If I waited another 10 days for this update, it would have been 2 months since the last one, and I can hardly believe so much time has passed in what has felt like such a short time. Anyway, better late than never, and I'd better get started, because I have a lot to share LOL!
A health update first of all. I mentioned Mum's oxygen concentrator in the last Blog update, but thought I'd show you what it looked like (below) . . . isn't she a beauty. Mum really couldn't be living at home without it, and my only criticism is that it produces heat as well as oxygen, which will be great in winter, but that aspect of it is very unappreciated in summer, I can tell you :(
So, after the hospitilisation mentioned in the last update, it seems Mum decided one miraculous recovery was not enough, and in order to keep us on our toes, she went and knocked on death's door once more. After a blood test revealed that her blood hemoglobin level was low, so she went in to hospital for a blood transfusion on the 23rd October. She had two bags of blood, and was going to stay in overnight, and come home the next day. That was until she had a heart attack about 1.00 the next morning.
Once again, Dad and I were called in, and once again she was in the room where family can "say goodbye", so we sat by her side, drifting in and out of sleep until a few hours later when she came to, wondered what on earth we were both doing sitting by her side at 3.30 in the morning, and wanted a drink of water.
Well, much to the suprise of all the doctors and hospital medical staff, she had survived again, though it was still another two weeks before she was strong enough to come home, which she did on the November 5th. The one major difference is that she needs oxygen for most of the time now, and can only go a couple of hours without it at the most. And now the portable oxygen bottle pretty well stays in the car for her when we need to go somewhere in it.
Now to Dad. Our concerns about his pain at the end of the last update resulted in his pain patch being increased yet again. And, because he is actually resting much more now due to eating upstairs with Mum (who has most of her meals in bed) he seems to be quite stable. He also has some fun things in his life at the moment too, which seem to be powerful motivators to hang around a while yet. The first of these is his Orrery. He saw the ad (play the video below so you know what I'm talking about) on TV and was very excited about it. He said something like "THAT would give me something to live for, wouldn't it!"
Naturally, after that response, it didn't take long for me to get the first edition (magazine and first few parts) from the the newsagent, and subscribe to the rest of them (about 52 in all) online. He studied that magazine, and began to doubt his ability to actually construct it, so Phil and I decided to give him something to practice on and got him an eary birthday present of a Meccano set, which used similar tools, similar components, and had similar instructions to follow. It was a good thing too, because at the time of writing this, he still has not received the free toolkit that came with the Orrery, nor enough parts to start on constructing it, but his first Meccano project (below) shows he certainly is getting the hang of it, and will have no trouble when its ready to start :)
The 13th of November was Dad's birthday, and despite him not being expected to make it when I moved up here in February, he did!!! Dad, Mum, and I had a quiet lunch on the day, because the rest of the day was spent in him speaking to the 30 to 40 family and friends that called him on the phone to wish him a happy birthday. Our real celebration (and a special treat) was held at Phil & Shelly's place on Saturday 15th. Coctails on the lawn at 5.30 . . .
. . . before a delicious B-B-Q dinner, and a little singing, candle flame blowing, and the cutting of an exquisite black forest birthday cake . . .
. . . followed by the special treat of Andre Rieu LIVE. Phil & Shellie had bought the rights to watch the Melbourne Andre Rieu concert as it happened on their Austar Satelite TV service . . .
. . . and Dad and Mum got the best seats in the house. They would have to be two of his biggest fans, and they had an absolutely wonderful time with Andre, despite it ending up a very late night for them :)
The next day two very dear friends of theirs, George and Lorna Jackson arrived, and Dad and Mum were able to share some of the concert, that we had recorded, with them
Whew . . . made it to the end, and now I'm up to date finally LOL! Hopefully, the next update will not be so long in coming :)
Yep . . . I have a few good news stories today. Mum's miraculous (considering how close she came to checking out of 3D once and for all), and gradual, recovery continued, and by the time Pete (my brother) and Barb (his wife) arrived in the early hours of the Monday morning (of the 15th) her ability to feed herself had pretty well returned to normal, her appetite was almost there too, and her decision to stay on a while longer was clear (one good news story). Here she is in hospital with Dad and Barb.
