I just finished reading Murder and Let Growl by Laurien Berenson and am now reading Murder in the Paperback Parlor by Ellery Adams.
With all the stuff going on with Bob I forget to post what I am reading. I really do it more as a record for myself but enjoy sharing my favorite authors with those of you who are interested.
Gym this morning. It’s a nice day with temperatures in the low 30’s, no wind, and sunshine. Staying home today to do household stuff, etc.
When I arrived at the rehab facility yesterday around 11am the respiratory thereapist and PA were in Bob’s room. Apparently there was a problem with his trach. I urged them to call am ambulance and transfer him to the ER at Forsyth to see what was going on. They did have to replace the trach and also found a UTI and dehydration. I stayed with him in the ER talking with the ER doctor and his heart doctor to make sure he was stable and his heart was okay.
It was determined he was safe to return to the facility once they finished treating him but it would be 10pm before he could be transported. It was only 5pm and I had been in the ER room with him since 12:30. Al had left Winston around 2:30 to come up here once the nurses told me he would be in the ER for several hours getting treated.
I left Bob in the good hands of the ER staff and headed to Frances’ with take out for dinner. The rehab facility finally called me at 11:15pm to let me know he was back in his room.
This morning Al came home. I went by the facility to talk with the head of nursing and the RT to do a follow up. Bob was sleeping so I left and headed back home.
We have a nice, sunny day with no wind. Temperatures, low 30’s, are mild considering what they have been.
Cold and windy today. We’ve had sunshine with snow showers all day but no accumulation except for some on the natural areas and the front porch. The high is about 21 for the day with 20 to 30 mph winds gusting to over 40. Tonight is to go down to 8.
I stayed home today to get stuff done around the house; laundry, vacuuming, etc. While doing chores I cooked up a pot of pinto beans for dinner tonight and to freeze for other meals.
Gym, library, and grocery store this morning. I left here about 11:30 for Winston. Bob was not having a good day. I think he was up most of the night because of being in new surroundings. He was sleeping when I arrived but we had to wake him because PT guy came in then nurses and assorted other folks came in and out. He was not as clear speaking and seemed to be sort of out of it. I finally left around 2:15 to head back home.
The weather on the way down was raining and heavy fog until I reached the foot of the mountains. It was warm and partly cloudy in Winston but I hit fog and rain again once I started back up the mountain.
I headed down to Winston about 10:30. On the way down I had a call from the case manager to let me know everything was approved for Bob’s move to the rehab facility. I told her I would go straight there to get the paperwork taken care of.
While I was at the rehab place we found out it would be 4pm when transport would be picking him up. Once I finished up the paperwork I went over to Frances and Al’s. Instead of us swapping places I went by the hospital to see Bob for a minute and to let him know Al would meet him at the rehab facility. That way I was able to get back up the mountain before dark. We’ve had rain and fog when I left here this morning. Good thing I left when I did because it was pea soup all the way from Winston to Sparta.
We’ve had a major vole/mole problem since we moved in. I don’t want to put out poisons because of Colin and other wildlife so I just live with their tunnels all over the yard and the garden. When Colin is out he hears them running around underground. He will stop and turn his head from side to side then start pawing the ground to get to them. He does not dig an actual hole. This morning he was standing along the front of the porch listening and started digging in the mulch and got one. I heard a squeal and saw him fling a little grey furry thing to the ground then pick it up again. I yelled for him to drop it because I did not want him to eat it. He flung it around a couple of more times before I could finally get my foot on it. I finished the job then buried it under the mulch as a warning to the other rodents.
Also, the raccoons must be back. What was in the feeder was on the ground yesterday so I refilled it and again this morning they had dumped it all on the ground.
Gym this morning. We are still working on getting a place for Bob to go to rehab. I stayed home today. Frances and Al are going to stop by to see him while out running errands.
I’ve actually talked to him on the phone today. His nurse called this morning to let him talk to me on her phone. She called me again this afternoon to let me know he was asking for me again. They moved his room phone where he could reach it so I called him. He knows he is supposed to be moving to a rehab place and does not understand why it is taking so long. We have tried to explain to him that one place fell through and we are working on finding another one. He still has some confusion and may think I have left him there.
I had odds and ends of things to get done today. It’s cloudy but 41 degrees with no wind which gives Colin a chance at some quality outdoor playing time.
A setback in the move to rehab. The facility that had accepted him on Friday called yesterday morning to let the case worker know they were concerned about the trach. They knew on Friday he had the trach when they offered the bed.
Yesterday between the threat of bad weather and a chance the case worker could find another placement, Al and I stayed we were. For me, it ended up giving me some down time for the afternoon which I did appreciate. I ended up sitting on the couch at Frances’ reading and resting.
I went to the hospital first thing this morning. Bob is doing well except for the coughing up of the junk. He is getting a little stronger and if he speaks slowly and loud enough I can understand what he is saying even with the trach tube. He will have that for awhile which is the problem with finding him a place to go. Only a few facilities in the WS/Sparta area will take him with the trach. Some of those do not have beds which is limiting our options at this point.
Another cold morning; 3 degrees, sunny, but windy. I vacuumed this morning and cleaned the bathrooms. I need to be in Winston early on Monday morning. The forecast for up here is iffy with a chance of something falling that may be more icy than snowy Sunday night or Monday morning.
If that forecast holds Al and I may have to do a swap tomorrow if I go down to Winston to see Bob. I decided to do the Sunday chores today just in case. Al is going by to see him today for me.
I mixed up a batch of oatmeal/chocolate chip dough this morning to bake this afternoon. We use the King flour recipe. Bob usually does the measuring and I just do the mixing.
Gym, library, and store this morning. I did not leave until late morning for Winston. Bob’s case manager said he might be transferred to the rehab facility we chose late this afternoon. As things turned out, we could not get everything worked out for today so it will be at least Monday before he goes. It is a facility in Winston so that Frances and Al can check on him when I can’t be there. He still has the trach collar and the feeding tube but they will take him with those issues.
It was a rather nasty morning with winds blowing snow at 40 mph and temperatures in the low teens. I had to wait on the mail to come so I started a couple of indoor projects. By the time Lori came the snow was blowing worse so I decided to bag the gym and stay home to clean. I don’t mind the cold but the horizontal snow is a bit much.
I had to go downstairs for something in the lab. While I was down there I pulled out the downstairs vacuum and did the stairs, the downstairs rooms, dusted, and cleaned the bathroom.
This afternoon I pulled everything out of our closet to vacuum, dust the furniture in there, and get that stuff organized. All the big cleaning chores have now been tackled leaving a few small odds and ends to work on.
