Monday was a pretty busy day, and cold. I was hoping to get up a little early to cruise Robby around but things don't always work out as planned. Teresa drove me over the hill to Valley medical Center, I had 3 appointments. They wanted to get all of my preop appointments out of the way in one day so I only had to take one trip over the hill… that almost didn't happen. We got there early because there was no traffic, I forgot it was a holiday, so we decided to go get some Pho next door to the hospital. It was awesome, we also got a spring roll with peanut sauce. My 1st appointment went great, I talked to Dr. Yim and he wanted to make sure everything was a go. Apparently my 2nd appointment was supposed to be bloodworm but they forgot to remind me to not eat anything so I have to go do that on Wednesday and fax them the information, we did get to do the EKG and my heart still pumping. After my 1st appointment they told me that I wasn't going to get to talk to the anesthesiologist and that I would have to come back on Thursday. Teresa has school on Thursday so that would mean I would have to take the 17 bus over the hill to Valley medical Center, I was really annoyed but what are you going to do? We decided that since we were there were going to talk to them and see if we could work something else out, it's a good thing we went there because I DID have a 3 o'clock appointment to talk to the nurse and anesthesiologist… I would have been furious if I had gone home and found out I missed my appointment and had to take the 17 best over the hill on Thursday. Then the nurse tells me that I also need to take a pregnancy test, I take the Depo-Provera shot every 3 months and I've pretty much been celibate for about 10 years so if I'm pregnant it's a miracle. The nurse apologized and said that I have to anyway because sometimes people lie. I am so glad that that day is over. I got back home and rose up to me to bed and I just relaxed and watched TV for the rest of the night.
Tuesday was rainy and wet outside so much to my dismay I ended up staying in bed again. I can't wait until the nicer days get here. The worst part about staying in bed is when I can't even watch any movies or any of my TiVoed programs, I keep getting an error and then the screen goes blank. I wanted to call DirecTV while Karen was here because of course you always need somebody to run around and try stuff and the 1st suggestion on the troubleshooting telephone was to reset the receiver, of course it worked right after that but when Karen left and I decided to do something else I got the same error message and my television is blank. A couple of nights ago when it did that I started watching nip and tuck on Netflix, it looks like a pretty good show so at least I have something.
Wednesday was a great day but cold. It was a great day because Robby and I got out and went for a long cruise. I needed to go get some blood work for my surgery on Friday, we got right in. On the way back the sun started to come out a little bit but it was still colder than I would have liked. I stop by the bank to see why they sent me a new card AGAIN. It was the same old reason… one of the sites that I use my card on online was compromised. I guess that's just what happens when you shop online. It just means that I have to go through and change my credit card everywhere that I use it, such a pain. I came back and luckily Karen was still here, I had to fast so I was starving and very thirsty. I ate some lunch and then I saw somebody at the door. It was Tom in Kelly's friend Phil and his daughter Hazel, Phil is the one that built that on some sink, counter and drawers on my back porch. It was really great to see them and they brought me some really fresh baked bread from San Francisco, I think my uncle and I just about finished it off. Rosa came by and put me to bed, I was so cold that I just wrap myself up in the heated throw for a while. My uncle and aunt came over and we played a couple games of cribbage, my uncle was my partner and we won $3. He always promises that whoever is his partner is going to win big and in his mind he always does. We always have a good time. As I'm sitting here dictating there is a little mosquito flying around my screen, I have a feeling I'm going to have a few mosquito bites by the morning… little sucker. I bought an indoor bug zapper so I'm hoping maybe that will get him before he gets me.
Thursday was pretty much a prep day for my surgery tomorrow so I stayed in bed. I got a really nice massage and we got all the personal care done and I did get a nice long hot bath. I'm ready.
Friday was the day after my surgery. They are going to tighten the tendons in my fingers so they don't stick out straight and get in the way of everything. Teresa was here at 1:30 AM so we could be at Valley medical by 6:30 AM. The surgery was supposed to take 2 hours but ended up taking 4. I guess it took them 2 hours to bring me out of the anesthesia, apparently my last surgery was the same way so I'm hoping that this is my last surgery… I can't imagine anything else done. I felt really crappy and just wanted to go home and go to bed. We picked up Karen on the way home so Teresa could just drop us off and go home and get some rest, I knew she was exhausted. Karen put me to bed and I finally got something to eat and some coffee. I went to sleep and had woke up because I heard the door. I looked at the clock and it said 8:30 so I thought it was Adriana coming to work in the morning and taking Robby out. When I heard the door open again and looked up and it was my mom, it was only 8:30 PM… I guess I was pretty out of it. I rested for a while and then went back to sleep until Adriana actually came in the morning. My arm and my neck were really sore from lugging this cast around, I would've thought that they would have lighter material by now… don't they have fiberglass casts? I asked the doctor if he could put a divit in the cast wear my wrist would be to make it easier to drive my chair, the dude is kind of on the side of my wrist so I'm hoping that will work just as well. My brother Stanley, his wife Janet and their daughter Corrine are going to come down for the day and spend the night. They gave me Vicodin for the pain but luckily I had some Percocet from my last surgery because Vicodin upsets my stomach, usually they ask you before they prescribe something. The Percocet makes me really warm but it does help with the pain. It feels like skin on my wrist is ripping apart, probably because that's where they cut. It wasn't as hard to maneuver with my cast as I thought it was going to be so hopefully 4 weeks will go by really fast and the improvement will be incredible, I think it will definitely be worth it. Today is the clam chowder cook off over at the Boardwalk and I really wanted to go but I know it was going to be very crowded and with my driving ability being compromised is probably not a good idea to be in big crowds right now.
