The best of times, the worst of times. . . , part 3

Our visits over, we made our way to central Indiana to have our final doctor appointments in Indiana, as we are changing over to Florida doctors, since we have a house there. At this point it was becoming more clear that Terry was in trouble. . . brain fog, slurring/stuttering and shuffling his feet, tremors. Long story short after setting up camp, I drove him to Methodist ER in Indianapolis, a 60 mile drive. He was admitted. It's been a roller coaster week, but really have mostly good news. He thought he may have had a stroke, but that wasn't it. They ran every test there was. The problem was that he has taken so many heart meds over the years, they have started affecting his other organs. So he was there for almost a week while they "detoxed" his body. They have changed some meds, dropped several, added one. Today he got his ICD changed out to a new improved model and he was discharged later today. Whew. I was tired of driving back and forth to Indy.

We see our GP tomorrow for the last time, then heading to Charlottesville to see our daughter and family, then home to Florida. We are following up with the heart doctor via telehealth and the liver doctor in Indy is setting up a follow up with a colleague in Tampa. So all is good. Terry is better, albeit tired, than he has been in a long time. These meds have been working on him a long time. . . like slowly being poisoned. Some he cannot take anymore. Hoping it all works out.

Hopefully with living in Florida 8-10 miles from our doctors, it will be easy to get the care he/we need quickly. We still plan to travel but that will probably be mostly in the summer. 

All things considered, we've got a lot done since we left Florida. Visited with Brandon's, lost our toad, found our toad--continued on, drove to Indiana, windshield replaced, refrigerator replaced, visited with Mom twice, visited Uncle Dan, spent a week in the hospital with Terry, but he got detoxed and on the road to recovery, got his ICD replaced and saw our internist for the last time. Busy couple weeks.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Spring appointments

We drove in high winds all the way back from Virginia to Indiana. We drove the toll road, which was expensive, but the quickest way to our destination. We pulled into the drive at the storage condo and were there for a week. We made one trip to Indy for Terry's cardiology appointment. We will have to make some time for Terry to have a pulmonary assessment, but all is well.

Mom is doing well in the rehab division at Miller's in Warsaw. She is in rehab every day, usually morning and afternoon, and is trying to do everything they ask of her. She says she grows stronger every day. She can feel her strength returning and is able to do more and more by herself which is really encouraging.

Toward the end of our time there, we camped at the Warsaw fairgrounds so we could visit more. I attended her evaluation where they said she would be there one more week, then released home. We also went to her house with the PT people and Mom and they evaluated what else they specifically needed to work on to get her living again in her home. Fortunately after what we went through with Daddy, her home is now 100% handicapped accessible, so she can negotiate very well with her walker, although she will be able to ditch that soon. The people at Miller's have been wonderful to her and have kept her safe and mobile and have improved her balance and stability a lot. We are very grateful to them. They in turn have been very pleased with Mom's eagerness to help herself and are in awe of this almost 93 year old woman who refuses to be bedridden. Whoo hoo!

After our last weekend there, we headed to central Indiana and the rest of our doctor appointments. All went very well and I am pleased to say I got released by my back doctor in Indy. He is a peach and he and his staff gave me my life back and free of the pain I have endured for over 40 years. If you are having back issues and they are not resolved with the treatment you are seeking, please go to St. Vincent's (Indy) to the Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine and at least have a consultation. I used Dr. Potts, but there are several specialists and they will help you see the right one. I am eternally grateful to them.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Here at Meerkat Manor!

We arrived at Elkhart Campground, aka Meerkat Manor, last Thursday after we finished up at the Shipshewana Flea Market. We spent the night at the apartments and Terry washed the rig while I went to see the doctor.

I decided it was time to establish with a rheumatologist since my arthritis is causing me more problems than I have had in the past. I do like this doctor and he explained all the options to me, none of which sounded like anything I wanted to try. I opted for a shot of cortisone, which I try to get once or twice a year. He said that infrequently I would not develop any side effects at all from the drug and it has the added benefit of helping keep the psoriasis in check as well. I was relieved to discover that he doesn't believe my arthritis is the psoriatic arthritis, which I could go on to develop, but presently it is just good ol' osteoarthritis. The other problem I am having is renewed problems with sciatica and apparently a pinched nerve in my neck causing problems with my one arm. It's so great getting older. . . we get to experience all these problems at the time of our life which we are just starting to relax and enjoy life. I may have to get some specialized treatment for my back and neck as well.

So why do we call Elkhart Campground Meerkat Manor? Well, truthfully, there are no meerkats here but there are 13 lined ground squirrels who are driving the dogs crazy. The stand up in their holes and look like miniature meerkats like you see on the National Geographic channel. They dig fairly large holes, too, and you don't want to step in them. The girls love to give chase to any rodent and there are plenty of them around here. They come in huffing and puffing from their adventures.

We were to have storms all weekend, but it looks as though they are passing us by. That's fine by me. The girls don't like the storms and I can do without them.

We are about finished with the renovation on the apartment we had vacated. We had quite a bit of painting to do and just general cleaning. We are having some carpet repair done Monday and then I will finish by mopping the kitchen and bath. It is looking pretty good at this point.

Till next time. . .

Dale