"Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made and forgot to put a soul into".  Harry Ward Beecher

I thought the above quote was just lovely.    I needed something lovely to brighten up these past couple of days.

This will be a summary of the past two days so that everybody is updated.   Some of you know what has transpired.  

Dick and I arrived at Sheboygan Memorial at 11:00AM on Friday.  Richard and Brenda were there waiting and they stayed with us until this afternoon, when they headed back home to Madison.   What a blessing that was.

The surgery was pretty much on time.  They took him up at 1PM.    We did not hear anything until almost 4PM.  He was in recovery and ended up staying there until after 6:30PM.  He lost a lot of blood during the surgery and this required transfusions.   His blood pressure was also way way down.   Dr. Fehrman came down after the surgery to update us on all of this.   He said that the surgery itself went well.   But, of course, we are still dependent on there being suffiecient circulation to heal the wound.    If all goes as it did last time, we should be OK.

 Finally they opted to move him from recovery to intensive care where they have the 24 hour nurses and a doctor on duty ALL the time.  Then we got to see him and spend time with him.   Richard and Brenda went back to our house for the night a bit after 9.   They did the contacting of the family for us.  And took care of Roxie   I was given some bedding and a pillow to use while I tried to sleep on a fold down chair bed in the visitor lounge.   I helped settle Dick down once, answered some questions and just checked  on him throughout the night.   I got up a bit after 6 so as to be there when the doctors came in the morning.   We now know that he will be at Sheboygan Memorial  until at least Monday.   It will depend on how soon he is stable enough to go to a regular room and then on therapy evaluation and the physician's release.   So we aren't home yet.   I just hope he sleeps tonight. 

After Dr. Fehrman left at 8:30AM this morning, I left to pick up SHARE, go home to take a shower and change.  Then Richard and Brenda took me out to breakfast to Field to Fork on 8th Street.   I had not been there before and it was really good.   They have a little market attached with local and specialty items and fresh bakery.   How fun is that.    I couldn't get much, of course, because there is just me for a bit.   But I did pick up some Rosemary Crackers, mustard and tea.   Those will be easy for snacking or will last til Dick comes home.  

Finally, we went back to Memorial and spent the day with Dick.     Richard and Brenda headed home at about 1:30PM and Bobbie came, fresh from their vacation, at about 2:30 or 3PM.   We had a nice visit and heard about her trip.   She left at about 5 and we ordered supper.    He ate a good meal of pasta and meatballs with Mariana sauce and I had a chicken fajita. 

Then as he was getting more and more uncomfortable, the nurses called respiration therapy to set him up with his CPAP machine as he wanted to try to sleep.   So, I left a bit before 7PM to try to get a good night's sleep myself.   I am exhausted.

Thank all you you for all your prayers and good thoughts.   We know they are lifting us up and helping SO much.   I will update again tomorrow night.

God love you all

Mary

Tomorrow is the day.   It seems to have taken forever, yet I can't believe that it is already here.

The surgery is confirmed for 1PM and we are to check in at 11AM.   I believe that we have everything that has to go with us prepared.   

This was not a bad day up  until about 3PM.   Then, Dick went to the bathroom and the new motorized wheel chair sparked and stopped working all together.   I called the Accessibility and they are sending someone out to pick it up on Monday.   They will call ahead so I can have someone here when they come.  They helped me remember how to move it without power as poor Dick was trapped in the bathroom.   We will use the regular wheelchair now and the unit should be fixed by the time he needs it again.   It better be.   We certainly don't need that aggravation.

I racked my Currant/Marigold must into jugs today.   Now it has to sit for several weeks before I have to do anything else with it.    This is an experiment.   I am using up two of my favorite wine ingredients together.  I did not have enough of either for a batch, so decided to combine them.   It smells good anyway.   Should be a different wine with hints of both ingredients.  Kind of Sherry like.

So the day is winding down and I am glad.   We just want this to be over with.   Waiting is so hard.   I have such hope that this fix will heal and then we can get on with working on movement and living.   These past three years have been one wound after another.    If I am discouraged, I can't imagine how my sweetheart must feel.  

We have trust in God that all will go well.   Things happen for a reason.   I always say that I know God never sends us more than we can handle, but sometimes I think He might push the envelope a bit.

I read this and posted it on my desk.   "Whenever God closes one door, He always opens another, even though sometimes, it's hell in the hallway."

God love you

Mary

Today was a day of phone calls and preparation.

