Every year we all get together on Boxing Day for Christmas Dinner. Once again we were sorry that Mike & Tena & their families were not able to join us. I know Mom & Dad were hoping to see them all again. However, we still had a great time together. Terry, Wendy, Kerri & Stacey didn't stay for dinner, but we enjoyed their short visit anyway.

Christmas morning was different this year without Chris & Brianna staying overnight. No little one to get us up REAL early!! However, we soon had a houseful when everyone else showed up. We had a great time.. sure hope everyone else did too.

As a Christmas present, I crocheted some Barbie clothes for the 4 oldest girls (Brianna, Megan, Sarah & Paige) I thought I'd post a picture of them.

Ballet Tutu's


matching shorts, pants, skirts & a vest

fancy dress & hat

Today Brianna left to spend Christmas with her dad in North Bay. Although she was looking forward to seeing her brothers again, she wasn't really all that happy about spending Christmas away from her mom. She wrote a letter to Santa asking him to leave some presents for her at Gramma's house because her dad told her she wasn't allowed to bring any of her presents back home with her. She feels that any presents she opens up in North Bay don't really belong to her, they are just there for her use when she's there & for her brothers to play with when she isn't. It breaks my heart to hear her talk about it.. she's just like a robot when she talks about being up there. I am hoping that Doug will allow her to bring her "Santa" gifts home, otherwise how does he explain that?

Woohoo!! Got most of my shopping done now. Cooked both my turkeys. (just need to carve them up & freeze the meat) Chris had an eye dr appt. this afternoon so I had to pick Brianna up from school. Tonight we had our small group pot luck supper.. what a lot of fun that was.

I can't believe it... Ann has gone home! She has completely recovered from the stroke. She has some restrictions of course, but otherwise she's great! Praise God!

The cause of the stroke has been determined to be from the surgery. The sudden infusion of blood in the vessels in the brain caused problems. There's a fancy name for it but all I can remember is ....... ..... infusion syndrome. I knew I should have written it down! **sigh**

Anyway.. I hope that's it for now ... between hospital visits & physio (which I've had to cancel a few times) I've not been able to get all my shopping & cleaning done. I know it will be done by Friday though. That's my deadline.. & I'm determined to keep it. I can be a little bit stubborn at times.

Ann was moved out of ICU tonight & into the step-down unit. All weakness on her right side have disappeared & she feels pretty good. She's tired, but that is normal. We are hoping she will be able to be home for Christmas.

Ann is starting to wake up. She pulled the breathing tube out herself, much to the chagrin of the nurses. She's breathing quite well on her own now though. She doesn't stay awake long but does answer questions appropriately.

Got a phone call from Ann's ex. Jim at around 6 this morning. Ann was in the General Hospital ICU. Katie is with her. I quickly got up & dressed & rushed to the hospital. Ann was not conscious but I'm not sure if that was because of the sedation being used or not. They said that she has had a stroke & there is some weakness on the right side. The stroke is on the left side of her brain which affects the right side. They were really concerned that her communication ability would be affected as it is usually on the right side. Fortunately for Ann, she is very definitely left handed so her communication centre would be on the left.

Ann came home from the hospital today. Her neck is cut from just below the ear almost to the clavicle. She's a little sore of course, but otherwise in good spirits. She will be coming back on the 20th to see the surgeon & probably get the stitches out.

Ann's surgery was rescheduled for today at 8:00 a.m. She had to be at the hospital by 6:00 a.m. UGH!

She was in surgery for 2 1/2 hrs. The doctor came out to talk with me. Everything went well & Ann would be staying in the recovery room longer than usual because they needed to keep a very close eye on her. The doctor was able to clean out the artery & once she recovers, she will have a much lesser chance of any strokes. We thank God for watching over her during the surgery & afterwards.

I couldn't stay longer than 2:00 as I had physio at 2:30. Ann was still in recovery when I left & I knew I wouldn't be seeing her until tomorrow. After physio, I had to get Brianna from daycare & take her to pick up her new glasses. They're really cute on her & I hope she will wear them all the time like she is supposed to.

It was 5:30 p.m. by the time I finally got home, 12 hrs after I had left it. I'm bushed!

Today was the Ecodyne/Procor children's Christmas party. All 5 of our grandchildren were there along with Carolynn & Christine. It was fun to see the older kids do a craft & watch the magic show. The balloon clown was there again this year, making fun balloon shapes for the kids. Brianna & Sarah wanted a mouse & Paige wanted a bunny (I think it was) Zachary, (surprise surprise!) wanted a sword. Chloe just wanted mommy!

Marshall arrived just as the children were opening their gifts. That was nice that he got to see Paige & Chloe open theirs.

A lot of the pictures I took at the party didn't come out. I had inadvertently changed the setting on my camera... darn it!



Zachary this was the only picutre I got of Zachary.
Paige loved the animal balloon the clown made for her.Chloe & Paige had to leave before Santa arrived. Sarah & Brianna wanted to talk with Santa, but Zachary decided he didn't want to.

WHEW!!! Tom & I got the house decorated & cleaned up by Friday! Well, as long as you don't go to the basement it's cleaned up. Most of the decoration boxes etc. have just been more or less thrown down there & not put away. Thank goodness the outdoor decorating was already done.

Tom's youngest sister, Ann, needs surgery to open one of the 2 blocked arteries in her neck. These arteries are the ones that supply the brain with oxygen-rich blood. So far she has avoided a stroke but who knows how much longer that will last. The right side is totally blocked & cannot be opened. The left side is almost totally blocked but hopefully the surgeon can clean that one out.

