Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Yuma, AZ

I'm sure you loyal readers have noticed that I haven't been posting every night.  Rest assured that if something happens, I will update Mom's blog immediately.  I'm available to talk, if you want to pass messages on to Mom and Dad, 925-899-4666.

I spoke with Mom moments ago and she sounded pretty good.  Today was physical therapy day, so she was tired.  Her next big day is September 7 when she meets with the liver specialist.  They will decide after that when they might head back to Colorado, otherwise known as The Motherland. Personally, I think that it is a great time to be back in Bronco country!

Monday, August 29, 2016

Yuma, AZ

Mom went to the heart specialist today and was told that her heart is very healthy.  Great news, but it leaves lots of questions about what is going on to cause the water weight gain.  The liver specialist is next week,  so it will be interesting to see what they have to say.

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Yuma, AZ

Mom was able to get out and walk this morning.  She said that she only walked about 1/4 of a block,  but I think that that is something to cheer about!

Her ankle brace makes her ankle swell, but she feels much more stable with it on.

We are both in agreement that football preseason is too long.  Bring on the real games!

Friday, August 26, 2016

Yuma, AZ

Mom went to physical therapy and was pleased to report that she did quite well.  She was very happy that she was able to walk in and out of therapy under her own power.

Other than that, nothing else seems to be happening in Yuma.  Probably because it is too dang hot there!

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Yuma, AZ

Today was very busy!  This morning they had a Transitional Team appointment with a nurse to go over everything that happened while Mom was hospitalized.   The afternoon appointment was with a new GP.  Both appointments went well and they were quite pleased.

Tuesday, August 23. 2016

Yuma, AZ

I got a quick report from Mom in between my bocce games tonight.  She sounded quite chipper, said that they ate lunch out and made an appointment with the physical therapist for Friday.  With the Yuma heat what it is, that sounds like a productive day!

Monday, August 22, 2016

Yuma, AZ

Mom had an appointment this morning with a foot doctor.  X-rays were taken and it was determined that her left ankle is very weak.  She came home with a temporary brace and will get a permanent brace if the temporary one is successful.  Mom and Dad were both very impressed with the doctor, she was very thorough.

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Yuma, AZ

Sunday was a lounging around sort of day.  Mom was able to do some of her exercises while waiting for the NASCAR race to get underway.

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Yuma, AZ

When I spoke with Mom tonight, she said that she was "plumb tuckered".  A shopping trip to Walmart and lunch at In-N-Out was as much as she could do.  Unfortunately, the Nascar race was rained out, but Mother Nature provided a lightening storm, so they ended today with some entertainment.

Friday, August 19, 2016

Yuma, AZ

Mom reports that it was a day spent resting.  It was probably needed after almost a week in the hospital, not the most restful of places.

Dad says that he is yanking her out of bed early tomorrow morning to go walking when it is cooler.    We will see who wins that battle!

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Yuma, AZ

Mom was sprung today, at least that's their story.  They might have seen an opening and made a run for it.  When I was in Colorado last month, she and I were doing errands.  I told her to hop in the car.  We looked at each other and laughed and laughed.

More tests took place today, they finally think that maybe they are narrowing the possibilities of what ails her, just waiting for results.

They are both happy to be back in their "little house".

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Yuma. AZ

Todays top news from the hospital was that Mom got out of bed and walked the hallways.  While I'm sure that no land speed records were set, she was happy to be up and about.

More tests today, but both Mom and Dad sounded very upbeat when I spoke with them, so that is half of the battle!

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Yuma, AZ

The news from Mom and Dad was mixed today.  The heart specialist says that her heart is strong and healthy.  Yay!!!  Now the mystery of the water retention.   The current thought is that it might be her liver.  So, more tests.  Hopefully tomorrow brings some results from all of the tests that she is undergoing.

Monday, August 15, 2016

Yuma, AZ

I talked to Mom this afternoon and she was quite chipper.  One of her procedures today was to have a needle poked in her stomach, 1 liter of fluid was removed!

I assume that Dad didn't pass out because while he was telling me, I didn't hear a loud thud.   It's possible that he was leaning against the wall and just slid down.

Anyway, things seem to be looking up for her, so that's the happy news on this Monday.

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Yuma, AZ

Mom had many tests today and Dad reports that she is feeling much better.   They are both happy with the doctors and nurses caring for her and hope to finally get some answers to a few of her ongoing issues.

I'll give a more detailed report later today.

