January 19, 2016

A Productive Day at the Office

January 19, 2016

*Playing with arrangement of small 

half-square triangles to for different patterns

 

Are you remembering to write 2016 every time?  It seems for some reason this year has been easier.  Maybe I just don't catch my mistakes.  I went to the office mid-morning and after a bit, left to run two  errands.

A couple of months ago my doctor ordered a nebulizer for me to use to help my breathing.  At the time, I was still having some coughing from my bronchitis earlier in the fall.  They had to see if Medicare would approve the machine.  I had checked a couple of times at the medical supply place and they had no order for it.

I had forgotten all about it and last week they called to say they had the order for the nebulizer and that I needed to come pick it up.  I went and they were out of them.  They ordered one and I picked it up today.  From there I went to the pharmacy and they had the medication ready for me to use in the nebulizer.  When I read the instructions it was for 3 times a day for 10 days.  That means it was just for that nagging cough that was hanging on that has been gone for weeks now.  Here was a treatment the doctor thought I needed and it took 2 months to get it.  What a great system - NO, not a great system.

Thankfully I had gotten well in the meantime and now I have the machine on hand for next time I need it.  All of that took over an hour even though both places were close to my office. 

During the afternoon I worked on files.  I started packing away some of my medical files from last year and filed some of the shop's paperwork.  I need to get manila envelopes to store the things in and I will try to go to the office supply store in the morning on my way to the office.

After work, I stopped by the grocery store on my way home and picked up some things for supper.  I had it all just about ready when Ron got home.  We enjoyed our supper together and then I spent some time reading.  I gathered a few Christmas decorations from all over the house, and put them in the living room which is where I will pack all of them away.  I packed up the village and Ron got all the ornament storage boxes down.  This is going to be a big job!

During the evening I exchanged a few texts with one of our sons.  We had not chatted in several days.  Ron washed the supper dishes for me and that was a nice treat.  The list of things to do only grows longer and not shorter.

At the office, it was a little slow and Ron took care of most of the customers while I worked on the files.  There were really not any hearing issues today - that is, once I remembered to put the sound processor on.  I recently have forgotten to put it on a couple of mornings and have gotten a block or two from the house before I realized I could not hear anything. 

It is a good day when I don't have any hearing issues!

* The quilt block is made up of 16 small 3" squares that are black on one half and a different color on the other half.  I am just playing with it at this point and will decide if I want to do anything with it.  It may be more work than I want to put in on it at this time.

January 18, 2016

Three Years Since I Went Deaf

January 18, 2016

Just a few weeks after I went deaf

On Friday afternoon, January 18, 2013, I was working at our shop and our oldest grandson was spending the day with me.  My husband was at home with a very bad case of the flu.  He had already been off work for a full week and was still very ill.  Just two days before, he finally went to the doctor and the doctor called an ambulance to take him to the hospital because his oxygen level was too low.  All day I had seemed to have trouble hearing and by noon, I was having to ask my grandson to tell me what the customers were saying.  Then I had to turn over the phone calls to him because I could not understand what the callers were saying.

At closing time, our son came to pick up our grandson.  I told our son I thought I was going to have to replace my hearing aid because it was not working.  I had been hard of hearing for several years and my hearing aid (my first and only) was 8 years old.  After they left, I locked up and went to start my car.  I turned the key and nothing happened.  I thought "What else can happen?"  Then I realized the car was moving.  It had started but I could not hear it running.

When I got home, I did not disturb Ron.  I fixed supper and when he came to the table to eat I told him about my problem.  We decided I would go with him to the doctor on Monday (he had a scheduled appointment to check his case of flu).  I spent a very silent weekend, thinking my ears were stopped up.  What else could it be?

If you have followed my blog, or gone back and read the early postings, you will know the rest of the story.  In June of 2013 I was able to receive a Cochlear Implant in Houston and in early July it was turned on and I was blessed to be able to hear clearly.  That does not mean I have perfect hearing.  I do hear the words, but sometimes that is not enough.

Dr. Chang, my Cochlear Implant surgeon.

 

In the 895 blog postings I have written during this time, there have been 60,443 page views from a total of 92 countries around the world.  I am humbled by the regular followers of these posts.  Many are curious about the hearing status.  Some are long time friends who are mainly keeping up on family news.  Whatever brings you to this page, I appreciate each time you visit the page.

