We are becoming so accustomed to clinic days, that we often find ourselves acting as guides to others. For example, one lady was trying to find her way from the waiting room in the pulmonary area to the x-ray dept. I overheard Lee explain that she needed to go to the first "intersection", turn left, and it is down the hallway about midway! I couldn't help but smile at his comparison of the intersected hallways to "intersection". Of course, he was correct, it just sounded odd.
Sometimes I think maybe I need to write a book on grocery shopping 101. I was explaining to Lee last week that it has been occurring with relative frequency, that I am singled out by another shopper, as to the choice of certain products! During these past few months I have been asked (by complete strangers ) about the best brand of coffee, best type of creamer for coffee, orange juice selection and a host of other groceries. All I have to do is linger over the pot roasts, read the label on greek yogurt and suddenly I must appear to be THE authority on each particular product. Maybe I should apply for my picture on certain products for endorsement. After all, who was Betty Crocker anyway?!
Enough of that. Back to Lee......today was a much better day at the clinic. We were fortunate to talk to the doctor and the person administering the sedative prior to the bronchoscopy. I am happy to report that so far Lee has had no untoward side effects. He was awake and alert within the hour, no chills, no fever, and we were able to go to the cafeteria at Northgate Mall for dinner tonight. We are back in the cozy and warm condo, and are looking forward to that delicious chocolate pie from Betsy while we enjoy a Christmas movie on the Hallmark chanel.
There will be a few medication adjustments for Lee, in case he is moderately rejecting again. Increase the prednisone and the other anti-rejection drug. We will get the results from the biopsy on Tuesday or Wednesday and then will know for sure if he is trying to reject again. Balancing the drugs is like balancing equations.......trial and error until it finally works!
We will be glad to be heading home tomorrow................................
More Later.....................................Brenda
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Durham
We are back in Durham, ready for routine tests for Lee tomorrow. We have accomplished many things today. We were up early this morning, packed and were able to leave our home by 9:00. Lee drove all the way to Raleigh, where we had a lovely "early Christmas" lunch with Dennis and Betsy. The food was spectacular (as usual) and Betsy made a wonderful chocolate pie! She even sent some home with us. It was so good to be able to spend the afternoon with them and enjoy some 3D t.v.
We checked in to the Duke Towers around 4:00, unloaded the car and Lee relaxed, while I visited some other acquaintences I had met when we were here last year. They happen to be staying in the condo we occupied for so long and we are next door.....actually, this one is a bit nicer! The bath has been redone and is complete with new fixtures. Around 5:00, we used the shuttle to go to the hospital to visit Wayne and Betty Lafon. Wayne had his lung transplant in May of 2010 , and recently had surgery for an abdominal aortic aneurysm. He is recovering from that major surgical procedure and should be able to go home in the near future. Betty looks great, as usual, and always a joy to be with. We enjoyed a short visit and left via shuttle, who dropped us off for dinner at Tripps. When we were finished, we called the shuttle and were back at the condo by 7:30.
Lee is relaxing (dozing) on the sofa while watching a Christmas program.....??Frosty????........He must really be tired! Actually, we are both tired enough to bed down now at 8:30. Probably a good idea, since Lee must be NPO past midnight, and at the clinic by 8:00 in the morning. He will have a bronchoscopy around 10:00. We are hoping for little or no complications this time. If all goes well, we will be able to return home Thursday.
I'll let you know how the tests turn out.......meanwhile, keep us in your thoughts and prayers. So good to have you there to talk to from time to time. Thanks.
More Later..........................................Brenda
We checked in to the Duke Towers around 4:00, unloaded the car and Lee relaxed, while I visited some other acquaintences I had met when we were here last year. They happen to be staying in the condo we occupied for so long and we are next door.....actually, this one is a bit nicer! The bath has been redone and is complete with new fixtures. Around 5:00, we used the shuttle to go to the hospital to visit Wayne and Betty Lafon. Wayne had his lung transplant in May of 2010 , and recently had surgery for an abdominal aortic aneurysm. He is recovering from that major surgical procedure and should be able to go home in the near future. Betty looks great, as usual, and always a joy to be with. We enjoyed a short visit and left via shuttle, who dropped us off for dinner at Tripps. When we were finished, we called the shuttle and were back at the condo by 7:30.
