February 28, 2011

Saturday's Simple joys

I was really disappointed when 4:30 friday came around and it was evident that due to BC/BS dragging its heels I would be spending the weekend the glorious Orange Park Medical Center.  So finding the brighter side of life was the new challenge.   

Saturday was filled with simple pleasures.  Due to my swallowing issues I can only eat very soft foods andnot very much of those because I get tired eating. Ok side note~ now this happens in my life. NOW after I have gained so much weight I get tired while eating! Why I couldn't have developed this issue the same time I was developing a love for Panera's treats??  However, due to my very limited intake I do get scheduled snacks, a highly valued item here at OPMC.  In fact I get a made-to-order milk shake every afternoon at 3:00.  I have never been a huge milkshake fan until now!! (How I miss living near a Friendly's)

Saturday was also the first day I was allowed to shower!  I had to become stable with the walker before being allowed to do this so you know I was working my tail off Friday and Saturday at PT.  I think I just sat motionless for the first 10 minutes it felt so good :0)  Now remember I've mentioned how spoiled I was in ICU one of the things I do miss are the massages after being cleaned up.  That's right daily massages.  But that's ok nothing beats a shower.

Saturday, as the list continues, I also got to just hang out with Miss M.  She came up at dinner time.  I'll be honest watching her eat McDonald's (something I don't even like) while I had non-soft roast beef and vegetables did suck: translation- I didn't eat.  We played not 1 but 2 games of Monopoly.  While we have had various Monopoly games over the years the family favorite is Disney Classic. I just love owning Steamboat Willie and Robin Hood. Miss M is just so entertaining and filled with the weirdest, funniest antidotes.  You just need to check out her favorite You-Tube links on her facebook to fully grasp the strangeness that makes up Miss M,LOL.  Nails were painted, secrets shared along with heart to hearts about the reality of what my current condition means to our family.  Before we knew it Hubby was here to take her home, our 3 hours together just flew by.  I believe it is important to be honest and share this with you~~I kicked Miss M's butt in both games to which she was obligated to report to Hubby "Mom rocks" :0)

So Saturday's simple joys:
Chocolate MilkShake
Shower
Monopoly
Chilling with Miss M

Now here's the thing....these simple pleasures are available to us everyday (boy that sounded hallmarky).   And no matter anyway because these simple pleasures made my weekend incarceration that much better.

February 26, 2011

Moved 3 notes over from Facebook

February 22~~Sunshine~~today I was outside for a little while being wheeled to my MRI and got to feel the warmth of the sun.  It felt so good.  Made me think of all things of a silly sunshine charm we bought for Miss M's bracelet this time last year for her Mexican song at DA's Extravaganza.  Sunshine means my garden will be getting ready for some tender loving care.  Thank you god for the warmth and love of the sun

February 23~~~JELL-O~~~sing it with me...Watch it wiggle, see it jiggle. Cool and smoothy, Jello brand gelatin. Of all desserts you'll love the one that tastes so lights and makes such fun. Make Jello gelatin and make some fun. J-e-l-l-o!! Good job...
So they keep checking my blood sugar and it has to be between 55 and 145.  Last night after dinner it was 45...due in part to a messed up dinner order as roast beef is not considered a soft food duh!So as they were getting ready to start a diabetic procedure one nurse suggested a snack and brought out Strawberry Jell-O. Lo and behold my numbers went up to 90!  So Jell-O truly saved the day.  It got me thinking about when my older two were @ Tynes and a couple teachers nicknamed me the Jell-O Queen.  If I could make a theme snack for the kids' lesson that week I did and I loved having fun with them...think that is when Miss M became so good at being bagged and dragged as I bribed her with Jell-O LOL.  Thank you God for food that wiggles and makes us smile!

Thursday February 24~~~Let's face it I am young to be on the stroke floor so having a woman in her 80's as a roommate is no big surprise.  Ms. Theresa has no clue where she is half the time and has actually crawled out of her bed at least 4 times just today.  She is unable to call for help herself so I have spent most of the last 30 hours keeping my eye on her.  Last night after she fell out of bed again and truly believed someone was coming through the window to get her the goal simply became to get her calmed down and rest (OK I really wanted to sleep too as it was around 4 in the morning). The nurses were trying different attempts with minimal results.  Someone then remembered Ms Theresa had the TV on all day,it was  muted and she'd just sit watching from time to time.  So what calmed her....the hospital's newborn channel.  That channel now stays on all the time.  I'll pull the curtain back and not often but occasionally I'll see her smiling at the babies on TV.  What she's thinking. where she is going who knows but I do know that for maybe only moments at a time the smiles of babies calms her...How simple...maybe that is what we need at the UN...rooms full of giggling or peaceful sleeping babies that all the world's leaders have to walk past on their way to any negotiations....so Thank you God for the miracle of Babies and the peace and joy they bring to our lives amongst the crazy and busyness of our world.

February 25, 2011

Day 7

i am not a big journaler and actually envy those who are.  I had started writing a note of thank yous on my fb page and a friend suggested that blogging would work better so we will see

So here we are Day 7

Friday February 25, Alarms
     We are going to start today with a music theory lesson.  There is a style of music whose name escapes me (we'll blame the stroke for now) In this style of music you have an instrument playing a consistent rhythm. You then introduce other instruments one at a time each with a different [rhythm and you have a wonderful piece of music enjoyed especially by Grace Music and Arts campers many a summer,,,,,,,,,,,,this does NOT apply to alarms.
Starting with an adante beat of 4
1234
1234
first alarm...this is low so think of a hippo yawning and he holds this for 2 beats so
1-2 rest rest
1-2 rest rest (so 2 beats of yawning followed by two beats of rest) for you music aficionado a half note followed by a half rest

Now we are going to add a beaver whose tail is being stepped on for 2 half beats on 3 and 4 so now you have:
Hippo~ 1-2 rest rest
Beaver rest rest 3 rest 4  rest
again music peeps: 1/2 note 1/8 note 1/8 rest 1/8 note 1/8 rest

sounding fun.... oh no we are not done

heres come a chicken using lamaze to lay an ostrich sized egg
1 & 2 & 3 rest rest
5 1/8 notes
So put them all together and you realize that in all of this there is a half beat of silence in this glorious master piece

How was I able to come up with this???????????? My roommates 3 alarms went on for over 30 minutes.  Our nurse and cpt were dealing with an emergency and I guess all the other medical personnel on the floor had emergencies also.  I'll admit during this time my alarm may have gone off a few time ~ my heart monitor that is, wonder why???

So am I thankful for Alarms.....no for Noise Reduction Headphones!!!!!  Which I will be wearing to bed