GeorgeLesley

Fred, first happy holidays and a merry Christmas to you and yours. Secondly, being a stroke surviver and getting older is not for sissies as you know. When I feel sad because of my plight, I try to think of all the things that have gone well for me and realize there is always someone worse off than me. A quick trip to the VA always proves that. Venting though is a good thing, getting the stuff out of your head helps.

His mowing will likely not save you much time but will make his life so much more meaningful to him. Great for him that you wnt to the effort, he will be much better for it.

We are now well settled in our new home in Erwin, TN.My battle with colitis appears to be under control. Our son found a special diet that supposedly works to fix it. I always am skepical about such claims, I find they usually are just trying to sell you something. Refreshingly, this one is really about getting colitis and other stomach/intestinal sufferers better. The great news is that it works! The past month I have felt better than I have for the previous six months. I am even sleeping better and awake feeling well and ready to take on the day. Lesley's mum in New Zealand has recovered well from her recent hospitalization. However she continues to have falls, and her overall health is obviously deteriorating. That is life's cycle I guess. Now to the really neat stuff. We are settled here and so enjoyed the fall colors, driving our Alfa sports car thru the montains enjoying the colors. Wow, what a great time in our lives. We have made enough changes to the house that it is now ours so to speak. Our son Stefan is visiting us from New Zealand for about six months. We have been showing him the area and just returned from 3 days in Nashville, TN. What a neat city. We know a singer song writer there, and he gave us the insiders tour of the city. Music is our son's passion, and he is working with a mate of his still in New Zealand about coming over while he is still here and the two of them chasing their dream in music. I told him about the seasons in life, and now that his two daughters are on their own and he has no ties to NZ at the moment, the stars seem to be aligned for his and his mate to give it a try considering the contacts he now has in Nashville. While there we had the honor of attending Whit Hill's launch of her first self written and played CD about her passion, which is metal detecting. What an amazing CD. While there we also met Lisa, another person who gave up her PHD in astrophysics to chase her dream of music. Imagine talking to a PHD in Astrophysics while listening to her self written Jazz CD. Wow, what a night. Seeing how fleeting life and good health can be, having had a stroke and now colitis which is more serious that I first took it to be, Lesley and I are getting very serious about doing our RV travel plans. Fortunately because of the successful diet or son found me we can now travel again. Next fall New England and the Canain Maritimes are now planned. The next summer after that will be either Alaska or British Columbia, and the next summer whichever is left. Time to get on with it, good seasons do not last forever. I guess my message is whatever is on your bucket list and you are able to do, get on with it. Our son is, and so are we. Well, our son is fixing a chicken salad, and I love to eat, so off I go.

Having recenty been battling Colitis and having a Colonoscopy myself, I understand the relief. Great news, and well said.

Longtime readers may remember that I lost my first wife of 28 years, 14 years ago. Since I made a terrible batchelor, I married Lesley 4 months later, but I digress from the point of the blog. My late wife's name was Joan. During the long battle with type I diabetes, cancer and a few other medical conditions, she had to put on more and more medical devices and aids to function. In the last few years when we both knew we were not going to like the end but still needed a laugh, I started calling her my "Joanie Doll, some assembly required". Being a good spirited lady she took it well and all concerned had a short laugh. Fast forward to now. Some of you may remember a few years ago when I listed my "family" of conditions. Well the family tree just keeps on growing and growing. Although I do not yet anyway need lots of devices other than an AFO (ooops I forgot the CPAP gizmo), before I can do nearly anything anymore I have to ask "do we have my (fill in the blank) meds, my glove for my cold left hand, extra water bottle, sweater or lite jacket even in summer. And the length of the family tree of ailments just keeps on growing. One more Karma story I'll make as short as I can. Many years ago as my late father and I came back from a long days fishing with a few lake trout on the stringer, I dropped the stringer of fish into the. lake. Dad was not pleased. Fast forward to summer three years ago. Lesley and I did our last canoe camping trip along the US/Canadian border. I caught a fish casting off the campsite and yelled for Lesley to bring the net. She skillfully netted the fish, then excitedly put the net on the flat ground to go get a camera. Any fisherman can guess how long it took for the fish to flip back into the water. I was not pleased. Later that afternoon I took the canoe out and caught a couple of fish which I raced back to the campsite with the intention of eating them soon.. On the way I stopped in the middle of the lake to refill my water bottle and decided to put the fish back in the water for a minute. The stringer made a funny sound as it entered the water, then went silent. I soon found out why. I had already disconnected it from the canoe and off swam the fish....... Is this what is called "Karma"? Oh well, I woke up breathing this morning (I have decided the morning I wake up not breathing I probably won't bother to get out of bed), and the sun rose in the East again. My coffee cup is empty and you all know what that means. P.S. My Dr says my coffee cup should be empty more often..........

