Tom's Diary

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty. DONE.
• Wash all (2) pending loads of laundry.  DONE.  38 loads completed in the new washer now.

Log

07:05 AM: I’m up. 

07:45 AM: Leaving now for the weekly   shopping trip   with sister Jojo.  Back later.

09:20 AM:  Stopped in to see Mom during our trip.  She was sleeping anddid not want to wake up.  So we talked with the nurse.  They’re concerned that she’s depressed, as she’s sitting around with her head down a lot and blankets pulled over her head.  They give her pain meds each morning before taking her to physical therapy.  We caught her this morning while those meds were in full effect, which is probably why she did not fully awaken.

We left her around ten pairs of new socks.  Hopefully, they’re what she likes.  Also, I received mail from the home. They’ve scheduled a care planning meeting for March 2nd to discuss how they’d like to care for Mom and help her to rehab as much as possible.  I’ll go up there for that, next week. 

We also verified her meds.  They are giving her everything that we think she’s supposed to be taking, at the usual dosages. 

Over all, Mom seemed normal. 

Reminder: Her eye appointment is coming up next week but I will not be able to accompany here there for that.  Someone at the home will take her. 

10:00 AM: I’m back home and all groceries have been put away. 

01:15 PM: Put today’s load of laundry from Mom that we picked up this morning, in the washing machine.  I so love using that Maytag Bravos washer.  It’s awesome.   

01:30 PM: Watched the 2011-02-05 through 2011-02-09 episodes of   NBC’s Nightly News   on the DVR.

02:25 PM: Watched today’s episode of   The Young and the Restless   on the DVR.

02:40 PM: RSVPed and told Pam at the nursing home that I’d be attending Mom’s care plan review next week in the main conference room, just inside the home’s main entrance. If the sibs have any issues to raise in this venue, let me know before this meeting.

02:45 PM: I arranged for my ride too.  1.5 hours up, and 1.5 hours back home.  Well, at least the views out the windows are nice, and I’ll have my iPod too.   Indeed I know how to pass the time on long trips. Lots of experience doing that through the years.  Grrrrrrrrrr. 

03:00 PM: Taking another nap.  Back later.

05:30 PM: I’m back up again. 

06:15 PM: Watched today’s   Dr. Phil   episode:  Steve Harvey: What Are Men Thinking?   I’ve posted the notes I took from that show   here.

08:30 PM: Worked the   Water Heater Replacement: 2010   project.

09:00 PM: One Egg McMuffin has 300 calories, and I had two this morning at Wal Mart. What a tasty way to top off a grocery shopping trip. Yum!  My favorite McDonald’s item: The Quarter Pounder with cheese and lots of ketchup. I just wish they’d make it with whole wheat or rye buns. I don’t know if they do. But it’s certainly cool if they do. Next time I’m out there, I’ll ask ‘em.

09:45 PM: Can you wash all items that say “wash separately,” together? No, I didn’t think so. Oh well, looks like this new washer will get a real workout, as we havelotsof those fuzzy, fleecy, “wash separately” items in Mom’s wardrobe. Not my stuff, you understand.  I’ve heard some experienced launderers say that “wash separately” just means to wash with similar items, and not to mix non fuzzy things with fuzzies.  If that’s the case, do their colors have to match? I’d expect that for best results, they would.

09:50 PM: Been listening to the Penguins hockey game with   [Emmy]   over the phone throughout the evening.  The Pens just lost however, 4 to 1 to the Carolina Hurricanes. 

09:55 PM: Yea, I think I saw that report on the color catching sheets for the laundry. Hmmm. Something else to try. Hey, this is neat, all this trying new stuff. It’s like smoking pot for the first time. But in that particular case, my first real high was indeed my last.

