October 10, 2008
Dad had a pacemaker put in this afternoon.
It took a little longer than usual which made us all a little uneasy - but thankfully everything went well (except his BP shot up - but thats normal for him).
He is in good spirits (could be the morphine) - and hopefully he will come home tomorrow.
I am very relieved that its done. I know it wont solve ALL of his problems….but I think this will help him tremendously.
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October 9, 2008
- The dow dropped 678.91 today………this is really scary.
- Dad is scheduled for a pacemaker insertion tomorrow at 1 pm………hmmmm, go figure.
- Im having impure thoughts about Sarah Pal*n……..and Im not even republican……but Im willing to learn if she’ll teach me. (sorry hon)
- Gas? $2.99 a gallon BABY! FILL’ER UP!
- Speaking of gas, I have a problem and Im not sure how to deal with it. Deb is addicted to Taco Bell. Need I say more?
- The weather is wacky. I decorated the front of the house with mums. We’ve had a frost warnings so I pull them in over night. Then during the day its over 75 degrees so I bring them back out each morning. The neighbors watch this routine every day and laugh at me.
- I have 8 or 9 more lease payments on my Envoy. I LOVE my truck. However, GMC is not making it anymore. They now make a “crossover” called the Acadia. Anyone drving one that can give me any input? I want to stay in the SUV family and need enough room in back to load furniture.
- Every once in a while my Mom reads my blog.
She is NOT amused with me - at all.
But that cracks me up even more.
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October 8, 2008
Ok, I bet youre asking WHY I took a picture of a bush.
Well, this is no ordinary bush I can assure you.
Take a good look at it.
See anything that stands out?
See that HOLE in the middle?
Yep, thats the bush that my Mom “fell into” during the summer - the one that ate her arm. ROFL
You remember right? When she did this?
I stop in front of it EVERY DAY while walking Bobo and scratch my head TRYING to figure out HOW she did it!
I dont think I’ll ever get the answer - Mom, Bobo and the bush are the only ones that actually know what happened…and none of them are talking!
We just warn everyone that walks by it to be careful that it doesnt PULL YOU IN! MMWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
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October 8, 2008
I am SO frustrated with things.
Ive never seen doctors drag their feet so much.
I understand that my Dad is “complicated” BELIEVE ME!
But C’MON - make a decision and do SOMETHING.
So here’s what happened.
Dad’s pulse has been in the low 40’s - sometimes upper 30’s for MONTHS now. And that is really low. It might be great for a marathon runner - but its not good for a 74 year old man.
I have been telling his cardiologist that In my opinion (which means absolute shit to a doctor) its too low. He has no energy, he sleeps all the time, he is confused, he is losing muscle tone because he cant even get around due to exhaustion and light-headedness.
BUT his cardiologist says “its fine”……………………………..yeah, thank you very much.
Ok, so Saturday he tried to go out and walk Bobo. He got across the street and got so dizzy he couldnt get back to the house. He sat down hoping someone would see him - which my Mom did - and she went out to help him back to the house. That was the phone call I got Saturday night right when I attempted to plop myself on the couch.
He looked horrible. Gray! I took his pulse and it was like 37. But he did NOT want to go the ER.
Well, long story short, he went to the cardiologist on Monday and he sent him right to the ER. And here we are.
Its Wednesday. They are testing him for EVERYTHING under the sun because they thought MAYBE he had another stroke…..which we are pretty sure he didnt.
PUT A F*CKING PACERMAKER IN THIS POOR MAN ALREADY! And let him resume some type of normalcy. GEEEZ. He cant even make it from the kitchen to the den anymore. That is not my Dad.
He is so down. He cant see well at all since his last stroke. Now he has no energy and sleeps all the time. He is getting more and more depressed. I feel so bad for him.
I keep trying to tell him that he will feel so much better once they put it in and his heart starts pumping better….but he is so frustrated. And I dont blame him.