Lee is relaxing (dozing) on the sofa while watching a Christmas program.....??Frosty????........He must really be tired! Actually, we are both tired enough to bed down now at 8:30. Probably a good idea, since Lee must be NPO past midnight, and at the clinic by 8:00 in the morning. He will have a bronchoscopy around 10:00. We are hoping for little or no complications this time. If all goes well, we will be able to return home Thursday.
I'll let you know how the tests turn out.......meanwhile, keep us in your thoughts and prayers. So good to have you there to talk to from time to time. Thanks.
More Later..........................................Brenda
Monday, November 28, 2011
Thanksgiving!
We have had a whirlwind of activities these past few days, as I am sure you have too. Isn't it wonderful to have family with you and to be able to come together on a lovely November day to celebrate Thanksgiving. There were 15 of us collectively, and would have had more, but due to obligations to other families, our numbers were slightly reduced. With seven children and nine adults, the house was alive with happy sounds of our children and grandchildren. We somehow managed to settle in one area long enough to remember those early settlers who braved the unknown to sail through dangerous waters to a strange, new land. All for freedom. We are grateful for the freedom we now have because of their strong desire to live without being persecuted. Daughter, Julia began this tradition of remembrance many years ago, and we continue to share it each year.
We enjoyed the traditional meal of Turkey, dressing, cranberries, many vegetables and of course, the pumpkin pies. Immediately following our Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, I decided to take advantage of my good fortune, to have available at that moment, my three, strong, male family members, who needed to work off all those calories from the huge meal. As the three daughters cleaned the tables, loaded the dishwasher and begin to put away the food, I supervised the "boys" as they rearranged the living room furniture to make room for the Christmas tree. The tree was brought up from storage in the basement and assembled and placed in the reserved location in the living room that it has now occupied for the past 17 or so years.
Unfortunately, some of the pre-lit lights would not work. After a lengthy discussion between the mechanical engineer son, and the computer engineer son, it was determined that those lights were indeed, dead. I was given a demonstration on how I could check each light to determine the culprit....unfortunately, they did not have the time as each had to return to another Thanksgiving dinner in the evening. Everyone left, and we were left with a bare tree and empty house. Lee and I did the sensible thing..... we napped, and we rested the remainder of the afternoon. In fact, we rested all day Friday!
On Saturday morning, I had begun putting away all the Fall decorations, when daughter Julia burst through the back door, accompanied with her two daughters and a friend of the older daughter. With gusto, she announced that they had come to help us clear away Fall ,and begin decorating for Christmas! Of course, a light lunch for the girls would help get them on their way. After the girls finished off the rest of the turkey, vegetables and desserts from Thanksgiving, they were ready to go to work. In a flurry, they were up and down the stairs, as they removed most of the normal house decor to make room for Christmas. Lillie, age 13, along with John from next door, assumed control of the golf cart, and made many trips to collect items and transfer them to the lower level of the house. They also helped Grandaddy Lee collect trash, load it onto the truck and make a trip to the convenience site.
Within an hour or two, my front bedroom was filled with Christmas! As each carried items up from storage, they used that room as a landing site as it would enable me to have easy access to retrieve later, at a slower pace, on my own! Our attention now turned to the giant tree that stood completely naked and unadorned in the corner of the living room. It seems that two complete sets of lights refused to light. This became one of our more challenging projects........................
And so it was that yesterday, with the ingenuity of my daughter, a practical minded elementary school principle, that the problem was solved by simply adding more strands of lights. We will meet again next Saturday and decorate the tree and the remainder of the house.
Lee and I will be leaving on Tuesday for Durham. He will have another routine check-up on Wednesday with another bronchoscopy and we will return on Thursday. We are planning to visit Dennis and Betsy for lunch on Tuesday, and a friend of Lee's for lunch in Winston Salem on Thursday as we return. Lee has had a wonderful Thanksgiving and good days. He has enjoyed picking up pecans from the yard and sharing them with neighbors. It is wonderful to see him able to do so many things again.
