JULY UPDATE...MOVING ON

July is almost over already..hard to believe it. We had such a long winter, I am enjoying the warmth so much. Not the humidity mind you, but the warmth.  In all the crazy goings on with my sister's illness I got a  cellphone call while she was in ICU..sooo unexpected.I almost did not answer it. I went out in the hallway and answered it. I could hardly believe it. A manager of an apartment complex was calling about an apartment that I had been on a waiting list for a long long time.  Did I still need an apartment?? I spoke up and said YES, trying to speed up the conversation and get back to the ICU. Sis was completely out of it with her blood being totally out of balance so I had to be there. She said she would call me back, that one was now available but there was some glitches that would have to be worked out. GLITCHES??? I could only imagine. 

I left the hospital and waited for her call. It seemed that I had to rent the apartment by July 1st or lose it to someone else. All the paperwork, deposits and etc. had to be signed by July 1st. That only gave me 4 DAYS to get things together. In the meantime I had to get Sis back home from the hosp and settled and then run like crazy to get all the other things in order. It was hot on June 29, I sat in the office of the manager for 4 longggg hours..  Soo many interruptions made it hard for her to finish my paperwork. Everything had to be done so fast. I got the keys on JULY 1st but the place was still being cleaned and touched up. Seems the woman who lived there was there for 24 years and so they had to completely clean and renew all the carpets and flooring and etc..The manager told me that all the tenants were jealous of my brand new place. I was happy..nothing OLD about it. So I began moving some things over and then  

OUR POWER WENT OFF AT HOME FOR FOUR LONG HOT DAYS. 

I used the apartment fridge for storage for most of our frozen food. The apartment is in another town 15 minutes away. We stayed there in the day time with a fan running and rested up from the hot nights at home. The whole thing was like a crazy story that was hard to believe. Sis was weak but the apartment was on the first floor so she could just walk right in .. NO STEPS.. we both were happy about that. Waiting for the oil base wall paint smell to go away, I moved load after load of my stuff there in our car. Very time consuming and tiring. As I unpacked,  I was reminded of how many of my things were from my friends and family. We do cherish our memories and I have made many.

I brought in a  camping table, sure has come in handy, I got phone calls about what things I would need or want. I was shocked that so many had items they no longer wanted. In no time at all I would have an apartment full.  Stay tuned for part 2!!!

CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY!!!!

I find I  am once again in caregiver mode. I still cannot believe how crazy things have been here. My sister who is younger than me by 6 years has been so ill as I mentioned before. She has been in hospital for over 7 days now. I have been dealing with at least 10 doctors, including specialists, interns and therapists. Exhausting for me and for her. Seems that her meds are so strong they really are making her out of control. 

MY ADVICE TO YOU ALL:  PREDISONE IS NOTHING TO MESS WITH. Some people will have a hard time with it.

It may do the job but BOY is it hard on your body. It messes with you big time. Sis has had hallucinations, enhanced headaches, ringing in her ears, sensitivity to light and sound and all sorts of new things keep popping up. I asked the doctors and they all say that there are no other drugs that she can take and to get better she HAS TO stay on this regime. It may take a long time... WOW.. all of the sudden..we are faced with wheelchairs and canes and thank goodness we kept all of mother's helpers. I have had to rearrange things so that life can be easier for Sis to get around. Landing in the ICU the past few days has been hard. She knows who I am but other than that knows not much. Her blood levels so bad she can't remember her own birthday or anything. She is stable but still so out of it. I remain hopeful that she can get situated so that she can return home soon. ALL PRAYERS appreciated with great THANKS!!

IT'S JUNE ALREADY..

