Ships Ahoy...

Ships Ahoy…

This was probably the roughest week so far. Chris (Kerry’s mom) is starting to get around a little more on her own but still her needs are great. Between Kerry and I, we’ve got it covered.

Kerry’s dad (Red) started the week with a near fall. His balance is almost totally gone. He is now using oxygen 98% of the time. When asked if his pain is getting worse, his reply is simply, “The pain I can handle. It’s the weakness that irritates me.” Once he is on his feet, he can get around (slowly) but it is the getting up part that takes its toll.

On the bright side. Kerry’s sister (Tina) is coming to Tucson on July 9^th, giving Kerry and I a much needed vacation. Last year (in July) we flew to Seattle to visit Justin’s family. Then we flew to Nick’s place in Alabama and from there we dropped down to Key West for a little quiet time. This year we are going to take an Alaskan cruise. We leave for Seattle on July 10^th and will have a couple of days with the grandkids before the ship pulls out. Sadly, we will miss seeing Nick and his gang. At least we got to see him last November when he travelled to Tucson to help celebrate Red’s 90^th birthday.

Tina (Christina) gets HUGE BIG MASSIVE points from us for stepping up to the plate (once again) to give us a much needed break from our daily routines.

On another note…Kerry had one more epidural last week and so far, so good. She has been dealing with so many stresses lately (her 3 eye surgeries…yes 3, getting news that Justin was being posted to the middle east (again), her back injury at work, her blephrospasm condition and the massive dose of botox she received to help calm the spasms–and ending up having to deal with horific side effects (and her needing these shots once every four months...for life), her parents both being signed up for in-home hospice and all that goes along with that, and a few other stresses to top it all off…She started a 2 month leave from work to help her regroup. Sounds like a good reason to sit on a ship and have her spoiled for a couple of weeks…Ships ahoy.

My prayer today is for the Gifts God bestows upon us;

Great Father and Merciful One, Kerry and I give you praise for the light you cast upon this dark journey we find ourselves taking. If it wasn’t for your light we would simply perish in the darkness but we fear not. Instead we boldly venture forward excited about each step ahead. Like in Job, when he thought all was lost, it was yet only the beginning of a great thing. We praise you Lord for the beginning You have in store for us. Praises to you for the trip we will soon be taking and we ask for safe travel mercies.

We pray for all of these things in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen

Monsoon Miracle...

Monsoon Miracles…

As you know, Kerry’s mom (Chris) fell last week and injured her right foot (no broken bones but some swelling and pain). Her mobility went from Slow-But-Sure all the way down to Zero-On-Her-Own. Toay she is not getting around without help.

Whenever Chris has an injury,she becomes somewhat more demanding of our time. Now, don’t get me wrong…we love being the caregivers for both Red and Chris and when one (or both) of them needs extra care, well…bring it on! 

The problem here is the monsoon of demands that are suddenly cast upon us. The intercom paging system is going off regularly with, “Richard…Richard…Richard or Kerry...Kerry...Kerry.”  When we reply with, “Yes, do you need something?” the reply we get back is, “Richard…Richard…Richard or Kerry...Kerry...Kerry.” Most of the time, it is simply easier to just go into her room and ask her what she needs.

Her most common need is to have her heating pad (or ice pack) placed back onto her foot. Since she gets up every 15 minutes, the pad or pack ends up on the floor. Richard…Richard…Richard. You’ve heard of the saying, “That’s my name. Don’t wear it out.” Lately it is me, not my name that is worn out.

Now, for the miracle…

Red (Kerry’s dad) went to his oncologist last week for his monthly visit. All, and I mean All of his labs have improved. Most important, his PSA numbers have dropped (that’s a good thing). Even though we are within the middle of an emotional monsoon, we praise God for these miracles.

My prayer today is for miracles and yes, even the storms.