People who have been reading the blog, but have not seen me in person during this time are often surprised at how well I can hear them.  If we are in a quiet setting, I normally do very well.  Things continue to improve with practice and with added equipment.  I have a cousin who is a speech therapist and recently she and her sister visited me.  She was astounded that I was able to hear words as soon as the device was turned on.  There is no way for me to express my thankfulness for that outcome.  That is not the outcome for most recipients.

 My Audiologist, Shari in Houston

 

Not having any hearing in the other ear puts me at a disadvantage and I can not tell where sounds are coming from.  When I take off my Cochlear sound processor, I am basically totally deaf.  As I am typing this blog entry, I have taken the processor off since I am the only one in the house awake.  The television is on but the sound is off.  I occasionally turn toward the TV to see if anything interesting is on that I might want to hear.  Sometimes I forget to mute the TV and it can be blaring while my husband is trying to sleep but I am not aware that any sound is coming from it. 

Emotionally I have had a variety of reactions to my situation, but for the most part, I just accept that this is the way it will be for the rest of my life.  I would say the first month or so I was in a state of shock.  I did not really realize it at the time, but when I look back at photos taken during that first month, I see it in the photos (like the one at the top of this page).  There was a sadness and a stubbornness that were a part of that time.

About a year and a half later, I began to slip into depression as I was constantly confronted with all the things I could not do.  I miss the beauty of music, especially sacred music and classical music.  I miss being able to enjoy the talents of my grandchildren who love playing the piano.  As we cared for the children this past weekend, at various times, the children would spend time at the piano and I could tell they were playing but had no idea if the piece was one I should know.  I sat down at one point and practiced a piece in one granddaughter's book and just sight reading it, I could tell how it should sound, but I could not tell how correctly I was playing it.

It is such a blessing to me and to my family that I was able to get the Cochlear Implant and that I have had such great results with it.  I try not to dwell on the negatives.  A potential problem came it this past weekend.  I came home from the office about noon Friday, packed my things into the car and headed up the valley.  My husband came home later in the afternoon after he closed the office and loaded his things before coming to join me at our son's home.  I had sent him a text that I had forgotten the laptop and to please bring it.  When he arrived, he had my Cochlear suitcase with him and asked if I had meant to bring it.  Yikes!  Without it, I would have been without hearing by morning when my battery ran out.  I had my charger and several other pieces of equipment in the suitcase.  We were both tired, but one of us would have had to make the 150 mile round-trip to get it if he had not seen it where I left it by the door.

 The suitcase with the original variety of equipment.  

Much has been added.

 

I hope you will continue to follow my adventures (and my often dull boring days) as I share my experiences.  Please share the blog with friends who have severe hearing loss and with anyone else who might be helped by the information I share.  Thanks for taking this journey with me and for the frequent encouragement many of you give to me.  I appreciate you all being a part of my cheering squad.

January 16 & 17, 2016

A Weekend With 

Some GRAND Kids

January 16 & 17, 2016

We are so proud to be Grandparents

 to this bunch of wonderful children.

Friday night, Ron fell asleep on the couch at Jeff's house.  Saturday morning he woke having a little trouble breathing and found our 4-year old granddaughter sitting on his chest.  After he lifted her off his chest, she snuggled in with him on the couch for a while before she was really ready to wake up.  When she was wide awake, she came into the guest room where I was sleeping and woke me up. 

Reading books 

 

Breakfast was soon started for the three early risers, Ron, the 4 yr. old, and me.  We had some biscuits and about an hour later I had breakfast ready for those who slept later.  After breakfast, the kids scattered throughout the house and played with Legos or played on the computer.  Most of the day was spent with the Legos.  Several took turns at the piano, playing for fun or practicing for their next lessons.  We read some books, but the television was not turned on all weekend, except for a brief time Friday night while the two oldest boys watched a video for one of their home school classes.

The 4yr. old who woke Ron up.

 

It was extremely windy all day Saturday.  Winds were gusting to at least 40 miles an hour.  The children did not even ask to go outside and the only outside activities were feeding the cats and taking out trash.  In the afternoon, the oldest of the boys went to a home school meeting for the high school seniors.  They were to do their photos in caps and gowns, but there was a problem with some of the gowns, so they only did some casual shots.  When he finally finished he headed to Los Fresnos for a Boy Scout meeting.

Attention to detail

 

Meanwhile, Ron had gone to a memorial service for a friend of ours and then took the second oldest boy to the same Boy Scout event.  It was for a member of their troop who had earned his Eagle Scout rank.  It was very late when Ron and the boys got home.  By then, I had all the rest of the children bathed and in bed. 