August 13, 2016

Yuma, AZ

Lori here doing blog duty for Mom.  As she has mentioned several times, she has been having trouble with her legs and feet.  Yesterday, Dad decided that she needed to be seen at the hospital, so off they went.  Within 45 minutes of arriving, she was being treated.  It was decided that she needed to be admitted for more tests.  Dad reports this morning that she is already showing signs of improvement.  Lots of tests are planned for today.

I'll keep you posted.

August 12, 2016---Yuma, Arizona

This morning I didn't feel like going to therapy, but I went anyway.  They didn't work me too hard and I was in my wheel chair, so I didn't have to walk down a long hall to get to the workout room.  Lori gave me a small wheelchair and it has certainly come in handy.


We had several places to go after PT, including In-N-Out for lunch and Sam's for gasoline.  We got home in time for naps, which is what I really needed.  We had planned to go to a place that serves trout, but I didn't feel like going.  Bill called and placed our order and went and got it.  It was OK, but not as good as I do, which doesn't happen anymore.  That was back in the good old days!

I have had a problem with my feet, ankles, and legs so I spent the evening with my feet propped up.  Getting old isn't much fun, but it beats the alternative.

August 11, 2016---Yuma, Arizona

Our errand list for today was long.  And we didn't get started until after noon.

The first place we hunted for was the Habitat ReStore.  We like to shop there in Loveland.  The one we found in Yuma was much, much smaller and was mainly construction  items.  If you needed to patch your roof with curved tiles, we can tell you where to go for them!

Lunch was not too far away...Sonic.  We don't go there often and now I  remember why.  In-N-Out doesn't need to worry about Sonic running them out of business.

We headed on down to the Medical part of town, in search of a new GP.  The one we used and really liked has moved from Yuma.  Rats!  But as we use to say when we were kids..."That's the way the cookie crumbles!"

We spent a lot of time looking for the new office.   It took about four gallons of gasoline and at least 14 u-turns before finding the place.  We made an appointment for me and headed back across town.

By then, we were too tired to go to the grocery store, so we ate leftovers for supper.  We didn't get home until 4:30.  I napped until 6:30, so by then "drag outs" tasted really good.

There was suppose to be a meteor shower tonight, but it was too hot to sit out in the dark and look up at the sky.  We haven't adjusted to this heat business yet!

August 10, 2016---Yuma, Arizona

This is going to be a busy day for us, so I decided  to start my blog on my iPad and transfer it to my MAC tonight.  If you hear screams coming from the direction of Arizona it is probably me trying to deal with technology.  Thank goodness it's not necessary for me to make a living in this new age. 

My therapy went well today. I was really tired when I finished.  They don't cut me any slack.  And whining does no good.  I just have to endure the torture.

We went to Taco Bell for lunch.  They are just a few blocks away.  That made all the pain and agony worth it, I guess.  I could barely walk into the place to eat.

We went to our realtor to tell her we won't be looking for houses for awhile.  It was all getting to confusing for me.  She had told us there will be more houses on the market in September and October.

After getting a hair cut appointment and going to the bottled water place, we went home to rest.  I really, really needed a nap.

August 9, 2016

I'm still at thr computer tonight.  I worked on the iPad today, but didn't get it all figured out.  I'll try to get in touch with Lori tomorrow, for some iPad help.

It was windy today and not as warm as it has been...104°, I think.  The wind was strong enough to rock the MH several times.  We didn't have any rain, although some had been predicted.  

Tomorrow, I go to the PT.  I hope it begins to do some good soon.  I felt lousy today and didn't do much.  I talked to Bonnie today.  She said Todd is very weak.  The doctor said he wouldn't get any better and needed to be in a care facility.  Bonnie is looking at places and has some big time decisions to make.

August 8, 2016---Yuma, Arizona

I called Lori tonight for help in searching for my lost blog.  We weren't able to find any sign of it.  She did remind me that at one time I would use my iPad to do my writing, it would automatically be saved, and I could email it to myself.  I will try that tomorrow and see if I can figure it all out again.

I'll keep you posted!

August 7, 2016---Yuma, Arizona

August 6, 2016---Yuma, Arizona

This was kind of a do nothing kind of day.  I had several short naps.  Bill stayed in the cool motorhome after midmorning.

At 5:30 this afternoon, we decided to go to dinner at Chicken on the Run, thich has good food.  By then the temperature was 111°.  A nice cool place was just what what we needed.  After eating we drove around looking for houses.  Nothing new!