Father, merciful provider, we praise you for so many things. Mostly we are thankful for the miracles you provide as well as the storms we endure. These bumps in the road do not slow us down and for the strength to continue on we give you praise. Bless Kerry as she deals with her own emotional and physical issues and thank you Lord for using me as an instrument for Chris and Red. As I pick either of them up I praise You for the strength you give me. May you continue to give Kerry and me good health and endurance so that we may continue on this course for the duration, however long that may be. And if You decide it is time to call either Chris or Red home, may you do so in a peaceful and beautiful way. I pray for these things in the name of Your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

And lastly, a Happy Father’s day to all of the dad’s out there...

A Salute to those who served...

A Salute to those who served… 

A few days ago (last Thursday) we got a call over the intercom at 5:20am, “Help Help Help…She’s gone down” ... We jumped into action ...

That was Red (Kerry’s dad) calling us to come and help get Chris up off of the floor. When Kerry and I arrived we found Chris next to her bed, on her knees, holding onto her walker. She looked like she was kneeling in prayer.

We checked for injuries before moving her. I picked her up and sat her on the edge of her bed. She was like a limp noodle, totally surrendering to her cirumstance. As our grip slowly released, she started sliding once again back down-we stopped her quickly, before she ended up back onto the floor.

As far as injuries went, everything was fine, except for a few booboo's. She also complained that her foot was a little sore. By the time we got her to her recliner, her foot started to swell up a bit. We treated her foot with ice while dressing her other wounds. Both her and Red's skin is extremely fragile and easily damaged.

This was the day of her shower and massage by the hospice nurses’ aide (ery Monday and Thusday). We called in to report the fall to the hospice nurse on duty. Chris had a sponge bath in her chair and the RN on duty came by to evaluate. An x-ray was ordered. The technician showed up at 4:45pm and took a few shots of the foot and ankle from various angles.

We were told on Friday that there were no broken bones. So, all we need to do is manage the pain and be thankful that there wasn’t anything broken.

On Wednesday, the day before the fall, the hospice chaplain and social worker came by to honor Chris and Red for their time served in the armed forces (the Navy WAVES for Chris and the British RAF for Red). They were given a small framed thank you note and a blanket. That made their day.

My prayer today is a simple one;

Thank you, Jesus for minor injuries when they could have been much worse. Praise God for healing. We give You praise for being able to be there to help Red and Chris live out their days surrounded with love. Give us strength Lord to continue on this course for as long as you deem it necessary. As we bow down to You, we humbly follow Your path, and we do this in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen

Will Walk 4 Food

As you may remember, I used to get up in the middle of the night to answer Red’s call for help (see my BLOG posting Sleep Walker, Tuesday May 8^th). Last night, around 1am our new intercom system came alive with Chris (Kerry’s mom) calling for her husband (Red). Because their intercom module is voice activated (VOX), her calling out “Red” over and over again was broadcast to our bedroom module. We (Kerry and I) sprang into action.

As we arrived in the kitchen we found Red sitting at the dining room table finishing off a plate of yogurt with ketchup and left over stir fry (all mixed together). Usually, one would think that he just woke up hungry and wanted a snack. But when he started talking about his waking up and wanting to eat some of the leftovers from our catered meal the night before, one might ask if he was in fact fully awake or simply sleep walking.

The call from Chris was simply her waking up to see that he was not in his bed. Her calling out his name was her way of trying to ask him if he was okay (she thought he was in the bathroom). Apparently when he got up he turned on a bunch of lights, waking up his Chris in the process.

The events of last night were a first, just like this morning when he entered his living room. He put on his oxygen nasal prongs and went to the table to eat his breakfast…problem was, the oxygen generator is on the other side of the room next to his recliner. When I got the call from Chris that Red needed some help, I once again sprung into action. Upon entering the room I found Red sitting at his table, eating his meal with the oxygen tube tightly stretched across the room about 4 feet off of the floor, going from his nose to the generator. He looked content even though the machine wasn’t on. He seemed surprised when I reminded him that he usually eats first then sits in his chair with the oxygen running. He was still a little confused but eventually the cobwebs started to clear and now it is all as it should be, loud tv, recliners reclined, and snoring abound.

A Shave and a Haircut...