Punch, you might check with your Dr to make sure the baby asprin is still necessary. I dropped mine several years ago.

I spoke to mum yesterday as Lesley was making the long flight to LA. Mum was obviously unhappy that she will soon be permanently alone Sad, but as I tell Lesley all the decisions we make in life have consequences, some intended some unintended. 8 Years ago we told mum that she would someday be in this position if she did not come to live with us, something we had completely arranged at the time. She did ask Lesley a few weeks ago if she could still come, but that ship has sailed. I do think she had 8 great years in NZ and made the right decision at the time, but now she must face the unpleasant facts.

The good news is that Lesley will be back in a few days. Yea!! The bad news is that her mum responded well as previously reported to the band aids that worked in the hospital. Unfortunately now that she is home the bacterial infection is gone, but the fluid from the congestive heart failure is coming back. Her family doctor and personal friend stopped by a few days ago and said there is fluid in her lungs and around the heart. The doctor told Lesley to go home now, and we will deal with mum when the time comes. Looking at the situation as the nurse she was for over 30 years, Lesley is not optimistic long term. So, we will see what the future holds. Unfortunately the colitis I have has decided to flare up and life around here has not been pleasant. I am just hanging on til Lesley returns. The dogs will love to see her again. Anyway, thats it for now, more later my coffee cup is empty.

I take warfin and eat lots and lots of dark greens. Spinach, kale, collards, brussel sprouts, broccili, etc. The secret is to be consistent every day. Only have the same portions and probably not more than one of each in the same day. Whoever manages your INR cam easily work with you. I have been on target for several years now. just be consistent

Well mum has surprised us again. She is now much better, back home again with a good prognosis at the moment. The blood bacterial infection is gone and the fluid around the heart and in the lungs also gone. She appears to be capable of assisted self care again. I will say New Zealand does a great job of keeping people in their homes rather than carting them off to a nursing home. A lot of daily and weekly care is provided at little or no cost to the recipient which helps greatly. Looks like Lesley will be able to come home on her originally scheduled date of Sept 9th. The dogs and I will love having her back for sure. Anyway, just a quick update with some good news.

This entry is difficult to write and will not be the usual upbeat tone. Sadly Lesley's mum is likely not going to be with us very many more days. Lesley went to New Zealand last month for her annual visit. The first week went well, then mum got sick and wound up in the hospital. Mum is 92 so any hospital trips are always concerning. It appears her body is shutting down. As a nurse for over 30 years lesley knows the signs and is well aware of what is happening. We all have our trite sayings we use at such times, myself included. Somehow when it is so close and personal the sayings "oh well, she lived a good long life", "I hope I live as long as she has", etc, etc, sound pretty hollow. Lesley and I agree she will die of a broken heart. The quick story is that mum lived for the two great grand daughters being part of her life. She only had Lesley, and Lesley only had one son who had the two girls. Lesley has lived in the USA over twenty years. The grand son is leaving NZ to travel the world for awhile. The oldest grand daughter as flown the coop so to speak and is far away on her own. The youngest grand daughter is moving to England in December. That will leave mum in Auckland alone and on her own. According to those who were there when she found out the last grand daughter was leaving, one could see the will to live leave her. She will die of a broken heart physically and emotionally. Lesley was due to come back in less than two weeks. Obviously that will change. She is adamant that I stay here and not come down. There really is nothing I could do other than be a comfort to Lesley. I don't travel well over long distances and she does not want to worry about me travelling along with everything else. So the dogs and I will be here in TN alone for awhile. The dogs seem to know something is going on. The Bichon is normally like a cat, doing her own thing and not paying much attention to me. Now she is like a second skin, never far away from me. She did the same thing after my stroke, always sleeping on or next to my affected side. Lesley will have to stay and handle the estate. The only real asset is a paid for house which has been in Lesley's name for many years now. Her father insisted it be that way before he died. There will still be the unpleasant process of getting rid of a lifetime of stuff. Fortunately the son is there to help. He has quit his job in preparation for his planned overseas travel, so he can and will be very helpful Still going to be a tough time. So, that is our sad story here in TN. My coffee cup is empty and I don't even care.

