March 30

My Mom has been doing really well at Heartfield’s. She’s eating, taking her meds (in peanut butter : ) ) and doing physical therapy when she feels like cooperating. We have been trying to prepare for a yard sale (Saturday, tentatively) and a move. I really don’t want to leave the house we are in. I love the house, the neighborhood, the location and my landlord. I’m working on my office this morning, but I’ve got to take Shelby to the doctor in a few. She has been having abdominal pain again. Pretty sure it is the ulcers this time. I hope it doesn’t turn into another hospital stay. Her oldest, Jeannette has come over the last couple of days and been an enormous help. Cleaning, separating yard sale stuff, organizing some things.

One of the ladies at Heartfield’s passed away on Thursday. She would have been 94 on Friday. I was already pretty attached to her in only about a week. I miss her already, but I’m so glad she isn’t hurting and she is in a better place now. Gotta head out to the Dr. with Shelby.

Peace and Blessings!

Back home

Shelby finally came home from the hospital on Friday, after being there a week. It looks like the medication to treat her ulcers was causing more severe pain than the ulcers themselves. I’m so glad to have her back home. She is still having some pain, but is trying to work this morning and doing everything she can to eat and get her protein in. I’m going to have a busy day. Going to go to Heartfield’s and hang out with Momma in a bit, then come home and try to get some things accomplished. Momma has been eating much better and is taking her meds better  (in a spoonful of peanut butter). She has been walking in PT with a walker and sometime with the rail on the wall or even holding hands. I was so happy to see Gail, who she worked with a bit at Cary Health and Rehab. All the therapists at both places have been excellent. She needs to be as independent and able to balance as possible, because she won’t think about asking for help or using the walker.  She had a fall on Wednesday. She was getting sleepy and an  aid was  putting her to bed. She got combative and the aid left her there to get assistance. She got up and walked by herself to the bathroom and slipped. She was sore, but wasn’t injured, thank God! I’m really worried about one of the residents there. She will be 94 on Friday. She has not been doing well the last few days and has been hurting a lot. I lift her up now and pray that God will just wrap His arms around her and give her comfort. Amen!

My status

I’ve been spending a lot of time taking care of my mom lately. Tuesday she was transported to Wake Med to have the feeding tube removed and then to Heartfield’s later. My brother, Steve and I were with her through the day. Tuesday night, my sister had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic, so my brother and I hurried to the ER after a long day. Friday we were with Mom for breakfast and left at lunch time, so she could get used to eating without us there. I had to take Shelby to the ER with severe  pains in her side. She had bariatric surgery in December and has ulcers in her esophagus and stomach. The CT scan shows some fluid in her abdomen, so she may need surgery to clean that out. Probably a leak caused by an ulcer. I’ve spent the last couple of days going between the the hospital and Heartfield’s. Sorry that I haven’t had a lot of time to respond to emails, phone messages and other requests. Special thanks to Rhonda and other friends for your prayers, thoughts and encouraging words. I’ll try to keep updating through the blog, but I’m going to get ready to leave now.

Blessings!

Adjusting

On Tuesday, Momma had the feeding tube removed and moved into Heartfield’s. She really seems to like it so far. She’s eating pretty well and has been taking her meds most of the time. She may be starting some Occupational Therapy and hopefully evaluated by the Physical Therapist today too. I’m leaving to go up there in a few minutes. We will probably have a sitter again tonight and then see how it goes without someone there all the time. My brother and I stayed with her until about 3pm and went home for a while. Came back after dinner to let her get used to eating without us there. She didn’t eat, but drank a little juice and boost. She did eat a snack with us after we came back around 7:30. I know I wouldn’t want to be left alone if I had a broken hip and couldn’t get up. I’m going to continue trying to spend as much time with her as I can, but I HAVE to find a job and start working again.

Yesterday was music day and the Activities Dept invited me to play some for the residents. That was fun. Some of them really enjoyed bluesy music with a beat they could rock out to. I alternated between Praise & Worship and pop/blues/rock.  Well, that’s all the time I have to write at the moment. I’m out of here.

Peace and Blessings!

