Day 193 - 197
I've got the time to post this morning, so I thought I'd get a few ideas on the blog. I've done a pile of laundry, and I'm waiting for it to dry, ( ha, ha, Glenn just loves that excuse for doing nothing!) so I sat down, checked email, and remembered to check the blog too. The kids are busy getting back to school, and I am content to watch the farmers combining, and don't miss the stress of that too much, right now anyway.
We went into the conference on Tuesday, and are now looking at the end of next week for a release date. That is so exciting now, to think that we can be at home, and just run in a couple of times a week for therapy, instead of being apart all the time. At first the terror of having Glenn out, and me taking care of him overwhelmed me, but I have since got a bit of help, or rather a lot of help lined up and a plan B in case of illness or storms or what ever. You should see Glenn, he just about glows when we talk about getting out of the hospital. My helper is a family friend who has helped take care of special needs kids for years, so she came to physio last week, and watched the routine, and is familiar with a lot of the stretches, so she is well able to do work at home with Glenn. There is a program through the health district which will pay her a wage, so we have applied for it, and although the funds are exhausted for the year, the social worker said that we had to apply and see what would happen, perhaps new funds are available. I have also been coached in the stretches, and have a list of them to follow, so we will do our best to keep Glenn from tightening up between sessions. It will be a lot of work, but each week Glenn is stronger and easier to move around, so I expect that he will be on his feet in a couple of months, and so a lot of issues will resolve themselves.
We expressed our concern about swallowing and eating, but the speech path said she would have to be really comfortable with the results of a swallowing assessment before she would start any food by mouth. That means we have to buy the canned supplement for a while, but it works out to be about $6.00 a day, so that isn't very expensive. I'm getting a list of supplies, and where to purchase them from, and the doctor has written prescriptions to help off set costs, so we are getting organized. We are doing a bit of a "dry run" this weekend, in that Glenn will be home for 4 days, one of them a Tuesday, so we are trying to get everything in place to see if it is going to work out, and what problems might come up that we can address before he is actually released. Oh boy, I try not to worry too much, but there are a lot of things to think about here, and I know we'll overlook something. Glenn's safety is the point, so we have to always watch out for that.
Well, that's about it for now. The combines will be rolling this weekend, so take your time and be safe out there. Things can happen so quickly, just be careful.
'Til next time,
Louise
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Saturday, August 25, 2007
August 17 - 24
Day 185-192
I am a bit startled to see how long it has been since I last posted, but I have been fairly busy, and am making arrangements to cover Glenn's needs when he gets home. I think I have a couple of plans in place, so the panic I was feeling at the beginning of the week has eased off, and I think I'm ready as I can be for the move home. Glenn is so ready to come home, I forgot about that in my own fear of the huge responsibility this is going to be. I just had to think it through, focus on Glenn and realize he needs something to do and to just get out of the hospital atmosphere.
He has shown a fair bit of return in the right side recently. His right arm is becoming more mobile, his stride is almost working, just the swing through is needing help, and there is more finger movement, so everyone is enthused about the fact that there is such return still happening. He only needs two people to help him walk, and the therapist said that all she is doing for him is advancing his right foot as it needs to swing forward. He is fairly steady on his feet, and transfers his weight back and forth, so I think that it is going to be OK. His speech is still slurred, but the way this is going, one day he will show signs of improvement there, it's just right now the return in his right side is taking all the attention.
I had a 'shopping for school' day with Jackie, and got her set for Monday. She needed someone to help her find a few things and places, so now she is really excited. She said to me that she is happy again, and hasn't really felt that way for a while, so that was a good thing to hear. She has a new boy friend who is helping that situation along too! She opened one of her new text books, and was poring over the pictures of mouths, and teeth, and oh my, there were some scary looking examples, but she seemed genuinely interested, so this may be it. We'll see in a couple of months. I'm excited for her and Glenn was happy to look at the gross pictures with her, so I imagine he is excited for her too.
