Saturday Evening Post (Isn't that a magazine or something???)

Well, it looks like I have become a Saturday poster. Things here are up and down, for certain. PaPa is back at the nursing home after being at UAB for almost a week. He had some pulmonary issues, but seems to have improved. He was really sick for a couple of days. His issues seem to be increasing, but so far he has managed to bounce back. When he was admitted last Saturday, he was having a really hard time breathing. They brought him in through the ER, which everyone knows what the ER at UAB is like on a Saturday (not to mention the flu, etc.- there were 2 separate car accidents that killed two 16 year old boys- not a fun place to be in the waiting room) so it was a number of hours before they got him to a room. Once he was in and settled they let me and David in (Billy and Mary had been there, but they had already left) to see PaPa. I went to his bedside and called his name, and for a minute, just a minute, he knew me. Even David said- He knows you! It was brief, but his eyes were so blue and sweet, and I knew that beneath the Alzheimer’s there was still our PaPa.
MaMa has had a terrible week. They moved her back to the Psychiatric unit (which is like being transferred from one hospital to another), but we had our thoughts as to whether she was really well enough to be transferred (as did her Psychiatrist, it seems). Anyway- they moved her on Tuesday, I think it was, and then in the middle of the night on Thursday night they moved her back (did not even call us). She was having trouble breathing, and she is swollen terribly. Anyway, they are looking at possible heart issues at this point. She is much calmer, but pitiful. The psychiatrist called David yesterday and pretty much told him that he felt it was a medical issue at this point, and that he would recommend that there be a consideration of putting a DNR on her chart. That alone let me know that he felt that her problems were serious. He more or less said that at this point the physical therapist did not seem hopeful about her future mobility, and with her medical problems they were hesitant to sedate her for any future treatments. We are in the dark as to what is really going on with her physical condition. Her hands are almost in a fetal position, at this point. She is much clearer mentally, and she is no longer yelling and screaming. David said yesterday that he tried to get her to move her feet and hands and she could hardly budge them. Please pray for her. The decline has certainly been swift, to say the least. I would never have dreamed that PaPa would be in better condition physically than MaMa. Old age is not always graceful.
On a happier note- I have now lost 37 pounds and praying to reach the 40 pound mark this next week. David is also doing very well. We went to Lloyds tonight, and we split a meal. Funny thing- when we left we were both full despite it being half a meal. It was still a generous portion. Today I stacked up some jeans and shirts that were too big. Now don't get excited- these same clothes have been packed away before. I am going to try my hardest to make these changes life-long. I think Weight Watchers will help with that. I needed some accountability- when you go and weigh each week, you keep that goal in mind. I have also developed a love for the new microwave vegetables (I am not a big veggie lover, but I like most all of these), and I have really keyed-in on whole grain cereals in the morning. Just pray for me that I will be able to press forth. The stress and strain of the past few months are the types of situations that I think trigger my eating (then again, so does happiness- so go figure).