Aunt Jane's funeral was Sunday morning but we ended up not going. None of my three sisters decided to go so Amy and I were going to go alone. But neither of us could get to sleep Saturday night. Over about one AM I turned to Amy and said we would just forget about it. I never did get any appreciable sleep that night so it was pretty miserable. On the upside Amu decided to attend my church we went together of course. Amy fed the dogs. She even petted Pearl the youngest and somewhat elusive dog. Elvis really acts like he adores Amy. I took care of Viola of course. My only problem with Viola is that sometimes when she gets aggressive licking my face she knocks my glasses off. We're still planning to go back to DeQueen this upcoming weekend. I went to Wound Care yesterday before dialysis. I ended up getting an off loading boot on my left foot. It is much more massive than the one I wore a few years ago. It weighs fully 3.5 lbs. and is a real bear to take on and off. On the upside, my chair time at dialysis has been moved from 3 P.M. up to 11:15 AM!! This is a vast improvement But if I get to stay in that time this winter that means I won't have to concern myself with driving home in the dark. All for now.
I've had a persistent pain in the lower left side of my chest going through to my back. It starts out as pain all over my back in the morning but "diminishes" to a more localized pain. It feels sometimes like some kind of pulled muscle but at other times feels more internal. Don't know what I'm going to do about it. I can't take much Ibuprofen (though it has helped before) due to my dialysis requirements. I hate the thought of going to the doctor as lord knows what they will do. Murphy got lose yesterday when I was walking her after 8 PM. She pulled backward out of her harness. Because I was wearing my off loading boot I couldn't really chase her so she didn't run far but still far enough I couldn't catch her. But finally she got tired and did what she always does. She sat down and waited for me to come put her walking leash on her other collar which was still around her neck. We then walked (slowly) home. When it happened I desperately called Amy for her to bring the SUV so we could keep up with her better but Amy had turned the volume down on her phone and never heard it. I was livid. Screaming and cursing. And I couldn't help but chew out Amy when I got home with Murphy. That didn't go over well. I went today to retag the truck, buy Murphy's anti flea tablet at the Vets, and go by Walmart pharmacy. A full rich day. Hope that pain goes away are we're leaving to go to Annalee's on Saturday morning. All for the morning.
That pain in my upper back and lower chest became excruciating. I had to go to the ER on Thursday night and again on Saturday night. On Thursday night about all they did was determine that it wasn't my heart. They gave me some Potassium tablets (my level was low), a muscle relaxant and a Nitroglycerin tablet. Saturday morning I didn't feel well enough to go with Amy to visit Annalee in Searcy so I insisted she go alone. But the pain got worse and worse all day Saturday so I called my niece (Deanna's daughter) who lives about two miles away to take me to the ER again. I told them I thought I was suffering from a hernia. They did a far more thorough check on Saturday night than they had done on Thursday including much more extensive X-rays and a rectal exam. They determined that I was suffering from extreme constipation and gave me medicine for that. And after my continuous complaints about the pain they gave me. a massive dose of Morphine and sent me home. After the Morphine took hold I finally started feeling somewhat better. But the same places in my back and chest are hurting again today so I'm not sure I'm out of the woods yet. I didn't get back home until 1 AM and didn't get to sleep until around 2 AM. I slept for about four hours and woke up with the thunderstorm raging. Massive rain and simply staggering amounts of lightning. Even Murphy was afraid of the lightning and thunder. She snuggled in close to me and put my arm around her during the worst of the storm. Lighting apparently hit power lines on several occasions and caused a terrifying "shriek/pop". Finally at 6:45 the electricity was knocked out and stayed out for about 8 hours. I think the water tower was hit several times by lightning. Its within my line of sight here about 300 yards away . Amy finally got back about 10 AM and shortly thereafter we went to Walmart to get my medicine. It rained about 10 inches in the Union Country area and needless to say, local flooding was a problem. We didn't have church at Norphlet Church of Christ or Norphlet First Baptist so I was able to miss church in good conscience. I didn't have any money to put into the offering play anyway. Amy and Annalee took Ellory to Annalee's in laws house to swim (float) in their swimming pool. Ellory apparently had a ball! Kicking continuously!. She really wore herself out playing in the pool. I wish I had been there to see it. Amy got lots of pictures of course. All for the moment!!.
