It Is Difficult To Be A Patient Patient!

Hi, Ya'll!

On Friday after school, we had a visitor. Susie is the "newest addition" to our office staff at Polk. She has already become "Polk family". She is toasting to a speedy recovery for Sharon. Along with her good wishes, she brought an apple pie.

Since we didn't take a picture before we cut into it, this is what is left!!

She also brought a beautiful handmade card along with a lovely handkerchief. She collects hankies as did her mother. What a thoughtful gift, Susie! Thank you!

Sharon is now making progress on a daily basis. The hard part is keeping her from doing more than she should!! We could give you examples, but if you know Sharon, you can just imagine what she is up to. We have done her therapy over the weekend, and there is noticeable improvement in the movement of the arm. The therapist is coming on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We think she will be proud of Sharon when she comes tomorrow.

Remember when we used Press 'N Seal over Ellen's incision on her knee? It works quite well on a shoulder, too! The doctor told us not to get the incision wet, so we haven't. But that doesn't mean she can't get into that beautifully remodeled shower!! :0)

We have a system that when Sharon needs to get up during the night, she calls from her cell phone and rings the land line. Ellen helps to unhook the ice machine from her shoulder, and gets her into the bathroom. Since Ellen is a good sleeper, she goes back to bed and promptly falls to sleep.

Don't ask us how, but we managed to get Sharon a manicure, and had her hair done so that she feels all pretty again!

Until next time. . . . .

Happy Birthday to Sharon!

Hello, Everybody!

As we told you in a previous post, Tuesday, February 24th, was Sharon's birthday.

Let's just say, it wasn't one of her best! But, in spite of her pain and discomfort, there were several happy things that occurred. Late in the morning, the doorbell rang. We had put a note on the door that said, "Please leave deliveries on the porch. If you cannot, please allow extra time for someone to open the door." Sharon was able to get to the door, and was presented with this lovely fruit basket. It was a Get Well/Happy Birthday gift from her sister, Janice. It even had a beautiful plant in it! A package had arrived last week, prior to Sharon's birthday. It was from Paula and Jason. When she opened that box, it contained three bottles of wine from The Picchetti Winery. It is located in the Lake Tahoe area. We had visited the tasting room when we went to see Paula and Jason last year. It is a wonderful wine with a very smooth taste. We are anxious to try the bottle of White Port. It will be a nice thing to sip on after dinner one of these days!

Sharon wanted food from Great American Land and Cattle Co. When we called to see if they do carry out, the answer was, "No". Sooo, there is a Great American Steakburger restaurant not too far from the house. We got the menu on line and placed our order. The birthday girl had wonderful grilled shrimp and a baked potato. Of course, their signature coleslaw and beans are served with all dishes.

After dinner, we had carrot cake and yogurt. YUM! Then it was time to put the birthday girl to bed. It had been a long day and Sharon was ready to try to get some rest.

You might know that Ellen is doing most of the writing these days because it is really difficult for Sharon to type one-handed. She had hoped to be able to use her laptop in the den, but the wireless didn't get set up in January as she had wanted it to. The laptop works everywhere else, but in her house. She was hoping to find out why. One of these days maybe . . . . .

Until next time. . . . . !

Wanna' See Sharon's New Shoulder?

Hello, Everybody!

We thought you would like to see a picture of the shoulder replacement that the doctor had to do. The picture on top is the one we were expecting him to do. The one below is the total shoulder replacement that he had to do.

What this really means is that the pain went from an "ouch" to a "grrrrrr"!! Because of all the tendons and muscles around the shoulder, progress will be slow. But you know Sharon, she will work as hard as possible to get the joint moving. Her motivation is her trusty hammer and tool kit! She HATES to see it sit idle, not being used.

We will update you on the birthday festivities later.

Until next time. . . . .

Beauty and Scars!

Hello, Everybody!

This is Ada!

These are the flowers she brought along with dinner from PF Chang's to us on Sunday evening. Ada, you really lifted Sharon's spirits, and Ellen's, too. (She was glad that she didn't have to cook dinner!) The flowers are lovely, and we found the perfect vase for them.

Sharon does not have the best of veins. Whenever she needs blood work, it is a real challenge. A young man came to her room on Friday and said the doctor had ordered some blood work. He was able to get her blood on the first stick! Sharon congratulated him, and he said it was because he paid attention in class. If this is what happened because he paid attention in class, can you imagine what would have happened if he had slept through that lesson!!!