How grateful we are to receive the normal days again with family, friends and neighbors. Each day is welcomed and blessed.
More Later......................Brenda
We enjoyed the traditional meal of Turkey, dressing, cranberries, many vegetables and of course, the pumpkin pies. Immediately following our Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, I decided to take advantage of my good fortune, to have available at that moment, my three, strong, male family members, who needed to work off all those calories from the huge meal. As the three daughters cleaned the tables, loaded the dishwasher and begin to put away the food, I supervised the "boys" as they rearranged the living room furniture to make room for the Christmas tree. The tree was brought up from storage in the basement and assembled and placed in the reserved location in the living room that it has now occupied for the past 17 or so years.
Unfortunately, some of the pre-lit lights would not work. After a lengthy discussion between the mechanical engineer son, and the computer engineer son, it was determined that those lights were indeed, dead. I was given a demonstration on how I could check each light to determine the culprit....unfortunately, they did not have the time as each had to return to another Thanksgiving dinner in the evening. Everyone left, and we were left with a bare tree and empty house. Lee and I did the sensible thing..... we napped, and we rested the remainder of the afternoon. In fact, we rested all day Friday!
On Saturday morning, I had begun putting away all the Fall decorations, when daughter Julia burst through the back door, accompanied with her two daughters and a friend of the older daughter. With gusto, she announced that they had come to help us clear away Fall ,and begin decorating for Christmas! Of course, a light lunch for the girls would help get them on their way. After the girls finished off the rest of the turkey, vegetables and desserts from Thanksgiving, they were ready to go to work. In a flurry, they were up and down the stairs, as they removed most of the normal house decor to make room for Christmas. Lillie, age 13, along with John from next door, assumed control of the golf cart, and made many trips to collect items and transfer them to the lower level of the house. They also helped Grandaddy Lee collect trash, load it onto the truck and make a trip to the convenience site.
Within an hour or two, my front bedroom was filled with Christmas! As each carried items up from storage, they used that room as a landing site as it would enable me to have easy access to retrieve later, at a slower pace, on my own! Our attention now turned to the giant tree that stood completely naked and unadorned in the corner of the living room. It seems that two complete sets of lights refused to light. This became one of our more challenging projects........................
And so it was that yesterday, with the ingenuity of my daughter, a practical minded elementary school principle, that the problem was solved by simply adding more strands of lights. We will meet again next Saturday and decorate the tree and the remainder of the house.
Lee and I will be leaving on Tuesday for Durham. He will have another routine check-up on Wednesday with another bronchoscopy and we will return on Thursday. We are planning to visit Dennis and Betsy for lunch on Tuesday, and a friend of Lee's for lunch in Winston Salem on Thursday as we return. Lee has had a wonderful Thanksgiving and good days. He has enjoyed picking up pecans from the yard and sharing them with neighbors. It is wonderful to see him able to do so many things again.
How grateful we are to receive the normal days again with family, friends and neighbors. Each day is welcomed and blessed.
More Later......................Brenda
Friday, November 18, 2011
A Lovely Week
This has been one of those weeks when I am hesitant to close the day for sleep at night, not wanting the day to end. This past week has been so pleasant. I have been able to accomplish and complete a long list of "things to do!" Lee has rebounded with renewed strength and vigor! I guess you could say that I took advantage of that. For example: I have needed to clean the basement for the past year! (amazing how things no longer used get moved to the basement for storage) So it was, this past Tuesday that I declared a cleaning, organizing day. Lee jumped right in and by the early part of the afternoon, we were able to load his truck with enough "stuff" to fill the entire bed of the truck. Lee left for the convenience site while I stayed behind to tidy up a bit. He hired Mel to come on Wednesday to do some thorough cleaning.
