The Good, The Bad, and The Happy

 

Hello! Back in June of 2022 I took a blog break (here) due to many changes in my life. I discovered that at my age I don’t adjust to changes as well as I did in my younger years. I tried to return to blogging this last March but only managed two posts. Well, I’m back once more with no promises on how often I’ll be able to post, but I’m going to try. I’ve missed all my blog friends!

The past year and a half has been quite a ride. Yes, there’s been good, bad, and thankfully also some happiness. I’ve been incredibly busy learning to handle all kinds of new challenges while at the same time, I’ve swept some of my own problems along with some depression under the rug. It’s hard to take time for yourself when you have other things and people to care for. But I’m getting there, one day at a time and we are both still blessed with love and support from these two sweet cats!

Zeus, always in charge!

Sophie with her Christmas bear.

Here’s a quick rundown of what’s been going on since I last posted:

The Good – Tom and I are both doing better at dealing with Tom’s health problems and the many ways they affect our lives. I am adjusting to being the only one taking care of everything as well as being the only one driving. I’m even learning to get used to driving in places that I used to always avoid, like downtown Kansas City! I guess I had gotten spoiled with Tom doing so much of the driving and helping with other things. 

Tom is more comfortable using his walker now and we are both doing better at dealing with it in many different situations. It does come with a bit of a learning curve. In fact, I’ve even bought a second walker to leave in the car for when we go out. 

When I first took the blog break, I had a list of things I wanted to accomplish but when Tom’s health became worse all those things went to the back burner again. Finally, I have been slowly accomplishing many of the items on my list. Also, I am doing better at getting Tom out of the house a little more. He has spent far too much time confined to the house in the past couple of years. I’m also doing a little better at trying to remember to take care of me too.

The Bad – Last April Tom had a mini-stroke (or TIA) that sent him back to the hospital for a few days. Then I had a cancer scare last August and had to have a breast biopsy. Thankfully it was negative, but I still have to be tested every six months due to ongoing concerns. Both of these situations were frightening and set us each back a bit but we are grateful that they were not as bad as they could have been.

The Happy – Our granddaughter Annika got married on September 23! She and Nick have been dating for several years and got engaged about a year ago. We love Nick and already felt like he was part of the family even before the wedding. It was a beautiful, large wedding and a very happy day for all of us!

   

I may write some posts about a couple of these things I’ve mentioned but for now, I have rattled on far too much! I hope you are all well and happy! I’ve missed you!

If Life Gives You Lemons

We are still working on adjusting to the many changes we’ve had in our lives recently. Everyone goes through the usual ups and downs in life and we learned long ago that you have to deal with what life gives you. 

It’s been a bit more difficult to get used to the physical changes Tom has faced because they seem more permanent. A year ago, neither one of us would have believed he would be using a walker now. He’s getting used to it and even admits it does help him. Besides, if life gives you lemons you make lemonade, right? Or maybe in our case, if life gives you a walker you turn it into a “cat transport vehicle”! 

It's Been a Long Time

Hello!  Most of you will remember that I took time off from blogging to better adjust to some life changes.  Tom had been having many health problems and we were not doing well with the necessary adjustments in our life.  I had hoped I would be able to get more accomplished in regard to these changes if I took a couple of months off from blogging.  Unfortunately, things don’t always work out like you plan.     

A lot has been happening in these last few months.  Tom’s balance problems continued and he started to have falls on a regular basis.  Last month he had a bad fall hitting his head.   He was really banged up and of course head wounds tend to bleed a lot.  My son and I took him to the emergency room and he was admitted to the hospital.  He had a CT scan, MRI, and x-rays.  Thankfully the tests were all clear.  Still, he was kept in the hospital for four days at the end of which they admitted him to a rehab facility for ten days of occupational and physical therapy.  He came home a couple of weeks ago and now has weekly visits from a home health nurse, occupational therapist, and physical therapist.  His balance is still bad so at the doctor’s suggestion we purchased a walker for him.  Not something he wanted but those falls are just too dangerous.  So now we are essentially starting over with his physical condition but we are staying positive about it all.    

I celebrated my 70^th birthday in August and since then my health has continued to throw me hoops to jump through.  I had my annual mammogram and a nodule was found that was concerning.  They now have me coming in every six months for a scan in order to check for changes. Then I had a fall that sent me to the emergency room with possible broken ribs. I lucked out and they were just bruised.  (I’m clumsy at times!)  Before that was completely healed, I began having gallbladder problems eventually leading to surgery.  I discovered having your gallbladder removed can bring challenges in your diet but I’m working on adjusting.  I was just healing up from that when I got hit with a bad case of RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus).  It has been going around here quite badly with the hospitals full.  My body still was not ready to give me a break because I then had to have a questionable growth removed from my face and sent in for a biopsy.  I was fortunate and it was benign!  I’m really not telling you all this to complain but more to fill you in on what has been going on in the last few months.  I so wanted to get back to blogging much sooner but things have just been crazy around here!

The past few months have taught me a lot about myself and how I handle challenges.  I’ve always been good at managing whatever life throws at me but I’ve discovered the older you get the more difficult some situations can become.  I’ve also learned that sometimes (actually much of the time) I just can’t get everything accomplished that I would like and that’s okay.  More importantly, I am learning to bend with the wind and try not to let it break me.  

Thank you if you’ve stayed with me this long.  I sure have missed everyone and look forward to catching up with you all.

Sophie

Zeus

 These two sweet cats have definitely brought a lot of joy and love to us over the past months!