Great blog Debbie. You bring up a great issue that all should take care of in reference to the 5 yr lookback with medicaid. Being a disabled vet I am good as the VA will take care of me if needed. Because Lesley is the threat to the estate, the house is solely in my name.

We are now well settled in Tennessee. The house is now our new home, not just a house. We went back to Minnesota in June to pick up some stuff we left there, camo in our RV with some good friends, and of course fish some. Wow the fishing was fantastic! I caught more large in two weeks that I usually did in a whole season when we lived there. But now I think I have closure on that season in my life. Not sure if and when we will go back there. Maybe to camp with our dear friends there, but probably not just for me to fish. I did learn that the several month layoff from exercising took it's toll physicaly. Carrying the canoe was more difficult than it used to be. So, now that we are back I have and have the equipment again, I have started my exercise regimen again. I feel better already. Speaking of feeling better the colitis I mentioned last entry is much improved. It can come back anytime according to the doc, but at the moment everytime is back to normal. I will carry the meds that control it from now on though, just in case. We did trade our truck for a new smaller car that better suits our lifestyle here in TN. We really enjoy sitting on the deck watching the birds and have many, many types visiting. We both were having alot of trouble sleeping here because of the summertime heat. Turning the A/C down in the entire house just to cool the bedroom seemed like a waste. So we had a small wall type A/C in the family room that was not being used since we had cooling ducts put in. Since it was one of those inter units that did not go thru the wall, we had it moved to the bedroom. What a difference! Now the BR is nice and cool and the rest of the house can stay at it's usual setting. Us and the dogs are all sleeping fine now. Anyway, my coffee cup is empty, so....

Sandy, what a neat idea! Anything that help hand/eye coordination is a good idea. Pre stroke I built models with Erector sets ( mechanical toy). After my stroke holding the parts and screws was not possible. So I started with Tinker Toys and Lincoln Logs. I have now progressed to doing my Erector sets again. Best of results to both of you.

Fred, Sorry to hear of your difficulties. See what else the VA can do for you as far equipment goes, home remodeling and even some extra $$ for the wife as caregiver. Good luck my friend.

Asha, As I have said many times, life has seasons. Like all seasons, life seasons do not last forever, the goods seasons as well as the bad seasons. Having a stroke definitely changes the :season" immediately. Whether is is a totally bad season or one that gradually becomes a new spring season is up to each of us to work out. Sounds to me like your spring is becoming a beautiful summer.

I understand where Mike is coming from. From my experience after a stroke, withdrawal seems to be the easy way out. Mike needs to understand you need some "girl time". I would suggest contacting the old friends and try to rekindle the friendships. Also, leaving him alone is not fatal. He will survive it and if you make some of the activities things he may enjoy he might start coming along when you make it clear you are going with or without him. Tough love but sometimes necessary. After a stroke it is easy to focus on the physical issues, but the mind has new needs and problems as well. Good luck.