Not sure, while I do have bowel movements I had to go to the Camden ER this afternoon after I got out of dialysis because of extreme pain. They performed a CT scan and the doctor said he couldn't find anything wrong with me so he prescribed some pills for the pain and discharged me. Only problem is my pharmacy is closed today and I won't be able to get it filled until tomorrow. On the upside the Camden ER wait was not long (minimal) and the doctor and staff working seemed to be far more competent than the El Dorado one did. This despite the fact that an air life helicopter arrived with trauma patients at about the same time we did.
Constipation is a common problem with dialysed patients. Fluid restriction doesn’t help and potassium levels mean that you have to be careful with fruit. You need more than pain pills.
I got an appointment with my regular doctor Friday morning early but I had to see her Nurse Practitioner as she wasn't there and won't be next week either. She ran tests and did ex rays and finally decided it was just the degenerative back problems common with age. She also noted that I had premergent Shingles and she gave me a prescription for that. I still felt awfully bad and Amy wondered if we should make the trip to her parents for her dad's birthday. I urged her to go even if she had to go without me but after that big deal last week where she went to Annalee's while I ended up in the ER she wasn't willing to do that. So I went with here despite being in agony. I drove about half the way. I started feeling somewhat better on Saturday. The anti Singles medicine seems to cause Hallucinations and I had a couple of minor ones Saturday morning. Needless to say I won't be doing any of the driving on the way back. The Shingles lesions themselves have become more obviously and much more agonizing. Like someone cutting into you body with a knife. It wasn't like this when I suffered from them 45 years ago. I'm praying it starts getting better. All for the moment.
And Tuesday the truck wouldn't start. And given where it is parked I couldn't jump start it with anyone elses. I still don't know what I'm going to do about that. I need to be able I could at least jump start it and take it to the mechanic because if he has to come out here to get it he'll charge the dog out of me. Severe Constipation again, I haven't had a bowel movement at all since Saturday.
Overall I've felt pretty good Shingles wise. But the medicine I'm taking can cause hallucinations as a side effect and I've had some mild hallucinations as a result. My most notable ones being abo ut Annalee. I kept having ones about Annalee being a baby or a little girl at least and wondering when she would be home. I thought I would feel better if I called her and instead I broke down crying. Finally said goodbye and decided to sit back in the recliner and try and get some sleep. I woke up with the Bangton's pounding on my door and Murphy barking hysterically at them. I got a hold of Murphy and opened the door. Shane Bangston said it was a "wellness check". Amy had tried to call me five times and I never answered. I looked at my phone and noticed the battery was almost dead. I also found out Annalee was on her way down here. She apparently being worried as well. Annalee spent the night at Amy Lou's. Thy are such a pair when they are together. More sisters than cousins. Annalee is 22 while Amy Lou is 28. Annalee had always wanted an older sister so it seems nice that Amy Lou has stepped into that role. I hope one day that Amy Lou gets married and Annalee serves as Matron of Honor. That would be perfect. Went over to Amy Lou's last night to see her young kitten Anastasia. Amy and I played with Anastasia for a couple of hours. She also has an older cat named Lisa which is not as remotely as friendly. Dialysis today went well. Annalee drove me up there. All for the moment.
This last weekend Amy and I went to Texarkana to see "Elvis". It was a good movie. Good acting and good production values all around. Tom Hanks portrayal of Colonel Tom Parker was very disquieting. We ate at Red Lobster which we do on average about twice a year. I mainly ate lobster, scallops and some New England clam chowder which I had been missing. Overall it was a good trip overall. I drove there and owing to my problems with my eyes (the Gabapentin medication causes diminishing eyesight, hopefully temporary,) Amy drove home. As said a fine time was had by all. It is still ungodly hot here though Deanna said some areas close to them got much needed rain yesterday All for the moment.
