I think we are all ready to go for tomorrow. Kris spent the day putting together photos on display boards. I think they look pretty good, though there aren't a lot from say longer than 15 years ago or so. But I think that Kris did a very good job arranging, and sorting, etc. I think it would be something her mom would like. The priest who is doing the service sent the readings that will be used to the girls so that they can practice, and all the other things for the lunch afterward is set.
I think it is time to get to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. We'll be up by 5:30 to start getting the girls ready (and us) and we have to be at the funeral home by about 10:15. I think a good night's sleep will go a long way to recharging the batteries so to speak.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Not a Good Start
Since we had pretty much everything done for Friday, I went into work early today. Then I realized, today is game #1 of the Brewers season. So I am sitting at my desk, doing my work, listening to the Brewers run all over the Reds and thinking to myself, I really need to look at their upcoming homestands and figure out when Kris and I can go. As I was driving home Milwaukee was ahead 6-3 going into the bottom of the ninth, and I was figuring perfect way to end the day.
I got home before the game was over and Kris's friend Laura was over so I didn't get a chance to watch the end of the game. About a half an hour later I remembered, so I flip on FSNWI and see that the Brewers lost 7-6. I almost exploded. We have a great opening game, turn it over to the closer and he ends up choking, giving up 4 runs. I hope this isn't an omen, otherwise it will be a long year! Thanks Axeford! You better not be another Derrick Turnbow!
I got home before the game was over and Kris's friend Laura was over so I didn't get a chance to watch the end of the game. About a half an hour later I remembered, so I flip on FSNWI and see that the Brewers lost 7-6. I almost exploded. We have a great opening game, turn it over to the closer and he ends up choking, giving up 4 runs. I hope this isn't an omen, otherwise it will be a long year! Thanks Axeford! You better not be another Derrick Turnbow!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Day Two
Two days down and one to go. Today was spent running to the monument company to get a headstone and get things for the luncheon. Who would have guessed there was so much to consider when picking a headstone. We spent almost two hours there shopping, planning and designing. It was actually a pretty pleasurable experience, it is just too bad that we had to be under the gun to get it done.
Before we went though, we stopped over at Kris's parents' house to check on Kris' brother and her dad. Well it was not a good night for him. When we got there, it looked like her dad hadn't slept at all. With his memory issues, he kept asking where Carole was, and if she had died. So we had to tell him and the result was just a breakdown crying. It is pretty heartbreaking because each time we tell him it is like he is hearing it for the first time. But as soon as Kris and I got there I think it helped because he became much less agitated and much less emotional. We both noticed a significant change, which is good. Though I worry about how things will change when aren't there.
We also had to take Alison out to get a pair of shoes to go with the dress she is wearing Friday since the pair she has right now is too small. Those of you who know Alison know that she is a shoe-hound. She was looking at all the shoes in the store, trying on every pair regardless of it was the style we were looking for or not. She actually wanted high heels, but we had to try and convince her that flats were the way to go.
Then we took the girls to Chili's for dinner as sort of a reward for putting up with the madness the last couple of days. I think that made them happy.
I also should add that Kris's aunt asked if Sarah, being Carole's oldest granddaughter, would like to do a reading at the service on Friday. We weren't sure but when we asked her she jumped at it. Then when Alison heard she decided that she wanted to do one as well. I hope they make it through ok. I think they'll be good as far as the reading goes, I am just worried they'll develop "stagefright" when it comes time to actually do it.
It's off to get some rest now. I'll be heading into work tomorrow and Kris has some friends and family stopping by tomorrow. Hopefully we have most everything taken care of for Friday.
Before we went though, we stopped over at Kris's parents' house to check on Kris' brother and her dad. Well it was not a good night for him. When we got there, it looked like her dad hadn't slept at all. With his memory issues, he kept asking where Carole was, and if she had died. So we had to tell him and the result was just a breakdown crying. It is pretty heartbreaking because each time we tell him it is like he is hearing it for the first time. But as soon as Kris and I got there I think it helped because he became much less agitated and much less emotional. We both noticed a significant change, which is good. Though I worry about how things will change when aren't there.
We also had to take Alison out to get a pair of shoes to go with the dress she is wearing Friday since the pair she has right now is too small. Those of you who know Alison know that she is a shoe-hound. She was looking at all the shoes in the store, trying on every pair regardless of it was the style we were looking for or not. She actually wanted high heels, but we had to try and convince her that flats were the way to go.
