Friday I did not do much of anything but lay around until I had to take Kathleen to her physically therapy appointment. We had to make a couple of stops after she got done like go by the credit union and deposit some checks, and Montivilla Sewing Center and then Fred Meyer to get some more of Kathleen’s pain medicine. By the time we were done, I was ready to go home and crash.
Kathleen made me some chicken noodle soup and shortly after I finished it I was ready to hit the sheets. I sleep pretty well last night and this morning I felt much better…just really drained.Saturday, August 26, 2006
Saturday night…the end of a very long week! This is one week that I am sure glad that it is over.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Quick, I need some help!
Percocet VS OTC
Tuesday, Dr Woolley wrote me another prescription for Percocet but he also told me I could use over the counter pain relief but he preferred to have me use Celebrex and gave me some samples. I had taken Celebrex before and remembered there was a reason why I stopped but couldn’t, for the life of me, remember why I quit. I checked my computer for notes and couldn’t find any. I even called my GP’s office and had them check my records to see if there was any notation. I’ve been trying to leave a record of meds that I stop for a reason but they couldn’t find anything. In the meantime I took one. Later on I talked to another nurse and she said it was because I’m allergic to Sulfa and they’re related. She added Celebrex to the allergy list and wrote a note so I feel covered. Fortunately I only took one. It would have taken several days for Celebrex to work so that wouldn't have been such an easy transition either. Having another reaction of hives like I had with Sulfa would not be what I need – ever but especially not now.
I thought that I ‘should’ try the Celebrex or the OTC meds since I don’t want to have a permanent ‘need’ for narcotics. Of course I didn’t feel too bad going to bed but by the time I got up I ached from my ankles to my knees to my shoulders and down to my fingers. I tried a couple different combinations I got from the Dr and was miserable and whiny all day. Nothing eased the all-over achy pain at all, all day and night. Sleeping was terrible and I ended up sleeping in my chair about 3:30 this morning. Usually when I get this achy, I just get up and take a hot bath and adjust my Sleep Number until I can relax. Right now, I don’t feel safe taking a bath by myself and I couldn’t find a ‘good’ number so I moved to my chair.
I’m back on Percocet and feeling much better. I could feel getting just a bit numbed but I could function much better. My wrist is still bothering me quite a bit. I’ve been keeping it bound with either my brace for carpel tunnel or the sling brace tightened up as much as I could comfortably stand and that does help.
I’ve been looking forward to getting this brace off of my arm just long enough to get clean for a long time – I don’t like it especially at physical therapy where I am pulling my arm overhead at nose level and, whell, it isn’t pleasant. Tuesday I was told I can take it off to shower but we were too tired to mess with it – and it was a very busy day, being Cabinet Day, too. Yesterday was misery. Today, poor Bob has had some kind of virus.
He had a 100f temp, chills, sore stomach, no appetite and slept a lot – most of the day, in fact. The poor guy is such a ‘do-er’ that even when he couldn’t stay awake, he couldn’t stop feeling guilty about not being up and doing something; he thought he shouldn’t be sleeping so much. I think he finally acknowledged that he really was sick and it was out of his control when I was polishing off that last bit of Zurcher Stroganoff tonight and he didn’t even want a taste. He was so cold even when wrapped up in my favorite comforter. I had mentioned that I loved snuggling up in it so he explained that’s why they call them comforters – they are so comfortable to snuggle up in. He then snuggled and slept some more. By the time he went from the couch to bed tonight his temp was down to 98.5. He is on the mend.
I am so proud of myself. Bob has not been able to get signed in on his computer to update or change the blog for several days. He has been using my computer which is his least favorite thing to do. I had an idea that it had to do with the McAfee cookie control but I couldn’t figure out how to change it. I finally found the right place tonight and Viola’, she’s a-working again. It was such a frustration because there was no logical reason for the problem. My guess is that someone using his computer hit Reject when the little window popped up, not knowing that it meant the access to the updating was messed up in the process. So now, he will not only wake up feeling better, he will be able to Blog at his own computer. What more can he want. Maybe I’ll even get a shower before Physical Therapy tomorrow – if I can get to sleep soon.
Kathleen
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Wednesday August 23, 2006
I did not do much good the soft top of the Wrangler barely got wet, but at least it was something. I am not sure right now when the last time we had any precipitation of any kind, it was either early July or possibly even June. Way too long for Oregon, it is not that I am tired of the sunshine…no after living in Portland since 1972 sunshine is really nice to see. I just wish that we could see more of it throughout the rest of the year…like the other nine months!
Anyway, Kathleen and I were supposed to go see our financial advisors today, just to learn some new features of our account. Kathleen had her physical therapy appointment yesterday and usually the day after is a really hard day for her. So when I went to wake her up a little after 1000 I asked her how she was feeling…before she could answer I could tell by the look on her face that it was not so good.
She kept trying to convince me that she could make it, but I thought that it might be better for us to cancel and reschedule…so I called them up and did that. By 1100 she was on the couch and hardly got off it the rest of the day.