A Shave and a Hair Cut…

Twice a week the hospice nurse’s aide will show up to help Red and Chris shower and take care of any other hygiene needs they may have (shaving, foot and leg massage, nails polished, etc). Chris get her treatments on Mondays and Thursdays and Red gets his on Tuesday and Fridays.

Last week, on Friday, Red got up and automatically went in and shaved and showered, forgetting that someone was coming over to help him. When the nurse’s aide arrived she was surprised to see a clean and dressed client sitting in his chair watching tv. Now, when she leaves after taking care of Chris, she will look over at Red and remind him to wait for her instead of heading to the shower on his own. Today, his day to shower, he is sitting there in his night shirt, knowing that he will have to wait until 8:30am before he can get dressed (after his shower and shave). He doesn't like waiting!

Last Friday I pulled out the hair clippers and set up a chair in Red’s living room. I asked the nurse’s aide if she would cut his hair. She said, “No.” Apparently they don’t do hair. I was surprised but understood why. On Monday I went ahead and gave Red a haircut. He enjoyed the attention, the sitting outside in the fresh air, the removal of those long hairs on the back of his neck and eye brows and especially the brushing off when my work was done (or should I say sweeping off?)

Chris is waking up each morning now calling for help getting dressed. Her energy level is low in the mornings but as the day goes on, she bounces back to her usual self. Yesterday I was glad to see her on her exercise bike (she used to do this at least twice a day).

We set up an intercom system with a unit in our living room, one in our bedroom, one between their chairs in their living room and one mounted on the wall between their beds. The one in their bedroom is VOX activated. They don’t have to push any buttons. All they need to do is call out (loud enough for the system to pick up their call) and their voice gets broadcasted to all of the other units. Red is technical minded so he gets the concept of how the system works. If they are in their living room, and want to call me, he knows to push the button, wait for the beep, say what he has to say and then release the button so I can reply. Chris on the other hand, gets a little confused. She will push the button, hold it down and call out, over and over again. I can hear Red (in the back ground) trying to get her to release the button so I can reply. At least she got the “hold-the-button” concept. Having the hands-free set up in their bedroom (VOX) makes it a no-brainer, if we are needed in the middle of the night.

One might ask, "Why not set up their living room unit on VOX (hands free) as well? The answer is ... That's not going to happen. They listen to their tv loud enough as it is. I can clearly hear their tv from my living room. A lot of tmes I have to close the doors between our part of the house and theirs, to muffle the sound. Some times I just ask them to turn their tv down and other times, if they are both sleeping while watching tv, I will just lower their volume myself. If we set their living room unit to VOX, the loud volumed program they are watching would be picked up by the intercom, broadcasting their tv show throughout the house.

The travellers...

What a great way to end a week. My brother David and his wife Nancy (from Nanaimo, British Columbia) and Nancy’s sister Pat (from Ontario, Canada) arrived on Friday. It is always a joyous time for me to be with family, especially since I get so little time with them. I love being around other Canadians, who speak the way I do, who share my sense of humor and who have a deep and personal history shared with me.

Being the care giver for Chris and Red (Kerry’s mom and dad) I find myself on duty 24/7. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy being here to care for them. I look at it as my job and a rewarding one at that. But getting time to myself is a rare treat and when those opportunities do come up, I “always” take full advantage of them. Yesterday we took our guest up to Sabino Canyon, taking the tram for a round trip ride. Fun! Today we went to the Sonora Desert Museum and got to see some animals, birds, snakes, lizards, bugs and of course hundreds of varieties of cactus.

My heart over flows with joy…my prayer today is for our guest;

Lord, hear my prayer. We praise you for your blessings on Kerry’s mom and dad and for the time we have left with them.  Also we give You praise for the arrival of my family, coming to share this time with us. They understand the heavy weight we carry upon our shoulders as they too, carried the same weight as they helped my mom leave this world and enter into yours. Lord, guard my family near and far and protect them from the darkness that threatens all of us. As we live each and every day, Kerry and I bow before you and give You the praise for all that we have. And we do so in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.