Then we took the girls to Chili's for dinner as sort of a reward for putting up with the madness the last couple of days. I think that made them happy.
I also should add that Kris's aunt asked if Sarah, being Carole's oldest granddaughter, would like to do a reading at the service on Friday. We weren't sure but when we asked her she jumped at it. Then when Alison heard she decided that she wanted to do one as well. I hope they make it through ok. I think they'll be good as far as the reading goes, I am just worried they'll develop "stagefright" when it comes time to actually do it.
It's off to get some rest now. I'll be heading into work tomorrow and Kris has some friends and family stopping by tomorrow. Hopefully we have most everything taken care of for Friday.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Planning
Today was spent doing lots of planning. First thing we did was clean up the house. As we were cleaning things up from the night before we found a ziploc bag with each girl's name on it (Sarah, Alison, and Keith's daughter) that contained some hand embroidered pillow cases (which was one of Carole's favorite hobbies) and a handwritten note . The handwritten note even choked me up.
Then we had to go meet with the funeral home and go over services etc. One good thing is that we are not having a church service nor a formal burial service. Kris doesn't think (and I agree) that her dad would handle those very well. we went over what kind of display we will have, what we will be doing afterward, what kind of casket she will be buried in... all the fun stuff. Kris was doing pretty good until we got to writing the obituary. When it came time to write proud grandmother of Sarah and Alison... let's just say it took a moment for Kris to compose herself. We finished up with things, but it was very draining for Kris and her aunt (who was along to help).
Here is the obituary from the funeral home website. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel will be running it tomorrow.
Then as soon as we got finished, it was time to go get Ali from school, come home and get her homework done because tonight was the final dance class of this session through the rec. dept. When we got home we were also trying to figure out what to do with Kris's dad for the night. We got Kris's brother to agree to stay with him after a time, so that is one night down, but we can't keep going with this. Tomorrow we are going to see if we can find a solution to sitting with Bob every night.
Then we had to go meet with the funeral home and go over services etc. One good thing is that we are not having a church service nor a formal burial service. Kris doesn't think (and I agree) that her dad would handle those very well. we went over what kind of display we will have, what we will be doing afterward, what kind of casket she will be buried in... all the fun stuff. Kris was doing pretty good until we got to writing the obituary. When it came time to write proud grandmother of Sarah and Alison... let's just say it took a moment for Kris to compose herself. We finished up with things, but it was very draining for Kris and her aunt (who was along to help).
Here is the obituary from the funeral home website. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel will be running it tomorrow.
Then as soon as we got finished, it was time to go get Ali from school, come home and get her homework done because tonight was the final dance class of this session through the rec. dept. When we got home we were also trying to figure out what to do with Kris's dad for the night. We got Kris's brother to agree to stay with him after a time, so that is one night down, but we can't keep going with this. Tomorrow we are going to see if we can find a solution to sitting with Bob every night.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Over
Well the watch is over. Kris's mom passed away later this evening. Please keep Kris and her family in your thoughts and prayers as we try and plan her funeral. We will probably be scarce/busy the next few days.
The one thing that sort of makes me mad is that Carole never received the Anointing. I didn't even think about it until this afternoon when Kris told me that the hospice nurse gave her such a short time. I told Kris to call our church to see if we could have the pries come over and give her last rites. Well he wasn't around when Kris called and the church secretary even gave Kris his cell phone number. She called an left him a message, but we never heard back. It makes me sad to know that she didn't receive an anointing before she passed away. Looks like it is just another thing for me not to like about our priest.
The one thing that sort of makes me mad is that Carole never received the Anointing. I didn't even think about it until this afternoon when Kris told me that the hospice nurse gave her such a short time. I told Kris to call our church to see if we could have the pries come over and give her last rites. Well he wasn't around when Kris called and the church secretary even gave Kris his cell phone number. She called an left him a message, but we never heard back. It makes me sad to know that she didn't receive an anointing before she passed away. Looks like it is just another thing for me not to like about our priest.