Chris is also signed up and ready to start on Sept. 3. He has 2 semesters left, so it will be good to be finished. To have stopped so close to the end would have been hard to accept, so I'm glad he's persevering. I just have to get Dale going, or someone does, and we should be done with post secondary. That will be a relief too.
Glenn will be released to come home sometime in September. That will come quickly now, but not quickly enough for him I'm sure. He will need someone to stay with him when I am at work for the first while, so that is what we are working at arranging. I have been shown how to do his stretches because outpatient physio will only be twice a week, and we don't want to lose any momentum now. I do have the support of friends in that they will come and help when the time comes to work on stretches as well. Once you set your mind to do it, things fall into place.
I'm getting a bit busy now, so I'll sign off and try to not go so long between postings.
'Til next time,
Louise
I am a bit startled to see how long it has been since I last posted, but I have been fairly busy, and am making arrangements to cover Glenn's needs when he gets home. I think I have a couple of plans in place, so the panic I was feeling at the beginning of the week has eased off, and I think I'm ready as I can be for the move home. Glenn is so ready to come home, I forgot about that in my own fear of the huge responsibility this is going to be. I just had to think it through, focus on Glenn and realize he needs something to do and to just get out of the hospital atmosphere.
He has shown a fair bit of return in the right side recently. His right arm is becoming more mobile, his stride is almost working, just the swing through is needing help, and there is more finger movement, so everyone is enthused about the fact that there is such return still happening. He only needs two people to help him walk, and the therapist said that all she is doing for him is advancing his right foot as it needs to swing forward. He is fairly steady on his feet, and transfers his weight back and forth, so I think that it is going to be OK. His speech is still slurred, but the way this is going, one day he will show signs of improvement there, it's just right now the return in his right side is taking all the attention.
I had a 'shopping for school' day with Jackie, and got her set for Monday. She needed someone to help her find a few things and places, so now she is really excited. She said to me that she is happy again, and hasn't really felt that way for a while, so that was a good thing to hear. She has a new boy friend who is helping that situation along too! She opened one of her new text books, and was poring over the pictures of mouths, and teeth, and oh my, there were some scary looking examples, but she seemed genuinely interested, so this may be it. We'll see in a couple of months. I'm excited for her and Glenn was happy to look at the gross pictures with her, so I imagine he is excited for her too.
Chris is also signed up and ready to start on Sept. 3. He has 2 semesters left, so it will be good to be finished. To have stopped so close to the end would have been hard to accept, so I'm glad he's persevering. I just have to get Dale going, or someone does, and we should be done with post secondary. That will be a relief too.
Glenn will be released to come home sometime in September. That will come quickly now, but not quickly enough for him I'm sure. He will need someone to stay with him when I am at work for the first while, so that is what we are working at arranging. I have been shown how to do his stretches because outpatient physio will only be twice a week, and we don't want to lose any momentum now. I do have the support of friends in that they will come and help when the time comes to work on stretches as well. Once you set your mind to do it, things fall into place.
I'm getting a bit busy now, so I'll sign off and try to not go so long between postings.
'Til next time,
Louise
Thursday, August 16, 2007
August 11,12,13,14,15,&16
Day 179,180,181,182,183,&184
I'm on the verge of a pile of forms again. It has to do with care for Glenn in the transition, the programs we may be able to use require that forms be filled out and submitted. Then we wait to see if we are accepted or not. In the mean time we need to be assured that Glenn is safe where ever he is. It is a form filled world out there! The paperwork is truly staggering, and I have the help of a social worker to pick and choose what to apply for. I will keep you informed as Glenn's release date draws near. In the mean time, he will be home again this weekend, so we will work on a few more home skills and polish up the ones we've already tried. He spoke quite clearly on Monday night, one sentence, which came out clear as a bell. We both stopped and marveled at the ease with which it slipped out, and are encouraged with this sign of progress. Just when you think perhaps we are slowing down a bit, there comes an awesome sign. He is being encouraged to use his right hand more and more all the time, and I see that is taking a fair bit of concentration, but there is improvement.
