A Quickie

I did not have a lot of time to work out yesterday.  The YMCA Wellness Center does not open until 12:30 p.m. on Sundays, and my son Matt and I were taking a racing road trip yesterday, and he wanted to leave home by 1:45 p.m.  I was at the Wellness Center when it opened, and did 30 minutes on the treadmill, walking 1.5 miles, and burning 302 calories.  To me, making sure to do the work out was as important as what I did.  It would have been very easy to forget about working out yesterday because of the tight time frame.  But I did work out, and feel very good about doing so.

 

Today will be another tight time frame day.  Matt and I are taking another racing road trip, this time to Ft. Dodge, IA, about 175 miles away.  I am leaving work at noon, will go home, change clothes, and get in another work out before showering and leaving for Iowa.  PT Mike Clegg challenged me to get to the Wellness Center 10 times  in 13 days. 

I have made it 4 times in the first 5 days.

 

In addition to the 1.5 miles I walked at the Wellness Center, I am sure I walked well over a mile at the race track in Albion, NE last night.  Matt and I went into the pits at the Boone County Raceway, and visited with drivers and officials we know.  We walked around the pits, and I left the pits to go to the grandstands, walking around the fair grounds and past the carnival.  It wasn’t quite the same pace as on the treadmill, but a mile is a mile, and this mile involved climbing about 30 steps too.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

The Ron Meyer Overdo It Syndrome Rears It’s Ugly Head

I did work out Thursday after work, doing cardio only.  30 minutes on the treadmill saw me burn 332 calories, and walk 1.46 miles.  I also did five minutes on the hand petal bike for my shoulder rehab.  As I mentioned Thursday, I let my morning rehab session serve as my lifting for the day.

 

I did not work out on Friday.  We took my Mom to eat in Omaha, something all of us needed after the past two months.  I made it to the YMCA Wellness Center Saturday morning though.  Again, I only did cardio.  I am afraid the Ron Meyer Overdo It Syndrome reared it’s ugly head in my work out with trainer Mike Clegg last Tuesday.  My shoulder has been sore since.  I did 30 minutes on the treadmill and followed that with five minutes on the hand petal bike.  I walked 1.48 miles and burned 343 calories. 

 

I forgot to mention this on the 10^th, but I have lost 6.2 pounds in the past 10 days, at least some being water retention I am sure. I’ll take it anyway.  I will good about working out regularly again, and I appreciate the encouragement I am getting from people who read this blog.  The journey may be a long one, but the only day I am worried about working out again is today.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

Repeat-Don’t Overdo It

Two days in a row working out at the Wellness Center.  No record, but it was a feel good event for me. Working out is more of a stress relief than I thought. I did not do any lifting I just did cardio on the treadmill and hand petal bike. I walked 1.48 miles in 30 minutes on the treadmill, and burned 325 calories.  I did five minutes on the hand petal bike, which is part of my shoulder rehab in addition to be a cardio work out.

 

I had shoulder rehab this morning, and Ashley, my physical therapist, was a little upset with all that I did in my work out on Tuesday.  She felt I was pushing the weight increase too much, too fast.  I suspect she was right.  I went along with trainer Mike Clegg, but I think we will need to build up more gradually.  Since my surgery I had lifted no more than a 10 pound dumbbell, and I was doing 55 pounds on the bench press.  That may sound wimpy, but not when you have had surgery and no lifting for over two months.  Instead of the bar bell, I will use 12 ½ pound dumbbells to bench press. Not sure what to use for my triceps routine, but the rest of the routines were probably OK. I am known for overdoing things, and I do not want to hurt this shoulder again.

 

I plan on going to the Wellness Center again tonight after work, but just for cardio.  I figure I did my lifting at rehab, with various dumbbell and stretch ribbon routines.  PT Ashley said my shoulder is progressing nicely, and we may save several of the five visits I have remaining for just in case.  I think that is a good idea.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

I’m Back In The Saddle Again

Well, that dates me.  That is an old Gene Autry song.  Well, any Gene Autry song would be old I guess.  I am back in the saddle though.  For the first time since April I worked out with my trainer.  And feel great today.

