Happy Memorial Day

First, a thank you to all the soldiers who (and who have) put their lives on the line for our country and continue to do so regardless of the unsteady and volatile nature it is in. Happy Memorial Day!

Family is still here, but they are leaving tomorrow to go back home to Delaware. The visit went fast just like it does every time they come, but I think they are visiting again in July. Steve's Mom and I took a trip to Springhill nursery on Saturday, but didn't buy any flowers because we had all ready bought what we wanted at Walmart. :) They helped Steve paint the outside of the Florida room this weekend as well as helped hang my barn star on the front of the house by drilling a hole in the mortar. Thank you guys! :)

I lost sleep last night worrying about the skin graft on my cheek! It seems ripply and not smooth like skin should be. I am hoping its just healing and this is normal. I am going to do a google search on the care of skin grafts and what to expect afterwards when I get home tonight. :/

Well, I am going to get ready to go now! Have a great day!

Company

Steve's Mom and Dad arrived yesterday evening and will be here until after Memorial Day weekend. I'm not sure what all we will be doing while they are visiting, other than a cook out at our friend's house, but we will play it by ear each day like we normally do. :)

They both worked hard in the flower beds by pulling weeds, trimming back the bushes and lambs ear, planting grasses and laying mulch most of the day until the rain and hail forced them back inside. They like to keep busy, thats for sure and I'm definitely not complaining. :)

I learned today that HB 55 for animal cruelty passed in to legislation, which means cruelty to animals is no longer a misdemeanor in Ohio. I was glad to read this on facebook because cruelty to animals disgusts me to no end and I cannot fathom how or why anybody in their right mind could harm an animal. Most animals are innocent, love unconditional and have no voice. I do have my doubts that it will minimize the cruelty to animals in Ohio, though. I hope I'm wrong!

Weekend is about over

Last night we went to J-Alan's and listened to the band, which was an interesting evening. It was a good time for the most part, just interesting. There was one individual (very nice btw) who consumed a little too much alcohol and was really annoying the hell out of my friend and I. He probably didn't realize how annoying he was though, because he had consumed too much alcohol. Make sense? I guesss these things happen, but it certainly makes the night less enjoyable. We thought that avoiding eye contact with him would deter him from continuously coming over, but it didn't. He was like a turd that won't flush, kept coming back. Ugh! Anyway... :)

Today was such a perfect day weather wise. I took my babies outside for an hour and we just sat in the drive way absorbing the sun shine and feeling the breeze. Buddy and I were entertained for a while watching Lady play with a tree branch. She always grabs the sticks that are quadruple her size in length and then she gets angry and vicious sounding when she can't maneuver it or it drags on the ground. :(

I go for another follow up appointment with the surgeon tomorrow. I cancelled last Wednesday as I wasn't feeling the love of going in the nasty weather, cold and damp, sitting in the waiting room with all the other people who shared my same 1:45 appointment slot. Cancelling and staying home seemed like the right thing to do at the time. :)

Weekend is here

This Saturday I'm going to J-Alans to listen to Steve play with the band Skeleton Crew. He has only been in this band a short time so I have only heard him perform with them once, but their music is similar to the other band he is in, Terrapin Moon. Terrapin Moon is a Grateful Dead Tribute Band so they rarely play something other than what the dead did, but Skeleton Crew does do other songs by other bands. (Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, etc.)

I'm getting eager for my trip to Chicago. My nurse and I are pretty sure we are taking the amtrak out of Cincinatti the night before we have to attend the abilities expo, but we just have to make sure that when we get to Chicago we understand how to take the bus and train to the hotel which is 26 miles away. We will have some "walking" to do in between bus routes and we also want to find out what kind of neighborhood we will be in. :)

Family is visiting this week. Steve's parents are coming out Wednesday and will be here through Tuesday. I'm not sure what is on the agenda, but one day we hope to make a trip to Springhill Nursery in Tipp City.

