Sad news from the swamp

Hey Y'all,
C called me from hospice this morning a little before six. Dad had passed about 0530 this morning(Friday).

We have had a long busy day. Making funeral arraignments, going to the cemetery to confirm his plot beside mom. C and I and dads girlfriend cleaned out his nursing home room they were holding for him. C and I had to buy clothes for the funeral. We ( the family) got dads clothes together that he will be buried in.

I have only had two hours of sleep before I got the call this morning and I have been up all day. I am way tired. I am going to bed soon.

Listen I am dozing off here. I best be going.
Y'all take care!
Cornbread

Thursday wee hours of the morning in the swamp

Hey Y'all,
I got off work and then went to hospice and visited C. Dad has been asleep for 30 hours and counting. The hospice people are keeping him comfortable. The place is new and really nice. C has a bed to sleep in. She is getting rest. The staff at hospice is wonderful. They have a smoking porch. The place is real accommodating and friendly.

Dad is going to die soon. I have come to accept that fact. He is in the best place he can be right now. I really hope hospice will keep him there at their facility. It is so much nicer than the nursing home. Dad can die in comfort and dignity there. My family is so much more comfortable there. They are good with dads pain management. They take care of his leg spasms. He hasn't drank much. He hasn't ate anything. His time is coming. It's just a matter of when. Nobody knows.

Well it's getting late. I best be going.

Y'all take care!!
Cornbread

Need to get some sleep and can't

Hey Y'all,
I am up and am going to try laying back down soon.

Dad made it to hospice tonight. C is staying with him. She says it is really nice and also peaceful. I want my dad to be comfortable as he can be before he dies. I am convinced it will be soon. If he lasts more than a month, I will be surprised.

C is holding out. She is dedicated to making shure dad has the best he can have right now. I am blessed to have her for a wife. These are tough times. There is so much going on.

Thank You Verna for your thoughtful comment and your prayers. Thank you Phoenix for being there and good thoughts. Marcie, I hope you are O.K., I noticed you haven't posted for awhile. I miss your updates. To all my family, Right now we have to be strong.

Y'all Take Care!!
Cornbread

The swamp says hey again

Hey Y'all,
My brother and C got things worked out for dad to go to hospice Tuesday. We found out his nursing home is in the hospice network. He may be able to go back there with hospice taking care of him. He will go to the hospice place first and be evaluated and we will make decisions based on their recommendations and service they offer dad.

We got C out of the hospital room for a little while tonight. My brother S and my sister in law,C and me and K went to the olive garden restaurant and had a wonderful supper. I came home and got a few hours sleep before putting myself back on the board at work. I am going to get a shower after I do this post and get some more sleep.

C should be coming home after tomorrow night. She is going to make shure dad makes the transition into hospice O.K. I am so ready for her to come home and get some real rest instead of sleeping in a hospital recliner being woke up all hours of the night. She is getting run down.

K is having trouble holding food down. She is miserable. She eats and it comes back up. My family has been hit hard here as of late. There have been so many bad things happening. We are making it thru this. My faith and my families strength are each being individually tested. I can barely pray but I know God is seeing us thru this because it could be so much worse. I know I don't post for awhile and sometimes it is days before I check my email, But your comments and thoughts and prayers mean a lot to me.

Well I am quickly moving up on the board ( I just called back to check) If I am going to get a shower and hopefully some more sleep, I must be going.

Y'all take Care!
Cornbread

Hey Again

Hey Y'all,
Just got back about 10:30pm. Got me a shower and here I am.

Tomorrow C and two of my brothers are going to see about getting dad in hospice. I am keeping K out of school to go see a doctor. She is having some problems. Keep her in your prayers.

C and I went to a cook out that my chapter of the club was doing at the bosses house. Fresh fried chicken, baked beans, green bean casserole, homemade mac n cheese, tater salad, homemade German chocolate cake kept in a old timey metal cake carrier, orange cake, ice tea. We were eatin' big time. Had the fire going. The men ate first and set at the dinner table, then the ladies and kids. It was good for C especially to get out of that hospital and visit some friends. She is just about to her breaking point.