She had been told on the Sunday (the 14th) that she could go home when she was able to go a day without oxygen, but she got the OK to go on Tuesday, despite still not being able to go without it. Naturally, I jumped up and down about this, because all we had at home was a small emergency bottle, which simply was not good enough, so her doctor set into motion the process of acquiring an oxygen concentrator, a machine that produces oxygen on tap 24/7 if needed, but it meant that she would have to stay in hospital until it arrived from Cairns.
This was a bit disappointing for her, as it was HARLEY'S 14TH BIRTHDAY (another good news story) that very day. Thankfully, she was given three hours leave from the hospital and was able to join in the family gathering we held to celebrate Harley's birthday. Here he is with one of his pressies :)
Well, Pete had to drop Barb off at the Cairns airport the next day so she could fly back to Melbourne for work commitments, but miraculously, he was able to pick up the concentrator while down there, which meant Mum could come home that day as well, without any concern about her running out of oxygen again (another good news story).
Friday arrived, and after resting for most of the time in her first few days home from hospital, Mum felt well enough to go out and enjoy the beautiful day we were going to have, so we (Dad, Mum, Pete, Simon, and I) all went for morning tea at Gallows Chocolate and Cheese factory coffee shop, and we had a lovely time (see - lots of good news stories LOL!).
Oh yeah . . . I had a day off in there too :) Having Peter staying here with us to help out while he was up meant I could go and visit some friends, Krishna and Myrilla Skye, that I had been wanting to visit ever since I met them and heard about their spiritual retreat/centre, Skye Pheonix, and the wonderful octagonal house they had built there outside Ravenshoe. Pete took over the task of preparing the midday meal and I enjoyed a relaxing break with my friends (and yet another good news story :) )
Some not so good news was that the day before Peter left to fly back to Melbourne (which he did on Wednesday 24th) Dad's pain got to the point where his current level of patch was no longer doing the job and he was unable to get out of bed, even with Pete and I there to help. He pretty well screamed in agony with even the slightest movement. The doctor was called, he was given a shot of morphine, and the ambulance took him to hospital. The good news part of this story is that I brought him home in the evening of the 25th in pretty good shape. Total rest (the type you are forced to have in hospital) does wonders for Dad. It's a pity he seems unable to rest like that at home.
The final good news story for this update is that some friends of Dad & Mums, Ian and Helen Stephens, with two of their children, Peter and Alex (and Alex's friend, Andrew) called in out of the blue on Friday afternoon, and Mum and Dad enjoyed catching up with them all very much. I even managed to organise a pic before they left.
My final entry for this update . . . as of the time of writing this (afternoon of Saturday 27th), Dad has been in a lot of pain again today, and has left a message for the doctor to call back. While he waits for the return call, he has taken a dose of liquid morphine and gone to bed.
So . . . till next time . . . blessed be always, and In Lak'ech to you, and everyone and everything in your world . . .
I have found the last few weeks to be quite tiring, but as it's been over a month since my last update (can hardly believe it!), I figure one is well overdue, and so I am forcing myself to get it done before I go to bed tonight. Dad's hospital admission (C/- the last update) only lasted two days, and included an increase in the strength of his pain patch, and a blood transfusion, which seemed to do the trick and get him well enough to come home.
It was not long after this that Mum began experiencing phantom pain in her right (amputated) leg, which was strange, because she has not had any since the amputation. Anyway, she quickly became very distressed with it, and was prescribed a new drug which, although it brought great relief, came with some fairly serious side effects that revealed themselves a few days later. Add to that the fact that she decided, without mentioning it to us, that she would stop taking some of her other daily medications because in her eyes she was taking too many, and she was in trouble.
Fluid on the lungs, needing oxygen, and into hospital on Tuesday 2nd September. She seemed quite stable in there with oxygen 24/7, and some more drugs to remove the fluid from her lungs, but we got a call 4.00 a.m. in the morning of Friday the 5th to say she had taken a turn for the worse. When we arrived, she was in a very serious condition, and they moved her into a private ward so family had an opportunity to say goodbyes. Phil, Shelly, & Harley came in as well, and, as any breath may have been her last, it was quite an emotional time. There were tears flowing freely by pretty well everyone at different times as we all took the opportunity to say the things we wanted to say to her while she was still here to hear them.
Well, she survived that day . . . and the next . . . and gradually, little by little her strength has increased, and now, almost two weeks later, the colour has returned to her face, her appetite has returned, along with her ability to hold a utensil and feed herself, and it looks like she will get well enough to make it home some time in the not too distant future.
