PROGRESS!!!

Books: I just finished editing the final final edit on Saving Beach Mansion and Final Flight! Sent them off! Of course, waiting for final final FINAL edit of Final Flight.

BUT THEY’RE DONE!!!!

Honestly, with the crazy that’s been going on in our lives lately, this is a big win! It was more work than I anticipated, and one publisher was MUCH BETTER than the other: cover of Saving Beach Mansion was SPOT ON the first time!!! So excited!!! They told me to go thru and edit one last time (not paying for editing, I guess, and I’m ok w/that cuz that was the biggest headache of dealing w/the other publisher.) I did and sent it. After 30 years of trusted editor friends scouring it, any mistakes are TOTALLY MINE!! And at this point, I’m happy to own them!

Health:

Been home from rehab almost 2 weeks. Could barely stand when I left, despite the fact that I could stand and walk 60′ the week before! Nerve damage!! Totally unpredictable!! Cannot stand or walk now. Learning how to swivel butt to get from one place to another. Some interesting tools :

pine board to slide from one seat to another: very helpful getting into van, UNLESS THE STUPID BOARD SLIPS OUT FROM UNDER ME AND I’M UNABLE TO PULL MYSELF INTO VAN THE REST OF THE WAY! Still wearing my gate belt, so someone grabs me and helps lift me in. NOT SAFE FOR ANYONE IN MY FAMILY!!!! Ordered a “patient lift transfer chair” to alleviate that issue. Arriving Friday. Until then, I’m pretty much a prisoner in my own home.

Reacher tool and hook stick that help me pick things up and get dressed. Wasn’t supposed to bend for few weeks after spine surgery, even tho it wasn’t real spine surgery.

Looooong handled back brush scrunge on back for shower. Who says that’s a handicap thing!! Wish I’d had one years ago!

IMPORTANT PROGRESS:

Got a 36″ door installed today for my bathroom, so I can actually be “normal” (very relative term in my life!) rather than sitting on potty chair in bedroom! So much more freedom, although cat loses his jumping off place to get into top closet shelf cuz dresser had to move and won’t fit by closet any more.

I was relegated to taking showers on the driveway in my bathing suit (obviously partial shower so as not to be arrested for public indecency! Lol!). Glad it’s summer and the sun heats the water in the garden hose! Now I can actually get into my shower and enjoy a REAL SHOWER!!! With hand-held shower that makes it easier. (Not an incomplete sentence: “that” is subject! Can’t believe I just wrote that!) Several other helper tools for shower.

Ordered the Sketcher slip ins PT/OT recommended. Worked great for first week, them both feet DRAMATICALLY SWELLED one night and nothing fits! Ordered the next size larger: nope! Relegated to fuzzy sox when I got out (restaurants: no shirt, no shoes, no service still applies). Nobody seems to care: get out of the way of the crazy lady in the wheelchair seems to be the order of the day!

Potty chair that doubles as a shower chair w/transfer “seat” to make sliding in easier. Had noooo intentions of using as a potty chair! God has a sense of humor! Been using potty chair since I got home cuz I couldn’t get into bathroom! Now I can, and have actually accessed and used the toilet! Woohoo!

(If you’ve never been handicapped, these little victories are MAJOR SUCCESSES!)

Finally got a SHOWER tonite! Not as glorious as I anticipated: moved shower chair too far forward, so couldn’t get rebellious feet/legs into tub. Finally called Larry to help. Long handled sponge great! Two-headed shower w/hand held is GREAT, until the suction head holder starts spinning randomly, spraying everything! Leg was up against the tub cut-out, which isn’t really sharp, but was hitting the same spot on my leg that gets cut by the leg supports on the wheelchair. (Literally, one nite, I looked down and my leg was bleeding! No reason we could determine till nurse saw how I transferred and saw the problem. My AWESOME OT DANIELLE wrapped that wheelchair (the hospital’s) w/ washcloth to protect my leg. Gotta put a wrap of some sort on this wheelchair!

TMI: There’s a wound on my butt cheek that comes and goes and has for over a year. It’s back, bigger, open, looks infected! Hurts to sit or lie a certain way, and REALLY HURTS is scraped across anything while moving!! Going to Dr tmor and getting some sort of test run to find out what IT is and why it keeps coming back! Already on anti-fungal and bacterial antibiotics for UTI. What more could I possibly need?!! I know: This is different and requires a different antibiotic! GOOD GRIEF!! And don’t say “MRSA”!!! I rebuke that in Jesus’ Name!

