19 | January | 2014

I am so sick of this cold arctic air I could just pull my hair out. Oh how I long to go out and sit on my swing and watch the squirrels play. Or walk to the mailbox without putting on the gloves and boots. Anyone else feel the same as me?

Yesterday Al’s air mattress quit working. It was early evening when the tech came to the house. He didn’t have a mattress to replace, so actually wondered why he came. But any ways he looked it over and found holes. I saw holes also that had been patched with duct tape.

It amazes me at the prices they charge Hospice for a repaired mattress. He couldn’t fix it because I didn’t have any duct tape here for him to use. Manually he did some pushing of the buttons and set it on firm so Al could rest comfortably until today.

The Hospice nurse, four firemen, me, the tech and caregiver were all here at noon. They moved the entire bed and moved his recliner along side of it. Putting the recliner in a laying position Al was wrapped like a baby on the back of an Indian woman.

With everyone on the same page Al was transferred to his recliner without the aid of a hoyer lift. The last time we used the lift Al was left swinging in it and transition was rough on his poor limp body.

This time it was a piece of cake. The new mattress was installed and Al was replaced back in bed.

I think he did well, but with as ill as he is his body still takes a big toll with the movement. He has been asleep ever since 1pm. The job is done and I hope for his sake we don’t have to transfer him again for as long as he is here.

Today he had a cup of ice-cream for breakfast and a half-cup of yogurt and half-cup of applesauce for lunch. I just don’t know how I would survive on so little. 99% of the time Al eats only ice-cream for any meal.

After everyone left the caregiver and I went about cleaning up his room. The firemen had transferred his electric recliner out to the living room since it took up space that was needed in his room. The firemen also put the bathroom door back on.

I had it taken off back in June when he came home so the wheelchair would go through the door. Now that he can’t sit up, the wheelchair has been stored in the shed. Enough caregivers and Hospice are here that the door needed to be put back on for privacy and lack of running to the other end of the house to use my bathroom.

It felt good to complete the tasks. Al safe in his new air mattress bed, all the snow and melting salt swept up from the floors. Small rugs washed, dried and put back in their spot. The only thing that could make today better would be to walk outside my front door without my coat, gloves and boots on.