I finally spoke to the EP specialist last night and discussed the pacemaker option. He said it sounds reasonable. After today’s round of testing I should know more and HOPEFULLY they move in some direction.
I will keep you posted.
Thank you all for your prayers and kind words.
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October 6, 2008
Dad is in the ER.
I made Mom take him to his MD first thing this morning because of how he felt over the weekend and he was sent to the ER from there….
Ugh……
Pulse rate is VERY slow……but he is hooked up to all kinds of monitors and hopefully they can get it to where it should be.
I cant leave work.
Im biting my nails and pacing.
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October 6, 2008
The weekend was a blur.
I cant believe Im back sitting at my desk right now. Im exhausted.
Deb was sick all weekend. My poor baby.
Saturday I ran all over the place trying to get everything done.
I was quite the worker bee.
Got up at 6:30am and did painting, laundry, shopping, cooking, dishes, and taking care of the Princess.
Made a HUGE pot of chicken soup for her. Invited Mom and Dad to dinner too because there was so much.
As soon as they left and Deb went to bed at around 6 pm, I looked over at the couch so lovingly! I thought as soon as I get the dishes done Im planting my a$$ and not moving.
I finished up in the kitchen and as SOON as I threw myself on the couch the phone rang. Im not kidding! I dont even think my a$$ hit the cushions yet!
It was my Mom telling me my Dad wasnt feeling well. So much for the couch.
I ran downstairs to see what was going on. He didnt look so good. But didnt want to go to the ER.
I stayed with them for a while longer until he felt better.
More painting and running Sunday. Then yelling at the TV during Football games…..geeeez.
I need a nap!
How was your weekend?
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October 2, 2008
OMG! Yesterday I was walking in front of my building at work and thank G*D I looked down!
I almost stepped on this little guy!!!!
HOW CUTE!
He even let me pick him up !
SQUUEEEEAAAALLLLL!
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October 1, 2008
Yesterday morning I woke up to the sound of Bear “heaving”…
…for those of you with cats - you KNOW the sound Im talking about.
Wait, that’s not the worst part.
It was right before 6 am. The room was totally dark - Bear is black - so I couldnt SEE him. I could just hear him.
I sat straight up in bed and zoned in to the corner of the bedroom where that “sound” was coming from.
Not wanting him to throw up AGAIN on the antique white carpet I figured if I could startle him and yell, then he would run out of the bedroom hitting someplace with hardwood flooring and easier to clean.
So from my sitting position I started to quickly crawl across the bed yelling “GO GO GO” - however, I was apparently still asleep and didnt realize how fast I got to the foot of the bed - and actually ran OUT of bed!
WAIT - that’s not the worst part!
My left hand completely missed the end of the mattress sending me tumbling off the edge. But I tried to brace my fall with my RIGHT hand and struck the foot-post on the bed (which hurt like hell) and wound up face first in the carpet with my feet still on the bed until I rolled all the way off onto the floor with a HUGE thud.
Thats not the worst part - stop laughing.
I manged to roll over onto my back and stare at the ceiling - (well I GUESS it was the ceiling because like I said - the room was black) and TRY to put together what just friggin’ happened.
I was in pain from banging my hand (which is showing a beautiful bruise as I type this) - wondering if I broke something…which thankfully I didnt.
Wait, that’s not the worst part.
What?
Oh where was Deb thru this whole thing you ask?
NOWHERE to be found.
Anyway, I figured with the loud thump I made hitting the floor that she heard me and would come in to at LEAST help me get up instead of laying there like a flounder - but No. Didnt happen.
Then I thought as my head started to clear *OMG…that was loud - my poor Mom and Dad are sleeping right beneath our bedroom - they HAD to hear me…I hope I didnt wake them* (cause Im considerate that way).
But WAIT, THAT’S not the worst part.
