I'm not sending out emails but if you read the blog, you have the only scoop and update: Hubby entered Research Hospital early, early this morning with congestive heart failure. He's on the heart floor, they are monitoring him hourly, and we hope and pray that they can clear out his lungs and body and get him back on his feet post haste. He's been failing since September 23.
Keep the faith. MGW
Monday, October 29, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
Finding Ways to Keep My Own Blood Pressure Soaring
Hubby had a rough night. He came home around 9 p.m. from his "fiddling" around -- talking with family members long distance, riding his stationary bike, etc. and sounded pretty much like he was getting a cold. Quickly, he was fast asleep.
I had had a rough day myself-- my stomach had been upset and I felt "off" so instead of being the productive wife, I had fed Hubby some toast and called it quits for the day. I laid around reading my Kindle, napping, and watching TV (that show about Alfred Hitchcock and Teppi Hedren -- The Girl -- was truly sickening).
At 1:30 this morning Hubby woke me up. "I need my new Vicks inhaler," he commanded. We had bought this plastic machine in Williamsburg that uses hot water and a little cube of very potent Vicks and you hold it up to your mouth and nose and inhale the pungent fumes. Hubby swears it works great. It practically bowls me over, but whatever floats your boat.
I got up, prepared the inhaler and then listened to Hubby sit up all night, hacking, spitting, and gasping for air. At 8 he took the dogs out for walkies. I rolled over preparing for at least a quiet hour of sleep, when the phone rang. "I'm going to the emergency clinic. Do you want to come along?"
I've learned the hard way not to send Hubby off for emergency procedures alone. If he's really sick, he won't go to the hospital. And he never goes for emergency care unless he's really sick. So I quickly dressed and walked out to the car waiting for me in the driveway.
The Goppert Family Care Clinic has an emergency clinic attached so on signing Hubby in, I said we needed to go the emergency waiting room. The new receptionist looked up Hubby's record and asked me what was wrong.
"His blood pressure is elevated, his heart rate is high, his diabetes count is over 200, and he's full of congestion."
She immediately called in the seasoned receptionist who looked at Hubby, looked at Hubby's record and went to get the Triage nursing staff. Emergency clinics are NOT for chronic illness. Two lovely nurses came out and escorted Hubby to a patient's room and they called in a Faculty Doctor -- our own Dr. Patel was on call at the hospital and not available to us.
We had wonderful service. Nurses gathered, EKGs were taken, questions were asked and answered. For an hour and a half the lives of four clinic personnel were interrupted while Hubby was assessed, diagnosed, and treated.
Finally a verdict was reached. We were definitely not in congestive heart failure -- always my worst fear. Hubby probably had a cold but based on the problems we had just had during our sojourn to Chesapeake, we were to watch it carefully. His EKG did show some changes from the previous one but not significant enough to warrant a hospitalization -- just a visit with the cardiologist which we had already scheduled for November 4th. Finally, if Hubby felt lousy enough then the emergency room should be the next stop.
"Nope," Hubby proclaimed. "No emergency room."
Heart meds were increased to help with the high heart rate (which came down radically as Hubby received more and more soothing and pampering). Scripts were sent off to the pharmacy. Over the counter drugs that do not interact with heart conditions were recommended. Scopes and consultations followed tests and chest thumping.
Eventually we were released from the doctor's office. Just as Dr. Patel had held my hand and looked seriously in my eyes last week, they held both our hands and looked at us solemnly and with intent, "Call us if you have any changes or worries. Go to the emergency room if you feel any chest pains."
We were effusively thankful. We had showed up with no appointment or advance warning and because we were concerned the entire clinic had jumped to and work us over -- probably only for a cold. We had seen the most senior doctor and he had been warm and sympathetic. Everyone had worried about us and shown their concern, never minimizing our problems -- which have probably turned out to be nothing more than a cold.
Now was my turn to take over. After walking two dogs to wear off some energy (and eliminate some poop and pee) and taking Hubby home to bed to be surrounded by now worn out pups, I headed out to collect several new scrips and over the counter meds as well as lunch.
