I've been waking up at 4 and working out for 45 min every morning before work. Until today. Today I slept in. Today I will walk the dogs...and try not to let them walk me. That is a workout. Have i mentioned that the dogs each weigh over 50lbs and even with the no pull they still don't think I walk fast enough. :) I called Mom this afternoon to follow up on her appointment with the cardiologist. She learned that she has hypertropic cardiomyopathy, hardening of the wall/s of the heart. They told her this back in 06, but she forgot. I did some reading about it and learned that it is genetic--so the family should know this, especially me with my heart issues. He was completely unphased by the symptoms she discribed (the fainting is classic to the disease). She goes tomorrow to have her pacemaker tested and is to track her BP daily. Then she'll have an echocardiogram before her next appointment. No med change. Just moniter. Ok. While I was there Mom picked up some leg cramp meds at Walmart (homeopathic). This has been good, she hasn't had any cramps since she started taking it. Time to walk the dogs...

The End is Near

I made George pout. First thing this morning he started in on picking me up when I dropped off the bike. On and on. Finally, I very firmly told him that I wanted to walk. I guess he just couldn't understand that tomorrow I'm going to be back in the snow and cold and so one more day to soak in the Arizona sun sounded really good to me. I rode 4 miles and walked 4. And it was wonderful! I have a little pain in my heel, but nothing like it used to be. I've been faithful to ice it twice a day, take my Advil, and wear my boot at night. And Scrabble is done now too. Final tally: Mom 52, Tina 50. I bow to the Queen. It was a blast. I have my alarm set for 4:00AM. My flight leaves at 7:20. I fly back to Chicago and then on to Columbus. I have a layover of 1hr and 55min in Chicago this time...hopefully the weather won't be an issue. Until I get home....

Last Day at Mom's :(

Today is my last day at Mom's. This week has just flown by. I'm sure back home they're thinking it has lasted forever. On Friday I rode in the morning, pushing myself even a little bit farther and feeling great. Today I have to take the bike back. I told Mom that I wanted to do my ride and then meet her back at the bike shop. She said she'd have to ask George for the car. He makes such a big deal out of everything, so I came up with an alternative plan. I'm going to ride the shortest route to the bike shop and then walk home. It is probably only around two miles home. George kept asking what the plan for the bike was, and we kept telling him we had it covered and not to worry. He wouldn't accept that. Finally at supper I just told him. And true to form, he started to talk me out of it. I told him it was my decision and that was final. He was not happy. I don't think many people argue with him, especially not the women in his life. I wish I would have had a tape recorder running to catch all the funny things that Mom has said that have just cracked us up. -When we got in the car to get groceries on Wednesday, I looked over at her and realized she was barely seeing over the dashboard. She was adjusting the seat forward and I said that it was too bad that she couldn't make it go up and all of a sudden she found out that the seat did move up. She said, "Look at me, I'm a big girl now!" (She's barely 5'1") -Last night George was talking to his son on the phone. He drones on so. Anyway, he said something about how Mom and I were playing cards. What??? I looked up at Mom and said, "Shut up and deal." She lost it. We just cracked up and she snorted which just made us laugh even more. -Mom has always said, "Weeee." It's sort of her thing when she's happy. This week that Geico commercial with the pig on the zip line must have played a bazillion times. So needless to say, there have been a ton of pig jokes and every time she snorts we just lose it. Thursday afternoon we journeyed down to Tubac. It was such a beautiful day. We browsed our favorite shops and then came back to Green Valley and hit our favorite Hallmark store, Meridith's. There was an art show on the boulevard and we looked at a few booths before Mom just petered out. Home and Pizza Hut pizza for supper followed of course by more Scrabble. Scrabble score: Mom 36, Tina 32. I increased the high game score to 412. I don't know how I'm going to get everything home. I thought I left enough room in my suitcase coming. Oh well, I'm going to put off thinking about packing until tonight. TTFN!

