Friday, May 16 UPDATE on Bob

Friday started out as a horrid day, I will simply say, Bob woke up with diarrhea.. nuff said.. There is a slim chance, Bob will get better at walking, but no chance of his health getting better. We are on the downhill slide and will take each day as it comes.

(you might want to buy stock in Lysol Wipes,peroxide,antibacterial wipes and hand soap,and

Because I am using these at an alarming rate and their stock should be rising and thank you Debby at Just Breathe, for introducing me to add water, no rinse and dry sponges.

I love these sponges and am using them for myself also. Yes, I still digress.. ha ha

I had been awake since 2:30 in a semi panic attack, going over our needs, the major ones, things that were easy now overwhelm me,

pool repairs, yard work, someone to come and work cheap, expensive grab bars in both bathrooms, 

On 6:30 walk with Beau, walking along fighting tears, I prayed out loud and simply said, God, I need help, several times. I walked and thanked God for each blessing out loud, Beau, being able to walk him, on and on with the blessings. I thanked him when I asked my son Dan if he could install grab bars, his answer was yes, I had done dozens at work, tell me what you want done and we will come down and do it.

Fret one down.

It occurred to me, God is not Santa and will not just fix things, that I needed to DO something first and use his guidance.

I sent a text to my cousin's son in law about the pool, he called me last night and after photos sent by cell and 20 minutes of talking, he said you need a breaker installed in your panel and a timer on the wall, and it will work, but you should replace the filter with a cartridge one, not dirt. I can't do the breaker you need and electrician. I said can Joey do this? 

he said yes, call Joey. Joey is my cousin's son. I texted Joey and he said he will call me tomorrow. Bob did not freak out about that, he knew it needed something. That is a miracle.

I sent a text to friend Karla, asking if her neighbor that does her yard for 40 dollar a pop, goes to others homes. She replied she would text Harry and ask if he knows someone, that he only does the neighborhood so that he can ride to their houses on a mower.

10 minutes later, she said Harry said his friend Rob, was there at his house and he does some homes, he would ask him.

Meanwhile, Angel the therapist is working with Bob, and he is aptly named ANGEL. Outside my window I see a SUV pulling a trailer, with a small push mower on the trailer, slowly driving by the house looking and gone. Angel stands up to leave and the Suv comes back, stops across the driveway and a man gets out, looking at our yard.

Angel goes out and asks him to move so he can leave, he pulls forward, and when Angel leaves he backs in the driveway.

I got outside and asked, "Are you Karlas friend? 

He mutters, don't know Karla. I say what do you charge to mow? He mutters, let's see what you need and we walk front and back, me pointing to leaves to be mulched, weeds all over back yard, and the front and side mowed.

We walked back out front and he took the mower off, and I said again, "What do you charge?" His answer was I will get this done for you and cranks the mower and starts to work. The man spoke 20 words the whole time I chattered like a magpie.

He worked for an hour and we guessed at what price it would be and I peered from all the windows giving Bob a running tale of what he was doing.

HE did ALL of it, everything I showed him. He edged the front yard, after mowing, weed whacked. I saw him put the lawn mower on the trailer, went to get money, and Bob said I am thinking 100 dollars will be the charge. I opened the door to go out

and he was gone, the tail of his SUV nearly out of sight. No name, no price, no charge, no phone number.

I text Karl the story, she says wow, that's weird. Maybe he did not want to come back. I will let you know if I hear from Harry.

10 minutes later, she texts, Harry says his name is Rob/Robby, this is his number, when it needs to be done again, call him and he will do it for $25. He did it for free and the charge for again is beyond amazing.

I put Robby-Yard Man and the number in my phone and bowed my head and said Thank you Lord for this blessed day... The things are not done, but in the works and I know who I am dealing with, not strangers.

 

Saturday Update Snapper,Bob,Beau

7 weeks, since Bob stopped walking on 3/27, and can only walk by using a Walker, only point a to point B, using his upper body strength to do that. While in hospital his BP was lower than usual, THEY said because he was in bed, and at home it continues until yesterday it was 110/50 and way to low. 

Its been 9 days, 9 of the Longest Days of My Life, since I told you this blog is closed temporarily. 

No change, still the same as the March 28th, when he woke up unable to walk unassisted.

home from hospital a week now, still the same even with 5 days with 3 nurse, 3 therapist visits,  none of which has changed his condition at all. We tried to cancel nurses and have only therapists, nope, he needs a nurse. Memory and not walking. OT comes today with plans for making bathrooms safe for him, not safe for our savings.  I am still standing, but do a lot of crying. 

a photo is worth a thousand words, The blood thinner, Chain Saw Massacre several times ✅ foot prints in red a trail from bath to sofa ✅ I did not cry as I sprayed the trusting bottle of peroxide even though tears have been common for the past week.

