New Outlook
It might be cliche, but what a difference a day makes! My bed welcomed me and I fell into sleep quite early. I am alternating tylenol with the Oxycontin and it seems to be keeping his pain under control. He had an oxy around 1:00 am, then tylenol at 3:05 when he accidentally knocked his water cup to the floor. He might have gone longer without anything if not for that. I was able to get right back to sleep both times. When Mr. BoJangles decided to start the day at 8:00 I was surprised to find him still sleeping peacefully.
People in our country forget that tylenol and aspirin still work as pain killers! They turn to the strong narcotics before even trying something else. He had no narcotics between the hours of 1:00 am until 9:00 am. He was able to get up and to the bathroom without my assistance this morning. He used his cane and our compact living quarters provided plenty of things to hold onto with his other hand. He is back in bed asleep, enjoying being in his own bed and not being awakened by blood draws, or vital signs, or loud carts in the hall way. He can sleep as long as he wants! For now, while he heals. After that, I will not be so accomodating!
Since both legs now have oxygenated blood feeding them, he will have to succumb to being bullied into walking daily and things that will make him strengthen those leg muscles. I have no qualms about having our primary care facility arranging for a stay in a rehab center that will make him get up and walk! I am not being mean, I just want him strong again. His recliner will not get up and walk away if his butt is not firmly planted in it! Gravity will do its job!
Coffee is gone and now the day's work begins. Charming Eddie is indeed charming .... unless he feels slighted. Then he turns into a very spiteful cat! He peed on the ottoman as we watched with the Ring camera. Both of us astonished and yelling "Eddie, NOOOO". Just like a cat with an attitude, he ignored us! We knew he could hear us, as Toni and Bo ran to hide behind the recliner. They had the decency to simply pee on the floor. The pee pads were pristine, I don't think they even walked on them. The floor looked like a flood zone. Lakes of pee puddles greeted me when I walked in the door. I left The Patient sitting in the car with the windows down while I sopped up most of the pee in a dog towel and tossed it in the back yard. Then I mopped and brought The Patient in and mopped again. All the while I was scolding the dogs. Toni Louise was oblivious to anything I said. She was gleeful that her master was home and only had eyes for him. Bo took it all in, jumped in The Patients lap that I had thoughtfully put a pillow on, and then ran outside to bark at .... things. Eddie tried to ignore me , turning his head away if I looked at him. Shunning me for leaving him. My little Emmy used to do that from the lap of HeWho when I would return from visiting my kids. It would take her a day or two to warm up to me. Eddie is already over it, knowing better than to prolong my punishment.
I am not over it! I will be employing my laundry skills today as I wash the covers of the ottoman and couches. He didn't pee on all of them, but they are due a good cleaning. I would rather do this than sit in a hospital any day!
Oh the dogs/cats (not sure which) who tell their displeasures by peeing on their owner's places! I had a cat who shared her discomfort by pooping on the bed! They can't talk, but they sure need our attention sometimes. And on another topic, I'm so glad to hear you and patient are progressing. Hope you have a pleasant holiday (if you find time to celebrate your own labors!)
ReplyDeleteI no longer have a cat, mine was mauled to death by the pitbulls that belong to the hillbilly with a tract of land that is fenced and gated. He rides a 4 wheeler with a shot gun across his lap. I haven't seen the dogs since they murdered my cat and I doubt they were pets, just something to deter others. Don't know how he supports himself, but I doubt it is legal. Martha was a big male I raised with a bottle. He didn't know he was a cat, or male. He tried nurse each new puppy that came to live with us. He weighed more than any of my dogs, about 30 lbs. He would never have soiled anything inside. His feline predecessor was spiteful and would poop and pee on the bed to express his unhappiness. He was a Himalayan and very snooty!
DeleteIt's good that tylenol is working for The Patient. Hope you can get him whipped into shape after a reasonable time for recovery. Tylenol does next to nothing for any of my pains. For me, it's the "flavored" water La Croix of the painkiller world. Ibuprofen does the trick, though, and aspirin, too.
ReplyDeleteThe blood thinner he takes says specifically not to take ibuprofen. I wouldn't hesitate so much to use it if he were more stable. They administer heparin when you are hospitilized to prevent clots. It is a delicate balance with patients who routinely take oral blood thinners. He was off the plavix for 10 days, but his cardiologist wanted him to keep taking the low dose aspirin. The Patient freaked out at the mention of Heparin! Wow, he does hear me when I speak! His BP is coming back to a normal range and he has been peeing. In the hospital he couldn't pee. I knew he was not drinking enough fluids and the anesthesia makes everything sluggish. I kept telling him to heed my warnings, that we would not be able to go home until he peed. Then we threatened a catheter and that motivated him to drink all the water they brought him and finally pee.
DeleteYou're lucky that the pee didn't go completely into the furniture cushions.
ReplyDeleteI have covers on my actual cushions, kind of like a mattress cover that is leak proof. The covers all washed up nicely, but I took them outside and rinsed the pee out first. The new washers that are water savers don't use as much water in the wash and rinse cycles and in my opinion do not clean as well. I also added borax to the detergent. Took me all day to get everything washed and put back together, but it all smells and looks good now!
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