Not Such a Good Day

Jack seems to think that he can just sit in the chair all day and that one of these days he's just going to throw away his cane and he'll be as good as new. It's becoming clear (a) he wants to go back to Mt. Arlington; (b) he's a long way from being ready to safely live on his own.

Today could best be summed up in one picture.

A Good Day

A beautiful Fall morning broke with Jack having a nice breakfast and by noon time feeling really 'up!' How much better can life be when your bowel and bladder functioning is improving!

Here are a couple of pictures. One of Jack doing laps on the deck then settling into a good book he's been devouring. He took a shower and completely dressed himself; that's definitely progress. Before it gets too cold we're going to try a one night camping trip in the woods.

Katy escaped for dinner with her friends. Mike and Jack had a fine evening together; good food, good drink, Jeopardy and the Mets!

Rainy Sunday

Not much funny to say today. Rained all day and all three of us spent the day indoors. The main event was watching golf and checking on the Jets and Giants. Jack won't drink water, won't get out of his chair, complains about his bowels and generally has a sour disposition.

He is willing to go down to the River Bistro for dinner so we'll be leaving in a little while.

Jack did tell Steve on the phone about yesterday's "haircut and pedophile."

Saturday Outing

We had our usual Wildacres Saturday morning; sleep in, nice breakfast and spend the whole time reading the newspapers and listening to the radio.

As a treat, Katy made pancakes and eggs.

After a shave and shower we put Jack in the car for our clean-up excursion. First to visit Esther and Sue for a hair wash and cut. He's been there a couple of times before so he's a "regular." We all chatted about the Barry Manilow concert Sue attended, her husband's refusal to take her to see Stevie Wonder, whether Tom Cruise is gay (the consensus is 'yes'), why Nancy Kissinger called to cancel her appointment (we hope Henry's feeling OK) and other non-sports topics.

Then off to Tiffany's Nail Salon for a pedicure since Jack's toe nails were starting to curl under. A new experience for him but one he enjoyed, though he was dubious when Katy asked what color he wanted his toe nails painted.

Now it's cocktail hour and Katy is whipping up home made chicken pot pie. Jack did need to be reminded this morning, "We don't talk that way here" and he's completely non-cooperative when it comes to drinking water. He acts as if we're torturing him when we tell him that drinking 12 ounces over the course of a whole day is not "gallons." He threatened us tonight, "If I drink more water I won't be able to eat any dinner" (though he did force down a VO). Ay yay yay. At least he's putting his on his own socks.

TGIF

Overall an improvement. Jack has moved from the walker to his cane. We're trying to get him to do more for himself (and less from us). He's eating better and able to change his own diaper.

Thursday

"Imagine if every Thursday your shoes exploded if you tied them the usual way.This happens to us all the time with computers and nobody thinks to complain."

The above quote was very apt for us today. Mike's work laptop finally took its last breath yesterday. Apparently Ingenix knew it was 'on the verge' but didn't think the user had a 'need to know.; All is well now, thankfully. His replacement unit arrived at 3:30 (6 hours late ... another UPS related story for the future)

Morning started cheerfully (yes, I really mean that). We had our breakfast, read the papers, took a shower (no, not communal, but could be a future blog topic ... do I hear YouTube calling?) Physically, Jack is feeling better and his intestinal issues seem to be abating. As he gains strength his attitude also is improving (yes, I really mean that, too. You brothers are such doubting-Thomases).

Katy is working on (read:nagging) Jack to ingest 6 glasses of water each day and to consume less salt to keep his ankles from swelling (which they are) and to keep his plumbing running freely (which it seems to be). We can report success because his latest mantra is: (and I quote) " all this damn water is ruining my appetite."

Jack feels comfortable staying alone so we are going out for dinner to our local fave spot, Bulls Bridge Inn. We've had our cocktails together and Jack will be having his low-salt turkey sandwich and settle into his chair to watch 'Wheel of Fortune' and 'Judge Judy' re-runs ...

Through all of this Jack and Josie are really bonding ... she sat next to him today at the breakfast table (he LOVED that). Stay tuned for more animals and minerals updates!

Hump Day

We've had a great fish dinner and now we're headed to the deck for cigars. Our friend Don Gregory joined us for the meal and conversation. Jack was right in the middle of the discussion. He and Don talked quite extensively about his bowel movements - Don's such a good listener.

Overall, it was a good day. Two nights in a row with a great sleeping experience. We got to the lab at the hospital this morning and we were in and out within 20 minutes. The only mishap of the day was the runs as we were arriving home - thank goodness for well-made diapers. Most likely it's the result of the heavy duty antibiotic he's taking (only one more day). Jack's convinced it's from the Ensure. When I pointed out that VO was more likely to cause diarrhea than Ensure I got one of those, "No way!"

Blisters on the lips just about gone; butt sore almost healed and we're grateful for one more day.

Day Two and Counting

Steve made a good suggestion. We usually start about 7:00 p.m. with dinner prep, then dinner, then bed so the best times to call, generally, are 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The first number to try is Katy's land line, 860-354-7137. Please understand that it's also her business line so sometimes we may not be able to answer. You can always call my all-purpose number, 860-946-0689. If I'm not available to answer it'll just go to voice mail. Unfortunately, during the day it's in use for work most of the time.

Jack had a tough day. Bleeding hemorroids, bleeding a lot, causing much mess, embarrassment and consternation. Fortunately, the treatments we prescribed seem to be working but we didn't go for the blood work he needs because of all this. We're going tomorrow morning. Let's hope by the time we're all ready for adult diapers the ease of use has improved considerably.

We've talked to Dr. Collum and Dr. Zimmerman and put a hold on the Star Ledger. They were both very understanding and helpful. We're working on getting a local internist and urologist. They'll consult with his NJ docs. Don't believe him when he tells you that (a) his bleeding hemorrhoids are because his platelet count is low (No way, said Collum); (b) his bowel troubles come from the Ensure; (c) he's drinking lots of water; (d) he's moving around a lot; (e) he's had a religious awakening; (f) we've tied him to a post in the basement (we only mentioned the possibility once, maybe twice). He did, however, sleep great last night.

That is all....

First Day in New Milford

Greetings to my family from the countryside of CT. Michael and I had about a 2 hour drive this morning but I'm here in the beautiful countryside and as you can see, I'm settling in at Wildacres.

Josie the cat is still a bit stand-offish (although I've been very forthcoming in renewing our friendship) and she seems to be warming to me more as dinner-time approaches. I slept on and off during the day in my new (very comfy) recliner, read a bit between naps and watched a rousing game of Jeopardy, which really helped my appetite!

After a tasty sword-fish dinner (and a small VO) I'm getting ready for an early-to-bed night. All in all, not a bad first day of rehab. I'm just glad that I'm out of the hospital.

I'll be going to New Milford Hospital for my blood work tomorrow. Mike and Katy are lining up a local GP and Urologist for me, which will make appointments much easier. On Friday I'll be going to see my friend Esther for a haircut and possibly to Tiffany Nails for a pedicure.

Who would have thunk it. New Jersey guy in a Yankee town. But it's all good!