Beau had an ear infection, he is doing great, Vet let me order drops by email and I just picked them up. 

I cut my hair All By Myself! I even did the back,

I asked Bob to take a photo of the back, he ended up with 4 photos, 3 of his walker and one of his finger over the lens. We laughed long and hard.

Exhaustion Is My Middle Name. While seeking my cousins wisdom by phone, she said Just order your groceries, I order all of mine. She said she loves Walmart delivery.

Sunday morning I went to the Walmart app in my phone, at 6 am, signed up for Walmart +, for price of 98 per year, free shipping and free  delivery from store.  I picked a delivery time of 11 to 1, same day delivery, with instructions to leave on front porch. Tip is added and paid for with groceries.

Sunday 11:40 AM, my First Delivery from Walmart

 Bob is on the throne, 

my hands are buried in the meatloaf mix, 

I hear a car door slam in driveway

I lift pot of green beans off burner, leaving burner on

peer out window at driveway, delivery girl is getting in car.

I open door and the entire porch floor is covered in bags, and bottles of pool chemicals

(I did not specify leave on bench)

while saying, Beau get back, Beau get back,

I hear shouting from the throne, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

over my head the fire alarm starts SHRIEKING!

The throne voice shouts over and over, turn it off! Get a ladder! (he knows he can reach it but I can't)

I don't answer because I am trying to turn it off with my dads CANE.

I shriek, I AM TRYING! SHUT UP!

Throne shouts, STOP IT STOP IT

I SHOUT I AM TRYING while standing on foot stool trying to reach over my head without falling and Beau is whirling in circles around the stool because the shrieking is hurting his ears.

I realize the reason it did not turn off is the BURNER IS STILL ON PUTTING OUT HEAT. 

I step carefully down from the stool, race to kitchen, turn off burner and back to the stool and The Quiet Returns and at that moment the 12 noon Cell Alarm goes off playing a song to warn me to TAKE MY VITAMINS.

Shouting from throne changes to The Phone Is Ringing, I turn it off and it changes to

Who was that, what is going on.

Walmart brought the groceries. What Groceries? He has forgotten I ordered them.

I get him up and out and down on the sofa and say calmly, Lunch will be late,  no really, I did say it calmly while we laughed and laughed at the comedy of errors our life has become.

Bob's lunch plate was late, I call it that because I can eat the potatoes and about 6 beans and the pickled beets with my rice pasta.

My apologies for posting, and not reading yours posts, but it took me 3 days to type this. I still snap photos of any/all things for just in case I return to blogging.

UPDATE on Bob. MadSnapper Temporarily Closed

 

I have been sitting by this hospital bed since April 28th, yesterday was the 4th day since Bob was admitted to hospital, 4/28/2025 taken there by a call to 911, when he failed to stand up from the sofa. There have been many tests and more ongoing. Basics are, he has spinal stenosis and walks only by struggling with his walker.

Added to his memory issues this makes life challenging. We came home late yesterday afternoon on May 2, choosing in home therapy/nurses for the next 20 days, over rehab. He refused rehab and I felt he would be more comfortable here and so would I. 

Who Moved My Cheese? Someone moved my Cheese. I need a new routine, we are working on that today,. He is in the pool walking back and forth and when he gets out I will bathe him with the soap and dry sheets and do his hair the same way, while he sits by the  pool. 

Watch the video if you are not familiar, because my cheese has been moved, and I am learning where the cheese, where and when it will be moved and adjusting my attitude and skills.

I am NOT a natural born nurse/caregiver, must have a routine and that will calm me down. 

Our health plan pays for 20 days of nurse/therapists, 3 times a week. the nurse came yesterday, the therapist comes Monday between 10 and 12, he sees his primary doc at 9:15 on Mon, his neurologist on Tuesday. Please pray we can get him in and out of car/chair/office. There is a free wheel chair coming sometime today, have to find help bringing it in and unboxing.

Right now, The Cheese must be assisted with everything, and I have to move him safely, so far, we are doing well. Beau, our dog is fine, but did have a bout with poopitis from well, eating possum and mallard poo...  this is the link to who moved my cheese We were requried to watch this several times at my prior workplace, each time there was a major change. this IS a major change

Until then, MadSnapper and Beau will be temporarily Closed.  

how I entertained myself 4 days of sitting in the hospital. 

the green light under his bed, was a night light and fascinated me, it changed with what light was in the room.

Nurse Chelsea was an angel that God blessed us with, and so were Matt and Claudia, who took great care of Bob.

nurse station front desk, Neuro Unit