Good Friday :)

Originally published on Multiply, January 25th. 2008


First, the physio-therapist approved the use of the quad cane my friend Pat had given Tony for Christmas, so he has now switched over to that from the hemi-walker. He really loves the new cane.

Today she also had him take the real stairs, instead of the practice stairs they have in the room. He went up and down 12 steps and said it went really well (I wasn't there, as that was done in the morning).

The other good news is that FINALLY, the PICC line has been removed, that was a source of constant aggravation to Tony as it was always getting caught in the clothing and had to be flushed by nurses constantly and for what, it wasn't used at all.

The occupational therapy went well too, he had better movement of his shoulder, hopefully that will continue to improve.

The home visit is now set for sure on Monday at 2:30pm or thereabout. And then I'll find out exactly what needs to be addressed and hopefully can get it all done next week so that he can come home next week-end.

Tonight was a new shift of week-end nurses, and I wasn't at all happy with the one that was there tonight and likely will be there Saturday and Sunday. First of all, she never came to offer to walk Tony - as she is supposed to do, so I did it myself, in point of fact, he can do without the nurse, it's just a precaution, in case he would feel weak, but I was holding the wheelchair behind him, he is walking pretty well, but not strong enough to be on his own. Anyway, at supper time he has to take his Coumadin. She comes over and hands him a pill container and says "here is your calcium tablet" - HUH????? That's not for him I said, he needs his Coumadin!!!! Geez, it's a good thing WE know what's going on!!! I decided to stay to put him to bed, as I wasn't trusting her to do that either, so I left the rehab around 9pm tonight, another long day!!! But it was nice tonight, after dinner, we watched a movie on his new laptop computer, he enjoyed it, so that's what is important!!

Of course I had to bring more laundry home to do, and the dryer is now screaming at me to take the clothes out, so I'll be running up to do that now and then off to bed I go, and hope to sleep!!! I didn't nap tonight, so I should be able to go to sleep.

moscreations wrote on Feb 1, '08

kandaphati said

Messing up stuff is awful for a nurse or any nurses! What was wrong with her or the system????? Worried!!!! What you wrote sounded no big difference from a hospital in a less developed country... I hope things are getting better by now! Glad to know Tony is making improvement. And I do hope you are getting enough rest each day, too, Mo. Take care... 

Thanks Kanda. There are improvements, but so small, he can take stairs, but with someone's help on the way down, to straighten his leg, which has a tendency to drift to the left, so I have to be in front of him or beside him if there is enough room, to guide the leg to the right, otherwise he would trip over his foot. It's not going to be easy when he comes home!!! I better get going, I have my banking to do (online) and then get washed and dressed.

moscreations wrote on Feb 1, '08

dreamyone said

Believe me I've so missed you too Mo, Just I've been having a tuff month and just haven't had the energy to to type much, But you can believe me when I say, You and Tony have been continually in my heart and in my prayers. The Pic line hasn't been done to me yet but they keep wanting to do it, as my veins are so small they say it's so hard now for them to find any good ones from all the time I've spent in the hospital, But I've been so scared of the Pic line. I'm so glad that Tony got his out and doing so much better. Anyway sending my love your way. BTW just to let you know I'll have a spinal procedure on Thursday morning and then more surgery on Friday for the trach, I don't know when I'll be home.. but I'm hoping they wont keep me longer then the weekend.. Love to you both hugs again Les 

Dear dear Les, you sure have had your share of problems this past year, by now you are of course in the hospital once again, and I hope that all is going well. I'm always worried about you. Hope the spinal procedure wasn't too painful for you!!

As for the PICC line, they never were able to use it to draw blood from, so it was so useless in that way, and that was the whole idea behind it, so they wouldn't have to keep pricking his arms and hands.

Big hugs to you my friend. Mo

kandaphati wrote on Jan 30, '08

Messing up stuff is awful for a nurse or any nurses! What was wrong with her or the system????? Worried!!!! What you wrote sounded no big difference from a hospital in a less developed country... I hope things are getting better by now! Glad to know Tony is making improvement. And I do hope you are getting enough rest each day, too, Mo. Take care...

dreamyone wrote on Jan 28, '08

Believe me I've so missed you too Mo, Just I've been having a tuff month and just haven't had the energy to to type much, But you can believe me when I say, You and Tony have been continually in my heart and in my prayers. The Pic line hasn't been done to me yet but they keep wanting to do it, as my veins are so small they say it's so hard now for them to find any good ones from all the time I've spent in the hospital, But I've been so scared of the Pic line. I'm so glad that Tony got his out and doing so much better. Anyway sending my love your way. BTW just to let you know I'll have a spinal procedure on Thursday morning and then more surgery on Friday for the trach, I don't know when I'll be home.. but I'm hoping they wont keep me longer then the weekend.. Love to you both hugs again Les

moscreations wrote on Jan 28, '08

dreamyone said

prayers.answered, I'm so happy to hear that Tony is going along so good now and that he's got that awful Pic line out.. Oh this is so great news. I'm only sorry I haven't been able to read more these past couple weeks.. But it's super to know all is getting so much better. I always keep you both in my prayers.. Big hugs Les 

Thanks so much Les, I always worry so much about you too, haven't heard from you in ages, so I hope you're doing better too.

It is great that the PICC line is finally out and doesn't get in the way of him getting dressed all the time, darned thing was always getting caught in his t-shirt sleeves.

You take care gf, Hugs!!

moscreations wrote on Jan 28, '08

mistyshadows2u said

Well you certainly sound much better..the best in weeks. Kudos to Tony for doing the stairs and graduating to the new cane. Won't be long now! 

Thanks Misty, he's certainly has improved a whole lot in the last week. And hopefully will continue to go that way every week :) he's doing stairs daily now, but still needs help to straighten the leg as he goes up and down!

moscreations wrote on Jan 28, '08

hooverchild said

Awesome news all around, Monique. Well...except for the ditz of a nurse. Is there anyway that you can report her to the head nurse on staff? Giving the wrong meds could have devastating effects!!! I would assume the hospital staff would want to know this at the Rehab center. 

All of the good wishes and prayers seem to be working, and Tony is working his little heart out to get better. I know that he is counting down the days to when he can come home. Such great news, Mo, and I am so glad that you shared it.  

Thanks Jules. I like to be able to report on what goes on, but don't always have the time of feel like being on the computer, I actually haven't been on since I last posted this blog on Friday :)

I told the regular nurse the next day, but don't know that anything was done about it.

Yes Tony does work pretty hard, or at least the therapists make him work :) on his own he doesn't do much, he needs to be prodded, which I guess I'll be doing when he's home :)

moscreations wrote on Jan 28, '08

barbarab1313 said

Sounds good, except for the pill mix up, you think they would have enough sense to check. 