I don't know what the future holds, but do trust that things always turn out exactly as they are meant to, so despite feeling tired C/- spending lots of time at the hospital with Mum, as well as looking Dad, and everything at home, I am also experiencing peace with how this masterpiece is unfolding, and from the bottom of my heart, I thank all those who have sent/are sending their love our way during this time. It is soooooo appreciated :)
On the homefront . . . my concerns about Dad's increasing pain levels in my post last night was not unfounded, and they were at a level he just was not able to cope with this morning. His doctor was called, and he came around 7.30 gave him a shot of morphine, and sent him straight to hospital. No idea of how long for as they need to keep an eye on him while they modify the pain management plan, but at least he can rest all day in hospital without feeling the guilt he feels when he does that at home.
On a lighter note, I discovered this clip today, quite by accident, and as I loved this blended version of these two exquisite songs the first time I heard it, I thought I may as well share it with everyone . . . Enjoy :)
I have a few pics to share but I'll just say that on the home front, things are still pretty much the same as my last post, though Dad seems to be experiencing more and more pain every day, and he was talking today about seeing if they can up the strength of his patch again. Mum is "bagging" her foot with ozone from an ozone generator I bought for the purpose, and it seems to be going quite well. The ulcers on her left foot are definately healing, but she still struggles to manage the pain they are causing her.
On the positive side, we've had some more fun & family times since the last update. On another of those "perfect days" that we seem to have so many of up here, I took them to Gallows, which is a cheese and chocolate factory, and cafe/restaurant, where we have a very pleasant morning tea of coffee, scones, cream, and jam (all fresh of course).
While we aere there, they bumped into some old friends from Babinda, Owen & Shirly Lewis, that they had not seen for many years, and there was definately some reminiscing going on there for awhile LOL! It made their day. Naturally, we left carrying a bag of delicious, and very expensive, hand-made chocolate . . . Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
The next major event was Mum's 79th birthday on the 26th July, and we had a very enjoyable dinner at the Tolga Hotel, and I have to say it was the best fish I have ever tasted - fresh local barra . . . Mmmmmmmmmmmmm again. Thanks to my brother Phil for this pic
Also there to help celebrate was Shelly's Aunty Doris, who was over from WA staying with Alison for a month's holiday. A great night was had by all, and here are the two girls :)
On the weekend after her birthday, on yet another of those "perfect days", I took Dad & Mum down to visit another of Dad's brothers, Kel, and his wife Bernice in Tully. As a bonus, his daughter (and my cousen, that I have not seen for many many years) Susan, and her daughter Kenzie Kate turned up as well, and it was great to catch up after all the time that had passed. Their yard is surrounded on two sides by a really beautiful creek, and the darker area to the right of Dad, Kel, Kenzie, & Susan in this pic is about 2 metres deep. What a fabulous place to cool off in on a hot summer's day.
Ok, almost there LOL! I have spoken with a few people about how amazing it is to still be swimming in an outdoor pool in the middle of winter, and I told them I'd post a pic of the pool, so here it is :) Bare in mind, it is heated to around 27 degrees all the time, so I feel very blessed. I am still swimming every two or three days, and I really enjoy the break that it is from my carer duties.
Things are going OK on the home front. Dad and I still wrestle (not literally, of course) with him wanting to do chores and me reminding him that his job is to try to do what he does in hospital (which is as little as possible) . . . at home because whenever he goes to hospital, he always seems to recover, and if he was comfortable doing nothing here, then he wouldn't need to go back again LOL! On some level I think he is happy to rest a lot, and he does a fair bit of the time, but he always has to battle an inherited idea that his worth depends on his ability to "pull his weight" around the place.
Mum has ulcers on her foot that are causing her grief, and on the recommendation of a few locals, one of whom has healed similar ulcers with it, we bought an ozone generator and began "bagging" her foot in ozone (a technique where the ozone is pumped into a bag wrapped around the foot) a few times a day. Unfortunately, she hated the smell, and even though the ulcers started getting smaller, decided it was not helping and the treatment was stopped. I'm really excited about it, and all the amazing things it can be used for (there's a link to a great website about it down the right hand side of the page), and I drink a couple of litres of ozonated water every day :) Mum's pain got worse, and her Doctor doubled the strength of her pain patch.