I guess that is all for now. Have a great weekend! Hopefully this weather gets nice soon. Yesterday was a beautiful day, but we need more days filled with sunshine and warmth!

Chair IS fixed

I failed to mention in my last post that my wheelchair did get fixed Tuesday!!! It ended up being a wire problem and if it happens again, they will replace it with a new one. So, I'm happy to have my "get up and go" working again! :) Thank you to those who asked about it!

My friend Leslie called me today very upset. She made the heart wrenching decision to have her 16 year old doggy put to sleep. She is going to the vet this evening at 7:30 to have it done, but she is hoping that CiCi (doggy's name) will go on her own at home before then. I can't imagine my life without my babies because my god they bring me so much happiness and they always make me smile, but when I think about the time when I may have to make the same decision Leslie made, it makes me sad! I don't dwell on that day because that is a very long time down the road (at least I think it is) but its still sad to think about.

As I have mentioned I have a couple new nursing assistants and it seems to be working out well. I have been training a new girl this week and I have to admit, its exhausting!! Its hard to teach someone how to do my routine, show her where everything is, explain how to make coffee, explain the remote controls, explain the hoyer lift, explain which buttons to push on my wheelchair to operate this and that when I cannot freaking point!!! I have a feeling in my sleep I will be saying... up, up, up, okay, now left, not your left, my left, okay good, now my right, no not that right, my other right.....

Vets office

Today I had to take Lady to the vet because the poor baby is itching like crazy! I also took Buddy because I'm a sucker and didn't want to take Lady Bye Bye and not him!!! I know, I'm too soft. It did work out in my favor though!

Anyway, the doctor ended up prescribing benadryl to ease her scratching and while she was there, she caught Lady up on her distemper shot, took a blood test for heartworm and sold me a years worth of heartworm medication. That meant Lady was caught up for a year. I told the doctor I was going to take Buddy to their vaccination clinic (there is no charge for the visit, just the vaccine) tomorrow evening and asked if the receptionist would tell me what he needs and she said, "yes". She then told me if I was going to the clinic to save the money for the visit, that she would waive his fee and do his shots and blood test while we were there! I agreed, thanked her a dozen times and got Buddy caught up, too! I spent $253.00, but they are good to go for a year! Woohoo!

Productive day

As I said in my last post my chair is on the fritz and not driveable. As much as it frustrates me being stuck in one place and not able to move around independently, it has sort of played in my favor today. I have gotten so much done today, it excites me! I have figured out the quarterly taxes, gotten paper work finished, completed tasks on my "to do" list, cleaned around my desk and made phone calls I needed to make. Yay! :)

Wheelchair guy is coming tomorrow to hopefully fix my chair. I hope he is able to fix it tomorrow, but he may need to order a part. We will see... :) I have had this chair for a year... isn't it too soon for malfunctions? Geez!

I booked our room for Chicago and am getting excited about going. Its still 2 months away, but something to look forward to. My nurse and I were thinking about taking the amtrak train from Cincinatti and meeting Steve there, but we have to see what they do about people in wheelchairs. Would I have to transfer to a regular seat? If so, where does my wheelchair go? etc...

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the ladies in my life who are Mommies!!! I hope you all have a beautiful day! My mom isn't with me anymore, but I'd like to think that some how some way she knows I'm thinking of her and she is heavy on my heart today! :)

Its been somewhat of a frustrating weekend as my wheelchair is on the fritz. I keep getting an error message on the control box each time I try to use the chin control! So everytime I want to move from one room to another, I am at the mercy of someone else!! Grrr! This chair is heavy enough by itself let alone having to push it WITH me in it! I am calling ATG rehab tomorrow to see if somebody can come fix it. Wish me luck! :)

I got some stitches out and two bandages off Friday. These were from the two areas he put the grafted skin. I wished I could say I'm happy with it, but its too early for that. Right now both areas look like road rash, that is the only way to describe them. I still have stitches around both ears, my jaw and chest, which will all hopefully come out Wednesday.