We left the house at 8:25 this morning. I got home at 1:25 in the afternoon. Everyone is now fed and dosed and sleeping off the effects of our activities. Let's pray the meds all work and the "cold" stays just a minor blip in our lives.
At 1:30 this morning Hubby woke me up. "I need my new Vicks inhaler," he commanded. We had bought this plastic machine in Williamsburg that uses hot water and a little cube of very potent Vicks and you hold it up to your mouth and nose and inhale the pungent fumes. Hubby swears it works great. It practically bowls me over, but whatever floats your boat.
I got up, prepared the inhaler and then listened to Hubby sit up all night, hacking, spitting, and gasping for air. At 8 he took the dogs out for walkies. I rolled over preparing for at least a quiet hour of sleep, when the phone rang. "I'm going to the emergency clinic. Do you want to come along?"
I've learned the hard way not to send Hubby off for emergency procedures alone. If he's really sick, he won't go to the hospital. And he never goes for emergency care unless he's really sick. So I quickly dressed and walked out to the car waiting for me in the driveway.
The Goppert Family Care Clinic has an emergency clinic attached so on signing Hubby in, I said we needed to go the emergency waiting room. The new receptionist looked up Hubby's record and asked me what was wrong.
"His blood pressure is elevated, his heart rate is high, his diabetes count is over 200, and he's full of congestion."
She immediately called in the seasoned receptionist who looked at Hubby, looked at Hubby's record and went to get the Triage nursing staff. Emergency clinics are NOT for chronic illness. Two lovely nurses came out and escorted Hubby to a patient's room and they called in a Faculty Doctor -- our own Dr. Patel was on call at the hospital and not available to us.
We had wonderful service. Nurses gathered, EKGs were taken, questions were asked and answered. For an hour and a half the lives of four clinic personnel were interrupted while Hubby was assessed, diagnosed, and treated.
Finally a verdict was reached. We were definitely not in congestive heart failure -- always my worst fear. Hubby probably had a cold but based on the problems we had just had during our sojourn to Chesapeake, we were to watch it carefully. His EKG did show some changes from the previous one but not significant enough to warrant a hospitalization -- just a visit with the cardiologist which we had already scheduled for November 4th. Finally, if Hubby felt lousy enough then the emergency room should be the next stop.
"Nope," Hubby proclaimed. "No emergency room."
Heart meds were increased to help with the high heart rate (which came down radically as Hubby received more and more soothing and pampering). Scripts were sent off to the pharmacy. Over the counter drugs that do not interact with heart conditions were recommended. Scopes and consultations followed tests and chest thumping.
Eventually we were released from the doctor's office. Just as Dr. Patel had held my hand and looked seriously in my eyes last week, they held both our hands and looked at us solemnly and with intent, "Call us if you have any changes or worries. Go to the emergency room if you feel any chest pains."
We were effusively thankful. We had showed up with no appointment or advance warning and because we were concerned the entire clinic had jumped to and work us over -- probably only for a cold. We had seen the most senior doctor and he had been warm and sympathetic. Everyone had worried about us and shown their concern, never minimizing our problems -- which have probably turned out to be nothing more than a cold.
Now was my turn to take over. After walking two dogs to wear off some energy (and eliminate some poop and pee) and taking Hubby home to bed to be surrounded by now worn out pups, I headed out to collect several new scrips and over the counter meds as well as lunch.
We left the house at 8:25 this morning. I got home at 1:25 in the afternoon. Everyone is now fed and dosed and sleeping off the effects of our activities. Let's pray the meds all work and the "cold" stays just a minor blip in our lives.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Notes from a TV Watcher
The Hopper from DISH is GREAT! I love the fact that it records all the Prime Time shows and though I delete over 50% of them without ever watching (all the sports, all the reality shows) I have picked up several shows that I never thought I'd watch. AND -- skipping all those commercials is really cool, though they can only be skipped on Prime Time shows. Anything from USA or the Food Network requires me to fast forward though the ads.