Yeah I know Barbara, she did have both in her little box, which identifies (or supposed to) the room number. the regular nurse told me the next day the other pill was meant for the lady in the room across from Tony, who is away on week-ends!!

moscreations wrote on Jan 28, '08

barb5t said

I love to see all the good stuff. 

I know this lack of good care goes on in health care. It just seems so much more frequent these days. It makes me cringe. You should have been able to go home and know Tony would get the help and [Heaven help us!] the medicine he needs. I hope you mention all of it to all who will listen.

Hugs, Barb 

I did mention it to the regular nurse who was back the next day, don't know if she made note of it in the file though. The problem is with nurses and orderlies that are hired from agencies when they are short of personnel!!!

moscreations wrote on Jan 28, '08

fickow said

That's great news, Mo. We are so pleased that things are heading in the right direction. Just keep taking it a day at a time......you'll get there.

Love Sue & Bill

Thanks Bill & Sue, yes it is progressing well, finally, but still a long road ahead. Sorry I haven't yet replied to your email Bill, I will soon :) hope you are improving as well!!

dreamyone wrote on Jan 26, '08

prayers.answered, I'm so happy to hear that Tony is going along so good now and that he's got that awful Pic line out.. Oh this is so great news. I'm only sorry I haven't been able to read more these past couple weeks.. But it's super to know all is getting so much better. I always keep you both in my prayers.. Big hugs Les

mistyshadows2u wrote on Jan 26, '08

Well you certainly sound much better..the best in weeks. Kudos to Tony for doing the stairs and graduating to the new cane. Won't be long now!

hooverchild wrote on Jan 26, '08

Awesome news all around, Monique. Well...except for the ditz of a nurse. Is there anyway that you can report her to the head nurse on staff? Giving the wrong meds could have devastating effects!!! I would assume the hospital staff would want to know this at the Rehab center. 

All of the good wishes and prayers seem to be working, and Tony is working his little heart out to get better. I know that he is counting down the days to when he can come home. Such great news, Mo, and I am so glad that you shared it.

barbarab1313 wrote on Jan 26, '08

Sounds good, except for the pill mix up, you think they would have enough sense to check.

barb5t wrote on Jan 26, '08

I love to see all the good stuff. 

I know this lack of good care goes on in health care. It just seems so much more frequent these days. It makes me cringe. You should have been able to go home and know Tony would get the help and [Heaven help us!] the medicine he needs. I hope you mention all of it to all who will listen.

Hugs, Barb

fickow wrote on Jan 26, '08

That's great news, Mo. We are so pleased that things are heading in the right direction. Just keep taking it a day at a time......you'll get there.

Love Sue & Bill

Easy peasy way to peeling boiled potatoes

Peeling boiled potatoes THIS REALY WORKS!

 

This is really great, I am going to try it the next time I want mashed potatoes or potato salad!

If you take the time to watch this, you will not only be glad you did, but you will forward this to all your daughters, sisters, moms, any cook. Just when you thought you knew everything about boiling potatoes .....

 

To all who love making potato salad but hate peeling the boiled potatoes, here is the solution for easy peeling. This will  BLOW your mind. Well, we do learn  something new every day. 

 

I wish I had known about this thirty years ago.  Peeling the cooked potato was the least desirable part in making a potato salad.  Enjoy.  It works. 

_

About the home visit

Originally published on Multiply January 23rd., 2008

Just doing a very short blog tonight. I found out this afternoon that the home visit would be done this Friday afternoon, so I have to make sure everything is clean and presentable.......lol.

The idea is that they will assess what needs to be done and if I can get it all done next week, then Tony might be able to come home for the week-end, wouldn't that be heaven!!!!

BUT, I have big reservations because we have very little space for him to move around with a hemi walker, a wheelchair is totally out of the question.  I don't know if he will be able to make it up the stairs to go to our own bed and I doubt that he would be able to sleep in the living room, so there are a thousand questions to be answered this Friday. Hopefully I'll be able to blog about it soon. Thinking about all this, I hope I'll be able to sleep tonight, me thinks all these questions will keep me awake for some time!!!

Goodnight/good morning to everyone and thanks so much for all the support and prayers. We sure need them!

moscreations wrote on Jan 24, '08
Well If found out that the visit will be on Monday instead, because one of the therapist's child is sick and she has to stay home to take care of her. So we'll see on Monday what they suggest needs to be addressed, I know that we will have to install another railing to stairway that goes up to the bedrooms, but we'll have to wait and see. I can't really put anything in storage, because what we have on the first floor is a galley kitchen, so no kitchen table or chairs, we have an adjoining dining room with 4 chairs and 2 armchairs, he needs to use armchairs at all times right now, it has a china cabinet too, and it is a tight fit, but we can remove some chairs and move the table around a bit, the living room is long and narrow, I'll have to remove the coffee table, that is a given, it's in the way, but I don't know if he'll even be able to sit on the couch or chair, might have to bring an armchair we have in the office upstairs, it's a thought and we'll have to wait and see, the powder room is not very big either, it will require railings for him to hang on to, and likely a raised seat, same as the upstairs bathrooms. A lot to see about and to think about.

MK I do take vitamins - all kinds of them, all the time :)I eat a fairly big breakfast, light lunch and not a huge supper, but none are home cooked.......lol.......hope I haven't forgotten how to cook, haven't done any since October......lol

Misty, can't afford those elevator, nor do we have room anyway, he will be able to take stairs, he's working on that now, slow going!!

Thank you all for the comments and sorry if I haven't responded to each of them respectively, but tried to answer all questions :) I should have been at the rehab right now, his occupational therapy is starting right now. But I was so tired that I fell asleep watching something on TV and then had a phone call from a neighbour who wanted news, and Tony called to let me know about the change in visit, and I had been washing the sheets and wanted to make the bed before leaving, because I'd be too tired tonight, so it made me late, so I won't be there to see him in action today. I came down here to check on something but had to see what comments had been posted, so late I am even more........LOL

hooverchild wrote on Jan 24, '08
Sweetie,
Like the others have said, please get some rest and do not worry about the Home Visit. They will come and tell you what needs to be done. It may not need to be as much as you think. But either way, just deal with it one day at a time, and get the rest that you need. I know that it will be so wonderful to have Tony back home, even if it is just for a weekend. It will still be so fantastic for you both, and for Tara, too.

