Time really goes fast when you are pulled in so many different directions. Work has been crazy this week, and I've been putting in 12 hour days again. Larry's caregiver comes at around 6:30 AM (she's not due til 7:00, but is always early, bless her heart!). I leave as soon as she gets here, then work until 5:30 or so, then drive home and try to send Cecilia home but 6:30 in the evening. She's supposed to be here til 7:00, but I think both of us like the 6:30 to 6:30 routine better. After she leaves I spend some time with Larry, fix dinner, take care of chores, and then usually have to finish up something that I brought home to work on. It may lighten up in the next month or so, but for right now it's pretty consuming. I thought I might have another job offer that would allow me to work from home a few days a week, but we are just not having a meeting of the minds as far as salary, and these days we need the money!

Larry's doing better as far as his mood and his frustration, but I think he is way too comfortable at home. He's very content to have me or Cecilia wait on him and not try to do a whole lot. I am going to rock his world, though, because when we met with his primary care doc on Monday I told him that Larry is in desperate need of outpatient therapy and the doctor put in the referrals. I got a postcard in the mail today that sounds like he's been approved for something (I don't now what yet), and that means that Larry is going to have to go on the Access Paratransit bus with Cecilia at least a few times a week for the therapy, and I think that is a very good thing.

I really liked Larry's doctor, who I have never met before. He spent about an hour with us, which is a huge amount of time in the Kaiser world, and I never felt rushed or like he was not listening to us. He seemed to totally understand that Larry needs to get back into therapy, and although a lot of his explanations were simplistic (yes, I know that a stroke on the left side of the brain can mean right side paralysis, and why!), I appreciate that he was willing to give us so much of his time. He was a huge improvement over the doctor that Larry had while he was in the nursing home - she would not give us the time of day or explain anything.

The construction is still going on in the house, but nearly done. It has turned into a remodel of half the house - amazing how that can happen! But, Larry's room has new floors that I can wheel the chair and the lift across, and a completely re-done bathroom with 36" wide doorways, and our little office also has new floors, new paint, and new French doors. I'm hoping they will finish up Monday, and that will be a big relief.

The new shower chair that I ordered for Larry came today. The first one that I bought was too flimsy, and did not work at all; Larry ended up on the floor last time I tried it (not hurt, but I had to let him down with the lift, because the chair pretty much collapsed under him). It was pretty scary for us both. The place I bought it refused to take it back because it's a "bathroom item", so I just bit the bullet and bought another one. This one is much better, more like the ones they use in the hospital; it's made out of the PVC pipe and is also a little bigger. I was surprised that it came disassembled with no directions, but was able to put it together. Larry watched me and was able to tell me what went where, although there was lots of eye-rolling as he watched me trying to assemble it. It must make him crazy to watch me fumbling around with stuff like this, but I am not a boy and that's just too bad! We both had a good laugh when I put the foot rest on upside down, so at least we have not lost our sense of humor about things.

We're finally having Larry's "welcome home" party on 8/9. I've been putting it off because of the construction, but now that we're about done I felt like I could schedule it. I think it will be nice for Larry to have a chance to see some of his old friends, and good for me to have something to look forward to also. I'm already starting to make plans, and I like doing that, so I'm having fun. It will be good to have something social to do!

Well, I'm tired...that's enough for one day.

xxxoo

-Janine