Updating the ups and downs

I am so overwhelmed with the idea of catching up on this blog. This past week has been a whirlwind of activity starting with my birthday on the 6th of March.

It was a most pleasant and memorable birthday with Butch taking me out for lunch at Dirty Al's. It used to be we would have to go to Port Isabel or Padre Island for Dirty Al's shrimp but a couple of years ago they opened one in McAllen and that is where we went. It was delicious and I savored every bite of my shrimp. And Butch enjoyed his cheeseburger and fries. When we came home flowers were delivered from Leo and Keri. That was a big surprise. It has been years since I have received flowers. Oh yes, and a teddy bear and balloons.

The very next day in the evening is when Butch fell out of the shower breaking his leg. Needless to say that changed nearly everything. I had made our reservations for our trip North but had to cancel all that. I had changed our mail to stay in Jefferson. Canceled that. Now we do not know when we may make the trip. That is the bad news and the good news is we can stay here as long as we can rely on Leo and Keri to handle a few details for us. The main one is mowing the lawn. Butch seems to think he will be a fast healer and I certainly hope he is right. He is giving it his best effort.
These photos were taken yesterday.

I started this story before I went to see him today. It takes me about 20-25 minutes to get there. So at 9:30 off I go and when I got there I found I couldn't enter the building until noon. So I reversed my steps and came back home. I started back about 11:30 and when I got there this is what I saw.

I decided that rather than mingle with the crowd I would just wait until it thinned out. That was a mistake. I may have waited the entire afternoon. I did finally get in line. The new rules are only 2 visitors the entire day. So if I go only one other person would be allowed in. The hours strictly enforced are noon to six. We understand and do not find it a hardship to comply.
They are working him very hard but he says he can tell a big improvement every day. My friend
Mickey said to encourage him to get all the therapy he can and he wholeheartedly agrees.
Leo and Keri sent him some flowers so I took a pic.

  He was a pooped puppy!

Beautiful!
I am a bit worn myself so maybe tomorrow I will follow up with more.

Better, Much better

Butch is settled in on the Therapy floor. McAllen Medical Center in McAllen Texas room 608. He is doing very well. He will have 4 therapy sessions per day of 45 minutes each for one to two weeks. Today was his first day and he was up from 6:00 am until 2:00 PM when I left. He was pretty tired by then and I am guessing he had a good long nap this afternoon. He has some loyal visitors and I am sure he is very glad to have the variety. When I say "up" I mean it. In a wheelchair interspersed with walks with a walker. They waste no time in helping you get your life back.
I will drive over every day to see him, timing it with the normal lulls in traffic. So far,So good.  I have made up my mind I will be doing his chores along with mine and I can do it. If nothing else to prove to myself I can do it.

Getting better

Butch has been moved to rehab on the 6th floor of the McAllen Medical Center. A private room, number 608 and he will be there for 7 to 14 days. They have new rules from the floor he was on before. No urinals. So he has to go to the bathroom in the bathroom. It is a very nice facility so there is plenty of room. Also, they do not bring your meals to you. There is a community dining area where everyone eats. Most of the people in the region are bilingual but Spanish is their first language so naturally, that is what they fall back on.  That and many of his hallmates have had strokes as well so there isn't much conversation happening. If they would only encourage him a little he would take up the slack.

He is feeling quite well for all he has been through. The only stumbling block thus far is that when he is lying down he cannot lift his right leg. He can wiggle his foot and bend his knee but he cannot do much when the leg is flat and full length. I am sure that is what they will be working on in the coming weeks.
He has not had any pain meds since the day of surgery. He says the only time it hurts is when he moves it and he doesn't think that is a good enough reason to take any as the pain is not okay, but it is bearable. I am very sure he will be a star patient. He always is.

I have had to put on my big girl panties and drive in city traffic. I have found a route where I can avoid the expressway and get there without incident or fear. I have two solo trips under my belt so far. It is a 9-mile trip and I try to time it to avoid busy times.

So far he is getting a good amount of company to break up his day. He is sleeping quite a bit too. Dave and Liz brought him a cribbage board and he and I have played.
It is looking like we may have to stay another month, maybe longer. The good news is we can do that. They said after his hospital therapy he will be having a month of outpatient therapy. We will do what we have to do to make it right

I am still having moments where I can't believe it actually happened.

It's the Little Things

I found this in drafts! I thought I sent it a long time ago! So here it is and better late than never.
Tomorrow is my birthday and I will be 77 years of living. I was checking out the weather for tomorrow and this is what I found!  The temperature tomorrow will also be 77. Yes, it is always the little things that bring a smile to my face.