 

I had been hoping to see Mike Clegg again several weeks ago.  However, with all that has happened in my life since April, I was really behind at work, and needed to focus on getting caught up.  I am not caught up yet, but I am making progress, and felt I also need to be working on getting in shape again.  Also, last week at rehab was the first that I did any strengthening exercises so I felt more confident about a work out with my trainer.

 

I started the work out with 10 minutes cardio on one of the Wellness Center treadmills.  I thought Mike and I would argue about the weights he would want me to lift, but we were on the same page on most routines.  We used 5, 7 ½, and 10 pound dumbbells, and 55 pounds for bench press.  Those weights are much less than I was doing in April, but until last week, the only exercise I used any weight on at all was a dumbbell curl, and that was 7 lbs.  I used 35 pounds for a triceps routine, which was about 20 pounds less than I had been doing.  That actually was the hardest of the arm routines.

 

I lifted 5,150 pounds with my arms.  I followed that with 6,600 pounds on leg routines, and 1,500 pounds on the abdominal machine.  After lifting I did 20 more minutes on the treadmill.  In 30 minutes I walked 1.48 miles and burned 315 calories.  After the treadmill I did five minutes on the hand petal bike.  This is a cardio exercise, but it is also one I do to rehab my shoulder.

 

At the end of the work out Mike Clegg told me I owe him 10 times in the Wellness Center in the next two weeks.  I see Mike only every other week, and that will be my goal.  I will also try to lift at least 6 times in the next two weeks, not counting my two rehab sessions.

 

I was afraid my shoulder would be sore after lifting.  There was a little pain in a few of the routines, but the pain was similar to what I experience at rehab.  I did ice my shoulder when I got home from the Wellness Center, and it feels OK today.

 

Day one-it is good to experience some positives after too many negatives the last four months.  Thanks for stopping by.

It’s A Start, and I Really Need Those Endorphins

After months of suffering pain and lack of motion in my shoulder, I decided to have an MRI done on the offending joint.  The MRI showed I had a rotator cuff tear, and that it would need surgery to be repaired.  I had the surgery on April 20^th, and began rehab four days later.  Thursday was the first day I began strength work during rehab.  Believe me, strength is a relative term, because I had done similar exercises before my injury, and with much greater weight.

 

The rotator cuff tear wasn’t my only reason for not working out the past few months.  If you read my Ron Speaks Out blog, you know my Dad had a brain tumor removed in 23 hours of surgery over two days in mid-May.  He was in the Creighton Medical Center for nearly a month, and was sent to Merrick Manor in Fremont for hospice care.  He died on Father’s Day. 

 

For 37 straight days I made the 45 minute one way trip to the hospital in Omaha, and I was there during his brief stay at Merrick Manor.  I tried to work, and I did manage to get the most pressing items done in what is normally a very busy time for me.  However, between leaving work early and working in what seemed like ultra-slow motion, I got behind at work.  Two weeks after my Dad’s death I am just starting to get caught up.

 

And am feeling like I can and like I need to be working out again.  I need those endorphins badly.  I hoped to have worked out with my personal trainer last Tuesday, but work issues prohibited that.  I hope to work out with him on Tuesday, and there should be no problems this time.

 

Today I went to the Wellness Center at the Fremont YMCA and did 35 minutes on the treadmill and followed that up with six minutes more cardio on the hand petal bike-that helps my shoulder too.  I followed that up with several dumbbell routines, using 2 ½, 5, and 7 ½ pound dumbbells.  When I hurt my shoulder seven months ago I was using 15-20-25 pound dumbbells for the same routines, but I am just glad to be doing these routines again.  And, for the first time since April I lifted over 1,000 pounds with my arms. 

 

Just a start, but you will be hearing much more on this blog in the coming weeks.

Warning-Do NOT Use Rehab Exercises As Stress Removers

This week has been a particularly stressful week for my family.  The downs of my Dad’s recovery far outweighed the ups earlier in the week.  Wednesday night I decided to work off some of my stress by really going at my rehab exercises.  I figured if doing the entire routine once helped, doing the entire routine twice would be that much better.  And of course, if doing it twice was better than doing in once, doing it three times had to be better than doing it twice.