Ann was scheduled for surgery this afternoon at 2:00. We had to be at the hospital for noon. After getting prepared with IV's etc. We waited for the next 5 hours. What a boring place to be for 5 hours! At 5:00 her surgery was canceled & we came back home, a little disappointed of course. Apparently the surgeon's 8:00 a.m. patient had some complications & they were still in the operating room. Hopefully Ann won't have to wait too long until her surgery is rescheduled.

This week is going to be a busy one. We have our annual Martin Christmas Open House next weekend & Jim & Muriel will be staying with us over the weekend. In a way, Ann's postponed surgery is a blessing as it is at her apartment that we will be gathering. I would like to get the house all decorated before Jim & Muriel arrive too.

Ann came down this afternoon in preparation for her surgery tomorrow. We managed to get a couple of tickets to the dessert theater tonight & I took Ann. Tom was working there tonight. Ann really enjoyed it.

Tonight was the Ecodyne/Procor dinner/dance. As usual the food was delicious. At our table was Jeff & Marie, Ben & Barb, & Keith & Linda. Great company, good food & I was even able to dance a little. Of course I'm going to pay for it tomorrow but it was worth it!

Tonight we went to dessert theater at the church. It was really well done. The music & cast were excellent I thought & the desserts were out of this world! yummmmmmmm

Christine has a new job! She's now working full time with the city of Hamilton. To celebrate, we all went out for lunch last Sunday.

woohoo.. I can work on my blog once again. Just in time for Christmas!! lol It was Netscape that was causing the problems. Thanks Carolynn & Marshall for your help.

Chloe took some first steps Hallowe'en night too.

Here are some pictures from Hallowe'en

Brianna the fairy princess Sarah the princess
Even Marshall got in the fun!

Chloe the cutest little witch and Paige a fairy princess lady bug.


And of course our pirate boy Zac.

I'm way behind on my posts.. no excuses for the past week, but lots of excuses before that.

I was doing quite well after my knee surgery, going out shopping & starting to get back to my normal routine. A complication was just around the corner, one that was very dangerous.

On Sept. 28th, the day before we were due to travel to Ohio to visit Jim & Muriel, my leg became extremely swollen & painful. I went to the hospital & had x-rays, then dopplar ultra-sound. The ultra-sound showed a huge deep vein thrombosis (blood clot). The clot extended from mid-calf to the groin. (I've since been told that the type of clot I had & the size of it is often fatal, so I have been very blessed.) Of course I was admitted to hospital immediately, & put on a regimine of blood thinners (heperin & coumadin) & also an anti-biotic. After a few days, the swelling came down a little bit which eased the pain somewhat. Nine days after admittance, I was taken off all IV's (my veins are very thankful) & the following day I came home. My leg is still swollen, about twice the size now, & I am still on coumadin.

My stay in the hospital has put my post surgery physio back somewhat, but I'm working on getting it back again. It's hard to start over & I was very discouraged at first, but my physio therapist came back a couple of times to work with me & she helped me quite a bit. I've been back to the surgeon now & he has prescribed outpatient physio for me. I go in next Thursday for evaluation then will get on a schedule. The doctor says for me to exercise my other swollen leg too, but I also have to keep it elevated as much as possible.

We were really sorry that we couldn't go visit Jim & Muriel again as it would have been the last time this year. They leave this Sunday for their trip to Florida. They will be back home for Christmas & then going back down until the spring.

Got some bad news today about a friend of ours from church, Paul Cairns. I know a lot of those who read my blog know Paul. He was put on life support & the family called in. The doctors were going to be talking to the family this afternoon, but I have heard no further news yet. Please pray the Lord's comfort for Marjorie & their children & grandchildren. This has got to be so hard for them, even though the past few months have given them some warning.

Today the physio therapist came. She says I'm doing very well & can now get around using only one crutch. (I've been doing that off & on for the past week) Next week I'll probably be using a cane & shortly after that I'll get rid of that too. She suggests that I go to the physio clinic a couple of times a week, after she no longer is coming here, to help improve the movement in my knee. We have to get a doctor's note for that, but I doubt there will be much problem there.

On the 29th Sept. we are going down to Ohio for our last visit to Jim & Muriel for the year. They have bought a trailer in Florida, so we will probably be making a trip or 2 there too. The trailers & sites they have in Ohio are up for sale. It is too bad in a way, because it was so convenient for us to travel there often & of course having a golf course on the site where you play as much as you want for free was great! But having the expense & work of another home is not realistic. If I could afford to buy it, I would have done... as much for our girls to use as for us. That camp site is really great for families & I can see why Jim & Muriel chose it years ago. Now it's time to escape the winters & perhaps in a few years, we will join them down south too.

Today Carolynn, Christine & I went to Tucker's Marketplace for lunch. If you go there on your birthday, your lunch is free (except for any drinks) The buffet is REALLY great! Lots of choices from soup, pasta, fish, meat, etc etc. Even the dessert buffet has a lot of variety, but, fortunately for me, most of it is not what I am overly fond of. Of course the down side is that you tend to overeat. It was fun talking & laughing with them. Time flew by so quickly & before we knew it, it was time to go. Thanks girls for a great time & HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Today we had the whole family (minus my dad) over to celebrate Carolynn's & Christine's birthdays. Everyone brought their own lunch since I couldn't do too much & Carolynn made this delicious ice cream cake. (I need the recipe) Don picked up some ice cream, milk & donuts and Mom stopped off at Timmy's for some donuts from there. YUMMY!!! there goes the diet!! Although the food was good, it wasn't as good as seeing everyone.

Guess it's about time I posted again. It's been crazy around here.

Christine was here for 2 weeks after her surgery. Brianna went to her dad's for a week, which was just right for Chris to have a week at home without having to worry about looking after her.