mistyshadows2u wrote on Jan 24, '08
Naturally you will have to wait and see what the home visit will tell but if lacking space on main floor you might want to consider putting some furniture in storage.
Are there any funding out there to help with costs? There is also a lift that slides up the wall of your stairway that could take Tony between floors that's if the stairway is wide enough. Not cheap.
We've had specialists in at Tracy's (my old house) looking at ways to make it easier for Kris to get him from main floor to basement plus ramps out front etc. A dinky elevator between main floor and basement is like 15 thousand...which here they expect you can afford on your own. Crossing fingers you won't have to alter to much.

mkinwa wrote on Jan 24, '08
Oh my gosh! Do you know a handyman? A good one? Might be a thought to have him be there when the people come to look you over.
Are you taking a good multi-vitamin? You need all the strength you can garner. Eat regular meals and get your rest.
Now then, I'm not always a mother, sometimes I'm a friend...
I love you much, and would like to be able to give you ((((((HUGS))))))) and sit down with you over a nice coffee or tea, maybe some cookies.

kandaphati wrote on Jan 23, '08
Yes, you will have a lot to do! But first of all, REST. What must be done will be told by them. Clearly. So,... REST. Stop thinking. (As if it is possible)

barbarab1313 wrote on Jan 23, '08
It will be so nice to have Tony home, if only for the week end, is it for the whole week end or just Friday? Just reread your blog and I realize it will be just the Friday till they assess the situation and then he may be able to come home for a week end.
We don't realize all the obstacles that people in wheel chairs or walkers face do we? Hope your getting rest and eating properly.
I can imagine that there all kinds of thoughts running through your mind
HUGS

We will never forget 9-11

TWO THOUSAND ONE, NINE ELEVEN

Two thousand one, nine eleven 

Five thousand plus arrive in heaven 

As they pass through the gate, 

Thousands more appear in wait

A bearded man with stovepipe hat 

Steps forward saying, "Lets sit, lets chat" 

They settle down in seats of clouds 

A man named Martin shouts out proud 

"I have a dream!" and once he did 

The Newcomer said, "Your dream still lives."

Groups of soldiers in blue and gray 

Others in khaki, and green then say 

"We're from Bull Run, Yorktown, the Maine" 

The Newcomer said, "You died not in vain."

From a man on sticks one could hear 

"The only thing we have to fear. 

The Newcomer said, "We know the rest, 

Trust us sir, we've passed that test."

"Courage doesn't hide in caves 

You can't bury freedom, in a grave," 

The Newcomers had heard this voice before 

A distinct Yankees twang from Hyannisport shores.

A silence fell within the mist 

Somehow the Newcomer knew that this 

Meant time had come for her to say 

What was in the hearts of the five thousand plus that day.

"Back on Earth, we wrote reports, 

Watched our children play in sports 

Worked our gardens, sang our songs 

Went to church and clipped coupons 

We smiled, we laughed, we cried, we fought 

Unlike you, great we're not"

The tall man in the stovepipe hat 

Stood and said, "Don't talk like that! 

Look at your country, look and see 

You died for freedom, just like me."

Then, before them all appeared a scene 

Of rubbled streets and twisted beams 

Death, destruction, smoke and dust 

And people working just 'cause they must 

Hauling ash, lifting stones, 

Knee deep in hell, but not alone

"Look! Blackman, Whiteman, Brownman, Yellowman 

Side by side helping their fellow man!" 

So said Martin, as he watched the scene 

"Even from nightmares, can be born a dream." 

Down below three firemen raised 

The colors high into ashen haze 

The soldiers above had seen it before 

On Iwo Jima back in '44

The man on sticks studied everything closely 

Then shared his perceptions on what he saw mostly 

"I see pain, I see tears, 

I see sorrow - but I don't see fear."

"You left behind husbands and wives 

Daughters and sons and so many lives 

Are suffering now because of this wrong 

But look very closely. You're not really gone. 

All of those people, even those who've never met you 

All of their lives, they'll never forget you 

Don't you see what has happened? 

Don't you see what you've done? 

You've brought them together, together as one."

With that the man in the stovepipe hat said 

"Take my hand," and from there he led 

Five thousand plus heroes, Newcomers to heaven 

On this day, two thousand one, nine eleven

***Author Unknown***

 

More news!!

Originally published on Multiply, January 23rd, 2008

WOW, can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I last made an entry in my blog. This is almost like going to confession.....lol....it's been 2 weeks since my last blog

I can't say that there has been much of anything new since my last blog entry though. But we did have a "family meeting", the family consisting of me and Tony . Meeting with the physio-therapist, occupational therapist, the psychologist and the day nurse responsible for him.

They each went through their shtick, outlining the progress and what they can see happening. He is progressing well and everyone is happy with the results so far. He is walking better, but still using the hemi walker, the arm has a bit of movement, but not much on it's own, IE when using the tools at the rehab, he can manipulate some of it on his own, but when it comes to using the arm say, to wash himself, get dressed etc, he can't do that, and don't know if he ever will, it's still a question mark at this point. They have him doing some stairs now and working hard on his arm in the hope he will regain some mobility, but like I said, it's not clear at this point if this will happen.

He'll also be needing a wheelchair when we go out, shopping etc etc etc, not in the house, we are not wheelchair friendly here, doorways not wide enough, house not big enough and mostly all carpeted too, which makes it even harder tor anyone to use a wheelchair. He was fitted for a made to measure wheelchair last week, it takes 2 months to get delivery, by then he will be home, but I guess we won't be able to go out much until he gets the wheelchair, but just to have him at home will be great. When they have the home visit - sometime next week I think, they will also bring him here to see how he does around the house. I bet he will cry when he gets home, specially when he sees Tara (our dog) whom he hasn't seen since November 3rd. He misses her as much as she misses him. We will need to add lots of support bars in bathrooms and other areas and extra railings to help him get around the house and the local CLSC should be able to help with that (at least that is my understanding). We might even end up having to take out the carpet, and get the floors redone. The expenses just keep coming!!!

He should be in rehab another 4 weeks or so, and as the therapist said, nothing is written in stone, if he needs to stay another week or more, they will keep him, that is because they see the potential for recovery, because when they see a person has reached their maximum, they ship him/her back to where they came from (hospital) I have sen this twice these past couple of weeks. After that he will have to continue going twice a week as an outpatient for about 2-3 hours each time. He will have different therapists at that point as it is another department that does outpatients.

I have also bought him a brand new laptop, he loves it, but because I bought a large 17" screen laptop, it's a bit too heavy for him to manipulate on his own right now, so we use it on the week-end mostly to watch movies, because we don't have an internet connection (I know he has the card for it, but I don't know how to make that work......lol). It came with Vista (which I don't really like, but am getting used to it slowly). The main problem is that some software, such as Microsoft Office Professional that we had here doesn't work, as it's not compatible with Vista, that really ticked me off, but I bought another version, that will do, it's not the professional version, but will work fine. Once he's home we'll get a wireless router installed and get it working for him upstairs, because it will take a very long time before he can make his way down the basement stairs, as they are circular wrought iron stairs - covered with carpeting.