11:15 PM: Spent the past hour in Mom’s sitting room, iPodding.  Today’s repeater song: Alibis   by  Sergio Mendez.  From 1984, this hit reminds me of my first year at Moorhead, and my first college Calculus class.  Brrrr.  I still get the shivers thinking about how hard that math was. Strangely, I ended up with an A for that semester, thought I had to drop out of a physics class the following fall that relied on the skills I’d supposedly learned in CalcOne.  True, I certainly earned that A.  But that A was not truly indicative of my proficiency in Calculus.  I could learn it with much struggle, but I just didn’t seem to have any talent for it because nothing in that class came easy.  But I treasure the experience nonetheless. 

12:00 AM: Journaled for a half-hour or so.

12:10 AM: Reviewed today’s stats from the blogs.  Keyword count is up two to 279.  So far, I’ve blown past my goals of 260 and 275 keyword hits in a thirty-day period.  My next goal is 300, which I hope to achieve by the end of March, 2o11.  Wish me luck! 

12:15 AM: Bed time.  But fear not, as I’ll write more in less than twelve hours.  Good night. 

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

• Revised invoice from the company who replaced our water heater last fall.
• Cable + Internet + phone bill.
• Misc. papers from our investments firm.
• Medicare notice of covered charges for Mom.
• Summary of paid charges from Mom’s medical insurance carrier, for services she received at the last nursing facility. 
• Insurance offer to cover the event of gas leaks inside our home.  Perhaps. 
• A “thank you for your business” letter from our homeowners and flood insurance company.  Nice. 

Related Posts

• Common cold: 2011-02
• Dr. Phil Episode Notes: Steve Harvey: What Are Men Thinking?
• Today’s Diet: 2011-02-25

Today’s Activities

• Shower. DONE.
• Cat duty. DONE.

Log

10:00 AM: I’m up. 

11:15 AM: [Emmy]   called to see how my cold was doing.  I feel a little better this morning — the burning in the nose is gone and that scratch in my throat has subsided.  But my nose is still running and I have a slight cough.  Judging from the severity of these symptoms, this cold will probably hang on for at least a few days.  Oh joy. 

01:25 PM: Mom’s friend Mary Kay brought me an Italian hoagie (no mayo, thank you) from Hauser’s store in Bellwood.  Delicious. 

01:30 PM: Read through all remaining papers from Mom’s new (and probably permanent) nursing facility, to get an idea of hos the process goes for getting her on to Medical Assistance (MA) once her assets are depleted. 

02:30 PM: Watched today’s episode of   The Young and the Restless   on the DVR. 

02:35 PM: Nap time.  Back later.

03:45 PM: I’m awake again.  But I’ll probably go back to bed shortly.  This cold has really wiped me out. 

04:00 PM: Started watching today’s episode of   Dr. Phil,  but couldn’t stay awake.  So, I’m off for  another  nap.  Keep in mind that I am sick.  Normally, rest assured, I do not take   this   many snoozes in a day.  Back later.

07:00 I’m awake again but still feel rather lousy.  So, more orange juice, a bit of TV, and most likely, back to bed with me again. 

07:50 PM: Posted the   Common Cold: 2011-02   piece.

08:00 PM: Watched today’s   Dr. Phil   episode:  Oversexed & Unprotected.  They dramatized for three guys (they called them playas), how it would be to deal with unplanned pregnancy, the babies crying, the bills, the highly involved childcare routines, and so on.  I think it scared these fellows into playing less, particularly via unprotected sex.  This show was okay, but no ah-ha moments for me.  In fact, most of the shows this year have amazed me that Dr. Phil even bothered to do them.  He spends much time teaching lessons that are already so obvious to me.  Indeed, I’m beginning to suspect that I’m not learning very much from this show anymore.  So perhaps I need something a little more progressive.  Hmmmm.  Now don’t misunderstand.  I’m not slamming Dr. Phil here.  I’m sure he did his research and determined that there’s much viewer interest in topics like this.  In fact, I’m sure this episode gave lots of ah-ha moments to many, and it’s that point that’s really scary.  How could guys   not   know that lying to a lady or telling her what she wants to hear just to get her into bed, is wrong?  Puzzling. 

