Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Jim and Aunt Happy Updates

Apache Junction, AZ  High 80  Low 51

Lets start off with really good news. We saw Jim’s oncologist yesterday and everything is stable. Amazing how wonderful that word can sound when it comes from a medical report. We will be going back in May for another scan and visit and if everything looks stable once again, we won’t have to go back for another scan until November.

Sit in it and they will come

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We really haven’t been doing much. Jim went fishing a couple of times and is going again this afternoon. Not catching anything but he talked to one of the guides at Saguaro Lake and they aren’t catching either. Hopefully today will be better.

The motor in our Fantastic Fan decided to die. Talk about fantastic customer service. Jim called them to find out about getting parts to get it fixed. He had no idea what model it is but the woman he was talking to asked him a bunch of questions and was able to determine exactly what he needed. And the only charge we paid was for postage. Our fan is 10 years old but they sent the necessary parts at no cost. Knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. A great experience.

jim

The only other news I have is about Aunt Happy who is not happy. She was moved to Mi Casa which is a rehab/physical therapy place. As many wonderful stories as I have about Aunt Happy she can be very demanding and everything is always all about her. She has always been this way but I really do feel sorry for the people trying to take care of her right now.

Mi Casa is definitely understaffed like most nursing homes and every bed in the place is full. Aunt Happy gets very upset if the nurse doesn’t respond to her call immediately. The food isn’t good enough, they don’t want to answer all her questions, they don’t give her enough physical therapy and the list goes on.

Yesterday when we went to see her, she decided that she wanted to go back to the hospital because they paid more attention to her. I tried to explain to her that she couldn’t go back to the hospital because she wasn’t sick. She made Mi Casa contact her doctor and found out that he was on vacation. She couldn’t believe that he went on vacation and wasn’t available for her. The doctor at Mi Casa told her that they weren’t going to put her back in the hospital; that she needed to do her physical therapy so she could get strong enough to go home. Both Jim and I were mentally exhausted by the time we left.

Sometimes getting old is really not fun to look forward to. I do know she likes us to visit so I’m glad we can do that much for her.

The only other pictures I’ve taken have been of the girls.

The tooth

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The tongue

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Lots of gray hair

scooter

And that’s it from here.

30 comments:

  1. So very glad Jim had a good report form the Oncologist, that is such a sigh of blessings.
    On the other hand, seems like your hands are full with aunt Happy. Glad you visited her and she knows you love and care about her.

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  2. Wonderful news about Jim....yea!!!!!

    Just knowing Aunt Happy through blog, I would think she would want to do everything she could to get out of that place. I would think you would have to try and slow her down. Oh well...what do I know.

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  3. Glad to hear Jim had a good report - the waiting is always hard. Sounds like there's never a dull moment with Aunt Happy! LOL

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  4. Great news about Jim's health. Hope the good news continues for years and years!!!!

    Sorry to hear about Aunt NOT So Happy... Elderly people can really be hard to handle. We put up with George's Daddy during the last several years of his life.. When we would see him, we were both exhausted for hours after leaving... SO SAD... I hope and pray that I do NOT live that long!!! God Bless, Aunt Happy. Is there some kind of meds they can give her to help her relax and settle down some????

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  5. Glad to hear Jim's news.... Aunt Happy.... well, having been the principle caregiver for various relation, I just had to keep reminding myself that there were better days worth remembering. As my Mom would say... "She's just not herself." Hope all gets better soon.

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    1. rats... too many typos ... trying to hurry ... anyway...

      Saw the update and had to log on to see how Jim and Aunt Happy are doing ... so happy for you and Jim and oh, baruther, Aunt Happy... I had an Aunt Punk... yep.. that's all I ever knew her by ... later on in my years, I found out her name was Florabelle.

      HAHAaaaa... she was something else and the only one in the family that 'they' said I came close to resembling... ha?

      tooth... tongue... HAHaaaaa ... lots of gray hair... yep

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    2. My mom could be demanding - always lacked patience - which is why I try so hard to have patience, especially in my older years. Glad to hear Jim's good news.

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    3. Sandie, I did this in such a hurry that when I got this in my inbox I irritated me with too many Haaaa's ...

      What I wanted to say about my Aunt Punk was she had no children ~ only her nieces and nephews ~ she alienated them all ~ with her demands.

      I was her favorite niece and could 'take' her personality better than most ... because as I said earlier, I am blunt spoken but hopefully, not demanding.. ANYway,... I could handle her personality but I tell you ... she even hurt MY feelings once. mean… man! that old woman was mean!

      Sad for her to end up the way she did. She was my favorite aunt. She was a gorgeous redhead with flashlight blue eyes and let me tell you! explosive temper.