A pretty good week at dialysis. I kept my fluid weight gain under control much, much better than I had last week. It was high all three days last week and the heavy removal of fluid caused my blood pressure to drop below the required levels. I also stopped taking any blood pressure medication the mornings I go to dialysis. I wait and take it when I get home. I should've thought about that before. My previous attendant in Pod #1 left. Casey. I wasn't crazy about her. She was replaced by a new girl Britney Elliot. Ironically she is a graduate of Strong High School (in 200. I worked at Strong from 2008 to 2010 though she was never in any of my classes. Strong is one of the few schools that I taught at where I'm still considered "welcome". Amy will leave on Sunday afternoon to go to Annalee's for the week. She is baby sitting Ellory as Annalee's mother in law who normally babysits is not going to be available. Amy is really looking forward to spending the whole week with Ellory. I'll miss her terribly though. Murphy had been troubled by a sore right front paw this week. I couldn't exam it much but I think she might've pulled the toenail on her middle toe. It seems to be getting better though. I hope so as I cannot stand it when my beloved dog is hurting. She must be feeling better as she played with her Corncob toy the night before last and this morning she nuzzled with me for awhile. All for the moment.
Elvis is dead. I went to church this morning and as expected given his truck has not been working, Lynn Gardner didn't bring his three enormous German Shepherds. Viola, Elvis and a second female whose name escapes me. Mr. Gardner has had at least two of the enormous German Shepherd/wolf hybrids for years. When it was just Viola and the male half wolf I became fascinated by them. The male got lose from Lynn's (he lives in the woods with his house and yard surrounded by an 8 feet high chain link fence and was run over on the highway. He replaced the male with Elvis. A beautiful and sweet dog. He had such a great disposition that even Amy when she went to church with me was willing to feed him treats and pet him. But I found out that last Monday Elvis dug his way under the fence at Lynn's and was run over on the highway. It depresses me greatly. He was such a beautiful dog with a great disposition. Now aside from a few pictures he is gone forever. Amy left for Annalee's about 1:30 this afternoon. She texted back a little while ago and said she had arrived. All for the moment.
Amy has had a good visit at Annalee's but she is tired and hopes to come home tomorrow. I'll need to get everything spruced up tomorrow afternoon (she probably won't get here until the 6-6:30 time frame. Wash the bed sheets and above all else wash Murphy to get that dog stench off of her. I didn't get any sleep to speak of last night. Maybe two hours. I simply couldn't get settled. Woke up at seven and the last time I looked at my watch it was after four so at most I got three hours and I'm feeling it today. Maybe I'll be able to get a nap in later. I managed to print off two pictures I had of Elvis on my flip phone 5 by 7s. I made two copies of each of them. I'm giving a copy of each of Lynn at church on Sunday. It isn't much but its the best I can do and all I can think of. Got banned from DebatePolitics.com for two weeks for violating something called the "Vegas Protocal" or something like that. That is a big board and an interesting one but I absolutely hate many of the members there. They call me a "Nazi" because of the old avatar I used to use and the rules there are truly complicated. I don't want to get banned from yet another board but I have no intention of lying low and keeping my head down. That is no way to live, even in an online community, though sometimes I do wish I was able to convey a more favorable impression. Took the car to get the air conditioner repaired this morning. Unfortunately I've got to wait for a new part to come it. Fortunately it won't be nearly as expensive as I had feared if this works. All for the moment.
We went to visit Amy's parents this last weekend. And I managed to find a plumber who might be able to work on daddy's house though he hasn't called me back with cost estimates yet. I also contracted with Robert Taylor to get the yards at daddys house mowed in their entirety. Taylor was the one who referred me to the plumber. The only real downside about moving into daddy's house once it is finished restoring is that it puts us more than an hour further from Annalee's family than we are even now. Hard to believe. Amy was very happy to be back here after spending five days and nights at Annalee's especially given Annalee's relentless trying to get Amy to adhere to a rigid schedule for Ellory. And of course she misses Ellory terribly. Tonight Amy is gone to Monroe, Louisiana with her friend Karen Cook. Nothing good to eat here tonight though I found enough to snack on. The air conditioner on the car is still working fine which is quite welcome. The best $16.46 I've spent in a long time. It has been raining here and all around on and off the last three days. Nice to have so much welcome rain. In addition to the lower temperatures of course. All for the moment.