As I picked myself up off the floor and stumbled out of the bedroom to find Deb and tell her what happened - I was APPARENTLY successful in SHOO-ing Bear out of the bedroom because I stepped right in his pile of ……ummmmmm……..”breakfast”. *figures*
THAT’S NOT THE WORST PART…
During the course of the day, I mentioned the events of my morning to my Mom - hoping for a little Mommy sympathy - maybe a “lemme kiss your boo boo”. I told her what happened and asked her if she or Dad heard a loud noise this morning coming from our bedroom. Concerned about me she asked if I was ok…..THEN she said…..and I quote: “No honey, we didnt hear anything - besides, we hear LOTS of things coming from upstairs in your bedroom, your Father and I have gotten good at ignoring them”……
Me: *crickets*
now THAT’S the worst part!
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October 1, 2008
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September 30, 2008
Where do I start with Lisa…
Growing up in a in a large italian family to me has always been a blessing. Lots of aunts, uncles, cousins, grand-parents around all the time.
My cousin “C” (which is my Mom’s 1st cousin and my 2nd cousin) was raised in the same house as my Mom growing up. “C’s” Mom was my grandmother’s sister - divorced when “C” was one year old. My grandmother raised “C” while my great-aunt worked. So my Mom and “C” grew up as close as sisters.
When “C” had her kids, they were like MY little brother and sister. “M” is 4 years younger than me…Lisa was 7 years younger than me.
We vacationed together, we spent holidays together, we spent weekends together - we were all very close.
At the age of 7, Lisa was diagnosed with Leukemia. I was 14.
This was back in the late 70’s. Medicine is not what it is today. Back then a bone marrow transplant had to come from an immediate family member (mom, dad, sibling). None of them matched. There was not much they could do for her. She went thru round after round of chemo. She went into remission twice which at that time was a miracle in itself. It helped for a while - but then the Leukemia always came back. Stronger than the time before.
Lisa fought for 8 long years. We all went with her for her treatments, doctor’s appointments etc. We all tried to keep her spirits up and help her thru the horror she was going thru. She suffered terribly - yet she was so brave thru it all.
I saw things in Babies Hospital at Columbia Presbyterian that would break your heart. Kids and babies so sick - Its something I will never forget as long as I live. Stories and faces that still haunt me from all those years ago.
From a religious stand-point I always wondered why G*d would make children suffer so much. What could they have possibly done in their lives to deserve such pain and suffering?
From a medical stand-point people of all ages get sick - Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason.
We tried everything. New doctors, different hospitals. Even taking her out of the country for treatment only to be told she was too far gone for any hope. The unimaginable was happening.
And she knew. The whole time - 8 years - she knew what she was facing. She was just a little girl - yet she had more wisdom, strength and spirit than all of us put together.
She got sicker and sicker. In my heart I couldnt bare to see her go - I didnt want to let her go. And I felt selfish because I wanted so badly for her to stay with us - and keep fighting - even though she didnt want to anymore.
I wasnt sure what to pray for - or what was more merciful after everything she had been thru. She was so tired of everything. Needles, tubes, doctors, sickness, hair loss, hospital visits, never having the normal life of a “kid”.
Not that its easy losing ANY loved one - but when they are so young its almost un-natural. You dont expect to lose the little ones. Does that make any sense?
Going thru all of this, she somehow manged to write a book of poems about life, love, hopes & dreams, wonders of all the things she would never experience. We each have copy - its heartbreaking - even now - after all these years.
After a long battle, Lisa died on 9/30/1985. One of her poems is carved on her headstone - the same poem that was read in Church on the day of her funeral.
With her she took a piece of all of us.
What she left behind are precious memories of a remarkable little girl that captured all of our hearts and somehow taught us all how to laugh even under the worst of circumstances.
She was smart, funny, bright, adorable, loveable, creative, a wise@ss, an instigator, and loved by SO many.
I love and miss you Lisa…
…and no, I havent forgotten - none of us have.
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