Not Long Now
I don't want this to turn into a "death watch", but Kris is going to be at her mom's tonight. The hospice nurse who was there today said in her opinion, there isn't much more time for her mom. Maybe 24-48 hours. I told Kris she should probably call the priest from St. Anthony's and we are waiting for a call back from him right now. I think that is all I am going to be "reporting" about Carole's condition until we have to announce a funeral.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Downhill
We found out that Kris's parents had to call the hospice nurse overnight because she was having difficulty breathing. As a result, we ended up spending a total of about six hours there yesterday.
First we stopped over there late in the morning and her mom did not look good. We had to make sure that her dad took all of his pills (which of course he didn't). Then as we were trying to get Carole readjusted in her bed, she got up and decided to walk across the room. I had to grab her arm to stop her as she was about to rip her catheter out. Then as she had stopped she turned around and said she was just going to sit down and rest while we readjusted her bed. The only problem was that she wasn't near a chair, well she was near it, just not in front of it, so she starts rocking backwards and BOOM! I was able to grab her arm and catch her so that she didn't crash hard, but she still hit the ground pretty good. It took a little bit but we did get her back into bed and re-situated a little more comfortably. Once she was settled we left and went home.
Then about 4:30 in the afternoon we got a call from her dad. He said Carole was having problems and he thought we needed to call 911 and get her to the hospital. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) he doesn't remember what is happening. So we went over to check on things and found out that Carole hadn't been taking her pain medication. We managed to giver her her medication and waited around to make sure it started working and she was comfortable enough to fall asleep. While we were there we also made sure that her dad had his dinner and took his medications. Then we left figuring we would need to go back a little after 8:00 to make sure Carole would take her long acting pain killers before bedtime.
I think that things are sinking in for the girls, especially Alison. I am actually surprised at how well Sarah is taking everything. Alison though is very upset by the thought of her grandma going away forever. I have a feeling that it might not be long. I am actually very surprised at how quickly things have gone downhill. Maybe things will be better in the morning.
First we stopped over there late in the morning and her mom did not look good. We had to make sure that her dad took all of his pills (which of course he didn't). Then as we were trying to get Carole readjusted in her bed, she got up and decided to walk across the room. I had to grab her arm to stop her as she was about to rip her catheter out. Then as she had stopped she turned around and said she was just going to sit down and rest while we readjusted her bed. The only problem was that she wasn't near a chair, well she was near it, just not in front of it, so she starts rocking backwards and BOOM! I was able to grab her arm and catch her so that she didn't crash hard, but she still hit the ground pretty good. It took a little bit but we did get her back into bed and re-situated a little more comfortably. Once she was settled we left and went home.
Then about 4:30 in the afternoon we got a call from her dad. He said Carole was having problems and he thought we needed to call 911 and get her to the hospital. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) he doesn't remember what is happening. So we went over to check on things and found out that Carole hadn't been taking her pain medication. We managed to giver her her medication and waited around to make sure it started working and she was comfortable enough to fall asleep. While we were there we also made sure that her dad had his dinner and took his medications. Then we left figuring we would need to go back a little after 8:00 to make sure Carole would take her long acting pain killers before bedtime.
I think that things are sinking in for the girls, especially Alison. I am actually surprised at how well Sarah is taking everything. Alison though is very upset by the thought of her grandma going away forever. I have a feeling that it might not be long. I am actually very surprised at how quickly things have gone downhill. Maybe things will be better in the morning.
Furance Trouble
Ever since I had replaced the thermostat back at the end of December, we have been having periodic furnace trouble. I initially thought the problem was with the thermostat, which is why I replaced it t0 begin with. But several times over the last three months we have awakened to the temperature in the house being in the neighborhood of 60°-62°. BRRRRR!
Usually we have been able to get the furnace up and running again after about 5 minutes of playing with the fan switch or the temperature setting. But Sunday when we got up, Kris told me the furnace wasn't working again. She could tell as soon as she got out of bed. It was 63° in our bedroom, and the temperature on the thermostat read 59°. All the playing around with the switches was not getting it to kick in. I thought I was going to have to call a serviceman to come out on a Sunday (not cheap), but luckily after about two hours, I turned off the breaker to the furnace and let it sit for a minute or two, then turned it back on. This seemed to do the trick. I cranked the heat up to 70° and it seemed like it took two hours for the house to come back up to temp.