Saturday I just decided to stay in bed with my arm propped up on a couple of pillows, they wanted to be above my heart for a while. Adriana came in and got me something to eat, vacuumed and cleaned the floor and straightened up for company. She also took Robby for short run so he won't be going stir crazy. I just took another Percocet so I'm getting really sleepy and I think I screwed up my entry for Friday so I guess it's time to take a nap. My aunt came by and said that she was going to go for walk so I told her she would like to have some company Robby would love to go, I always feel better when I'm stuck in bed if Robby can go out for a cruise. I knew it was going to be extremely inconvenient this is making me crazy, I still have about 3 1/2 more weeks. Stanley made a really nice dinner, raviolis and sausage with garlic bread. I'm trying not to take too many pain pills because I know I'm going to be sorry when it comes time to do personal care and I have a pretty high pain tolerance is just annoying. My aunt and uncle came over and we all played a couple games of cribbage, my uncle was my partner and I think we won a dollar or 2. I thought it was going to sleep really good because all day long the pills make me groggy but of course here it is 2:40 AM and I'm wide awake and very frustrated. I just have to keep telling myself it will be so nice in the long run.
Sunday was another miserable day I guess because of the anesthesia and the pain meds, I tried not to take too many pain meds because I know what happens. Somebody said to me “it was your choice to have surgery” and it made me start thinking… I guess I said yes to it without even a 2nd thought. If Stanford offers to give you a free surgery that will change your life and then after you do a couple studies they decide they need to tweak it to make it work better for me and our study should I really say no?? I know in the long run it's going to be better and it probably won't ask me to do any more studies if I don't want to improve and I like the idea that I'm keeping in touch with that circle.
Monday was a typical Monday. I got a massage, personal care took most of the rest of the day and always just wipes me out. Rosa came in to give me a bath but it just didn't feel good, stomach cramps and a headache. I hope it's because of the personal care and not because I'm coming down with the flu. Teresa took my van into get fixed, that took all day. Mother came by and brought me four chicken enchiladas, I LOVE her chicken enchiladas but then I love everything she makes. I watched a scary movie called possession and it was really good, scary. I started watching it last night but Rosa was here and I wasn't sure how she felt about scary movies so I turned it off for later. I watched a couple episodes of teen mom 2, trying to fall asleep. It took a couple of Advil PMs and later a lorazepam and finally my headache went away and I was also really sleepy.
Tuesday was a great day but a bit chilly, I thought it was in the start warming up… maybe it will. I was so sleepy last night and I didn't get to take a bath so Karen gave me about this morning, I didn't want to get out because it felt so great. I got up and took Robby for a really long cruise and came back just in time to rest for a bit before Rosa got here. Of course I was really tired before going to bed and just when I got into bed but now here it is 9:30 PM and I'm wide awake. Why is it that I sleep really good as soon as my morning caregiver gets here?
Wednesday was a very productive day although I didn't get up. I can't wait until everybody gets over this flu so I can have all of my Caregivers back, this flu is really kicking everyone's but. I am thankful that I haven't gotten it… knocks on wood…I am taking every precaution. I can't believe how much I ate today, I usually don't eat this much. I have a bacon, egg and avocado sandwich on a biscuit, a salad and enchiladas and then I had some Swiss steak, mashed potatoes, asparagus and another salad. My uncle and aunt, Lee and Claudia and my mom and I played cribbage. My mom was my partner and I wanted an extra dollar. Tomorrow Bob is coming by with a set of drawers and a cushion for the bench that he made me, I am so excited to see what it looks like. he's also making me a coffee table to match the rest of the furniture he made me and my living room and then under the mirror, in the hallway table.
Thursday was a really great day. Susan came over and gave me a massage and I was so relaxed I was asleep by the time she left. Karen came early and took Robby for cruise, I was stuck in bed again, and gave him a shower… he is always so happy after a shower, or maybe he's just glad that it's over? Bob came by and brought my drawers and the cushion and pillows his life made for my bench, they both looked AWESOME. I just rested most of the afternoon and thought about what I was going to do when I got up tomorrow, it's going to be like 72° out so I'm really looking forward to it. Heather came over and cooked and of course it smelled wonderful thing here. Teresa bought my van back, she took it in this morning to get some sensors put around the van just in case. Apparently they start out beeping slowly and the closer you get to an object the faster they beep and if you still get too close it hits the brakes, it's amazing what they come up with these days.