I must admit, there was an incentive for all the cleaning. On Sunday, November 2 0, Lee will be hosting his football party and it will be held in his "Man's Cave" in the basement. So, with that in mind, we were both anxious to be able to present a cleaner and less cluttered environment. Lee is ready for his company, and I am thrilled to be rid of some junk stuff that caused all the clutter!
Don't know if you heard or not, but we had some really strange and scary weather on Wednesday! I was busy downstairs ironing when I noticed extreme darkness outside at only 4:00 p.m. I turned on the T.V. and sure enough, there were tornado warnings. As I continued to monitor the weather, it became more ominous and threatening. Realizing that Lee was outside visiting some of the neighbors, I called and reminded him of the bad weather. Fortunately, we escaped a bad storm. There was a tornado in Shelby ( about 40 miles SE of Vale). Later we learned of the devastation as the storm moved through Rock Hill and the Salisbury area.
We continue to stay in touch with our many friends who are also transplantees. We know that they will be lifetime friends with a common connection to our experiences. It is so good to share those "bumps in the road" from time to time, especially when we are able to gain hope from their renewals. All of us have learned that we must live each day fully, especially on those very good days. We try not look too far ahead and just enjoy each day as it is. After all, when you really look at all of our lives closely, that is all we really have.
We are looking forward to seeing our children, grandchildren and other family members on Thursday. We will miss those who are unable to attend the Kanipe Thanksgiving because of other family committments.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
More Later...........................Brenda
I must admit, there was an incentive for all the cleaning. On Sunday, November 2 0, Lee will be hosting his football party and it will be held in his "Man's Cave" in the basement. So, with that in mind, we were both anxious to be able to present a cleaner and less cluttered environment. Lee is ready for his company, and I am thrilled to be rid of some junk stuff that caused all the clutter!
Don't know if you heard or not, but we had some really strange and scary weather on Wednesday! I was busy downstairs ironing when I noticed extreme darkness outside at only 4:00 p.m. I turned on the T.V. and sure enough, there were tornado warnings. As I continued to monitor the weather, it became more ominous and threatening. Realizing that Lee was outside visiting some of the neighbors, I called and reminded him of the bad weather. Fortunately, we escaped a bad storm. There was a tornado in Shelby ( about 40 miles SE of Vale). Later we learned of the devastation as the storm moved through Rock Hill and the Salisbury area.
We continue to stay in touch with our many friends who are also transplantees. We know that they will be lifetime friends with a common connection to our experiences. It is so good to share those "bumps in the road" from time to time, especially when we are able to gain hope from their renewals. All of us have learned that we must live each day fully, especially on those very good days. We try not look too far ahead and just enjoy each day as it is. After all, when you really look at all of our lives closely, that is all we really have.
We are looking forward to seeing our children, grandchildren and other family members on Thursday. We will miss those who are unable to attend the Kanipe Thanksgiving because of other family committments.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
More Later...........................Brenda
Saturday, November 12, 2011
No News is Good News
It's been a while......I guess that is what is meant by "No news is good news". We have been enjoying spending some days that are so good and so normal, that time slips away. With the exception of Lee's shoulder problem.......it has been a really good week.
He did go to the doctor about the shoulder, and the diagnosis is probably a muscle that is inflammed. He did this once before last Spring, when he overworked the shoulder. We think it is because he lost so much voluntary skeletal muscle, that even this muscle has to gain it's strength like all the others. It is still not strong enough to perform to Lee's expectations ( like fishing for 7-9 hours straight!). Anyway, the prednisone was increased for a week and he has shown much improvement since.
Several months ago, we began talking about possibly looking at another car. We have enjoyed the town car and it has served us well, but I wanted one that was smaller, with better gas mileage along with comfort at the same time. So it was that yesterday, I drove home in a new Toyota Avalon! I have to admit that I did experience some "buyer's remorse" on the way home. I was reminded that the car cost more than the first house I owned ( which, by the way took 30 years to pay!) Had to reason with myself to keep from turning around and changing my mind! Lee said he could have held out longer than I did and saved some money. I believe he was right and for that I have regrets! Nonetheless, the car is here, it is what I wanted, and I look forward to the drive.......................
