Dear Kids,
My recovery was going really well until last night, when a sharp pain developed in my right side. Luckily my doctor said I could contact him any time, so in another hour or so I’ll call his answering service and have them send him a note. This is really discouraging, because things were going so well up until now. I’ve figured out how to use my new equipment, and I was getting around a little better every day. Hopefully this isn’t going to be a major setback.
The best possible news is that there’s no cancer in my liver or my lymph nodes. That means I probably won’t have to have chemo, or more radiation, either. So in spite of the pain I have right now, I’m practically home free. Thanks for all of your prayers, and visits, and goodies, and flowers, and just cheering me up in general.
While I was still in the hospital I realized I was going to need a walker when I got home. People told me you can rent them, and medicare will reimburse you, or buy them at the DI. But I had a better idea. I remembered that when Justin was in charge of Orchard Care Center in Orem he said he had a whole roomful of walkers and canes that people had left behind when they died. So I called Elk Meadows, the care center up in Oakley, and asked them if they had surplus walkers. They do! I sent Dad up to get me one, and I ended up with two, a bare bones model for upstairs, and a super deluxe sit-on walker with brakes and a padded seat, to use downstairs. So I can sit on this walker in the kitchen, and I have lots of freedom to fix food or clean up the sink. The grandkids have had fun playing with it, too. Only Tina hates it.
Last Christmas I decided the best thing I could give Dad would be a new doorbell, since the one that came with our house is so quiet you can barely hear it. I discovered on Amazon that your can get wireless doorbells with up to four chimes. So that’s what we have, now–a chime in the basement, one in the kitchen, and two upstairs. I’m glad we got it all set up, because we would have missed a lot of visitors and goodies over the last few weeks.
Well, it’s almost 8 am, and I can call my doctor.
Wish me luck! Love, Mom