For those of you with squeamish stomachs, scroll past the next picture. On Sunday, the intake nurse with home health came to the house. She changed the dressing and made the initial visit for physical therapy. This is the incision on Sharon's left shoulder. From a professional standpoint, it looks really good. The skin is intact and there is no redness. There are twenty staples in this incision. There is a smaller incision that has only two staples.

On Thursday, these beautiful flowers arrived at the hospital. Sharon had already received a gorgeous bouquet from her daughter. We could not imagine who these were from. Upon opening the card, it read, "From your Polk family!" Sharon has been retired for almost six years. Does this tell you how many hours she now spends volunteering at school? There are a few people who will always be part of this great school. She was touched beyond words at this gesture of thoughtfulness.

These are the flowers from Paula. The Stargazer lilies smell wonderful and permeate the entire room. (Paula, if you only knew how your mom blessed your heart each time she smells the flowers!)

Just another view of the flowers.

We will keep you updated on Sharon's progress as the days go by. Tomorrow is her birthday. This isn't exactly what we had in mind for her celebration, but we will manage something! (Nichole and Joe, we could use a few left-over decorations, don't you think?)

Until next time. . . . .

A Day Of Waiting!

Hi, Ya'll!

Yesterday was a long day for both of us. The doctor's office called late on Tuesday and told Sharon not to go to the hospital until noon on Wednesday. They were kind enough to tell her she could eat breakfast, but then nothing after that. The most difficult part of the entire day was the waiting, and waiting and waiting!

The surgery waiting room is also the ICU waiting room. It was overflowing with large family groups. The noise level kept going up and up. Finally, Sharon and I were ushered over to the pre-op area. That was a blessing. Sharon was grateful for the quiet of a curtain drawn cubicle, and so was I! They had trouble finding a place to put the IV. The nurse anesthetist even tried her foot, to no avail! Her best arm for IV's is her left arm, but since that was the shoulder to be operated on, that was not an option. They finally found a "good" vein on the inside of her right wrist. It worked!!

She was wheeled into surgery at 2:15. At 2:50, the OR nurse came and told me that the doctor was going to have to do the humeral head replacement because there was too much arthritis to do a simple cleaning. She said it would be another hour or so. Well, 3:50 came and went. Finally, at 4:30, the doctor came out. He was unable to replace just the "ball" part of the bone because of the extensive damage in her shoulder. (She directed too many choir programs during her teaching career!) So, Sharon now has a brand new, total shoulder replacement!!

I was allowed back in the recovery room about 5:30. She was having a significant amount of pain and the medication was not helping a whole lot. One of the anesthesiologist came in about 6:30 and gave her a "block" above the shoulder and that seemed to help immediately. The recovery room nurse was getting ready to call report to the floor nurse, when a "Medical Emergency" was called for the floor she was going to! That delayed her transfer. Finally, about 8:00 P.M., she was taken to the room. She seemed to be doing okay. Her shoulder was wrapped with an ice machine similar to what I had when my knee was done.

One of my step-daughters, Teresa, is a nurse at the hospital where Sharon is a patient. She is a nurse manager of telemetry and CCU. She came to check on us and stayed with us until Sharon was settled in her room. Teresa had been at work since 6:45 in the morning. She was such a sweetheart to stay so late. I left the hospital about 9:00 P.M. and went home.

I will keep everyone updated on Sharon's progress as much as possible. Right now, I am going to get myself ready and head to the hospital!

Until next time. . . .. .

Ellen's Entertainment Cabinet!

Hello, Everybody!

Last weekend, we got the phone call that Ellen's new cabinet had come in. We borrowed Paul's truck, and set off as soon as the store opened on Saturday morning.

It took some maneuvering, but we were finally able to get the old cabinet out and the new one into the living room. We absolutely love it. (Of course, now we must begin thinking about redecorating in that room.)

We thought you might like to see what it looks like, as we wanted to post it before Sharon has to leave for the hospital.

She is going through nervous rigors just waiting for the time to pass. Ellen will most likely be the one to update our blog for awhile, since Sharon will not have use of her favorite left hand. When you read this blog post, say a little prayer that all goes well. We are counting on your prayers!

Until next time. . . . . . .....

Getting Old Is NOT for Sissies!!

Hello, Everybody!