      She alienated all the staff and no one wanted to be with her ... she basically died alone. I plan on doing a Thelma and Louise .. I sure do.

      kudos for you and Jim hanging in there... it is rough ... I also took care of my Mom and Dad and we didn't like each other.

      Ohhhhhh the obligatory things we do ... because we are who we are... at least Aunt Happy has more happy than sad.

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  7. Great news about Jim.
    Aunt Happy sounds like a carbon copy of my mother, I feel for you.

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  8. So happy about Jim, so sorry about Happy.

    Give the girls a hug from us. Tell them Doug misses them.

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  9. Wonderful news about Jim's test results. I won't comment about Aunt Not-So-Happy. ;-)

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  10. Glad to hear Jim is doing well keep on keeping on:)

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  11. Great news about Jim!

    So who does all that for Aunt Happy when she is at home? Maybe she needs to compare Mi Casa to home instead of the hospital.

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  12. Another answered prayer! I am so happy for you and Jim. A good report is like having a concrete block taken from your shoulders. Listen to your voice mail. :-)

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  13. Wonderful news about Jim - so happy for you. Too bad about Aunt Happy - hate to hear she is so UNhappy right now and that you and Jim bear some of the brunt of that. It's nice that you still do what you can to make a difference in her life. Hope she gets better soon and is able to live at home again.

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  14. Great news about Jim. Joe and I have also been caregivers....prayers are with you and the staff at Mi Casa.

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  15. I think there are mixed feelings about home away from home. May be the staff at MiCasa can whip up some kind of party. ( with safety in mind of course). My cousin arranges a party once a month for seniors in Chicago. A few of her friends pitch in a dish and seniors feel cared for.

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  16. Definitely great news re Jim.

    It's NOT fun getting OLD - and Aunt Happy is sure speaking her mind.

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  17. Great news about Jim! Aunt Happy...not so great.

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  18. So, so, so happy about the good news! Yes, stable is a wonderful word, and you and Jim must be so relieved.

    Poor Aunt Happy - I've never thought getting old changes our personalities - we just use our age to get what we want even more. Demanding people get more demanding. My mom was like that. Sure makes it hard for the people around her trying their best to take good care of her. I hope they will keep her there and work things out. My mom had to move from a care home because she was so belligerent. It's a hard situation.

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  19. Thank God that Jim has gotten such great news. Answers to prayer, for sure.

    Sad to hear of Aunt Happy's issues. Went thru similar things with my mom before she passed, I had to remind myself it wasn't really her anymore.

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  20. Poor Aunt Happy, poor, poor girl. She's miserable and making you miserable too. Sometimes we do what we have to do because we know it makes others feel better. Good for you.
    Glad to hear about Jim's doctor's appointment. That's great news.

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  21. Very good news about Jim--whew! I had an Aunt Happy only her name was Auntie Thelma. She was cranky to the max. Fortunately for her, one of my cousins was an angel to her. I think there must be some big hurt in a person's life to cause that kind of behavior. Love the pup photos, especially the gray hair!

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  22. it's always nice to get good news from an oncologist. Maybe Jim needs a fish harvesting machine like our friied uses on Okeechobee :-)

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  23. I really enjoyed reading your blog and will be back for more. I noticed you have a Montana 5th wheel, I was thinking of getting one of with the front living room. How do you like it? any issues you can share.

    The wife and i will be retiring in 8 years and are looking forward to the life. I have blog that I post weekly about the journey to full timing. take a look, I post questions all the time but no one really reads it. Some day.. http://fulltime.spantz.com/

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  24. Very glad to hear Jim's good report:) I can understand how your aunt feels, but it rarely pays to annoy those who are taking care of you.

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  25. Whoo Hoo, Jim! So happy about the good reports. I'm a little late in commenting because Jack and I were away at my sons watching his daughter and dog for several days and I didn't take my computer.

    Unfortunately, sometimes older people do get demanding. I tell my kids not to listen to me when I get to that point; rather listen to what I'm telling them now. Fortunately, I have long term insurance and if I should become like Aunt Happy, they can stash me some place - I think it's unfair of parents/relatives to expect younger people to take care of them in their old age. I never, ever want to become dependent on my kids. They have the right to live their lives the way they want to live them. That's not to say I don't feel sorry for Aunt Happy, but there are people who are in pain and are really sick who need the attention of the already overworked healthcare workers.

    Off the pulpit, and again so happy that Jim is okay. Sorry for being late--I did miss the computer. I'll take it next tie.

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  26. Wow! She sounds just like my Aunt. However lately she's been more accepting of things. Sad to say, that's maybe not a good thing. Keep fighting, Aunt Happy!

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