His security blanket had been at our house for a while

 for me to mend.  I don't know how he survived without

 it because he hardly turned loose of it all weekend.

 

Supper had been a difficult time for me.  The children were talking and laughing and playing at the table and the noise was overwhelming.  I took off my sound processor a couple of times.  They were just having fun, but it was too much noise.

Beautiful flower bed at their house

 

Sunday morning we were all up early and got ready for church.  I fixed breakfast and most of the children ate.  We finally were all ready and actually had a few minutes to spare, so I took a few photos before we left for church. 

The sun was so bright it was hard for them to keep their eyes open

 

Everyone went to Sunday School and then at time for church to start, Jeff and Barb arrived, having skipped the final class at the island, so they could be in church to hear their second oldest son sing in a quartet for the special music at church. (the singer is the tall one on the back row with the blue tie on.)  It was his first time to do something like that.  He just recently joined the church choir and loves it.

Church

After the church service, we visited for a while with various friends of theirs and then went to Jeff and Barb's where leftovers were warmed for lunch.  As we finished eating, friends of the children arrived to spend the afternoon playing in the yard on a beautiful day.  It was a little cool, but they were running and playing and didn't need jackets.

 

While all the children played outside, Ron and I had time to visit with Jeff and Barb.  About 4:00, we headed home.  When we arrived, my sister and her husband came over to borrow a chain saw to cut up a tree that had fallen at Mom's yesterday in the high winds. 

As Ron and I unloaded our cars, Ron pointed out a bird to me that was on the driveway playing with a couple of red hibiscus blossoms.  I got my camera and started taking photos.  It looked like a mockingbird, acted like one, was a little smaller than most, but had yellow on the top of his head.  It took me a while to figure out that the yellow was pollen from the hibiscus blooms he had played with.  I was about to decide we had a new variety of bird.  He was not bothered by us and kept playing around the area, and at one time landing just a few feet from Ron's head.  Cute little bird.

My yellow-headed mockingbird

Our evening at home was quiet and relaxing.  I talked to our daughter-in-law in New Mexico and caught up on emails and mail.  We had a very good weekend.

January 15, 2016

Birds and Grandchildren

January 15, 2016

Snowy Egret

Our son Jeff and his wife asked if we could keep their seven children this weekend while they attended a marriage seminar on South Padre Island with a group from our church.  The only reason we had to think twice was to decide if we would keep them at our house or their house.  We decided on their house.  It turned out that they had several activities over the weekend and needed to be in their town instead of ours.

Things turned out well for us on this weekend out of town in that my sister was still staying at our house and took care of things for us at home.  Her husband flew down a day or two ago and joined her.  Now they are back at Mom's and left our house in great shape.

Friday morning before I went to the office for a couple of hours, my sister had commented that my yard was very quiet and she didn't see any birds.  I went out to fill the ponds and feeders and quickly spotted a Great Kiskadee.  By the time I got my camera, he had moved on and had been replaced in the same spot by a young Green Heron, soon to be chased off by a Snowy Egret. 

 Young Green Heron

After lunch, I drove to our son's home so that he and his wife could leave about 4:00.  Ron drove up later in the afternoon after the office closed. The children were playing outside when I arrived and had been getting a lot of exercise as they rode bikes, scooters, and assorted riding toys.  Our oldest granddaughter was going to feed the horse that lives in the field behind their house and I joined her to check on the horse. 

 Charlie the horse

 Our son and his wife left and I warmed the supper our daughter-inn-law had prepared for us to eat.  The children were all tired after a fun afternoon outside and went to bed without too much complaining.  Grandma and Grandpa were also pretty tired.

One of the cats the grandchildren have

January 14, 2016

Time With My Baby Sister

January 14, 2016

Here is my sister who is visiting, then me, Mom,

 and my brother, who looks so much like my dad.

The years fly by.  Some how we just wake up one day and we are 40, or 50, or as I will be in less than a month, 70!  How did that happen so quickly?  I tell people my age doesn't bother me, it the age of my children that bothers me.

Since my mom lives in the same town as I do, when my siblings come for a visit, they stay with Mom.  This time, Mom was running out of beds, so my youngest sister is spending a few nights at our house.  It has been a long time since that happened.

It was funny to sit tonight and discuss all the medical ailments we have inherited from our grandmothers.  I think we would rather inherit a fortune, but at least they left us something: arthritis, heart problems, weight problems, and on and on.  My sister is the thinnest of the bunch so I guess that came from our grandfathers who were tall and thin.

