A New Sport

July 5, 2017

Today we went for Den’s blood draw. His INR is 2.2, so no changes in his meds. He has been really stable on his meds recently and I am building a rapport with the LVAD team. They have told me that I monitor him more closely than most. So they have been giving us some leeway with his meds and said they know I can do some adjustments with out supervision. I am allow to adjust his Bumex and Warfrin to his diet and fluid intake. It is a big milestone for me to earn their trust.

Emily had her school physical for High School today also. She is healthy and got all of her booster shots. She is really excited to try a two new sports this summer….fencing and lacrosse. She has said she would rather not play basketball or volleyball in high school. She wants to branch out and learn something new.

July 9, 2017

It was not a good evening! Den went to the bathroom and when he tried to get up, his right knee went out and he fell. He was stuck between the commode and the radiator. We tried for about an hour to get him up ourselves, but no matter what we tried he could not get up. We ended up calling in his son-in-law, Curt, to help us get him up. Curt is a paramedic. It only took him 5 minutes to assess the situation and get Den back up off the floor!

I have to tell you, Den weights about 250 pounds and I am at 140. So Den out weights by quite a bit. I used to be able to get him up from the floor, when his legs and knees were better. Now, I know that I cannot do it alone. I am no longer afraid or ashamed to call for help.

July 10, 2017

Emily had her first day of fencing camp today. Before I could put the car in gear to pull away from the school, she asked if she could attend the second session of the camp. Each one is 2 weeks. She said she loved what they did today and wanted to do more. I told her I would talk to the coach tomorrow when I drop her off about the next session. I think she may have found a new sport!

Before dinner, we got a call from one of Den’s adult daughters. Her daughter, another of Den’s granddaughters, was admitted to the hospital. They were checking to see if her cancer was back. They found she had a mass in her liver blocking the duct. She is scheduled to have a stent put in tomorrow and start chemo again.