Mother will be having back surgery tomorrow...

You may now find this post on Frances May's blog at http://howisfranmay.blogspot.com/

Surgery on Saturday for Mother

You may now find this post on Frances May's blog at http://howisfranmay.blogspot.com/

The Mays' Medical Maladies

Mother (83) has continued to struggle with pain and inability to move her left leg. The doctor at the rehab center sent her for an MRI yesterday. That showed several things wrong in her lower back, the most important to address first being a suspected infection. She was sent to our local hospital but there are only 2 specialists - one was out of town and the other couldn't come to the ER. So, she was sent by ground ambulance to the University of Virginia Medical Center Friday evening.

My fibromyalgia kicked in and I feel exhausted so Ed and I decided there was nothing we could do last night and I'd come home, rest, get my meds, etc. to go in the morning.

The doctor called about 4 a.m. There are several problems and they feel surgery is necessary. I had him call my brother, Phil, who is a nurse anesthetist in Texas. As I suggested, they have Phil talk to Mother as she is hesitant, which he did.

Meanwhile, my Uncle Bob (87) was admitted to the hospital last Friday with what they thought was a major stroke. That has turned out to be cancer with tumors on the brain and lungs. They are testing other areas to see if it has spread and to pinpoint what kind of cancer it is. The family met with the doctors yesterday and Uncle Bob wants to do the radiation treatments which may give him 6 months instead of 2. Meanwhile, Aunt Ginny has Alzheimer's and needs to have someone with her. They live just over the hill from me and the one time I might have been able to help is the time Mother is also down.

Meanwhile, yesterday my nephew, Levi, who's a freshman at JMU called. He'd been to the infirmary with a sore throat and pain and had gotten a prescription. I had just returned from Mother's MRI to the rehab center so was able to go get him and go to a pharmacy. He goes back to the infirmary tomorrow and if he's not better, they'll test him for mono.

Ed had bloodwork yesterday and a CAT scan today. The shingles aren't gone and his latest X-ray shows something still on his lung from the pneumonia. He still feels lethargic and had said that tomorrow he was going to stay in bed all day. Looks like he might be going to Charlottesville instead - IF he feels he can handle it.

Sounds like the Mays and Angelils are falling apart up here, huh? I can't write a lot now but will update this blog if possible.

Please pray for us, especially Mother.

Need roofing? Call Ed.....

Need roofing? Call Ed......he's got shingles! Aww, that's mean, isn't it?

He's had them several weeks is coming along fairly well. I think the Valtrex and Lyrica got in his system soon enough to help. He doesn't have that searing pain that often goes with shingles but the lumps on the side of his head, neck and down his shoulder and arm are extremely tender. The most annoying symptom is that he has felt so lethargic. Can you imagine - he was in his bathrobe and in the house for over a week - didn't even go shopping!! He went to the RV for about 15 minutes one afternoon and was exhausted. I think the sleep, rest, and naps are giving his body a chance to fight and heal.

Oh, I forgot to mention he first had walking pneumonia and an earache. His last X-ray wasn't totally clear so he'll be going for a CAT scan this week.

RV Plans on Hold

This blog started out to be "Angelil Adventures in Their RV" but, for now, the "RV" part will be put aside. We both agree that as sure as we'd start out on a trip, something would happen with Mother and we'd have to fly home. One of Ed's main reasons for wanting the motor home was so we could get away from the cold weather during the winter. Plus, I've traveled around the world and had purposely saved the USA for my retirement. So, we've got the whole West to explore, as well as Alaska and Canada. Life has taught me that "Patience Pays" and I'm sure this will be the case here.

By the way, if you ever forget where to find our blog:
1. Open Google
2. Type in Angelil Adventures
3. Hit your enter key
4. Our site should be the first to appear on the list of links given.
5. Click on that link, which will read, "Angelil Adventures"

Mother meets her new doctor....

You may now find this post on Frances May's blog at http://howisfranmay.blogspot.com/

Mother's Move to Rehab

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Mother's Move But Not to VMRC

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Update on Mom & Levi May Hits JMU!