I got Dick's wound dressed and washed his hair.  

We heard from the hospital.   They told us what meds he should take on Friday.   That he should not have alcohol for 24 hours before surgery and to bring clothes and all of his meds.

We were told on Tuesday that the surgery would be at 1:00PM.  The caller today said that this is not in stone and she will let me know tomorrow and also what time he should be there.

I baked a loaf of bread and made some jam and cleaned Roxie's bathroom area.    See,   when I get nervous, I clean and cook. 

Dick and I both lay down for a nap this afternoon however.    I did finally sleep a bit, but am still going to bed early.

Tomorrow we will wrap up all the other things that have to be determined before he is in the hospital and rehab for at least two months.  

Please keep praying for us.    We are counting on this.

God love you

Mary

This has been an eventful and "Bridge" day for us.    We had an appointment with Dr. Fehrman this morning at 10:30Am. 

The day started out goofy.   Culligan was supposed to come.   I told them that they had to be here before 10AM because of the Dr. appointment.   At 9:45AM they were not here so I called and rescheduled.   I am not too happy with their service.  Dick is much more important than they are.   If I had not been assured that they would be here early, I would have rescheduled up front.

Now to the appointment.   We go there on time and Karen got his foot all unwrapped for Dr. Fehrman.  He looked at it and, as a good Doctor should, told us the options.  The only one Dick and I see is an amputation below the knee for his right leg.   This will allow things to heal.   We have been fighting sores and infections for years and the previous surgery is not healing properly.  The would is expanding and deb riding daily and I can't keep this up much longer as I watch my sweetheart get weaker and weaker.

So.   Surgery is scheduled for Friday at 1PM to do an amputation below the knee.   This is not an easy decision, but after three years of trying to heal the wounds and infections on his right foot and seeing the wounds, after the toe amputation just disintegrate, we don't want to keep this up.   Dick is exhausted and so am I.   It is time for me to got to bedl   I can't keep up with any more and Dick is all tucked in bed and hopefully will stay there for at least a couple of hours.

Love You

Mary

We had rain this morning.  Boy did we have rain.   Just about the time that Richard and Brenda were trying to leave to meet her family for Father's day in Beaver Dam, the skies opened.

They were heading west and south so when it looked clear on the map in the direction they were heading they took off.    We had such a nice visit.    They got dinner for last night and I fixed breakfast for this morning so we had the best of both worlds.   I love going out and I love cooking.

It was a good Father's day.    Jim and Michelle and Leslie called,. Brenda and Richard were here and Bobbie left a card to be opened as they are on vacation, circling Lake Michigan.

Tomorrow we will start the tour of doctors again and I am sure determine when, where, and what surgery is needed to repair Dick's leg.    We need to be sure that his body is nourishing the limbs.   This is not happening now.

Last night, Dick was SO uncomfortable and we set him up crossways on the bed with his legs over the side and his head close to me.   This worked just fine but Roxie cat was rather insulted.  She usually sleeps at least part of the night stretched out between my knees, sound asleep.   She was not happy with a "man head" towering over her.  So she left.  We were amused.

So. pray for us tomorrow.   I will update you as we know what is happening.

God love you

Mary

Doctor day.    We got up and moving quite early as Dick's appointment with Dr. Sharon was at 9:15AM. 

A cool day considering all.   The sun was out for a very short period of time and at least I did not have to transfer Dick into the Clinic in the rain.   We just had toast for our breakfast.

Dr. Sharon says that Dick's pneumonia is healed.   We do, of course, have to finish the meds to be sure that all is erased.   We discussed everything on my list and I will meld it with what I hear from Dr. Fehrman tomorrow at 10:30AM when we see him.   The foot is still pitiful and I am sure we will set the day for the surgery when we see him as soon as possible.  Otherwise I will be a tiger and get my dander up.

This afternoon, Dick slept for almost 5 hours.   I did get him to eat a bit of lunch before he went down.  His blood sugars have been goofy.   Still not disastrous from what we hear from diabetics that are on meds and all but still higher than we are used to.

I talked to several people, took a nap and prepared a couple of things to tempt Dick to eat, (potato salad and egg salad).   We shared a hamburger and potato salad for our supper.

Tomorrow then, is the big day.  I will update you all in the blog in the evening.  

I am going to bed very early and will read until I can sleep.

Love you all

Mary

A Haiku

A thin space opened
Gentle spirits in the house
A peaceful passing.