On a lighter note, they have lots of friends that pop in to see them regularly, and every now and then some friends visit that they have not seen for a long time. Charles and Elaine Mohring are one such couple, and they recently shared a very enjoyable lunch with us.
We also have fairly regular family get-togethers as well, and the last one was a lunch at the Tolga Hotel. Shelly had taken her Mum, Alison, and her aunt Doris (over from W.A. for a few weeks) to Cairns for the day, so the party consisted of (below) Harley, Phil, Val, Max, Simon, and his lovely new girlfriend, Talia. And me of course, but I'm taking the pic LOL!
On Saturday, 7th June, Dad was taken to hospital by ambulance. He had been deteriorating a little more each day in the week prior, and he was so ill when he went in (unable to get himself out of bed, let alone empty his bladder or stoma bags), we all wondered whether he would ever be well enough to return home. So it was good timing for two of his brothers, John, and Geoff to pay a visit. Geoff had already planned his visit before Dad went in, but John decided to join him at the last minute, knowing it might be his last chance to see Dad again, and they both arrived on the 10th June.
Dad could not keep any food down for the first day or so, but amazingly, with lots of rest, a tablet to stop him throwing up, more family support around him than usual, and an increase in the strength of his morphine patch, he built a little more strength every day, and on Saturday, 14th he was given the OK to come home. Unfortunately he missed the family get together BBQ at Phil & Shelly's place the night before (Friday 13th).
Once Dad was home again, Geoff and John spent most of the day at our place, sharing lunches and dinners with us, and a really enjoyable time was had by all. Geoff wanted to take lots of photos so he could take them home and share them with his family, and all the pics in this update were taken using his fabulous camera. He even got a couple of Mum on her stair lift, so I have put them in here for the people who have never seen it before, and may have been wondering what it was like.
Last Wednesday (28th May) was Shellie's Birthday, and she, Phil, Harley, & Alison all came to our place for dinner on Tuesday night (27th May). We suprised her with a lovely cake, and again went with the A La Carte Kentucky Fried Chicken. The plastic plates may not have been as classy as the cuisine, but they sure saved on washing up, which suited me just fine LOL!
Phil behaved especially well that night (it was Shellie's night, after all . . . and she did have the knife), and an enjoyable time was had by all.
Sadly, Dad missed out because on the Saturday before (24th May) I had to take him in to hospital. He simply did not have the strength to get off the bed, and he was also very confused and muddled about where he was and what he was doing. Once admitted, he was found to be very dehydrated with a high temperature, possibly caused by a bladder infection. He went on antibiotics for that, and while he was in there they also doubled the strength of his morphine patches. I brought him home on Thursday (29th), and although he was still pretty weak, he's been picking up a bit more each day since then, and is going pretty well at the time of posting this update (4th June). Mum is finding the going pretty tough, though, as she has a few ulcers on her remaining foot that don't seem to be able to heal, due to really poor circulation, and they are the source of a great deal of pain for her. Her chesty cough has returned as well, and so she has also been having trouble breathing, and is using oxygen at least once a day now to help with that. The doctor came to see her yesterday (2nd June) and prescribed morphine patches for her, as well, so they are now a pain patched pair :)
Monday (19th May) was a spectacular day . . . one of those perfect ones . . . quite cool in the morning, and then gently warming up into the day under a cloudless, crystal clear blue sky . . . hmmmmm . . . way too good not to be out in :) And so, because it was also a day free of any appointments, and Dad and Mum were both feeling pretty well, we spontaneously decided to take advantage of it and so off we went to The Australian Coffee Centre at Skybury for a Devonshire Tea . . . well, Coffee actually LOL! Skybury is a coffee plantation, processing plant, and restaurant about 10 minutes outside of Mareeba, and its Australia's oldest coffee plantation. It's also one of Australia's biggest, and the visitor centre/restaurant truly is a work of art (timber art, that is), with its beautifully finished hillside pole construction and spaceous verandahs built to highlight a spectacular view of the coffee plantation. Several huge shade sails make sure the balmy Queensland sun didn't put anyone to sleep :)
I'm happy to report that the coffee was hot (though I always ask for extra hot coffee these days), and tasted pretty good too. The scones were absolutely delicious, and delightfully crunchy on the outside, but I guess for the price they charged for them, they needed to be scones that stood out from the rest LOL!
