when I sit and when I stand

Yesterday I sketched this tree vase thingy that is in the foyer of the rehab center — I liked the tree sculpture on top. This morning I added the scripture verse from The Voice Bible. Since my goals are to sit and stand on my own, it seemed fitting.

meds cart

Just outside the dining room at Cypress Pointe stand a couple of med carts where residents can have their blood sugar checked before meals or be given their medications. Later, the carts are rolled out to the halls for those choosing to eat in their rooms. My meds mostly consist of eye drops for glaucoma and vitamins to build me up after chemo zapped my strength. 

There was a problem with my roommate running TV loudly, keeping the bright lights on, and her cell phone making noises all night. I was getting no rest at all, so they moved me to a different room. My new roommate, believe it or not, is from El Dorado, Kansas — same small town we raised our family in! What are the odds? Like us, she followed her daughter who had moved to Houston. She celebrated her 94th birthday a couple of days ago.

a slight adjustment

In the bag we took to the hospital in late May was my favorite red Grow Untamed Pocket Palette. Also, tucked inside a pocket of the backpack we carry to medical appointments was my tiny CMYK Demi Palette.

Um . . . Not very smart of me! Both of these are limited editions with handmade watercolors and are not replaceable. In fact, the day after arriving at this rehab center they moved me to a different room — and the CMYK palette went missing, probably lost in the first bed’s bedding (housekeeping is going to love that!).

I was a bit teary over the loss — and immediately made plans to send the red palette home with Bill. In its place, he brought me this oldest of pocket palettes that I never use, filled with whatever random colors happened to be in it at the time.

A couple of days later, I happened to look in a drawer with complimentary toiletries in it — and found my CMYK Demi Palette right where Bill had stashed it when they switched my room! It is now safe at home.

“home” away from home

For a nursing home, this rehabilitation center is not bad at all. The staff are caring, competent people, and their reputation is especially high for rehabilitation following health challenges such as my chemo. I have physical and /or occupational therapy 5 days a week. Some of the exercises are done on a cycling machine such as this one sketched above.

But all in all, I cannot wait to be able to stand, maneuver myself into a wheelchair, and even walk with a walker — so I can go home! I miss my family, our animals, the tall trees, watching my bird feeders, etc!

Anniversary flowers

 

Bill surprised me with these gorgeous roses and lilies a couple of weeks before our actual wedding anniversary. Every house we ever owned (before the barn we live in now) has had red roses growing there — or in a neighboring yard where they spilled over our fence! Now we grow prickly pear cactus but have no roses so he bought these for me. Lovely Sweetheart of mine!

Anyway, now to the rest of the story . . . or at least the highlights. I was severely dehydrated following a dangerous bacterial infection, so we headed to the ER where my blood pressure dropped to low levels. Apparently chemo was working some against the cancer but was too aggressive for my body to handle. 

The infection is gone but I’m as weak as a kitten, unable to even walk with a walker now. So I was transferred to this rehab care home in west Houston to heal from the chemo and, relearn how to stand and walk, and regain strength.

Most of the staff is fabulously caring and I have physical therapy regularly — I have a hard time believing how easy these “simple” actions such as walking, sitting in a chair, etc. used to be! I stood on my own feet for a few minutes today in PT — a big deal for me at the moment!

After regaining strength, we will reassess with my oncology team to try some new attack against the tumor. One way or other, we will beat this thing with God’s help!

where I have been . . ,

Yes, I am still here in my beloved Texas, still kickin’. Well, just barely kicking but working on doing it — literally!

On May 26, Bill’s and my 51st wedding anniversary, he literally took me to the most expensive place we’ve ever celebrated at — the Baylor, Scott, and White ER in College Station! (Well, we thought it was funny anyway!). My second round of chemo left me dehydrated and with a dangerously low blood pressure, landing me in the ICU for a closely monitored medication.

And I’ve been there up until Tuesday afternoon, weak from the effects of cancer and chemo, no strength in feet or legs, unable to lift my legs, let alone walk or sit in a wheelchair on my own. Not sure whether to blame cancer, chemo, or both.

After blood pressure stabilized, they moved me to a rehabilitation nursing home in west Houston. The above tiny sketches finished my 2” ZigZag sketchbook, done as I waited to be transported. After my previous “hot water buddy” is a portable x-ray machine, my own personal arm decorations (a PIK-line put in after blowing through SEVEN (!) IV’s), and the interior of the transportation ambulance.

More tomorrow . . . 😷