Journal

Wow, it's been awhile since a journal entry! And still not alot to journal. We're still dealing with the issues with the parents. My Mom is still in a 'skilled care facility' (quote, unquote), which she likes and dislikes. She's very homesick, which is understandable. She was in a rehab facility 7 years ago after a hip replacement, and says the place she is in now is the better of the two. The first one, I didn't know alot about, as she had a hip replacement 8 days after my first back surgery, and my visits were very limited. The facility that she's in now has its good points and bad points. The director of the place is leaving on the 14th, so I'm watching to see what's gonna happen next! I've had a few issues with this place...one that comes to mind and bothers me alot. A friend and I were over one day at lunchtime, and went to the dining room with my mom. Another resident seated at her table was being assisted by a cna. She was obviously on a pureed food diet. The cna helped her with her lunch, then got crushed pineapple from the dessert cart and began to feed it to her. The resident started choking and coughing. When she did, the cna said 'well, I can tell you're full cos you're starting to cough'. The cna left the table, with the lady still coughing and choking. My friend that was with me went to the director's office immediately (which was only about 10 feet from the dining room) and told him. His reaction was....'when you see things like that happening, please let me know'. Okay, so.....what's his job? I kinda informed him that things like that were his job, not mine nor my friend's job. Needless to say, there are very few conversations between me and him any more. Aaugh!

 The situation with my dad has improved greatly. He has had his afib corrected and had surgery for his prostate problems. So far, so good. He goes back to his heart doc on Monday and will be wearing a monitor for 48 hours to see what's going on with his heart, what with the surgery and all. He's not the most patient 'patient'. He's always been a wiggle worm, and I think this has made him more of a wiggle worm. Anytime anyone (like a doc) gives him specific instructions, that's the exact opposite of what he tries to do. Go figure. Plus, he's missing my mom at home very badly. I didn't know he knew my phone number until he was home alone some. I stayed with him at night for quite some time, and that option is still open to him. He's not asked for me to stay recently, but I think I'm supposed to be there more than home. I also have a friend who had emergency surgery for an infected hernia screen last week, and is stuck at home  (is at my house) with a woundvac for now. So, my days are spent at my house, the nursing home, the parent's house, repeat.....over and over. So far, I've managed to find a place to lie down at all 3 places. I even park in my mom's bed at the nursing home sometimes! So, long story short, so far, so good, all things considered.

I really appreciate all the prayers and friendship from everyone on DS. And to a couple of ya.....thanks for being a 'sounding board' for me when I get frustrated.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Hi to everyone! Thought I'd try for a quick update while I have a few minutes. First of all, I've tried to get into DS several times, and can't access anything. Hope that gets resolved soon, and hope I can get back in touch with everyone soon, too.

I've been kinda busy with my parents. They both have been in the hospital; my Dad was in twice and my Mom was in once. My dad was sick for several months before we could convince him to go to the ER. We have since found that he has an irregular heartbeat that will be corrected soon by 'shocking' it back into rhythm, and he also has an enlarged prostate and is having to wear a catherer until his heart procedure has been completed successfully. Then he will have to have a a laser procedure done to correct the prostate problem, and be done with the catherer. He's looking foreward to the day that he's not carrying a medical 'purse'!

My mom, who has Parkinson's Disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis, was hospitalized for problems with excess fluid and some sores that needed medical attention. Since my dad is her caregiver, she is currently in a skilled care facility and is doing therapy twice daily until they both are back on their feet. I'm glad they live close to me, and I can help them out some. My brother is helping some, too. It's been a busy few weeks, and I hope to be back on here more often now, if things continue to improve with them. Thank you all for your messages and hugs and all the support. The friends I've made on here are great, and I look foreward to getting back with all of you very soon!

If you're an animal lover, this is a story for you!

The neighborhood that I live in is full of pet lovers, and almost everyone has pets. Plus, most of the neighbors know everyone's pets by name. It's a great situation for us animal lovers.

Last Wednesday, one of the neighbors was greeted by a dog that appeared from nowhere. No one knew him. He seemed to be friendly, and his fur around his neck was indented. like he had been wearing a collar and it had somehow come off. One of the neighbors, who has earned the title 'The Dog Magnet', of course was the first to become his friend. Since she has indoor pets and no basement, she called and asked if he could hang out in my basement during her work hours until we could try to locate his family. So, since I'm in the animal lover's 'club', this was no big deal to me, and he came up with her when she left for work. We found out rather quickly how smart this fella is....very gentle, housetrained, and a great manicure and pedicure. Loves to ride. Has a good vocabulary...words like 'ride' 'treat', and 'ball' were all recognized. We knew somebody was missing a family pet or a service dog! He got along great with other animals, and with kids, too. Hm.....  Since he showed up on a cold day when the aches and pains were at high levels, I called him Arthur!

So, Arthur had an interesting couple of days. The neighbor walked and drove him for hours, trying to find his owners, knocking on doors, making phone calls to local vet offices, SPCA, dog pound, wherever we could think of to call. We were all checking the local newspaper, and they got a phone call, too. Everyone around here was passing the word as quickly as possible. In the meantime, we were all becoming attached to Arthur. He seemed to be the perfect house guest, except for being afraid of the dark. Easy fix....cut on a light for him! Even the other pets in the neighborhood became friends with him. Very easy-going fella.

Okay, on with the story. While the neighbor was working yesterday, she made a few more calls here and there. Lo and behold, the SPCA had a missing dog report for a fella that fit the description! She called from work, and asked me to see if I could get him to respond to the name 'Bosox'. He responded with one of those head turns and licking his mouth, like he knew what I was talking about. The neighbor had found this sweet doggie's family!!

After learning his name, I took him for a stroll in the yard, and kept talking to him and calling him Bosox. He was becoming happier and happier, and even played with my dog's football for awhile. Obviously, somebody had played football with him before!

When the neighbor got home from work, she called the owner. He lives about 4 miles from the neighborhood, and is a police officer. He came over with his 2 kids. As soon as Bosox saw their vehicle, and then saw them, he was barking and wagging his tail! The two kids ran straight to their dog, and so did their dad! Bosox had been a bit nervous and obviously lost for a few days, but that disappeared as soon as he saw his family! He had been with them since he was a puppy, and is an indoor/outdoor dog. When he was outdoors, he managed to get out of his collar and away from his tieout and apparently had been traveling thru the woods for a few hours, and ended up here. He plays alot of football and tennis with his family, and we knew there was something about a school bus with him. Apparently, when the kids get home from school, they hang out with him before they do anything else. His 'dad' said he had him since he was a puppy, and had played with him alot, too. They were all glad to see one another again! Happy kids and dad; happy dog. Lotsa smiles in the neighborhood, and lotsa smiles in a neighborhood 4 miles from here. Happy ending for everyone!