Friday turned out to be a great day. It started with personal care so for the 1st half of the day I felt really crappy but as soon as I got up and got outside it was all worth it. I think it got up to 72° and it was almost too warm, I had the bright idea of wearing a formal underneath my shirt. I took Robby for cruise through the lagoon, down past the surfers Museum and back and down to the end of the wharf and back. By that time it was getting really warm and Rocky needed water, he was exhausted. There wasn't a lot of people out and about but the traffic was ridiculous, what's up with that?? We got back home just in time, Rosa showed up to put me to bed.
Saturday didn't go as I had planned. I got a heat rash from being too hard on Friday so I decided it's better to stay in bed and on my side with the fan on all day, it's either one day now for a week when it gets worse… as much as it sucks I would rather just do one day now. Adriana wanted to go for a jog so she took Robby and look like they have a really good time, she sent me a picture of them down by the surfing Museum. It's not the most comfortable thing laying on your side and for some reason I have lot of anxiety that I was trying to talk myself out of all day. I tried to relax and just watch a couple of movies. I just have to lay like this until Rosa gets here and then take a nice long hot bath and I can be on my back again, I hope the rash goes away. I was going to go ahead and get it today and then if it got worse stayed down tomorrow but Adriano said it would be better to stay down today that way if it doesn't get better tomorrow I have another day to rest. Monday I have 3 appointments of Valley medical to get ready for my surgery on Friday, good call Adriana. I was getting ready to rest for the evening when my uncle came over and challenged us to a cribbage game, who could refuse? My mom was my partner and we lost $3 BUT we had fun and that's all that counts right??
Sunday ended up being another day in bed, I wish everybody could get over this flu… at least I'm glad I never got it. I decided if I didn't do personal care today and take a bath I don't know when I was going to do it, next week is a very busy week. I got a new hospital table and aunt and uncle put it together for me tonight, it's shorter and wider than the ones that I am used to but I think it just might work. Shorter is good because that just means I can put as much clutter on it. The bath shirt felt awesome, the temperature was perfect and my body stayed straight right in the middle of the tub… I really didn't want to get out. After my bath I tried to relax and watch Hotel Transylvania but it made my television go blank, my aunt came over and fix it so of course what do I do? Try to watch it again. I had to wait for my mom to come down and see if she could fix it, and had to try to remember what my hand did, and we got into work again… I think I'll just delete Hotel Transylvania.
Monday was a pretty good day. I'm trying to stay away from everybody because everybody seems to be getting sick… if you are sick please stay away. I got a massage from Susan and personal care took pretty much all day. I have always wanted to make the door from my bedroom to my back porch wider so that I can fit my bed through it, not only so I can be pushed outside but in case of emergency. Susan's husband is a contractor and he's going to come over and give me an estimate, I'm so excited… just in time for summer.
Tuesday was really cold but a great day. Karen got me up and Robby and I headed over to Sunshine Villa to get a manicure and a pedicure, well me not Robby. I so Rosa over there and she looked really tired, I hope she's not working too much. Samantha did a really good job and I love it, it's a diamond dust purple color. After that Robby and I cruised down to the end of the boardwalk and back and headed over to Dominican Rehab to meet with Andrei and Jack to do some more work on my chair. They put the lateral back on but moved it out a little bit so it's not pushing me over to the right. We talked about moving the joystick over to the left-hand side and see if I can drive like that but I'm just not sure that that's going to work, I think it will be very frustrating and I probably won't want to get very far from my house. I drive more with my upper arm and shoulder and my left arm just doesn't have that capability. Not to mention the left side is where I have Robby on my arm and I don't know what I would do about that, I can drive and risk that few will pull my arm and make me crash. I'm going to ask them on my preop point but appointment what they suggest or what people usually do. Staying in bed is just not an option a for 4 weeks. Teresa met me over at Dominican rehab with the van and I'm so glad because it was still cold outside. We came home and she put me to bed and cleaned out the refrigerator, it was a mess.
Wednesday didn't turn out to be such a good day. I got all the way up in my chair ready to face the day but then ended up going back to bed because of bladder problems, I hope it's not an infection. I pretty much slept the rest of the day and most of the night, I hope I sleep through the night. Heather came over and cooked a bunch of food, she has been sick for a couple of days so she was kind enough to stay away. My mom is also sick and I have surgery on a couple of weeks so I can afford to get sick. I didn't watch one movie today called the odd life of Timothy Green, who was definitely and odd movie. I watched a couple of episodes of Dr. Phil and then a couple episodes of American horror story: asylum. All in all I guess a pretty relaxing day, it looked like it was really nice outside but it only got up to 57°. We'll try again tomorrow.
Thursday I stayed in bed but it was a good day. I was going to get up because I stayed in bed yesterday but Teresa is getting the flu and couldn't come in to put me to bed. I got a nice long massage, personal care about wasn't as terrible as it usually was and a nice long hot bath… I feel relaxed and terrific. Robby got to go for a walk twice so I feel like it was a great day.
