On Break

Sorry, I won't be writing for a few days. We are packing, and planning and getting ready for two weeks of relaxation and fun.

We will be back, when we are back.

Ann and Dennis

Motivation

Dennis is a very motivated man. When he really wants something, nothing will stop him. He proved this, once again, today.

I have mentioned that we live near Burlington Coat Factory, a close-out department store. He has managed to walk there and back a few times since we moved last spring. Right next door is a computer discount store. I believe that the only thing Dennis loves more than shopping for inexpensive clothes is electronic bargain shopping.

He and Raquel walked the 2/3 of a mile to and back from both stores today. He needed a new ink cartridge for his printer and decided to hike back and forth. Naturally, he came home with so much more.

I have a new robe to cuddle in at night and in the morning. He purchased the ink, and a Wii. His physical therapist, at one time, suggested a Wii, and Dennis finally succumbed to the idea. Actually, this is an electronic that I think both of us could learn to enjoy. Of course, first it will need to come out of the packaging and then we will need to hook it up. I think I should call Hamed.

Until later (we leave for London on Saturday)
Ann and Dennis

Vulnerable

For most of us, going to bed is really no big deal. When we decide to go to bed, we do just that - go to bed. For Dennis it is another chore he cannot do alone.

Actually, he occasionally does go to bed by himself, but it takes 2 to 3 hours when he is alone. He is into this beauty regime at the moment, and may decide to spend an hour in the bathroom all by himself. By the time he has finished primping, I am sound asleep and he has no choice but to find a way to crawl into bed.

Most of us don't think twice about pulling up the covers or rolling over onto our sides. For Dennis, without help, he really isn't able to do either of these routine acts.

Tonight, as I was helping him to bed, I was very aware of how difficult it is to ask for help. It leaves us so vulnerable. I was also reminded to practice my patience. It is so easy to become resentful.

Until tomorrow,
Ann and Dennis

Hospital Stays

An old friend is in the hospital with cancer. One thing I have noticed about getting older is the hospital stays seem to be longer. It also seems that the longer the stay, the shorter your life expectancy.

Last spring, my childhood friend died from brain cancer. She had several forms of cancer for the past 20 years, and successfully raised a family while fighting the disease.

I suppose I am at that age, where people I know will die.

I don't think of myself as old(er), unless I look in the mirror, feel my own daily body pain or someone I know gets sick enough to end up hospitalized. It hits home, very quickly, when people you love start dying.

I don't mean to be a downer, but this reality is not fun, is it?

Preparing for the Trip to London

It's Saturday and we are packing. We both find packing for a get away to be a big endorphin producer. Needless to say, we are both smiling.

I just hung up with Jane and Ralph to check on our Heathrow pickup, and everything is arranged. I have heard from Poppie and Lola, and we plan to get together while we are in central London. We have both discussed our must-do list, and our maybe list. As usual, we are negotiating everything.

Travel has become different for us over the years.

The first few trips we took, we lived in bathing suits. We both loved the beach and playing in the ocean.

Going to a beach is very difficult with a wheel chair. I suppose we could do the board walk thing, but it's not quite the same as walking barefoot in the sand. A few winters ago, while playing in the surf, Dennis went under and wasn't able to rescue himself. We were both frightened enough to call off playing in the ocean with any undertow or large waves for the remainder of our vacations.

Wee still persisted in winter island holidays with fewer ocean days and we began to explore complete countries. We flew, we drove and we took trains to take in as much as possible in three weeks through Ecuador, China and Spain. We were not able to hike and climb, but neither of us were all that inclined to do that, anyway.

Now we have decided to keep our vacations focused on one city. London is a natural for us. We have family and friends in London and we have both visited there several times before. We know what we do and don't want to see and do. We will have no guilt when we need to do nothing and just sleep in all day.

Neither of us knows what our next trip will look like, but we are both determined to travel for as long as possible.

Until Tomorrow,
Ann and Dennis

Happy Dennis

It evidently was a good day for Dennis today. I was working, and I missed the whole good day thing. It's a full moon, the kids are nuttier than usual and all of the usual suspects were in full dress rehearsal form. So, one of us had a good day, and one of us had a normal day.

Dennis woke up earlier today, and he and Raquel were in sync from the get-go. When I came home, Dennis told me that the two of them had fun today. They ate breakfast, walked to the hardware store and back, and made dinner.

I love coming home to a happy Dennis.


I just finished IM'ing with an Irish friend of mine currently living in London . It seems we will be able to spend a bit of time together while we are visiting. Naturally, my friends are women, and Dennis loves women. He has met Pauline, and he will meet Lola, I hope, and he will be in seventh heaven, surrounded by women.

And I will enjoy being with a happy Dennis.

Until tomorrow,
Ann and Dennis

A Weekday at Home

Dennis slept until 10 am this morning. I think he was relieved that he was not going to Rochester for the heart test, and was able to rest for the first time in quite a while.

I stayed home today. Raquel was not able to come in, and I had a sub lined up for work already. I, too, slept a bit later than usual, but had several hours of alone time this morning. Alone time is a gift that neither of us have much of, anymore.

