Today So Far…

1. Someone who shall be nameless except to say he is 6 ft 8 in and related to me by birth sent me  a DVD player! I am not going to open it until Christmas Day because that is what I do but it was totally a surprise because he also sent me something from my Amazon wish list! NetFlix, here I come! Fred said he would like some opera DVDs!
2. I called the patients’ advocate and set in motion the undoubtedly long procedure for getting reimbursed for the clothes  that Fred took into the hospital that disappeared. Unfortunately, the tweed cap I bought him in England was among them. She said the first steps she has to take are to do what a nurse on intensive care did AND what a security man did and that is to go to all the places where he was and physically check for them. Then she said she would call me back and tell me what happens next.
3. I called the visiting nurse number this morning and had a long talk with the nurse who visited him yesterday about catheterization  and the fact that his ankles are swelling. She was very helpful, asked to be transferred to him and told him what he had to do and that was helpful. He has to weigh himself at about the same time every day and if he gains a couple of pounds very quickly, we know who to call. {I am adamantly and vociferously not involved in catheterization. I have no problems with emptying the commode and cleaning up various other not-so-great bodily products, but a catheter us where I draw the line. } Fortunately, he has done this before and is comfortable {well, as well as one can be at shoving a tube down one’s penis} with the procedure.
4. My massage person called and said she will come to the house if I want her to. I would love this, but there is honestly not enough room. The apartment is small and we are up to our eyes in oxygen bottles! {There is an oxygen-making machine but the first one he set up quit so I got a rapid lesson on transferring to one of those HUGE  cylinders. Then he  brought a spare huge one. Then he brought a new machine but left the two back-up cylinders. And there are also three little ones in case Fred wants to go out. } Anyway, I told Beth {massage person} that I would wait a week or so and let her know. But, she is right. I do desperately need one. And, incidentally, she is not after my money because I still have three left of the prepaid one I bought for myself when she gave me a good discount.
5. I cleaned the snow off my car, and, after a little wheezing {it is, after all a bought-in-Mississippi-&-not-used-to-minus-degrees Kia} it started beautifully. I went to the grocery store to get the necessities of life which include  ice cream. When the visiting nurse came the first time, she said it is important that he be encouraged to eat and to drink. She said a moderate amount of beer is ok and since he seldom drinks more than two, and she agrees that this would not harm him, I also picked up some beer today. So far, since he has been home, he has wanted only cereal and when I have tempted him with a sandwich, he eats only half of it. Lunch today he asked for a toasted wheat bread, peanut butter and Jarlsberg cheese sandwich and he has drunk a whole glass of milk with the three-quarters of the sandwich he ate.
6. It is very reasuring to have my sister on the other end of an Instant Messenger because she has not only been a nurse {although it was a long time ago} but she has also had colon cancer surgery and recovered successfully from it. Besides, I like my sister. She is both interesting and pragmatic and now we are both crones, we get on very well.

Ok, I think that is it so far. A bit later, I have promised Fred I will make some of the gingerbread mix. I still haven’t checked the recipe in the cookbook to make sure we have all the ingredients, but  I will; however,  we both like this mix.

Until later…