On Aug. 16 I went in for my knee replacement. Having had previous surgery on my knees I know how painful it can be. (even if it was 40 yrs ago) Coming out of the surgery, I was surprised that I wasn't in that excruciating pain. I figured it must be the morphine drip that I had. Great idea... if you have more pain you push a button & you get more morphine, but you can't overdo it. Problem with me was, I got dizzier & dizzier & more & more nauseous, but the uncomfortableness I was feeling didn't ease. Seems I react to the morphine too. It put back my rehab for a few days but once they stopped that I was doing better. After 5 days I was allowed to come home. Dad also came home while I was in hospital.. I'm not sure if they discharged him or if he signed himself out. Either way, I don't think there was much more they could do for him anyway. I'm now having a physio therapist come in once a week to check on my progress & I do my exercises 3 times a day. Because the muscles & tendons etc. had shrunk somewhat over the past few years, I now have to stretch them back... now that's painful! But it will be worth it once I can walk properly once again. Since I can't go upstairs yet, I have my bed in the living room & the computer is set up on the dining room table. I'm hoping I'll be able to tackle the mountain (stairs) this week. If I can do it, then I'll be moving back upstairs... woohoo!

I guess that's all the news for now...

I forgot to mention... Friday, Jenn, Don & children left for a week's vacation. They generously let Chris have Jenn's car for the week. As it turns out, Chris can't use it now, but I sure could. My van lost its rear lights for some crazy reason, so I couldn't drive it at night. Got it into the mechanic's & found out it was some module or other that was going. Rob, our mechanic, wouldn't let me drive it because he said the rest of the lights could go at any time making for a dangerous situation. (no brake lights or signals) Thank goodness I had the use of Jenn's car.. even if she didn't know it.

It's been forever since I last posted anything. Not that there is a lot of things to post!

Dad is still in the hospital, although he's now at St. Joseph's rehabilitation centre. They have to pay for that privilege & for those of you who know my dad, you know he's not overly happy about that.

During his stay in hospital, I've discovered that the pain in his legs that he has been complaining about for a couple of years was probably from a slipped disc. Too bad he neglected to tell his doctor about that.

He had a funny gait before he went into hospital which we thought was because of the "pain" he was in. When he was walking with his physio-therapist I noticed that he kept tripping over that foot. When I questioned him about it, he said he could not pick his foot up... that triggered the memory about the slipped disc. I put 2 & 2 together & came up with slipped disc damaging nerve resulting in "drop-foot".

I talked with the therapist about that & he said that is probably what has happened & because it has been so long since it started, Dad would probably not get the proper use of his foot back.

Tom had "drop-foot" years ago after surgery on his knee, but because he had prompt treatment, has total use back again. He had a splint to help keep the foot up & I asked Dad's therapist if he could get something like that too.

Dad has had one made specifically for him & he now walks better than he has in a long time. He still gets quite winded of course but he is gradually gaining strength.

He was home last Saturday, for the day. Mom says it wasn't long before he wanted to go back to the hospital. Crazy character! He had to wait though because Tom & I had other, more urgent calls on our time.

Christine was taken to hospital on Saturday & ended up having an appendectomy. She came out of hospital Sunday night. Chris & Brianna are staying with us until Chris is well enough to take care of Brianna.

CALGON... TAKE ME AWAY!!!!

It's been a busy week. In the mornings I have been trying to weed my gardens, then off to the hospital to see Dad. I have weeded, roto-tilled & planted all the back gardens, mowed the back lawn, partly weeded the front garden, & hopefully I will get the rest of the front finished before the weekend. Ann is going to be here tonight so that I can take her to the hospital for her angioplasty tomorrow morning. She will be staying with us until Friday. Jim & Muriel arrive Friday... not sure what time though & Kelly-Ann's wedding on Saturday. Never a dull moment around here!

When we went to the hospital on Monday, Dad was using oxygen again. He wasn't feeling up to snuff obviously. Yesterday he was hooked back up to an IV for antibiotics. They think he's got pneumonia again or still. Hopefully the antibiotics will kick in quickly. He might be moved to a rehab hospital in the next week or two, so that will make him feel better too. I'm not sure if they will move him until he's clear of any pneumonia. oh well.. back to work I go! :-)

Nothing much new to report on Dad's condition. He's still quite weak. Some days are better than others. His breathing was bad yesterday & he had further x-rays. He's short tempered... oh wait.. that's normal :-)

Doreen left on Saturday. I still have some busy days coming up helping Tom's sister Ann. She has some appointments at the hospital & I will be taking her to them. We also have a wedding coming up on the 10th & Tom's brother Jim & his wife Muriel will be staying with us. I am really looking forward to their visit as they are always a pleasure to have around. It also means a weekend off hospital visits for me :-) I think Terry will take over when he knows I won't be available. He came down & took Mom to the hospital on Sat. I took the opportunity to do some gardening. (There's still tons of weeds in the gardens if anyone wants to volunteer to help hehehehe... ) On Sunday, Terry came back down again & did the gardens at Mom's. They look great & Mom is so pleased too.

May 22.
Dad was sitting in a chair when we got to the hospital this afternoon. He could barely hold himself up, but at least he was out of bed. He needed a LOT of help getting back into bed of course & was huffing & puffing a lot then. None of his muscles are working well. He has probably lost about 50 lbs. (he could afford it) but now that he is on a regular diet, he might put some back on. He is very wheezy which is why he is still in the step-down-unit. I wish they would move him out to the ward because he can't have a tv where he is & the days are very long & boring for him. He has no memory of the past 2 weeks & very few of the week he was in for the pneumonia. I find his short-term memory is not all that good either. He keeps asking the same questions.. even when I've answered them a short time earlier. But I'm sure that is normal after what he has been through & it will eventually get better. When Dad first came out of his "sleep" he could not hear anything unless you leaned in close. He was still a little confused about things too .. not really understanding some things you were telling him etc. I'm wondering how much he heard & understood from that doctor regarding the tracheotomy etc.

