Monday, March 26, 2007
We're Blogging Again! Monday 3/26.
When I began blogging it was to keep everybody up to date on the surgery and our stay in Baltimore. I don't know why I thought the journey was done when we walked in the door on Saint Patrick's Day. We feel like Bilbo and his friends....we were afraid to leave our Hobbit hole for the unknown...now we are facing Gollum with a bit less fear but with trepidation nonetheless. I sang alot of John Denver on the car ride home...."Country Roads, Take me Home, to the place where I (we) belong....Verrrmmmmont....mountain momma, take me home." While it wasn't pretty (Bill out of the side of his mouth, Mary Lee with a failing hearing aid battery and my God given tone deaf voice) we sang it anyway...
Bill has been resting. When he is not convalescing, he is making regular dates with our Dr. Schwartz, and Physical Therapist, Kathy Metzger. When Kathy mentioned that his scar was a biggy, Bill replied, "Chicks dig big scars." Due to his facial numbness, Bill's voice lacks inflection so his humor resembles comedian Steven Wright and I can hear myself laugh out loud....those moments seem nearly normal.
Kathy has him standing on one foot while being timed. He is able to do the task but is visibly tired at the end of PT. His neck remains a source of pain as well as his overused right jaw (the right side is doing all the talking and chewing....a bit like Popeye without the pipe). Today Peggy Mole, Kathy's partner joined the pit crew. Peggy worked on a gentle massage on the neck to help fluid drain from his lymph nodes. At the same time Kathy ultra sounded Bill's locked knee (to add insult to injury, Bill's knee locked up last night...an occassional ailment he has from floating debris left over from a 1985 knee surgery...sort of like floating space junk in his knee). If you looked in the room you would have thought Bill was living the life ....beautiful woman tending to his every need ...sort of like Ted Kozowski CEO of Tyco...remember that Toga party footage for his wife's 40th bday?....Well it wasn't exactly that much of a spa feel but Bill got much needed therapy and attention. We're just keeping our fingers crossed that Bill's knee unlocks so he can get on with his other recovery.
Bill has been comforted everyday with calls, cards, and a few visits. The cards are both inspiring and funny. Fan favorites include Rebecca's neutered dog card, Aunt Sharon's nurse card, Taylor's 4th grade class Get Well Cards and Denise Mathis' touching words....Bill also has received beautiful art work, bouquets, and food. He looks forward to the mail everyday... for the cards not the bills! In fact his new goal is to collect the mail at our mailbox (if his knee would agree to that).
We said a sad good-bye to "Pop-Pop" last Thursday. Gus, the dog, is especially sad....Tom talked to Gus like a friend. Gus is dog again since Tom left. The boys miss their trips to KFC...no chance of that from us! Weston spent the weekend with his ski buddies practicing for his future geometry class...he was talking about 360's, 540's, and the ultimate 900....oh help....Taylor spent the weekend with friends at an indoor water park. Mary Lee and I continue to check the med chart, offer pureed specials, and organize. Yesterday Mary Lee had me throwing out muppet mugs and cracked glasses....I wouldn't let her near my childhood Looney Toon grape jelly jam jars glasses. Today I discovered my mother's ivy plant in the garbage ....Mary Lee thought it was dead....it looks dead but there is still a little photosynthesis going on in there...I gently scooped the ailing ivy out, repotted it and have a new med chart for the ivy.
Bill works hard everyday to make forward progress. It seems the progress is slow. When my brother, Jim, asked me this weekend how Bill was doing. I replied, "OK, but that he was still plagued with alot of discomfort." Jim then said, "but think about a week ago..." It was right then I made a huge realization....Bill is doing well. Last weekend he was so frail and weak we thought he'd blow away at the thruway rest stop....this week he is talking about going to the mailbox and eating goulash....and that's it....he is doing well and looks forward to his energy returning and his body healing.
I'd like to make a shout out for Joe Phillip Nicholson born to neighbors and colleagues Pete and Anna (their dog Lucy is also Gus' girlfriend) last night at 11:55. Welcome Joe! We can't wait to meet the little guy....
Bill has been resting. When he is not convalescing, he is making regular dates with our Dr. Schwartz, and Physical Therapist, Kathy Metzger. When Kathy mentioned that his scar was a biggy, Bill replied, "Chicks dig big scars." Due to his facial numbness, Bill's voice lacks inflection so his humor resembles comedian Steven Wright and I can hear myself laugh out loud....those moments seem nearly normal.
Kathy has him standing on one foot while being timed. He is able to do the task but is visibly tired at the end of PT. His neck remains a source of pain as well as his overused right jaw (the right side is doing all the talking and chewing....a bit like Popeye without the pipe). Today Peggy Mole, Kathy's partner joined the pit crew. Peggy worked on a gentle massage on the neck to help fluid drain from his lymph nodes. At the same time Kathy ultra sounded Bill's locked knee (to add insult to injury, Bill's knee locked up last night...an occassional ailment he has from floating debris left over from a 1985 knee surgery...sort of like floating space junk in his knee). If you looked in the room you would have thought Bill was living the life ....beautiful woman tending to his every need ...sort of like Ted Kozowski CEO of Tyco...remember that Toga party footage for his wife's 40th bday?....Well it wasn't exactly that much of a spa feel but Bill got much needed therapy and attention. We're just keeping our fingers crossed that Bill's knee unlocks so he can get on with his other recovery.
Bill has been comforted everyday with calls, cards, and a few visits. The cards are both inspiring and funny. Fan favorites include Rebecca's neutered dog card, Aunt Sharon's nurse card, Taylor's 4th grade class Get Well Cards and Denise Mathis' touching words....Bill also has received beautiful art work, bouquets, and food. He looks forward to the mail everyday... for the cards not the bills! In fact his new goal is to collect the mail at our mailbox (if his knee would agree to that).
We said a sad good-bye to "Pop-Pop" last Thursday. Gus, the dog, is especially sad....Tom talked to Gus like a friend. Gus is dog again since Tom left. The boys miss their trips to KFC...no chance of that from us! Weston spent the weekend with his ski buddies practicing for his future geometry class...he was talking about 360's, 540's, and the ultimate 900....oh help....Taylor spent the weekend with friends at an indoor water park. Mary Lee and I continue to check the med chart, offer pureed specials, and organize. Yesterday Mary Lee had me throwing out muppet mugs and cracked glasses....I wouldn't let her near my childhood Looney Toon grape jelly jam jars glasses. Today I discovered my mother's ivy plant in the garbage ....Mary Lee thought it was dead....it looks dead but there is still a little photosynthesis going on in there...I gently scooped the ailing ivy out, repotted it and have a new med chart for the ivy.
Bill works hard everyday to make forward progress. It seems the progress is slow. When my brother, Jim, asked me this weekend how Bill was doing. I replied, "OK, but that he was still plagued with alot of discomfort." Jim then said, "but think about a week ago..." It was right then I made a huge realization....Bill is doing well. Last weekend he was so frail and weak we thought he'd blow away at the thruway rest stop....this week he is talking about going to the mailbox and eating goulash....and that's it....he is doing well and looks forward to his energy returning and his body healing.
I'd like to make a shout out for Joe Phillip Nicholson born to neighbors and colleagues Pete and Anna (their dog Lucy is also Gus' girlfriend) last night at 11:55. Welcome Joe! We can't wait to meet the little guy....
