and now for something completely different....

Pat, you can let your inner pharmocologist come out and play with us anytime! He can't take any NSAID's because of his coumadin. The doc took him off Norvasc. I cut back on his Klonopin last night, and he's cut his lisinopril in half. His BP this am was 102/65, so it's better. If it doesn't go up tomorrow, I'm going to call his doc and ask to take him off that lisinopril, and just have him stay on the other med, hydrochlorothiazide (?).

Julie, I have NEVER even painted a wall, and now I've painted, washed and tiled. the hot tub guy just left about an hour ago, and he was so impressed with the tile that he took one of the empty boxes with him, because he thought he'd try it. I guess he figured if a 59+ year old woman could install the floor by herself, he could, too!

I'm balancing the pH right now, and holding it out as a treat for Doran if he'll come downstairs. Then I'll feed him a yummy roast beef and potato puree. I made a peach smoothie this morning, and he said it tasted pretty good.

I showered him last night, and he was able to sleep until 3:00 am, at which time he needed to get up and shower again.

Sigh......

good think the dentist told me not to work out. Or maybe not. I'm getting out of my routine, and it sucks, big time!

Doran is scheduled for a massage tomorrow, if he can get out of bed. If he can't, I'm going back for another one myself.

Pat, did you ever make yogurt soup? It has garlic and onions and tomatoes and yogurt and chicken broth. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. That should be my next project, I guess.

Thanks for listening guys. Leigh, thanks for the good thoughts. If we can survive this, we can survive almost anything.

Altho, that 3:00 am shower call is a little hard.

Stephany in Iowa

Lucky for Doran he doesn't need his jaw wired. Smooshed chili sound like just the thing lots of protein and flavor. Getting proteins into soft foods is a challenge. I finally decided that 4 glasses of milk a day is a good idea for Dick for protein and calcium.

Have you ever laid tile before this. It sounds like a lot of work but a hot tub would be worth it. I expect you are really looking forward to having a good soak in it yourself.

i hope that the Doctor's are able to get a handle on what is causing him to faint and correct it soon. Julie

Hello Stephany,

Wow when it rains it pours eh!!

So pleased Doran does not need surgery or his jaw wiring....

Wishing you both well...

Leigh

If Doran has lost a lot of weight its good that they've cut back on the blood pressure drugs.......no new drugs huh? Is he on Plavix or just aspirin?...I'd still do a consult....the pharmacologist in me always coming out...sorry...
Pat

You made me smile, Pat! thanks.

The first thing I gave him when he woke up from his nap this afternoon was "smooshed" chili. He said it went down really well.

Doran is on BP meds, and they have cut them back. The current feeling is that the blood thinner is playing havoc with his other meds. It wouldn't hurt to see a cardiologist, though.

I'll talk to his Doc tomorrow.

Stephany in Iowa (I finished laying the tiles tonight, and discovered I grew a HUGE blister. Didn't even feel it happening. The hot tub gets delivered tomorrow morning)

Stephanie...is Doran on any new blood pressure drugs?..anything different? Maybe a call to a cardiologist in order since this seems to be a recurrent thing of his blood pressure dropping. I saw this happen to my husband when they put him on a new drug...always happened from a sitting to standing position....they took him off that drug real quick........just a thought.
Glad he didn't have to have the re-wiring...my son had that as a teenager and had to carry wirecutters with him for 6 weeks....i was a wreck thinking he'd choke to death and all the things Moms worry about. He had to take all nurishment through a straw and i became an expert on using the blender ..i'd grind up chicken breasts, veggies so fine they became a thin soup...and lots of ice cream and ensure.......the dentist said he was the first patient he'd ever wired that actually gained weight.
Hope all is calm and well soon...........Pat