Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008 - 12:49 p.m.

good news/bad news

Good news first. I can go to KASF! Yay! The question arose because Mother's cast is coming off on Feb 29, and I wasn't sure when she'd be going home. Sober consideration made me think it unlikely that she'd actually be going home the next day but I was reluctant to make firm plans till I knew for sure. Today I called to remind her to call the doc, which she did; then I called the care place to see what they could tell me. They say it'll be one or two weeks after the cast comes off-- IF they can put a walking boot on. Presumably that means "if the bone is healed well enough to put on a walking boot instead of having to put another cast back on." Anyway, at least I know now that I won't be going back to Kentucky for at least two to three weeks, thus freeing up KASF weekend. Makai has reserved a room that she is kind enough to invite Casa B to share, so this should be quite a party. Oh, boy, am I looking forward to this!

In the not-so-good-news category:" I am such a damn optimist. I so much wanted to believe Mother when she said Daddy was doing better now that they are sharing a room, and since I hadn't had any more alarmed/alarming calls from the nursing place, I thought I was on firm(ish) ground. Ha. Obviously, one of the factors determining when Mother can go home is how well they will be able to take care of themselves when they get there. My hope that Daddy would calm down once he gets home and be able to help Mother the way he always has may no longer be viable. The nurse that I talked to said he has continued to be agitated, going from room to room, saying he has to "do" something, which fits with his always fixing stuff around the house. She said they've had to lock the Therapy room door because he is so unsteady that he keeps falling on the treadmill and they can't let him be in there by himself, but he keeps trying to walk at night. The nurse also commented on their diet, saying that their previous habit of snacking on crackers for dinner is not going to be safe for them. Fortunately, they seem to like some of the Ensure type things, so that will help. They just don't have big appetites, so expecting them to prepare and eat full meals three times a day isn't going to work no matter what you tell them; you've just got to work with reality sometimes. Let 'em eat their crackers, but tell 'em to drink Ensure alongside.

I don't honestly know if this is negative or positive, but I don't think the steroids are having much of an effect on the migraine. Yeah, the migraine stopped, but it stopped way too suddenly after I started the steroids for me to believe in cause and effect, and the migraine has sort of come and gone at will since then. Not bad, just sort of normal. Whatever.

And Molly may have climbed onto the bed and off again once, but she doesn't seem interested in repeating the experience. And when I tried to pick her up to set her up there last night, she ran away from me. And don't give me any crap about not being able to run as fast as a three-legged cat; she can get into and under stuff I can't. Besides, if she doesn't want to go, I don't want to make her. I was just offering a helping hand.

So. Lest we end this missive on a negative note, thus weakening my claim of being an optimist, let's review the beginning. I can to go KASF!

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