Sorry it has been awhile since my last update...
                                                 

                                                

June started a little crazy for us here. Doctor's visits, hospital tests and changes in every day living. Sister's condition went from simple to very complicated after many tests and consultations. Seems her immune system is compromised and now has to be reset with powerful drugs. I questioned the diagnosis, but with 4 doctor's opinions, and they are specialists, I agreed with their findings. Every day is a challenge, new side effects popping up. I have a watchful eye on her. This will go on for months so it keeps us busy with mapping out appointments on the calendar. I had a flash back yesterday to when I had to keep track of my mother's schedule with her dialysis, how hectic that was and how similar this illness seems to be. I find myself back in caregiver mode again, something I never thought would happen. I am glad at least I have the experience to deal with such an illness..
                                           

The weather warmed up and that was a blessing. It was time to put in the AC and stay cool. I purchased a very small one for just one room. Getting it up 14 stairs was no easy task, but one by one I did it. Securing it was another problem though. Old house and old windows..everything had to be re-enforced to make sure it did not fall out into our driveway. What in the world did they do in the OLD OLD days to keep cool without a fan I have no idea? They were tougher than me that's for sure.   This summer has been a cooler one than last year, easier to do chores and outside work is okay by me.

My tablet was not working, after three months using it, it decided it wanted to type words for me all the time and not charge when it said it was charging. I guess it had a mind of it's own. I called the company and paid the shipping to have them send me a new one. I got a call one afternoon ,after I sent it back, from OKLAHOMA...they apologized that they did not have the same model and would I like to try a larger size. YES, yes I would!! So they sent me a 10 inch size. Has been wonderful...comes in handy while sitting waiting for Sis in so many places. I still use the laptop every day, but boy I do love the new technology so much.  Hard to believe only 5 years ago when I had only a large desktop and monitor and no way to leave the room with it.  Love the freedom. 
Speaking of freedom..in case I don't get back here hope you all have a 

it will be here before you know it. 

NOT SO MERRY MAY...

Most who follow this blog and have been aware of all the life happenings in the past will be interested in hearing this.  The family member I mentioned before, who was ill, was my younger sister and she will be following up with a KIDNEY specialist soon for KIDNEY problems. She recently put on excessive weight that water pills would not handle. Having parents who died of kidney failure scares me a lot. I sure hope it is not going to come to us next.  Seems everything here is in LIMBO right now, we are in urgent mode and planning and testing takes time. Hurry up and wait I guess is how it will be. 

  May has always been a birthday month for us..Mother and Father's birthday was only days apart. Here are mom and dad when they were young.. taken in Tennessee. It was right after they were married, before they moved to Michigan. They left their families to go north where there was factory work. More money, better lives.
It ended up that we lived in Michigan and had no relatives here at all. We traveled to Tennessee to the farm every summer to visit them though. It was a beautiful place but not so beautiful to me. I have horrible allergies and when I would go there the chickens and hay and cornfields made my asthma really bad. I did enjoy our trips to the Smoky Mountains and the big cities of Nashville, Chattanooga etc.That was always fun. Sister and brother loved the farm, and brother went coon hunting and helped milk cows and chased the chickens. Life on the farm was sure different from city living.   

Mother's Day coming soon, hope all of you have a wonderful day. 

WHO IS IT???--HAPPY EASTER

In January I had that horrible spell and went to the ER and stayed overnight in the hospital. I knew full well it was going to cost a fortune. In my mind I knew I would deal with it later. So it's later..I am going through bills and getting more bills in the mail. One notice came and I thought it strange. I called the company and told DONNA I got a notice but for the life of me could not FIND a bill anywhere. She took some information and I was to call her back. I searched high and low for a bill. So I called Donna back and she and I started to work out a payment plan. In a few minutes of talking to each other she stopped mid sentence and said "Do you live in Lansing?" I said NO, she said "No wonder I can't find you..this is NOT YOUR BILL! Seems another person in another city was in the ER on the same day, same time and with my same full name. 
We discussed what to do and how to resolve the problem. I just hope I don't start getting bills from this other person's visit to the ER. How weird is that?? She can have all my bills though..all she wants. I gladly give them up to her. Ha!
                                              

My yard is raked and the piles were waiting to be picked up. Down comes the snow again. This time it was not so bad, I won't have to shovel it. The cold came with it, and after 70 the day before I am searching for my heavy coat again. You just can't mess with mother nature this year, she is fiercely hanging on until May sometime. I really liked the warm day we had, at least we got a preview of Spring to come. Sad to say the crocus that was trying to poke it's head got covered though.

Easter is right around the corner. I have not made plans this year, just trying it day to day for awhile. Hope everyone else out there in Blogland has a wonderful day though.