Family news

We had Grandma Loveless’ Celebration of Life yesterday with family from all over the country coming to honor her 97 year life SERVING THE LORD AND BEING A PRAYER WARRIOR! Some of those we have not seen in almost 40 years! (the kids of 2nd cousins, whom I remember helping put their handprints in Mama’s porch slab when they were 3 and 4!!) Had a great time visiting, eating (BBQ of course! This is Texas!), sharing memories, singing hymns, and reading Ps 23 together. Then we scattered some of her ashes at a local lake (not saying which, in case there’s legalities we didn’t know about!). Our 2nd cousin (maybe 3rd), Ken Medema, is a fabulous pianist! Check out his Facebook page and hear him sing and play! He sang and recorded “How Great Thou Art” for us! WOW!

Army girl home for that! She stays so busy, we hardly see her!

In the process of this whole mess, we had a bug inspection cuz Joy tested positive for mosquitoes (DUH!), fire ants (Double DUH!) and dust mites (what?!?). Had to get everything out of her room deep clean, carpet cleaned, wash all clothes in HOT water before returning to the room!(still working on that!)

I realized she was sleeping in a 9-year-old Joy’s bed! Princess Sophie. We were already going to rearrange her furniture to give her more room, so I asked if she wanted to change some things. She found a bed she wanted that was under $300, (the metal bunk over full was Mikaylah’s back when she was 8?), How to Train Your Dragon linens, curtains and decor, and is now a HAPPY CAMPER (tho not all decor has arrived yet). Jonathan did the rearrange & almost LOST IT cuz the bed had 100 pieces!!!! Took him 2 hours to put together, while the bunk bed took 4 minutes to put together in the yard to take pix to sell! Sold in few hours. Money into Joy’s Vietnam trip savings. Win Win!

I’m sad that I can’t get into her room to see everything! Will get her to do a walk around video when it’s all done. Over half of her stuff is still in the garage in tubs and bags! We’ve sorted enough to give away 5 bags of clothes and linens to homeless and 6 bags of stuff to Harvest House.

Totally different news: Got a call tonite from a number and name I didn’t recognize, but he’s called several times, so I picked up. Turns out “K Dan”, is my “big brother” during college, that I’ve been trying to connect with for years!! If I’d’ve heard his voice, I would’ve known immediately who it was! (Have I said, “I HATE BEING DEAF!!!!” enough?) We had a good talk, and as soon as traveling is safe, we’re headed their way (Canton area) to do dinner!

My “patient lift transfer chair” arrived today! Mikaylah put it together. We tried it out: first on her, then on me. Didn’t work for back seat, but worked WELL for front seat! Will take some practice to get good at it, but the take apart, put together only takes a few minutes. It’s GREAT for nice weather, but wouldn’t go anywhere in the rain or extreme cold. (but then, I’m a weanie when it’s COLD!)

So I am NO LONGER A PRISONER IN MY OWN HOME!!!

Now if I could just find a decent, dependable wheelchair cup holder! I think I’ve tried at least 8 different ones! One lasted a few months! One was so flimsy, it lasted about 4 minutes! Most last a few days and don’t stay put, thus spilling drinks everywhere! One is so rigid, it actually CUT ME!!! One is soft nylon, which is a great idea, but only holds water bottle (not big cups) and too floppy, so cup that does fit spills! Most of the screw on claws break easily or don’t stay snug. THIS IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE, FOLKS!!!! Somebody please make a wheelchair cup holder that actually HOLDS A LARGE CUP W/O SPILLING!! And for those of you unfamiliar w/the structure of wheelchairs, the sideboards (don’t ask me what they’re for!) leave only about an inch for anything to fasten, and it’s helpful if they swing out of the way going thru doors or when you get up.

Ok, I think I’ve rambled enough! Time to publish. Next blog: who knows when! Need something else momentus to write about!

Wait! Did I say I actually STOOD today?!?!?! 4 times at 15 seconds each! First time since I left the hospital! Gonna WALK tmor! Back to PT/water therapy Friday.