Mom is coping ok but this is starting to wear her down. She has not fully recovered from her ordeal. Her memory isn't what it was. I'm not sure if that was already fading somewhat before her accident & I didn't notice it or if this is a new thing. No point in asking Terry as he hasn't been around her as much as I have been. (until recently) He's been coming down quite often since Dad was in hospital. I think the seriousness of Dad's condition has made him realize how vulnerable our parents are.

Doreen leaves here on Saturday. She's not been any trouble at all & I've enjoyed her visit.

We have our small group here tonight. Doreen is going over to Mom's for supper & we will bring her back here after small group. I'm looking forward to getting together with the group again.

Here are a few pictures of the spring flowers in my front & back gardens. I'm not the photographer Carolynn is nor do I have as good a camera, but I think these turned out ok anyway

HE'S OUT OF ICU!!

It's hard to believe, but he was moved to the step-down unit this afternoon. No more tubes, IV only when meds are given. His head is much clearer now too. He has no memory of the past few weeks. He can vaguely remember being in for pneumonia but that's as far as it goes. At least he doesn't remember any pain so that's a blessing. I've had to tell him some things that happened. He was really upset when I told him about having to be tied down & why. He was afraid he had hurt someone. We assured him no one was hurt but he was still upset by it. A nurse came in & talked to him about it & I think he was satisfied then. He's able to sit up a little more (with support), but at least he's not sliding down the bed now. His mind is still a little muddled. He is positive that he has been working on a computer program & it's been hard to convince him that he has not had a computer there. He also says he hasn't slept at all in the past couple of weeks. He's obviously been dreaming & it explains why he was always on about the computer whenever we could get anything out of him.

God is so good & He is the Great Physician. Thank you Lord.

Yesterday afternoon Dad got the breathing tube removed. We got there just after he had it out. He was awake, talking (sort of) more aware of his surroundings & asking when he could go home. His throat was VERY sore of course, but other than that he seemed fine. About an hour later, the nurse sat him up at the side of his bed. He is so weakened he could not hold himself up at all.. including his head. By the time he lay back down, he was tired & went to sleep.

Today was a much different day. He was sleeping when we arrived but woke up. He was very much awake... talking, laughing, joking. What a great sight to see. He said... "I'm going to be here for at least another week" "well yeah you are Dad.. probably more like 2 or 3 weeks depending on how long it takes to get your strength back!" He did say he was not going to rush things though, which I was happy to hear. Sure don't want him coming home too soon & Nana ending up with more than she can handle... which is not very much.. she has enough looking after herself.

The tube that went up Poppa's nose & into his stomach has now been removed & he is able to have a little fluid. I think they will gradually introduce solids, but it might be a few days yet.

His nurse also ordered rehab for him right away. It's going to take some time to rebuild those muscles but I can see it starting already. He can now turn his head from side to side & he can hold up his right hand for a short time. The left still has IV in it & he doesn't seem to want to move it too much. I think it is painful.

Funny how things suddenly turned around. One minute I could see him fading away & the next I can see him coming home. I think Nana & Poppa will have to move though. I don't think either one of them will ever be well enough to care for themselves AND a home. It's too bad too because I think Nana really likes this house & will probably be sorry to have to leave it. But she can't do much cooking now & Poppa won't be able to for quite a while I'm sure.

But that's for the future... we'll just take the days as they come. Finally good news to report to you all so you can breathe a collective sigh of relief! I think we will all sleep good tonight.

Doreen is doing well too.. she's getting more exercise than she has had for a while I think. Lots of walking in the hospital & we have stairs she has to climb here (as little as possible hehehehe) But all in all, I think she is happy she came & although it has been a little extra for me to cope with, I've enjoyed her being here too.

Guess that's it for now. Talk to ya later!

It's out! The breathing tube came out this afternoon & Dad was breathing on his own. He's really huffing & puffing though & the doctor just said that he hoped Dad could continue to breathe on his own & improve somewhat, otherwise it has to go back in & a tracheotomy scheduled. He was also awake & trying to talk again. His throat is sore (of course) & his voice is really gruff. It will be a few days before the sore throat goes away. He wanted to know when he can get out of the hospital. He expected to be home long before now. Like the day after surgery! The nurse had him sit at the side of the bed with his feet dangling down, but she had to hold him up.. he's as weak as a kitten.

As I suspected, the day was just a lovely gift for us. Yesterday Dad was back to the way he was before. He will follow commands, but that's about as far as it goes. They were supposed to take the breathing tube out yesterday, but they hadn't done it by the time we left. We'll find out this afternoon, when we go in, if they tried it or not & if he succeeded on sustaining breathing on his own. I doubt it very much as his lungs are so weakened now. They were trying to wean him off the breathing tube, & it was very noticeable .. he was having a harder time breathing. If he can't breathe on his own, the tube will be put back in & the tracheotomy performed within the next couple of days. Another surgery, another risk.

I am still glad that the decision on his care has been taken out of my/our hands. In spite of knowing that we were deciding what we thought he wanted & what we thought was best for him, (knowing what his future is) I know I would still be second-guessing & thinking the "what ifs". Now I don't have to.

Sure wish I had better news to tell you.