Friday was a really great day although it was very cold. I got up and took Robby for little cruise around the lagoon and then I came back to me Eric to get an estimate for widening the door from my bedroom to my back porch. It always kind of bothers me that in case something happens I'm not able to have my bed pushed outside so I decided I better just do it. It also might be nice in the summer to push my bed out on the porch and visit with everyone, I'm really excited. Eric said that he would have to find a 4 foot door and it would take him about the day to research everything and then he would have an estimate for me. We rested for a bit and then I took Robby out for a cruise a couple more times, I only went as far as Depot Park because by the time I got there it was really cold and I was ready to turn back. I can't stand the weather but not at 6 miles an hour. I need a windshield for my chair. Teresa still wasn't feeling well so Rosa came to put me to bed. Heather came over and cooked some stuff, it smelled really good in there. My uncle came over to see if I wanted some chicken soup, they make the best soups ever so how can I turn it down? I wasn't disappointed, it even had dumplings. I watched a couple of episodes of real life and then a couple episodes of hoarding.
Saturday was a pretty good day, very cold outside once again. I decided to stay in bed because it's cold, because it's the weekend and because I didn't have an evening caregiver. I was actually looking forward to spending the whole day in my room by myself. Heather came by and brought some kind of tuna/wasabi thing that she made… man was a good. She also brought me some kale chips, I have really gotten to like those. I watched a movie called paranormal activity 4 and was very disappointed, I saw the 1st 3 and they were pretty scary but this one was just boring… I kept waiting for something exciting to happen but it never did. My uncle came over and brought me a salad, an awesome salad loaded with everything and my aunt came over with some chicken vegetable soup, they are an awesome team. She makes really good Swiss steak with mashed potatoes and she was making some but it wasn't going to be ready in time. I watched a couple episodes of hoarders, intervention and deadly women. I can't wait to get up tomorrow and I'm sure Robby feels the same way.
Sunday was a really great day that almost didn't happen. I had breakfast, got dressed and was ready to get up and my lift wasn't working… the most frustrating feeling in the world. Luckily it just wasn't put on the charger right so all I have to do was wait an hour, what a huge relief. Robby and I went for a really long cruise through the lagoon and on our way up to Westcliff we ran into Denise and Nena, Dr. Owens friend and her daughter. It had been a long time since I had seen them both and it was great to see them, hopefully during the summer we can start having barbecues together again. We cruised down Westcliff about halfway to natural Bridges Beach and then back and down to the end of the wharf and back. By then it was getting a little chilly so we decided to head back just in time to catch Heather cooking in the kitchen, I visited with her for a while and it was going to go back out and cruise for a little bit again but my house was just so warm and comfortable I decided to stay. Rosa came by and put me to bed. I had some bacon in the refrigerator so she cooked it for me for breakfast this week, it smelled so amazing of course I had to have a piece… is there anything that smells or tastes better than bacon?? I started to watch a movie called possession but it looked like it was pretty scary and I didn't know how Rosa felt about scary movies so I decided to turn it off until later, I hope it's better than paranormal 4. Actually already tell that it was so I'm excited to continue watching it.
Monday was a great day. Personal character a really long time so I ended up staying in bed but we always make the best of it. Otis came by and cleaned up my morning glories, a lot of them got frostbite. He brought a couple of his dogs but Robby wouldn't play with them, he just hid in the back. I hope it's not because he is in any way traumatized from being attacked. He is starting to act a little weird when we see another dog, not every dog so it's hard to say. If one is going by and leaps in the air like he wants to play Robby will leap in the air and bark. I am trying to work on it so we will overcome. We were supposed to go to the wooden nickel for lunch but my aunt and uncle could go so David, my mom and I decided to just ordered Chinese food, we got a little bit of everything and have a ton of leftovers. just as we started eating Stanley came in, the evening was complete. Just as we were finishing eating Rosa came in to give me a nice long hot bath and put me back to bed. Such a great day!
Tuesday was also a really great day. I got up and Stanley made breakfast, scrambled eggs, sausage and pancakes. I cruise Robby up to Dr. Owens office to get some paperwork and then came back and hung out with my brothers for a while, it's so nice to have them here. We were going to go on a tour of the Santa Cruz guitar store but they had to cancel because they were out of town so hopefully next time. Stanley could roast and my aunt made twice baked potatoes, cauliflower with cheese and garlic bread… I try to hold it down because I don't want to gain weight but it's really hard with all this delicious food around. David got a lot of things cleaned up in my room, there were lots of extra cords in all of the shelves… it's so nice to have everything so claim. He also moved my home entertainment speakers down, they were up in the corner behind the bar for the lift… everything sound so much better. Teresa came and put me to bed and I got to hang out with my brothers again, David was showing me how easy it is to use the Xbox so I can't wait to try that out.