Last night we had someone come and give him a foot manicure, well not really a manicure, but cut his nails and fix some that were split. I'm not good at doing that, his nails are so hard and I'm too afraid of hurting him, so I'd rather pay someone who does it all the time. It worked out good and she also does home visits. She's actually a nurse and supplements her income by doing this.

Oh and about the MRSA, they stopped the medication on December 25th as I mentioned in my previous blog, but he still has the damn PICC line in his arm and they keep testing him for MRSA. The first test came out negative, the second test came back positive and the doctor asked the hospital to run the test again, and it came out negative, the doctor said probably the needle picked up something in the skin when doing the test. I asked when he would remove the PICC line (that was last week) he said they would remove it Friday, never happened and it's still there and you can never catch this doctor.......grrrrrrrrrrrr. So we're still waiting for that to be resolved and to get that thing out of him.

As for Tony, some days he's like his old self, laughing, wicked sense of humour and then there are days when he gets panic attacks over the littlest thing. The other day he was telling me he felt his mouth was crooked, but looking at him and the pictures we took at Christmas and New Years, there was no difference. He just over thinks sometimes and when he's by himself he makes a mountain out of a molehill, but I just can't be there all the time, I know that what he would like, but I just can't do it. But mostly he is pretty happy, but it's normal that he would get depressed sometimes, I know I would be!!

I had a doctor's appointment about 1-1/2 weeks ago, to get the results of the blood tests I had done, only to be told that everything was fine. But at the same time I told the doctor that I had a very painful knee - behind the knee, and he felt it and proclaimed that I had a cyst and he would give me a paper to get an ultrasound done to see exactly. The appointment for that is set for February 6th.  When I got to his office, I had to put on these stupid little blue paper slippers over my boots, so we don't spread salt and snow on the carpet. There is no chair to sit to do that and in trying to put those on, I hurt my back, like I needed that. When I mentioned that to him, he just pokes me on the back and said it's only muscular, it will go away!!!! Well the pain is about gone now, but you'd think he could express more compassion, I hate that poking he does whenever I complain of a pain somewhere, I feel like a cattle!!!! OK enough complaining......lol

I think that's about all the news that's fit to print as they say  and I better get going to see Tony at the rehab, right now he's in physio therapy and at 2pm he has speech therapy. He had occupational therapy this morning.

Wishing you all a great day/evening!

barb5t wrote on Jan 26, '08

You will both be busy figuring it all out. I wish you the very best that it can be.

Hugs, Barb

moscreations wrote on Jan 25, '08

Thanks Barb for the lovely story, sure is true!! Thanks for the prayers too. Today was a very good day for him!!! Have to do a short blog in a bit :) But there is still a lot to be done for him to get back to a sort of normalcy, though it will never be like it was. Hugs, Mo

barb5t wrote on Jan 25, '08

Hi Mo,

Thanks for the update. I was hoping all was going OK. I see there have been and will be many changes. Lots of work ahead. Lots to accept and move on from emotionally for both of you. I know, because of chronic illness, that all takes time. You and Tony have my continued prayers. 

Here is something a friend in my pain group shared forward yesterday. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Hugs, Barb

"Happiness is not mostly pleasure; it is mostly victory." ~ Dale Carnegie

Just up the road is a field, with two horses in it.

From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing.... 

Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind.

His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him.

If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell.

Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field. Attached to the horse's halter is a small bell. It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow. 

As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and that the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk to where the other horse is, trusting that he will not be led astray. 

When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, it stops occasionally and looks back, making sure that the blind friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses, we are not thrown away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. 

We are watched over and others are brought into our lives to help us when we are in need.

Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those places in our lives.

Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their

Way....

Good friends are like that... You may not always see them, but you know they are always there.

Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours. 

And remember... Be kinder than necessary . Everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. 

Live simply,

Love generously,

Care deeply,

Speak kindly....

And leave the rest. 

~Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...

It's about learning to dance in the rain~ 

moscreations wrote on Jan 24, '08

Thanks Jules, definitely I always think of him as he used to be, hard to realize that he is not like that now. He gets panic attacks easily, and for little things. But I know that will pass in time. YOU take care too

Hugs

Mo

moscreations wrote on Jan 24, '08

Thanks Kanda, and for the hugs too, I know that is not something you do in your country, so I appreciate it :)

hooverchild wrote on Jan 24, '08

Mo,

It sounds like things are progressing with Tony. Soon, he will be home, and so much happier, as will you, too. As with the emotions he has some days, that is is all part of the Neurological impact from the stroke. You would be surprised how many areas in the brain, control emotions and feelings. Hopefully, in time, he will start to feel more secure, and not feel so helpless. Just have faith, hun. I know that it is hard, and not like the Tony you use to know, but in time it will work out. 

You, yourself, take care, hun. I am worried about your health through all of this. I am glad that you saw the doctor about your knee. And yes....doctors can be so crass and insensitive sometimes. That is for sure. My prayers are still with you all.

kandaphati wrote on Jan 23, '08

HUGS, Mo. Others have all expressed what is also in my mind. HUGSSSSS. We will be with you, Mo.

moscreations wrote on Jan 23, '08

The home visit will be sooner than expected too.....lol..they're coming this Friday!!! Have to do a very short blog about it :) Can't wait for him to be home - and comfy too :)

moscreations wrote on Jan 23, '08

Thanks Barbara. I hope he will regain movement in his arm, but I don't know if he ever will be back completely with his arm. I think the leg will, but the arm is another matter. It is tiring, but now I only go in the afternoon and evening and I rest in the morning, I do nothing at all, I eat my breakfast while watching programs I recorded and I sleep in between :)

moscreations wrote on Jan 23, '08

Thanks Mindy for the hugs and the prayers, one never has enough of those :) and I appreciate all of them. Thanks for the compliments on my tags, I wonder if I'll ever be able to get back into that, I've lost complete interest in it, but perhaps later, when Tony is better (I hope he will be) I might go back to it, the other reason is that my computer is out of commission and I have no time or interest in even looking into that. The good news is that I have 2 or 3 tags made already, but I can't access them right now....lol

moscreations wrote on Jan 23, '08

I can't imagine what he would do if I had to work Suz, he would be very depressed, so he is very lucky that I'm retired. His wheelchair is supposedly lightweight, however because he is tall and wide, the wheelchair has to accommodate his size, therefore it will be a heavy sucker, about 35-40 lbs and I'll have to handle that myself!!! Apparently the wheels can be removed easily - that remains to be seen!! I'll believe it when I see it. The PICC line he has in his arm can't be removed by anyone other than a doctor, the line goes all the way near his heart, so it has to be done by someone who knows what they're doing. That is pretty awful that nobody noticed when you took the one out of your mom's arm!!!