Tuesday Report

Tuesday morning I was awakened by George. Not a good thing. Mom had fallen. When I got to her she was already back in bed. She was able to speak clearly. There was no blood. I opted to forego the ambulance and hear her out. She had awaken with a cramp in her outer right calf. She had been having them sporadically over the past few weeks. They are quite painful. They found this article about pressure points and she tried using that while she was still in bed, but it wasn't going away so she got up to a nearby chair and sat there and rubbed it. Still no relief. While sitting in the chair she broke out in a cold sweat. The feeling she was having came in waves and she felt like her mind was in overload. Instead of sitting until it passed, she got up to go the bathroom to get a Tylenol because that had relieved the cramp in the past. When she stood up she got woozy and blacked out and crumpled to the floor like a rag doll. Post episode we talked through several options. She has an appointment with her cardiologist on Monday the 16th. We discussed the kinds of questions (today I'm going to make her write them down). She was put on quinapril in 05 and had a pacemaker in 06. These two things need to be addressed. I think her BP is still high (150s/70s). She also has COPD and I don't that is being adequately addressed. She hasn't pursued better treatment because she's afraid the doc is just going to want her on oxygen and she sees that as a final resort. I told her that her medical card has expired and she needs to rely on her doctors not the book by her chair. She relunctantly agreed. One of the things we instituted immediately was to put a little bottle of water and tylenol in her nightstand so that she doesn't have to get up to get those for relief. During our conversation she also shared that she has had these blackout episodes all her life. They usually occur when she feels intensely stressed. She also told me that when she got the pacemaker one of the doctors told her that she had a varicose vein in her brain. I'm researching that one because I don't understand. She got the pacemaker in an odd series of events. She fell back in 06 and really cracked open her head. At the hospital in Tucson they began treating her for a brain anuerism (SP?), but determined there wasn't one and decided that her heart rate dropped too low and that's why she fainted. That's why I think the questions for the cardiologist on Monday are so important. During breaks from Scrabble, I worked on resumes for Beth (Asher's mom) and Nelson. Beth sent me a job description from indeed.com for a banquet coordinator. She would be so good at this job. Nelson found a job for a company selling kitchens and baths. He did construction before his ankle injury and this would be perfect for him. I got Beth's done and emailed it off to her. Nelson's is going to take a little more work. I got a text from one of the gals that I share my elder care job with. She passed her STNA exam. This could mean big changes at work. Now that she has a lisence she wants more pay and 40 hours. For her hours to increase mine must decrease. That will not be good for me. If they don't increase her hours, she may quit and my hours will increase. That could be good for me—except I don't want to work weekends. I guess we'll see how things go when I back. Scrabble score at the end of the day: Me 29, Mom 26.

Scrabble and Vacation Report

Having a great visit at Mom's! Scrabblathon score: 9 to 8. I'm in the lead for the moment, but we've traded that back and forth. I have the high game score: 412, while Mom has the high word score: 101. We have to much fun playing. We've also been enjoying the football playoff games together--taking turns yelling at the tv. Mom rented a bike for me and it is just wonderful. I rode it home from the shop and then had another half hour ride later in the day. I'll ride my full route this morning after breakfast (about 9 miles). I'm glad I brought a windbreaker, gloves, and something to cover my ears because it's supposed to only be in the 40's when I set out. I can put up with the chill because the sun will be shining, the sky will be that high and amazing blue, and I will be surrounded by the mountains. Good stuff for my soul!

On the road again...er in the air

Heidi brought me to the airport. She is so not an early morning person. I was a bit nervous, even wondered if I should call and make sure she was up...especially since I was up at 3:30AM. She arived 10 minutes ahead of our agreed time, 6:30AM Traffic got thick when we got to the outerbelt of Columbus. When I walked into the airport I walked right up to the ticket counter. No one was in front of me. Amazing. I also got through the body/luggage check point with no wait. Unbelievable. Stopped at Starbucks to get a latte because I had a $5 gift card. Got a gingerbread latte, the largest, for only a quarter. No one was ahead of me there either. Yummy. So I got to my gate at 8:00 and my flight doesn't leave until 9:25. Good thing the internet is free. And oh my goodness is it fast. We're on broadband at home and I thought it was pretty good, but this is down right fantastic. Going to make the dial up that I'll use at Mom's seem like a sloth. But any connection beats no connection at all. I've been thinking about something. Mom always wants to buy me something. I think I know what I'm going to ask for. I have been eyeing the e-readers and doing all kinds of research. Beth has a basic Kindle and really likes it. I think I'm going to lobby for a Kindle 3G touch. I like the idea that the internet connection is paid for and I can not only read but check email and a bunch of other stuff. Weigh in with any suggestions based on your research or usage. And thank you in advance. Leaving soon and heading to Chicago and then onto Tucson. Get back to you when I can. ")

Owie and Outta Here

Went to the podiatrist Wednesday afternoon. My plantar faciitus has been killing me, not just when I walk, either. My heel would just throb and ache. So, I knew what I needed a cortisone shot, but I kept putting it off--hoping I wouldn't have to get one. But alas, I knew I couldn't go to my mom's and be able to enjoy myself without it. So I sucked up and went. And it hurt like....I don't know what to even compare it to. I couldn't help but yell. The doctor told me to yell at him. I just yelled and wanted to crawl up the wall. I apologized and told him that I didn't think I was such a wimp. He told me not to worry, that he had seen grown men cry getting a cortisone shot. Good news: my heel feels better already! I leave on this morning for Arizona. I'm so excited. The weather here isn't too bad. One of the reasons I picked this time was to escape the cold and snow of Ohio. Oh well...I'll still be riding bike everyday! Temps have been averaging between 65 and 70. Sounds really good to me. Nelson has been sick since the weekend. On Tuesday he went to the doctor after work. He has the flu. The $100 medication flu. He stayed home from work today. I slept in the guest room last night and will again tonight--I'm not missing this vacation because of the flu. I did start packing until Thursday afternoon. I also be did some laundry and cleaning around the house and but putting away the Christmas decorations will have to wait until I come back. The day went really fast. And this morning I woke up at 3:30. I'm like a kid on Christmas eve: full of anticipation. Perhaps I'll catch a nap on the plane...but I always hate to be that passenger who snores or drools. :) Arizona and Scrabblethon, here I come!