You may now find this post on Frances May's blog at http://howisfranmay.blogspot.com/

My sister-in-law, Maribeth, is here from Texas - helped move Levi Walker May into his freshman dorm at J.M.U. (my old stomping grounds) yesterday. She's going to spend 2 days with Mother - to try to motivate her to exercise more.......and to give me a break. I've been at this daily visit routine since March.

p.s. I thought it would be nice to have my nephew nearby but have been advised that the only drawing card will be a home-cooked meal!

Mother in Hospital for 35 Days

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Better But Some Strange Dreams

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Anita and Phil Had to Go Home

You may now find this post on Frances May's blog at http://howisfranmay.blogspot.com/

We hear stories about people who were as bad off as Mother who regained strength and got better. This is like a roller coaster - every day, as soon as one problem gets successfully treated, it seems another one shows up. Both her arms and feet/legs have blown IV's so, at Phil's gentle insistence, they're putting in a picc line today. Then they can get her potassium and calcium balanced.

I took Anita to the train station for her return to Ohio and our cousin, Jim Bowman, took Maribeth and Phil to Dulles for their return to Texas. I'm a bit concerned that there might be a backslide because Mother had family hovering over her from early morning till late at night for 11 days.

"Turn Around" Day

You may also find this post on Frances May's blog at http://howisfranmay.blogspot.com/

Friday, August 1, 2008 was an indescribable day. None of us slept Thursday night. Phil and Maribeth (his wife) went in at 5:00 a.m. and sat for a while…..Mother was sleeping peacefully. Then they left for him to get a haircut. Meanwhile, Anita arrived about 9:00 a.m. and Mother opened her eyes and asked for Phil. He was still in town (thank heavens for cell phones) and went back to the hospital.

Mother opened her eyes and asked him how he was. He said, “Not so good.” She asked what hurt and he told her his heart hurt. She asked why and he said, “Because you’ve chosen not to live when it doesn’t have to be this way……”

There was a pause and she said, “I’ve changed my mind.”

Maribeth said she wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t been there!!!!!!!! They asked if she was willing to take her meds, eat, drink and do her physical therapy. She agreed and drank some ginger ale right away. She was lucid and the change was amazing.

We “pushed” liquids and food (Ensure and pudding) all day. She actually drank 2/3 of a bottle of Ensure – more than she drank all week put together. We got about 8 bites of cream soup in her and more ginger ale.

It’s almost like the dead has risen……..I’m still in shock!!!

Right now I'm afraid to tell people because I don't want to jinx anything. Phil plans to stay another week and that'll make a difference for Mother. Anita and Phil are beat from just a couple of days - gives them a clue what I've been trying to do since April when this all started. Then again, yesterday was the day she had chosen to die and that wiped us all out.

It’s a MIRACLE …what else could it be? Prayer works!!!!!

A SAD, SAD Day

You may also find this post on Frances May's blog at http://howisfranmay.blogspot.com/

Thursday, July 31, 2008 was a very hard day for my sister, my brother, and me. Mother has been in the hospital for 3 weeks and this week had refused her meds, food, and liquids. Anita (from Ohio), Phil (from Texas), and I spend a lot of time by her bed and she was lucid some of the time. We all had a chance to talk to her and listen to her wise and loving words, although it was hard to understand her. She made it clear that she was ready to go and that she wanted to go” today”! She did not seem to be in pain but she was miserable and suffering. Anita asked her if she was afraid and she said she wasn’t. It really felt like she would go at any minute.

We met as a family and decided to stop all the meds and IV’s, except for her pain patch. The plan was to move her to the skilled nursing section of VMRC (Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community) the next morning and Hospice would be involved with her care there.

BUT……the puzzling and frustrating thing for her doctor was that her vitals were all good, her back Kyphoplasty worked and her back pain is gone, her kidneys are fine, etc. so physically, there was no reason for her to die. He attributed it to a deep depression and tried his best to encourage and motivate her, telling her that if she would try, she could be walking out of there one of these days. She didn’t respond. (Yes, he had put her on an anti-depressant.)

RV Shelter Coming Along

I realize I forgot to give an update from starting the RV Shelter in April.


Ed, Mike Stroop (his faithful helper - teacher) working on the "knee wall."

The sides are up!

Ed with shelter coming along.

Ed on top of the world!

The finished product picture coming soon.