At 8:30, Bill was ready to go to bed.  I still had my blog to do so I stayed up a little longer.

Lazy days are great once in a while.  This was one of those!

August 5, 2016---Yuma, Arizona

August 5, 2016---Yuma, Arizona

This morning I went back to the Physical Therapist.  This time I worked with a young man named Eric.  He really put me through the paces.  I did some things that neither Bill nor I thought possible for me to do.  However, I was able to do everything Eric asked me to do.

I go twice next week...Wednesday and Friday.  There are some exercises I will try to do in the meantime.  It was encouraging to see how much I could accomplish today.  I am still very wibbly wobbly when I walk with my cane.  Coming out of Sam's Club I nearly fell on the hot pavement.  That would be a double ouch!

I called Bonnie to see how Todd is doing since they got back to Oregon.  He still has the weakness much like I do.  He doesn't like it anymore than I do.

We went to Sam's Club for lunch and furniture shopping,  The hotdog and pizza were good, but the furniture selection was rather limited.  We will just keep looking.

The sunset tonight was beautiful.  No lightening, though, and not much chance of rain.

August 4, 2016---Yuma, Arizona

August 4, 2016---Yuma, Arizona

We left the house bright and early this morning, heading to Ogilby Road to check out the condition of the Desert Primrose plants we located in the spring.

Before going there, however, we stopped at McDonald's for sausage biscuits.  We love eating as we drive down the road.  Long before McDonald's invited sausage biscuits, I was making them for our family road trips.  I made lots of them for each trip, because we always had hungry children with us.  The kids always looked forward to breakfast on the road.  They still talk about the sausage biscuits we had.

The dried primprose plants are called Mexican Birdgages.  They are very interesting.  We found a number of good examples to harvest.

On our way back into Yuma, we stopped at Furniture Row.  Several of the houses we've looked at need furniture.  In each section of the store, we found at least one set of things we liked.  It has been 28 years since we shopped for sofas, dining room chairs, bedroom sets, and things like that.  I was very tired when we finished.  

While we were shopping, our friend, Gale called to make sure we had found the recipe for "peanut butter and bananas.  A part of the joke is to call Natalia to check it all out.

And since it was lunchtime and we were just around the block from In-N-Out, guess where we ate lunch!

We went home after eating for naps.  I took a long snooze and felt much better afterwards.

August 3, 2016---Yuma, Arizona

This morning, I went to Physical Therapy.  They spent two hours evaluating me, only to come up with my own diagnosis.   I have very little strength in my legs.  The PT put me through a battery of about 40 tests and agreed with me.  So that is what I will work on, twice a week for awhile and then three times a week as I get stronger.

Afterwards, Bill and I drove around looking at some houses.  We didn't go into any, but Bill did some measuring to check if there was room for the motorhome.

After lunch, I lay down for a nap.  I wasn't asleep for the entire time, but I napped and rested for about four hours.  I was tired when I went for my appointment, and really tired when we got back home.

Tomorrow, if I feel like it, we plan to go to the desert and check on the Mexican Birdcages we spotted last spring.

August 2, 2016---Yuma, Arizona

August 2, 2016---Yuma, Arizona

We had a busy morning.  We were with our realtor for over two hours.  We looked at four houses.  None of them were exactly perfect, but two came very close.  We will have to take a look at both of them again.

Tomorrow, I go to the therapist.  I have been very weak for several days.  It will be very interesting to hear how the therapist evaluates my situation.

Lunch was at a Mexican place.  We had eaten there before and weren't very impressed.  We will keep searching for a really good place.

We came home for naps.  I was really tired by then. 

The good news is that Todd and Bonnie arrived in the Portland  area late last night.  They were tired, but otherwise ok.

August 1, 2016—-Yuma, Arizona

August 1, 2016—-Yuma, Arizona

Another new month has rolled around.  It is hard to believe!

We drove around today, looking at more houses.  Tomorrow, we will go with our realtor to take a more in depth look at a couple of them.

I had a rather difficult day today.  It was very hard for me to walk around inside of the MH.  Bill ask if I wanted to stay home while he went to do errands.  I decided I needed to get out and give it a try.  I got a little more stable as the day went on. 

On Wednesday, I have my first visit with a therapist.  I hope to see improvement, but I’m not counting  on anything very soon.

I came home for an afternoon nap, but after one hour and not going to sleep, I got up.  I had a good rest, but no nap.