Mom's physical therapy yesterday

I couldn't post a video on Mom's caringbridge.org site but here is a video of her morning session of PT yesterday.

Satisfaction

I started writing online with eHow a few years ago just to have something to do. I had no idea one could make money monthly by writing online but quickly fell into the "make more" trap. Today, things are different.

eHow shut down their program so I've moved over to Squidoo where I write mostly about dessert shooters or articles about the elderly. The dessert shooter articles actually make money but the ones about the elderly? Not so much. What I do reap from my elder care articles though are wonderful comments like the below which I'm posting anonymously but with permission:

it is indeed what we have is very special! and we have come to know each other through our work, so as your work is very special to you and mine to me then that makes our friendship special too! my mum was diagnosed with Cancer, we were very "young" carers, my little brother just could not handle it, as my dad had passed suddenly the year before too, and she just wanted to come "home". I have never written about it as it is a hard one, but I follow your writing and think if you can do it and help others (already you have helped Eveyln and her family and relieve their worries etc) then I could too, so really you are an inspiration. and yes we had some wonderful times with mum, who throughout everything kept her sense of humour and I see the same twinkle in your mums eye  Have a great Day Lori!


So, even if my Squidoo articles don't earn me much money, they are earning me more than money can buy - that ability to be supportive to others. And, isn't that nice?


Here's a few of my more recent articles:


Preventing bedsores in the elderly


American attitudes toward the elderly


Anatomy of a caregiver - what makes me tick

Handicapped bathroom needs for the elderly

Adjusting to a quiet home

Picture to the right is Mom after her very first physical therapy session. She worked so hard to get strong. Mom has always been my hero and I've always been aware of her inner strength but never more so than the last week. She battled her way out of horrible pain and is on the mend.

Last night was the first night ever that John and I were alone in the house. We've been together 4 years now so it was really going to be a special night - until I thought I was getting the flu.

I was in Mom's thousand degree rehab room all day yesterday, sitting in a chair. I was pale, shaky, dizzy, and sweaty all day yesterday. I had my temperature taken by the nurse: 98.3. Weird. No fever yet I felt like I had one. I made sure to stay as far away from Mom as I could while still tending to her needs - an interesting feat. Note to self: buy stock in antibiotic hand wash...

Anyway, John brought Gizmo to the rehab center at 4 and I had Rebecca coming in at 5. I briefed her and got her schedule so we're covered the rest of the week - mostly covered. I have Rebecca and Carina and possibly one other caregiver and me. But, I've digressed...

John and I came home and he gave me some Pho soup (great stuff). I almost immediately felt better. I think I was just dehydrated! And, when I think about it, I was in that stuffy, hot room all day and I don't think I even had a sip of water. I'm totally fine this morning but I scared myself enough to get a flu vaccine today.

Getting myself cleaned up and back to the hospital here in a bit. The house is just too quiet. Mom is a little thing but there is a pretty good amount of activity that happens around her. I hear noises and start to react and then remember that she's not here right now. At the moment, it's ok but, when the day comes that she's not here for good...well, that might be another story. That's where Key West comes in.

Off to get cleaned up and back to the rehab center as I want to make sure I'm there for her PT.

Here's an article I wrote yesterday about adjusting to rehab. I've gotten some beautiful comments from my online caregiver friends about this one.

Hiatus...

Well, since I've last blogged, there's been a lot of excitement over here -

We had Mom's 95th birthday! An excellent time was had by all as we selected our local watering hole, La Mex, to have the party. It was beautiful. I'll expound more upon the occasion when I have time.

We took Mom on a cruise to Bermuda. 5 days out of Baltimore. Ron, Linda, Sharyn, Carina, John and I gave it the old college try. For John and me though, it was mostly a bust as we were in the cabin with Mom most of the trip - but, that was actually ok as the cabin was da bomb! We got the Owner's Suite on the ship and had 550 sq feet of cabin. Huge for a cruise! The balcony added another 110 sq ft so we were mostly content until the last 2 days when we had to go through a huge storm. 26 foot waves sent everyone reeling except Mom and Sharyn. Mom didn't even realize the boat was rocking!