The caveat -- The Hopper / DVR is expensive. We carry a lot of premium channels (HBO, Showtime, Starz) and the cost is right at $129 a month. So . . . we signed up to have Google install their high speed network once it comes to KCMO - our neighborhood is estimated for Fall 2013 -- and by dropping The Hopper and Earthlink (which means changing email addresses we've had for 10 years) we can save over $50 a month. Though we love both DISH and Earthlink, cost (and super sonic high speed Internet connection) is going to dictate our consumer choices.
Though I always considered myself a political junkie (PBS's Frontline show on Obama and Romney was well worth the 90 minute investment), I found the first presidential debate put me to sleep. In my defense, I was watching it from a motel room in Kentucky after driving over 700 miles on the way home from Maryland. I can't say I thought that either side actually won the debate, even though everybody and their cat thought that Obama hadn't shown up and Romney was on fire. They both put me to sleep -- right at about the middle point in the debate and I didn't wake up until the last summations. I actually was rather amazed by the analysis of the debate -- I hadn't thought that Obama was that bad -- but then I hadn't seen the whole thing.
Then came the debate between the vice-president and his challenger, Paul Ryan. From the moment it began I found myself getting more and more edgy, feeling uneasy and uncomfortable. Watching them go at each other was a lot like living in my home when I was a teenager and my mother would get drunk and confrontational. I've not admitted this until now, but I switched channels after the first fifteen minutes -- and watched some show on the Cooking channel. I tuned back to hear the reviews -- to find that everyone thought it was a great debate and probably Biden bested Ryan. Why? He was more aggressive.
So last night I tuned in, hoping to manage to last through a political debate in 2012. I had read that the rules for the debate, agreed on by both parties, was that the candidates would not directly question each other but only respond directly to the audience. The first question, about gas prices, was okay. But then -- on the second question, Romney turned to Obama, invaded his space, and asked him point blank about oil permits. My heart began to pound, my brain said, "Good grief! They're going to hit each other!" and I gasped in disbelief as Obama tried to respond with vigor while Romney kept interrupting him.
When did a debate become a bickering, vicious attack on your opponent for you to be considered a winner? Is that the new normal for debating in today's world? Once again, I found myself turning off the antagonists, while I watched an old recording from 2007 of the Dog Whisperer. I switched back after 90 minutes to see that most people thought the debate was pretty much an even draw between the two -- both on the attack, both showing aggression, both interrupting and facing each other down.
These debates seem to be indicative of our new media mentality -- attack first, present facts almost never. For the first time since I have been a voter, I have not been able to watch the political debates.
Meanwhile, I'm enjoying NBC's Go On and Animal Practice. Both are funny and well written and acted. Parenthood has added plot lines making the show even more addictive, and I can't wait to see what happens to each family. I'm especially pleased that, though bad things happen to each family, in the end I usually come away feeling uplifted and pleased that I've spent time with these characters.
The old standbys on CBS are still good, especially Good Wife. I've noticed I'm feeling a bit of ennui over NCIS while I think NCIS Los Angeles has recaptured my interest. Blue Bloods is wonderful -- not just the plot lines but the family that gathers at the end of every show. Person of Interest, The Mentalist, as well as CSI New York and Las Vegas, are still good watches. The only new show I've adopted on CBS is Elementary and the only two sitcoms worth my time are Mike and Molly and The Big Bang (however, Mike and Molly seems to be slipping in the humor department).
Fox still grabs me with Bones - but it's only on every two or three weeks. ABC has the standard sitcoms of The Middle and Modern Family -- and Castle for semi-drama -- but all those reality shows leave me cold. I enjoyed Revenge the first season but lately, the same old plots against Victoria or by Victoria seem a little de ja vu.
For really great viewing, PBS is the place (screw you Romney for wanting to take away my favorite network - and yes, I do contribute to PBS -- the arts ARE important!). The series that are shown on Mystery Theater, the English imports, the news shows, the specials on the arts -- all these fill up my DVR weekly. Have you seen the special on Les Mis? No matter how often they repeat it, I watch just to see the ending with all the wonderful singers who have starred in it.
