Jun. 28, 2005 - 21:36 MDT

LOSIN' IT

Big day for Heather, an afternoon appointment to see her surgeon on the post op checkup.

I got up early (for me) put coffee on, brought Heather her cereal and milk, and eventually her coffee when it finished coming through the basket.

Then after her coffee and cereal settled a bit it was off to the kitchen for us. Shampoo time for her, kitchen sink the best place for an assisted shampoo. Job done with a modicum of mess and hair dried.

Next step was to help the lady get dressed. Not the easiest thing for a gal with one inoperative wing. Underwear went on easy. Slacks, not so bad, got down on one knee and got the pant legs on the right legs without the pants being on backward. She has been wearing a button down the front top, short sleeved when she goes out. Now a man is used to getting in his clothes by walking right in to them. Helping someone else get dressed is another matter. Mommas have the job down pat during their child raising years. Guess they can do it blindfolded.

With Heather leaning over slightly so that her arm swung free a degree or two, I gingerly got her arm into the sleeve and pulled up. Then it was trying to drape it over her shoulder so that she could get the other arm in, which was accomplished. Then these old fingers of mine have been perfecting the buttoning of buttons in a face to face position.

A deep sigh, a quick sit down and then the sling, the apparel that Heather hates but realizes she must wear. We have the method pretty well established now, but still it has to be done with utmost care. She wore sandals without stockings, so needed no help with that item.

A cup of coffee and a banana for me (my ususal breakfast) along with the necessary daily meds and then old man did a PTA Bath. Bet some of you didn't know that men can do that too - - - - think a minute. Put his clothes on, filled his oxygen bottle and we were off to see the Wizard -- er, doctor.

All went swimmingly well up to that point. Then my parade was rained on to a great degree, I couldn't find my check card when I went to pay her copay. Flailing through my billfold I found enough cash foot the bill.

In a worried mood we proceeded up to the doctor's floor. Put her slip in the tray, lady came out and told us she knew we were early, but didn't know if Heather could be seen so soon. Seems like we were a bit over an hour early. Heather and I agreed that we would be happy to wait to the appointed time. So I sat there trying to figure out the last place I used my card, and worrying.

The PA took the dressing off and a man came in and pulled the "rip cord" . . . . a novel way, new to me, of suturing an incision. At each end of the incision a black thread trailed off. The man took hold of the lower end of the thread and told Heather it might be a bit uncomfortable and proceeded to pull it out. She said it was a bit painful but not as bad as she anticipated. For such a short incision the black thread was quite long, I can't imagine the way suturing was done that allowed the suture to be pulled out so easily, yet held the incision firmly.

I stopped by home on the way back and picked up my check book. Son called and offered to come over late this afternoon and help me with my camera and getting pics into the computer. The we hurried out to Radio Shack where I bought batteries for my new camera and also a charger as I fried the one that came with my camera. On the way out I dinged the car ahead of us at a traffic light, no visible damage and the impact was slight. After both of us surveyed the situation the decision was made that no harm had been done and we went our way.

We got back home and I underwent much house-picking-up under the surveillance of Milady Heather. In the few minutes left with the assistance of "The Finder Of Lost Things" I found that for some unknown reason I had put the darn thing in the wrong pocket of my billfold. Something totally uncharacteristic of me. It has its own hidey hole and lives there, wonder it didn't scream when I misplaced it.

Son and I spent several hours with camera and computer stuff, and finally got to the point that we could get pictures from the camera into the computer. Along about then he gave it up and left for dinner, and we re-heated a casserole of rice and beef strips from out of the freezer, that and a glass of milk for each of us was our supper. Tasty the second time around.

A great day, when thinking about it after the fact. Heather's arm and shoulder looking good, stitches out and was given instructions for pendulum exercise four times a day. Basically a person leans forward, letting the affected arm hang down -- no effort used on the arm. The body is twisted and swung back and forth and the arm swings from the body movement. That will hold her 'til she sees the doctor again.

She is flying to Eugene, Oregon to see daughter and their kids, daughter's hubby will be off with male family members fishing in Alaska, so there will be Heather, daughter and her son and daughter off on shopping sprees and other stuff women like to do and men don't.

Heather will see her doctor early in the morning of August 3rd and will fly out that afternoon or early evening - - providing that everything is okay.

So today's menu had it all, in large print, alternating from joy to despair almost. Life is still good, and I am happy tonight, but oh so tired.

There for a while today there was a thought that I was LOSIN' IT . . . . . . . . . . .

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