Lee is busy preparing for his football friends and former Nationwide colleagues to join him here for a Sunday football game on his big T.V. downstairs. He is busy planning the "tail-gating" party, and all the things he will need for the afternoon. One of his friends suggested this so Lee followed through and arranged a date. Since he is no longer able to attend the Panther games, they will watch one of the away games here.
On the heels of that Sunday, I will be busy with the Thanksgiving preparations that will begin on Monday. Pumpkin pies to be made, tables to be decorated, etc......Each day I will be busy with preparations for the family to come and we will be blessed with the gathering of family during this special day. We will remember Thanksgivings past and those who are no longer here. It is their memory and their traditions that began long ago that we will continue. Even though this celebration is different, in many ways, it will be the same as we share my Mom's recipe for potato salad, my sister-in-laws's recipe for the sweet potato coogle, my sister's recipe for the coconut cake, and all the other foods that have become the staple for Thanksgiving.
The house will be filled with the blessing of family.....truly our Thanksgiving day!
More Later.........................................Brenda
He did go to the doctor about the shoulder, and the diagnosis is probably a muscle that is inflammed. He did this once before last Spring, when he overworked the shoulder. We think it is because he lost so much voluntary skeletal muscle, that even this muscle has to gain it's strength like all the others. It is still not strong enough to perform to Lee's expectations ( like fishing for 7-9 hours straight!). Anyway, the prednisone was increased for a week and he has shown much improvement since.
Several months ago, we began talking about possibly looking at another car. We have enjoyed the town car and it has served us well, but I wanted one that was smaller, with better gas mileage along with comfort at the same time. So it was that yesterday, I drove home in a new Toyota Avalon! I have to admit that I did experience some "buyer's remorse" on the way home. I was reminded that the car cost more than the first house I owned ( which, by the way took 30 years to pay!) Had to reason with myself to keep from turning around and changing my mind! Lee said he could have held out longer than I did and saved some money. I believe he was right and for that I have regrets! Nonetheless, the car is here, it is what I wanted, and I look forward to the drive.......................
Lee is busy preparing for his football friends and former Nationwide colleagues to join him here for a Sunday football game on his big T.V. downstairs. He is busy planning the "tail-gating" party, and all the things he will need for the afternoon. One of his friends suggested this so Lee followed through and arranged a date. Since he is no longer able to attend the Panther games, they will watch one of the away games here.
On the heels of that Sunday, I will be busy with the Thanksgiving preparations that will begin on Monday. Pumpkin pies to be made, tables to be decorated, etc......Each day I will be busy with preparations for the family to come and we will be blessed with the gathering of family during this special day. We will remember Thanksgivings past and those who are no longer here. It is their memory and their traditions that began long ago that we will continue. Even though this celebration is different, in many ways, it will be the same as we share my Mom's recipe for potato salad, my sister-in-laws's recipe for the sweet potato coogle, my sister's recipe for the coconut cake, and all the other foods that have become the staple for Thanksgiving.
The house will be filled with the blessing of family.....truly our Thanksgiving day!
More Later.........................................Brenda
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Just Thinking............
The Halloween decoration are gone now. Even though I had the jack-o-laterns out and left the porch light on, we were disappointed that no little goblins visited us. Too bad for the trick or treaters, because waiting on a table in the foyer was a small witch holding a bowl filled with assorted candy. We normally do not have more than one, our grandson John, who lives next door. We have had on rare occasions, some small children who will stop by shortly after dark. John is almost 13 years old, and believes he is way too old to dress in a costume and play trick or treat. The smaller grandchildren live in Virginia and Charlotte. And so it was, in knowing this, that we still left the light on until 8:00 p.m.
We missed having our annual Halloween party this year and last year. The children and grandchildren missed it too! There were too many complication during these times for both of us to even plan the gathering, much less follow through. Our children have begun their own traditions in their neighborhoods with the celebration of Halloween. The tradition continues to delight the children, along with their parents and the many friends they have. How fortunate we are to be able to enjoy this season that closes the door to Summer with fun and costumes, while opening another with short blasts of cold nights, and the promise of days by the fire and maybe some snow.