All in all, it was a wonderful day, and I think the positives of the fresh air and sunshine way outweighed the energy it took for them to make the trip, and they both thoroughly enjoyed the outing. They're talking about doing trips like this more often, too :)
Sunday (11th May) was Mother's Day, and we celebrated with delicious spread of A La Carte Kentucky Fried Chicken, and a selection of Shelly's fine cuisine out at "the farm" (Phil & Shelly's place). Three mums were present . . . Valmae (Phil's and my mum), Alison (Shelly's mum), and Shelly (Harley's mum) . . . and Pete's eldest son Simon joined us as well. Harley enjoyed his nuggets, and Shadow, Tammy, & Molly (the dogs) enjoyed the bones. The cats slept all day :)
Obviously Dad and Mum are going pretty well, though we didn't stay there for too long due to Dad's lack of energy and strength and Mum's desire to get home in time for me to get the washing off the line before it rained (we didn't make it anyway LOL!)
Then on the following day (Monday 12th), some old (as in long time) friends of Dad and Mum, Bobby and Faye Hales (and Bobby's sister Bernice) came to visit, and I managed to get a group photo (below) before they left. Spending time with such dear friends is definately one of their favourite pastimes, and as I am here to maximise such experiences, I'm very happy to play the role of host, tea and coffee maker, waiter, and even photographer, while they chat :)
Back on the home front, things seem to be going pretty well, health-wise, for all of us here. Mum's cough is just about gone altogether, and she was tickled pink last week when I took her to Yungaburra to get her hair done, because, when we stopped at the rose farm as we usually do on the way home, the lovely lady there suprised her with an additional dozen long-stemmed red roses (on top of the amazing value $7 mixed bunch) just out of the blue . . . and let me tell you, the fragrance from these was exquisite and filled the lounge room for days. Hows that for a nice gift, and it really made Mum's day.
Dad seems to have worked out his pain management program, and its now been a week since his last downturn, which is great. But he is using the lift to get up the stairs most of the time now, and he is definately not putting on any weight, no matter how hard I try to "fatten him up" LOL!
Many thanks to my friend Pam in Victoria, for this simple, yet wonderful video (yep, another one). It's very different from the last two, and it starts off sounding a bit negative . . . but give it a chance . . . it'll turn you upside down and stroke your soul :)
I'm really on a roll with these videos LOL! "We Are One" (my last Blog) reminded me of another one by Michelle Featherstone that I really loved when I first heard it (as a bonus feature on the DVD of the movie Peaceful Warrier), and I found it online too. Beautiful!!! Consider this . . . if WE really ARE ONE, then . . .
But first, an update on the home front. Dad had a pretty rough couple of days last weekend, becoming really short of breath on Saturday, and needing oxygen to relax enough to sleep that night. He was also very unsteady on his feet with little energy and strength, actually needing help to get out of bed in the middle of the night to go to the loo. On Sunday, he stopped taking the medication that's meant to stabilize his heartbeat (because it affected him the same way last time he went on them), and has been progressively improving in energy and strength ever since.
Mum's cough has just about gone now, and her Doctor told her today that the blood test she had yesterday indicated that she was going really well, and the blood tranfsusion, that he had thought she might have to have, is simply not needed at the moment. That was great news!
Me . . . well . . . I'm goin pretty well. I'm still able to take time out of the continuous 7 days a week schedule to nurture myself, and I get enough time to answer emails and update this Blog from time to time. I am now swimming three days a week in the local pool while Dad & Mum have their afternoon nap, and have made several new friends through a fortnightly DVD night and the recent co-hosting of "The Moses Code", held at Mystic Body Mind Soul, the little shop with the big heart in downtown Atherton.
Onto the videos . . . in the last week or so, I have been sent a couple of fabulous videos, and so I thought I'd share them with YOU. The first one (many thanks to Karen, Mas, & Liz P, who all sent it to me) is a brilliant talk by a brain scientist who had a stroke and survived, called "My Stroke Of Insight" (click on the link to view). The subject might sound a bit boring, but her description of what she experienced is extremely captivating, and if you watch the first 5 minutes, you'll want to watch it to the end.
The other one (many thanks to Liz W) is called "The Shift" and it is both a wake-up call and an invitation to become a part of the shift in human consciousness that is sweeping the planet right now. Resist it or embrace it, but Heaven on this sweet earth is-a-coming, and the only real choice we have is how comfortable the ride down the rapids is going to be for each of us :) Enjoy . . . and In Lak'ech to YOU!