Hospital Stay for Mother

You may also find this post on Frances May's blog at http://howisfranmay.blogspot.com/

New Presidential Candidate (Wait for video to load, then click picture below to start.)

Our First Trip - Part 2

We had a good day with Barbara Elliot and left on Wednesday to visit our dear friends, Jan and David Clements, who live near The Villages (near Ocala) in the Stonecrest development. They surprised us, showing up at our rig as soon as we pulled into the Southern Oaks RV Resort. We spent the evening with them - life is so convenient as they can use their golf cart to get to most any shopping or eating place.

On July 4th, we went to Jan and David's for a cook-out, along with Diane (a sister), Roger, Matt, Anita (her other sister), her finance Ron, and Sierra (Jan's Weimaraner). Ron presented a drama he had written in 1976 where he "became" Thomas Jefferson - it was very interesting. A thunderstorm prevented the golf cart parade and contest. Later I helped Jan with her computer and Ed helped Dave with his TV. We had a wonderful time with lots of laughter and good conversation.

We then started North for a night in Savannah , one of the largest ports in the U.S. We drove into town and had fun walking along the old Riverfront area. We had $1 beers and some fantastic nachos at one of the many neat restaurants there.

Sunday night we stayed in Hillsville, VA, which is just over the NC border and were overjoyed at the cool weather.......we love sleeping with the windows open. It was frustrating that they had WiFi but we couldn't get on the internet.

We got home on July 7th and yes, the RV did fit into the shelter that Ed built. Now I'm eager to get all our "stuff" into the coach and put away. It was hard not to buy various things but we already have 2 mustards, ketchups, etc. from our stay in Florida last winter. We only bought a small mustard, bread, bologna, milk, and cereal.

Today I'm off to spend some time with Mother. She's still in Assisted Living and dealing with terrible pain. Tomorrow I'm going with her to the hospital for an epidural steroid injection to her lower back. Oh, how I hope she can get some relief.

Nice Nest - 1st Trip Part 1

Here we are, at last in our nest on wheels! We flew into Orlando yesterday and Barbara Elliot (the dive buddy we housesat for January - March) met us and took us to the RV repair place where we had it stored.

We're checked into a county park called Manatee Hammock on US1 in Cocoa. There are many little glitches and a gazillion things to learn how to do but we're getting there. In fact, Paul, the technician from Coastal RV, stopped by on his way home from work and helped Ed figure out a few things.

The RV has been parked at Coastal RV on US1 in Cocoa since March. 12 RVs were broken into -- flat screen TVs and other electronic equipment were the target. They broke the passenger window in our coach which will be covered by our insurance and they put a temporary plexiglass window in until we can get it fixed...............we thought nothing was taken.

During the time we were carrying our things in, I noticed the bedspread was missing but thought to myself how smart it was to put the new bedspread away so it wouldn't get dirty when they were working in there.

As we're getting ready for bed, Ed opened the space underneath to get the blanket and bedspread out. After searching every nook and cranny, we realized they weren't there. Ed, the optimist, said maybe they got it dirty and were having it cleaned. A call this morning confirmed what we really thought - they were stolen. Paul said they took the mattresses from 2 units and several other bedspreads........obviously to use for packing around all their TVs and other goodies.

Insurance will cover it but I doubt we'll find the same one - and I really liked it.......oh, well, it could be worse.

We're off to spend the day - what's left of it (It's already 11 am......retirees don't "do mornings" well) with Barbara. I'm "aquiver" with excitement because I'm going to Bonworth's, my favorite clothing store and Beall's, the place for deals.

Do you "Bling"?

Step right up, folks, here's your BIG chance for the buy of a lifetime!!

In one of the shops at Dulles Airport, I saw blue bottles and white frosted bottles that looked like wine bottles for sale. They had the word "Bling" on them in shiny, glittery letters. And, what a total bargain - the large ones were only $49.94 and the small ones were only $29.95.

I sort of rubbed my eyes like they do in cartoons and had to verify with the clerk that I was seeing what I thought I was seeing and sure enough, the contents of the bottles were plain, ole water - as in drinking water!!!

Young people have been brainwashed to think that they must have the fancy Starbuck's coffee for $4 or more and that there is something wrong if you drink tap water.......you must pay money and get tap water in plastic bottles. Guess this Bling H2O is the next step in brainwashing!