I spent mine playing with Shiva, drinking an extra cup of coffee and doing yet another Internet search on what ails my man. I didn't find anything new, but there is a small comfort in knowing that I can google PD and find many others with questions. At least we know we aren't crazy.

It was nice to have an extra day off with Dennis at home. I know I am not ready to be his only care-giver, but I may be ready to cut out one day a week next year. Just one more thing to think about.

Until tomorrow,
Ann and Dennis

Hold the Mayo

Dennis suggested the title this morning right after he told me he was going to cancel the trip to Rochester. He is still feeling tired and dizzy. He also read up on the actual tests he would have received, and wants more time to consider the pros and cons.

The staff at Mayo was planning to pump radio active materials into his arteries. I don't really know what that entails, but I the idea sounds scary. Pictures of bombs and cellars come to my mind. This is not comforting.

I would not tell Dennis what I thought he should do regarding this particular test. I can't put it down here either, because he may read this entry. However, I let him know that I will support any decision he made. And I do.

A while back I wrote about no new big changes occurring at the moment. While there haven't been huge changes, as there were last year, life isn't the same as it was just one month ago.

Today, we are both weary.

Until the next time I write,
Ann and Dennis

Taking a Few Days

Not much, other than my hair color, has changed since my last post. I am going to take a break until we return from Rochester later this week.

Until then,
Ann and Dennis

Excuses

It has been a few days since I blogged. Dennis has been feeling a bit off for a week or more and he seems to be slower than usual to recoup. I am getting used to my new laptop and it's keyboard. Business at school is picking up.

Three excuses for missing two days of writing. Not bad, I must say.

The weather has taken it's dip into winter type temperatures, and we even had a wet splosh of snow this morning. Daylight savings time began last weekend and our body clocks are both getting older and slower. We are getting into the mindset of going to the Mayo Clinic again this week.

Three extra excuses, just in case the first 3 don't cut it upon reflection.

Dennis has been slower than usual. He is more tired than he was just one month ago. He had two "pull-downs" last night - one while getting ready for bed and the other while trying to get into bed. It seems he is trying to do too much, and too much gets smaller and smaller all of the time. In the meantime, I am getting a bit beat up, too.

I am hoping that all of this is temporary, and that everything will go back to our normal.


Until Tomorrow,
Ann and Dennis

Poop

Today is a poop day. I came home from work about 2 hours ago, and Dennis is still sitting on the toilet. I am not sure when he went into the bathroom, but I sure hope he has plenty of reading material.

I have never had such issues with going to the bathroom. When I need to use the bathroom, I go in, do my thing and leave a few minutes later. I try to be sympathetic, but it is a world I do not really understand.

None of this is entirely new for Dennis, but it has become more of a time concern. Tomorrow he has an appointment to see a therapist at the Courage Center. I can only hope that all of this commotion is over before his appointment.

What else can I say?

Sunday

Sunday was, hopefully, the end of the bad streak Dennis has been going through lately. While he had a full morning of acid reflux type up-chucking, he was able to rally to have lunch with my family.

November, actually late October until mid November, is birthday month in my family. First, in October, are Hamed's, then his girlfriend's birthdays. November starts out with my sister's, then my dad's, next my brother and finally my brother's partner. Add in election day this year, and we could have a pretty busy month.

I, for one, am so happy that someone decided long ago that one party was more than enough.

Anyway, Dennis was feeling better by the time Mom and Dad, Hamed and Ashely and the two of us were set to go out for lunch. Dennis got through the entire meal with just a tad bit of drooling and no acid reflux. It embarrasses him so, yet at the same time, he hates to miss a party.

Before I close out the computer, I want you all to know that he heard from the Mayo on the date for the next test. We return to the restaurant impoverished city of Rochester, Minnesota, next week for another 3 days. We are hoping for a total reprieve on the Shy-Drager sentence as a result of the tests.

Scallops

Dennis talked JoAnn into taking him to Byerly's yesterday to pick up some "Dennis" food. I found three jars of applesauce, to fulfill his latest craving, in the pantry, but thankfully no new cereal boxes. Naturally the freezer was filed to the brim with ice cream. Then, I found the mother lode in the fridge.

He bought scallops.

When Dennis and I first became a couple, he cooked occasionally. He had a few specialties he would create and he took pride in each dish. One of those special meals was scallops. His scallops were always melt in your mouth delicious.

He hasn't made scallops in at least 3 years.

Dare I hope? Was Dennis planning on making a dinner?

Yes, I dare hope. At this very minute, Dennis is cleaning the pan to sear and sizzle the huge darlings. This is the same pan that Raquel uses to make Dennis' scrambled eggs. She is young as does not know how to clean. We are teaching her, slowly. Suffice it to say, we often clean the pots and pans before we use them for a new meal.

We had decided earlier today that we would eat dinner around 5:00. We had a decent sized breakfast around 9:00, so 5:00 seemed to be our next getting hungry time.

It is 4:30.

I just turned around and noticed the water in the kitchen was running, but there is no Dennis to be found. This is going to take much longer than I anticipated.

Thankfully, Dennis and JoAnn bought that bag of Milky Ways for all of our non-existent trick-or-treaters yesterday.

Until Tomorrow,
Ann and Dennis