Day 58

Hi..... For those who may be wondering, I MADE it off my hill with no trouble. Brian spent the morning snow blowing our driveway, and by then the roads had been plowed!! So, thank you for your prayers.....God answered them in the best possible way! I have had to "plow" thru snow before that packed up under the car and tried to stop me. It is much nicer to drive on a plowed road. (There has been "evidence" of a snow plow entering our property a couple of times since Stan has been sick.........I think the initials JF might fit the culprit!! Thank you!!!)

Andy and Pete were with Stan from about 9 a.m. so I wasn't worried about him wondering where I was. When I got there he had already had his lunch. He had lasagna (can you imagine that pureed!!), vegies, and applesauce. He told me the lasagna was dry.

He had his trach "buttoned" shut and his voice sounded much more like "him" and much stronger. The RT removed the button at bed time, saying it was a lot of work for him and he needed rest. He hadn't complained about it, his oxygen levels stayed high, so we were disappointed that she removed it, at least while he still had company.

The boys showed him videos of our two year old grandsons shooting a target with a bow and arrow. Hey....they are GOOD!! Kathy's husband also showed us a photo of his recent hunt. Stan NEVER tires of seeing hunting pictures!!!

I finally remembered to take the hair clippers, and I took pix as Pete shaved Stan's head. He had a most interesting hair "cut" up to now. The spot where he was shaved for surgery has grown back in to about 1/2 inch long, the rest of his hair kept growing and he had already needed a haircut, so that is the "long and short" of it. He loves the "Yul Brenner, Telly Savalis, Howie Mandel" look.........(I bet I butchered those names, but you must recognize at least one of them!!)

He has really been complaining of a neck ache. When he sits up, it is scary looking...his head falls forward and looks too heavy to hold up. We place pillows every which way. Paula's "bone" pillow helps a lot, but still it aches...and I am wondering if a nerve is pinched there because he has been saying his right hand (the useable one) hurts now, too. We all try to massage his neck often, and last night Deryl gave him a "chiropractic" treatment....very gently trying to stretch those muscles so they can relax.

I hate to see him have to take too much pain meds...especially since they are giving him oxycodone more often than tylenol.

He told me "they" asked him if he wanted dinner, but he told them "no, he wasnt' hungry" (this was at lunch time). "They" must have ordered it anyway, because about six p.m. his tray arrived. He had (pureed) pork roast, beans, asparagus, strawberries, and orange juice. Deryl and Kelly arrived about then and the fun began!! Everyone knows that strawberries dipped in chocolate are a real gourmet treat. Deryl warmed up a Hershey Kiss and I scraped some of the melted part onto his spoon and gave him a lick. A little stayed on the spoon (hardened) so when I would give him a bite of strawberries, he would get a taste of chocolate with them. Yummmmy! (Don't tell!)

Eric, Heidi, and Brooke came in later bringing a beautiful fish carving. I have placed it on a shelf in his room, and will leave it for a few days....so any of you who can come see Stan, don't forget to take a look!!

Brian didn't get time to come before work because the snow blowing took too long. He doesn't get off until 9:30 p.m. and was heading home, pretty tired. He called to tell me he got the mail, and I let him "talk" to Stan over the phone. I guess Stan told him how much he missed him, because he turned around and came back to the hospital.

Brooke and Heidi had a "surprise" for me.........it was a GOOD one, too. They had cleaned off my car when they got there. Brian started it for me, so it was clean and cozy when my time to go arrived!! (I get this treatment from Ashley, Katrina, and Isaac too, when they're there. Aren't I special!!!) (If you don't live where it snows and gets cold and you have to clean and warm up your own car late at night, you just won't appreciate how nice it is to have it done for you!)

Today (Friday) Stan's brothers will arrive. He has been "expecting" them every day since he learned they were coming. When he naps during the day, he thinks it is a new day when he wakes up. It has to be very confusing!!

I'm sorry for the "next day" report again. I just am too sleepy when I get home at night. I actually got 5 1/2 hours straight with no wake ups last night! Wow....I did take one of the 400mg Ibuprophen pills the doctor gave me before going to bed. Maybe it makes a difference! I hope I don't start being a pill taker, tho. I don't like being dependent on "stuff."

Well.... I had better get my day going or I'll be meeting myself coming home.

Love, M