Thank-you for your input on the SUV vs. mini-van contest. I am researching them both, and of course find good and bad in both, so it will ultimately be what I can find that I like for the right price. They think Glenn may have his power chair next week, which will help in that I will have dimensions to work with. I'm not holding my breath, but it looks pretty promising, as long as there are no tie ups. I'll have to take Glenn along, and see if transferring into one is better than into another, so there are a lot of factors to consider. I hope I can find a red one!
I took a bit of time off this week. Last week was very full, so I decided I needed to get my head back on straight. A bit of housework is good for that, so I cleaned, and worked away at the garbage. I hadn't burned for a while, so after the rain on the weekend, I thought it would be OK to get rid of some. Of course the wind picked up and caused me some concern, but all was well, and I am a bit more sanitary than a few days ago! I hate that job! I did a fair bit of laundry too, so I think I am a bit more in control of the household. That won't last too long, but it did help the head straightening!
Dale bought a Geo, or rather Suzuki Swift, so he has joined the ranks of the Mitchell Geo drivers. He was pleased to inform me that he had only spent $33.00 to fill it and he was hoping to drive to and from work for 2 weeks on that. If he can, he says it will save him $90.00! That will sure pay for the car in a hurry!
Jackie starts school in 11 days, and is getting excited. Her RESP money arrived in time, so she is ready to get school supplies, and get going to class. I hope she likes it.
That's about all the news for now, no birthdays here now for a while, Mom and Dad are home safe and sound, and have a few good stories to tell about the cruise. I'm putting in an extra day tomorrow(Friday) so don't call me, 'cause I'm at work!
'Til next time,
Louise
I'm on the verge of a pile of forms again. It has to do with care for Glenn in the transition, the programs we may be able to use require that forms be filled out and submitted. Then we wait to see if we are accepted or not. In the mean time we need to be assured that Glenn is safe where ever he is. It is a form filled world out there! The paperwork is truly staggering, and I have the help of a social worker to pick and choose what to apply for. I will keep you informed as Glenn's release date draws near. In the mean time, he will be home again this weekend, so we will work on a few more home skills and polish up the ones we've already tried. He spoke quite clearly on Monday night, one sentence, which came out clear as a bell. We both stopped and marveled at the ease with which it slipped out, and are encouraged with this sign of progress. Just when you think perhaps we are slowing down a bit, there comes an awesome sign. He is being encouraged to use his right hand more and more all the time, and I see that is taking a fair bit of concentration, but there is improvement.
Thank-you for your input on the SUV vs. mini-van contest. I am researching them both, and of course find good and bad in both, so it will ultimately be what I can find that I like for the right price. They think Glenn may have his power chair next week, which will help in that I will have dimensions to work with. I'm not holding my breath, but it looks pretty promising, as long as there are no tie ups. I'll have to take Glenn along, and see if transferring into one is better than into another, so there are a lot of factors to consider. I hope I can find a red one!
I took a bit of time off this week. Last week was very full, so I decided I needed to get my head back on straight. A bit of housework is good for that, so I cleaned, and worked away at the garbage. I hadn't burned for a while, so after the rain on the weekend, I thought it would be OK to get rid of some. Of course the wind picked up and caused me some concern, but all was well, and I am a bit more sanitary than a few days ago! I hate that job! I did a fair bit of laundry too, so I think I am a bit more in control of the household. That won't last too long, but it did help the head straightening!
Dale bought a Geo, or rather Suzuki Swift, so he has joined the ranks of the Mitchell Geo drivers. He was pleased to inform me that he had only spent $33.00 to fill it and he was hoping to drive to and from work for 2 weeks on that. If he can, he says it will save him $90.00! That will sure pay for the car in a hurry!
Jackie starts school in 11 days, and is getting excited. Her RESP money arrived in time, so she is ready to get school supplies, and get going to class. I hope she likes it.
That's about all the news for now, no birthdays here now for a while, Mom and Dad are home safe and sound, and have a few good stories to tell about the cruise. I'm putting in an extra day tomorrow(Friday) so don't call me, 'cause I'm at work!