I am off work today and tomorrow (Sunday and Monday)

Y'all take care.
Cornbread

Hey

Hey Y'all,
There has been a lot happening. Dad is still in the hospital. C has been staying there with him since he has been there. I don't have time to go into it but dad is in pretty bad shape. We are getting things set up with Hospice for them to evaluate him for the best course of action. He is racked with pain and the only place he can be touched is his face and head without making him scream. He can't feed himself when he does eat. He had a blood clot in his bladder the size of a large grapefruit. They got that fixed. There is more, but I don't have time to go into it. I have running to do. I am back to work. That's another long story. Sorry I haven't posted but life is totally nuts right now. Pray for us. Pray for dad he needs it. Pray to for C she is totally exhausted.

Take Care!
Cornbread

Just got back from the hospital

Hey Y'all,
I just came home and brought C back from the hospital so she could get some rest. She was pretty much all night. She is in the bed laying down right now. I couldn't sleep last night and didn't make it to sleep till after 5 this morning. K woke me up about 8:30 and I have been up ever since.

Dad is still loony toons. We have been thru this before. He will get better. His girlfriend and her family is down there with him right now. He was sitting up on the side of the bed when we left. C says he keeps talking to people from his past who have been dead for years. I feel sorry for him and what he is going thru. When he comes out of it he won't remember what all he has aid and done. He apologized to the male nurse this morning that he had scared to come into the room last night. When dad is all together he is very much a gentleman.

My brother R is on his way here and has made it thru Atlanta. He should be here in a little while. My brother P is supposed to come in from South Carolina tomorrow to see dad.

Well I am going to get some rest.
Y'all take care!
Cornbread

Still cold in the swamp

Hey Y'all,
I got the pipes running again tonight. The last time I checked it was 25 degrees outside with the temperature dropping. So far with the water running the well hasn't froze up. I was going to take a shower , but it is just too damn cold. The heater is constantly going and the warmest it gets is a little below 70 in the house. The water coming out of the pipes is freezing cold so a good hot shower is out of the question at least not for any length. I'll get one in the morning when things have warmed up a bit.

C is spending the night at the hospital. Dad is acting goofy and mean. He may have a urinary trac infection. There is blood in his urine now. He is in a lot of pain. The pain meds they are giving him is making him goofy too. He has been holering at the nurses telling them to get the hell out of his room. One guy was scared to come in the room and stayed out in the hall and handed the other nurses stuff they needed around the door. I had dropped C off and she called me to come back. We got dad thru a bath in bed and his sheets changed and got him to take his meds. He had settled down by the time I left at 0130.

My brother R and my sister in law S is coming down from Tennessee tomorrow. I am looking forwards to seeing them.

I am going to bed soon. Tomorrow is a new day.

Y'all take care!
Cornbread

Cold as a witch's tit in the swamp

Hey Y'all!
BRRRR! The temperature is dropping here. It's supposed to be in the low 20's tonight. Tomorrow night it's supposed to go to 19.

C and I saw dad for a little while today. C got to talk to the doctor a little bit. He is doing well. He is resting a lot. That's the best thing for him. The wound care nurse was supposed to see him today sometime.

I got the paperwork that the doctor signed for me to go back to work to the job today. I am supposed to go back to work Sunday morning at 8.

C and I went to the auction tonight. We spent 14 bucks. She came away with some nice dishes, salt and pepper shakers, two cast iron frying pans and a aluminum grease can that is really cool for the stove top.

We are doing good. God has been gracious to us.

Y'all take care!
Cornbread, C and K

Wednesday at the swamp

Hey Y'all,
Dad made it thru the operation well. They removed his pacemaker. They had to take some tissue out because it looked infected. Right now they have the hole packed with gauze. After they remove the gauze they are going to put a vac on the site to vacuum out fluids and promote healing. We asked the doctor how long he was going to be in the hospital and he has no way of knowing. He did say it would not be a short stay.

C stayed with dad today. I was there till just after the surgery because I had the appointment at the V.A. I took K out of school and had her drive me up there and back. C said after dad woke up he had solid food for supper this evening. That is a good sign. She said his blood pressure was running low. I talked to him on the phone tonight and he sounded good. He said he was doing good except he was in pain from the operation.