I remember my mother being like that with my kids. She didn’t approve of “on demand feeding”. My kids survived, as will Ellory.
Leaving for our two day vacation to Branson today after I get out of dialysis. First drive to Searcy to drop off Murphy at Annalee's. I'll get to see Ellory for the first time in months. Then we set out for Branson. Saturday we're schedule to take out helicopter tour. This will be the third time we've flown in the tour helicopter up there. My only experience flying. Then we'll go on the mountain coaster. I cool little ride where you control your speed by pushing the yoke forward or pulling it back. We've both always loved it. The trip itself if a big part of the joy though. Amy and I have always enjoyed long drives. We end up talking about a whole range of subjects from the serious to the frivolous. Sometimes we argue but we always circle back to the happy couple. If there ever comes a time we can't make long drives it will be a loss for us both. And Murphy will enjoy seeing Annalee, Ellory, and Brandon and even Bo (Annalee's dog) whom she barely tolerates. Amy gave Murphy a bath last night so she'll smell tolerable for at least this trip. Shane (our friend from down the street) mowed our yard yesterday so it makes it harder for Murphy to get dirty right after a bath. All for the moment.
Our vacation was outstanding. Except for the drive from Searcy to Branson If we had thought it out we would've stayed the night in Searcy and driven up to Branson early Saturday. Between between the rain, fog and being unfamiliar with the road the drive up was horrible. so At any rate we got to the helipad early and the helicopter tour (our third overall) was the best we've ever taken. I wasn't afraid for a moment. I found it absolutely thrilling by every measure. The Runaway Mountain Coaster that we went on after that was far, far scarier. Not to mention we had to wait in line for two hours to get on. Amy said we wouldn't go on that particular mount coaster in Branson the next time we go. We later went to Springfield to shop and on Sunday we went to Branson Landing. I went to Barnes & Noble in Springfield but despite seeing a huge number of things I found interesting I didn't buy anything. Saturday night in the hotel I watched four episodes of Yellowstone which I enjoyed a great deal. Amy not so much as she was put off by the language (of course ) and the violence. I worried about redamaging my feet due to all the walking we had to do but fortunately at least so far it appears that hasn't happened. Dialysis went well today. Almost perfectly. All for the moment.
Annalee told us the sweetest story about Ellory. Whenever Bo (Annalee's dog) is laying close to Ellory, Ellory tries to grab his front paws and the sides of his head Bo doesn't like this so he get up and moves. When he does that Ellory starts crying. As long as Bo doesn't bite or scratch her I'm fine with that. Amy's dad (Travis) said that if Bo bites Ellory he''ll come up there and shoot him. And I have no doubt he would do that. He is an old man with an obsession with guns. All for the moment.
Hard to believe. I had amost forgotten that our momma died 21 years ago today. I probably wouldn't have remembered it at all if my sister Deanna hadn't mentioned it during our phone conversation today, Annalee thinks she might've found us a place to live in Searcy. A house trailer though at least a three bedroom one. But it's expensive $750 a month though being in Searcy I'll be closer to dialysis and of course we'll be closer to Annalee and family so potentially in the long run it will even out. Still I hate spending so much on a trailer. And whoever heard of a trailer being three bedroom but it is what it is. And we don't really have anything to keep up in Smackover (El Dorado). Amy is certified as a pharmacy tech and I'm unemployed (disabled) so the employment door is pretty wide open for both of us. We'll just have to see how things develop. All for the moment.
Probably more or less permanent. Brandon's family (Annalee's husband) is in the Searcy area and he grew up there, he was the one that wanted to move back there so its unlikely he will want to be moving. But of course should he decide to do so I have no doubts that Annalee will be agreeable to moving with him. Where Annalee and our granddaughter Ellory go is where we will follow. Also once I get back on the kidney transplant list living in Searcy would be better as by policy once on the list I'm supposed to live within an hour of Little Rock. Live more than two hours away now.
