie stuff:
First off, walking into the room, the first thing I noticed was that Connie no longer had an IV. That's right folks, they have removed Connie's central line. From this point on, all medication Connie gets is in pill form. She was also sitting up. She is getting a little frustrated with the constant trips to the bathroom, but as I pointed out it shows a couple of things. First, her Gastric By-pass surgery is now complete and a total success. Second, naturally she is going to be suffering from diarrhea for a while, as her body has some toxins to get rid of, and frankly it's going to take whatever orifices available to do that.
There is a psychological issue to deal with. Connie is regretting getting the surgery done. While she knows it's ridiculous, she feels that if she hadn't had the surgery, lots of what has come down in the month of march wouldn't have happened. And while in some ways it's true, the fact of the matter is that 6 months from now when she can pull herself up into a truck without any help, when she can walk a good distance without shortness of breath, and when she can go a day without joint and muscle pain, she is going to be very happy that she had this surgery done. I told her so, and will continue to do so because despite the fact that Connie fell onto the wrong side of the percentages of the operation, it is something she has wanted for a long time and for health reasons it was something she needed to do. Anyway, the battle of the mind will continue.
The battle of the body is going well however. Connie spent a lot of time out of bed and in the chair today...as well as the trips to the bathroom. We also took two walks today. One in the morning and one this afternoon. They weren't long trips, but it was out of the room and into the hallway. I told her the plan was to continue to have two walks a day. Slowly we would work on getting her to the end of the hall and back. Once she has achieved that, we will then look at increasing it to 3 walks as day etc. As I said before, I have a job to do, and that's to get Connie out of the hospital and back home. In fact, I am going to print the poem I have stolen from my Dad's LJ post and I am going to tape it up in her room. It is our motto. It is our Credo. It is our quest.
All in all, for Connie it was a good day. A tough one, but I'm sure there will be more. There will be steps backwards, there will be days that go in circles. But today was a good one...and I will never forget "Nature does not go in a straight line."
Goodnight.
Well, I am running a little late tonight because once again I had to stop over to Gay and Jack's. I tell you, if you can get out of there without 2 or 3 beers in you belly you are a better person than me.
Okay;
So, I went into the hospital today with some decisions made, but last night (while laying in the darkness, nursing the mother of all headaches) I realized that I was missing something that I have had for almost 10 years now...my sounding board. My conscience. My Beloved Monster.
Thus, when I went in today, I decided the gloves were off, I was no longer going to protect her from the world outside. It was time she realized that a lot of shit has happened while she's been in the hospital. And for selfish reasons I would get my sounding board back.
So, in short, I told Connie everything. I told her about my dad. Oh by the way dad, when I told her you reaction to the news, she just grinned and said "That is so much like him.". I told her about the dear friend of ours. I told her about me holding out my hand to our friends and the amazing reply. I told her about my thoughts about my job. And well, a couple of hours later we had come to a consensus.
I'm not going to bore you with it all. Let's just say that decisions have been made, actions have been taken, and we'll just see where it goes from there.
Now. On to the Connie stuff:
First off, walking into the room, the first thing I noticed was that Connie no longer had an IV. That's right folks, they have removed Connie's central line. From this point on, all medication Connie gets is in pill form. She was also sitting up. She is getting a little frustrated with the constant trips to the bathroom, but as I pointed out it shows a couple of things. First, her Gastric By-pass surgery is now complete and a total success. Second, naturally she is going to be suffering from diarrhea for a while, as her body has some toxins to get rid of, and frankly it's going to take whatever orifices available to do that.
There is a psychological issue to deal with. Connie is regretting getting the surgery done. While she knows it's ridiculous, she feels that if she hadn't had the surgery, lots of what has come down in the month of march wouldn't have happened. And while in some ways it's true, the fact of the matter is that 6 months from now when she can pull herself up into a truck without any help, when she can walk a good distance without shortness of breath, and when she can go a day without joint and muscle pain, she is going to be very happy that she had this surgery done. I told her so, and will continue to do so because despite the fact that Connie fell onto the wrong side of the percentages of the operation, it is something she has wanted for a long time and for health reasons it was something she needed to do. Anyway, the battle of the mind will continue.
The battle of the body is going well however. Connie spent a lot of time out of bed and in the chair today...as well as the trips to the bathroom. We also took two walks today. One in the morning and one this afternoon. They weren't long trips, but it was out of the room and into the hallway. I told her the plan was to continue to have two walks a day. Slowly we would work on getting her to the end of the hall and back. Once she has achieved that, we will then look at increasing it to 3 walks as day etc. As I said before, I have a job to do, and that's to get Connie out of the hospital and back home. In fact, I am going to print the poem I have stolen from my Dad's LJ post and I am going to tape it up in her room. It is our motto. It is our Credo. It is our quest.
All in all, for Connie it was a good day. A tough one, but I'm sure there will be more. There will be steps backwards, there will be days that go in circles. But today was a good one...and I will never forget "Nature does not go in a straight line."
Goodnight.
Current Mood: good
good