Moving On

Well - I have now been home a week and the difference in my health and my emotional state could not be more dramatic. I am eating well, walking well, feeling good, the wounds are healing, and I even drove the car this week. Life is good.

This picture was just prior to going into the hospital.

This picture was taken yesterday - you can see the weight loss in my face. Tomorrow I will be taking an official weight and will post the total amount then but I believe it is very close to 100 pounds so far. It feels good.



Much love to you all - Chuck

O MY!

There is no way to tell you how good it is to be home. JC is doing an outstanding job of cooking and I am finally getting the nutrition I was supposed to get in the hospital. I really believe I was suffering from mild malnutrition when I left Lubbock.

I am up and walking around the house. Yesterday I spent time out on the patio in the beautiful sunshine we are having and it was wonderful to see the blue sky and get some fresh air.

Today JC took me to the post office to get the mail they had been holding for the past 8 weeks - yikes - I will be going through mail for days. Today is glorious - should be in the mid 70' - although we have a cold spell coming - it is supposed to be 41 on Friday with a low of 28 that night - YIKES again.

I will be blogging more and responding to emails more in the next few days as I continue to become stronger so hang in there if you haven't heard from me in a while. My trainer is coming tomorrow to do an evaluation and to help me create a plan to get me stronger. It is amazing how much strength you lose by doing nothing for 2 months. There are many lessons that have been learned in this ordeal.

Many hugs - and more love - Chuck

Home at Last!!!

I am home - yes - my own home in Albuquerque - I am sitting at my computer and feeling so good about it.

JC and I made the 6 hour drive yesterday and it was one hell of a long 6 hours. But to breathe fresh air - see something other than the inside of a hospital room - and know I was coming home made it all doable. Thank God for JC spending this time with me - and then a friend of my sisters will be coming to spend 2 more weeks - and the rumor is by then I should be all healed and ready to deal with life on my own.

I am going to continue the blog for some time - but wanted to thank all of you who read it and posted comments it was a huge help while in the hospital.

In the next week I should also have a weight loss update for you all - so stayed tuned.
Love Chuck

Home after all

Well the best news is that the Dr. said I could go home - actually to MY home NOT a nursing home. I need to promise him there will be someone with me for 3 weeks - but if I can do that he is find sending me home and having home health come in daily to dress my wound.

I am thrilled about this news as you can imagine - I have the first week covered - but my sister is working on finding me someone for the rest of the time. Anyone want an all expenses paid trip to NM? lol

Feeling pretty good today - the congestion stuff has pretty much cleared up, the view from my new room is great, lunch was almost edible, and now home - yea!!

Hope to see you all soon.
Chuck

Moving day?

Well - today I met with my social worker - her name is really Grizelda - Hmmm - and it sounds as if I might be moving back to Albuquerque as early as next week. I wont be going home but to a specialized care facility - I think that means nursing home - yikes - is my fear of being old going to hold out through that? Hmmm.

Well -- off to drink lots more protein and help this wound heal.

Hugs and love - Chuck

A great day

Yesterday an young man walked into my room and told me he was a senior nursing student and he needed to spend 2 days taking care of someone and would I mind being that someone. He seemed nice and I said yes.

Well today he shows up and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. To say nothing of the fact that he is 6'2", blond, a bit shy, 30ish - but when he is not nursing he is an instructor at a massage therapy school. So today, after my bath, I received one of the best massages ever. And he comes back tomorrow. Life aint always so bad.

I am waiting for the Dr. to come in today to check the wound with the latest new approach he is using and to talk about any options he might have found for me going home.

I think if there was someone there to be with me - he would send me home tomorrow and call in home health care of some kind. One of the disadvantages of being single - lol.

They finally have made progress on my congestion - I told them 4 weeks ago that I had a sinus infection and no one agreed with me - so today I find out I have a sinus infection and with the new meds for that I am already feeling better. I shoulda been a doctar.

Well - off for a time in the chair and a walk around the room. Be well - hugs.
Chuck

Whats Next

Well - after some days of severe depression I finally had a "come ta Jesus" meeting with the Dr. After so long here and seeing very little progress on getting this wound to close I began being aggressive about what is next - even asking if we needed to call in a wound specialist. He seemed a bit caught off guard and defended all he was doing and we agreed to talk about it more today.

This morning he came in when I was coughing and hacking my way through my usual morning congestion fest when in walks Dr. Syn. I got to the point I could talk and then in my usual emotional way - I fell apart. Well - that might have been the best thing I could do. We had a long chat about the options. Right now it seems as if he is keen on sending me back to Albuquerque to a facility there - where they will focus on closing the wound. This gave me a very huge burst of hope that at least I could be near home soon. I will keep you posted.

Not much else to say - the big wedding happened last Friday night and my sister and Tom are enjoying Paris as we speak.

Well - off to a mid-day nap - be well all.

Chuck

Been busy

Good evening friends.

Its been busy around here. Sensing that I was a bit down - the nurses decided to move me to a room with a view. Instead of an office building I now have a view of the campus and real people, trees, and traffic. It really did make a difference as I now feel more connected to the world.

The Dr. still seems pleased with the progress of my wound but isn't talking about time frame much. Tomorrow he is going to put me back on the vacuum thing and hopes that this will be the start of the end. I hope so also.

I am trying to walk more these days but after 5 weeks flat on my back and not walking - it is a bit of work to make that happen. When I stand I have flashes back to nights at the Badlands in San Francisco, knowing I had to find my car or at least the street it was parked on - yikes. But the aid is actually making it part of my daily schedule so it will get better soon.

I had the chance to celebrate Halloween with JC and Mary. I even have some pictures to share here but the ones JC sent me seem to be to big to make the upload - anyone know how I can make them smaller so it will work?

Currently there is a lovely view of Texas Tech at night with lots of twinkling lights and some students walking slowly on the well lit campus sidewalks. It seems like so long since I walked anywhere but I know that it wont be long - all I need to do is keep working and moving forward.

Hope to share the pics soon - be well and much love.
Chuck