Maybe in my next blog, I'll write about the books I've been reading -- but the truth is, I've been thoroughly enjoying the fall TV season. And come November, USA and the other independent networks will start up showing their shows -- making TV watching even more of a wonderland of entertainment.
PS -- we did take in a movie over the weekend -- at an actual theater. We say Taken 2 which Hubby really liked and I thought was okay.
The caveat -- The Hopper / DVR is expensive. We carry a lot of premium channels (HBO, Showtime, Starz) and the cost is right at $129 a month. So . . . we signed up to have Google install their high speed network once it comes to KCMO - our neighborhood is estimated for Fall 2013 -- and by dropping The Hopper and Earthlink (which means changing email addresses we've had for 10 years) we can save over $50 a month. Though we love both DISH and Earthlink, cost (and super sonic high speed Internet connection) is going to dictate our consumer choices.
Though I always considered myself a political junkie (PBS's Frontline show on Obama and Romney was well worth the 90 minute investment), I found the first presidential debate put me to sleep. In my defense, I was watching it from a motel room in Kentucky after driving over 700 miles on the way home from Maryland. I can't say I thought that either side actually won the debate, even though everybody and their cat thought that Obama hadn't shown up and Romney was on fire. They both put me to sleep -- right at about the middle point in the debate and I didn't wake up until the last summations. I actually was rather amazed by the analysis of the debate -- I hadn't thought that Obama was that bad -- but then I hadn't seen the whole thing.
Then came the debate between the vice-president and his challenger, Paul Ryan. From the moment it began I found myself getting more and more edgy, feeling uneasy and uncomfortable. Watching them go at each other was a lot like living in my home when I was a teenager and my mother would get drunk and confrontational. I've not admitted this until now, but I switched channels after the first fifteen minutes -- and watched some show on the Cooking channel. I tuned back to hear the reviews -- to find that everyone thought it was a great debate and probably Biden bested Ryan. Why? He was more aggressive.
So last night I tuned in, hoping to manage to last through a political debate in 2012. I had read that the rules for the debate, agreed on by both parties, was that the candidates would not directly question each other but only respond directly to the audience. The first question, about gas prices, was okay. But then -- on the second question, Romney turned to Obama, invaded his space, and asked him point blank about oil permits. My heart began to pound, my brain said, "Good grief! They're going to hit each other!" and I gasped in disbelief as Obama tried to respond with vigor while Romney kept interrupting him.
When did a debate become a bickering, vicious attack on your opponent for you to be considered a winner? Is that the new normal for debating in today's world? Once again, I found myself turning off the antagonists, while I watched an old recording from 2007 of the Dog Whisperer. I switched back after 90 minutes to see that most people thought the debate was pretty much an even draw between the two -- both on the attack, both showing aggression, both interrupting and facing each other down.
These debates seem to be indicative of our new media mentality -- attack first, present facts almost never. For the first time since I have been a voter, I have not been able to watch the political debates.
Meanwhile, I'm enjoying NBC's Go On and Animal Practice. Both are funny and well written and acted. Parenthood has added plot lines making the show even more addictive, and I can't wait to see what happens to each family. I'm especially pleased that, though bad things happen to each family, in the end I usually come away feeling uplifted and pleased that I've spent time with these characters.
The old standbys on CBS are still good, especially Good Wife. I've noticed I'm feeling a bit of ennui over NCIS while I think NCIS Los Angeles has recaptured my interest. Blue Bloods is wonderful -- not just the plot lines but the family that gathers at the end of every show. Person of Interest, The Mentalist, as well as CSI New York and Las Vegas, are still good watches. The only new show I've adopted on CBS is Elementary and the only two sitcoms worth my time are Mike and Molly and The Big Bang (however, Mike and Molly seems to be slipping in the humor department).
Fox still grabs me with Bones - but it's only on every two or three weeks. ABC has the standard sitcoms of The Middle and Modern Family -- and Castle for semi-drama -- but all those reality shows leave me cold. I enjoyed Revenge the first season but lately, the same old plots against Victoria or by Victoria seem a little de ja vu.