Trials (Part 2)

After my mom’s hip surgery, she slept most of the week and ate very little. The doctor suggested a feeding tube to help get her “over the hump”. Her living will says that in the case of severe dementia that she didn’t want to be kept alive by artificial means. We felt that the tube wasn’t to keep her alive, but to get her strength back. The doctor didn’t tell us it would have to stay in at least 6 weeks. Since she has tried to grab the tube to pull it out, we have to have someone sit with her 24/7. That has been me for a great deal of the time. We have a sitter come in from 10pm to 8am. Right now she is at Cary Health and Rehab. She will have the tube removed on March 8th and be  moving into Heartfield’s to live and rehab. She has had a urinary tract  infection,which has made her more disoriented. She walked today with a walker and assistance in Physical Therapy. Walked further than she has in any session yet. I just talked to my brother (who spelled me at 4pm today) and he said she was eating good at dinner. Thank You Jesus!

I don’t remember a time I’ve been under more stress in my life. My wife, Shelby had surgery on December 23rd, I’ve been unemployed since 2009 and my benefits have been exhausted. It’s been impossible to search for a job since my mom broke her hip. Between Shelby, Momma, being unemployed, bills, getting run down and sick myself, and just the day to day life, I have really been struggling. Even though Momma had a pretty good day today, I still had to stop several times and ask God for help. Times like this you help you understand that you have to praise and thank Him whether things are going good or bad and I have been. God is good!

Trials

My mother has Alzheimer’s. She has been at an assisted living facility since July, 2010.  She  fell and broke her left hip on January 15th. She had a partial hip replacement and was in the hospital for 2 weeks. The first week she slept most of the time. Between the anesthesia, morphine and other meds, that was pretty much expected. I sat with her from 10 to 24 hours a day the first 34 days.  Today(Sunday 2-20) is the first day that I wasn’t able to sit with her since then. I’ve been  sick for a few days. Started with congestion in my head and now in my lungs and the special added bonus of vertigo. Missed church today too. Enough about me,though. This is about  Momma. She’s had a couple of really good days in a row and I’m praising God for that.

to be continued….

My God is bigger than my struggles!

The other day when I was having a hard time with a praise song we are going to play, Shelby told me to walk in my authority and trust God to tell me what to do. I was trusting that He would show me what to do. Well, I listened to that song one time and immediately knew what I was supposed to do with the guitar! I just couldn’t really hear the guitar when we were practicing. When I listened at home, I could hear the part on the CD and knew that I could even fill in places between chords with whatever flows when we play it.

Thank You, Lord for guiding me and for loving me just as I am. I have a vision for a new song and I’m going to need Your help to write it.Thank You for all the blessings and gifts You’ve given me. Help me to use them to give You honor and glory.

AMEN

Speaking of prayer…

Today is the National Day of Prayer. We should pray every day, but today would be a really good day to lift up our leaders in prayer.  The way things are in the world today, they definitely need to be in our prayers always.

Struggles

I’ve played guitar for over 40 years. Started with a variety of genres.  Acoustic rock, blues, and harder rock.(America, Beatles, Allmans, Led Zep, Sabbath, Stones) Played in a punk band for several years. Then played more alt-country type stuff.

I play a lot of 70′s pop and CCM now. I play guitar in our praise band at church. I had never really played gospel with more of a soul and R&B style, but I love all kinds of music. I’m still learning to blend my own gifts and style with music we play. We were learning a song that I really like a lot last night and I just didn’t hear the fills that I want to play in between chords. I’ll be practicing and praying to hear the sound, but I was stressing a little about it this morning. We’re playing at an outreach in Durham on Saturday and I know it’s not about me, but I want to do what I do in excellence.  I know that even if I just stick to the chords and keep it simple the song will be powerful. Our drummer can drive the song and our keyboard player can do several things at the same time. He is a freak! I’ve never seen or heard anything like him. Our worship leader is the most amazing singer I’ve ever heard when it comes to bringing the presence of God to the people (or the people to the presence of God).

I know that I just need to trust God and not worry about what I’m feeling, but concentrate on what He says. I think the outreach is going to be awesome!

In the kitchen this week.

Last night it was whole wheat spaghetti with tomato, mushroom, onion sauce.

I like to use fresh ingredients and roast my tomatoes for the sauce, but this time I used canned stuff (except the onion). Diced fire-roasted tomatoes and diced tomatoes, Sliced mushrooms and sliced baby bellas.

While my sauce was simmering I mixed up some chicken salad for Shelby to take for lunch ( and for me to have today for lunch). We ate several crackers with it spread on it before we had the  spaghetti. It was the best chicken salad I’ve ever made. I put some chopped avocado, and Granny Smith apple with a little Olive Oil Mayo and fat free sour cream. YUMMO!