S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night.....

Okay, so that was intended to be funny. That was a song by the Bay City Rollers from somewhere in my teenage years.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhdwvx_qcAg

I know, I never posted pictures of the Christmas decorations all up. Hmmm.....somehow, time just got away from me. I guess that happens when you are caring for a sick parent (or child). But, we did make it through Christmas and into 2009. Of course, I was catching as much sleep as possible during the mom's naps.

Speaking of mom, she is doing fabulous!! She is now walking across the room with the aid of a walker. I think she thought that she would never walk again (much less make it out of the hospital). Yesterday, I took her to Walmart to get her out of the house. We tooled around Walmart in her wheelchair. And no, she has not forgotten how to use her credit card! *Grin*

I've moved my sewing machine and some fabric down to the living room/dining room area so that I can sit down here and sew and be with mom at the same time. I've worked on a couple of projects. I made my mitten blocks for a swap that I'm in and they went off to the hostess, Nancy, near Philadelphia , yesterday. And I've been working on Bonnie Hunter's latest mystery quilt, Double Delight. I'm way behind but I just printed off the patterns and I know what the end quilt looks like. I just didn't have time to sit and sew non-stop.

Many of you may remember that I lost my job back in June 2008 and haven't been able to find another one in my field. Well, this past Monday (the 12th), my husband lost his job of 15 years. Budget cuts......pretty soon the whole nation is going to come to a screeching halt because everyone will be unemployed. Not quite, but you get the idea. Now, I have a problem with health insurance. You see, my 19 year old son has ulcerative coloitis. This is a chronic disease which invades the colon and is manageable with medications. He takes 19 pills a day. Yes, you read that right. Most of his medications come in generic form except for Lialda. He takes 4 of those pills a day to the tune of $550 a month. Now, we could get the COBRA insurance, but it is $1,072 a month and then the medication will only be $543 for a three month supply. I've looked into the drug company giving him the medication, but there is a catch. They go off last year's income tax return. Well.....the last one that I have completed is 2007. I was single, worked full time and it looked like I made a lot of money that year. I haven't done 2008's yet because I haven't gotten all the documentation to complete it. And 2008 will look okay because my husband was also working. But now, it is 2009 and neither of us have a job. Do you see where this is going? I guess I need to just sit down and write a letter and include all of this to the drug company. Sorry about rambling, but this was on my mind tonight. Thanks for listening.

And enjoy your Saturday night!!!

Update on Mom

Last Wednesday, the physical therapy people came out to my parents' house to make sure that it was safe for mom to go home to. They quickly determined that the doorways were too small, the hallway was not wide enough and that the bathroom was not wide enough for mom to maneuver through the house in her wheelchair. It seems that houses built in the 1950's that have not been renovated have 23" wide doors. Whereas, the doorways in newer houses are 33"-36" and the hallways are at least 36" wide and bathrooms have to be big enough to accomodate a wheelchair. So, seeing that this was leading to a situation where mom might not have been able to leave the hospital, I quickly spoke up and told the PTers that I had a brand new house, that mom could have her own room and bathroom downstairs and that it was an open floor plan so there would be not doorways and halls for her to be blocked out of certain areas of the house. So, they came over to my house and quickly approved it as Mom's Hangout. On Thursday she was released from the hospital and brought to Chez Elliott for her recouperation. I have become mom's 24/7 nurse (a job that I wouldn't trade for the world). She is making tremendous progress in the few short days that she has been here. We have been working on her transferring from the bed to the wheelchair and back again. At first it was a major job transferring her and in just a few short days, she has been able to make the transfer a lot easier. Tonight she surprised me by being able to wiggle herself up into her bed whereas, the last few nights Richard and I have had to move her up with the draw sheet (that is a sheet that goes under the patient and allows a person on either side to pick the patient up with the sheet). I turned around to do something and while I was doing it, she just scooted herself right up the bed. I was so tickled with her that I almost started crying! And, she sat at the dining room table tonight and made me a list of things that I need to do tomorrow!! LOL!!! We used the bed risers that you can buy to make a bed higher and put them under the dining room table and she can sit at the table comfortably. She's come a long way since May 26th!!!

GREAT NEWS!!!!

After 6 1/2 long months, my mom is finally being released from the hospital. We expect to have her home either Wednesday or Thursday. Thanks for all your prayers and good thoughts. This would have been a very different Christmas for us if things had gone the way the doctors first predicted. So, let it be said that I believe in miracles!!

Hugs to all,

Pati