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As it turns out I have pneumonia. It was actually a relief because we were concerned it might be a blood clot! After taking antibiotics yesterday afternoon and today my breathing is much better. I still have the occasional struggle, but I'm doing better. Thank you so much for your prayers. Y'all continue to be in mine!0
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Oh my! Kim, I am saying a prayer! At least they finally got to the bottom of the issue, and it isn't a blood clot!
We are home. Mom just was so confused. She is mad that I made her come here, away from everybody. I told her that I lived really close, but she can't get that through her head. I think that I need to take her with me to my house and do some shopping today. I think that she would realize how close that she is to us, then.
I was totally appalled at the physical condition of the rehab facility that she had been in for almost 20 days,,,it was beyond terrible. The halls looked pretty good, the nurses were great and it was clean, but it was awful! There were holes in the walls in her room. It was really dark and the furniture had been good wood furniture, but the finish on it looked like it had been through a war. Mom said that she wished that she had just stayed there in that little room. I kept telling her that insurance would not cover it anymore after yesterday and that she would have to pay about 3x as much to stay there as her new little apartment. She wouldn't let me leave last night....made me leave Bill in the lobby and take her back to her room, then kept messing with her door saying that it wasn't locked because she could open it from the inside. She kept unlocking it instead of locking it.0 -
Oh Connie. My heart goes out to your mom. It must be very confusing for her. Still sending prayers for comfort and peace and that her new apartment will start to feel like home to her. Oh and for rest for you as well.
Kim, I'm praying that you'll kick this pneumonia soon and am also glad it isn't a blood clot.0 -
It was a little strange praising the Lord that I only had pneumonia, but it's much better than a blood clot! I was surprised because that had never crossed my mind.
I think taking your mom shopping is a wonderful idea. She will start to feel more at home when she learns her new environment. You are a wonder to me, Connie, and you and your family are in my prayers.
I'm having trouble with my upper right leg now. It hurts all the time, pops, and suddenly goes weak on me. I'm walking around the house with a cane now! Ugh. I want to get the pneumonia out of the way before I try and figure out what to do about this. I used to wrap with with an ace-type bandage and that has helped in the past, but yesterday it didn't help at all. I have no idea what can be done to help it since it's part of the side-effects of my SI joint arthritis - or so I think - who but God really knows??? LOL!0 -
I'm so excited. Several months ago, Heather Day Gilbert asked her subscribers to send her pictures of our dogs and a little bit about them - so I did. I got a note from her yesterday that they are going to feature Jake in her book SHADE GROWN coming out this December 11th! Can't wait to see what havoc he brings!
Starting to feel better. Still have to catch my breath, but it catches more easily. Not coughing as much today as I did over the weekend. Now, if I can get my back and right leg to stop hurting and my groin muscle to stop popping and wanting to go out on me, I'll be doing so much better! Jesus knows and He has blessed immensely through all of this.
We had a few rainy days which my plants have loved, but today is warm and sunny. Woohoo!0 -
Glad you are feeling better, Kim. Praying for breath and your pain to ease
I brought mom home with me and she did fine until I took her back to her apartment. She didn't recognize it at all. I'm not doing that again until she's more at ease. She is still somewhat confused, but a bit better yesterday. I hope it is a trend. She has packed up to leave twice, after the first night and after I took her to my house.0 -
I think that once she gets accustomed to her environment things will go much more easily. That is my prayer, that she finds peace. It's amazing how a fall can advance the dementia.
Taking my last antibiotics today. Woohoo! I think that I will have to take deep breaths or catch my breath until the swelling in the lymph nodes goes down. They want another CT scan in February to make sure that's happened. If it hasn't they will have to look into other things, but I am hopeful that it is from the pneumonia and not other things! No need to worry, I can't change it and God already has a plan, I'm trusting Him.0 -
Heading out for brunch and a little shopping with all my (grown) girls: both daughters, and both daughters-in-law. Last night I made quinoa flake chocolate chip cookies...
Keeping you both in prayer0 -
Wow, that looks yummy! Thank you for your prayers, Cindy! Y'all are in mine as well.
Wade is painting my office for the next couple of days so I am in the living room on my laptop, so much smaller view than the monitor I use in my office, but I like this keyboard rather than the one I usually use. It's much smoother to use.
Breathing is about the same but my leg seems to be a bit better. I went two days without having to use my cane. Still had an ache there, but it never felt like it was going to go out on me. It's a bit worse today, but not as bad as at it's worst!