We had a huge surprise yesterday. Got a phone call from Dad's nurse. He suddenly woke up & was asking for us. We got there & sure enough he was AWAKE!! He wrote things down.. joking & all. Very weak but pretty much aware of most things & a little confused on others. It was great for Doreen (Dad's sister) too as she was with us when the phone call came in & was already going to see Dad.

Another dr came in & he went over things with Dad. & we are going by his wishes... & they are that if he can't breathe, to go on the tracheotomy. So that is what is going to happen. At the same time they put in the trach., they are also going to put in a tube into his stomach so he can be fed that way & get rid of the nasal tube too. He should be more comfortable with it. I'm not sure Dad understood that this will probably be a permanent thing. I think he thinks this will enable him to go home. He was also told that he could die on the operating table & if so, does he want them to try to restart his heart again. Once again he indicated that yes he did. I am so happy that this decision has been removed from us. We are all in agreement there. However, if things don't go right & something happens that Poppa goes into a coma, loses brain function or something like that, we have agreed that no further "heroic" measures will be done. The breathing tube will be coming out in a couple of days. If he cannot breathe on his own, it will be reinserted & surgery will be scheduled a.s.a.p. for the trach & other tube. That's as it stands right now.

We are looking at Dad suddenly waking up like that as a gift to us. Whether it continues or not, we will just wait & see. I'm just sorry that Terry & Wendy didn't have the opportunity to see him like that too. Hopefully he will be awake tomorrow & they can see him tomorrow night if they come.

That's all the info for now.

Not good news to report today unfortunately.

Dad had a CT scan yesterday & we had a chat with the doctor today about the results. He does have a blockage in the small intestines, but it's not completely blocked. The doctor thinks that in time it will sort itself out & there is no need to pursue this further. However, he said that in a few days, Dad's breathing tube has to be removed & if he can't breathe on his own, we have to make the choice to have it re-inserted for another few days after which a tracheotomy will have to be performed or do we let him go? I can't see Dad being hooked up to a ventilator for the short time he has left. I knew this day was coming, but I am still in shock.

Years ago, Dad was put on oxygen. He took himself off it & said he'd never have it again. Hooking him up to a machine to breathe for him seems unjust somehow. And keeping this breathing tube going doesn't seem right either. But, at the same time, taking the breathing support away & letting him go when he's not in a coma or brain-dead also doesn't seem right. It is a dilema that we will have to work out. I'm pretty sure I know dad's wishes on this & Mom is too. I will be talking with the doctor/nurse more today. I want to get as many facts as possible before making a final decision.

Tonight, Terry, Wendy, Mom, Tom, myself & Doreen are getting together to discuss this & come up with a unanimous decision in case Dad can't breathe on his own. I'm pretty sure we are all on the same page, but I wanted to really talk it out to be sure. No regrets. Tom & I have both Mom's & Dad's power of attorney so the end decision is ours, but I would prefer to not have to use it. I also want to give Dad as much of a chance as I can, but we already know that he is suffering even though he cannot talk & is rarely awake long enough (without a lot of discomfort) to say anything anyway.

That's about all I can tell you at the moment. It will be a few days before they attempt taking out the breathing tube & they will let us know ahead of time when they plan to do it so we can be there.

We didn't get much of a chance to visit Dad today. He was sleeping when we first arrived which is what they want him to do. He suddenly woke up but you could tell it was because something was bothering him. Just at that time, the fire alarm went off which meant we had to leave the unit & go to the waiting rooms. After a while in there, the "all clear" was sounded & most people went back to see the rooms. I said to wait a couple of minutes to let the rush finish before making our way back. Good thing I did because the fire alarm went off again. This was not a drill but the real thing. It was a "code red" in the burn unit of all places! By the time the "all clear" was sounded again, I figured Dad was probably back to sleep so we came home.

When we got home last night from our small group, there was a message on the phone from Dad's sister, Doreen. All she said was "I'm coming as soon as I can".. She called again this afternoon with her flight information. She'll be here tomorrow morning at 11:30! She's going to be here for a couple of weeks! I told her that only immediate family... Mom, Terry & myself are allowed in the ICU to see Dad. She'll be staying with me because I know she won't be any help to Mom. Mom would have to wait on her all the time. For the time being we aren't going to let Doreen in to see Dad. The biggest reason I didn't want Doreen to see him is that Dad is convinced he's not going to be going home & we've been trying to convince him he is. If he sees Doreen, he's going to think that we weren't telling him the truth & he will give up fighting.

Pray for me.. I'm gonna need it!

Dad seemed to be doing better yesterday. He woke up while we were there & he managed to communicate a little using gestures & a lot of guess work on our part. It has to be frustrating for him though when we can't figure out what he wants. I'm going to take in some paper & pen ..hopefully he will be able to write down what he wants to say. I'll post later when I get home.

I'm still posting for mom - Carolynn

Sunday... Dad is still under heavy sedation & he still has the breathing tube in. He hardly blinked the whole time Mom & I were there. He still has the restraints on in case he tries to get up again. The nurse said she thinks it was the steroids that Dad has been given that have made him agitated. They will be starting to decrease the tranquilizers soon & hopefully he won't have any more of those episodes.

For some reason my mom is having trouble posting on her blog. So, in order for everyone to know what is going on she's been posting in her comments. I however, am able to break into her blog and post this for her. - Carolynn

Saturday - Dad has had to have the breathing tube re-inserted as his lungs were not as clear as yesterday. Mom & I could not get in to see him as he had become extremely agitated this morning & it took 4 men to hold him down. He almost brought some heavy equipment down on top of him. He is now sedated & in restraints. Fortunately he did not hurt himself nor anyone else, but it sure didn't help any.