Both of our grandmothers were short and heavy.  I always thought my mom's mother looked like Mrs. Santa Clause.  She was very fair skinned and had a beautiful complexion.  The main difference my sister and I have with our grandmothers, is that we have very thick hair and both of our grandmothers would have been delighted to have as much hair as we have.

There are so many characteristics that each person gets genetically from their parents and grandparents.  Some are easily spotted and others we discover over the years.  My mom's father was great with math.  I took after him in that area.  He had a green thumb when it came to planting flowers in their yard.  I did not get that, but I think my sister did.  My dad's parents both worked in their large garden where they grew an abundance of fruits, vegetables, and flowers.  I wish I had learned more from them.

My original hearing loss came from my dad's mother I think.  She had so much trouble hearing and we would just about have to yell to get her to be able to hear us.  Now, I understand better what she was going through.  My Sudden Hearing Loss was just something that happens to some people and is not genetic. 

Some things that we get from our parents and grandparents are genetic and there is really nothing we can do about them.  Other things we learn from them over the years; they are not really genetic, but rather they are environmental or learned.  My grandmothers were both very good cooks.  They taught me some of the things they did well.  One grandfather loved classical music and particularly Handel's Messiah.  He would wait for it to come on the radio on Christmas Eve and would sit in front of the radio and direct it as though he was the maestro in front of the choir and the symphony.  I got that love for music, but have no ability to direct it.

Many things come naturally to us, some are taught, but some we must learn and do for ourselves.  Our relationship to God is one of those things that must be between the individual and God.  As I have heard it said, "God has no grandchildren."  Each person has to decide for themselves if they want to accept God's free gift of eternal life and become a child of God's.  That does not automatically make our children, God's grandchildren.  They must each decide for themselves what their relationship with God will be.  I am so thankful that I grew up in a home where my parents loved the Lord God.  They taught me about God and His love for me, but I had to make the decision on my own to accept His payment for my sins and His free gift of eternal life.

What will my children and grandchildren inherit from me genetically and through my teaching?  I hope that part of what they learn from my teaching is to love the Lord God with all their hearts.  I hope they learn to reach out to others who may be lonely or hurting.  And I hope when they are almost 70 years old, they will enjoy having an evening with their siblings where they share memories until well past midnight

My brother, Gordon, (the oldest), me, Linda, who is just over a year younger than Gordon, Mom, my sister Debbie who is about 7 years younger than I am and last our baby sister, Janet, who is about 10 years younger than I am.

January 13, 2016

Using the Wireless 

Mini-Microphone

January 13, 2016

Mom with the ice cream at supper that my sister fixed.  

Mom is wearing my Cochlear wireless mic on her jacket.

 

The day at the office was busy with customers.  It always seems that if we have one or two customers, that other people drive by and see cars and decide to stop.  I don't know if that makes sense, but we can go an hour or two without a customer, and suddenly the office is full.  Why did they all come at once?  The end of the normal lunch hour can get busy as people run an errand or two before returning to their offices after they eat lunch. When I arrived at the office around 10:00, Ron was swamped with customers and we both kept busy for about 20 minutes and then it was quiet for a while.

As it got quiet, I asked Ron if I could run a couple of errands.  The medical supply place a few blocks from our office had called to say they had an order for me from my doctor for a nebulizer machine.  If you are not familiar with this device, it is used to convert medication for asthma or other conditions, into an aerosol mist.  My doctor had ordered one for me about a month or more ago and apparently it had taken this long to get it approved.

The company was out of the machines but would have one for me on Friday, so I told them to call when they had it and I would come get it.  From there I went to the pharmacy to get the medication ordered.  They had received the doctor's order for the medication back when it was ordered weeks earlier, but I had told them to hold the order until the machine was approved.  I told them I would pick it up the next day and to also fill another prescription for me to pick up at the same time.  While I was out, I also ran an errand to the bank to make a deposit.

Back at the office, it got busy again for a while and then Ron left on a job and an errand.  I am not sure where the rest of the day went.  I did some paper work and took time to fill out a questionnaire from the hospital about my experience with their Emergency Room when I was a patient last month.  I am not sure if they really want my answers.  The attention in the initial trauma area was great, but in the area where I was help for the next 11 hours was not as good.  My desk was again calling for my attention.