Kris told me that her boss had a similar problem at one time on her house and it turned out the the ignition on the furnace had blown/worn out. So they ended up having to replace the entire furnace. And since you couldn't replace JUST the furnace the A/C needed to get replaced as well. That is not a cheap proposition. I just hope that isn't what the problem is here. Hopefully we can make it through the remainder of the winter and then once it gets warm enough in a month or so when we don't need the furnace on, I can get someone out here to take a look on it.
Usually we have been able to get the furnace up and running again after about 5 minutes of playing with the fan switch or the temperature setting. But Sunday when we got up, Kris told me the furnace wasn't working again. She could tell as soon as she got out of bed. It was 63° in our bedroom, and the temperature on the thermostat read 59°. All the playing around with the switches was not getting it to kick in. I thought I was going to have to call a serviceman to come out on a Sunday (not cheap), but luckily after about two hours, I turned off the breaker to the furnace and let it sit for a minute or two, then turned it back on. This seemed to do the trick. I cranked the heat up to 70° and it seemed like it took two hours for the house to come back up to temp.
Kris told me that her boss had a similar problem at one time on her house and it turned out the the ignition on the furnace had blown/worn out. So they ended up having to replace the entire furnace. And since you couldn't replace JUST the furnace the A/C needed to get replaced as well. That is not a cheap proposition. I just hope that isn't what the problem is here. Hopefully we can make it through the remainder of the winter and then once it gets warm enough in a month or so when we don't need the furnace on, I can get someone out here to take a look on it.
More
Saturday after work we ran over to Kris's parents' to see how her mom was doing and talk to the hospice nurse. She was actually doing pretty good, though a little weak. We ran and did a little bit of grocery shopping for her folks, a little bit of cleaning, and made sure that her mom was comfortable and then we headed home for the day, crossing our fingers that nothing would go wrong.
Sarah was off at a girl scout event on Saturday practicing being a PA, so she wasn't with us. Ali and I played a game or two and we spent the rest of the day getting things done around the house (laundry, cleaning the upstairs that didn't get done on Friday). I was still really tired from getting up early to go to work and from recovering from a cold so I went to bed early, hoping to get some rest before we had to go over and check on Kris's mom Sunday morning.
Sarah was off at a girl scout event on Saturday practicing being a PA, so she wasn't with us. Ali and I played a game or two and we spent the rest of the day getting things done around the house (laundry, cleaning the upstairs that didn't get done on Friday). I was still really tired from getting up early to go to work and from recovering from a cold so I went to bed early, hoping to get some rest before we had to go over and check on Kris's mom Sunday morning.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
The Next Chapter
Friday I took a day off of work because Kris’s mom was being released from the hospital. We thought that we had everything set up for her to go to a residential hospice, but at the last minute on Thursday we found out that the doctor was sending her home with home hospice care. The hospice delivered everything to the house Friday morning and Kris and I went to the hospital to get all of Carole’s things and then meet her at home, as she was being taken home in an ambulance. While we were waiting we took all her prescriptions to be filled and then waited for the intake nurse to get there and do her assessment of the situation.
I don’t know exactly how well this is going to work. While Kris’s mom was in fair shape Friday when she left the hospital (I say fair because compared to her worst it was pretty good, but by no means do I think she was in good shape) We are of the belief that she is going to need round the clock care. The only one who can do it is Kris’s dad, who needs to be cared for himself. I am expecting to be getting calls on a fairly regular basis. We’ll see how things are tomorrow when the home nurse and the aide show up and evaluate her.
I don’t know exactly how well this is going to work. While Kris’s mom was in fair shape Friday when she left the hospital (I say fair because compared to her worst it was pretty good, but by no means do I think she was in good shape) We are of the belief that she is going to need round the clock care. The only one who can do it is Kris’s dad, who needs to be cared for himself. I am expecting to be getting calls on a fairly regular basis. We’ll see how things are tomorrow when the home nurse and the aide show up and evaluate her.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The Latest
Things have been very busy around the house lately, I don't know where to even start. I have been very busy at work, so I have been putting in 10-11 hour days. I shouldn't complain in this economy though. But last Sunday we got a call from Kris's mom saying she was very short of breath and having lots of difficulty breathing. She wanted to know if w thought she should call 911. We ended up driving over to see how she was doing and I convinced her to let me call 911 for her. We figured I could drive her to the ER where she might sit for an hour or two or we could call the ambulance where they could at least begin treating her initially with oxygen and get her breathing under control.