UPDATE ON DAD...

Yesterday (Thurs.) Dad had his surgery. He did amazingly well but was still very ill. The next week is when any infection might set in, but each day means further away from that chance.

Today, he was a lot better. Of course, having the breathing tube removed might be a big reason for that. This morning his left lung was a little crackly but later this afternoon that was greatly improved. There is a chance that he will be moved out of ICU tomorrow. He's not really lucid because of the pain medication he's on, but you can sometimes make some sense about what he is trying to say. SOMETIMES!! They tried to reduce the amount of pain meds he was getting, but it took them 2 hrs to get it back under control, so it might take a while. Dad doesn't exactly have the highest level of pain tolerance either. That's about all I can think of at the moment. If I think of anything else, I'll be sure to add to it. Thanks for all your prayers. I know they have helped a lot.

Here we go again. My dad was admitted to hospital this morning with pneumonia. He was told he'd be in for a few days. Here's hoping it is only a few days!

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY PAIGE!

We had a great time at Paige's birthday party this evening. It was noisy but fun to watch all those little ones enjoying themselves. One of the girls gave Gord (Paige's other Grandpa) a little purse to hold. He's such a good sport he held onto it for a while. After a couple of tries, I finally captured him with it!

HAPPY 60TH BIRTHDAY TOM!

While we were doing the renovations to our bathroom, the girls were planning a surprise birthday for Tom. It was soooo hard to keep from saying anything, especially when Tom wanted to take a break from the renovations or to continue with our other project (which would really make a mess). Jim & Muriel were going to be staying overnight with us & I sure didn't want all that mess for then. It was hard enough to not do too much in preparation without the extra mess of pulling up the 1/4 round from all of upstairs.

I'm not sure how much of a surprise it was for Tom. I have the feeling someone let it slip, but it was the people who came that was the real surprise for him, like Jim & Muriel from Ohio, or his cousin Pat from London, Pauline, Ken & Megan from Caledon.

Here are pictures of some of the people who came.

This is the surprise that awaited Tom at work. Ben, Tom's boss & friend was responsible for the decorating & cake.

The last picture is of Ben singing his special rendition of Happy Birthday.

IT'S FINISHED!! FINALLY!! our bathroom renovations are finally finished. Following are some before & after pictures.

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After

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After

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After







<---After (2nd view)

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After

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After

It was Tom's 60th birthday on Saturday. Carolynn, Marshall, Paige & Chloe popped in to wish him a happy birthday. While they were here, Mom & Dad also popped in. Nice surprise & it gave us a bit of a rest from our bathroom renovations. Mom & Dad stayed for a while then took us out for dinner in honour of Tom's birthday. (of course we had to get changed first) What a good time we had.

Mom is still doing quite well. She's getting around quite well, sometimes without her walker (naughty girl!) Tom finished the construction of the ramp going from the house into the garage, so now Mom can get out easier. It works quite well & Mom is very happy with it. Dad is still doing a lot of the cooking, which is great. I'm not sure how good a cook he is though but since neither of them look like they are starving, I guess he's not doing too bad a job. Of course mom gets to be supervisor (if she's not doing the cooking)

Mom came home on Thursday as planned. She's doing pretty good, but still weakened. This accident & time in the hospital has really taken a lot out of her. Dad seems to be doing ok. I think he's just happy to have her home again. (of course)

I got the linen closet door painted & it's back where it's supposed to be. Tom has installed the ceramalite & assembled the other cabinet. He can't put the counter on it yet as it has to be trimmed. Darn walls aren't straight!!

Bathtub & walls are being installed today. NO MORE GOLD! HOORAY!!

Now I have the fun job of finding wallpaper I want in there & accessories... hmmm such a chore that will be... hahaha

woohoo!! we got the floor down & it looks great! Tom got the new toilet installed this morning too. This afternoon we put in the new cabinets, sink & counter. The other cabinet & counter will be put in another day. Tom has a Bible study to get ready for. While he's doing that, I've given the main door & both door frames a 2nd coat of paint. It should be dry enough later tonight to put that door up. I'll paint the linen closet door tomorrow if I get the chance, but I have to get ready for small group tomorrow night & I'll be down at the hospital in the morning.

I've been telling everyone that Mom is scheduled to come home on Friday the 30th. Silly me.. the 30th is Thursday! Yippee!!! Thursday works out much better for me because I have my tole class in the morning & it's also payday/shopping day on Friday.

Today I started painting in the bathroom. Got 2 coats done on the linen closet & I can tell you now it will NEVER be painted by me again! Picture this... the linen closet doorway is very small.. I'm not.. The step stool had to be folded up & put in side-ways, then set up, then I had to try to get in side-ways & at the same time step up on the stool while holding a small tray of paint. Because my knees are so bad, I have to hold on to get up the stepstool too. oh brother! While on up on the stepstool, I have to try to turn to paint the walls (including behind me) keep the tray level, & not touch any walls. ... hmmmmm OOOPS!!! tipped the tray & there's a small puddle of paint on the floor.... level the tray again... start painting again... UH OH!! there's paint running down my leg & there's a much larger puddle on the floor! Oh well... there's that much less paint in the tray now so it doesn't tip so much hehehe.. geesh! what a time.

I did manage to get 2 coats on all the walls with a lot less spillage. Even the window frame got a fresh coat of paint. It's all white right now, but we wanted a good base under any paper we put up. Also we had some forest green to cover. It sure makes the doors & door frames look greyish though. Another paint job coming up!