 

Let’s just say my theory had flaws.  I have been trying to avoid pain pills other than on rehab days.  Shortly before midnight on Wednesday my left arm felt like someone had hit it with a sledge hammer.  I took a pain pill.  After tossing and turning for 3 ½ more hours because the first pill didn’t even begin to take the edge off my pain, I took another.  I finally fell asleep around 4:00 a.m., than got up at 6:30 a.m.

 

I do not intend to do a triple rehab routine ever again, but on Thursday, both my physical therapist and my doctor applauded my rehab efforts.  My range of motion is good for being not quite seven weeks out from surgery.  The doctor decided I should increase my rehab activities, and I might not even need all the rehab sessions originally planned.  That is good news.  I also plan to start working out again with my trainer at the Wellness Center, going once every two weeks as before.  It will be some time before I do a lot of lifting with my arms, but the doctor and therapist have already OK’d walking and light lifting with my legs.  June 16^th will be my first day back with the trainer.

 

As always, I greatly appreciate each of my followers.  That you give up some of your time to read what I write is humbling for me.  I also want to thank you for your prayers and kind thoughts during my Dad’s ordeal.  Below is my latest post on his condition.

 

I Hate Roller Coasters

 

Growing up I had a near phobic dislike of roller coasters, which is an ego saving way of stating they terrified me.  I did not like the smaller versions of coasters that came with carnivals visiting Fremont, and it was all I could bear to even look at the old ¼ mile long wooden roller coaster at the old Playland Park just across the Missouri River from Omaha. If someone offered me $1,000,000 to ride one of today’s thrill rides, I would say no.  What good would the money do if I had a heart attack on the ride?

 

Since May 13^th my family has been on a ride wilder than any amusement park could offer.  My Dad’s brain surgery on May 13^th AND May 14^th seems like ancient history.  The past 23 days are a blur of driving to Omaha sitting in a hospital, driving home, going to bed, going to work, driving to Omaha, sitting in a hospital, driving home, and going to bed.  It has been years since I have felt as tired physically as I do this moment, but the physical tired is overwhelmed by the emotional exhaustion.

 

I wish it had been a great three weeks since my Dad’s surgery, but it has not been.  For an 84 year old man to undergo 35 hours of brain and supportive surgeries is almost incomprehensible to me.  That he survived is do in no small part to my Mom willing him to survive, plus the prayers of hundreds of people around the world.  Surviving the surgery was just one inning in a very humbling game.  Recovery is another story, and it is like trying to get a hit off the fastest pitcher around.

 

Not one step in my Dad’s recovery has followed a time table.  It seems like for every step forward, he has taken at least two steps back.  Simply waking up from the surgery was a week longer process than doctors had first hoped for.  Any response from my Dad took even longer.  Tiny movements are a cause for joy, and left side movements are almost non-existent.  An off the chart fever followed by dangerously low blood pressure consumed one day, and day after day of no improvement made each journey to the hospital mind numbing.

 

This week saw anger, tears and great fears, and yesterday cheers.  Fears of a stroke were allayed by a negative CT scan.  Anger over not seeing members of the surgical team have been replaced by appreciation for a continued high focus on my dad.  Tears from a lack of responsiveness and wondering what we should have the hospital staff do if we were not on hand, were replaced by smiles yesterday. No loud cheers were made-Dad is still in the intensive care unit-but inside I couldn’t have been yelling louder than if I was at a Nebraska football game.

 

Yesterday my Dad sat up.  His hospital bed is an amazing machine that can be arranged into almost a chair, and he sat up almost all day.  Not only did he sit up, but he kept his eyes open and was alert, tracking movements in his room, even outside his room.  He would nod his head in response to questions, and several times when asked to give thumbs up or down as to how he was feeling, he gave thumbs up and even squeezed fingers. These acts may seem quite minor, but when it is a loved one performing them after doing nothing for days, well, the actions seem heaven sent.

 

I am almost afraid to go to the hospital today, or even call my Mom to see how Dad is doing.  Other up days have been followed by roller coaster down, down, down days.  Our hopes have been trashed several times.  Today I am just praying for a decent day for my Dad, sort of a follow up to yesterday.  Tomorrow I hope for more of the same.  If Dad can put together four or five good days, we can talk about leaving the ICU, and maybe even going to a neuro rehab center in Omaha. 