Butch and I went to Nuevo Progreso, Tamaulipas Mexico today. It is right on the border and the one we have been going to for all the years we have been coming here. It is much the same. The inspections when coming back take much longer and the inspectors are more thorough but nothing too much to deal with. I was scrutinized too much for my comfort because of the number of meds I had with me so next year we will make more trips and spread it out over more visits. No Problemo!

The only problem will be remembering to do it!

We have our itinerary scoped out for our return North. We will be leaving here on Sunday, April 5th and after a few stops along the way, we will be arriving back in Iowa by the 15th. We have some Canadian friends who have said they are going to try and coordinate a stop at our place around that time and we would hate to miss them. 

77- It does not seem possible or even likely. There is a much younger person inside this body that struggles each day to keep the old girl in good shape. I feel so much younger than I did even a year ago.

I am well aware that I am rambling on and skipping around and I want to apologize for the gaps in my blog entries. It does seem that the days fly by and the time either runs out or what I have done of interest doesn't seem important or I cannot remember what it is! Thanks to all who hang in there with me and still read the blog.

Progress

Butch has been moved to room 435. He was supposed to go to the 6th floor for rehab but they do not have a room for him. They want him to go to their rehab facility in Edinburg which is fewer miles for me and he may do that. He was walking in the hall this morning and he went to the first pole and back which he says was not very far but any is good. He also said he feels 100% better than yesterday. He hasn't needed any pain meds since the day of surgery. He said it doesn't hurt until he moves it and even then it is bearable.
We have never received any info about what the surgeon actually did. The nurses showed me his chart and it basically said it was broken and I fixed it. He has no restrictions as far as mobility. He is supposed to let the pain level tell him when it is too much and I am sure he will. I plan to use the blog for updates and texting on the phone if I have to. I like to assume I reach more of our friends and family by the blog however I also know that is not always true.
Till next time...

Life Changing Moment

Saturday night about eight we decided to get our showers out of the way because of a couple of upcoming shows we wanted to watch. I went first without incident and then Butch. He dropped the soap and when he dropped the soap, bending over to pick it up, bumping his head on the built-in shelf, flinched, feet slipped and he fell out of the shower with a hard hit on the metal piece on the bottom ledge breaking his right femur just below his hip. It made a very loud sound. So loud the neighbors heard it and thought it was "The Knocker". Another story, for another time. I did get rattled but finally calmed myself enough to get the first responders called.
The first responders in our park are a group of qualified medical people who come to the aid of anyone who needs it. The number to reach the first responders is on the back of our badges and they are incredibly useful. When we check-in, we are asked to fill out a sheet of medical questions on a form, place it in a red envelope and leave it in an easy to spot location. Our's were on the visors in the front of the motorhome.  The first responders have had over 30 calls in the park this season so far. They determine if an ambulance is needed and in Butch's case there was no doubt so Marcia had me call 911 before she got here. 911 keeps you on the line but Marcia took over when she got here. Her husband meets the ambulance at the gate and leads them to the place. It was quite the event getting Butch strapped to a board and moved out of the motorhome and into the ambulance but everyone involved did an excellent job. I rode in front with the driver. He was very careful trying to make the trip as smooth as possible. We went to McAllen Medical Center ER and they were very busy! Saturday night in the city! They x-rayed him using a portable machine. In fairly short order they had him moved to the 4th floor in room 429. I stayed the night trying to sleep in a very uncomfortable recliner. Neither of us got any sleep. Keny and Mikie Patrick, our next-door neighbors to the north, told me to call them when I needed to come home as I got into the ambulance and so I did. The people in this park are super. I have not found a bad apple in the bunch.
 I planned to spread the help around so I didn't put too much pressure on one friendship. Dave and Liz took me back to the hospital after I got some sleep.  I missed talking to Butch before he went into surgery and I hated that but such as it was, it ended up making the wait time more productive. Butch went to the surgical area at 12:45 pm, into surgery at 2:00 or so, into recovery at 4:30 and into his room about 5:45. Surgery went well. Dr. Lago told Butch he had to fight for a surgery time slot because the hospital doesn't place a broken leg as an emergency.
Butch just called me (9:45 am, Monday) and they have him up in a chair!! He said it went fairly well and yes, it hurt but it was bearable. He was sitting in the chair all the time we talked and it helped both of us feel very hopeful!! They told him to go ahead and use the leg as normal, walk, put pressure on it etc. AMAZING. When it comes down to it Butch has always been a trooper! And healthy as a horse! More later...