10:15 PM: Talked with   [Emmy].  We’re both sniffling and our voices are seriously impaired by these colds we have.  So be it, because I’m going to bed. In a little while after that, I won’t care about a thing except that wonderfully rejuvenating slumber that I’m confident will overtake me as soon as my head hits the pillow.  Good night.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

None today.

Related Posts

• Common cold: 2011-02
• Today’s Diet: 2011-02-24

I’m feeling a cold coming on.  My nose, though not running is burning and my throat feels a bit dry and scratchy. 

This is my second cold of 2011.  The first one lasted several days, and I got that one in early January.  At that time, I was not getting as much sleep as I need, and with all the celebrating going on to ring in the new year, I probably wasn’t completely nourishing myself either.  But this cold, I’m at a loss to explain.  I have on the whole been eating better — lots more fruits, vegetables and lean meats.  Further, I’ve scaled back my intake of refined carbs with much less sugars in my diet.  But on the other hand, I’ve been spending time at Mom’s nursing facility, and the last time I visited, I heard numerous sniffles, coughs, nose-blowing toots, and hawking.  So it’s probably that I got it up there. 

But then, I’m one who believes that you cannot avoid a cold by applying all those hand sanitizers, masks, rubber gloves, smocks, and so on.  I mean, it will get you eventually because it’s impossible to create an environment that is totally free of the rhino-virus (the cause of the common cold).  Indeed, if you make your environment  too sterile, you may delay the onset of the cold for a time.  But by avoiding exposure, in my opinion, the immune system eventually forgets how to fight a cold.  So, when you finally do get the cold you’ve been attempting to outrun, it catches up with you, with a vengeance.  Its symptoms are nasty, it seems to last forever, and it takes longer to completely get back to full strength.  So, I don’t run away from colds.

But I do try to strengthen my immune system as much as I can.  Thus, my strategy to minimize the severity and duration of this cold is this: Drink lots of orange juice, eat beef, get lots of rest, avoid all possible stress, and try to remain at home until it’s all better.  By staying at home, my goal is not to avoid exposure to more germs, but rather to reduce the energy consumption of my body.  By utilizing the skeletal muscles less I theorize, the more energy there is for the immune system to fight off the illness.  Well, we’ll see how that works this time.  Look for comments below that will detail my progress through this cold. 

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• Common Cold: 2010-02
• Common Cold: 2010-03
• Today’s Business: 2o11-02-22
• Today’s Business: 2o11-02-23
• Today’s Business: 2011-02-24
• Today’s Business: 2011-02-25
• Today’s Business: 2o11-03-01

Summary

As last week, I have but modest improvements to report this week.  Mom has been transferred to the nursing facility from the hospital early last week in an effort to give her more extensive physical therapy. She says she’s feeling somewhat stronger; though the therapist at the nursing faciluty was amazed that Mom had become so weak since November, when she last worked with her. Though Mom still sounds “flat” and resigned, she received visits from several of her friends, and this made her happy.   But she still spends much of her day either sleeping or feeling sad.  Hopefully, she’ll turn the corner on this illness soon. 

Some good news: Her urinary tract infection (UTI) has been erradicated, and so far, there are no signs of a return.  Mom also go her trans esophigal echo cardiogram just before leaving the hospital.  It showed no progress of endocarditis.  So it’s likely that she never really had this.     

However, her vision problems continue (halos around objects in her view and extreme sensitivity to light).  We’still holding on this issue until her more immediate concerns (building her upper body strength back up) have been addressed.   

Mom was seen this week by a staff neurologist, to help determine why her lower body strength decreased so drastically since late July.  However, Mom refused a spinal tap, that would have enabled the doctors to get a better picture of what might have happened to her during that time.  Apparently, Mom is squeamish about needles going into her back.  She says that she’s content not knowing the exact cause of her current inability to use her legs.  Nonetheless, we’re still wishing that Mom gets home in time to keep her appointment with her regular  neurologist in early February, as we still do not know what sort of nerve damage she has (if any) and what her prognosis for recovery from it is.  He may be able to tell her something more with other less invasive tests than the spinal tap.   