mistyshadows2u wrote on Jan 23, '08

I am just happy to hear things are improving with Tony. No worries on ya not blogging for a time. I totally understand how much this takes outta a person. You'll have a better idea after your home visit what all you will have to do and get. Time is flying and before long he will be home and comfy. xoxo

barbarab1313 wrote on Jan 23, '08

Sounds like things are coming along. It would be nice if Tony got more of his arm movement back, I guess time will tell. You must be exhausted going to the hospital everyday and I hope you are taking care of you. HUGS and Prayers and SMILES coming your way and Tony's, Hang in there I know it must be hard at times.

simplyonemindy wrote on Jan 23, '08

Hugs Mo...You seem like you could use a big hug! I know how it is to have a loved one in Rehab. I hope you are being good to yourself and allowing yourself to rest properly through all of this...I was thinking about you the other day....A few years ago when I started collecting your exquisite tags I wrote to you and asked if you would make an exception and make tags in both my real name and nickname...You so graciously agreed and still have most of the tags you made in the past few years...I so miss your artistic works...You are the BEST on the net. :) But I know that having Tony in the hospital really takes up so much of your time. I do hope he recovers completely, he seems as if he is working very hard to improve his condition. It also seems as if he has the best of health care. Even so Mo, you both are in my prayers. Keep smiling!!!

osuzana wrote on Jan 23, '08

It's so good you are home and can see to everything. It would be so hard if you worked too. They have really narrow wheelchairs now that are really light weight. I hope he gets one that isn't too heavy. Doctors probably see so many hypochondriacs they get desensitized to someone that has valid aches and pains. Glad he is doing so well. Getting him home will be so much better. I know mom had a needle taped in her arm forever. We kept asking and no one did anything. We finally took it out ourselves. No one even noticed. Nice huh?

Hum long time no blog :)

Originally published on Multiply, January 9th, 2008


So sorry that I haven't blogged in so long, I get so tired when I get home, I crash in the living room, turn on the tv, watch something for a while and inevitably fall asleep and wake up anywhere around midnight to 2am and head off to bed.

In the morning I try to get through the mail and never seem to have enough time to get a blog going, so I'm trying to do this before I get ready to go out again to the rehab and be with Tony for the afternoon and evening.

Thanks to those who have inquired privately if everything was ok, since I hadn't blogged since Dec. 26th :) - first of all on January 1st, the family gathered again at the rehab to celebrate the New Year, in the pics from that day, Tony didn't seem as happy, but he was very happy to have everyone there. But at the same time it is tiring for him, specially that this time everything for started a bit late, so by 8pm he was really drained.

A few other families also had celebrations in the cafeteria, but they had ordered or picked up food at a restaurant (one was Chinese food and the other BBQ chicken from St. Hubert BBQ).

On December 31st, I saw the physio-therapist as she was going to the nurses desk and asked her what she thought of the progress Tony was making and how much longer she thought he would be there. She said he was improving a little, but didn't think that the arm would ever come back, since then, he has made a tiny bit of improvement in that area and I hope that she was wrong in that assessment. She also said that because of the holidays where there was about 1 week of treatment missing because the department was closed and also where he had missed several treatments when he was on his IV that they would keep him an additional 5-6 weeks from that date.

The aim is of course to have him walking, because our house is definitely not wheelchair friendly, so he really needs to be able to get around either with a cane or a walker and be able to take the stairs, so that is what the physio-therapist is working on, while the occupational therapist works on getting his arm moving. Only slight improvement so far with that. Keep the prayers coming :)

Other than that, we have met with the psychologist, Tony met her on his own the first time and suggested that I be there for other meetings and we both met with her on Dec. 31st, we were to meet her this past Monday, but it had to be rescheduled for today, as there was a conflict with the OT and a meeting everyone had to go to at 3pm. But on the meeting I was at earlier, she asked Tony what he would do if I were to call him one day and say that I was tired and couldn't go in that day, his response was that he would understand and accept it.

Well, I put that though to the test last week, when his brother Jim called me one day to tell me to rest and take it easy he would take over for the day, going in the afternoon and staying until 7pm. I was so happy to be able to sleep and rest, so I called Tony to let him know. Well you should have heard the disappointment in his voice when he said "oh no, I was so looking forward to seeing you", my heart just sank, then he rallied and said it was ok, he understood, (of course all the while I knew it just wasn't true) we said our goodbyes and I love you and hung up. He called back a few minutes later to say, it was ok, to stay home and rest, he was a big boy etc etc. I didn't say anything, but I decided that I would go in a little bit later and surprise him, but I did call Jim to let him know, and warning him not to say anything.

I got there around 3pm, Tony should have been in his room, but as it often happens, there was another scheduling problem and his OT had been delayed so he was still there, Jim was watching the therapy, so I came in and surprised Tony. He also had another visitor at the same time, someone from his office - it never rains it pours. He rarely gets any other visitors, other than me, and when they show up, it's always everybody at the same time or at the wrong time.......lol. Anyway, Tony was really pleased to see me.

Since Jim was still staying until 7pm, I brought in supper for the both of us and we ate in the room after Tony was finished his dinner.

He gets really bored when there is nothing going on at the rehab, like on those days during the Christmas break and on week-ends when there is no therapy, and a lot of patients when they are able, go home on week-ends, so it's very boring for him, so I ordered him a Dell laptop, which I should be receiving either Friday or Monday. I'm hoping that with that, he will be able to occupy himself when I'm not around.

He doesn't seem to be able to focus on anything for long. I tried bringing crossword puzzles and other such things, but he only spends a few minutes on it and can't continue or won't because it's too hard for him to concentrate. We tried a couple of times to play cribbage, but only got halfway in the game when he lost interest. I bring in the paper on week-end and he has no interest in reading it. He never was a reader, but he did read magazines and the newspaper, but now it just doesn't interest him. So I'm at a loss at what to find for him to keep him interested and to relieve his boredom, because I can't be there all the time, so he needs to find something. I hope the computer will do the trick. There is a desktop computer there, but there is no internet connection, he still won't have it on his laptop, but hopefully there will be something else on it will keep his interest.

Oh one thing I forgot to mention is that on Christmas day, it was the last day he was on the Vankomycin drip - YEAHHHHHHHHHHHh and also the Rifampin.Finally he was free of that IV, but he still has the PICC line and we're still waiting to hear when they will remove that as it's a real pain to have these 2 lines dangling on his arm at all times and they have to keep flushing the lines to make sure they are functioning - just in case they would need them. But at least he is now free in the morning to get therapy scheduled, as it was always a conflict before.