I went to my nephews tee ball and j ball games Thursday and had so much fun! I wore a perpetual smile watching them and all the other little dumplings play. The little ones on my younger nephew's team weren't quite as "coordinated" and not as "in to" the sport as my older nephew's team. They were climbing the fence, not listening to the coach, looking up at the sky, swinging there arms, worried about snacks... it was comical! :) Stephanie, my brother's wife e-mailed me the schedule for their games, so I will be attending more!!

Cinco De Mayo

Hi, Happy Hump Day and Happy Cinco De Mayo ! :)

My girly friend called me yesterday with an awesome request! She asked if Steve and I could drive to Chicago in July and spend a couple days at the abilities expo for her and her boyfriend. Her and her boyfriend run the Dayton chapter of the Independent Living Centers in Ohio and don't have the time to travel because of their busy work schedules.

She said she wants us to gather information, get ideas, talk to the vendors and meet people she has contacts with regarding how she can make the Dayton abilities expo more successful than it has been in the past.

I have never been to Chicago and it is on my "bucket list"....of course I said, "yes" :)

I feel MUCH better!

Today I got the huge bulky "helmet like" bandage off from around my head, so was able to get a hair wash and I feel like a new person! The doctor said not to wash my hair, but that wasn't going to happen. I have oily hair and need a good shampoo every day, so after 5 days, it was DEFINITELY time!! :) I go back Friday to get more bandages removed and I guess the stitches will come out next week. Yay!
Have a great day!

I feel a wine coming on!

The liquid/blended diet is getting old! I'm hungry and want real food! V8 juice, mashed potatoes, pudding and jello can only suppress my appetite for so long! My head still hasn't been scrubbed because I haven't been able to convince anybody that taking the guaze off around my head and shampooing my filthy hair and scalp is the right thing to do.

I did watch a great movie last night. I recommend "The blind side" to anybody who wants to watch a good movie. Not many movies capture my attention through the entire movie, but this one did! Sandra Bullock was funny and so was the little boy who played S.J...he was adorable!

I wanted to go to the benefit for Masterpiece last night at the Middletown Sportsman Club, but opted not to for reasons mentioned above. It was a quarter auction and the proceeds went to the Ohio SPCA. I hope there was a good turn out for the event!!

Okay, I'm going to go puree something and take another nap!

I'm home

Surgery was Thursday and I'm glad its over. :) Dr. Percy wouldn't let me go home afterwards because I was running a fever, so I stayed over one night. That definitely wasn't my preference, but it wasn't too dreadful, as the nurses and aides were very nice and accomodating.

Before surgery the anesthesiologist had a terrible time starting an I.V because my veins are so hard to find. I have never been an easy stick for blood draws and IVs, so it wasn't a huge surprise. He stuck me in both my arms, hands, ankles, my jugular and finally struck gold in my groin. (I know that didn't sound right, but I'm too lazy to change it). Maybe next time I should suggest starting in the groin? I take that back.. there won't be a next time!!

Dr. Percy removed skin and tissue from the two areas that had melanoma (my temple region and right cheek) and then took skin from behind both my ears and grafted that skin where he removed the melanoma. Hopefully when the bandages are off and the stitches are out I will be happy with the results despite the scarring it will leave on my face and neck. I'm not one to have liquid foundation put on me, but that could possibly change very soon!!

I think the worst thing right now is the copious amount of guaze around my head! It looks like I'm wearing a football helmet. The guaze got caught on my chin control yesterday, which sent me flying in to my desk, knocking over speakers, upsetting Nugget's tank, and knocking the desk in to the wall. Nugget wasn't none to happy....his fins were flared as he was flipping around the tank through all the bubbles, gravel and debris that was shuffled caused by the excessive and unnecessary amount of guaze I'm lugging around on my head. I have not gotten my hair shampooed since early Thursday morning and I'm going bonkers! I'm sure the oil from my hair will be seeping through the guaze soon if it hasn't all ready! My head feels disgusting!

Anyway...I'm going to take a nap!