PS -- we did take in a movie over the weekend -- at an actual theater. We say Taken 2 which Hubby really liked and I thought was okay.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Checking Things Out
Today we have just returned from a doctor's visit that Hubby put off until his return, and to some extent, my fears have been lessened, if not completely abated. You know it did no good at all to keep pleading that we check in at an emergency room while we were gone.
Initial diagnosis -- Hubby came down with a severe viral infection just as we were leaving town and age combined with chronic illness, made for a slow recovery. Now he has antibiotics to help the final return to health, his lungs sound good and he is not, as I feared throughout the whole trip, in congestive heart failure.He does however suffer from a very rapid heartbeat -- and in doing an oxygen test to see if walking would create a breathing problem, they instead found that even initial walking sent his heart rate to 120 beats -- and by the time he had gone 50 paces, he was at 150 beats. Back we go to the heart specialist and in meantime, the GP did a full panel of blood work to check that nothing else was wrong.
Yesterday we had also done blood work for us both -- but his was just to check the clotting factor - and that is right where it should be. I don't see our doctor until next week, but I presume I'm going to be told about high cholesterol for which I have NOT been taking the prescribed meds (they make me feel icky -- which is not a medical term but truly describes how I feel when I take them).
I have an update planned to tell about the wonderful time we had on Chesapeake Bay but it may take me several days to compose. Meanwhile, we are back into the normal groove with all the suitcases but one unpacked, cooking underway, and laundry being sorted. It's good to get away -- and then again, it's good to get back home.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Taking a Break
Going to be off-line for a little bit -- relaxing and not writing. But in October hopefully my brain, as well as my spirits, will be recharged. See you on the other side . . . MGW
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
If Wishes Were Horses
I wish that cleaning the bathroom on a bi-weekly basis was some sort of intellectual experience, creating in my brain great flights of invention or creative bouts of literary endeavor -- or even granting me serene peace-of-mind. Instead it's simply drudgery, a miserable experience in time-wasted exercise involving stooping, scrubbing, sweeping, mopping and sticking my hands in the toilet to clean up stains of disgusting quantity.
The two unending jobs in "house-wifery" have got to be cleaning up the kitchen after preparing a meal and scrubbing out the bathroom after a week's worth of use. Of course there are others -- sorting and then having to fold laundry, vacuuming carpets, sweeping floors, emptying trash -- but nothing quite compares to kitchen and bathroom clean-up. These two jobs are unending because we dirty both places daily. Even if we eat all our meals out, we still slice an apple or pour a drink or make some tea -- and suddenly there you have cups, knives, crumbs / peels. What we do in the bathroom is even worse (though having experienced a couple of episodes where I couldn't do much of anything in the bathroom I'm grateful that both Hubby and I are able to use it regularly and without much fuss).
When science invents a household robot, I want one that will clean the bathroom and scrub the kitchen counters and floor. It would be nice if the robot looked and talked like George Clooney - but that's just an added bonus if it would actually completely clean up the bathroom / kitchen daily. Sunday, September 16, 2012
A Little of This; a Little of That
Except I have nothing to write about. So I guess this is just going to be a bulleted list of very insignificant things happening about our tiny bungalow:
- We continue with doctoring and taking meds. I'm supposed to be up to seven a day but I don't take them all -- and somehow I suspect that Hubby is doing exactly the same, but I don't ask because for him the consequences of missing a pill is more serious.
- My last prescription pickup costs us $362. Wow! It was for everything, though, for 90 days so I guess that's not too horrible.
- I finally chose my Medicare provider -- went with Hubby's because it just seemed easier now that I am also going to his health clinic. I thought it would be a complicated procedure but I was able to complete the application(s) over the phone and will be co-insured come October 1.
- Over new mattress is wonderful. I wish I could say we were sleeping better on it. Sleep still seems rather an elusive behavior for us -- but now that we don't have to get up at 5 a.m. it's not such a burden.