Wednesday was awesome. I got up and went for a cruise with my brothers, and Robby of course, down to the end of the wharf and back. We came back home and hung out for a little while and then Stanley had to go. David made some raviolis with the leftover spaghetti sauce and we have some garlic bread. Rosa came to put me to bed and Dave headed off for the airport. My uncle and aunt, Lee and Claudia and my mom and I played cribbage, I lost $3. The house is very quiet now, I can hear Robby snoring.
Thursday was a nice day outside, unfortunately I never made it up and out of here. Personal care took way longer than anticipated and my stomach was upset the rest of the day. I was going to take bath when Teresa came by but I still wasn't feeling very good so I just put it off until tomorrow. Tomorrow's going to be another beautiful day outside. Tonight I just relax and catch up on my TiVo shows.
Friday it was just so beautiful outside I had to get up. I got my massage from Susan and got to get up and out of here. Robby and I cruised to the lagoon, way down Westcliff and back, down to the end of the wharf and back and through the boardwalk. Everywhere seem to be pretty much deserted so we practiced some of our commands at the end of the boardwalk, Robby does so well. We didn't want to but we came home and rested for a bit and Teresa came and brought Charlie Hong Kong's, I could never get tired of that stuff. I have learned to just eat half of it so that I can have the other half in the morning with a poached egg. My new usual his pad Thai noodles with garlic tofu and prawns, we also get some steamed vegetables on the side. Teresa gave me a nice long hot bath and I went to bed feeling relaxed and great. Teresa also went out and straightened up the garage, it was such a mess. Instead of putting things away nicely everybody just shoves.
Saturday I didn't feel really good but I didn't know why. I woke up at 5:00 AM with a major anxiety attack, I don't think I have ever had this battle one. I tried listening to music and listening to audio books to make myself calm down but my heart was just beating like crazy and that's hard to ignore. While Adriana was getting my breakfast I pretty much decided I wasn't going to get up and try to drive around if I felt like this. I had some breakfast, my leftover pad Thai noodles, and some coffee and thought it would make me feel better but it only made me feel worse… I should've known coffee was a bad idea. A light breakfast and waited around for a little bit but didn't feel any better and all I wanted to do was sleep. My aunt and uncle came over and we played a couple of games of cribbage, I was down to dollars but have fun. While we were playing cribbage Heather came in with her new girlfriend and wow did they look sharp. They were going to a formal dance at the coconut Grove so of course we had to take some pictures. They both look so happy they just made my day. It's the 1st time that I met Mariposa and she seemed so sweet. It's so nice to see Heather this happy, never really seen it for a long time.
Sunday was a good day. It was cold outside but not cold enough to where I was uncomfortable, it was great to get up and get outside again. Robby and I cruised through the lagoon and down to the suffrage museum when Adriana texted me and said she was ready to go to Costco, I met her at the wharf and we went to do some shopping. I figured that since it was Super Bowl Sunday nobody would be there… WRONG. Not only was everybody there but they were rushing and pissed off because they wanted to get back home and watch the Super Bowl. It still was a nice day and of course by the time we got back the sun was out and shining. Karen came in and put me to bed and I watched a little bit of the puppy bowl and then fell asleep, I was really tired. I did do my part for Super Bowl Sunday and I had a chicken bake and buffalo wings for dinner.
Monday Susan still wasn't feeling very well so I probably won't see her until next Monday, she is going on vacation this Thursday. Karen came in and we did some personal care and I just decided to stay in bed all day anyway, the day went by fast but it really did feel good. Rosa came by to give me a bath but I was so comfortable I didn't want to move so were going to do it tomorrow, I can't believe I turned down a bath but I just wanted to relax.
Tuesday was a pretty good day. As soon as I acknowledge how great the weather is of course it starts cooling down. I went up to Sunshine Villa to get a Manicure/PedicureAnd thought the weather was going to heat up a little bit because it was supposed to be 70° today, it wasn't 70° today. By the time I got out it was comfortable but not really warm. Rosa came early today to give me a bath and boy did it feel good. Susan was still not feeling very well so we thought it was better she can come over. I'm not going to see her until next Monday so I might be taking a lot of hot baths. Of course by the time I got to bed and set up I already have one of my fingernails chewed off, I HATE when they get an even and I just can't stop myself. The bath was awesome and I just relaxed the rest of the night. I forgot that tomorrow they're going to come and change out my DirecTV box so everything that I have TiVoed will be gone so I better get cracking, this time I was smart and copy down all of the shows that I TiVo… thanks Karen. I'm sitting here and I looked on the front porch and noticed a bunch of flashing red lights, that's never good. My mom said there was a cop car, an ambulance and a fire truck at the end of the street. There is a super steep hill and people just insist on riding their bikes down the hill and I would say a quarter of them never make it, but doesn't seem to be anything that anybody can do about it and it breaks my heart to watch it happen week after week. Vicente came by and put the light post in my yard, I had one at the end of my driveway on each post and somebody came along and slugged it right off so I decided to put it in my yard where hopefully nobody can get at it. I think it looks really good and I can't wait to decorate next Christmas.