 

I never have like roller coasters, but I have always liked trains, especially the steam engines of the 30’s and 40’s when my Dad was growing up.  Maybe the roller coaster ride is over, and the Hank Meyer Wellness Express is building up steam.  My son Matt asked me what I wanted for Father’s Day.  All I could think of was for my Dad to get better.

 

Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for all of your kind thoughts and prayers.

Dreams-Mine and My Dad’s

 

Well, my exercise continues to be rehab.  My physical therapist gave me the OK to start walking for exercise, but the only walking I seem to be getting done is at the hospital in Omaha as I go to see my dad. 

 

I am doing some new exercises with my rehab, and my shoulder has been very sore this weekend.  Like last week, I don’t know if it is because of the new exercises, because I am sleeping in bed rather than on my recliner, because I am now driving instead of riding to Omaha, or because I have given up my sling.  My guess is all of the above.

 

I do hope to get more walking in this coming week.  Thanks for stopping by, and below is a post I made on Ron Speaks Out about the latest condition of my Dad.

 

Where Are You Dad?

 

The neurosurgeon says no brain damage occurred during your surgery.  That some people take longer to “wake up” from the surgery than others and that you are 85 years old and went through a horrific experience.  Every ounce of my heart, every fiber of my soul wants to believe him.  But it has been three weeks since you were with us Dad, and I am wondering where you are. 

 

Sure you seem to be awake and alert for a few moments each day, maybe to check and see if your loved ones are still with you.  We are and always will be. But where are you the rest of the time?  I won’t believe you have given up.  You have been a fighter all your life, you love to do battle, and this is by far the toughest foe you ever faced.  Still, how much is one human being supposed to endure?  So where are you Dad?

 

Maybe God has created a special island for people like you to go and heal.  Sunny and warm everyday.  Skies that are blue, bluer, bluest, and they go on and on forever.  Your only task is to get better.  Maybe lie in a hammock and drink a beer or two.  Well, you used to drink beer. Test out your new teeth with a nice steak dinner.  Read a Louis Lamour book.  Rest and get better.  That sounds close to heaven, so if that is where you are, don’t stray too far.  We need you back with us.

 

Or maybe God is just letting you dream right now to take away the aches and pain.  To remember the good times in your life as you go through a very bad time.  I can see young Hank Meyer walking to school for the very first time along a country road near Creston, NE.  Hank is only four, won’t be five until October, but he is ready for school.  Or Meta, Hank’s mom, is ready for him to be ready for school.  Hank is marching in step with his older brothers Ralph and Phil, and since there is no kindergarten in the school, Hank will be in first grade.  The stock market crash and Great Depression have almost arrived, but this is a good day for Hank. I know there were other good times with your five brothers and sister, so let them wash over you.

 

Maybe you have dreamt of that cocky 16 year old graduating from high school in the spring of 1941.  Every time I look at your graduation photo I tease Matt because he looked almost exactly like you when he graduated from school.  “See what you have to look forward to,” I tease.  He could do a lot worse.  But that was definitely a smart ass smirk in the picture.

 

You never said much about your experience in World War II, other than you were on Guam.  Supposedly the island was secure when you went ashore as a Navy radioman, but you mentioned there were still snipers on the island too.  A dream of your youth, but it might not be one you want to dream of now.

 

No doubt you have dreamt of your courtship with mom.  60 years later and you’re still going strong.  What a couple.  Mom is there at the hospital everyday, and she is getting tired.  Tell her you love her one of those times when you wake up to see who is there.  That would help her a lot.

 

I am sure you had to dream of four young sons.  What an arsenal.  I have other words to describe it, but let’s just go with arsenal.  How many years did you coach baseball?  How many young lives did you touch?  How many boys from the poor side of town got to feel what it was like to be champion because of the time you invested in them?  I know I got my picture in the Fremont Tribune for being on one championship team.  I suspect Jeff and Jerry also were on first place finishers.  Every summer was ball games, ball games, ball games, we didn’t know anything else, and didn’t care.  I see lots of good dreams here, even a few with mom yelling “Hank,” to try to calm you.