So I emptied the dishes that I washed last night before going to bed and then vacuumed both the upstairs and downstairs. I had not done the upstairs since before my surgery and it was getting a little hard to see the carpeting. I even vacuumed the stairs! I can tell that I am feeling better…I have more energy and I am not getting as tired as easily. I still am not getting a lot done…but I am getting some things done.
Andrea stopped by tonight around dinner time, she was scheduled to work but the scheduler was not suppose to schedule her, so she sent her home. With traffic being what it is she decided to pay old mom and dad a visit…it was better than sitting in traffic.
Linda also called tonight and talked for…well I will not say how long, but she and Kathleen must have swollen ears and sore jaws. Enough said!
It was good to talk to her, I have not talked to her in a long time, she and Kathleen talk somewhat regularly. I thought your voice sounded good and it was good to hear you laugh!
Well, it was not a very exciting day, but we are both one day closer to getting well and feeling better!
Talk again tomorrow!
Bob
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Physical therapy day
I checked my e-mail and then made some coffee and cereal for breakfast. When I finished that I read the paper and got myself cleaned up for Kathleen’s doctor’ appointment at 1045. Once I was ready to go I woke Kathleen up and helped her get ready.
We finally made it out the door about 1035 and raced to the doctor’s office. When we got there the took some new x-rays of her arm. The doctor was pleased with the progress and we could actually see some clouding at the break, which he said was the healing process.
Most importantly to Kathleen he said that she could take the brace off to shower. She has been going… not being able to shower for the last five weeks. I have tried helping her take baths, but we were always so careful trying to keep the brace dry. So if nothing else being able to take a shower should help her moral.
We had some time between the doctor’s appointment and the physical therapy appointment so we stopped by the store we bought the chair a week or so ago to see if they had another one. They did but they were asking about 35% more for it than what we paid for the last one.
So being the tight wad that I am I asked the clerk about it and he said the boss said the from now on that was the new price of them. We went back and looked at both chairs and decided that we liked them enough to pay the extra money for it. But just before we told the clerk that we wanted it, he said that since we bought one at the lower price the boss said that we could have this last one for the old price. So now we have two rather comfortable chairs in the living room.
Bu the time we got home and the chair moved into the living room it was just about time to rush to the physical therapy appointment.. We were a little late for the appointment, but we made it. Kathleen was doing much better for most of the appointment until it came time for the stretching portion. That is always the most painful for her, the pain is not in the break, but rather in the forearm and wrists.
After that appointment she wanted to go back to the doctor’s to have her wrist x-rayed, so we did and the x-ray did not show anything, but the doctor said that if in two weeks it was not better they would run some other tests.
We had just gotten home and Aaron and the girls showed up. Aaron and Chucky were supposed to haul the cabinets up to Kathleen’s craft room when Chucky got off work. So while we were waiting I told Aaron that I could help move some of the cabinets upstairs with him.
I thought that we were just going to be taking them upstairs, but Kathleen had talked to Aaron earlier and she wanted them mounted. So we mounted the upper cabinets and before we knew it Tami and Toni showed up.
The gals had talked and decided to have dinner at our place, so tonight Aaron, Tami and the girls along with Toni and Chucky made taco salad for us for dinner. They also brought corn on the cob and watermelon. After dinner Aaron and Chucky brought the cabinet bottoms up to Kathleen’s craft room, so now our front porch is almost cleaned off.
So this is just about the end of a busy day.
Have a good night!
Bob
Funny comment of the day
"oh, now you're a blogger, hu? Most of the blogs I have seen are from liberal lesbian types."
To which I replied "My dad has a blog and he is neither liberal nor is he a lesbian!"
Alyssa
Container Container and Hope

I think we do so much running around on PT (Physical Therapy) days because we are actually up, dressed and gone. That is so exciting that we just go until we drop. Then we don't (I don't, at least) move for a day or two until next time. I was hoping to actually go to sleep earlier tonight – not tomorrow - but it's too late for that. Why do those pills - even with coffee - make it impossible to stay awake during the day and don't bother me that way at night?????
I'm hoping I don’t ache so much in the morning so PT will be easier. I do and do not look forward to it. I'm hoping Dr Woolley will be impressed and that my humerus is happily healing and not twisting around in there. (A lame attempt at bone humor but it is my real desire.)
The Container Container in the kitchen isn't missed although it took most of the day for me to realize it was gone. Sometimes when you are raising elephants you get used to walking around them.
I understand Aaron and Chucky are going to get cupboards moved from their resting place on the front porch up to the upstairs tomorrow/today. I can't believe it is actually going to happen - amazing and wonderful. Then to get everything put away, hauled upstairs from my downstairs studio and more put away and gotten rid of. Then, deep breath, move the piano in there and get a bed of some sort for that room. This was all supposed to have started happening before Bob's surgery but life and schedules change and we go with Plan B - or C.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Welcome to the first addition of the Bob Roush Family and Friends blog!
Welcome to the first addition of the Bob Roush Family and Friends blog. I have decided that since most of my posts lately have simply been a daily journal rather than a care or progress report after my surgery I would change the venue to a more generic blog.
Blog Questions
Is anybody out there?
Love,
Alyssa