I hope I get this right but her blood oxygen level was in the range of 65 when she was up walking about. So we have been scrambling to try and make sure someone can sit with her dad during the day and also stay with him at night time. Monday (I think) Carole was so bad she got put on a full oxygen mask. Mid week we found out that she had tested positive for MRSA which meant that if anyone wanted to visit her they had to gown up with gloves and face mask just to enter the room. After a couple of days they removed the mask restriction but we still had to gown up and put on gloves to go in the room. Also, we found out that through the blood tests they ran the doctor thinks she had a heart attack. My guess would be that maybe that happened last Sunday when we got called to go over there.
The doctors have been trying to figure out how to treat her. The heart doctor was going to to a heart cath, but after going back over Carole's history for the last few years, he said she exhibited the signs of vascular disease and that her arteries show severe calcification (I hope I got that right) and that a catheter isn't an option at this point. The prognosis isn't good. The doctor said she could have an event next week, or she could make it six months. But it sounds like it is only going to go downhill from here.
Add to this the fact that her mom is on all kinds of pain medication to control other things, like the bile duct block and the liver problems, and it just doesn't look good for her. Kris said that yesterday her regular doctor came in and told her that it is probably going to be maybe a month or so, but she isn't going to get better. They can treat the pain for her, but that is about all they can do for her at this point. It is going to be a rough next month or two I think.
I hope I get this right but her blood oxygen level was in the range of 65 when she was up walking about. So we have been scrambling to try and make sure someone can sit with her dad during the day and also stay with him at night time. Monday (I think) Carole was so bad she got put on a full oxygen mask. Mid week we found out that she had tested positive for MRSA which meant that if anyone wanted to visit her they had to gown up with gloves and face mask just to enter the room. After a couple of days they removed the mask restriction but we still had to gown up and put on gloves to go in the room. Also, we found out that through the blood tests they ran the doctor thinks she had a heart attack. My guess would be that maybe that happened last Sunday when we got called to go over there.
The doctors have been trying to figure out how to treat her. The heart doctor was going to to a heart cath, but after going back over Carole's history for the last few years, he said she exhibited the signs of vascular disease and that her arteries show severe calcification (I hope I got that right) and that a catheter isn't an option at this point. The prognosis isn't good. The doctor said she could have an event next week, or she could make it six months. But it sounds like it is only going to go downhill from here.
Add to this the fact that her mom is on all kinds of pain medication to control other things, like the bile duct block and the liver problems, and it just doesn't look good for her. Kris said that yesterday her regular doctor came in and told her that it is probably going to be maybe a month or so, but she isn't going to get better. They can treat the pain for her, but that is about all they can do for her at this point. It is going to be a rough next month or two I think.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Finally
Well I finally got my new laptop, and I have to say this will take a little getting used to. I have spent the last day and a half trying to reload all the programs I had on my old one and the first thing I'll say is that I HATE Windows 7. I am sure it is just a matter of getting used to it, but my initial reaction is that it sucks. Secondly, the Dell Inspiron that I bought has a different layout to the keyboard. Maybe it is just me, but it "feels" like the keyboard is set farther back so that I have to reach to hit the keys. It also has a larger keyboard in that it has a keypad on the side. Some of the keys are moved around too compared to my last laptop, such as the insert & delete keys to name a couple. Finally, the keyboard isn't as quiet as the old one when typing. This one makes loud "clicks" as you type rather than the soft, quiet touch I was used to with the last one.
I am sure I will find other things I don't like too, but I suppose I will just need to learn to live with it. At least I am back up and running I suppose.
I am sure I will find other things I don't like too, but I suppose I will just need to learn to live with it. At least I am back up and running I suppose.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Out To Lunch
I am currently out to lunch so to speak. I have been without a computer now for about a week and a half. My laptop died last week and I am still shopping for a new one. Otherwise I have to pick and choose the times I can get on to use the other computers in the house (Kris's or the girls'). Usually when I have time, either someone is sitting on one of them or there is something else for me to be doing around here. Hopefully I will be back up and running soon. I am looking at a Dell right now that is on sale, though I haven't decided whether or not I should pull the trigger on it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)