She got a good report from her doctor and my advance call paid off. The subject of her living alone did come up and he handled it well......and made both some very valid points, as well as some funny ones. As he was discussing her being on her own, he asked if other family lived nearby, and she said ALL of her family was there (with the exception of her wayward daughter!). Then he asked why she didn't call them when she was sick and needed help? He also asked if she had a Lifeline, which she has had for some time. But, I explained that when she fell and fractured her pelvis in four places, she wouldn't push the button even after I asked her to over the phone (as you remember, I found out about it all as I'm on my way to work. Since she wouldn't push the Lifeline button, I had to call 911 here to find out how to contact 911 there!!). That info tilted the balance for him and he said, "With your medical problems and 'history', you shouldn't be living on your own. If you were 90 years old and in good health, it would be one thing; but, you have heart and lung problems and you're diabetic. If you were my mother, I would not want you to be on your own." She thanked him....but the next day said that she and her kitties needed to go home!
The funny thing was about her aching arm, shoulder and neck. She has a pain medication she can take every 12 hours. She cuts them in half and takes half of one.....to which I kept saying she was getting 1/2 the effect by not taking it properly. The doctor questioned her as to why she wasn't taking it as directed.....was it making her groggy, sleepy, etc. After a series of questions he concluded that she wasn't taking it as directed because she didn't want to......to which he said, "Well, if you aren't doing to take the medication as directed, don't complaint to her about your aches." I almost laughed out loud. She has begun taking it more as directed, or at least when needed.
Well, the "Great Escape" was more of a mini-escape. Both Pamela and I had allotted most of the afternoon for our get-away. As it turned out, my mother's cat (who is seriously ill with Irritable Bowel Syndrome) was not bouncing back after his routine shot the week before. He is going downhill quickly and I'm not sure there is much that can be done to prevent it. In any case, my mother wanted to take him to the vet, so that was schedule for the morning of our escape. The vet wanted to keep him for tests, which meant that Pamela and I had to cut our plans short in order to pick him up before the vet's office closed. Even so, we had a leisurely lunch out on the deck of the Beach Club in Sea Pines, overlooking the Atlantic and soaking in the sun. We had hoped to have a walk on the beach or browse the shops in Harbourtown, but we settled for a quick shop at Sam's.......I had mentioned that being my last stop before coming home. Pamela's card had expired so she asked if she could come with me and pick up a few things. So, while it may not have been the "great escape" we had hoped for, it was good company, beautiful weather and an opportunity to relax......no complaints.
The weekend before held some good times for me, too. On Saturday (4/21/12) I completed the dog handling class and especially enjoyed the Saturday session, when we finally got to work with the dogs. PAL is training all who will work with the dogs in a method taught by our local "dog whisperer". While it is more austere than I'm used to, it really does seem to be effective, especially for a place like PAL where you have so many animals with varied backgrounds. In the time that I've been here, I can tell that the dogs are calmer and more disciplined......and there is no more real "discipline" involved than a correction with a starmark collar. If I had a dog, "discipline" wouldn't enter the picture; but, I can see that this training really does benefit the dog and makes them more adoptable, which is the object of the center. With the training, I hope to be able to go out and walk them from time to time or help with adoption fairs.
On Sunday (4/22/12) I met Cheryl at the Subway shop at the corner of Hwy 278 and I-95. You know you're good friends if you can meet at a truck stop and have a good time!! It was non-stop chatter from the minute we spotted each other. She was traveling from her sister's and still had a 5 hour drive back home, so our time was too short......but it was so good to get together and catch up (as best we could)....the time passed much too quickly.So, it's been a good week and, as stated some time ago, I've become much better at seizing the day, or even the moment. My mother has been very mellow this week and I've been able to relax and enjoy it. Long may it last.
I hope things are good where you are.
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