 

Have you dreamt of our vacations to Colorado?  We could never go until baseball season ended then it was pack the car and head west.  We would always leave late at night because our cars did not have air conditioning.  Did we ever not go to Rocky Mountain National Park?  Did we ever not drive up Trail Ridge Road?  I would love to do that one more time. Yeah, hit you with a snow ball in late July.

 

With 9 grandchildren you have a lot of next generation dreams.  Every one of them can tell stories of special times with Grandpa.  Actually every one of them has stories about stories you told or read to them, stories that never went quite like anyone else’s stories.  And every one of them thinks they have the best Grandpa around.

 

I guess these dreams have been about when you are younger.  Well, would you rather dream of times when you were young and called “Big Hank,” or think about the arthritis brought by 30 years of ten hour days standing on concrete floors in a cold, damp packing plant in Fremont.  I thought so. 

 

So maybe God is letting you dream right now of better times.  Letting you heal-your surgery wounds look better each day, and all your vital signs are great, heck, better than mine.  I hope your dreams are even better than what I wrote.  That inside you are smiling and having a great time. We’ll be there when you wake up.  We love you Dad.

No Easy Battles

My working out continues to be rehab for my left shoulder, and walking several thousand steps a day going to the hospital to see my dad.  This weak-well, actually week, but weak is true too-my physical therapist added four new exercises to those I already have been doing.

 

All of the exercises are in a prone position, and involve a small pole.  At home I have been using a broom.  The first exercise is basically bench pressing the pole or broom.  Back in December I was bench pressing 85 pounds-I am not lifting for contests, I lift to build muscle, and five months later it hurts to bench press something that doesn’t way a pound.  Same weigh dumb bell curls.  In December I was curling 25 pounds, now I do 3 pounds.

 

The other new exercises include lifting the pole over my head and trying to touch it to the exercise table, and two that involve side stretching.  All three of these exercises are a real pain, real, not literal.  I ice down every time I complete these routines.

 

I am still sleeping on my recliner.  I tried to go back to bed last Thursday and it just didn’t work out.  I am going to try again tonight, and hopefully I will find a comfortable position, unlike last week.

 

I still subscribe to the motto “no pain, no gain,” so I figure I am improving each week.  I can’t wait for the day it will be “no pain, no pain.”

 

Below is the latest on my dad, originally posted earlier today on Ron Speaks Out.

 

It appears nothing is going to come easy in my father’s battle to survive.  After seeing a fever that spiked at 106.4 and blood pressure that dropped to a critically low reading on Tuesday, I thought the worst was over, and we would say gradual day to day progress.  Actually, we did Wednesday-Saturday.

 

On Sunday my wife and I arrived early so my mother could attend church.  We immediately noticed a change in my dad.  He was totally unresponsive to our voices, and simply did not open his eyes at all.  The ICU nurse stated that doctors were afraid he might have suffered a stroke, and that all that had happened to him this week might have been an indicator a stroke was on the horizon.

 

I really do not know how I kept my composure on hearing of his latest possible malady.  To go through all he had been through, to fight and fight and fight to survive, and then for him to have possibly suffered a stroke seemed like a cruel joke. Where was his guardian angel that so many people felt he was blessed with?

 

Doctors ordered a CT scan, but things seem to move slowly in a hospital on weekends.  It was several hours before he was wheeled to radiology.  I watched from the ICU waiting room to see when they brought him back, and we waited for a half hour so nurses could hook him to the myriad of wires and tubes that are connected to dad.

 

When we finally went to his room, we were in for a shock.  There he was with eyes open, and once again he was responsive to our voices.  I have no idea what happened.  Maybe the movement from the ICU to radiology and back to ICU jump started him.  Maybe his guardian angel had been on a long coffee break and finally returned.  Whatever happened, he was like he had been the past few days.

 

When we arrived at the hospital today he was again alert and his eyes tracked movement of people in the room.  The TV was on in his room, and from time to time he watched a little of whatever was on.  Doctors are talking of removing him from the ventilator permanently tomorrow, and to see how well he could breathe on his own, they decided to take him off the ventilator for four hours this afternoon.  He had no difficulty at all breathing, a very good sign.