Love y'all.0 -
It's been pretty quiet here lately. I'm running errands today. Bad news... 43° and rain. Good news... a lot of people have stayed home because of the 🌧0
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I've had a bit of a relapse, feeling about the same as I did before the antibiotics except today I have a mild sore throat. No Thanksgiving with the Church family tomorrow! Another of our ladies has had a set-back with her lungs too, so she won't be there either. But, we'll get a plate load of food from the get together so should at least enjoy a wonderful meal if no being able to be part of the fellowship!
I called my NP and she said she wanted to see me, but they didn't have a slot they could slip me into until next Wednesday! I'll go see a local urgent care doc on Monday if I don't feel better by then. If things get worse, I guess I'll have to go to the emergency room, but so far it just feels like a relapse. The first round didn't get it all. Thank you for your prayers.0 -
Praying for you Kim. Last time I had pneumonia, I had to go back for a second round of antibiotics...but that time it wasn't pneumonia, but bronchitis. Hopefully you get to feeling better soon.
Things seem to be going a little better now with Mom. Hopefully we don't get another "moving out". God did show me the reason. She was nice and comfortable in her home, then fell (maybe Covid, maybe tripped), but wound up in the hospital (move #1), then 5 days later she was told to gather her stuff together that she was moving to rehab, but tested positive for Covid and went to Transitional Care - total isolation (move #2), then 10 days later, they told her to gather her things together that she was moving to rehab (move #3), then 20 days later they told her to gather her things together that she was moving to Kansas (move #4). No wonder she was thinking that she had to move.
No big Thanksgiving celebration, but I am doing a turkey breast with stuffing, potatoes and corn for lunch, then I am taking left overs to Mom and we will have them for an early dinner. That's the only way I could figure out for me to be with Mom and Bill and Kip.0 -
Wishing you a happy Thanksgiving. We had the family over here today. The first family came around 12:30, the last just after 4pm. We are 15 in all - 9 adults and 6 children. We ate around 4:30 - turkey, smoked pork tenderloin, stuffing, mashed potatoes, smashed sweet potatoes, roasted carrots, Brussels sprouts, green beans, broccoli and rolls. For dessert there was pumpkin and apple pie (my youngest daughter made those and the green beans and broccoli) pumpkin roll (my daughter-in-law made that and the Brussels sprouts... my son smoked the tenderloin) and gluten free apple fritter cake (I made that and both kinds of potatoes, stuffing, rolls and carrots. My husband deep fried the turkey).
I also made mini banana chocolate chip muffins this morning and put them out with grapes, nuts and spinach dip for people to snack on while they waited for dinner.
I'm exhausted. I was thinking I'd put up my Christmas tree after everyone left, but my oldest daughter was here until almost 10 and there was no way I had the energy for decorating. We did one load of dishes right after dinner and just finished the second load a little while ago. Heading to bed now. Tomorrow I finish packing for my 2 week business trip and maybe put up the tree.
Blessings to you.
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Oh my, that was a very busy day, Cindy. Connie, I think you are amazing! Poor Mom, how hard those moves must have been. I'm so glad that she is doing a bit better now.
The Church family got together yesterday, a Thanksgiving service, eats and games. I stayed home - I didn't want to give what I have to anyone else. Another of our ladies from church had to stay home as well. She has lung problems and she had to go to the emergency clinic the day before and was on meds - no mingling! Wade brought me a plate full of goodies though and I watched some Christmas movies (finished that Christy Barritt movie I'd started the day before). It was a very nice and quiet day, although I did miss the fellowship. We put up our tree a couple of days ago and decorated the front of our house and our pastor's house and the fellowship building about a week ago! So pretty. We bought a lighted tree during the after-Christmas sales last year, so nice. Just white lights and I have some old-fashioned decorations on it, a very calming site!
I hope y'all stay well. You are in my prayers!0 -
Kim, I pray for healing from the pneumonia soon. And Connie, praying that your Mom continues to adjust to her new living area. Cindy, your Thanksgiving celebration sounds wonderful. So thankful that you got to enjoy sweet family time.
Dwight's had a rough few weeks, mainly from occasional falls that seem to have injured his back. His pain has been extreme as we've gone through different doctors and the taking of x-rays, treatment of pain, etc. The neurosurgeon's conclusion is to see if wearing a back brace won't solve the problem, with surgery being the last resort. But before we could get that started, he had two falls within an hour last Wednesday, the 15th, and has been in the hospital ever since - from ER to ICU, then rehab facility, and now back in the hospital after surgery to relieve a urological problem he had. Turns out he has probably had UTI or some type of infection building up for a good while, which may have contributed to his falling. Things seems to be stable for now and he will hopefully go back to the rehab facility today. I've missed you all and cherish each of you.0 -
Carole - it's nice to see you here! I'm sorry to hear that Dwight's had such a rough few weeks. Praying that they've caught the problem now and he'll continue to get better.
