ravena_kade

My Sister's partner was laid off today. A severance of 3 weeks and her healthcare ends Friday. I feel really bad. I will ask if they need to go home a week early. It will save them some money. Dad won't be happy alone, but he is able to be alone. He just can't drive yet. He understands the money issue.

They really liked the Tuscan style ribs. I thought they were good, but could be better. I need a spice grinder for the rub as I don't have the patience to pound it out with a mortar and pestle. The glaze was a mix of homey and balsamic vinegar with Rosemary. I only had dry rosemary. Next time I will use fresh.

Dad is still doing well. I'm looking to send him back to work the second week in May. The only tricky thing is getting the blood thiner dose down. Food with vitamin K make your blood thicker. I find it discouraging as now not only can I not cook things with sodium, I no longer can cook greens and beans. He just eats what I put in front of him. The good thing is that they have lifted fluid restrictions so he can eat soup...even if it is flat soup. Once my sister goes I am meal prepping his food and freezing stuff for him. I need to eat what I want/need. Between cooking for him and my sister's partner I need therapy.

Sister leaves now on the 15th. There will be a couple days that Dad is alone, but he can handle it. Once he can drive we won't need a nurse coming to test his blood and we can find our new normal. I hope to be able to go away weekends come August. I want people to be comfortable with him. Right now people are nervous that his alarms will go off... kind of like a bomb. So far all has been good.

I am planning take a gouche class in May. I also need to get out in the yard. I hope we dont have as wet a spring as last year.

The boss is being a bit of a dick. She has higher expectations of the staff, but doesn't show up to train or enforce. The staff are resenting it. They figure that's why people left before. She said to me what she was here to kick ass and get me to learn. I told her to show up and teach...and I hoped she had steel toed boots because that tactic doesn't work with me. I will defend myself. Like I need this with my home situation right now.

Another week done. It has been a month since Dad's open heart surgery. Things are mostly going well. We are now trying to get a handle on his blood thinner meds. His blood is a tad thick so no green veggies until his blood is thinner again.

Dad is getting tired of my Sister and partner's silliness and self centeredness. At least he is seeing it. It is exhausting me. They are here until April 16. 20 days.

Tomorrow they all want to go to Ipswich...Dad wants me to go too so I will. Maybe we can stop in a few shops while we are up there.

I need to get my taxes done. Hopefully I can book that tomorrow. I hope I get a refund this year. I could use it since I am paying all the house utility bills.

Last night I slept in my bed a second time and I slept well. I get up at 3:30 AM for work. I go down to feed the cat and look in on Dad. I cannot see a power cord going from the wall to the bed. I took a fit. He went to sleep on a battery and I didn't know how much time was left. Turns out he changed the batteries and went to bed on them. You are not supposed to do that. IT is especially bad since all of his incisions are not healed that the batteries and cord can pull on them. He was mad that I was mad. I said that this is just another example that I could not trust him to follow the training that we had for this and it is extremely unfair to me.
I left to get ready for work, but turned around and took his keys off his dresser. He asked what I was doing. I told him that I could not trust him... and if he doesn't get his shit together he won't be released to drive again. If you can't follow instructions no one's going to let you drive. I left.

He told my sister that I was pissed at him. I was glad he remembered. My sister said he drank morentoday and ate normally.

Maybe taking his keys woke him up.

Dad had his first blood test to see if his blood is a good thinness for the heart pump. His numbers were great. The chest tube would look good as well. The LVad coordinator was pleased.

Sadly the VNA people never contacted us. The LVad coordinator was concerned as Dad was listed as a priority. My sister will try and track them down tomorrow.

My sister has been showing up before 5AM and been Dad sitting. I end up coming home and cooking Dinner. Her partner shows up, they eat, and then leave at 7. I am heading upstairs for 2 hours of me time after they leave.

Today the boss ticked me off. I was told to concentrate on Month end, but then she is mad that I actually concentrated on that and not some other thing. She also was mad that I didn't train a coworker on some invoices. Again I told her it was because she had told me to concentrate on Month End. Between my Dad and the antics of my sister and her partner, I have a short fuse. I am looking forward to the weekend.

So happy it's light later.

I want to walk the beach now that the snow is gone. I am waiting for the Osprey's to return.

I want to workin the garden. I want to plan a space for a bird feeder.

Once Dad's new chair arrives I need to call to have the old one removed and they will take the 210 pound TV so I can get out to my porch.

I do need to get my taxes done.

It's been a week. Im still exhausted.

Dad is doing well. The whole med staff thinks he's a rock star. He refused pain meds 2 days after a surgery that carved out his heart, removed rib sections, and has an extension cord strung through his insides. He is doing so well that that he's scheduled to be released next week. It usually takes 3 weeks or a month after surgery. Usually only younger people get out this fast. They told him he could drive once his sternum heals.

All this physical stuff is great, but I see signs of confusion. This usually goes away a week after major surgery. I see tons of blood tests on his records and I see that blood glucose is high and other internal chemistry is still abnormal. This can cause a post op delirium. He is not delirious, but he's loosing time and he's called me his sister. He's called my sister's partner by the wrong name. This morning he called me 3 times; midnight, 3 AM and 6:30 AM. Other people are not seeing this because he is quiet, but I see it. And because of the way my friend Evie died I am hyper sensitive to it.