They are continuing to test him to make sure that the MRSA comes up negative, and they need "so many" not sure how many, negatives before they remove the warning about it. But for all intents and purposes he is MRSA free, it's just that they have to follow a certain protocol at the rehab about this.

I guess that is about it for now, I hope I haven't forgotten any other news, but I think you have the main things for now. So hopefully we will see continued improvements so that he can come home soon - I just need to know just what needs to be done at home WHEN he does come home. Probably have to install additional railings to the stairs that lead to the bedrooms upstairs and fittings in all bathrooms. More things to check with them for that, and I think that our local CLSC will help with that is needed, so I'm told anyway, so that is something else to be investigated.

I wish you all a great day or evening, depending where you are and thank you all for your support and prayers, we still need them. As a matter of fact, I printed out a poster online the other day to bring to Tony, which was the Serenity Prayer. It appears that it was of great comfort to him. He was even looking forward to going to a service at the rehab on Sunday, and when we tried to do that, we couldn't find anywhere that had it, even though it was posted on a board that they were supposed to have it in the lounge, there wasn't any, he was quite disappointed. We'll have to see about that this week.

Here is the prayer:

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did, this sinful world

as it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him

Forever in the next.

Amen.

moscreations wrote on Jan 11, '08

Thanks Jules. We are actually having a family meeting next week, that is me, Tony, the physio-therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist and the psychologist. I asked about what would be required when he comes home and they suggested we have this meeting as we can't wait for the last minute. No I'm having problems with my left knee, hope it will settle itself soon, yesterday I had a lot of problems walking!

Thanks so much for the prayers, it means a lot to me and Tony. Hugs, Mo

hooverchild wrote on Jan 10, '08

Thank you so much for the update, Mo. Yes...the changes will be coming. Can they do a walk through in your home and assess what needs to be added or changed? So far, it sounds like they are the only ones who know what changes Tony will need. I am still praying that he will be able to go up and down the stairs. But one day at a time, hun. I hold you in my prayers too, Monique, and like you, I pray that the Doctor is wrong about Tony's arm, and that he continues to make some progress with it. Do rest when you can, hun. You really need it, and health wise you need to take a day off, too. Thank you again, hun, for the update. Big hugs for you, sweetie.

moscreations wrote on Jan 9, '08

I don't know Misty. The ground floor is not very roomy, yes we have a dining room, but not a kitchen where we can sit and eat, the only place to eat is in the dining room. Yes we have a powder room on the ground floor, so that is not a problem, there is no bath of course, but at least there is a toilet and a sink. I don't know if he will require a hospital bed at this point. The only place we'd be able to put it is in the living room and that really would cramp out the room as it's not THAT large either. The kitchen is a galley type kitchen, so only counter spaces and appliances and sink on both sides, well the appliances are all on the same side, but you know what I mean. There is a laundry room on the other side of it. So, we're kind of restricted if he can't make it up the stairs. But I plan on having an additional railing installed in the stairs, the stairs that lead to the basement will not be available to him as they are wrought iron spiraled stairs. We would have to have that changed, don't know how much it would cost - lots to do and think about!!

mistyshadows2u wrote on Jan 9, '08

MO...I can't even begin to think how you are going to manage Tony when he gets home. Especially the stairs. Is there a dining room?? Could you convert that over to a bedroom? Do you have a mainfloor washroom??? Maybe having him on the mainfloor only would be best if you could swing it. What if Tony has a bad day and can't manage the stairs? Geeesh after the fall you took I'd hate to see you both tumble. Just a coulple thoughts for ya to think on. You'd better get plenty of rest while you can. What about homecare for him?

moscreations wrote on Jan 9, '08

You're welcome Barbara, it had been too long :)

it is very hard for him to completely understand that I can't be there all the time, but I try to be there as much as I can, but I get so tired, in the morning I sleep for most of the time, in between watching the soaps I recorded, but I keep having to rewind and watch what I missed.....lol. Supposed to be getting the computer tomorrow - anytime between 9am and 5pm!!! Obviously I won't be here in the afternoon,so I hope they deliver it in the morning.

Yeah I was tired Kanda, but felt I had to post something it had been too long. I love the Serenity Prayer, it's a great prayer that applies to everyone, no matter what religion.

PT do concentrate on the leg and OT on the arm and hopefully both will get working fully one day.

We will be having a family meeting (family being me and Tony) with all therapist and psychologist next week. To evaluate what will be required once he goes home, wheelchair? Fittings for bathrooms, railings etc etc Can't wait until the last minute to get this done. A wheelchair will have to be ordered, made-to-measure, and it takes 2 months to get that. He will need it when we go out shopping, restaurants etc too tiring to go around with a cane or whatever level he will be at, at that point, I just pray that he doesn't have to be in that wheelchair for the rest of his life, because I know he will be miserable if he has to use that all the time - though not at home, we just aren't wheelchair friendly at home.

kandaphati wrote on Jan 9, '08, edited on Jan 9, '08

You must have been tired after blogging! The poem is great. So uplifting. I will print it out and put it to my wall.

It is not surprising that Tony's concentration is not as good as before. He needs time! It is not surprising that PT said nothing much about arms and hands. PTs usually know better about legs! OTs will bring out the best functioning level of the arms and fingers and eye-hand coordination. Jeez I really wish I were with you...

Take care, rest well, and keep yourself very warm, Mo. You've got lots to do but make sure you get rest first.

barbarab1313 wrote on Jan 9, '08

Thanks Mo for the update. Things to be going slowly but at least they seem to be on the right track. I realize that it is hard for Tony but I also know that it must be very difficult for you too, to see the one you love not able to do the things he once did. He is very fortunate to have you in his life. I am sure you are the one of the bright spots in his day.

Just make sure you take time for you and always you are both in my prayers.

(((HUGS)))

One bad day and one good day!

Originally published on Multiply, December 26th, 2007


Christmas Eve certainly didn't turn out as we would have wanted it to be. Starting in the morning, Tony had a fairly heavy nosebleed, and as the day progressed, he kept getting more nosebleed, with a total of 4 by evening. By that time, the nurses decided it would be time they send him to the hospital to get it checked out. So they called in an ambulance and took Tony back to the Lakeshore General, where he was before. He went in through the emergency and was seen right away, however, by the time we got there, the bleeding had stopped (of course!!!) and all the doctor did was take some blood samples and checked periodically if he was bleeding again, he then decided there was nothing he could do, and sent us back to the rehab.