Just to let everyone know... my mom is totally off the Sinemet now. She has some tremors in her left hand & head, but other than that, nothing. I believe the doctor thinks the tremors are due to the stroke she had (that we didn't know about) The stroke could have happened years ago & no one knew nor checked to see if the tremors were due to anything other than Parkinson's. Although the doctor hasn't come right out & said mom does not have Parkinson's yet, I'm going to trust that our prayers have been answered.

I forgot to tell everyone... I saw a robin on Friday!! Spring must be here!

So how come it snowed yesterday & is so cold again today?

Oh for warm weather!!

SURPRISE!!


Today we celebrated Sarah's birthday. We went to the Open Kitchen for lunch, which was what Sarah wanted. Twelve of us were there to celebrate with her, but we missed Nana & Poppa being with us.

After lunch we all came back here & Sarah opened her presents. Since Sarah had already had 2 birthday cakes, one on her birthday with Zachary, Jenn & Don & another one in Collingwood with her Aunt & her family, we didn't have another one. Instead we had Tim's donuts & ice cream. I put 5 candles & a little "happy birthday" sign on the one Sarah picked out. It was noisy but fun.




























Just after finishing the dessert, the doorbell rang. I thought it might be my dad popping in after visiting mom... but we were all in for a wonderful surprise. It was dad at the door but he had mom with him. She was given a pass for the rest of the day!! Needless to say everyone stayed around longer than they would have. We all chipped in & made supper & had a great time.

Then it was time for mom to go back to the hospital & everyone else to get home to put the kiddies to bed.

Last night we started on our bathroom project. We had put up that dry-strippable wallpaper years ago & off it came. Actually the wallpaper came off surprisingly easy. The backing was a different matter. Tom & I spent most of last night & this morning trying to get that &#%^$ stuff off! A note to everyone... do NOT wallpaper behind a toilet. It's hard enough to get it on but try getting it off... We had to take the tank off before we could get the paper off!

Tom put valves on the taps so we don't have to turn the water off to the whole house if we want to change anything at the sink. He put the new light over the vanity & moved the wiring etc. and installed the new lights over where the sink will be. The new counter is not as long as the old one which is why the wiring had to be moved unless we wanted it off centre....NOT!

Part of the new cabinets have been built too. We briefly thought about trying to put the new flooring & the new toilet in today but decided to do some of the other things first. Especially the plastering & painting.

I forgot to take "before" pictures, but I know I have at least one picture somewhere. I did take some when things were cleaned out though.

We have about 15 bundles of insulation on our back deck too, waiting to go up into the attic. That's another big job that needs to get done before we get the new carpeting installed May 1.

I'm sure it wasn't this hard to do this kind of thing 10 years ago. They must be making things harder to do nowadays!! Thank goodness we have a day off tomorrow. We will be celebrating Sarah's birthday after church.
Happy Birthday Sarah (even if it was last week!)

Mom is doing well with her physio. The part they are concentrating on the most is her balance. She won't be able to gain back what she used to have but what she does have they want to help her to improve.

When she first went into hospital, she was taking 7 Sinemets/day and I'm not sure how many Amantadine. The Amantadine was supposed to boost the Sinemet. She was taken off the Amantadine a couple of weeks ago & the tremors in her hands almost disappeared completely. Since being in the Henderson hospital, they have been gradually lessening the dose of Sinemet she gets. As of Friday, she was down to 2 a day with no discernable changes.

She has an estimated discharge date of March 30. WOOHOO!!

Today Mom had another doctor. He was really nice too. I'm not sure if he's one of the senior staff, but he sure gave Mom a work-out. He tested her balance, he had her walk away from & back to him while he watched how she walked... he checked her feet, legs, arms, hands, eyes etc... He wanted to know how those who first told Mom she had Parkinson's knew it was Parkinson's.. of course Mom didn't know that. None of us do. He's almost positive that the way she walks, the loss of balance & the weaker left leg is due to the stroke. They have been gradually reducing the Sinemet she takes. The doctor said they don't want to do it suddenly because if she does have Parkinson's it would cause problems, so reducing it little by little & watching to see if her symptoms return has been the best bet... so far none of the tremors (except her head which has never gone away) has returned. I sure am hoping & praying that what they suspect is true & that she does not have Parkinson's.

I think I had forgotten to mention about some things that have been found out while mom was in the General. The main thing is that they took her off one of her Parkinson's medications, Amantadine. The doctor came in & told us that, then asked Mom if she had noticed any difference. Right away I said that the tremors in her hands have not been as bad & we wondered why that was. The Amantadine is supposed to be a boost to the Levadopa.

After moving to the Henderson for rehab, one of the doctors was questioning about Mom having Parkinson's because the removal of the Amantadine usually makes the tremors worse not better. However that is still unclear. She had Mom walk for her. She watched very closely how Mom moved her feet. The way she walks is definitely the way someone who has lost sensations in feet and/or legs would walk. Mom has lost sensation in her feet due to the diabetes. However, her left foot & leg is a lot weaker & her left foot turns in & does not lift the way it should. I'm pretty sure they think this is due to the stroke she has had... & it does make sense.

I'm really impressed with the way these 2 doctors have been with Mom. Also the nurses seem to be more attentive than most of the nurses she had at the General. When a call button is pushed they answer almost immediately & they also come right away. I can't say it's because they have fewer "sick" patients because a lot of times the nurses at the General were just sitting around talking anyway. I know because I'd go looking for a nurse for the ladies in the room when it seemed more urgent. Nothing like telling a lady to poop in the diaper simply because they were too busy talking to get her a bedpan.. then leaving her in it for over an hour with the resulting rash or leave an 89 yr old patient with a broken pelvis sitting on a bedpan for over an hour, in pain, with no way of calling a nurse to help her get off it!

