A Little Bit of This and That!

Hello, Everybody!

Wow! It is almost impossible to believe that it has been ten days since we posted. Things are going along just fine. Sharon continues healing; albeit, a slow process. A couple of times the therapist has really worked her, and it hurt bad the next couple of days. (If you remember, we called therapists the terrorists when Ellen had her knee replacement surgery.) Sharon is ready to call hers a terrorist. Actually, she is a very nice lady, but she hurts Sharon sometimes.

On Monday, Sharon is going to yet another doctor--an infectious disease doctor. Dr. Heydemann, her surgeon is referring her because he doesn't like how her arm looks. Even after a round of antibiotics, her arm still has a clumping of redness from the cellulitis. We will let you know.

Today, we went to church again. It is the hardest thing to keep well-meaning wonderful people from hugging too tightly, and hitting her shoulder. Oh, well, today wasn't too bad.

Ellen made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. Yum, Yum!
We talked to Sharon's daughter in Nevada. They have had bad weather like other parts of the country. We are ready for Spring here in El Paso.

Ellen's son, Joe, has a birthday coming up this next week. It will be his 28th. We will write more about that later this week.

Tomorrow is Monday, already! The weeks are flying by so quickly. We hope you all have a good Monday and a happy week!

Until next time. . . . . .

Some Kind of Fruit Basket!

Hello, Everybody!

Yesterday afternoon, the doorbell rang and there stood this man with this enormous fruit basket! It was huge, and full of grapefruits, oranges, limes, red apples, green apples, pears, plums,red grapes, green grapes, bananas, and one very large pineapple with a kiwi stuck right on top. It was a beauty to behold. Somebody had lots of fun putting this basket together.

It was just too pretty to not show you.

We had a good day. Ellen made the most delicious green chicken enchiladas for dinner tonight. We went to the beauty shop to get our hair fixed, and now we feel like a million bucks again. Sharon's therapist came today and did calculations and calibrations to see just how much progress she has made in one month. That's right. Can you believe that the surgery has been a month ago?

Spring break is almost over for Ellen. You know how she has spent it----taking care of Sharon. Sharon is very grateful, too.

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

Church, Lunch, Shopping, and Neuchatel!

Hello, Everybody!



We hope you had a good weekend. We did. On Sunday morning, we got Sharon into some "church" clothes, and headed off to church. It was Ellen's mission to make certain that no one hit Sharon in or on her shoulder. She was mostly successful in that mission. There was this dear little old lady who is 90 years old. She is such a sweetheart that we didn't have the heart to tell her to be careful.

After church, we decided to go to lunch. After all, we had Sharon all dressed up. We headed to Applebee's. Then we ran over to the Mall and went to Dillard's. They were having their Clinique gift with purchase. We just couldn't pass it up. By this time Sharon was ready for a nap.

Ellen's mail brought a wonderful surprise from Switzerland! Remember our friends the Marchiondos? They sent us a box of fantastic chocolate from Neuchatel. Oh, my! The chocolate just melts in your mouth. They really taste delicious with a glass of Chardonnay! (Hee, hee!) The card was addressed to Nursie Pooh and Mrs. Peeps. We couldn't resist taking a picture.

The chocolate also tasted delicious with a small glass of white Port!

Thank you, Marchiondos! We miss you, and love reading your blog.

Sharon is getting better with each passing day. She did have a small set back this week. We ended up going to the doctor on Monday because of some redness on her arm just above the elbow. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic. He thinks it is cellulitis. The medication seems to be helping.

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

And She Wonders Why She Hurts!

Hello, Everybody!

It seems that as each passing day comes and goes, more bruises surface. Sharon's whole arm on the back side is one big bruise. Is it any wonder that she hurts? Isn't her skin a lovely shade of yellow?

All of the "waffle skin" you see is from the wrap that connects to the ice machine. We put it on fairly tight, otherwise it slips down.

One day, she searched the Web for live surgeries just like she had. Here is what she found, but we warn you: Don't watch if you go weak at the sight of blood!

It was fascinating to Sharon, and it certainly explains why she has all of those bruises. (We hope this link works.)

http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/bio_1745/rnh.cfm?id=644

Enjoy!!

Until next time. . . . .

Sunday, Shopping, Snoozing!

Hello, Everybody!

We thought we would update a little bit on Sharon's new shoulder. She continues to make progress, and is beginning to try things that maybe she shouldn't try. Ellen did get her out of the house today. Yesterday, she tried on clothes just to see if she could get into them. She really wanted to go to church this morning, but it just wasn't meant to be. By the time that we got her dressed, it was after eleven o'clock. Ellen put her in the car, and we went to Target. We figured that there wouldn't be that many people there because most would be in church. Sure enough, the store was not crowded at all.

The father of a former student of Sharon's came over to us in Target. His son is one of Sharon's all time favorites. It was nice to visit for a few minutes. After we came home and had lunch, Sharon was ready for a nap. She got comfy and all situated in her chair and proceeded to doze off. Ellen left to go get her car washed and then went to her house to catch up on a few things.

We also ran into Mary, one of our teachers at Polk. She was with her daughter-in-law and granddaughter. They, along with Mary's son and grandson, just arrived in El Paso yesterday. They have moved here. Come tomorrow, the little girl will be a "Polkster". Welcome!!

Our plants in the greenhouse were in need of some attention. Ellen brought her gardening tools down and went to work. The plants have been cleaned of dead buds and flowers and have been thoroughly watered. Just like any other room in the house, the time comes for a little rearranging!

This is the final week of school before Spring Break! Everyone is looking forward to having a whole week off! It makes facing Monday a little bit easier!

Until next time. . . . .

EXCELLENT !

Hello, Everybody!

That is what the doctor kept saying, "Excellent, excellent, excellent!" That is music to our ears. He was extremely happy about the progress Sharon has made. The only real pain that she has is way down deep where the new joint meets the old bone! Wow! We had a staple pulling party at the doctor's office yesterday. Sharon was a little apprehensive about having them removed, but they just popped out--one right after the other. Remarkable!
In some places, you can just barely see where the skin was cut.

Isn't that fantastic? We got a new prescription for pain, and a renewed prescription for continued home therapy. We will see what next week brings! We are both elated about how well she is doing.

The old saying, "Slow and steady wins the race!" is not exactly Sharon's philosophy on life. She is more of a "Let's hurry up and get this all over with" kind of person. We are compromising somewhere in between these adages! The health care part of Ellen knows that some things will just take time. We are managing quite well and before we know it, this little episode will be part of the past. Welcome to the weekend! Have a good one!

Until next time. . . . .

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. . . . .