Walking to Wake Up

That is what we are doing.  Rolling out of bed at the crack of dawn, hustling to the park 5 minutes away and then dong the 30 minute, or more, walk along the canopied road that we share with other walkers, dog walkers, cyclists and motorists.  Today it was 79 at 6:40 and we noticed fewer people sharing the walk.  The humidity was terrible and we turned around after 15 minutes.  This energizes David and exhausts me.  If I'm not teaching it's OK because I have some breakfast, iced coffee and after an hour am ready to do stuff.  David comes home raring to go.  His oxygen levels are fantastic.  He has lots of energy.  He does about an hour of exercises to give him strength and balance.  I help with the balance timing and he is improving daily.
Last Saturday he went to the temple alone and I stayed here and scrubbed the porch from the winter yuck and spring pollen.  That usually gets done in the spring but we were otherwise occupied.  I still drive David to Prince William forest for his weekly walk with Fred and Ali.  This week he and I kept pace with Fred.  He has not done that in about a year so the improvement in his health is obvious.
David gets his coffee via the feeding tube and is eating a little ice cream now and then by mouth.
I think that he will be able to enjoy Adam's impending visit and even go to Annapolis to Phoenix's brunch at St. John's.
So after about 2.5 months of medical issues and bottoming out, David's determination and positive attitude along with some excellent medical adjustments brought him back to activity, health and enjoying life.  Borray.

An uneventful week

No medical issues this week.  David and I are walking together these days and do it pretty early in the morning to avoid heat and ozone.  We don't walk fast, stop when he needs to and barely break a sweat.    Nonetheless, we are slowly going more steps.  We drive to Lee Drive, part of a small national park five minutes away, and then walk along the road.  There is a slight hill on the way out which means that the way back is downhill.  I saw some interesting mushrooms along the way after the big rain on Tuesday.  David is doing his exercises and trying to get better with balance.  I sometimes have to nag him about it.  They are boring.  He does love to walk so that is never an issue. Adam, Anne and Phoenix are coming to visit in a couple of weeks and we are starting to get ready for that, planning things to do, meals and such.  So all in all it's been a good week here at Hill House.  We got some Cold Stone cupcakes for the kids who helped us last week and gave the trash collection guy a thank you card with some cash.  Much less expensive than another trip to Mary Washington hospital when you consider personal wear and tear not money.  I thank everyone for your prayers and hope that it is now appropriate to direct them to others in need.

Mad dogs, Englishmen and David Hill

go out in the noon day sun.  So, he decided NOT to walk in the mall but to walk in the neighborhood and repeat the walk from yesterday.  (Why listen to your wife who is not physically fit?).  I was comfortably looking at email and web sites for Human Evolution and the doorbell rang followed by loud frantic knocking at the door.  A young man, Moses it turns out, from the trash collection company said, "There's an old man on the ground do you..." And I was out the door with my iPhone in a flash.  He told me that 911 had been called.  David was lying in the grass on the steepest yard two doors up, head down and beet red.  The lady of the house was surrounded by children, who found him.  He said he tried to call me.  HIs phone had no evidence of that.  I think he thought about calling me.  I got him up on his knees and Moses helped him stand but he was like jello and refused to sit down.  It is a very steep hill.  He wanted his walker.  I got it.  It did not work.  The fire department and the rescue squad came.  He successfully answered all their questions (name, date who is the president) said he did not pass out and adamantly refused to be transported to the hospital to be evaluated.  The rescue squad guy got a chair from our porch.  They sat him in the chair and four men carried the chair down the hill, down the street and into our house where David got up and walked to the couch.  The rescue squad guy saw that I was really upset and explained that David was lucid and that they could not transport him against his wishes but that I should call if ANYTHING happened.  I gave David some water through his feeding tube.  He went to the bathroom and is now sitting on the couch.  I left to keep an appointment he made to have the Prius inspected.  He half-heartedly offered to take it.  I declined.  He did not want to come along with me.  I made him promise not to drive, not to go outside and to limit his activities.  I'm at Affordable Automotive waiting for the inspection hoping that David listens to me.  He is so determined to push to get well.  He is sometimes clear as a bell but after this episode he is less sure about what really happened.  He admitted that he may have passed out.  I think the heat got to him and hope that the water and AC make him feel better.