The nurses at the rehab had packed his nose with something (I forget the name) which when wet will expand, thus preventing the blood from coming through the nostril. The doctor at the hospital didn't want to take it out for fear the bleeding would start again - the nurses had sent him there in the first place thinking the doctor would cauterize the nose, but when I asked the doctor if he would do that he said no, for the reason explained before. So they called a Medicar to take him back to the rehab, it took about 1-1/2 hours for one to come and get him, but finally they did and he got back at around 10pm.

Of course by then, they had to hook him up to the Vankomycin drip for 2 hours!!! Needless to say he didn't get a very good night sleep that night.

The good news is that finally, he is no longer on any antibiotics, intravenously or by mouth!!!!! That was the biggest Christmas gift he could get from them.

But that didn't stop the bleeding. Even tonight he had another one, and he had some on Christmas day too and this morning. We don't know what is causing it and what will or can be done about this.

I hope that now that he's no longer on any antibiotics and if they can get his blood's INR levelled off to where it should be, then maybe all this bleeding will stop. So again I would really appreciate more prayers :)

And now on to the good day. Christmas day was a much better day - for one thing he was free of the IV and antibiotic that was causing all the havoc with the INR. And also because the whole family came over to the rehab bearing all food and staples for a Christmas celebration just like it would be if it was held at the regular venue, which is usually at his brother's Jim & Ginette's place.

They really went all out, bringing all the  appetizers, like shrimps & dip, patés, cheese with crackers and bread. Turkey, mashed potatoes and green beans and desserts galore, not to mention wine. Tony had only a tiny amount of wine, just enough to make a toast. It was a wonderful evening.

What really helped in getting all this set up is that the rehab center has a full stove, fridge and microwave that we could use to get things done, I shouldn't say "we" as I didn't have a thing to do with any of the preparations or even with the cleanup of it all. The family did it all and they were wonderful about it. They even bought a few presents for Tony. It really did make his day.

By 8pm though he was really tired and I took him back to his room to get him ready for bed. A few of the family members came up to say goodnight and I had to quiet them down as the other patients were all in bed and the lights were out..........lol. But I guess they were still in a celebrating mood :)

I also forgot to mention that our neighbours on the right hand side of us came to visit Tony as well, I was so surprised that my first reaction was to say to them "what are you doing here".....lol, and she says, we're visiting.....lol, I felt like an idiot....lol. I had left a Post-It Note on the door of his room so that if other member of the family were going there first, they would know where to find us, so it was lucky I had done that. Tony was really touched by their visit.

Hope you all had a great Christmas! Here is a pic of Tony that night, it's the first pic I took that evening. He is wearing a sling to protect his arm.

moscreations wrote on Jan 3, '08

Yeah, you had it rough for sure, and you're not out of the woods yet, and I hope you will soon be rid of that trach and be well again.

His brother Jim called me today to tell me he was relieving me of my duties today and to stay home and rest. When I phoned Tony with the news he was crestfallen, so disappointed that I probably will end up going even if not for the same duration. He sounded like a little boy lost. He was so looking forward to seeing me. Hugs

Mo

dreamyone wrote on Jan 3, '08

Poor Tony , I can so relate to him because of all that time I was in the hospital when this stuff happened to me, I was so down like tony, Thought i'd never get out of that place, it's coming up to that time last year when it all happened.. and it sort of gives me the creeps thinking about it.. Anyway.. It will be so good when Tony can go home again, I'm so praying for him and for that day to be soon for the both of you. I hope you had a nice "New Years". Well just checking up on ya and saying hi. Sending you both a Happy New Years Hug hope it brings with it luck, happiness and joy..Luv ya friend :0) Leslie

moscreations wrote on Jan 2, '08

He has good days and bad days Les. Today he was very lonely and a bit depressed. Because on week-ends and holidays, there is no therapy, and not many people around, so he finds it very long when I'm not around. He gets very bored and has no interest in much of anything, he doesn't have a very good attention span right now. But I am buying him a laptop, just ordered it now from Dell, and hopefully with that, he'll be able to entertain himself a little bit when I'm not around. He is lucky that I don't work and I can be there much more than I could be if I held a job. I don't know what he would do if I did work. Thanks for the prayers sweetie, and I do the same for you, I know how rough it's been for you too. Hugs, Mo.

dreamyone wrote on Jan 2, '08

He looks so sweet and so happy in his picture, Hard to believe its the same person going through all that bad stuff.. But it just shows he's getting better and he's gonna make it and it's all due to his strong and beautiful wife who has stood by his side though the thick and the thin of it. Boy what a lucky fellow Tony is to have you. Love and my continued prayers to the both of you , May this new year bring health and nothing but happiness to you both., Love you guys!!!! Les

moscreations wrote on Jan 2, '08

Thank you Donna for the continued prayers. Unfortunately, the arm is pretty much nil right now, the OT works with the arm, while the PT works with the leg. The leg is doing pretty good, there is definite improvement there, but the arm is not showing much if any progress. They are not hopeful that movement will come back, but I pray that he will defy all odds and get it moving. But right now it's just not happening. I wish you a very Happy and Healthy New year as well.

Hugs

Mo

dkbtimbo51 wrote on Jan 1, '08

Monique, Tony may have a long recovery yes, but as long as there is improvement on a daily bases then all is well. I, am, so happy to hear the nose bleeds have stopped. This too is a good sign. You are truly blessed with such a handsome man and a fighter. I know with time he will beat this and hopefully he will be home with you, where he belongs. Keep the faith because with all of us praying he will keep making progress. The power of prayer is amazing. How is his PT going? Has he regained any movement in his one arm? I sure hope so. Even the slightest would be a God send. I hope you and Tony have a healthy, prosperous, and happy New Year. God bless you both. Love n' hugs, Donna

moscreations wrote on Jan 1, '08

Thank you Jules. The bleeding is more likely caused by the high does of Coumadin he had to take to counteract the other medication he was taking at the time, but it seems to have stabilized, so I'm happy about that. Thanks for the prayers, we sure need them!

Big hugs

Mo

hooverchild wrote on Dec 31, '07

Mo, I am so glad that your Christmas went well. (Besides the bleeding). I do hope that they can figure out why that is happening to Tony. Sweetie, you and Tony have my continued prayers. ((((((((((((((Mo))))))))))))))

moscreations wrote on Dec 31, '07

"Soon" is a long time away Les, but I can't wait for that moment :)

But he is doing better, a little every day :)

dreamyone wrote on Dec 30, '07

Oh good I'm so happy to hear that the bleeding has stopped.. Hopefully he'll now get to the finish line and come home with you soon.. Thinking of you hugs

Les

moscreations wrote on Dec 30, '07, edited on Dec 30, '07

Thanks Mindy. We did have a great Christmas dinner with the family, and they will do it again this New Year's day.

