Hello!
I
am running late this month as so much has happened recently
A
couple of days after I sent out the May newsletter, Dana's father suddenly
passed away Sunday morning. It was shock as except for getting slower to get
around, he had been doing great for ninety-one years old. Dana's brother,
Richard and wife Norma Jean with his two sons came down from Ohio and stayed
with us for almost a week. They also took us in their extended cab pickup truck
out to Dana's dad's memorial service three hours west here in Tennessee-
something that I couldn't have done on my own.
We
got to see a lot of the members of the family that we hadn't seen for years.
Right
before that, I took Dana to the eye specialist. Dana is now needing carat
surgery in both eyes- all the extra eye drops weren't helping.
Then
came the wild Tuesday I took Dana to Vanderbilt for the seizure study. I'm not
a city driver and was nervous as Nashville is horrible with constant lane
changes. As we got closer to Nashville and the two-lane interstate turned into
four to six lanes, Dana kept telling me I needed to move over, five minutes
later he'd ask what I was doing in that lane and insist that I needed to get
over in another lane. We zigzagged our way into Nashville. It was quite a
relief to pull into the Vanderbilt parking garage and discover there was free
valet service. I followed the signs until we came to a valet office at the
elevators. I asked the valet fellow, who kept trying to wave me on, if I
couldn't let Dana out there as he was disabled, but was told no I had to go to
the end of the row, turn the corner, and find a parking spot. I asked the
fellow a second time if I couldn't let
my husband out first and then park, but he shook his head "no" and
impatiently waved me on. I dutifully followed his instructions and found a
parking spot about a fourth of the way up the incline. About halfway to the top
I realized we were in trouble as Dana was gasping for air and had to stop. I
was afraid he was going to pass out so I ran up the rest of the way to the top
where two valet guys were standing and asked them for a wheelchair for my
husband, but was refused. We finally made it to the top and went into the valet
office where I once again asked for a wheelchair and was told to wait until one
was available. After waiting ten minutes
I called the number I had telling them we were stuck waiting on a wheelchair
and we*d get to admitting and signed in as soon as possible. Dana got impatient
five minutes later and decided to go and talk to those valet fellows that wouldn’t
help. I stayed in the valet office watching Dana in order to be there when a
wheelchair showed up. Shortly one arrived so I ran to get Dana. We got on the
elevator went up a floor down a hallway then on another elevator and down a
couple of floors along another hallway and around a couple of corners. By the
time we arrived at admitting I was feeling dizzy. All the people swarming
around us as we made our way through the crowds didn’t help either. When the
valet fellow went to leave, I asked him how we would find our vehicle and he
said just to call the valet service.
Lo
and behold once Dana was checked in (after all the rush to get there on time
and worrying about being late), we were told that Dana’s room hadn’t been
cleaned yet and it would be another forty-five minutes to an hour. By then it
was one thirty and we hadn’t eaten lunch. I wanted to find the cafeteria and
eat, but all Dana wanted to do was find a supervisor and complain. By the time a
person arrived to talk to Dana it was almost two o’clock and I was starved. I
finally convinced Dana to go and eat when a fellow in white coat appeared
saying he was one of the doctors and wanted to get started on admitting Dana to
the floor even though his room wasn’t ready. Then we were informed that Dana’s
room was ready so we got on the elevator and went up to the sixth floor to
Dana’s room. There doctor talked to us awhile asking questions about Dana’s
previous seizure episodes and getting his medical history. He was quite
impressed with the two pages of meds that he took to copy and left telling us a
nurse would be in shortly. By now it was three in the afternoon. Relieved that
Dana was finally in his room all I wanted to do was give the nurse his meds,
locate my vehicle, and head to Dawn’s house, but the next woman that came in
wasn’t the nurse. Instead she worked almost two hours wiring Dana up. Another
hour passed when the head doctor with a group of other doctors and a lady I arrived
and began asking more questions. I patiently waited while everything was gone
through again and when they went to leave I asked about giving Dana’s meds to
the nurse only to be informed that she wasn’t the nurse, but a doctor, and that
Dana’s nurse would be in shortly. I explained that I was concerned about Dana’s
insulin that had been out of the frig for now most of the day so one of the
doctors offered to take it, label it, and put it in the frig for me, which
relieved my mind. Finally shortly before five the nurse arrived saying ‘sorry”
she didn’t realize that Dana was already there and began to start an IV.
Feeling desperate as I knew I had a good half an hour’s drive ahead of me to
reach Dawn’s house and I wanted to get there before dark- not to mention
finding my vehicle, I told her that I needed to go over Dana’s meds and give
them to her. To my utter shock she said there was no need as they would use the
hospital meds. I couldn’t believe my ears after all the trouble I had gone
through to make sure Dana would be covered for a week and sitting around all
afternoon waiting to give them to her! By then I felt ready to wring someone’s
neck. When I told her I was leaving she said that I really needed to stay since
Dana had so many medical problems.