He got up early today, did his thyroid medicine on his own, collected the trash and took the trash can to the street - all before I got up at 7 when I found him in the shower.  Things appeared to be getting back to normal.  Our mail was not delivered at all yesterday and package tracking indicated that two days passed without several packages being delivered.  He was planning on going to the Post office to complain and to collect his birthday package from Adam.  He was going to do that after going up to the lab for bloodwork.  I looked out about 9:30 and saw that the flag was down on the mailbox, went outside and collected four packages and a mess of mail, so that problem was solved.
About 9 the home health nurse had her last visit with him and was very happy with his physical condition and progress.  I think that those folks are a bit too ready with the praise for his determination to get stronger and then he tries to exceed their expectations, thinking that I am negative and pessimistic.  I think that he has two modes:  stop and full steam ahead.  Moderate is not one of his settings!
Tomorrow is his 86th birthday and we will celebrate very quietly.  Perhaps we will go to the temple for services.  Right now I don't know what to think or plan.  I'm scared for him.  I do not want him to give up but I want him to dial it down a few notches.  Once again I ask for your prayers.

July 6 post post-hospital doctor visits

Yesterday David saw Dr. Lynne Clemo, his primary care physician.  His lungs sound fine to her.  She ordered bloodwork to check on his hemoglobin and kidney function and many other things too.  She said that his risk for an embolism is much lower than his risk from a re-bleed of the ulcer or other bleed from his poor balance.  This means he will not be back on blood thinners for at least six months.  He is cleared to drive again but she wants him to stay off of the interstate until his balance improves.  She wants to see him again in 6 weeks and we made that appointment.

Today he saw Dr. Lee, the gastroenterologist.  He ordered blood work to check his hemoglobin AND to check for Helicobacter pylori a big factor in ulcers.  If that is positive then he will need two weeks of antibiotics.  If it is not and if the hemoglobin is rising then Dr. Lee does not want to do another endoscopy unless Drs. Clemo need that information to make a decision about David's treatment.  He would not do it for another 2 months and wants a follow-up visit then.  By that time we will have Dr. Clemons opinion about the endoscopy.

Today David got into his car and went to see his friend Zee, drove here and there and I think was happy to be in the car without me.  His concentration and focus is not optimal but is coming along.

He told me he wants nothing for his birthday.  Of course I cannot accept that because I love celebrating special occasions.  Than and I are trying to do SOMEthing David will enjoy and have come up empty so far.  Maybe a movie at the AMC theater in Potomac Mills where they have a very cool closed caption device that scrolls the CC across a narrow long screen that you place near the bottom of your viewing area of the screen.  No movies in Fredericksburg are AMC.  All AMC theaters have these in all the theaters.  He is not sure that he wants to see any of the movies that are playing there.  I'll keep trying.

July 2 progress

David is moving along at exponential speed both physically and mentally.  Yesterday he got his walking stick, walked down the driveway around the cul de sac and up the hill to the house (past the empty trash cans) and up the driveway.  He was really tired after that but managed to recover and come to Lowe's with me.  He walked around the store with his cane and associates were falling all over themselves asking him if he needed assistance.  His reply, "I'm with her."  Next he insisted on going to Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream and ate the top part of a scoop of vanilla.  He said that it definitely me his expectations.  The rest is in the freezer.    Yes, I know he is supposed to have nothing by mouth but he was extremely insistent that he does not aspirate so I gave in.  I had a Banana Split Decision for the first time in years.  When we got home I resumed deep cleaning the house that has been sorely neglected and David started to vacuum.  We both slept soundly last night.  Today I'm took him to the temple for services and then we went to Sears and Wegman's.   Tomorrow I will drive him to take a brief walk in Prince William Forrest and then breakfast at Dumfries.
Tuesday is his visit with Dr. Clemo, the primary care physician and we'll see if he is cleared to start driving again.  The physical therapist explained that home health care stops once he is able to leave the house and go places alone.  She suggested that he drive and I passenger the first time and that we take a short trip.  She suggested Costco.  I'm thinking the Lee's Hill shopping center - to donate at GoodWill and shop around.
Rachel, the Physical Therapist, showed him the app on his iPhone that counts steps as long as it is on him.  WELL this is now an obsession.   Yesterday he did somewhere around 3800 steps and today he is already up to about 2500.  He plans to vacuum the downstairs and will no doubt do a stroll around the cul de sac again trying to top yesterday's total.  He is building up to "passing" the evaluation that will determine if he is a fall risk on Tuesday when Rachel comes again.