She’s been allocated a week initially by her medical insurance company for working with the physical therapists at the nursing facility to strengthen her arms, upper back, and chest muscles.  But we still do not know when she’ll be coming home, as they may extend that time if they believe that she’s improving but not yet improved enough to return home.  She still appears too weak to live here, and I’m not  sure coming home is her objective at this point, because being here means much work for her with at least eight transfers a day; getting to and from her wheelchair, her bed, and such.  She may want to return here more if she gets stronger in the coming week or two. 

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• Today’s Business: 2011-01-22

Summary

There are just modest improvements to report this week.  Mom is still an inpatient at the hospital.  She’ll have been there for three weeks very soon. However, she says she’s feeling a bit stronger, and her physical therapist agreed. Though she still sounds “flat” and resigned, she received visits from several of her friends, and this seemed to relieve her indifference, temporarily at least.  So her mood may be a little better.  But she still spends much of her day either sleeping or feeling sad.  It’s heartbreaking to see. 

She is still dealing with that urinary tract infection (UTI),  finishing one course of antibiotics this week.  We’re waiting to see if the infection returns in the absence of the antibiotics. So far, so good.  It has not.  But too few days have passed to tell yet if this pesky bug is completely gone from her system.   

Her vision problems continue (halos around objects in her view and extreme sensitivity to light).  She saw an eye doctor this week, and he feels that she needs some laser surgery to correct the trouble, but apparently feels she’s not in any danger of permanent sight loss if she does not have the surgery right away.  She can’t have it immediately, because her medical insurance company will not cover it; not when she’s in the hospital for something totally unrelated (the UTI).  So, she must wait until she leaves the hospital before she can pursue the eye correction.   

She will be unable to have her echo cardiogram test next week that we had scheduled last December.  At that time, she was an outpatient and so, we arranged the test for her AS an outpatient.  But now that she’s an inpatient, they must reschedule the test. Curious that they couldn’t go ahead with this sincee he test was to be performed at the very same hospital where she’s staying now.  But that’s our health care system for you. 

We’re hoping that Mom gets home in time to keep her appointment with the neurologist in early February, as we still do not know what sort of nerve damage she has (if any) and what her prognosis for recovery from it is.  This guy is in high demand, is perhaps the only one serving this immediate area, and so, he’s very hard to see quickly. 

We still do not know when she’ll be coming home.  In fact, it’s likely that she’ll go back to the nursing facility in the coming days for another round of physical therapy.  She’s still too weak to live here, and I’m not even sure she wants to come home at this point because being here means lots of work for her, getting to and from her wheelchair, her bed, and such.  She may feel differently once she goes through another round of PT. 

Log

03:00 PM: Nothing significant occurred today. 

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• Today’s Business: 2011-01-15

Summary

Mom’s had a rough go of it the past two months.  She came home in early November, but unfortunately was regaining much of her upper body strength that she had prior to this latest stint of hospital visits that began in late July, 2010.  She’s discouraged however, that neither physical nor occupational therapy produced continued improvement in her ability to get around the house on her own. 

Further, she’s been coping with a urinary tract infection (UTI) since returning home.  Complications from this sent her back to the hospital on Christmas Eve. 

She came home again three days later with more abdominal pain than before the hospitalization, and noticably less upper body strength.  At this time, she’s not able to reliably transfer herself from bed to wheelchair to easy chair, and I can only lift her so many times before my back starts hurting.  Apparently, the attendents did not verify Mom’s physical abilities before sending her home.  So she had to go back to (a different) hospital a day or so later. 

She’s also developed some vision problems (halos around objects in her view and extreme sensitivity to light).  She’s seeing her eye doctor about this. 

