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Yesterday was a pretty good day - wheelchair tech came out to fix some chair issues and groceries got delivered. (BTW, anyone who hasn't tried it, look into it - it has been one less thing for me to do when his aide is here. Order online, pick a delivery time, then the groceries are delivered and put right on my kitchen counter top. Shop Rite lets you either pay online when ordering or at time of delivery.)

DH's aide is here today. The day's adventures will not be as fun as Tuesday, but necessary none the less. I need to get our tax information to the accountant, then off to the dermatologist to get an "abnormal" spot on my back removed. First directions when they told me I needed surgery was no heavy lifting for 2 weeks. Yeah, that's probably not going to happen. I explained my situation to them and the dr told me the spot is relatively small, but I will need stitches. I'm going to tell her to put the heaviest duty ones she can in, even if I have to come back and get them removed rather than the self-absorbing ones. I have DH's PT coming tomorrow, so my stretching/ROM exercises will be kept to a minimum. DH knows things will have to be low-key for a bit. I'm one tough old bird, so I'll get through this - I've had this type of procedure before.

Hope you all have a good day!
 
Praying for an easy result and cooperation from DH with the surgery.

Hugs
 
Good luck with everything!
 
Surgery went well. Only about a 3" incision. Dr said the disolvable stitches would be fine. Quite the bugger changing the dressing this morning. It's on an area of my back juuuuust beyond where I can reach at my longest stretch. Oh well, I got a bandage on it.

DH is on-board with me minimizing lifting. He must have slept well last night, because he's still sleeping! I'll do some ROM with him when he wakes up, but the PT is coming this afternoon, so I'll let her do the bulk of it.

Good day to all!
 
The part about the bandage is sheer comedy. I'm sorry I had to laugh imagining the scene with cartoon music.
Happy healing, may this problem soon be dissolved!
 
One thing I’ll say for ALS, is it makes us quite inventive. So happy to hear all went well and DH is understanding of the issue.

Hugs
 
So things just kind of suck right now, excuse my language. DH is crying every day, saying he can't live this way. Which gets me crying, then I'm a hot mess. We go to clinic on 4/16 and he says he will talk to the doc about an anti-depressant. Not that that will solve the real problem, but well, maybe it will help.

Errands, phone calls and paperwork while his aide is here today. But a very dear friend took off from work today to meet me for lunch, God bless her. She's one I can talk to about anything. She's been through stuff of her own too. Widowed very young with 3 kids to raise. She's come through it all and is a rock-star in my book.
 
Antidepressants may actually just help take the edge off, but of course they won't solve this horror.

Is your back healing up?

I'm so glad you have a good friend you could take time out for lunch with - every little thing is to be cherished as a blessing in this madness that is ALS xxx
 
So sorry Jrzygrl! You are right, ALS does suck! I hope antidepressants help! Hugs friend!
 
The antidepressant should help some, but they do take about 4 weeks to be fully onboard, so don’t expect miracles overnight.

So thankful you could get to lunch with a friend who understands. It is so important for your mental health.

Hugs
 
It was wonderful catching up with my friend. She and 2 other ladies and I have been friends for over 35 years. We met at work and used to see each other just about every day back then.
Among the 4 of us, we have been through a lot of life's curveballs. Even though we can go for months between visits, we can pick up like it was yesterday. Eternally grateful for this "tribe".

My back is healing up fine, Tillie. Pretty much back to the normal routine.

DH did try anti-depressants 2x in the beginning. Both times, he stopped in less than 2 weeks, even knowing the dr said it would take at least 4 to feel any difference, because he didn't like the side effects. After that, he refused to try to find another. I'm hoping this time around he's willing to stick it out until we find one that works for him.

Thank you all for your support! Hugs all around!
 
Those are the best kinds of friends aren't they! So glad you got that bit of time out :)

There are many different antidepressants so hopefully they can find one with no side effects that will bring you both a little relief. YAY on the back - something has to go right, right?
 
Wow what and awesome lunch for you. Love those tribes. I know that put some air under your wings for a bit.

Xing fingers on the anti depressant. Some of them can have nasty side effects.

Hugs
 
Yesterday the weather was absolutely gorgeous here. While I was getting DH up, we were watching the news. We both love baseball and the weatherman said it would be 76 at 7:05 for the start of the game last night. By 2:30, I had cajoled DH into going to the game. Yes, I would bring a jacket for him, and a blanket and I told him we could leave whenever he was done. And I know where all the family bathrooms are in case he had to go.

Our local team is absolutely AWESOME helping those with disabilities. Their main charity event is an ALS fundraiser (which we went to 2 yrs ago and I'm hoping to get him to this year).

PT came at 4, so I scurried around getting everything set while she was with him. Wheelchair charged, bag packed, gas in the van, blanket and jacket at the ready. When she was done, he decided he had to change his shirt, put on different shoes and socks and a few other changes, but we were out the door a little after 6. He is still trying to figure out how to use the head array to get himself situated in the van so I asked if he wanted me to just use the attendant control to get him in - Nope. So he struggled and got himself so stuck that I had to climb in the other side of the van and wriggle him out. So now he's a little agitated.

It normally takes just about a half hour to get to the stadium. Normally. A traffic accident had caused a miles long back-up along our route. He started getting anxious. I tried to calm him down and just found the radio station that the game was on and reminded him that baseball is a somewhat leisurely sport. We'll get there with plenty of game left.

Got to the stadium and the lot was pretty full. Backseat driver DH kicked in. Why are you going down this aisle? Turn here. You missed a spot. You get the picture. I found a van accessible spot, but it was not where we normally park. Where are we? How do we get in to the elevators? I calmly told him I knew where we were and that the ballpark attendants will know where the closest elevator was. I convinced him to let me drive him out of the van. Got all our essentials and off we went. Then for some reason, he could not keep the chair going in a straight line. Again, honey, just let me drive you, it will be less stress for both of us.

So we got in, the attendant pointed us to the elevator about 100 yards up. We're OK again. Up to our seating area, where 2 very nice attendants help us get settled. It's the 3rd inning, but hey, there's 6 left. Now I know he's hungry, so I ask what he wants. Of course, it's not a run of the mill item, so I set off and get about 1/2 way round the stadium before I decide he's going to have to settle for what I get because what he wants is a specialty item and the stand is on the other side. Get him a cheeseburger and I get a hotdog and a big beer for us to share. Back to the seats. It's now the middle of the 4th inning. Get him fed and sit down to watch the game.

He's fidgeting around. Needs the jacket (it's still in the mid-70s) then the blanket. Adjust my arms, I need a drink. Fidget some more. Chair is moving constantly. I looked over at one point and saw he was NOT happy. You OK? My back hurts. Alright, finish this at bat, then we leave. It was the 7th inning. I drove him out to the van and we left.

At least I tried. I got him out for a while. If you look at the pics I posted on Instagram, you'd never know the struggle it was to pull it together. And bonus - no traffic getting out of the stadium. So all in all, I guess it was a little OK.
 
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