Friday, October 2, 2009

The Computer Is In The Shop

Our computer went into the shop a couple of days ago. I'm at the library using a public computer right now. I wanted to let you know about this. I probably won't be posting as often until we get the computer back. I hope it's not much longer, I think I'm going into computer withdrawl.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Feeling Better Today

Sue seems to be feeling better today. She slept in which is probably good for her. When she got up she started making her daily phone calls. One old friend told her she was cleaning house and needed to take a break. She ask if she could come over to visit. That made Sue happy. I can hear them laughing and talking in the living room right now. This visit will mean a lot to her I'm sure since it was the old friends idea to stop in when there wasn't anything special going on.

She has a scheduled appointment for a check up tomorrow afternoon. I'm sure we'll find out more about the ear infection while we're there.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Took Sue To The Emergency Room

I'd planned on working three and a half hours today. Since Sue hasn't been feeling well for the last two or three days I figured I might get a phone call. It came at noon, Sue needed me to take her out to the emergency room. She still said it was the Crohn's Disease that was causing the problem. She had me convinced that yesterdays fall was because of a limp she has had every since she broke her leg years ago. She still claimed she had not hit her head when she fell and didn't know why there was swelling around her ear.

When we pulled up to the ER doors a nurse came out to get Sue and take her in while I found a parking spot. By the time I got to the registration desk Sue had started letting the hospital staff know that she'd better not be shown the disrespect she was shown the last time she was there. Not many people like this hospital but its the only one within a forty mile radius. After we made it into the exam room they drew blood and gave her a shot of morphine. After all of her test results came back the doctor said it was not Crohn's Disease that was making her sick, and the swelling around her ear was not caused by hitting her head. Sue has an ear infection. I brought her home. Except for when she was eating shes been asleep every since we got home. They gave her a prescription's for Lortab, Ciprofloxacin and Ciprodex (ear drops).

It has started to rain since I started this post. The sound of rain helps Sue sleep. This could be a blessing.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

What A Day

I guess I should have known this was going to be a rough day when Sue woke me at 1:30 AM to ask me if I could hear our dogs barking. Yes I did. I looked out back in the garage and dog run area. There was a strange pickup parked in our drive. I went out to check things out and found the dogs were looking toward our outside basement stairs. There was a twenty some year old woman at the bottom of the stairs. She said she was looking for someone I'd never heard of and took off on foot. I called the police to report a prowler and an apparently abandoned pickup. The officer never found the woman but he did find a meth/crack pipe in the pickup. He had it towed in. I got back to bed around 3:AM and had to get up to officially start my day at 6:30.

Sue got up at around 8:15 AM and went in the rest room. Shes been limping the last few days and says its because of arthritis in a leg she broke years ago, she also has Osteoporosis. She fell on her way out of the restroom. She said she'd be OK. Every since she has complained about not feeling well. She said she needs Morphine and antibiotics. There seems to be some swelling around one ear but it is not discolored. She said no, she did not hit her head when she fell and no(!) she does not want to go out to the ER. "They never do anything anyway and then they send you a bill". I won't argue with her that's the way most folks feel about the only hospital in our area. She wants to wait and see if she can make it until she goes in for a regular check up Monday.

A Saint Joseph Police Department Captain called me this afternoon. He said they think the woman I found at the bottom of my basement stairs is the ex wife of the owner of the pickup that was abandoned in my driveway. They think she was driving when they tried to stop the pickup for speeding earlier.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Am I Getting Worse?

A while back an article in our local paper told about a new insert magazine "Kin" that will soon be a part of their Sunday addition. The magazine will have articles about family issues and activities. The publisher ask for suggestions. I told them that Sue and her Mother both have Alzheimer's and that she had lost her Grandmother and a Great Aunt to the disease. We believe her Great Grandmother also had Alzheimer's but that was never diagnosed. Today I got a response from the papers health reporter. She said that she wants to do an article on Alzheimer's in November, Alzheimer's Awareness Month. That still has to be approved by her editor.

When I shared the above with Sue she was happy to hear that someone with the paper planned on doing an article on Alzheimer's. Then she ask, "Am I getting worse?". She said she thought she was doing OK but she thought others might see something else. I did not lie, I told her I see her have good days and bad and that so far the good out number the bad. That seemed to ease her mind. This has got to be a rough time for her. She sees what it has done to her Mother so far. She watched it take her Great Aunt. We were her Grandmothers care givers for five years. Now shes told she has this devastating disease. I'm not so sure I could handle it if I were in her place.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

World Alzheimer's Day, 2009

Also posted at A Republic, if you can keep it.

Please don't forget tomorrow September 21, 2009 is World Alzheimer's Day. I'm thinking that would be the perfect time to contact your elected officials to urge them to support S.1492 and H.R. 3286, the Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act of 2009. If passed this legislation will help provide researchers with the funds they need to find new and better treatments and possibly a cure for Alzheimer's Disease.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Thanks go to:
Alzheimer's Disease International

The Weekend Is Going Well

This weekend is off to a great start. I took Friday off to take care of some things that needed to be done. I hated the idea of missing work but it was necessary. The plan for Saturday was to go over to Sues Mothers house to get an oak dinning room table and chairs she wants us to have. That plan got changed when Sue decided that table will be going into our kitchen. Other things need to be moved before that's going to happen. A friend is coming over to help me take a kitchen table and our freezer to the basement tomorrow.

Sue and a couple of friends are planning another friends October birthday celebration. So she spent a good deal of time on the phone with old friends Saturday. That is great. For a while it seemed old friends were leaving her out of things. She felt she was being abandoned because of the Alzheimer's diagnoses. Shes been hearing from them more this past week or so. I'd been trying to figure out how to let them know they were hurting her without causing a problem and they started coming around and calling again without me saying a word. Possibly saved me from being the bad guy.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.