Thanks so much for caring and for your prayers, it means a lot to me.

Hoping that 2008 brings you lots of joy, health and happiness

Hugs

Mo

shepaintsthestars wrote on Dec 29, '07

Dear Mo...

Just stopping by to check on you and your husband, Tony. I was hoping that you both had a Blessed Christmas and from what I just read from your blog, it seems you had a wonderful day.

I hope you and Tony are doing well tonight. The New year has to bring some great news about Tony's health.

Please take care of you too Mo...It is easy to be so caring about other people that you get lost in the shuffle. God Bless You....I am thinking about and praying for you and Tony.

moscreations wrote on Dec 29, '07

Thanks Kori, it is a busy time of year, so I quite understand :)

The family will be doing it all over again for New Year's Day :)

Sure hope this next year will be a better one, not just for us, but for everyone!

Hugs

Mo

moscreations wrote on Dec 29, '07

Thanks Leslie, though I didn't make the theme - just no time for that these days, I thought it was a cute one and fitting for New Year and winter and all, I was getting tired of the old one.......lol

The bleeding finally stopped, keeping fingers crossed it stays that way.

Hugs back to you dear friend

dreamyone wrote on Dec 29, '07

moscreations said

Yes Kanda in one of the picture you can actually see the stuff they put in his nose, it was sticking out of the nostril and did have blood on it, I couldn't do anything about that, and didn't bother to "fix" the picture :)

Thanks Les, he is on blood thinners, but then again he's been on those since his operation back in 1995, but now since his stroke and when they discovered he had MRSA he was on antibiotics that was affecting the Coumadin and they had to give him the highest dose, which is 20mg, now that those are finished with, they have to work on getting his INR back to where it belongs, but on Christmas it was still only at 1.8 where it should be between 2.5 and 3.5, and that means his blood is too thick, but maybe the high does still contributes to the bleeds, he can't breathe properly with the stuffing in there, I was just talking to him and it's really bothering him. I don't know what they'll do. Whenever they do take it out, he gets a bleed eventually!.

Thanks Moe, it certainly made Tony's day and mine too :)

First off Mo I have to tell you I'm in love with this background and theme you have here this is too cute for words. Anyway just checking in to see how Tony and you are doing..I feel so bad for him that he's got to have that stuffing in there I can't even imagine what that must feel like.

big hugs hope today will be a better one up there

bubbly94 wrote on Dec 29, '07

Mo,

Wanted to check and see how you and Tony were doing. I've been so busy and I kept remembering when I wasn't at the computer, then forgetting to stop by when I was on the computer! So glad to see he is getting better! I was afraid the news would be worse. It sounds like you had a very touching Christmas, I hope your New Years goes even better!!

Hugs,

Kori

moscreations wrote on Dec 27, '07

Thank you Donna. Christmas was really great to be all together again, and on New Year's day they will do it all over again :) I hadn't expected they would do it again so soon, but that is the tradition in the family.

Yes he does look good close up Barbara and Suz, you can't tell he had a stroke, we are very grateful that things are going well for him. I am pretty tired, but since I don't go in the morning anymore, I can catch up on some sleep in the late morning, or at least I try to :) unless I have to run errands.

He did the right thing to get the care he needed Leanne :) they still don't know - or can't really confirm what is causing the bleeds, but one has to think it's the Coumadin, but his INR is still not right, so his blood is actually too thick, so I really don't know if that is the problem.

mustlovepugs wrote on Dec 27, '07

Reminds me of when I was just a girl and my stepdad had a nose bleed that wouldn't quit. He was at the emergency room on some Air Force base we were at and they told him to take a seat and wait to see a Dr. Dad said he was bleeding profusely and wanted a Dr. right now! She told him again to wait and he took the rags away from his nose and, sure enough, bled profusely all over their nice clean floor. She got him a Dr. immediately. Don't recall why the bleed, but sure sounds like the meds are culprits for Tony, like Les was saying. Sure hope all is under control again, soon, and he's free just to work on therapy and get on home to you and little Tara.

osuzana wrote on Dec 27, '07

I'm glad everything went so well and he had family around him. He really looks good mos. Doesn't look like there is anything wrong with him.

barbarab1313 wrote on Dec 27, '07

Tony looks really good despite everything. Glad the Christmas party went well but you must be runned ragged. I hope you get some rest.

You and Tony are always in my prayers. (((HUGS)))

dkbtimbo51 wrote on Dec 27, '07

Hi Monique. Sorry to hear about the nose bleeds. I do hope they can find the cause. Happy to hear Tony had a good Christmas and yourself. So nice that he was surrounded by family and friends, and you. Keeping him in my daily prayers. Love n hugs, Donna

moscreations wrote on Dec 27, '07

Yes Kanda in one of the picture you can actually see the stuff they put in his nose, it was sticking out of the nostril and did have blood on it, I couldn't do anything about that, and didn't bother to "fix" the picture :)

Thanks Les, he is on blood thinners, but then again he's been on those since his operation back in 1995, but now since his stroke and when they discovered he had MRSA he was on antibiotics that was affecting the Coumadin and they had to give him the highest dose, which is 20mg, now that those are finished with, they have to work on getting his INR back to where it belongs, but on Christmas it was still only at 1.8 where it should be between 2.5 and 3.5, and that means his blood is too thick, but maybe the high does still contributes to the bleeds, he can't breathe properly with the stuffing in there, I was just talking to him and it's really bothering him. I don't know what they'll do. Whenever they do take it out, he gets a bleed eventually!.

Thanks Moe, it certainly made Tony's day and mine too :)

moezie wrote on Dec 27, '07

oh mo i'm so happy xmas day was so wonderful for you and tony ((((((hugs)))))) xoxox

dreamyone wrote on Dec 27, '07

I wonder Mo, if they are giving him blood thinners to prevent clots and and if that has something to do with the nose bleeds.. I remember long ago when my mother was in the hospital with Cancer they gave her blood thinner to prevent clots in her legs and such and that of course made it so her blood would not coagulant as well, so she then had terrible nose bleeds. However with her they did end up cauterize her, which believe me was extremely painful. Anyway so glad that Tony's bleeding got under control and that he was able to have a wonderful Christmas dinner with you and your family and friends. Sounds like you had a heavenly menu of great tasting goodies.. thanks for the photos I've been really enjoying them

kandaphati wrote on Dec 26, '07

I was wondering earlier what it was on Tony's nose. Hope the bleeding does not happen often. Thanks so much for posting the pics. It was good to hear from you with great details. Will miss you (from tomorrow afternoon~).