Wednesday it started to get cold again, so much for our awesome weather. The cable guy came at 8 o'clock to change out the receiver in my room for one that can record more and has more space. In order to do that she had to configure each one in the house, I have 5 of them, and it took him 2 hours so Wednesday was pretty much a wash as far as getting up and getting out BUT at least I got my new receiver. For some reason I just couldn't stay awake and pretty much slept the whole day. Rosa came in at 4 PM and fed me and I just wanted to go back to sleep, we were supposed to play cards at 7 PM and I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to stay awake but I did. Not only did I stay awake but I made $6 with my mom as my partner. I figured since I slept all day that I wouldn't sleep at night but I slept all night also, that is awesome and almost never happens.
Thursday personal-care took a lot longer than we thought and I think it rained all day long so another day in bed, both Robby and I are getting really stir crazy. Tomorrow we are definitely out of here early. And I had a big event so she brought me over some enchiladas for dinner, I can't wait to break into those. She also brought over some Spanish rice and some coleslaw. I am so lucky to have Heather around to cook for me, she is awesome.
Friday was a great day. I got up and took Robby for an extra long cruise. I had an appointment and I was going to cruise down there with Robby but he was pretty tired, sometimes I forget what a great workout running alongside the chair is for Robby. We went to Hanger and got my new braces, these ones are much more streamlined and shorter, I can't wait to start wearing my real shoes and boots. Teresa and I decided to go to Café Cruz for lunch, I had been there once before and wanted to try the calamari sandwich but I was unable to so that's what I thought about all day… of course we were at the wrong time and it wasn't on the menu. I got a steak sandwich on garlic bread and Caesar salad, it was awesome. Teresa got a hamburger and fries and her hamburger also looked awesome… definitely a place to go back to. We came home and Teresa worked really hard around here to make it look nice for my family, I need to make a schedule so that everything starts getting done again. I went to bed and relaxed for a while. It was a good day!
Saturday was both a good and a bad day. It was a bad day because I ended up staying in bed and was so beautiful outside, I kept getting really bad chills and then you could see some kind of white cloudy stuff come out of my bladder… I don't know if it's just some sort of bladder sluf, bladder stones or something else. It was a good day because my little brother Dave flew in from Georgia to stay until Thursday. We always have so much fun but the time goes by way too fast. I sent Rosa home because I know she had a house full of family that she had to leave and I didn't want to stop visiting with my brother. My uncle Dick came over and we ordered pizza and honey barbecued wings and just sat around and visited, it was so nice. As everybody was getting ready to go to bed the electricity went off, this time for about a half an hour. Thank goodness I have a generator for my room.
Sunday was a really great day. My high school friend Lisa and her daughter Tiffany came by to visit for a while. All during high school Lisa had a crush on David and I think the feeling was mutual but nothing ever happened, I think her crush is renewed after seeing him again and she said also her daughter has a crush on him. He is so funny, caring and just an all-around great guy to be around. After Lisa and Tiffany left we went over to my aunt and uncles to have spaghetti, salad and garlic bread. It was Luana's birthday and everybody had such a great time. I used to never appreciate kids very much but I sure like being around them now, they're just so funny. I came back and Rosa put me to bed. I'm so glad that somebody talked me into writing something down every day because I love going back and reminiscing every once in a while, without the blogger probably wouldn't remember anything.
Monday was a pretty relaxing day. Karen came in to give Robby about and file down his toenails. I got my massage from Susan and of course personal care took most of the rest of the day. Rosa came in to give me a nice long hot bath, I pretty much had someone here from 8:00 AM until 9:30 PM I hope I can sleep tonight. I have started trying to keep the computer and the TV shutdown from 10:00 PM and listen to audio books but even with everything else off my mind just keeps wandering and I always have to pull myself back into the book, I end up listening to them over and over because I'm afraid I'm going to miss something… I don't know if that's good or bad.
Tuesday was a pretty good day, it was a lot warmer than it has been so I was able to take Robby out on a much-needed… for both of us… cruise. We cruised through the lagoon, down West Cliff to the surf Museum and back, down to the end of the wharf and back and home. I met with a guy named Keith who has a petition for enforcing off leash dog discipline. He gave me a copy so I can get people to sign it. I bought some outdoor curtains for my porch and Vicente came by to install them but I accidentally ordered the short ones and they looked kind of funny so I packaged them back up to take back to bed Bath and beyond and order the longer ones, it's going to be really cool once we get them up. Teresa came by to put me to bed and Andrei came by to take the lateral off of my chair, it's going to be about 2 or 3 weeks until I can get an appointment in the lateral is just making my trunk bend way too much and it's really uncomfortable… I can't wait to try it out tomorrow without.