'Til next time,
Louise
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Aug 3-10
Day 171 - 178
I'm not happy about the blog in that I posted a few days ago, something happened and it was gone. I had started one posting, left it, then came back to it. It does save, but didn't save the second part of the post, so I just deleted the first part and sniffed in disgust! Anyway, that is the reason it has been so long since I last posted, I lost the one in between! Now, I don't remember what I had said in the last post, so I hope I don't forget anything. I show my age once in a while!
Mom and Dad left to take an Alaskan Cruise last weekend, and should be coming home tomorrow or the next day. I don't know how they are doing, although they had talked to Wendy on Thursday night. We'll hear about it when they get home.
Glenn spent the weekend at home last week and is home again today. It sure beats driving to the city, but I have a lot more work to care for him. He rests better though, so I'm thinking that will help with the whole outlook of things. The doctor is talking about discharging him in the next week or so, so needless to say I sort of panicked. I need a fair bit of stuff to be lined up before that can happen, so I had a good talk with the social worker, who got the picture, and commented that the logistics of Glenn at home must be worked out better than what we have right now. She was getting a bit of a run around because we are rural, and don't have easy access to help. More as this develops.
Glenn had a disappointment with his swallow assessment, and has to stay on tube feeding for a while. He couldn't clear a lump of pudding, so they had to suction it out, which wasn't pleasant at all. The therapist says these kind of strokes will show a marked improvement suddenly, as though a switch is thrown, so we will wait and see how that turns out too. His speech is getting clearer all the time, and that works together with swallowing, so hopefully it won't be much longer.
I had to travel to Earl Grey to help move Uncle Bob's stuff out of the house he had been staying in there. She is moving to Regina in August, so I thought I had better help out that way as soon as I could. It spit rain on me going and coming back, and I hadn't taken along a tarp. We wrapped a chest of drawers with an old blanket, so it was OK. Uncle Bob is sliding down hill, so we hope that if he has a bit more company, he will start to participate in some of the activities and regain some interest in life. The last time I visited him he didn't know me. I teased him a bit about needing bigger pants, and told him he should start walking a bit more. Then he started to smile, so perhaps he thought of who I was. He doesn't speak very much, so it's hard to know exactly what he does know.
I also started looking at vehicles, and really liked a red Highlander at Toyota, but the boys are giving me the gears about how useless SUV's are and how much gas they use etc. etc. so I'm feeling a bit let down by the thought of another mini van. I will do a bit more research into the Highlander, and look at some more mini vans, before I make any decisions. I have to do some measuring and other stuff, and we don't have the power chair yet, so there is really no rush, but I don't want to make a bad choice either. What fun!
'Til next time,
Louise
I'm not happy about the blog in that I posted a few days ago, something happened and it was gone. I had started one posting, left it, then came back to it. It does save, but didn't save the second part of the post, so I just deleted the first part and sniffed in disgust! Anyway, that is the reason it has been so long since I last posted, I lost the one in between! Now, I don't remember what I had said in the last post, so I hope I don't forget anything. I show my age once in a while!
Mom and Dad left to take an Alaskan Cruise last weekend, and should be coming home tomorrow or the next day. I don't know how they are doing, although they had talked to Wendy on Thursday night. We'll hear about it when they get home.
Glenn spent the weekend at home last week and is home again today. It sure beats driving to the city, but I have a lot more work to care for him. He rests better though, so I'm thinking that will help with the whole outlook of things. The doctor is talking about discharging him in the next week or so, so needless to say I sort of panicked. I need a fair bit of stuff to be lined up before that can happen, so I had a good talk with the social worker, who got the picture, and commented that the logistics of Glenn at home must be worked out better than what we have right now. She was getting a bit of a run around because we are rural, and don't have easy access to help. More as this develops.
Glenn had a disappointment with his swallow assessment, and has to stay on tube feeding for a while. He couldn't clear a lump of pudding, so they had to suction it out, which wasn't pleasant at all. The therapist says these kind of strokes will show a marked improvement suddenly, as though a switch is thrown, so we will wait and see how that turns out too. His speech is getting clearer all the time, and that works together with swallowing, so hopefully it won't be much longer.
