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Daily Archives: June 16, 2014
Chapter 24
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Life wasn’t getting any easier. I decided Al needed to be home where his familiar doctors were. Al and I were not crazy about this idea. We both didn’t really want to walk back into memories that upset Al and made me sad.
The house listed and before we realized it we were packing up rooms, getting a moving van and were headed back to Indiana, our home town. There was really no excitement between…
Chapter 24
Life wasn’t getting any easier. I decided Al needed to be home where his familiar doctors were. Al and I were not crazy about this idea. We both didn’t really want to walk back into memories that upset Al and made me sad.
The house listed and before we realized it we were packing up rooms, getting a moving van and were headed back to Indiana, our home town. There was really no excitement between the two of us as we saw the Warsaw sign come into view.
It was late and we were both tired from the travel and all the things that go along with moving. Because of the friction that was heavy in the extended family, Al and I didn’t let anyone know we were coming home except my kids.
My son was waiting on me to let me in to our new home. The movers were tired but went straight to work unloading the truck and setting up our beds. I believe Al and I finally flopped into bed around 4am.
The next day I wanted to pull my hair out as I looked around our home and saw box after box. Al and I both needed to take morning medications so we dug clothing out of our over night bags, got dressed and went into town for breakfast.
It didn’t take long while eating that Al and I started talking about the past. Had people’s views changed while we had been gone those few years? Was the talk about who was to get what past now that the estate had been closed long ago?
As we ate, we watched the news on the overhead TV and watched cars go by. Afterwards we went back to our home and Al started putting his room together. He complained of being tired and sore. I told him, ” Just do what you can bud. I will help you with everything else.”
He seemed alright with that. He went for his prize coca-cola and started setting it around. Then he got his clothes out and put what he could in his drawers. He cleared off his bed and laid down to watch TV.
That was fine with me. He didn’t feel well and yet he still helped. I spent most of the day busy putting things away. I started with the bathrooms and then the kitchen. I made sure that things we needed were unpacked first. Dishes, glasses, silverware, toilet paper, bath towels and wash cloths.
By the end of the day I was exhausted but still not finished; but at least I had a path to walk through. Al and I ordered a pizza for supper and had it delivered. For the rest of the evening we watched TV and went to bed early.
The next day was more unpacking. Within three days I had the place pretty presentable. I then started on the projects for Al. I called his former doctors and had records sent here from Florida. I called a company that Al used to work through to see about a Day Program.
By the end of that day we had scheduled appointments set with our new family doctor, Al’s old heart doctor and Cardinal Center, the company Al had been associated with for years.
We went to supper at Golden Coral. Al loved eating there because it was buffet and he could make all his own choices. Al did pretty good walking. His top half of his body leaned to the side and his total side definitely was weaker, but he got what he wanted to eat all by himself.
As the days moved forward we discovered through the heart doctor that Al had suffered what is called a TIA, a silent stroke. This is what caused his upper half to lean to one side.
The heart doctor said for the damages that Al had suffered in his heart attack and the Angina he had now, he was in pretty good shape. She said he would not be able to keep us with most people and he would tire more easy than others. I was happy with this news.
The family doctor took Al’s vitals and had his records from where we had lived here before and his records from Florida. He asked many questions such as how was Al feeling on a daily basis, how was his appetite, did he suffer constipation, did he take vitamins.
After having an hour meeting the doctor ordered a CBC,(complete blood count) for Al and said to come back the following week.
We had only seen one neurologist when we had lived here prior but I had actually forgotten that so a new doctor was ordered. We went to see him a couple of weeks later.
We spent the in between hours enjoying the fall weather and looking at pumpkin decorations and houses that were fixed up for Halloween. We decorated our own home for the holidays and soon drifted between doctor visits and the thoughts of Christmas and snow. Neither of us were looking forward to that at all. I think this is what we missed the most about Florida, no snow.
We ate out a few times a week. My son told Al and me of car shows that were coming up. I decided to take Al to see them and before long Al had decided to add a new interest to his hobby; car collecting.
My son loved Chevy Bel Airs. He had one that was aqua blue and Al fell in love with it. Al started collecting these same type of cars. If he could not find one he would purchase an old car of another model. He loved the police cars from the era of Andy Griffith. By the end of Al’s life his room was filled up with these two special cars and many others along with his coca cola that he found.
Who I am 