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.