There’s been much speculation as to what caused the disappearance of her lower body strength.  Some professionals say it could have been a spinal stroke (a stroke of the spine).  Others suggest that the diabetic neuropathy that’s plagued her for over a decade may have suddenly accelerated and expanded to include not just the sensory (feeling) nerves, but also the skeleto-muscular nerves (those that drive the muscles in her legs).   Then of course, there’s also the original belief that a pelvic hemotoma damaged her nerves.  However, no one in the know in these matters has said specifically what triggered her loss of leg use.  They really don’t know for sure. 

Mom has an appointment with the neurologist in early February.  Coordination problems with her transport service made it impossible to get her to his office before this time.     

We have no idea when she’ll be coming home.  In fact, she may have to return to the nursing facility in the coming days for another round of physical therapy.  She’s not strong enough at present to live here, I’m sorry to say. 

Completed Objectives

• Call Mom’s insurance company and find out what sorts of in-home rehab visits they cover — how many of them over how long of a period.  Sister Mary Ann recommends that we spread these out over the entire coverage period, and not use them all immediately.  The nursing facility is handling all this for us.
• Track the dissipation of Mom’s pelvic hematoma. 

Log

09:15 PM: Nothing significant occurred today. 

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• Today’s Business: 2011-01-06

Today’s Activities

• Shower.  DONE.
• Cat duty.  DONE.

Log

03:30 AM: Mom called for help.  Low blood sugar again.  I thought we’d taken care of this by lowering her nightly dose of long-acting insulin from 32 units down to 20 units.  But apparently, it’s still too high.  Blood sugar reading: 43.  I gave her some orange juice and pretzels to get it back up.  She quickly and positively responded. 

03:50 AM: She’s back in her bed, and I’m going back to mine.  Good night.

08:50 AM: I’m up.  Mom’s home nurse just arrived to evaluate how she’s making out so far now that she’s home/ 

09:45 AM: The home nurse just left, and I think I’ll do some serious blogging; I’ve gotten pretty behind the last few days with all the business around here. 

10:45 AM: Today’s repeater song:  Mercy Mercy Mercy   by   the Buckinghams.  I discovered this repeater while waiting for sister Jojo the hygienist to get to me at the dentist’s office yesterday.  This is one of so many of those oldies that I’ve heard a million times before.  But it’s brassy and electrical instrumentation and passionate yet harmonious vocals never really grabbed me much until yesterday.  Now, I just can’t stop listening to it.  Hmmmm.  Perhaps it was from this song that I learned to look for women who “knock me off my feet” and settle for no one less capable. 

10:55 AM: Posted the   Mom’s Status: 2010-11-16   piece.

12:00 PM: Watched the 2010-11-14 episode of CNN’s   State of the Union with Candy Crowley   news show, titled: Bush: Two Years Later,   which featured an interview done recently with president George W. Bush along with his brother, Jeb. 

01:45 PM: Called Mom’s PCP with list of prescriptions we need called in.  No one available.  So left message, requesting them to call me back.  I’ll probably have to call again tomorrow, as these requests usually go unanswered. 

01:50 PM: Posted the   DJ Gig: 2010-12-31   piece and began preparing for this performance in earnest. 

03:00 PM: Mom’s home nurse arrived to check her out.  No major problems discovered.  However, the pull mat we’ve been placing underneath Mom in her bed tends to wrinkle up and become lumpy.  Mom then develops impressions on her skin with a similar contour to these lumps.  So we need to locate a better mat; one that does not wrinkle so much, in order to avoid irritating Mom’s skin. 

04:30 PM: Two of Mom’s friends dropped by as the home nurse left.  Also, sister Christine came and washed up the dishes in the sink and changed Mom’s bed for her. 

06:15 PM: Watched today’s episode of   The Young and the Restless   on the DVR.

10:30 PM: Helped Mom perform her preparations for bed.

11:10 PM: Worked the   DJ Gig: 2010-12-31   project throughout the afternoon and evening. 