The house is still filled with the colors of this season. The wreaths of yellow, gold, orange and brown still adorn the entrance doors. They will remain in place until Thanksgiving day. Soon after Thanksgiving, the Fall colors will be exchanged for the Christmas colors of red, green, silver and gold. I will be busy with all the joys of the holidays. Pumpkin pies to be made and all the preparations for a feast.....then the decorating, gift purchases, wrapping and................ There is much to do!
This past week, Lee has been bothered with shoulder pain. It seems that he may have injured his right shoulder with all the fishing at the beach. He is still using ice packs which seem to relieve the pain, and he is more comfortable with the arm immobilized in a sling. He has decided that he may have to see an orthopedic doctor next week. He still has not regained the strength he had prior to this new anti-rejection drug he is taking. We will probably talk to Duke about that next week also. Other than that, he is doing o.k. He does get very disappointed when he loses his strength. We have observed that his strength can leave very quickly and will only return after much hard work on his part. This episode with the bad shoulder has prevented him from the level of activity he had previously.
Last night we had our birthday group over for dinner. Good that I made chicken 'n dumplings cause that is what everyone had said they were hoping for! We call our birthday group the ABOOF gang. There are four couples, and we have been doing this for over twenty years! What does the acronym mean?
(1) A bunch of old friends, (2) a bunch of old fools, (3) or a bunch of old................... Just use your imagination! Depending on the mood of the group,we will determine which group we belong to. We stopped giving gifts a long time ago and decided that we would each give $5.00 to commemorate the birthday. The person having the birthday is exempt. In December of each year, we count the accumulated birthday money, along with a special Christmas monetary gift and donate to charity.
As for now, we will look forward to the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas, the joy of family and friends and the blessings of life.
More Later......................................Brenda
We missed having our annual Halloween party this year and last year. The children and grandchildren missed it too! There were too many complication during these times for both of us to even plan the gathering, much less follow through. Our children have begun their own traditions in their neighborhoods with the celebration of Halloween. The tradition continues to delight the children, along with their parents and the many friends they have. How fortunate we are to be able to enjoy this season that closes the door to Summer with fun and costumes, while opening another with short blasts of cold nights, and the promise of days by the fire and maybe some snow.
The house is still filled with the colors of this season. The wreaths of yellow, gold, orange and brown still adorn the entrance doors. They will remain in place until Thanksgiving day. Soon after Thanksgiving, the Fall colors will be exchanged for the Christmas colors of red, green, silver and gold. I will be busy with all the joys of the holidays. Pumpkin pies to be made and all the preparations for a feast.....then the decorating, gift purchases, wrapping and................ There is much to do!
This past week, Lee has been bothered with shoulder pain. It seems that he may have injured his right shoulder with all the fishing at the beach. He is still using ice packs which seem to relieve the pain, and he is more comfortable with the arm immobilized in a sling. He has decided that he may have to see an orthopedic doctor next week. He still has not regained the strength he had prior to this new anti-rejection drug he is taking. We will probably talk to Duke about that next week also. Other than that, he is doing o.k. He does get very disappointed when he loses his strength. We have observed that his strength can leave very quickly and will only return after much hard work on his part. This episode with the bad shoulder has prevented him from the level of activity he had previously.
Last night we had our birthday group over for dinner. Good that I made chicken 'n dumplings cause that is what everyone had said they were hoping for! We call our birthday group the ABOOF gang. There are four couples, and we have been doing this for over twenty years! What does the acronym mean?
(1) A bunch of old friends, (2) a bunch of old fools, (3) or a bunch of old................... Just use your imagination! Depending on the mood of the group,we will determine which group we belong to. We stopped giving gifts a long time ago and decided that we would each give $5.00 to commemorate the birthday. The person having the birthday is exempt. In December of each year, we count the accumulated birthday money, along with a special Christmas monetary gift and donate to charity.
As for now, we will look forward to the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas, the joy of family and friends and the blessings of life.
More Later......................................Brenda
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