I have returned to do battle....on FUZZY Planet!
Whew - these past few weeks have been very busy for me, but I am back.
During my two week stay at home I spent about a full week revamping my bedroom in anticipation of moving
my stuff from NY. There was a lot to pick through, organize and throw away. My room is in order now and
quite comfortable...kinda cramped, but cozy. ^^;;
It was crazy. My mom called me on August 21st in the early A.M. hours to talk because she was stressed out about
making sure my grandma was getting cared for after having been released from the hospital the day prior.
She asked me if I would come home to help temporarily and I agreed, of course.
She bought an Amtrak ticket for me for that same morning (only had 6 hours or so to pack, whew!!) and I was on my way.
Starting the next morning, it became my responsibility to make sure my grandma takes her supplements and
medication on time, prepare her breakfast and dinner (Meals on Wheels delivers a hot lunch every week day for her),
keep up with the laundry, dishes, feed the cats and clean the litter, get groceries as needed and anything else she
needs help with (such as picking things up for her since she is not permitted to bend over beyond 90 degrees or
reach too far). She had her hip joint replaced and has not once complained of any pain. She's hellbent on regaining
her ability to walk again without the assistance of the walker or cane, so she's doing her part in her recovery.
Twice a week a physical therapist comes to the house to supervise grandma with her exercises.
She's currently transitioning from her walker to a cane and is practicing the stairs with it.
My mom said she would help move me back home under the condition that I make sure grandma is eating
right and that I get a job as soon as she's well enough. Our goal is to get her weight up above 100lbs
(she's currently at 87.5lbs, having lost 10lbs after she fell).
The weekend of September 3rd, my mom, my brother and I drove to NY to pack my things, so I am no longer
living in NY and have moved back to my hometown. It was a difficult choice to make, but I still wasn't happy
after living there a full year later. I ended up getting a cold two days prior to the drive, so I was feeling
like shit in every way possible. To top that sundae with a cherry, when I went to turn on my computer, my power
supply made a popping sound and my PC refused to power on. Thankfully it was only the power supply and
had to wait on a replacement from newegg.com. The good news was that my brother still had his Fios service
active at the house, so I'm grateful to be able to have access to the Internet again.
It's been an emotional period of time, but I am happy because I feel like I'm being useful again and it makes
me feel good to take some of the burden off my mother.
Mom had to have a talk with my uncle that lives in her house with grandma about how he isn't doing his fair share.
She doesn't charge him rent, but has asked him to do minor repairs around the house. His attitude became very
arrogant recently and I witnessed him talking down to my grandma (his mother) as if she were a child.
My mom didn't care for his behavior and told him he needs to move out. After that fight, his mood completely
changed and he's actually been more helpful around the house - I figure because he doesn't want to pay rent
elsewhere. He even offered and built two small, wooden bookcases for me based on the measurements I gave him.
I'm not sure if he is still going to move out.
On top of that he gave my mom money to cover the cost of moving me. @__@;;
Art productivity should pick up again shortly, but please keep in mind that I get interrupted a lot throughout the day.
I must make sure I keep to the schedule for grandma's meds and meals. This will only be temporary since my grandma
does do as much as she can for herself within her limits. Heck, now that she's permitted to use the shower again, she
gets herself in and out of it with no need for assistance from me.
I'm really proud of her.
She also now has a medical alert necklace should she need help again when no one is home.
I've also lost 11lbs and seem to be keeping it off, so that's something I'm also happy about. lol
Around the end of June I decided to challenge myself to see if I could break my addiction to pop/soda and haven't
touched a carbonated beverage since then. While I didn't really consume a lot of it, I think simply putting that in
my body was helping to keep weight on. My body hordes calories as it is, so what would be the harm in cutting
that out completely?
I'm going to need several days to get caught up on all my messages and clear out junk that's piled up.
TL;DR = I moved back to my home near Pittsburgh, PA. Grandma is doing very well.
Will be working soon. Trying to fit art time in to my schedule.