12:15 AM: Sat with mom in the back room and chatted.  She decided to stay in her easy chair a while longer.  So I’m going to bed.  Good night.

02:30 AM: Mom called for help; low blood sugar again.  Very strange since I gave her only 15 units of the long-acting insulin tonight. So, I got her some orange juice and some cake from sister Diane.  I also helped her transfer to her bed.  Good night again.

05:30 AM: Mom called for help; low blood sugar yet again!  More orange juice and cake provided and I helped her to the restroom.  We may have to quit the long-acting insulin altogether as Mom seems hypersensitive to it these days. 

05:50 AM: Back to bed again.  Have a great night. 

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

None today.

Related Posts

• DJ Gig: 2010-12-31
• Mom’s Status: 2010-11-16
• Today’s Diet: 2010-11-16
• Weight Loss: 2010

Summary

Now that Mom’s been home now for nearly five days, and we’re getting comfortable with her new assistive equipment and settling in with her care routines, I can take a few minutes to write out her status.  She’s experienced low blood sugar episodes for three of the past four nights she’s been here.  I believe her dose of long-acting insulin started off too high (32 units).  We backed it down to 20 units after the first couple days.  However, she still developed the sweats and shakes at 3:30 this morning and her blood sugar value was 43.  So tonight, we’ll try 15 units.

She’s getting very good at transferring herself from bed to wheelchair to toilet to easy chair.  We must be careful not to pinch her legs between the board and source surface when sliding the transfer board underneath her.  She already got one cut on the back of her thigh from this. 

She wants to become more active in her life. Last night, she cooked some poached eggs and accomplished most of the cleanup on her own.  Her upper body strength continues to improve and the time it takes for her to transfer herself from one surface to another has dropped to half of what it was when she came here for the in-home evaluation a couple weeks ago. 

She has no fever,   She’s still not very strong, but is getting stronger.  She’s not quite so sleepy these days, as she’s required no pain meds since she’s been home.  Her color is good and alertness and comprehension seems normal. 

Ongoing Objectives

These objectives are on hold. 

• Locate Mom’s living will.  IN PROGRESS.  Given that Mom has expressed her wishes to both us and the nursing staff and doctors, I’ve deferred this item.  With us nearby to instruct them should a crisis arise, there’s less need for a hard copy of the living will.          

Completed Objectives

• Call Mom’s insurance company and find out what sorts of in-home rehab visits they cover — how many of them over how long of a period.  Sister Mary Ann recommends that we spread these out over the entire coverage period, and not use them all immediately.  The nursing facility is handling all this for us.
• Track the dissipation of Mom’s pelvic hematoma.  IN PROGRESS.   We have to follow up on this one. 

Log

03:30 AM: Low blood sugar; a reading of 43.  Gave her two cups of orange juice and a small bowl of peanut butter pretzel nuggets to counter.  She felt better pretty much immediately. 

08:55 AM: The home nurse arrived.  He interviewed Mom and asked us to demonstrate her transfers.  He also provided tips to help lower the effort level of these transfers for both Mom and myself.  His outfit will provide some physical as well as occupational therapy for the next few weeks, he said that a physical therapist will come by sometime during the next couple days, to get Mom started on upper body strength workouts here in her home. 

09:45 AM: The nurse departed and I gave Mom her morning meds. Today, I must call her doctor and request that several prescriptions be called into Mom’s pharmacy; we’re running out of the ones they gave her at discharge from the nursing facility. 

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• Today’s Business: 2010-11-16

Today’s Activities

• Shower.  DONE.
• Cat duty.  DONE.

Log

08:15 AM: Mom called for assistance.  She had a pretty good night last night.  The lower amount of long-acting insulin seemed to effectively head off a third straight night of low blood sugar attacks. 

08:20 AM: All symptoms of that   whatever-it-was   I had the past few days are gone, and I feel 100% good once again.  Phew.  I’m so glad that didn’t turn ino a third cold for this year. 