Sue staying fit is some of the problem. I was without my exercise equipment for several months, and now having been under the weather with colitis have not felt much like using the equipment. However, with a new to us house, Lesley has been keeping me hopping with "honey do's" and the trip back to MN should help. When we return unless something else comes up, I should be able to start exercising again and am sure I will feel better as a result. BTW, Lesley is off to New Zealand in mid Aug for three weeks to visit mum and our son is coming here to visit for an unknown length of time in Sept.

Those of you that have read my blogs for some time know I am usually upbeat. I must confess things are piling up such that it is increasingly hard to be upbeat. The move to TN has cost way, way more than was expected. We are recovering but it will be a year before I feel comfortable with the checkbook again. That being said, we love the area and are making friends sooner than expected. The main reason for things piling up has been my medical issues. The new to me VA doc has ordered many tests just so he can get to know me. I am used to having medical tests and having normal, nothing found results. No however each test seems to find something. No life threatening stuff but annoying all the same. Those that remember my blog about my "family" will remember all my aliments. To which now can be added colitis (no cure but treatable and manageable), hearing deficit, swollowing disorder, sleep disorder, degerative discs in the upper back and neck, and assorted aches and pains. Getting old (will turn 70 next week) is definitely not for sissies. VA gave me a cpap machine for the sleep problem. I am normal height and weight, never smoked but wake up groggy and need an afternoon nap. My biggest concern from the sleep test was that my pulse ox dropped to 85. Many nights have long waking periods, but initially going to sleep is easy. It is the staying that way that is hard. After four attempts at using the cpap, I am ready to toss it in the trash. I have the nostril fitting not a complete mask since I do not open my mouth when sleeping. Keeping the thing correctly positioned when I turn on my side which is my normal position is maddening. So far it has kept me awake more than it has helped me sleep. After about 1/2 hour I throw the thing off and quickly go to sleep. Sleeping on my back has it's own problems because of the afore mentioned neck issues causing my right hand to go numb after about one hour of on the back sleeping. UGH! Anyway the only positive I can report other than we love the area here is that next week we are going back to MN and hopefully catch some of the fish I missed while living there. My coffee cup is empty soooo.....

Go to Ebay and search, or ACGHS.org which is the Erector society for all things with Erector sets and everything else A.C. Gilbert invented and manufactured. Basically they are construction toys using metal parts

Thanks for the comments. Ron, sounds like you might be in TN. Maybe we can touch base sometime. We are in Erwin, 20 miles south of Johnson City surrounded by mountains. Beautiful indeed. Things do seem to be improving, today I am mostly back to normal and the VA has given me the choice of finding what I need and they will pay for it. Just had a bad day when I wrote to blog. Fred, yes we do have a motorhome and look to be using it much more now that we are far enough South to do so. Thanks both.

Sorry for the long gap in postings, life has been busy to say the least. The saying goes that old age is not for sissies. I can now say that moving across country is not for sissies either. As previously posted we were planning to move from MN to TN. The move is now done, new to us house and all furniture shipped and accounted for. Nearly finished with the endless address changes, insurances, vehicle registrations, etc, etc. The new house is fine but as expected some changes needed to make it ours. The neighborhood is fine and friendly. weather is much nicer than Northern MN. Still settling in though, not knowing anybody or having local friends is a challenge. Unfortunately the biggest issue has been medical for me. I picked up an intestinal bug over a month ago and while now some better, still not right. diarrhea 24/7, some nausea, etc. The local VA is swamped and while my provider is great and has done his best, the system is so busy he cannot get me what he really wants tested quickly. So, Monday (tomorrow) I am calling a local civilian provider and will use the Medicare system. I am just plain sick and tired of being sick and tired. We are supposed to go back to MN in June for a few weeks to pick up some stuff and see old friends. Not yet sure how that will work out Good news though, our son, Stefan, from New Zealand plans to visit us in September for awhile. Mum turns 93 this year in the fall, and Lesley plans a visit to NZ to see her then. Wish I could make this post happier, but sometime things are a a problem. Ny coffee cup is empty and you all know what that means

Thanks Sue for the insight into life. We all have hills and valleys, and you seem to be climbing out of a deep valley and approaching a new mountain top. Enjoy the view along the way and especially when you get there.