I had to travel to Earl Grey to help move Uncle Bob's stuff out of the house he had been staying in there. She is moving to Regina in August, so I thought I had better help out that way as soon as I could. It spit rain on me going and coming back, and I hadn't taken along a tarp. We wrapped a chest of drawers with an old blanket, so it was OK. Uncle Bob is sliding down hill, so we hope that if he has a bit more company, he will start to participate in some of the activities and regain some interest in life. The last time I visited him he didn't know me. I teased him a bit about needing bigger pants, and told him he should start walking a bit more. Then he started to smile, so perhaps he thought of who I was. He doesn't speak very much, so it's hard to know exactly what he does know.
I also started looking at vehicles, and really liked a red Highlander at Toyota, but the boys are giving me the gears about how useless SUV's are and how much gas they use etc. etc. so I'm feeling a bit let down by the thought of another mini van. I will do a bit more research into the Highlander, and look at some more mini vans, before I make any decisions. I have to do some measuring and other stuff, and we don't have the power chair yet, so there is really no rush, but I don't want to make a bad choice either. What fun!
'Til next time,
Louise
Friday, August 3, 2007
July 30, 31, Aug. 1,& 2
Day 168,169,170 & 171
Happy news in that Glenn comes home again this weekend, and gets a long weekend stay, no therapy on Monday, so he can stay home that day too. The driving is what is getting to me the most right now. It is a long way everyday, and I sometimes wonder if I should be looking for something closer to the city, but I know that we are too uncertain of the future to be doing that yet, so the kms. keep piling on the cars.
Yesterday was Aryn's birthday, and I was a bad mom - in - law and didn't get around to phoning to say 'Happy Day', but it's not always going the way I want it to go. I was musing out loud to Glenn about a personality flaw of mine that is coming through more often these days and he just laughed and said 'surprise , surprise'. You see, I tend to get aggressive behind the wheel of a car, and get really impatient with the driving habits of those around me. Glenn says I drive 'hard', and tend to get pushy when people start cutting me off and generally showing no manners on the road. Of course I just add to the problem, and have to really content myself with colourful language (I don't have anyone in the car with me right now) and I admit , shamefully, that I have flipped the bird at more than a few drivers. After Glenn's comment, I have tried harder to drive 'easy', but some days.....
Anyway, I booked the Camry in to have the exhaust leak repaired, and also got them to install the brake pads I bought. I thought I called one shop, but after I got back from shopping with a friend to pick up the car, I was dismayed to see it in the same spot I had left it that morning. Sure enough, it hadn't been done, and the guys said it was booked in at the other shop. Now, I can't say for sure, because I really don't know, but I think I called and talked to the right guy at this shop. They then quickly put it in and I had to wait 1 1/2 for it, but it does sound nice and the brakes no longer grind as I step on them. So much for Plan A. The phone in the charger hadn't charged over the last 2 days, so I was cell phone less, causing more delays and missed calls. I will explain all this to Aryn, and apologize, and I just didn't do it when I got home, because I was tired and lazy. So much for good intentions.
Dad's birthday is tomorrow, and they leave on their cruise the day after, so I need to see them sometime today, although Plan A doesn't always work out. Happy birthday Dad just in case!
The terrible storms that went through Liberty and Cupar (I'm sure there are other towns affected by this one) were the talk of the hospital as there are people who know people from these towns. One of Glenn's nurses was saying that a cattle barn was torn up and some livestock is missing, so it was a nasty one for sure. Apparently every house in the town of Liberty had broken or cracked windows. I don't know if it was the same storm, but it was the same day, so it was pretty scary out there.
