The Journey Continues….

Home safe and sound and I can happily report that my garmet bag was right where I left it, in my bedroom, fully packed. I may have left my luggage at home but I have now have a nice new suit, dress shirt, dress shoes, socks, tie, tie clip and several casual articles of clothing. An important lesson learned, when you type the words “mall” “men’s clothing” and “chicago”...

Epilepsy: What is it and Can I Catch It? (No, You Can’t)

I really enjoyed Jane’s posts about Nicole’s conditions and thought I’d do something similar about epilepsy.  Plus, since Robert is doing his own educating about epilepsy, I was inspired to do a little educating about it too. First, the facts: What is it? Epilepsy is a medical condition that produces seizures (it’s also sometimes called a “seizure disorder”). Seizures are caused by an...

Diving in to the Deep End

No sense burying the lead:  We have decided to move Robert into our house.  (Shh! It’s a secret right now so don’t tell New Home or Robert). Ack! Phew! Goodness Gracious! Wow! What am I doing?? Sigh . . . Moving Robert into our house has created a mini-explosion of emotion inside of my head and heart.  This was not a decision made lightly but I know this is the right decision. (I’m not telling Robert just...

“Just” a Haircut?

Getting a haircut is not a huge deal for most people. I personally love to get my hair done because it’s an excuse to sit back and relax and have my scalp rubbed while amusing the stylist with the result of my feeble attempts to cut my bangs (“Trish, please come in for a quick bang trim between cuts! You don’t have to live with crooked bangs!”). If Robert doesn’t keep his curly locks cut, he tends to...

Potato. Table. Green.

Potato.  Table.  Green. Remember those words (there’s a quiz later!).  The countdown is over!  Robert saw his fabulous neurologist with the awesome Canadian accent today and the results are in (although so are a lot more questions).  The MRI showed no stroke (yay!!) and actually indicated no change whatsoever since his MRI of two years ago (there goes my medical career).  The “large area of...

Goldilocks

It’s been a while since I posted but I was letting The Meeting simmer for a while. (These feelings probably also contributed to being a bit too harsh on my wayward son). After a week of reflection, I have decided it is in Robert’s best interest to move him. Again. You might be thinking there is just no pleasing me (which, if you ask New Home – or Old Home for that matter – that might be their answer)....

Tell Us: What’s It Like for You With Family?

Caringlizi, one of our members, wrote yesterday: Dealing with my husband’s progressing brain tumor is bad enough, but I just don’t know what to do with his family.  I feel so invisible at times, bullied at others.  Not sure if I want to hide in the closet or yell. Can anybody relate? Sometimes, managing the family (yours, your caree’s) can seem like managing a regiment of complicated...

The Meeting

(I’m sorry I’m behind on reading all the posts.  I promise to catch up!). The post today is brought to you by the letter “C.” Care Home.  Conflict.  Communication.  Crying (ugh!).  Cautiously optimistic. New Home called me earlier this week to schedule a meeting.  Those involved in the meeting would be the Nurse, House Manager, supervisor of house manager, supervisor of the supervisor of the...

Dear New Home:

Who decided it would be a good thing to treat the family of one of your residents as if they were someone to be patted on the head and told, “There, there.  Don’t worry your pretty little head about this.”  Let’s review events since move-in three months ago:  You changed his medication schedule because it would be more convenient for you (and, oops! surprise! he had more seizures!).  You...

Let’s Fly a Kite

Yesterday, Robert told me he went to the park with Day Program. He loves going to the park and, over the last few weeks, has told me about eating lunch there and flying kites. A while ago, he told me his kite went “way, way high in the sky.” I told the Day Program counselor how much Robert enjoyed flying the kites and he told me he had difficulty getting Robert to let go of the kite he was enjoying it so...

Little Robbie

Before Robert was “Robert,” he was Little Robbie and Little Robbie was a little terror!  I even wrote in my diary once that I didn’t like him (yes, there were such things as “diaries” and “pens” before Facebook).  I was probably ten and knew everything and he was five and couldn’t sit still.  He loved to destroy things; he wouldn’t listen to me; he got lost in every store we visited.  Curly...

