Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Okay, since I lost all the post I typed in early then accidentally erased before, I am splitting this up again. It is now near to 9 a.m. I need to get up and dressed in case someone comes by to get me for PT or something.
Had breakfast, french toast. The problem is the food is barely lukewarm. Really, if the butter barely gets soft on the food, then it is just not warm enough. I guess that some of the people just don't have a problem with it, but I certainly do. It's not bad, but I've gotten better food at McDonald's as far as temp and appetizing smell. It is so bland. No wonder so many older people stop wanting their food if it has no more taste and temp to make you want to eat. I realize they cook for a broad base, and do provide salt and pepper to season your own. But it is barely lukewarm. Not very appetizing to me. Plus I am used to more and I am constantly feeling empty before the next meal, and then when it isn't all that appetizing, mostly because it just isn't a nice "hot meal", it doesn't make me want or enjoy my meal. Maybe "old people" don't notice it, or maybe I am just picky because I like good homemade HOT meals. The waffle I went to the waffle bar for was good, HOT and bacon hot and milk good and cold.
There is a "set menu" that you can call down and change with your preferences and the set menu isn't bad. Just not hot.
Good mix and the food is definitely "home cooked" .....

 

[Mini Horses]

Not hot because they prepare trays/plates to deliver. It sits with a cover (or not), just gets lukewarm. When I used to visit mom & sometimes ate there, lukewarm. Now I hated that with coffee!! Wanted HOT.

So how long left? A week???? Hang in there, over soon.

 

[Baymule]

And they wonder why old people lose weight. You don’t have much longer to put up with this.

 

[farmerjan]

Okay. It is now about 10:45 a.m. OT came and I got dressed and went to the "gym" to do the OT. Arm exercises that really are like nothing. But I am not going to get into a big deal. Bad thing was there was another patient there that I had the problems with on Wed. Let me explain and I will try to not erase it before it gets posted.
Wed they moved me to a private room. I had put in the request because I was not getting rest in the semi. They moved me to another "wing" which is not on the street so instantly quieter. Close the door and no one asking for things or visitors in and out.
I went to PT that afternoon. The block was finally wearing off so I was feeling some discomfort, but not unbearable. Came back and was in the new room, just trying to relax a bit. Knock on door, was next room over person. Wanted to "share her cookies" but wasn't really making sense and the aide came by and told her that she had to go back to her room that I didn't want company as I was trying to rest. Shut door and gets repeated again. They took her back to her room several times. By now she is bringing papers trying to push on me that were something about God and church. She no longer knocked, just walked in. The nurses and aides, cna's, or whoever are here every time. Then she tries to pull the foam wedge out from under my elevated foot/ankle. The one man, nursing asst I guess, got very loud and firm with her about not coming in the room. Nothing was working.
Supper was quiet but I am jumping every time there is a knock on the door. Then she starts again and I finally get up on the walker because I can't get to the wheel chair with her right there, and I hollered at her to get out of my room, and hopped/walked to the door and stood there waiting for the na to come. The head nurse came, said that they were in contact with the supervisor, and trying to resolve the situation. Apologized over and over said she had never been like that.
Wondering if I reminded her of someone and that was why she was so fixated on me.
The man na put velcro on the outside door frame and stretched some kind of band across as a physical barrier to stop her from walking in as a temp measure. Yep, she wound up coming again, opened the door and tried to come in but the band stopped her. They took her back to the room. about a half hour later, she does it again, only has a walking cane or something in her hand, shaking the "top" the hand held end , up in the air. I started actually screaming for the nurse. They came running and got her. In the mean time they had been trying to find me another room and I am begging to go back to the semi with Mrs. Gallagher cuz her talking was looking pretty good by now.

