LI Annos

August 15^th, 1960.  51 one years (LI Annos in Latin) ago today, Muv & Pha got married in Cadiz, KY.  As they celebrate their last anniversary, it’s easy to see that there is no way for this couple to ever have enough time together.

See below his Anniversary present to her.  The inscription is hard to read in the picture, but I typed it below.  Pha had the tray made during the Lexington visit last week and I smuggled it back to Pinehurst.  He gave it to Muv yesterday (even though they are big on doing things the day of) because she gave him a tie with horses on a Carousel that he was wearing for church Sunday morning.  They met during a UK production of Carousel, must have been summer of 58.

LI Annos

We made beautiful things together

We travelled the world

What a joy, Amen

Children, music, laughter and theater

There are lots of tears around the house, but there is also grace in having enough time to say goodbye.  Just as The Great Pha taught us how to live, he is teaching us how to die.

Mary Anne is in Pinehurst, at least for the next three weeks.  I’m flying in and out to Denver, but will be around as much as I can.

Given that the last dose of chemotherapy seemed to give Pha enough strength for the farewell tour to KY, he’s scheduled himself for another round of chemo this week.  He’s always been very good about measuring cost (both to us the taxpayer and to his comfort) versus the benefit of any therapy.  Apparently, it feels like another round of the nasty drugs is worth it.

I’ll try to write as emotions and time allow.  We welcome prayers for Pha and Muv and the whole family.

The shot below is from Soph's in Charlotte as they drove up to KY last week.

A day in the Life

Alice and Vert

Eben in utero

Spent all day with TGP and Muv in Pinehurst today.  Caroline has been here also.

We had bacon and cinnamon rolls for breakfast - the best morning meal in 51 years according to himself.  Once you're off the Zetia and not really tracking the cholesterol, menu choices can become more interesting.

We spent time together on the computer, so I know my way around things.  We spend a lot of time with old videos.  A little more recorded local news coverage than I might have chosen if I were the editor, but intermingled with some great film of Pha and his three brothers and his sister.  Also some 1991 shots of the cutest 2 & 5 year old girls you could ever hope to see.

Replaced oven range vent filters & cleared a bathroom sink.  There is a hinge that was out of stock at Lowes that will fix a kitchen cabinet; that will wait for the next trip.

All in all, I can't image how I could have spent the day any better.

TGP goes into hospice

Himself in 1959

My father, Vertrees Hollingsworth, was admitted to hospice today.  He was diagnosed with prostate cancer over a year ago and it has recently metastasized to the lungs.  Sophia, Dunn and Piel were with him over the weekend.  Caroline will be there later this week.  TPG & Alice hope to make it to Lexington in early August.   Mary Anne and Eleanor and I will visit in NC later in August.  

He's not in pain and, as always, has a great attitude.  I'm glad we can start hospice early enough for it to be a real help.  His oncologist is the Medical Director of the agency seeing him.  I've dealt with hospice professionally for a couple of decades and it is a tremendous service.

We welcome prayers from all those who know himself or any of the rest of us in the family.  It hasn't been an easy year+

Ten Days Post-Op

It's been a while since my last update.  We have been back from the hospital for over a week and Mary Anne has been getting better every day.  The weather has been nice enough that she has been out of the apartment for 3 days in a row now.


Friday was a wheelchair ride in the sun late in the day after work.  Saturday was a car ride, Mexican food and a couple of hours in a used book store.  Today was a long wheelchair ride in the sun, then two laps around the sidewalk circle with the walker outside.


We have had 5 therapy visits and a couple of visits from the nurse.  After working with home health for 20+ years, it's very enlightening to be on the receiving end of visits.  The therapist always seemed to come after  hard night and have a new technique for a transfer or stretch that made things better.  Pretty much made me glad that I have have spent much of my career supporting these folks; they certainly provide tremendous support for their patients.


Mary Anne has been doing some watercolor journaling.  

My picture doesn't do her work justice.  It's been a great release for her and provides nice decoration for the mantelpiece.


It's not clear if Mary Anne will be ready to be independent by house closing day on March 28th - I think I may do that as a quick KY round trip.  We're definitely set to be back in the bluegrass by opening weekend at Keeneland.  It will be wonderful to be back home.

Discharged!

Both of our old school Family Practice physician fathers would not approve of the large variety of doctors we have seen while we have been inpatient.  We are waiting on our third "hospitalist" to sign the last of the papers so we can get out.


The transfusion went fine last night and MA has a little more strength today.  She's sitting on the edge of the bed knitting.  I have already made 4 trips to the car (two just for flowers) and we're packed except for computers and yarn.  We've got home health orders and will have the PT, OT and nurse at the apartment periodically starting tomorrow.


Mary Anne is still having muscle spasms and some pain with movement, but it's a very different pain.  The orthopedist (surgeon's partner) says that it's par for the course and will subside as she works through the new internal arrangement of bones, etc.


All in all, we're doing well and extremely glad to be headed back to the apartment and the terriers.  Updates will be less frequent, but I'll let everyone know how the home therapy progressed.


Please know how much we have felt the prayers and the love of all of our family and friends.  As they used to say at Bartles and James, thank you for your support. 


P.S.  Update as I finish - we've gotten the last of our D/C orders and will be headed out very soon

Another night in paradise

CT scan showed no clots in the lung at all; that's good news.  The current diagnosis is post-surgical anemia.  We've just had the blood draw to cross check and get a couple of units of red packed blood cells.  Everyone says herself will feel much better after the transfusion.


Thinking towards home tomorrow, our insurance wouldn't let us pick my home care agency to come serve us, so we'll have another outfit coming to the apartment.  On the upside of the insurance, MA has new chariot.

We rented our wheelchair for the last month and bought our crutches at Walgreens, but the walker comes from the local medical supply place and is billed directly to insurance.  Mary Anne keeps talking about pimping it out.  I'll need to find some rhinestones or something once we get settled out of the hospital.


As the title says, one more night in paradise.  The dogs have someone staying with them and I'm headed out to get some supper.  Mary Anne, as usual, gets hospital room service.  We should be back at the apartment by early afternoon tomorrow.


Thanks to all for the continued prayers and support.

A minor setback

Mary Anne is getting a CT scan right now.  We've been cleared by the Physical Therapist and the Occupational Therapist.  The wound is looking fine.  However, she has an elevated heart rate and the hospitalist wants to rule out any possibility of a pulmonary embolism.  Even if there is any clotting, they will simply increase the anti-coagulant dose she is taking and probably observe for another day.


So we're slogging through.  Best case, we still get to go home later today, but if I were a betting man, I'd think we've got another night here.


Had a nice dinner out last night with our new friends the Rews, the only folks we know out here besides my work colleagues.  Time seems to stop inside hospital walls.


Probably a little rambly, and without the review I like to do, but hoping to get the word out.


Keep those prayers coming and I'll update again when I know more.