 

I guess progress is measured in tiny steps, and sometimes dad has taken a giant step backward.  He continues to fight, and refuses to lose to any problem that arises.  This week has been an amazing roller coaster ride, but I never have like roller coasters.  A nice smooth flight in the coming week would be fine with me.

 

Thanks to all of you who have prayed for my dad and expressed such kind thoughts.  Your prayers and thoughts really helped when my family has struggled with all the health problems my dad has faced.

I Almost Lost My Dad Yesterday

I have not done much exercising lately.  What little I have done is rehab at home or at Excel Physical Therapy.  Oh, that and walking countless steps in and around Creighton Medical Center in Omaha, as my dad struggles to overcome brain surgery and regain his health.

 

Yes, I am still writing about my father and his amazing will to live.  Right now his struggle is what my family’s universe revolves around.  The past week has been terrible and miraculous.  I am thankful and exhausted.  I am grateful to many, but wish his ordeal was over-mostly for him, but a little selfishness on my part too.

 

My dad’s physical strength has been shining brightly this past week, even though for months I have felt that he was getting more and more frail-is frailer a word? At not quite 85 years old, to withstand two surgeries totaling 23 hours in two days shows a great physical strength, and also that he has a tremendous inner strength as well.  His recovery has been no cake walk either.

 

Though his surgery was last Wednesday and Thursday, yesterday was the first day his eyes were open for more than a few seconds.  He seemed to be focusing more and though I haven’t been to Omaha to visit him yet, I understand today has been his best day since the surgeries, and Dr. Foster, the oncologist, is quite pleased with his progress. I am thrilled, but I have to tell you more about yesterday, because we almost lost him yesterday.

 

My mom called me at work shortly after 8:00 a.m.  She had just talked with his ICU nurse and he was running a fever of 104.  Although the hospital had run a number of cultures during the night, there was nothing to pinpoint an infection.  They were giving him a wide variety of antibiotics, hoping one would work.  I called Jane and told her we needed to go to Omaha right away, whether than wait until afternoon as we had planned.

 

By the time we arrived, dad’s temperature had climbed to 106.4.  The nurse was hooking up an ice blanket to put over him.  Jane told me I shouldn’t watch the temp reading on the ice blanket machine, but I was literally willing it with every ounce of energy I had just to drop .1 degrees.  It seemed like it took forever, but finally his temp was 106.3, then 106.2.

 

My son Matt came in to see his grandpa, and started talking with my dad.  Maybe the blanket would have started working around then anyway, but when Matt came in, dad’s temperature drop was dramatic.  His temperature dropped almost two degrees in the 45 minutes Matt was able to visit before going back to work.

 

The ICU nurse brought in a second ice blanket, and this blanket was placed under dad.  Another nurse brought in several bags of ice to put under his arms.  His temperature was steadily dropping, but so was his blood pressure.  I don’t think one situation had anything to do with the other event just they were happening at the same time.

 

Early in the afternoon my dad’s blood pressure dropped to dangerous levels, with a reading of 60/29 showing once.  I was truly afraid he was going to just slip away.  Several of you have emailed me telling me you believe dad has a guardian angel watching over him, and I think you are right.  I guess his guardian took a long break yesterday, or maybe he wanted us to appreciate again just how important my dad is to us.  His team of surgeons talked, and prescribed a med that squeezed his hear muscle, and helped to get his blood pressure back to more normal readings.

 

Late in the afternoon he was finally stable, and ICU personnel took him to radiology for a CT scan.  When he returned from that another technician did an ultrasound.  And totally blowing my mind, my dad was awake, and if nothing else, he seemed to be giving a look that he was plenty irritated.  He stayed awake for longer than he had since his surgery.

 

Today they are doing a minor procedure on what the doctors call his “flap.”  They transplanted a muscle from his back to replace all what had been removed from his head, and it is my understanding this is the flap.  I truly hope the procedure is “minor.”  I needed to work today, and have been able to get something accomplished, as well as write this.  Jane and I are leaving at 3:00 p.m. to visit him.

 

Dad’s guardian angel is back after taking that day long break yesterday, and must be feeling a little embarrassed by all that happened, since dad is doing so good today.  We have been taking things a day at a time, and hopefully yesterday was the last of the worst, and the beginning of things getting better for my dad.