There were a few (very few) nurses who were really caring of their patients & I really appreciate their care & concern for Mom.

Gee... do I sound angry??

OK.. better get off my soap box for now!

Anyone want to help me write a complaint letter to the hospital mom was in? Believe it or not, I had to transfer her to the Henderson & NO ONE helped us out of the General. Mom was exhausted by the time we got to the main entrance where I had to leave her while I went to get the car. I was given directions to the Henderson & we had to go to the main entrance for information to where she was going. There was a lot of walking involved to get there too. No one offered to help with a wheelchair or anything, nor was there anyone around to ask for help. We didn't realize it was going to be such a long way. When we got upstairs, they thought we had been transferred by Patient Transfer, until I said that mom needed to sit down after such a long walk. They were furious that the General hadn't transferred her in an ambulance as they SHOULD have done. The hospital was still responsible for Mom's care during the transfer too.
From what I've been told, this is not the first time that ward has done the same thing. They should know better than to practically insist that a patient's family transfer a patient to rehab. If I had not taken her, they would have called Dad & I know he would have gone to get her then both of them would have been having problems! Imagine forcing an 83 yr old woman who was in hospital for 3 weeks with 2 fractured vertebrae to walk what probably amounts to close to 3 city blocks after she has been up for less than a week! grrrrrrrrrrr I am so mad I could spit!

Poor Carolynn... she was so excited about getting her new computer & now it has crashed. Although it has been replaced, she lost some of her pictures of the girls & any other work that she had on there.

Good news. Mom was moved to the rehab centre at the Henderson Hospital. The doctor said she might only be there a week, but it would be up to the physio-therapists.

nothing new to report today.


I did edit & add post back to last Wed. though lol.. so now you'll have to go back & see what has changed!!

We went to visit mom today after church. She looks so good. She's been getting a much needed rest I think. Dad was already there, but Terry wasn't. I had expected Terry & Wendy would have beat us there. Dad said Terry was going to pick him up but on the way he got very ill. I guess he got what the others had, poor guy. Sure hope he feels better soon.

No further news on either the convalescent care or rehab. Still no room at the inn!

ahhhh the weekend! Tom spent the morning trying to clean up the garage or should I say junk collection room. Things have been dumped in there to the point we could hardly walk through. We had to get it cleaned up enough before our new bathroom cupboards, countertops & flooring arrives. We are also putting more insulation in the attic (anyone want to help? lol) & that will take up a fair bit of room until it's put up there. fun fun fun

We went to visit mom this afternoon. I was surprised Terry wasn't there but mom said that he was coming down tomorrow. There has been some bug going around Terry's place. I'm not sure who all has had it, I just hope it's over with now & everyone is back to good health.

Mom is still doing well. The physio-therapist comes in every morning & takes her for a walk around the "block". She's walking very well now (with her walker) & is allowed to get up anytime to go to the bathroom or just to get out of bed. She can go for a walk as long as someone is with her.

We are still waiting for a spot in convalescent care or the rehab place.

Judy went home this morning & another lady has arrived. She seems quite nice too. She also has pneumonia. The lady in the bed next to mom, Evelyn, has not been well. Poor dear keeps having tests & can't have anything to eat, then they cancel the test or it's delayed & she ends up getting hardly anything at all. Mom has been talking with her too. The lady in the bed opposite Evelyn is a real pill! She complains & whines all the time. Don't know what she has to complain about, she sleeps almost all the time. The real whining starts when the staff want her to sit up to eat or go to the bathroom etc. She has even complained that she's always the last to be seen to... which isn't true, she's usually first. (probably cause she whines so much lol) Oh well.. she does give us something to chuckle about sometimes.

Mom is still doing well. She's in good spirits & keeps saying she's enjoying not having to cook or clean. I think she'd like to get out of the hospital though... who wouldn't?

Not much has changed since yesterday. Judy.. in the bed across from mom, is going home tomorrow. That's too bad cause Judy & mom have got on famously. Mom is worried about Judy because she doesn't seem well enough to be going home & Judy's son is there & he's sick with strep throat.

Tom & I went up to the Flooring Warehouse to pick out the flooring we want in the bathroom. We ordered enough to do the downstairs powder room & the mud room too.

Mom seemed to be doing pretty good today. She even got to take a walk around the block. Not a large block but she did well & now I can take her out of the room anytime I want to.

She's 6th on the list for rehab now. Hopefully it won't be long before she can go. I'm not quite sure what the rehab is for since she's walking ok (with her walker of course).

Just as I got off the elevator to go home, I met Dad. He was a little breathless but nothing unusual for him & he seems to be doing fine now.

The internist who first saw mom in emergency came in today too. She's been in a few times. She is on a different rotation starting tomorrow. She was telling us that the team has taken mom off one of her parkinson's medications. It was the one that boosts the sinimet. She said that sometimes that particular medication, although good, does some funny things sometimes. She told us what but I don't remember exactly now. She asked if we noticed any changes & I said YES!! Mom does not shake as much as she did before. I had thought it was the advancing parkindson's but it seems it could have been that medication. Her loss of balance could also be a result of that medication. The odd thing is, that booster was given because mom was beginning to loss her balance at times. It just got worse & worse as time went on. ODD!

I am getting excited about our bathroom make-over. We have the new toilet, sink & tub liner ordered as well as the countertops & cabinets. The tub liner should be here around mid April & the rest of it will be here in a couple of weeks. Goodbye to the ugly gold colour!! hooray!! Tomorrow night we are going to order the new flooring. We're going to be busy between now & then to get things ready.. the main thing being to make room in the garage to hold everything until we are ready to install them.

I'll have before & after pictures I hope.