- I'm trying to decide if we need dental insurance along with our Medicare benefits. Vision insurance is partially provided through Medicare coverage so I'm not worried about that. However, I have a four tooth bridge that could prove VERY expensive if it ever fails -- and these bridges only last 10 to 15 years and mine is already seven years old. Anybody want to weigh in on dental for retired folks? I got an estimate from Delta dental (which was my coverage from the school district and the recommendation from my co-insurer for Medicare) that says Hubby and I can be covered for $777.60 a year -- but that only covers 50% of major work -- like replacing bridges. Regular maintenance twice a year is covered at 100%. So do we shell out -- or not?
- We had a Groupon for a local bistro -- Michael Forbes -- that we forgot to use. Still, with Groupon you don't lose the initial investment, you just don't get the advantage of the extra dollar value. Thursday afternoon we went over and ate their wonderful green olive spaghetti -- and both of us loved the meal.
- I need new shoes but can't find any that I really, really like when they cost upwards of $300 a pair. We are going on a little jaunt soon and I would like to have a decent pair of "dress" shoes (meaning NOT sneaker type) but I haven't come across any that I'm willing to shell out big bucks to purchase.
- The retired Ladies Who Lunch met in September. They picked the soul food restaurant just blocks from our house. They swooned over the sweet potato pie -- and Hubby requested that I bring him a piece on my return. We had a wonderful time sharing family stories.
- The hair got permed and cut in preparation for our "little jaunt." I go to Fantastic Sams and get a half perm and cut for $25 every 2.5 months or so -- and my second favorite stylist (I take anybody whose free) cut it just a little too short this time. Too short is better than leaving it too long, though. It will grow out.
- Hubby had an alarm installed in the house this past week. It's very simple to use but we didn't use it for two days and by then we had forgotten exactly how it worked. Hubby was so frustrated he threatened to have it removed, but they sent out a very nice tech who "taught" us all over again how to use the thing. By then, I knew enough to have the right questions to ask, because I'm the one setting it and unsetting it on most occasions. Hubby leaves the house with the dogs and I set the alarm. We attended a UMKC concert on Friday and we finally had it working perfectly. We could even "unset" it on returning to the house.
- The UMKC concert was interesting -- piano variations on Steven Sondheim's music. Evidently the city was full of other events and less than 60 people were in the audience. White Hall probably seats 400 -- so it was very noticeable that the seats were empty.
- We had dinner before the concert with our special friends who attend the UMKC series with us. We haven't seen them much this summer and I've missed them dreadfully. It was wonderful to sit and chat and laugh and share. The time flew and we were sad when the meal ended and we headed out to our respective designations.
- I need to pack for our upcoming vacation but the suitcases are in the basement behind all the furniture that Hubby moved into one corner when we had the foundation work done. I have no idea how I'm going to retrieve them. We may be leaving town with garbage bags instead of neatly packed clothing.
- The weather is cooling. I"m trying to decide if, on traveling East, we need to take shorts AND long pants or only more fallish wear. It seems crazy to pack for 85 degrees and find you only wear clothing with sleeves and long legs. Then again, I HATE being hot. I'd much rather be cold. Decisions, decisions.
- Wireless Internet connection is DEVINE -- if you can figure out HOW to set it all up. We've got most things functioning but Hubby struggled for a week with his Nook until he finally let me set it up for him. We're both still dicking around with the wireless printer -- so far we've only made it work with the laptop.
- I'm still cleaning "around" in the computer room. I unloaded the top of the gift counter / shelf. We had dumped things we bought for the Houston crowd there wherever we found something interesting. I think the Houston group may be in for a couple of interesting surprises come December.
- I"m still inputting recipes into the new recipe program but that has slowed considerably. Maybe in November I'll get re-energized.
So that's about it for around here. A little travel is in our future. A flu shot for us both will be needed in the next month. The bathroom needs to be cleaned again - that's the awful truth about housekeeping . . . it just never ends. You get everything all spiffed up -- and somebody decides they need to shave or poop or take a bath -- and you have to clean it all over again. The joy of cooking has also worn quite thin -- Hubby has had a lot of sandwiches lately. Retirement, though, is still the BEST ever.
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