Wednesday was a really great day. I got up and sat outside in the sun for a while, it felt so great to see the sun again… it almost got too hot out there. Teresa came by to take me to my appointment at Valley Medical Center, they want to do some more hand surgery because my fingers get in the way when I try to grab stuff with my pinch grip. There wasn't a lot of traffic on Highway17 at all so we got to Los Gatos early and decided to go to the Cancer Store, how exciting. We didn't have very low so we cruised in to check out what they had, I'm sure that after Christmas is a really good time to go because everybody is getting rid of those unwanted Christmas gifts. Robby and I cruised to the back of the store and turned left and there was uncle Dick, I was just telling Karen when she was getting me up this morning “wouldn't it be funny if I ran into my uncle at the cancer store”. I think he goes there just about every day, they are and the Happy Dragon. We didn't get anything but went on to Valley medical. It was really nice to see Dr. Hentz, Dr. Shem, Dr. Yim and Lisa. I did the research study with Lisa pretty much every other year but the rest of them I haven't seen for probably 10 years, I can't believe they all remembered me. They even asked me how my elbow healed after the suture anchor popped out of it. A couple of years after I had my tendon transfer surgery I noticed a bump on my elbow it got really squishy and gross and when one of my caregivers pushed on it something that looked a little like an arrowhead popped out with a green string hanging off of it and a bunch of puss…of course I freaked out and took pictures of it and sent it to Lisa who sent it to Dr. Hentz. He sent me to the hospital to get the wound cleaned up and told me it was a suture anchor that got left inside of me, I guess it happens. They decided that they could help me so I'm going in for surgery on February 22, I get to go home after the surgery but I will have a cast on my arm for 4 weeks. I need to call Jack from ATG tomorrow to find out about getting my drive stick on my chair switched to the left-hand side, I always wanted to see if I could drive with my left hand but I'm not looking forward to it… it will definitely be worth the end result. We were deciding where to eat and there was a bunch of really good places but of course everything is closed from approximately 2 PM to 5 PM so we ended up going to Wendy's, I had never been to Wendy's before. I had a bacon hamburger, french fries and a Sprite. I was getting full but I did not want to stop eating because it was so good, I didn't finish my fries. I probably shouldn't have been that because the last couple of days the bottom half of my legs have been really swallowed by the end of the day and there's really bright red petechiae on my left leg but I couldn't help myself. As a rule I eat really well but every once in a while you have to eat something like that, good choice Teresa. I came home and Rosa put me to bed and Lee and Claudia, my uncle and my aunt, my mom and I and Lee's sister played cribbage, it was a full day but so nice.
Thursday was such a beautiful day. I got up and took Robby for a really long cruise. While we were out at the lighthouse Museum I met a really nice couple who just moved here 2 days ago. They started talking about technology, she was very impressed with my chair and what it could do. He seemed to be very active I know he surfed and wind surfed. They told me about the Maverick waves, they were really excited. I guess you can't actually go watch them surf because it's in a really dangerous area but they have a festival with closed-circuit TV, it sounded like a lot of fun and I wish I had someone to go with. After we got home Teresa showed up to wax Karen and I, I think if we do it every 2 weeks it will get so bad… it's so awful getting old.
Friday was another great day. Susan was sick so I decided to go ahead and get up and enjoy this gorgeous weather. Robby and I cruised through the lagoon, down W. Cliff Dr. and back and down to the end of the wharf and back I came home and Teresa put me to bed.
Saturday I decided to go up to the clinic where Dr. Owens works, sometimes it's a good way to see her without waiting 2 or 3 weeks. She put me on some Lasix and said she was going to send the visiting nurses over for edema therapy. I think it's getting better now so we will see what happens. Adriana was going to take me to Costco but we had a bit of a wait at Dr. Owen's office so we decided to wait and go on Sunday. I came home and Rosa put me to bed and I played a couple of games of cribbage with my uncle and aunt and my mom and Claudia. I was so sleepy I kept falling asleep and they kept having to wake me up.
Sunday was also a gorgeous day. I got up and cruise Robby through the lagoon, through downtown and over to cost plus, I love looking at everything over there… they have such cool stuff. I was going to cruise over and check out Ross but Adriana texted me and said she was done and was going to come by and give me to take me to Costco, Adriana loves to go to Costco is much as I do. I was kind of hungry when I went so I got some things that are probably shouldn't have. Everybody was talking about the Super Bowl and even though I don't watch football I saw the chicken wings and had to get some so that's what I had for dinner, Heather brought me over some mashed potatoes over earlier so I have a nice dinner. They also had banana/chocolate muffins and almond/poppyseed muffins so of course I had to get those also. We came back home and Adriana put everything away and I took Robby for cruise and then came back and Rosa put me to bed. I was feeling kind of weird so I slept most of the time she was putting me to bed and I slept all through the night, I was a little groggy from oversleeping this morning but after that I felt great.