Summoning up the last dregs of patience I possessed, I asked if there
wasn’t going to be nurses available on the floor and mentioning the
round-the-clock monitoring Dana was having from the two large cameras in his
room. She said, “Yes, but she thought I
ought to be there to help too.” I simply smiled, said good-bye, told her that
my daughter was waiting on me, and left. I took the elevator back down to the
main floor and asked at the information desk where I could get a hold of the
valet service. They informed me it was right outside the main entrance and would
be closing in ten minutes. I sped outside and up to the valet counter asking two
valet fellows for help. They asked for my ticket. I explained I hadn’t been
given one and was informed there was nothing they could do if I didn’t have a
ticket and didn’t know what valet station I had come from. By now I was reduced
to tears fighting down panic and praying fervently. I refused to leave telling
them I needed someone to help me. One suggesting calling the police, but I
wouldn’t budge. I asked to speak to a supervisor. Out of the millions of cars
that go in and out of Vanderbilt wouldn’t you know it I would be the girl not
to get a ticket! Thankfully a woman arrived and once she heard my story told me
not to worry she would personally make sure I found my vehicle. She asked a bunch of questions and we headed
into the nearest parking garage and down on of the long hallways. When we came
to the end she asked if anything looked familiar and which way to go. I told
her that her guess was as good as mind as nothing looked familiar to me so we
walked down more aisles and around corners with me every so often pushing the
panic button on my key. I was praying and wondering how much farther I’d have
to walk when in the distance she noticed some lights flashing. To my great
relief it was my vehicle! The lady graciously drew me a map of how to get out
and on to 65 North. Before she left I gave her a grateful hug for her help. I
headed north, got off on the right exit, and turned on the road that I knew.
When I came to the end of the road I realized I had missed a turn. I called
Dawn. She had Annette head out in their vehicle while trying to figure out
exactly where I was. By now all the fields and curves looked the same to
me. Annette and I finally met up at an
intersection and I followed her the rest of the way to their house. Exactly
twelve hours from when I had got up that morning, I staggered into Dawn’s house
totally exhausted. The next day I couldn’t even get dressed and had to lay
around hardly able to function.
Saturday
when I went to pick up Dana from Vanderbilt Dawn drove my vehicle while Annette
followed in theirs. They stayed until Dana was discharged a couple of hours
later and then I followed Dawn until I was once again back on 40 east only
where she got off on an exit to head back to her house. I’ve decided that from
now on if Dana needs to go to a hospital in Nashville someone else will have to
drive. It’s simply too nerve wracking for me to handle.
The
next week I took Dana to the neurologist where he said that since Dana didn’t
have epileptic seizures he didn’t need the medication he had been on for over
two years- what had ultimately stopped Dana’s episodes- that it was all in his
head, and he couldn’t help him anymore.
Dana
quit eating, wouldn’t talk, and went into deep depression so the next morning I
called his psychiatrist and took Dana to the ER where he was admitted and still
is over a week later as they are re-adjusting his meds while tapering him off
of the epileptic medication. It’s very frustrating after going through several
meds to control Dana’s seizures over the past years that now they are taking
him off the one med that worked. I’ve talked to the doctor telling her that I
want Dana to be stable before bringing him back home as it is very stressful
for me always having to decide when and how to get him to the ER when he is
having these episodes that can spike his blood pressure up to stroke range.
I
am back up on my feet again after being slowed way down physically from total
exhaustion from the past couple of weeks. A good thing as my place now looks
like a jungle with all the hedges needing trimming. Amazing how fast things can
grow when you are gone for a week.
Before
everything happened, I cleared the front, back, and side yards of all the
branches and had a burning day so Dwight could get our raggedy yard mowed. I’ve
picked the few cherries that survived, have been picking raspberries, peas, and
lettuce. My green beans are nearly ready
to pick as well. What joy getting fresh veggies from the garden again. I also
made up a double batch of freezer strawberry jam.
One
day the other week, Dwight came in the house saying that the bluebirds were
acting strange like something was going on. Lo and behold two baby bluebirds
were fledgling and trying to fly. Their tiny wings furiously flapped, but they
didn’t have enough momentum or strength to keep going and their tiny bodies
would flutter to the ground. So for the first time in my life I picked up and briefly
held these miniature wonders of God’s creation in my palm setting them back up
on the fence. When they fluttered down to the ground again I made sure that
they got inside the enclosed garden so Tex wouldn’t get them. By the next day
they were gone. To my delight since I have come home the parent bluebirds are
back at the nest to raise another batch of babies. I’m so excited. Another day I had my first sighting here of a
gorgeous bright blue tanager at my front feeder while working in the flowers
outside my picket fence. I keep hearing so many different bird songs and looked
up to see when one kept coming closer. To my delight when I chirped to this
beautiful bird it actually answered me back and we had a conservation back and
forth for a little bit. Between all the
blooming flowers and birds I am surrounded by joy out here in my spot in the
woods. I am truly blessed.
I
am going to hush up and get this Dorcas epistle out in the mail to you. Hope
you have a lovely summer on your end!
Dorcas
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