caregiver

have courage…

3 Positives:
24 Teacher Appreciation tags for June designed, cut and assembled
A little reading time
heard back from 2 of the boys on their birthdays

Our Journey Notes:
Allergies, cold or pneumonia? I’m hoping for the middle and not the third. Feeling a little better this morning. MRI canceled for this week with hopes that by next week, the coughing will have subsided enough I’ll not be coughing and hacking up a lung every five minutes and can go to the rescheduled appointment. Hoping to be on the downside of this thing, whatever it is. No fever, just a nasty cough and lots of normal allergy symptoms. Need to catch up a little on the “lists” for the week – there are a few things I can’t let slide by.

T has another eye post-op tomorrow. Doing what we can on this side of things in hopes we’ll get a little good news or a more definitive answer on what the future may look like for him.

treasure the simple moments

3 Positives:
cards for the first week in June are ready for mailing – a day in advance
cutting Father’s day and the rest of the month’s bdays today
no change in meds –

Our Journey Notes:
T is having headaches from eye stress. They are now daily. He went to bed early last night after his last dose of drops for the day and taking the rest of his meds. Hoping he won’t have a headache when he gets up this morning. Change in weather in the offing.

No change in thyroid dosage according to the dr. Figured that was what he would say. No other recommendations at this time. I have a feeling he may want to talk after the MRI results are in late next week. I’m changing the dosage on the vitamins – half dose and see if the symptoms I’ve had previously return — If not, we’ll continue on that track. Still have another 2 weeks off of them so I can do the Dexa scan.

I did get yesterday’s “new” list completed for a daily to-do. Including cleaning up T’s email account. 22k unread emails dating back to January of 2025. It will need another purge next month and each month following to keep things down. So, it’s on the monthly to-do list now. We’ll see how this rolls out with another monitor on his computer. His laptop monitor just doesn’t quite adapt to the size he needs to reads a little more easily.

5.27.26

3 Positives:
Cut and assembled 3 bday card fronts yesterday. 23 cards now ready for final assembly and envelopes.
Made a chicken enchilada casserole for dinner. It was yummy with just the right amount of spice
Bloodwork results came back — numbers look a little better.

Our Journey Notes:
T is feeling a bit better. Still trying to find the right med(s) for his allergies. His cough has loosened up a lot and isn’t as dry (from the cold). He has a bit more energy as well in the mornings. Not a lot in the evenings — he spent most of his evening chilling in the living room (sleeping) before I called it a night for both of us.

I still have lots of fatigue and a few other things going on, but overall, feeling a bit more human. Should be hearing from the dr sometime today or tomorrow about the bloodwork results (numbers were a little more in the “I’m comfortable with them” range). I hope it’s sooner rather than later as I need to refill this prescription or have it switched to a new dosage as I’m nearly out of pills and need to change the dosage on the vitamins. Requested a new scrip for the migraine meds yesterday. Hoping to get that filled by Friday. MRI next week and the Dexa scan the week after.

be your best you!

3 Positives:
T’s procedure was a success
time in the studio – all but 2 cards finished
we tasted our first watermelon of the season yesterday (YUM) and put 2 1-gallon bags of sliced strawberries into the freezer for smoothies.

Our Journey Notes:
T’s eye pressures are now in the acceptable range – hoping they’ll stay that way after the yesterday’s needle flap lift. Ted said this eye wasn’t as easy as the right. His eye hurt a little after the numbing meds wore off. Now to focus on the cataract in the right eye.

I got him to switch audio book services yesterday – he’s now listening to a new book. I put his other service on pause for 90 days to see which he likes better. He still has access to the other books until he can download them from the new service. Glad they carry that author as well as a couple more of his favorites and it’s a little cheaper and he can download several books a month without any additional expense.


Some things just evade me… the memory is gone unless reminded, but even then, I still don’t remember the time or day of the happening often. It’s definitely happening more frequently. Thankful for friends and family who let it pass after a correction. Another thing to add to the list for the neuro. As Mom used to say, “getting old isn’t for sissies.” I have creaks and pops where I didn’t have them before. The knees don’t like the stairs, especially in the morning or late evenings. The pain across the middle of my back is here to stay it seems and those tingles down the legs when I put my head a certain way… still there.

be kind to yourself

3 Positives:
chose another book to read
assembled the wreath, it could use a little more greenery
got an appointment with the PCP for next week

Our Journey Notes:
I have an early in the morning appointment with my pcp next week. Long list to discuss.

T has his next flap lift procedure tomorrow afternoon. He’s taken the full day off from work and has plans to get a few more things checked off his “prepping for an earlier than planned retirement” list before and after the procedure. We’ll see how things go on the after list — I have a feeling he might want to take a long rest — he’ll be fully awake for this one, just the eye numbed and for a short time. Hoping it goes as planned and while his vision won’t improve with this procedure, we can start planning for the next one – hopefully a full lens replacement for the new cataract that has grown in his good eye since all this procedure stuff got under way last fall.

There’s always a light. 

CAREGIVER NOTE:
Our role as caregivers ended last evening at 7:12 pm MDT. He passed as he’d wished. At home and not alone. I’m very grateful we were able to fulfill that wish for him. Services are pending. It’s been an honor for our family to be his caregivers the last two and a half years. We miss him already!

POSITIVES:
He was ready to move on
He was able to rest more comfortably yesterday than he had the day and evening previous
Son #4 and I were with him when he took his last breath – he was not alone.