 

I have been truly amazed and feel blessed by the outpouring of prayers and thoughts from so many people, some I barely know.  Maybe 9,000,000 people Twitter, but I know I have the best followers of anyone.  People from around the world have been praying for my dad, and to say I am touched doesn’t even begin to describe my feelings.  I will be forever grateful, because I know your prayers helped my dad survive.

 

Your prayers, three great doctors, and an amazing staff at Creighton Medical Center have helped him through his illness.  The ICU nurses have asked everyday to take care of my dad-I don’t know how a semi-comatose 84 year old man can be charismatic, but the nurses felt something, and they have been nursing him in an almost unbelievable fashion.  Rich was his nurse over the weekend, and did an amazing job, and I have to mention Elizabeth his nurse yesterday.  From the beginning of her shift at 6:00 a.m. until after 6:00 p.m. when her shift ended, she was constantly busy with my dad.  I know health care gets a lot of bad PR, but if everyone was like the people who have treated my dad, America would once again be known for the best health care in the world.

 

This isn’t my first go round sitting in hospital waiting rooms.  Jane’s parents both died over 20 years ago, and both were hospitalized for some time before their deaths.  It is depressing watching a loved one in such a state and it is terribly frustrating because all you can do is be there. Yesterday Jane broke down as my dad’s blood pressure dropped to critical levels.  I know she did not want to experience with my dad what she went through with he parents, but she truly loves my dad too.  Years ago my grandma said “Ronnie sure got a good one,” describing Jane, and she was right.

 

Anyway, about hospital waiting rooms-for over 30 years my dad boned Cure 81 hams for Hormel.  It was a tough, dangerous job.  I would rather do that for years than sit in a hospital waiting room for a day.  After sitting for 8-10-12-14 hours, my wife and I have left totally exhausted, spent physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally.  I haven’t been driving much since my arm is in a sling, but several times I have needed to take off the sling and drive home because Jane was even more wiped out than me. It is hard to unwind after spending a day at the hospital, and it is difficult to sleep too-plus I am still sleeping in a recliner because of my shoulder surgery, and getting a few hours of sleep is all I can muster.

 

I can handle all the aches and pains and emotion swings that go with this process.  All I care about is having Hank back with us again. 

 

Thanks for stopping by.

My Weekend Plans Are rotator CUFFED Again

Thursday morning my physical therapist agreed with me that after three weeks of being cooped up at home, it was time for me to get out and do something.  I planned my own version of a double-header for today, with my son Matt and I attending a Nebraska baseball game this afternoon, and going to races at Eagle Raceway tonight.  My wife was against me going out this weekend, but with my physical therapist’s endorsement, I was ready to argue.

 

Then Thursday evening Jane and I went to see my dad at Creighton Medical Center in Omaha.  I know I have mentioned my dad’s condition and that his 12-14 hour surgery scheduled for last Wednesday was postponed to next Wednesday.  They decided to do several biopsies and a vein grafting procedure instead.  This was to take just 1-2 hours.  It ended up taking 8 hours and required my dad to stay overnight.  He has struggled getting back on his feet, so they kept him in the hospital for a few extra days.  He is coming home today.

 

Anyway, the trip to Omaha is a mere 30 miles each way, and we were at the hospital for about 3 hours on Thursday.  I am not sure if it was the ride, the sitting, or both along with a tough rehab session, but by the time I arrived home Thursday my arm was hurting as bad as it had in over a week. I figured if it hurt that bad, that it was likely to hurt far worse riding 110 miles round trip and sitting for about 10 hours, so I decided to wait one more week before I do anything away from home.

 

Yesterday and today have just reinforced my decision of Thursday.  My arm is still very sore, even though I have iced it and tried to do nothing that would create any pain.  I am trying to wean myself of pain pills, and am down from 12 strong pills the few days after my surgery to 3 much weaker pills today.  I don’t want to up that schedule at all.  When these pills are gone I hope to switch to ibuprofen.

 

So, I will be watching baseball and auto races on TV today, rather than in person.  And I’ll keep on pushing to loosen and strengthen my left shoulder and arm.  I am looking forward to doing “real” work-outs again. Thanks for stopping by.