I do think once they get his chemistry settled he will settle in. Once he isn't laying in a hospital room all day I can get a better feel for it.

AS for me. I haven't strangled my sister. I nearly did on Wednesday when we got in and I am trying to put together a dinner for 3 before I leave for ceramics class. As I juggled dishes and things she is prancing around the kitchen and living room space. He is almost jogging with her hands held up and arms swinging. "What in blazes are you doing? And get the hell out of my way" She was exercising. Sigh. She is 60 years old. I pointed her to the treadmill in Dad's room and said that Ma would have stabbed her...

I am living on stress and Diet Pepsi. I need a root canal soon. I have active pain.

Oh Boy

Dad went into surgery at 7:30 AM. The pre op nurse had him call me before he went in. It was nice to talk to him.

The operation was supposed to be 4 to 6 hours. It actually was 7. The surgeon called and said it went well, but he wasn't much of a talker so I got no details. I am concerned. We finally got to see him at 6, but he was not conscious. I am concerned. They had him zipped up in what looked like a heavy cotton sleeping bag and were blowing warm air in it. His color was good, but I did not want to stay long as I don't like seeing unconscious people like that. I watched 4 people die last year. I dont need to see it. They said that they would try and wake him up slowly since there is a lot of pain from the incisions. I will call the desk tomorrow at 8 am and see how he is then see him at 11.

My sister and partner are up to the same old shenanigans. It took us 2 hours to get home from the hospital last night because they refused to drive on the expressway or the Jamaica Way (another direct route to the hospital part of Boston. We went through every back residential street in Roxbury and Dorchester. It was ridiculous. Tonight I told them that if they did not go the Jamaica Way I would get out and Walt to the nearest train station.

Tonight the partner tells me she can't drive my sister back and forth to the hospital as she has to work and it will take 4 hours. Umm..Yeah. It's why I offered my house to you guys. Just what am I supposed to do with that info?

Then when the partner steps away my sister tells me that she may have to sleep over every night. Ummm... I asked you to tell me that a week ago so I could company clean the house. So now you are staying and paying for a hotel room. WTF.

Now I have to try to stay home and clean things and wash sheets and towels and stuff and get to the hospital. WTF

Right now Dad is still expected to be at the hospital at 8 AM. I am waiting for a phone call with instructions.

I told my sister not to leave Buffalo NY today. I told them yesterday not to even leave Wisconsin, but no one listens.

I don't know how I am going to shovel out the driveway alone. I need to go out and shovel so Dad can move his car up and then shovel out the rest of the driveway so a car can get out of the driveway.

The cousins are supposed to bring Dad to the hospital tomorrow as I leave for work at 5 AM. They will not go out tomorrow if their plow guy does not come over. They do not shovel. Dad wants me to go over and shovel their driveway WTF. It's also not safe enough to drive over to their house even if I was that stupid.

Dad is perfectly capable of driving tomorrow, but then I have to find 2 people to come and get the car as no one I know will take the trains. He won't take a cab or an Uber by himself.

Yesterday Dad and I went to Ipswich for lunch so he could have a cheat meal before his hospital stay. He had fried scallops (and extra fluid meds when he came home) and I had fried clams. It's nice to go there. The bartender saw us crossing the street and poured us our usuals; me a hard cider and Dad a diet Coke. This will most likely be the last time we are there until June. I know I will be there in the summer even if he is unable to drive.

On the way home we stoped at a giant Ace Hardware/Tractor supply store close by Ipswich. I stopped because the sign said that they had ice melt. The store was huge and had tons of things. I wanted to buy seed trays, but stopped because I really won't be able to pay attention to seeds in the next few weeks. I did buy myself a steel shovel. They are saying we could get a foot or more of snow. Maybe 2ft. Plastic shovels don't do a good job with the piles the plows leave in the driveway. I also have to carve out space for 2 cars this storm.

Tomorrow Dad has a 1 pm appointment, but I don't know if they will cancel. I don't think they call for cancels on Sunday. I know on Friday the hospital sent out emails that staff is supposed to show up and listed hotels that were nearby for Sunday night. Sadly the hospital does not pay for the hotel rooms. I may or may not get a text from my boss today. I have the ability to work remote only if the computer is on in the office. If the hospital cuts power then the office pcs all shut down. It happens a few times a month.

My sister's car died again. They were going to try and drive it here. It died yesterday and they got it to the mechanic 10 minutes before the guy closed. He said he really wouldn't make that drive as they could get stuck in the middle of nowhere. So last night at 8 pm they were looking for a car to rent. Umm.. the car broke down last week too and they hadn't started looking for a rental then? Oy. I told he that it would be okay if she had to come out a few days later... Nope. They are supposed to leave at noon today. Oy.

I also told them to check with me Monday morning before they leave their hotel. They stay in Buffalo. No need to leave at the crack of dawn if there is a raging blizzard. Stay as late as you can because the roads may be dangerous.

Today is Dad's last cheat day. Chinese food.