In the meantime, they had contacted the family and they had authorized a "babysitter" and they were coming in just as she pulled the last "visit". That solved that..... but I am in tears at this point, I mean really upset. It is an awful feeling of being immobile, almost trapped. The foot/ankle is throbbing, being up on it before on the walker was not good for it.
They brought me pain med, and finally I relaxed a bit. But everytime that they knocked to see if I was okay, I'd react.
Finally I called them at 12:30 a.m. to ask if they were going to do the night bp thing so maybe I could then go to sleep. It wasn't bad 138/ ??? and I tried to go to sleep. But was up 3 times between 1 and 5:30 a.m. Not much rest.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

I'm sorry that you are having to deal with these issues Jan, sure can understand your fustration with the unwanted senile lady coming uninvited into your space....you may need a few cow patties to throw at her to get the message across.....

 

[Bruce]

Very stressful! I suspect you weren't far from her back to her room, I know I would be. I hope they can keep her in check, a person shouldn't have their BP spike and stomach churn every time there is a knock on the door.

Do you suppose there might be a microwave for the staff and they could warm up your food just before bringing it in?

A few more days, just a few more days. I know you can, I know you can

I just typed in a whole long reply, and hit something while trying to sit up a bit more and erased it all and can't seem to figure out a way to go back a page or anything to find it.

Sometimes Control/Command + Z will undo whatever you did accidentally. Yes, I DO use that frequently.

 

[farmerjan]

PT is here so I will have to continue my saga in a bit

 

[Mini Horses]

They came running and got her. In the mean time they had been trying to find me another room and I am begging to go back to the semi with Mrs. Gallagher cuz her talking was looking pretty good by now

I bet it was!!! Hope they get you moved fast.

Yep, many in the rehab are elderly (they fall, injure selves, etc) and many have the Big A. Yes, they do have some strange days. There was one similar at mom's place, visiting everyone!!

Totally opens your eyes, doesn't it???

 

[farmerjan]

Back and ate lunch. I asked for a chef's salad instead of the catfish. Don't eat catfish but if I did, don't think that lukewarm would cut it. Salad was good. Have put chef's salad in as my choices in several places, for future meals. I am not a big pasta eater so put the salad in in place of a couple of the pasta meals. This way at least it is not dependent on being hot, and it has been cold and fresh.
The director of this rehab/nursing home came by on Thursday and apologized. Seems he didn't get the full story, and I very clearly told him what had happened. Said that I wasn't mad but that I really thought that going back to the semi private with Mrs. Gallagher was a much better idea. He said that they couldn't disclose patients conditions, but that it seems she developed a uti and the medication has been known to cause some irrational behavior. A nurse had told me that confidentially the night before too. They promised that there would be 24 hour care for her and that I would not be bothered again. I said I would give it a chance; they had another private room opening up but it was on the street side and they thought it would be more stressful if I were to AGAIN make a room change.
So far so good. I did get some sleep last night. But when they came to get me for PT, who the hell else do you think would be in the "gym" but her. I did my best to not make any eye contact, and saw her watching me out of the corner of my eye. Was glad when that session was over.

I'm going to have to get on the bed and elevate this ankle. Done with PT for the day. Took a tylenol but don't want a heavy duty pain pill, so gonna lay down and see if it will ease up a bit.

Connected with the PT lady..... she is Phillipine and seems like we got talking about farming. What she grew up with as normal farming, when they came to the US suddenly was "ORGANIC FARMING"...... so we talked all about the different practices and all. She was great and I am not fighting wanting the walker because the hopping is too hard on the right knee. So I will use the wheelchair until the post op and then go from there. I may be staying for the "extra week" all according to what gets decided at the post op appt. Medicare pays 20 days, and I do not want to to kick in the extra for more than that. Not going to get too concerned til next week. All the rehab/PT/OT stuff I have no problem passing with flying colors so far. . Doesn't even raise a sweat so they should "okay me" for release as far as that goes. And of course, I can just "walk out " when I want. So, I will see what happens at the post op and go from there.

See some sun today, about 20 degrees colder than yesterday after rain again. Supposed to drop below freezing here and 20's at home according to the forecasts.

Cell phone service is pretty bad here. There are so many using them that it seems there just aren't enough "circuits" to carry the signals. I have to go up to the lobby to get any reliable service at all. It is a pain. At least the computer is on wi-fi.
Gotta take a break for this ankle.

 

[Bruce]

That all sounds a lot more positive Jan!