08:20 AM: Our cat, Baby, did not scratch nearly as much the last night or two.  Apparently that flea medicine I applied Friday is working.  Hope so, at $15 per dose. 

11:00 AM: Watched the 2010-11-12, 2010-11-13, and 2010-11-14 episodes of   NBC’s Nightly News   news show on the DVR. 

11:05 AM: Sisters Christine and Diane stopped in for five minutes to check on Mom on their way up check out some clothing sales in Altoona. 

02:30 PM: Watched the 2010-11-11 and 2010-11-12 episodes of   Dr. Phil   on the DVR.

02:35 PM: Sister Jojo just arrived to help Mom bathe. 

04:15 PM: Jojo finished with Mom.  No problems with the bath.  In fact, they encountered fewer issues than expected.  There was very little water spilled on the floor, and Mom was able to easily utilize her new bath bench. 

04:45 PM: Watched today’s episodes of CBS’s   Face The Nation   and NBC’s    Meet The Press    news shows on the DVR. 

09:00 PM: Watched a bit of the Steelers game and various news channels. 

10:00 PM: Helped Mom to bed.  Now, talking with   [Emmy]   on the phone.

11:00 PM: Heading for bed now.  So good night.  Back tomorrow. 

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

No mail delivered on Sundays. 

Related Posts

• Today’s Diet: 2010-11-14
• Weight Loss: 2010

Today’s Activities

• Shower.  DONE.
• Cat duty.  DONE.

Log

09:00 AM: I’m up. I feel about the same this morning as yesterday upon waking.  No chills or fever.  This is probably not a cold, as I have no runny nose, sore throat, or cough to write of.  Perhaps it’s some strain of the flu.  My joints still feel weak and achy; particularly my neck.  But it’s closer to normal than yesterday, so I am making progress against this bug.

10:30 AM: [Emmy]   called to check up on Mom and me.  She went shopping today and contacted me from the road.  I couldn’t talk to her much however, because the nurse just got here to draw blood from Mom and go over her current meds list with me.  So I’ll catch up more extensively with [Emmy] tonight.

12:15 PM: Heading out   shopping.   Back later.

03:15 PM: I’m back home.  Checked on Mom, and she wants to sleep a little more.  So I think I’ll do likewise for a couple hours, in the new “bed room” on the first floor in the den.

05:30 PM: Sister Diane briefly stopped by to drop off Mom’s cell phone charger and her long-acting insulin that they forgot yesterday at the nursing home to include with her discharge meds.

06:00 PM: I helped Mom get from bed to her wheel chair.  She’s getting quite good with using the transfer board.

06:15 PM: Sister Christine brought some lasagna for Mom’s dinner tomorrow.  Sister Jojo will stop in later tonight to check on Mom.

07:00 PM: I blogged for the past hour or so and now I think I’ll look in on Facebook.  Back later.

09:25 PM: Watched yesterday’s and today’s episodes of   The Young and the Restless   on the DVR.  Now, I’m listening to the rest of the Penguins hockey game with [Emmy].  Not too much left to go.  The Pens are currently wining, 3 to 1.

10:30 PM: The Pens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5 t0 2.

10:45 PM: I just helped Mom get into bed and gave her her night meds.  Now, I’m going to bed.  Good night.

12:30 AM: Mom called for assistance.

12:45 AM: She’s okay; just a bathroom break.

03:30 AM: Mom frantically called out for help.  Looks like low blood sugar again.

03:40 AM: Yep, Blood sugar reading: 42.  So I gave her a big glass of orange juice, some cheese with mustard, and a slice of sister Mary Ann’s pumpkin cake.  After several minutes, she felt better again.

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

• Weekly coupon mailer.
• Verizon cell phone sale catalog.
• Cuna Mutual Group advertisement for their Medicare plans.
• UPMC For Life advertisement for their Medicare plans.
• Misc. bank papers.
• October bill from Mom’s nursing care facility.

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