Kim - add my prayers to Carole's for your pneumonia to heal quickly.
Connie - your Thanksgiving celebration sounds peaceful, if small. I'm sure your mom appreciated having an early dinner with you.
I'm supposed to be packing for Barcelona, but I'm playing hooky from that for a few minutes. I'm also planning on getting our (artificial) tree up and mostly decorated today - probably mostly this evening - while I watch a Christmas movie on GAC. I have a little more than half my Christmas shopping done. I'll probably end up doing some from the plane tomorrow! (Free wifi is so nice.)
We still have a little Thanksgiving clean-up to do, but all-in-all not too much.
Have a great weekend everyone!0 -
Cindy, I'd be getting our tree up this weekend if it was artificial. Beth & Daniel like live ones, so they also get one for us. I liked being able to keep an artificial tree up a long time, but live trees bring back sweet childhood memories. Having Beth & Daniel bring one for me and help me set it up is fun also. So it may be a couple of weeks before mine is up.
I also enjoy GAC movies, Cindy. I still watch a few Hallmark movies, but save the GAC ones for last. They seem to be better for some reason and always hold my interest.
Dwight got moved back to rehab this afternoon and we are very pleased. It's an excellent facility and was our first choice from all that were available. I don't know how long he will be there, but recovery will take a while for sure, as he can't even stand or walk by himself. But he's in a good place to gain strength and balance. Love to all of you.0 -
Carole, it is so good to see you. You and Dwight have been and will be in my prayers. Wow, I can't imagine - well, I can having gone through a lot of that with Mom. We felt so guilty when she had her falls, and UTI was something they checked when she did, but knew that, as with children, you can't be with them 24/7. I loved having a real tree when we were kids, but there is no way we can get up under a tree to water it every couple days! LOL! And there are no dead needles to clean up either, although for some reason a few artificial ones will fall while we are setting it up. This year I think we are going to throw a sheet over the tree and set it in a corner so it will be all ready to go next year! LOL! I hope you will be able to have yours up a ready soon.
Wow, Barcelona! That should be an awesome trip - even if you are busy. Prayers for your safety in travel.
Connie, I hope all is well with Bill and Mom. You too are in my prayers.
Breathing slightly better today, but I cough whenever I do anything. Very tired as well, so will I just rest a lot. Napping has become a norm for me during this! LOL!
Have an awesome day, ladies. Love you0 -
Carole - praying for you and Dwight. That had to be really scary! It sounds like he is in the right place to get better.
Bill has been doing some just standing up and it scares me so badly! In some ways I'm glad he's strong enough to stand up without his walker or wheelchair, but if he tried to walk, he would fall. He's done it from bed in the middle of the night, and from his recliner.0 -
Kim - I hope you've been able to rest and nap today, and I pray that your breathing continues to improve. Sometimes the body just needs to rest in order to heal.
Connie - How is Bill doing generally? Dwight says that sometimes his knee just gives away, so I know how you feel when Bill stands. It is so easy to fall, even when you're close by.
Cindy - When do you leave for Barcelona? I know you'll be busy with work, but will you have time for some sightseeing? Aside from the long flight, that should be a fascinating trip.
Everything seems to quickly be turning toward Christmas, but Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I like to let it linger on a little while. This year has been different from anything I've ever experienced, but there is so much for which to be thankful - maybe even more than before. Here in east Tennessee, we're close to Beth and her husband, Daniel. So when Dwight fell, she had an 8-minute drive instead of six hours on the road to Atlanta. We have a comfortable, lovely home and good neighbors. Medical facilities and staff have been excellent. And we have a close, caring church family. Several people have visited at the hospital, not just our pastor. Others have brought sandwiches to the waiting room or met me at home with soup, etc. Dwight is 80 and we celebrated our 50th anniversary this October. Only God knows how much longer we have on this earth, but we've been given more time together in this season of life. Like all of you, we are blessed indeed!0 -
Carole - I left for Barcelona Saturday afternoon and arrived here at 8:40am Sunday. I officially start work tomorrow and don't really know what my days will be like, so I went exploring with my sister (she's on this job with me) after checking in at the venue today.
26,463 steps later...
