Dick is home.  YEAAAAA!!!

It was not the smooth gentle homecoming that I had planned on but he did get her on the 20th, the day we had picked.

On Monday night, around midnight, I started getting sick.    I ended up vomiting and with diarrhea for 6 hours.   At 7:30AM, I dragged myself out to the car and drove to the Plymouth Clinic, hoping to be able to go to urgent care.   I thought they opened at 7AM.  They don't.   But my angel was watching over me.   Dr. Murthy comes in early on Tuesdays and he saw me.   They even sent a nurse to bring me up in a wheel chair.   You can imagine how exhausted I was.  He was able to determine that I did not have anything contagious.   He told me to go home, drink water, slowly all day long and gradually introduce food and to sleep.   So I made arrangements to delay Dick's release from Rocky Knoll to between 4:30 and 5PM. 

Roxie was quite glad to see Dick.   When he sat at his desk, she went right over to be petted.  

We both went to bed at around 8PM.   He was content with chicken soup for supper as he had a big dinner at Rocky Knoll.   I drank some of the broth from the soup and kept it down and things seemed OK.  We both slept until almost 6AM Wednesday morning.

So, I ate some cereal and moved on with the day.   I was still SO weak but we got through it.  I did the grocery shopping and gassed up the car.   Ellen from VNA came in the afternoon, ran through some tests and made several recommendations.  She sent an OT person this afternoon and she came herself this morning.   She also has an RN coming tomorrow.   I am concerned about the blister on Dick's leg and will be happy to have someone who can show me what needs to be done.

So today was a real road race.   Neil from Steger Heating came to give our furnace its winter check.   Ellen came at 12:30PM.    We have decided, on Ellen's recommendation, to get a hospital bed (which will be provided as long as needed, I understand).   We have decided to store the queen downstairs, and buy a twin for me to use so that we won't have to be in different rooms.    The only other way would have been to put him in the other bedroom with the hospital bed and leave our room as is.    We want to be together. 
The bed will have railings and a trapeze. 

He woke up at 2AM this morning and we had a heck of a time getting him up.   Without those railings and the trapeze, it is SO hard for him to turn and raise himself up.  The hospital bed will come tomorrow and my bed on Saturday.   Tomorrow, Bobbie will come to help me stack the queen up against the wall so that they can get the hospital bed set up.   I will use the blow up bed I got for a spare for the one night.

Don't you love it when a plan comes together?

I was calling Bobbie to ask her if she could help, when the door bell rang and there were Bobbie and Bill at the door with two wooden dowel things that Bill made to help Dick get a solid base on the bed and make it easier to push up on.  

Mat from Home Care Resources arrived at 4PM with tennis balls for the walker and a wheel chair cushion so that I can take back the one we seem to have borrowed from Rock Knoll.  He has just been a wonder.  He installed several grab bars for us too.    He is so nice.   He is a huge man and guarantees them for anything up to 400 lbs.

We also heard from Jim and Michelle,   their trip up here got aborted by the weather and Greyhound.   They were two hours late leaving Oklahoma City and were put on a bus with no heat and a hole in the floor and dirty to Tulsa.   When they got there they found they would miss the connection to St. Louis and would not have gotten here for so long, it was no longer worth the trip.    We are so disappointed and so are they.   I will have to send their presents next week.   They can celebrate us next week then.   I am just glad, from the sound of things that,at least, they are home safe and sound.

So as you can see, it has been a busy busy busy day and we are both very tired. and will be heading "up the wooden hill to four corners" very soon.

At least you know why you did not hear from me for a couple of nights.

Dia Dhuit

Mary