Hoping to Hear

Dad & Mom rode in the wheelchair van to the "hearing aid doctor" today and ordered a new hearing aid for Dad. Mom said he was surprised by how much it cost. :-) (Mom wasn't.) It should be here in 2-3 weeks. We pray that it will work well for Dad and enable him to participate more fully in conversations with those who come to visit him. If so, then it is well worth the cost.

Dad walked by himself today!!

Dad continues to do quite well! Mom said that when he needed to get to the bathroom today, and the nurse did not respond to his call quickly enough, he decided to get there on his own--and he made it, using his walker!!

He did have help getting back to bed, and also for another walk in the hall. He sat up for awhile today too. And they have made an appt. for him to see an audiologist on Monday, to get a hearing aid to replace the one that got broken in October.

Sadly, his eating has not improved. He still can't eat solid food, and is having trouble swallowing even the nutritional shakes. So although he is stronger, there doesn't seem to be any prospect of removing the feeding tube--which would be necessary for him to go home.

The biggest blessing right now is that Dad is in good spirits for the most part. That is an answer to prayer, because we want him to be happy and content. Also, it makes the situation so much easier on Mom!!

Re-energized

Mom reports that Dad was up walking in the hall today!!!! First time in a couple of weeks. Aunt Becky, Mom's sister, was in the same facility after a hospitalization, and she went home today. So Dad asked when it would be his turn to go home.

Mom told him she wasn't sure, and reminded him of the feeding tube. But he seemed motivated by the thought, because he also drank his entire 4-oz. nutritional shake at lunch!! I think that's the first time he's done that.

Mom's sinus inflammation has also improved. The x-rays showed no infection. So she plans to keep taking her new medicine and pray it continues to work!

Overall, it was a good day. Mom sounded amazed as she told me, "See, good things DO still happen!!"

An eventful weekend

Sorry I haven't checked in for a few days. Our son Evan (9) broke his arm last Friday; fell off a swing at the school playground. So he and I spent the weekend in the hospital. He had orthopedic surgery at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando on Saturday, and came home Sunday evening. He's now on the couch, with arm elevated, being waited on hand & foot.

We hope he'll feel like doing some schoolwork tomorrow. We go back on Thursday to get his cast put on, and maybe he can go to school on Friday.

We are so thankful that Grandma & Grandpa Corbett were here and willing to help with our other two kids so Jack could come to the hospital. And our friends have been great, expressing their concern and bringing treats! :-)

Back in Maine, Mom reports that Dad has been doing fairly well. He's been sitting up some, and visited the apartment for almost an hour yesterday afternoon. However when he got back to his room, his feeding tube was blocked again and he was scheduled to go to the hospital this morning to have it replaced.

Mom's sinuses are still bothering her terribly, with no answer in sight. They were x-rayed yesterday. She also had an eye appt. where she learned she has cataracts, but they have to get worse before they can be removed.

Dad needs encouragement

Mom was in tears yesterday. Dad told her he was moving back to the apartment--a misunderstanding. He was going to VISIT the apartment. When Mom reminded him she could not care for him at home, he grew very morose and made some remarks that saddened her. She tried to encourage him with reminders of Heaven, but she blamed herself that he was discouraged.

Dad did get to visit the apartment for awhile yesterday, which made two days in a row that he was sitting up for awhile! Today, however, he stayed in bed all day. His attitude was better, though.

He is asking about getting another hearing aid. His got broken several weeks ago. When he went to bed, it was in its case on the table beside the bed. In the morning, the case and half of the hearing aid were missing and the other half was found on the floor with wires sticking out. Probably an employee knocked it down, stepped on it, tried to cover it up by throwing it away, but overlooked a piece. The nursing home said they would file an insurance claim, but such losses are not usually covered.

Anyway, we had made an appointment for Dad with a hearing aid provider, but then we canceled it when it seemed like it would be too much for him. He hadn't mentioned it, and he can hear voices close to his right ear, so we thought that was sufficient. But since he is asking now, Mom wants to see about a replacement.

We are going to let the house in Gorham go unheated this winter. Last year it stayed heated to 45 degrees or so, but the heating oil just ran out. I didn't think to check the gauge when I was there last week. Our wonderful neighbor, Jim, who has been handling the snow plowing, winterized the pipes so it should be ok to freeze. That will save a lot of money, as the house is not well insulated.

As always, thanks for your friendship and prayers! We appreciate it very much.

More Alert Today :-)

Mom said Dad was awake more today than he has been for several days. He sat up in the chair for over an hour this morning, and when she brought him the newspaper, he looked at the first AND last pages of the front section! When I was visiting, he never did more than glance at the headlines.

Mom brought Josey to visit him this morning too. This afternoon the nurse was planning to bring him to visit the apartment. Mom wasn't sure it would happen though, because Dad was sleeping, and because the nurses were busy with a new patient being admitted.

Overall, it was an encouraging day. :-)