We hope you have had a good week. Today (Friday) was a fun day at school. The kids are so cute with all of their little Valentines. One little girl gave Ellen a Valentine that said, "To Nursie Pooh, I love you. Juliana (the one with the blisters)." We thought that was so cute. When you have almost 800 students to care for, it is nice that they categorize themselves, don't you think?

Now about getting old--we need to understand about the passing years. We need to know how to live them, not to accumulate them. What most bothers us most about the foolishness of our youth is not the crazy things we have done, but the fact that we can't go back and do them again.

We now have to update you on Sharon's conditions. Earlier this week, she had an injection of cortisone in her poor arthritic right "trigger finger." It was excruciatingly painful, but as of this writing, it is much better. It is only slightly bruised, and the swelling is almost gone. It is truly a miracle.

Now we are praying for another one on Wednesday, the 18th. That is the day that she is scheduled for surgery on her arthritic left shoulder. She is scheduled for a humeral head surface replacement. We will see how that goes. She has been in terrific pain for months. Between her hand and her shoulder, she has cried many tears through many sleepless nights. She feels blessed that her best friend is a nurse-a wonderful nurse. Ellen will take care of her. She has already studied up on the protocol of nursing care for this surgery.

It is time for Sharon to feel better, don't you think?

Until next time.. . . . . . . .

Happy Birthday, Miss Jenny!

Hello, Everybody!



We hope you are having a wonderful weekend! Our dear friend, Jenny, had a birthday last week. We thought you would like to see the lovely flowers that her sons and husband had delivered to her. She tells us that she should always write a thank-you note to the florist because they are the ones who call up her husband to remind him that it is her birthday. Isn't that cute?

The Stargazer Lily is gorgeous! Of course, the scent is beautiful!

She received the flowers at school on Monday, so she could enjoy them all week. Besides, it's a great way to let it be known it's your birthday. Everyone wants to know why you have flowers, so you have to tell them!

Jenny, we hope you had a great birthday week! You are a special friend to both of us.

Something To Enjoy!

Hello, once more!

And now for the final (hopefully) installment of birthday news. Sharon just took a bunch of pictures and put them together in a slide show. We hope you enjoy it. These were taken on her ACTUAL birthday.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We hope you will enjoy this slide show with pictures from Ellen's Birthday week! What a week it was! It is a good thing that birthdays don't come around but once a year.

Until next time... . . . . . . .

Sunday Afternoon In La Mesilla!

Hi Ya'll!



We were all anticipating Sunday. After church, we went home for a little while and then headed to Old Mesilla. Joe had told us about brunch at the Double Eagle. Ellen decided that was one of the things she wanted to do during her birthday week. Carol and Russ had both been to Old Mesilla on previous trips to El Paso, but Michael has never been there. Joe and Nichole were the only ones of the group that had ever been to the brunch. Can you believe that? Let's see, we have lived in El Paso for over 30 years and have never had Sunday brunch at the Double Eagle. Here we are waiting for our "room" to be ready.

Because there were 14 of us, our table was in one of the private rooms.

The church that sits on the plaza is as beautiful as ever. We spent some time looking around inside.

San Albino's is now a Minor Basilica. If you have never gone inside, it is a place of peace, and a spirit of calmness just comes over you.

The pictures do not do it justice, but you can see it is beautiful. We decided that we are going to 11 o'clock Mass some Sunday, and then walk over for the brunch at Double Eagle.

Here we are! Joe's friend, Lorie, was celebrating her birthday on that Sunday. She and a few of her friends came to celebrate, too! That's why we were able to get the private room. The champagne flowed and flowed and flowed! (Hee,hee!)

After lunch, we walked around the plaza for a little while, just so we could give our food a chance to settle! It was another lovely, sunny day!

Here are Joe and Lorie. Thanks, you two, for giving us the idea to go and for making all the arrangements!

Just another picture!

The waitress brought a darling little cake out for Lorie since it was her actual birthday. She generously shared it with all of us. By this time, we all had already had dessert from the buffet table!

If you have never gone to the Sunday brunch at the Double Eagle, try to get there some day. It is an intriguing place full of ghost stories and lovely surroundings. Just be sure to make reservations. Carol and Russ were in our car, so we brought them home via Highway 28. It was a leisurely and quiet way to come.

Now, after Sunday, there was still another day before Ellen's actual birthday!

So far, anticipating turning 60 has been lots of fun!!

Until next time. . . . . .