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How nice to have your sister with you! Try to enjoy while you work.0
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I love the pictures, Cindy! Thank you for sharing with us. I tried to look up Bones Festes and think it basically means happy holidays, party, celebration, etc. I hope you and your sister get to experience a little of Barcelona life in the midst of working.0
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Yes... they speak Catalan in Barcelona. Bones Festes is Happy Holidays. Bon Nadal is Merry Christmas... and the long one is: It's Christmas. Come to the market. I'm hoping to make it back to that Christmas Market later in the week when it's open0
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Cindy - My daughter led a campus ministry in Germany for 8 years. I was thrilled to visit her twice during those years, but never around Christmas. Beth loved street markets, especially the Christmas ones. You'll probably find some great food. Is it cold there, or does Barcelona have a milder climate? I didn't notice any heavy coats or wool scarves in your pictures.0
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It's definitely a milder climate. The highs are in the 60s this week and the lows are mostly in the 50s (although it does dip into the mid 40s later this week). My walk to and from the convention center is about 15 minutes. On my way back tonight it was 60° - not bad at all.
This same job last year was a little later in the year and was in Frankfurt. I was able to get to a lovely Christmas market when I was there.0 -
Oh, Carole. I'm so glad that you have an awesome Church family to be there for you! That makes so much difference. At a point in Mom's illness, we asked that people not come because she was getting very confused, and then she was looking so bad we didn't want them to remember her that way. They did send gifts though. I'm sorry I missed Thanksgiving with the Church family this year, but, Lord willing I will be fit as a fiddle by Christmas and spending time with the body then!
I go to the doctor on Wednesday. Not sure how it will go since she wasn't able to detect any sounds in my lungs the first time. No more expensive tests, I just had them and it's normal for someone my age to have to go through two sets of antibiotics because our bodies just don't heal as quickly. I'm kind of upset though. It will be two weeks since I finished the first round before I'm able to see her again. Praise the Lord He didn't let things get much worse although some days it felt like it was. Today I am doing fairly well, catching my breath is much easier and I'm able to do a bit more. Hardly any coughing at all. I do have a mild sore throat though, I've had that off and on. Lord willing I'll be well by Wednesday and can call and cancel the appointment. My doctor's office didn't handle this very well, but Jesus didn't let it get worse, rather it is getting better, so praise the Lord, He is faithful!
Our little stretch of road is so happy-looking. We have our lights up and next door as well. The neighbor on our other side put up lights around their porch and their neighbor has a display in their yard. The neighbor across the street always has a beautiful display too. The road is dark until you go around the curve and come into our neck of the woods and poof - lights! The guy on the other side of the road kitty-corner from us usually has some up, but he's not been feeling well lately, so maybe he will get some in a bit.
We are still waiting for a date for Wade's hernia surgery. Please keep him in your prayers. A simple surgery, but surgery is never simple!
Thanks y'all. Love you1 -
You're right, Kim... surgery is never simple! The unexpected happens more frequently than one would expect. Let us know when Wade's surgery is scheduled.
Dwight was moved to rehab over the weekend, when not much happens, so progress has been slow so far. We have a care plan meeting this afternoon, then I'll hopefully know more. I just know that he has a long way to go before being strong enough to come home. Right now, I'm sitting with him from late morning to late afternoon. Beth goes by before work and sometimes drops by in the evening. So thankful to have her close by!0 -
Carole, you and your family continue to be in my prayers. Thank you so much for sharing so I know how to pray for him and for y'all. I'm so glad that you are close to Beth, how special is that?
Wade is going to call them to see what the hold up is, but I will let y'all know as soon as we know.
I'm going to the doctor in the morning and hopefully get another round of antibiotics! I can't kick this out without medicinal help! I'm still having trouble catching my breath and I'm coughing more today than I did yesterday. I've had the occasional good day through this three week saga, but then I struggle again. I'm just ready for it to be over! I am so glad that Jesus is with me and helps me to stay strong and cheerful through it all. Wade has been so incredible, helping me every single day and doing the things I would normally do so that I can rest. God blessed me good!0 -
What a blessing our families are, Kim! I was just about to ask if you still needed to see the doctor tomorrow. Praying for you in this healing process of more antibiotics or whatever the doctor recommends.
Dwight had a much better day today and actually did some OT exercises. Another blessing is discovering how good our insurance is. If I understood correctly, there's no co-pay and the time limit is quite long. It's been ICU, hospital and rehab for two weeks now, so that is an incredible blessing. I've also regained my passion for reading and don't want to stop!0