Monday was an okay day. Karen and Teresa came in to take down the Christmas decorations, the house always looks really empty after the holidays. Susan came in to give me a massage. I was mentioning on Facebook that I wanted to find some redwood rounds or some redwood stumps for my porch and she said that they have a bunch of fallen redwoods on their property and she would ask her husband if he would cut some for me, I was so excited! I have always loved redwood trees. Karen stayed to do some personal care and Rosa came in to give me a bath but there was some weird green dental floss looking string and unit out of my SP tube site so we decided we better wait, Teresa will be here tomorrow. One time I have this weird bump on my elbow and I thought maybe it was from rubbing on my chair and it got infected, one of my caregivers was poking at it and this little metal arrow looking thing popped out. I took pictures of it and send to Dr. Hentz, he did tendon transfer surgery on my arms a couple of years before. She said it was a suture anchor that they missed, kind of freaky but no harm. The rest of the evening I just relaxed and watched Dr. Phil. Heather came over and made some killer crab and corn chowder.
Tuesday was such a great day. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get up because once again personal-care took along time. I was supposed to go to Claudia's shop and get a manicure/pedicure but I didn't get up in time. The weather was gorgeous. Robby and I cruised through the lagoon and up past the Light House and back, I didn't want to come back because the weather was so gorgeous but it was time for Teresa to come and put me to bed. My aunt came over with Luanna and Melia, they are just cuter every time I see them. They got a couple of stick unicorns from the Happy Dragon, I LOVE that place. My uncle introduced me to it and I love going there, always such great stuff and great bargains. I went to bed and found me a Gumby costume for next Halloween and looked up how to diet Robby orange so he can be pokey, I can't wait until next Halloween.
Wednesday I just decided to take a bath and go back to bed, it's just so cold outside sometimes I just can't do it. I just got over being sick and there's a nasty flu going around and I don't want to catch it. It was nice to take a really nice long hot bath, that always relaxes me. I watched some TV and played on the computer. Heather came over and cooked a bunch of stuff, it smelled so amazing in here I wasn't sure what to eat 1st so I went with fish, roasted brussels sprouts and spinach. She also made some mustard chicken, one of my all-time favorites. And cooked some sausages and I know some wheat berries the rest I can't remember but everything she makes is just so delicious. Lee and Claudia, my uncle and aunt and my mom and I played cribbage tonight, I won a dollar. My uncle came in with his new motorcycle jacket and shoes that he got at the cancer store. I think the jacket and shoes were worth a couple hundred dollars and begot them for $20 each, I really miss going to the store AND it's right down the street from the Happy Dragon so usually make a day out of it.
Thursday was really cold but we went on a nice long cruise anyway. Through the lagoon, past the surfers Museum, down to the end of the wharf and back and home. I have an appointment at 2 PM with Hanger prosthetics to get new braces made for my feet/legs and the trimmed down my back brace. I will be back in normal shoes/boots had no time. We stopped at Charlie Hong Kong's on the way back and got our usual and brought it home to eat, I try to make myself only eat half and save the other half for breakfast with kimchi. Teresa Put me to bed and I watched TV for the rest of the evening.
Friday was a nice relaxing day. The sun came out but it was really cold, I'm glad I stayed inside and in bed. Susan came over and gave me a nice relaxing massage, I think I was falling asleep when she left. Karen came in with a picture of my front fence and was kind of worried, somebody wrote in the Frost “I love Tammie” She thought that maybe I had a stalker. It turns out Susan wrote it so we all felt better. Karen did some personal care and I got to relax and watch American horror story: Asylum, I love that show. Lexi came over, I haven't seen her for a long time. We visited for a while and she watched some of the show with me, it was really nice because I having been able to hang out with her for a long time. My aunt came over and said that they were making hamburgers, my aunt and uncle make the best hamburgers so of course I couldn't turn it down. They also made fried potatoes and broccoli, I passed on the broccoli stuffed myself miserably with the hamburger and potatoes. Lexi says that she hasn't seen Chasing Mavericks yet, I can't believe that. I got these little bun makers on Amazon and they are really cool and easy to put on, they also make your hair wavy.
Saturday was a really exciting day although I ended up staying in bed. Adriana was about an hour and a half late and by the time I had given up on her and have my mom feed Robby she showed up. Vicente came by to take the outside Christmas decorations down, everything looks so bare now. Bob came by and brought my new furniture, he does such a fantastic job… everything looks gorgeous and matches what I already have. His wife came by to take some measurements to make some questions for the bench seat and some pillows for the back.
Sunday was another relaxing day in bed although I'm getting really tired of staying in bed, it's just too cold to go outside. This morning my sinuses were hurting and there's a nasty flu going around so for now I need to stay where it's warm and dry, except for the humidifier. Adriana came in and took Robby for a cruise to the lagoon, I always feel better when Robby gets a little bit of exercise. My uncle and aunt came over and we all played cards, I lost a dollar. I watched a movie called Pitch Perfect, actually I think I watched maybe half of it and I couldn't take it anymore. I started to watch the latest Step Up but that it didn't even get that far. I started watching a series called Nashville and I really like that. When it's cold outside sometimes it's just nice to stay inside and watch movies.