And, finally, on Oct 11, 2011, Mom broke her hip. She suffered a pathological fracture which means the hip broke prior to the fall (a fairly common thing in the elderly). So, she had hip surgery on Oct 14, 2011 and stood for the first time on the 17th. I've been told by more than one hospital doctor or nurse how strong she is, emotionally and physically. We just moved her to rehab where she's expected to be for about a month but I'll bring her home earlier than that. I'm working on getting together a crew of support folks so we can care for her here.

Ok, I'm back off to the rehab for the day. I do have a caringbridge.org website set up - http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/getwellgertie

Feel free to dial in - I have the security set up to low so you don't need to log in to read the updates. Unfortunately, I have no internet at the rehab so can't update during the day. I hope this changes today when I transfer over to the iPhone and can use it as a hot spot.

So, dear readers, thanks for sticking by me. More later.

Laid back days

...and then a visit to the dentist, again. Poor Mom lost another tooth - and, once again, no tooth fairy knocked at the door. Drats. Since we're in comfort care mode, I made her lamb chops and gave her the bone. Bad move. Very bad move. So, off to the dentist we tottled to get the root pulled. She was quite the trooper but did request that I remain in the room with her - ugh. For those of you who don't know me well, I'm really not a fan of blood - ever. The extraction wasn't too bad as Dr. Chan is the best dentist in the Washington area. And, he worked us into his busy schedule the day I called. Gotta love that some people still give the elderly the right of way. Speaking of which, here's an article I wrote about how Americans treat the elderly:

American attitudes toward the elderly

We're working our way through some type of dog flu over here which is fairly disastrous to my area rugs. For some reason that totally escapes me, the dogs insist on vomiting on carpet. Now, my entire house is hardwood - you'd almost have to aim to hit a rug but little Matee hit 3 today. Rita ended up at the vet with IV fluids on Monday - there goes my bank account! Eh, they're all worth it. I've got my eye on Gizmo now though as by my estimation, she's next on the flu train. Rita was the sickest of the bunch and spent a lot of time in Mom's arms sleeping. It's so wonderful to me when Mom really kicks back into mothering mode. And, when anyone is sick or hurting (my back is killing me today), she's the first one with suggestions about what to do. The wonderful woman wanted to rub my back with ben gay today (no thanks!) and, instead, John and I spend 40 minutes in the hot tub with the jets on high. That, coupled with 1/2 a percocet set me straight. Actually, I'm leaning - to the left - which is normal...

I took some great photos of Carina with the dogs recently. Here's a few (say it with me - say it proud - we hate her...)

Best Cuban Coffee on the island!

Blossom's! Pictures are from our walk to and fro which exhausted poor John. I'm now perched by the pool, beer in hand, computer logged in, with a Stephen King book by my side. Quite a nice morning, all in all. John's back down for a nap at the moment. This is a "different" type of Key West than we're used to but, it's still very good. More later after parasailing (I hope). Weather is still iffy.

Loving the new MacBook Air computer. It's so very easy to tote everywhere and much quicker speed than the reviewers show. Of course, I'm working on Island Time so I don't mind a bit of a wait to upload pictures. The battery life is amazing too - 10 hours. We watched youtube videos last night and even have HBO to go on the thing. I'm ready for a rainy day!

Key West Thunderstorm

The picture has absolutely nothing to do about a Key West thunderstorm but it is one of my favorites that I just found again. This pic was taken in the beach house I rented a few years ago - Mom was 93 then! She and Rita were having the best conversation - they were really getting it. Of course, no one else was privy to the gist o the matter but, what mattered the most was that they were so connected. It remains today one of my all time favorite pics.

John and I are in Key West again! Home, sweet home! Unfortunately, the boy is sick with a cold so is under the weather, which, as I type, is a great thunderstorm complete with lightning and driving rain. I'm sitting on the balcony overlooking the pool and sheltered from the brunt of the weather - just where I like to be. We're going parasailing today, provided John's cold and the weather both clear up. Regardless, a great time is being had by all even though the air line left our bag in Atlanta! Yep, we're clothe-less, mostly. The airline accepted full responsibility and gave me carte blanche to go buy whatever we needed for the day, on them. So, 2 very nice bathing suits later (one for each of us), a beautiful sarong and matching headband (for me!), and a boatload of toiletries and we were all set. Mostly. Sure would like to have a new pair of shorts but I think my time limit has worn out as the luggage is due here by noon.

Parasailing should be a great time today - I'll make sure to take the waterproof camera with us and get a bunch of shots. The Sony takes a nice panorama also so that should be fun. Wish us luck!