Late last week we got bad news about my grandmother. The doctor was recommending that she go on hospice care. She hasn't been getting better after her hip surgery and is mentally declining.
BUT
After that suggestion she suddenly started to get better. With the aid of a little pain meds she has been working on moving around and breathing better. When threatened with the inevitable, sometimes that is a push to defy time. So she currently isn't on hospice, though she has round-the-clock care that is probably better than what she would have in an inpatient care facility. And she's in a home setting with that care--not her original home, but a home that is not a facility. And usually she would have Grandpa there with her. However, that got interrupted this week after only a few weeks of her being back with him.
He has health problems, that is known. And he's had trouble breathing on and off for the last many months. This week it was bad enough that he used Grandma's oxygen machine (the extra one that would not deprive her of her own air) of his own volition before finally admitting defeat and going back to the ER. Once there they tried to find out what is going on.
They found one of the problems: 1.5 LITERS of fluid in one of his lungs. It can be pretty hard to breathe with one full water balloon taking up space in your chest cavity and only one squished lung that works at all. So they got rid of that and all of a sudden he could breathe unassisted again. He's still in the hospital while they figure out just why it happened. Hopefully he will be out soon with a fixable answer.
On that note, Mom and I are heading back up to see them both this weekend in another whirlwind trip from Saturday to Monday (Maybe Tuesday). We'll see how it goes. Only a small chance of snow, but we're taking the cold-weather gear just in case. And it's supposed to be lows in the teens in South Dakota so we're going to want it for there anyway.
In other news, I am on the way to a healthier me and it is going well, though so far I have only taken advantage of the pool due to my unfamiliarity with the weight machines. That will come over the next two weeks with the trainer (which has been getting pushed back quite a few times due to scheduling issues on both sides). So I swim.
Especially when I remember to take my bag in the morning. I have made it a point to take it with me, but twice out of the the past two weeks I have managed to forget it--that second time being today. Last time I had to get back to the gym because I had an appointment with the trainer. Today? Not so much. I am am striving to not Nope-out of going back to the gym after getting home. I shouldn't have too much of a problem now that I have a secret weapon: my swim headphones. I swear that whoever developed bone-conducting technology must have been either hard of hearing or a swimmer. Yesterday I tried them out for the first time and found myself NOT looking at the clock and instead just paddling away while listening to (loud) rock music. Instead of 30 minutes of gee-I-should-keep-going I suddenly looked up and found myself 20 minutes over my goal. Score! So I think that will help keep me going a little easier. Also I can wear the gadget while lifting and such while still being able to hear what is going on around me. Double score!
So I will be exercising when I can, traveling when I have to, and trying to eat reasonably overall. I want to get back below 180 by the end of November. That's three pounds. I can do that. Or I will just take the time my body needs, if that be what is necessary. We'll see.
No comments:
Post a Comment