New Hardware

Robert is sporting six new staples in the back of his head and I got to visit two hospitals in one day. At 6:00 a.m. my husband’s mom went in for a Valvuloplasty to help out her heart. We were at a downtown hospital to visit with her before she was put under and stayed until the procedure was over. Her procedure was pronounced a success and she’ll be home – better than ever – tomorrow. At 5:30 p.m. I was...

Happy Easter

Religion is very important to Robert. Growing up, our parents went through a “church phase” (it was the 70’s and there were a lot of phases). We went to church fairly regularly for a while – trying out different faiths – but I wouldn’t say either of our parents were “religious.” Mom grew up in a devoutly Catholic family but, for whatever reason, did not continue those rituals when raising us kids...

On The Plus Side. . .

Seeing the silver lining in difficult situations is my specialty but can be challenging at times even for a Pollyanna like me. I do my best not to obsess about Robert’s long-term future but I am failing miserably lately. Robert forgetting his roommate’s name the other night really threw me for a loop. Is his memory going to further decline? Will his balance issues continue to get worse eventually landing him in...

Robert is Okay

Robert doesn’t have any side effects whatsoever from his medication mishap. Before leaving the Day Program he was surrounded by the ladies who work there and, in spite of a very stressful situation, he had them all laughing at his silly jokes. Plus, he beat me at three card games this afternoon. Everything is obviously back to normal. The Day Program is reviewing their medication protocols and guidelines and...

My Relaxing Sick Day

I’ve been so worried about Robert getting sick that I didn’t pay attention to my own health.  I half noticed a cough a few days ago, then started getting hoarse yesterday and woke up last night with a fever, cough, sore throat: full blown cold/flu.  My voice is getting more non-existent by the minute which, no doubt, makes my hubby very happy.  Because of the fever, I thought I would spare the office my...

The Talk

Robert and I had “The Talk.” I was Mean Mommy for a few minutes and it so happened that our talk was the same day he saw the dentist. Might as well get all the icky stuff done in one day! I’ll admit it. Robert hasn’t seen a dentist in several years. (I’ll wait a minute for the outcry to die down. . .). Sorry, okay? I didn’t take Robert to the dentist.  It was on my list of things to do but it never got...

Did I Say That Out Loud?

I would love to only write about Robert’s good side and how sweet and polite he is and how he ends every conversation with “God Bless You.” The fact is he gets pretty cranky and stubborn and angry at times. Wait a minute . . . sounds like me on a bad day. (Shhh! Don’t tell my hubby I admitted that!)  Today I received a call from Day Program telling me Robert had an “accident” and since they didn’t...

Prom!

Hi, Robert! “Hi, Trish. How are you doing?” Great. How are you? “I’m doing very well. And you?” Our conversations always start the same but tonight I couldn’t go in circles with him—I wanted to get to the good stuff:  Prom! Robert, you had Prom today.  How was it? “It was really good.” Yay! He’s added a “very” and a “really” to his normal responses. He must have had a blast. Did...

Making Friends

I’m happy to report that Days 2, 3 and 4 of Program went just as well and Robert even had the van transport (to and from!). He told me after his first day that he had met an “Eric” who was very nice and polite. On Day 2 Robert again told me he met an “Eric” in the van who also was nice and polite. I don’t know if there are two Erics or if, as Denise suggested, there is one...

Robert’s Very Good Day

It has been seven weeks since Robert left his Old Home which filled his days with movies, music, reading circle and bingo (and filled his fridge with Milky Way candy bars with every bingo win!). Nothing was going to prevent me from getting Robert to Day Program today. Not a visit to the ER, not a bandage still wrapped around his head, not the van transport not being set up. I arrived early to Robert’s New Home to...

A Stormy Sunday Morning in the ER

Well, this New Hospital is growing on me. Yes, Robert was in the ER again this morning with another laceration on the back of his head. (For someone who wears a very hard helmet, he sure bangs his head a lot). Let’s recap the day although I’ll tell you the ending first so you don’t worry – Robert is fine. (There go my hopes for a career as a suspense novelist!). It’s early Sunday morning, the dogs have...