G is bored

Yesterday G did not have any appointments, so he was home all day.

He is feeling better, so he didn't sleep as much. He walked down the wheelchair ramp, which is 32 feet long.

Then he sat in his wheelchair and told me what to do in the yard.

I suggested we go for "a ride" (in the wheelchair), to look at a house a couple of blocks over. It is for sale, and I went to the open house on Sunday. The strange thing about this house is it has a shared garage...it is a 2 car garage, and half of it belongs to the next door house. Very strange. I thought it might be of some interest to G, at least an excuse to get out a bit.

G complained that the sidewalk was very bumpy, so on the way back I "drove" in the street. Much smoother.

All G really does is watch TV or Movies on the computer, read the paper, magazines, and eat.

Yesterday I went to the library and checked out a bunch of books, and he started reading one last night.

This is the first time since his stroke he has attempted to read a book. It has really bothered me, as G has always loved books. I was afraid he had trouble following the story, but I think it was just finding one which was of interest.

At least today he is off to dialysis, and tomorrow he has a full day of appointments at the VA.

One appointment he does not have, but needs, is with the podiatrist. His toes are a bit purple, which is quite worrisome. We called yesterday, and they were to call back, but so far nothing. Think we will try to stop by tomorrow.

G doing better

G is doing better. Yesterday evening and this morning he walked longer distances.

He is still really short of breath, sometimes when just sitting.

But he pushes himself. And this is good. The advice now, even if one has COPD, is to exercise.

His appetite is still good. If he ever gets to the point where he doesn't want to eat, then I will be worried. LOL.

Nice Weekend

G has been walking around the house without his walker. As long as there are door frames or furniture he can hold onto. In one way this is good, because it makes him stand up straight.

But sometimes it just scares the heck out of me. He hasn't fallen, and he is very careful, so I just have to quit worrying so much.

Saturday afternoon I wanted to go shopping for some hardware for a dresser, and asked G if he wanted to go along.

We ended up at Lowe's and although G walked in with his walker, he saw they had the electric carts, so sat in one of those and we put the walker in the basket.

It was great that he could drive all over the store, just following me around.

I didn't find the hardware I wanted, but we ended up buying some lumber. He wants to have some shelves built in the bathroom. I agree we need them, but have put it off until the bathroom gets remodelled. Well, I decided not to fight him on it. It's just not worth it, and it gives him some control over something.

I got the lumber in the car, no problem. When we got home he said "I will unload the lumber and put it next to the steps and you can carry it up the steps". I didn't say anything, but just went about my business carrying other things into the house. When I came back out he was standing by the car in the grass. Not sure what he had tried to do, but he admitted he couldn't carry the lumber.

However, he did walk up the wheelchair ramp with his walker. He was afraid to walk down the ramp, because part of the ramp the angle is too steep.

Oh, and Sat. evening we went out for sushi. I dropped him at the curb, he managed to get into the restaurant and was sitting at a table when I finally arrived. After dinner, he told me to get the car, that he would get the check and meet me out front. And he did, although one of the restaurant employees was standing next to him.

He is also now able to deliver dirty dishes to the kitchen sink, and sometimes he can manage to get himself something to eat. If I get the refrigerator better organized, he could do this more often.

So all in all things are going much better. And I am able to get a lot more done around the house, since I don't have to spend so much time at the VA.