Oct 1, 2025 Happy Birthday Bob

 

Happy 89th Birthday to my husband Bob. This is our first birthday for him that we did not go out to eat and celebrate. 

 In his mind he is still like this, and he wanted to go to  golden corral for a breakfast like this one he had in 2017

I always show him in the water, any and all water. 

My birthday wishes for him is that he gets his strength back and be able to get back in the water. 

This birthday was not a good one, but he did have pizza, chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream. 

Short Story for you busy ones, long story below for me and our family.

Health Care Approved continued the Infusions RX that he started 3 months ago for the disease CIDP.

The first is scheduled for Oct 3 at 8 am., The RX meds are MIA, delivered by FED-X to the wrong address and been missing now for 6 hours. 

They were to be signed for, and refrigerator ASAP!

We have no idea where they are. Details below

Today in extreme detail, not for the faint at heart. 

Wed. Oct 1, 2025, the story you are about to read is true. The names have not been changed to protect the innocent, in this house there are no innocents.This is the house, I work in the house. I am Slave.  (apologies to the old Dragnet Series on TV, one of my favorites)

Bob, born on 10/10/1936, turned 89 today.It was a day like any other day, if it can happen it did happen. The plan was no visiting home health visits, a day OFF with just the three of us. 

Did not happen...

Home Health RN came yesterday for wound care, I told her Bob has not had his blood thinner INR check in 4 weeks, that his Dr sent orders yesterday. She checks, no orders. No problem, she calls the doctor and gets verbal orders. OK to check but the hand7dandycheckerthingy is out with someone else, and will not be available until 8 am of The Birthday. She states she will pick it up at 8 on The Birthday  and 15 minutes to check it and be done and gone.ha hahahahahaha the machine gave 3 times incorrect levels 8, 7, 6/5 really high which means way too thin. She goes back to her office and comes with a needle to draw blood, machine doesn't like that either and I keep saying IT'S THE MACHINE, it has happened at the doctor's office. Battery? you moved it?

She calls Dr, reports it is at 6.7 (brain bleed levels) and states they will call me some time today. Orders me to stop all blood thinner.I state the obvious. You just pricked 3 fingers, and drew blood from a vein and it stopped bleeding instantly. If the reading is true, he would be pouring gallons on the bed..she leaves at 10. Bob is livid.

I remember I did not pick the lab orders up from his primary, rush out the door at 10:15 drive 6 blocks and see a FED-EX truck, I made a U-turn rush to the house because I now remember the infusion meds would be delivered by 10:30 today by FED-X

I checked the email and it says the time changed will be there by 12 noon and must be signed for.   

The word noon reminds me, I promised Birthday Bob a noon delivery of his favorite REALLY expensive Italian Steak with white sauce Pizza.. I order pizza delivery for noon. Yes, it came on time and was devoured.

the Infusion Nurse called and said she could come today and do it in the evening. I tell her we don't do evenings or afternoons, due to Alzheimer and sundowners etc. and not only that we have no meds. they are MIA.

The ONLY appt she has open is Friday morning at 9 am the exact same time as Beau's Vet Appt for his annual. I advise her, and we decide she will come at 8:15, I can show her the supplies and meds and where things are and leave for the vet while she gets set up. 

I make calls and receive calls.... FED-X AI, FED-X CHAT, FED-X Contact me, which was a chat to fill out a case.. 

I get the case #. Call Infusion RX advise via message on voice mail

Call RN to advise MIA Meds

Receive call from RN supervisor of nurse who is scheduled for Friday to do infusion. She wants to drop Jamie, do it herself, and bring her newly hired Assistant Supervisor, a male, with her to see what they do.. Bob doesn't do well with males.

 She is shocked the meds are MIA. She leaves to call HER supervisor.

I Receive  aCall from Fed-x Supervisor, she assures me she sent a message to the driver, I say did you know the meds are REALLY EXPENSIVE and MUST be in the fridge? NO, she says, I will send him another message. I wanted to scream, just Call The Idiot.

It is now 3:51, mid afternoon and still NO MEDS

The call comes in now from Bob's Cardiologist nurse. Stop the blood thinner, don't give him any until you hear from me. Tell the nurse that comes next to do the INR. 

But will that nurse have the handydandy thingy?

I say, Megan, he is fine. its the machine. you know yours does that sometime. 3 pricks and a vein accessed and NO BLEEDING. HE IS FINE..

now he sits  waiting for the punch line.

Sept 2025

Heritage Park Hall of Sunshine

 Part 1 of Dump The Drafts, continued from yesterdays post.

Heritage Park Rehab was next door to Blake Hospital and both less than 2 miles from home. I walked next door and ask for a tour, And was shown the bed and it looked so cozy. I decided for convenience to choose this home. 

The half room we were in was so tiny, I i had to put my chair where his tray is, shove the in the corner. After hour of sitting there, I escaped to The Sunny and oh so beautiful, Atrium Hall, which is how the Tour Started, from the front desk and down this hall to the cozy bed. 

The Tour was a carefully orchestrated LIE!

Each day while bob was in therapy gym, I sat with my feet up and enjoyed the view, making notes in a notebook of the HORRORS of this rehab home and writing down names and dates of the neglect i saw there over 20 days. I stayed long hours because they knew I was watching. It was the hours from 11 to 7, the dark nights were made darker by the neglect of the night aids.

I was thankful for this hall and for the many sweet patients I met and made friends with. The hall was full of them, dosing in the sun. For Privacy sake, there are no photos.

I made several good friends, 4 of them that I actually miss our talks.

Dorothy, across the hall from Bob's room was my 2nd escape and she gave me so much information on how and what and when to do things, she was a Wikipedia of info on Medical Needs and where to get them. Her husband died 2  years ago from cancer and was in a hospital bed at home for 6 months and then she got cancer and was in the same bed for 6 months. Her visit to this home was a fall that sprained her shoulder, and hip, and she was in rehab for a few weeks until the arm healed.

The list is long of the things she taught me, and for her I will be forever grateful. She was a God-Send, a shoulder to cry on and a wealth of info and love. We bonded quickly, she was the same age as I am.

The view at the end of my feet was beautiful.

Blake Hospital Hall

 

The rest of this week, is Dump My Drafts Week. Since the day Bob broke his ankle, I have taken photos each day and then a few at a time put the photos in a post and there that have been sitting for days, weeks and even a month.

These have been in drafts for over 2 months

For MY Escape from our half of the room at Blake Hospital, July 12th, 2025 

I was a short walk through the orthopedic unit and a left turn through Double Doors and

Stop and be thankful for a warm sunny hall, because the room was set on 69 degrees and the hall was 10 degrees warmer when the sun was shining. A place I could take a break and pray and talk to strangers, talk on my cell phone, read texts/emails 

the windows are perfect height for leaning or sitting.

and be thankful I could walk that hall many times over 4 days. the photos on the wall are the history of the hospital. The long halls on each floor connect the Old Hospital to the New Building.

Underneath Bobs room, was the hall entrance to the hospital, turn left to the new and right to the old.

the windows framed our beautiful skies and palms over the parking lot and I could sit on the window sill and stare at the view or read the history, which I did.

Bob was discharged 2 days after I took these, to the place of his incarceration in the rehab home

the sunny hall in that home is next... to be continued...