I have several things to mention in this update, so I'll be as brief as possible. The first is say that since the last update, Dad had a fall, and was rushed to hospital, but is now back home and doing pretty well. He is on medication to steady his heartbeat, and is now on a morphine patch to deal with the pain he is in most of the time. Mum is still battling a sinus/chest infection, but her coughing seems to be getting less and less every day.
Secondly, after serving them well for the last 22 years, the old TV set has finally been upgraded. I admit I advocated enthusiastically for this, as did my brother Phil who lives up here, because when the TV is a source for so much of their enjoyment C/- Andre Rieu DVDs and the like, then it makes perfect sense to ensure it did that job really well. Well, the new TV does that brilliantly, and they are both amazed at the quality of the picture and sound it provides. I can even plug my laptop into it and use it as a second (and very large) monitor :)
Thirdly, a few Victorian friends have asked where "Mon" came from, and if I did, in fact, like the nickname. Well, all my family, and most of my old friends in Queensland still call me Mon, and it goes way back to before I can remember. I'm told I chose the name for myself as a kid, and as I actually like the name, I will happily answer to Mon or John. The choice is yours LOL!
Fourthly, The Moses Code screening I co-hosted (with Sonia, manager of Mystic Body Mind Soul) here in Atherton went really well with 32 coming to watch the movie, and 30 of them staying for the peace in the Middle East meditation/vigil that was held after it. The screenings and meditations were synchronised all over the world on the same day, and it felt soooooo good to be a part of such a heart-filled activity. Oh, and if you're interested, there'e a link to the trailer of the movie down the right hand side of this page :)
I have a lot of friends and family in Victoria that have no idea where Atherton is, and what it's like, so I thought I'd do a Blog and shed some light on those things. Atherton is greener than I remember as a child, and about 75 minutes drive from Cairns. It's usually a couple of degrees cooler than Cairns (thank goodness LOL!), as it's up on the top of a plateau called the Atherton tablelands.
Atherton is a thriving metropolis, with some spectacular architecture, as demonstrated by the contemporary angles of the magnificent dwelling below.
LOL! Only joking . . . but seriously, I walk past this place every time I walk the half dozen or so blocks down to the main street, and I do love the character of this, and several other old queenslanders around the town. My home at the moment is with my Mum and Dad, and as well as one of the verandahs of the unit, you can see, in the photo below, that Atherton is actually quite modern with bitumen roads, line-marking, modern cars, and everything LOL!
What else can I tell you about it? Well, it has a shop in the main street called Crystal Caves that boasts the largest amethyst quartz geode in the world at 3.5 metres in height and 2.7 tonnes in weight. The town has a swimming pool (that I am hoping to take advantage of and start doing laps again soon), and a bowling green with a roof :)
There's another shop here, called Mystic Body Mind Soul, that holds DVD nights every fortnight, which is just great for me, and they are hosting the screening of "The Moses Code" (you can view the trailer by clicking on the link to the video of it on the right side of the page), but that will be the subject of my next Blog :)
It's Easter, and because Mum had improved remarkably by Thursday (20th), she was discharged from hospital on Good Friday (21st). This meant she was able to join us for lunch (below) at my brother Phil's place in Walkaman.
My other brother Pete arrived last Tuesday (18th) from Melbourne because Mum was rushed by ambulance to hospital the Friday before that (14th) having great difficulty breathing, and all the doctors feared the worst. What had begun as a simple chesty cough had rapidly deteriorated into a very serious, life-threatening, heart/lung condition. It's amazing what some good old family support (below) can accomplish :)
In addition to this, it was Mum and Dad's 56th wedding anniversary yesterday, so Pete and I prepared a special anniversary dinner for them using mostly fresh and/or organic produce we found at the Yungaburra market (below) that morning.
Thankfully, the government has recognized the importance of my new role of looking after these two wonderful people, and has approved my applications for a carer allowance and carer payments for both of them to demonstrate this, which is very much appreciated :)
So . . . Mum is home again now, and feeling much better, though we do have an medical oxygen system on the ready for her if/when she needs it. Dad seems to be getting used to his new job of resting and doing things that are enjoyable, and letting me do all the chores around the place, though it seems old habits die hard :)