Following my lunch, I found the top of my desk which had been buried for a while.  I still have a stack of filing to do before I gather all of last years files to store away.  The afternoon went by in a hurry and soon it was time to close.  Ron was going to meet my brother-in-law Jim, for supper so I went with my mom and my sister, Janet, to supper.  We went to Jason's Deli and had a good supper. 

While at Jason's, I had Mom clip the Cochlear wireless mini microphone on her jacket and it made a big difference in my being able to hear her.  Her voice is not real strong and I often have to have her repeat things.  It is a shame I can only pair up one mini mic at a time to my sound processor.  It would be nice if everyone could have a mic, but Mom's voice is much weaker than my sister's so she used it. 

There are things to take into consideration when using the microphone.  First, the wearer must remember at all times that they are wearing a live microphone.  As I walked to the back of the restaurant to get some ice cream, I could hear my mom talking.  She and my sister were just chatting.  A few days ago, a friend was wearing it and headed to the restroom.  She remembered she had it on before she got far from the table, but it does take some practice to remember you have it on.

The conversation at the table with Mom was much easier than usual and I am thankful for the new devices I have: the wireless mini mic and the wireless phone clip.  These two new tools are going to be a great help to me.  These are not covered by Medicare and were expensive, but I think will be well worth the investment.

After supper we returned to Mom's house for a bit before I came home.  There was some good news today.  Mom's helper, Carmen is returning and should be back on Friday.  She has been in Mexico caring for her mother for a couple of months and Mom is eager to have her back.  My brother-in-law, Jim will be leaving to return to Idaho this weekend.  He has been such a great help to Mom while he has been here.  He has taken her to appointments, taken her shopping, run errands for her, taken her to visit friends, etc. and I don't know how we could have made it through the Christmas holidays without his help.  Mom will miss her full time driver when he leaves. 

My sister, Janet, from north Texas, will be here for a few more days which will be good since Ron and I will be tied up this coming weekend with our grandchildren as their parents are off to a retreat for a few days.  We do stay busy around here!

January 12, 2016

A Cool, Gray Day

January 12, 2016

The cormorants arrived early this evening to find their spots in the trees.

Today was cool and cloudy all day.  There was a little drizzle a couple of times, but nothing measurable.  I got to the office just before 10:00 and Ron soon left on jobs and was gone much of the day.  I stayed busy with customers most of the time.  There were some good sales and nice customers. 

There was not too much time to do my desk work, since I was helping customers, but that was fine.  It kept me active.  The majority of our customers are men.  They are often those doing physical labor all day: men from the utility company, firemen, policemen, Border Patrol agents, mechanics, maintenance men, and truck drivers.  We get our share of doctors, judges, attorneys, insurance agents, and businessmen.  The variety of people is really amazing. 

If I have time, I often ask the customers about their jobs, especially if the name of their company is one I am not familiar with.  A couple of days ago a man was in and his company had an account with us.  I had never known what type of work his company does, so I asked.  He said they are a storage facility.  In the discussion, he mentioned wax (paraffin).  They store and transfer wax (and many other things).  I just never thought about how you transport wax.  I asked if it was in the solid form and he said no, it is kept at a temperature to store and transport as a liquid.  I learn something new every day.  It is amazing the wide variety of businesses in our area.

Again, as I have mentioned in the past, I had gotten to a point even way before my total hearing loss, where I did not try to engage in discussions with customers since I knew I would not hear them well enough to carry on a conversation.  Now with my Cochlear Implant, I can have a normal conversation.  That is such a blessing.

In yesterday's blog I mentioned that our son and his wife in New Mexico thought that they might have found a new rental house.  It looks like it is all going to work out.  We are so happy for them.  The new rental is across the street and two doors down from where they currently are living.  They have been renting the current home for about 4 years, but now the owner wants to move back into the home, so they have to move.  The new home is a mirror image of the current one.  How would that work for you?  I told them I could imagine me getting up in the middle of the night and walking into a wall instead of going through a door.  That could really mess with your mind when groggy.

Moving will still be a major job, but they love their neighborhood and are so glad to be able to stay in it.  They will be able to continue shopping in the same places, going to the same church, enjoying the same views of the mountains, etc. in the new rental.  God answered prayers in a wonderful way.  The new place has a much larger yard. 

Tonight the quilt group met, but only two others were able to come.  For me, that works well.  When multiple conversations are going on, I have trouble picking out one to follow.  They all mix to become a low rumble.  The three of us had a good visit and each made progress on our current project.  I worked on the binding on a quilt.