Tom's Diary

Today’s Activities

• Shower.  DONE.
• Cat duty.  DONE.
• Shopping trip.  DONE.

Log

06:30 AM: I’m up.  Woke up 45 minutes before the alarm.  So I guess my own internal clock still works when it must. 

07:15 AM: Blogged and Facebooked.  No debates going on so far today.

08:00 AM: Sister Jojo just arrived, and we’re heading out for our weekly    shopping trip.  We’re also visiting Mom this morning.  Detail of that visit   here.  Back later.

01:30 PM: We got back home a little while ago and I’m putting the groceries away.  Gosh, it seems like I do this shopping thing every day.  Bt it’s fun to buy stuff.  So I don’t mind too much.

02:00 PM: One or both of the cats must be sick — several piles of previously-ingested food around the house.

02:45 PM: Watched the 2010-08-11 episode of   The Young and the Restless   on the DVR.   Now, it’s nap time.

07:10 PM: Watched the 2010-08-23 episode of   The Young and the Restless   on the DVR.

05:30 PM: I’m back up, blogging.

11:40 PM: Watched the 2010-09-01, 2010-09-02, and 2010-09-03 episodes of   The Young and the Restless   on the DVR.

11:55 PM: Made some peach-flavored cream cheese Jello, per [Emmy's] request.  It should be ready for breakfast in the morning.

12:25 AM: Bed time again.  Catch you once more tomorrow.  Good night.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

• Delivery notice for something or other; probably the cell phone batteries.
• Gas bill

Related Posts

• Mom’s Status: 2010-09-03
• Shopping Trip: 2010-09-03
• Today’s Diet: 2010-09-03
• Weight Loss: 2010

09:30 AM: I bought the following items at Wal Mart this morning:

• Philadelphia cream cheese (14 packs).
• Friskies cat food (21 cans).
• Diet caffeine-free Pepsi (6 liters).
• Diet Canada Dry Ginger Ale (6 liters).
• Avacados (4).
• Raspberries (12 Oz).
• Green grapes (1 bag).
• Peaches (8).
• Yellow corn (4 ears).
• Radishes (1 Lb.).
• English Cucumber (1).
• Great Value orange juice (1 gallon).
• Great Value low fat cottage cheese (2 containers).
• Arm & Hammer Mult Cat cat litter (1 large box).
• Great Value canned mushrooms (12 cans).
• Sugar-free maple syrup (1 bottle).
• Q-Tips cotton swabs (1 large box).
• Fructis shampoo (2 medium-sized bottles) (for [Emmy]).
• Correlle Ware 2 Qt. bowl (3).

Total cost: $156.27

10:15 AM: Next, we hit Dunkin’ Donuts for our traditional friday morning catch-up time.  I bought the following items:

• 1 extra large decaffeinated coffee with hazelnut flavoring and half & half.
• 1 multigrain bagel with cream cheese.

Total cost: $3.81

10:30 AM: Next, we stopped at Wise Eyes of Altoona and I picked up

• A pair of my glasses that we dropped off over a month ago. They repaired the frames and buffed as well as applied a new anti reflective coating to the lenses. 

Total cost: $88.00

12:30 PM: Lastly, we visited Mom at the nursing facility.

Grand total: $248.08

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• Today’s Business: 2010-09-03

Summary

Mom continued her daily  physical therapy today.  This time, she actually went down to the PT room (the gym).  She stood up again today, with help, FOUR times, with little pain.  Stupendous!  Her voice still sounds somewhat weak, but is starting to sound more normal.     She’s still emotional, and wants family-and-friends support. Sometimes, she lacks motivation to exercise much, as she wonders what’s going to happen when she finishes her antibiotic in late September.  Will the MRSA return?  No one can say for sure.  But she’s very concerned. 