I'm going to buy a bar to install in the bathroom for Glenn to hang onto when he needs to. We are figuring things out as we go here, and his OT is very good about how to make things work. I went in for Glenn's physio session yesterday, and they were showing me how to stretch his leg, and made suggestions where and how it would best be done. They suggested a short stool, perhaps old phone books, so I will be duct taping up my old books to use for Glenn's leg stretches. Who knew? They also took him for a walk, and it was quite a long way down the hall. He can shift his weight back and forth very well, and yesterday was the maiden voyage for his new leg brace. They were monitoring it for pressure spots, so I was also shown how and where there were reddened areas. He may have to gradually get use to it, and his foot is pretty stiff, so that really doesn't help. We should be able to stand him and stretch his leg at home. They suggested the counter in the kitchen, so perhaps I can get him to do some dishes while he's there
(just joking)
I'm out of news for now, and my coffee is gone, so I best get started on the days cleaning.
'Til next time,
Louise
Happy news in that Glenn comes home again this weekend, and gets a long weekend stay, no therapy on Monday, so he can stay home that day too. The driving is what is getting to me the most right now. It is a long way everyday, and I sometimes wonder if I should be looking for something closer to the city, but I know that we are too uncertain of the future to be doing that yet, so the kms. keep piling on the cars.
Yesterday was Aryn's birthday, and I was a bad mom - in - law and didn't get around to phoning to say 'Happy Day', but it's not always going the way I want it to go. I was musing out loud to Glenn about a personality flaw of mine that is coming through more often these days and he just laughed and said 'surprise , surprise'. You see, I tend to get aggressive behind the wheel of a car, and get really impatient with the driving habits of those around me. Glenn says I drive 'hard', and tend to get pushy when people start cutting me off and generally showing no manners on the road. Of course I just add to the problem, and have to really content myself with colourful language (I don't have anyone in the car with me right now) and I admit , shamefully, that I have flipped the bird at more than a few drivers. After Glenn's comment, I have tried harder to drive 'easy', but some days.....
Anyway, I booked the Camry in to have the exhaust leak repaired, and also got them to install the brake pads I bought. I thought I called one shop, but after I got back from shopping with a friend to pick up the car, I was dismayed to see it in the same spot I had left it that morning. Sure enough, it hadn't been done, and the guys said it was booked in at the other shop. Now, I can't say for sure, because I really don't know, but I think I called and talked to the right guy at this shop. They then quickly put it in and I had to wait 1 1/2 for it, but it does sound nice and the brakes no longer grind as I step on them. So much for Plan A. The phone in the charger hadn't charged over the last 2 days, so I was cell phone less, causing more delays and missed calls. I will explain all this to Aryn, and apologize, and I just didn't do it when I got home, because I was tired and lazy. So much for good intentions.
Dad's birthday is tomorrow, and they leave on their cruise the day after, so I need to see them sometime today, although Plan A doesn't always work out. Happy birthday Dad just in case!
The terrible storms that went through Liberty and Cupar (I'm sure there are other towns affected by this one) were the talk of the hospital as there are people who know people from these towns. One of Glenn's nurses was saying that a cattle barn was torn up and some livestock is missing, so it was a nasty one for sure. Apparently every house in the town of Liberty had broken or cracked windows. I don't know if it was the same storm, but it was the same day, so it was pretty scary out there.
I'm going to buy a bar to install in the bathroom for Glenn to hang onto when he needs to. We are figuring things out as we go here, and his OT is very good about how to make things work. I went in for Glenn's physio session yesterday, and they were showing me how to stretch his leg, and made suggestions where and how it would best be done. They suggested a short stool, perhaps old phone books, so I will be duct taping up my old books to use for Glenn's leg stretches. Who knew? They also took him for a walk, and it was quite a long way down the hall. He can shift his weight back and forth very well, and yesterday was the maiden voyage for his new leg brace. They were monitoring it for pressure spots, so I was also shown how and where there were reddened areas. He may have to gradually get use to it, and his foot is pretty stiff, so that really doesn't help. We should be able to stand him and stretch his leg at home. They suggested the counter in the kitchen, so perhaps I can get him to do some dishes while he's there
(just joking)
I'm out of news for now, and my coffee is gone, so I best get started on the days cleaning.
'Til next time,
Louise
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