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!

I’m Thankful for Our Cats!

 

                                                              

Sophie and Zeus

We have had a lot of ups and downs the past month or two but through it all one thing remains steady for us – our two sweet cats!  Those of you that have pets of any kind will understand my feeling I’m sure.  No matter what happens your sweet, furry family members are there for you, accept you and will never judge you.  Pure unconditional love.                                                               

When I'm at the computer Sophie holds my arm and
sleeps with her head in my hand. 

Sophie and Zeus are always near us offering love and cuddles or entertaining us with their playful antics.  If we do have to leave the house, they meet us at the door when we return.  They follow one or both of us around and generally prefer that Tom and I are in the same room.  If I’m in the back of the house on the computer and Tom is in the living room, Zeus will cry at me and try to get me to follow him back into the room with Tom.  When we are both in the same room, they will settle down to a nap nearby or in our laps or play with toys near us.  They instinctively know when we are sick or sad and they stay close and comfort us. 

Tom’s health problems have continued.  I took him to both his cardiologist and our family doctor last week.  His heart, thankfully, seems to be doing okay but he has been hit with some kind of severe dizziness problem and is very unsteady on his feet.  The doctor did not see an ear infection but gave him antibiotics in case it was too deep to be seen.  Tom did suddenly lose his hearing in one ear at the same time this started so that could be part of the problem.  He’s never had this type of vertigo situation in the past.  So, for now he has to stay in one place and try to not move around much.  I’ve been trying to take care of him and still catch up on a lot of things around the house that I have neglected.  It has not helped that I am still having trouble with the high blood pressure, but I will see the doctor Tuesday.  After that, we have to find a new family doctor as our regular one is retiring next week.  We’ve seen him for over forty years and I hate to lose him but I am happy for him to finally get a break.   

I don’t mean to just write about health problems.  Things will sort themselves out eventually I’m sure.  It’s all part of life and getting older.  But anytime we do have problems like this it always reminds me of how grateful I am to have our two cats, Sophie and Zeus!  They are always there for us.  If you have any wonderful furry family members give them a little extra love because I’m sure they are there for you in the good and the bad times.   

                                                              

They even help me when I'm sewing.