Pending Objectives

• Order podiatrist for regular checkups on Mom’s feet.
• Track Mom’s extreme weakness and loss of feeling in legs. IN PROGRESS.  This has improved markedly over the past week.  Given this, we believe that the nerve damage is reversible, and she seems to be doing a great job in PT doing just that. 
• Monitor Mom’s overall pain status.  We’re looking to get her pain stopped.  IN PROGRESS.  Her pain continues to decrease so that now, she doesn’t seem to have much in her legs when she’s laying still.  So the static pain seems to be almost gone.     
• Track the dissipation of Mom’s pelvic hematoma.  IN PROGRESS.   Can’t measure further progress on this one until Mom has another EMG test in a week or two. 
• Locate Mom’s living will.  IN PROGRESS.  Her attorneys called a couple days ago, and want me to visit their office.  I’ll try them again next week, and hopefully, they can come to the hospital for Mom’s signature on these papers if needed.  Or at least, they’ll be able to FAX me the living will.        

Completed Objectives

Log

10:45 AM: Heading over with sister Jojo to visit Mom.  Details of this visit follow:

• 10:47 AM: We signed in, and upon arrival at Mom’s room, found her all dulled up in a bright yellow shirt (her Big Bird suit, she called it), and on her way to Physical Therapy.  She invited us to join her at the gym.  So, we did, eager to see her strength-building progress.
• She liked neighbor Marlene’s most recent get-well card.
• Sister Jojo noted more swelling in Mom’s legs that we’ve observed over the past week; perhaps due to all the exercising she’s been performing.  The therapists weren’t alarmed, and in spite of Mom’s bigger thighs, she still demonstrated the most strength so far this incident. 
• She worked her hands, wrists, and arms by, with her hands, by turning a device that looked like a set of bicycle pedals that sat on the table in front of her. 
• She also did the wrist and elbow curls and “push-out” exercises.
• Then, they got her to stand, four times, and each time, she also walked approximately eight feet; supporting herself via hand rails on each side. 
• 11:30 AM: She stood up the third time.
• 11:40 AM: She stood up the fourth time.
• 11:45 AM: She finished PT, and we walked with her while she rolled herself in her wheelchair, back up to her 2nd floor room.
• Her weekly blood work was drawn this morning, and she reported that she had to take lots of pain meds yesterday; she’s probably sore from all the working out.
• She would like to have the large serving spoon from home near her chair in the sitting room, with which to scratch her back.
• We told her of her cats getting sick lately, and she recommended Friskies Outdoor Cat food for them. 
• 12:05 PM: Lunch arrived.  We need to also take her a canister of potassium chloride salt for her food, since they won’t allow her to use sodium chloride (the “real” stuff) due to her heart condition.
• She repeated again that she wishes no further follow-up heart surgery; even if doctors say that it’s necessary.  She’s telling all her close friends this as well. 
• Finally, she wants NO birthday gifts from anyone; your attention and support are more than sufficient gifts as she sees it. 
• 12:30 PM: We’re leaving now, and she’s going to rest this afternoon; although she wished to remain in her wheelchair.  We saw her in bed not once this visi, which is another vast improvement. 
• We’ll visit her again over the weekend. 

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• Today’s Business: 2010-09-03

I keep this food diary to stay aware of just how many calories I’m eating daily, with the hope that it decreases the likelihood that I’ll overeat.    It seems to work, so here we go with another day…

Today, I consumed the following items:

• Herbal tea and diet pop throughout the day. 0 calories.
• 10:15 AM: 1 multi-grain bagel with cream cheese.  500 calories.
• 10:40 AM: 1 extra large decaffeinated coffee with half & half.  100 calories.
• 01:30 PM: 1 banana.  125 calories.
• 05:00 PM: 1 bowl of lime-flavored cream cheese Jello.  400 calories.
• 08:00 PM: 2 bowls of Cheerios with organic skim milk, raisins, and fresh raspberries.  1200 calories.

Total calories: 2325.

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• Other Food Diary Entries
• Today’s Business: 2010-09-03
• Weight Loss: 2010