My visit at the V.A. went well. The doctor has increased my lasix to help get the water off my legs. He signed my release to go back to work. I have to turn it in to work in the morning.

Well that's all I know right now. I am tired, so is C and K.

Y'all take care!
Cornbread

Rough tuesday

Hey Y'all,
We got to bed about 4:30am this morning. The phone rang about 9. It was the nursing home. They were taking dad to the emergency room. It seems the boil he had burst open and was bleeding badly. He is on coumiden, a blood thinner so that didn't help. They transferred him from the local hospital to one in the bigger city where his heart doctor is and the doctor who put in his pacemaker. Upon examination at the hospital it was found that his pacemaker had migrated towards his armpit and one of the leads had pushed thru the skin. That's why he had the boil that burst. They are going to remove his pacemaker in the morning to prevent anymore infection.

I will be able to be there for a little while. I have to go out of town to the V.A. to have them check my legs. C is going to stay behind and make shure everything goes well here with dad. Dad is not in the best of health and going under anesthesia and the operation will be hard on him. I am more than concerned.

Well Y'all I am tired and C is after me to go lay down and get some rest.

Y'all Take Care!
Cornbread

Swamped

Hey Y'all,
C and I have been staying up till 3 or 4 in the morning and sleeping till 10 or 11. We got up today and had lunch and headed to my dads town to get work done on her car and do some running around.

Saw dad. He has this boil that has come up under his arm. It's all blue and nasty looking. The nursing home called me tonight after we got home. The doctor came by to see my dad and put him on anti biotics. They are making a appointment for him to see a specialist this week to have it looked at.

We came home tonight and C made homemade chili and cornbread. It was really good.

Well take care!
Cornbread

Rainy sunday in the swamp

Hey Y'all,
C is in there taking a nap, the cats are up and running around, it's drizzling outside and I am sleepy. Don't feel like laying down yet. K has gone to work.

We have plans to go out to the bar I use to work at and meet up with some friends later on around 7pm.

C hit a milestone today. She cooked grits for the first time in her life! They turned out great! I love grits if they are cooked right. She hit the mark on her first try.

Well I don't know of much, Just thought I would drop in and say howdy!

Cornbread

Saturday post from the swamp

Hey Y'all,

We got C's car back from the transmission shop. It is running a lot better.

K went to work today but her boss is being a bitch. C and I don't think too highly off her boss. K came home so frustrated today she wants to quit. The way her boss treats those girls is just terrible sometimes.

Saw dad today. he was in the bed and didn't look good. I am a little concerned about him but I know he has good and bad days. Today looked like a bad day. I just called him while I am typing this and he sounds a lot better.

C is still doing what she can to find a job. It can get depressing for her. The job market is tough right now and she is having a hard time. She keeps on pressing ahead.

Y'all take care!!
Cornbread

Friday night post from the swamp

Hey Y'all,
Just got in a little while ago. We went to Wall mart to get some T.P. and vitamins. C bought the good stuff. She got Charmin. Got a bite to eat at arby's. We went by the clubhouse of a chapter of my club that was having their church tonight and visited everybody. Stopped by work and picked up my paycheck.

K has friends over to visit. She is feeling better but stayed home from school today. She is finally getting over being sick.

C is doing good and hasn't got sick yet. She has been my chauffeur lately. I am thankful for her driving me around because I just haven't felt like it. She is a good wife and a good friend.

I am doing well but still have diarrhea. I feel O.K. and I'm holding down food quite well. It just goes thru me that's all. It will take a few days for my system to get back to normal. I know-TMI. But hey that's real.

I am afraid I am going to need to find a new job soon. I may lose the one I got. My boss keeps threatening me with one more time and your gone. His attitude has changed towards me too. All the tell tale signs of about to be fired. I been thinking. My health has been suffering terribly since I took this job. If I do lose it it may be a blessing in disguise. I just hate going thru all the process of losing a job. The guilt. No money. Hoping somebody will take and employee me. We'll see what happens. I have been kind of half way looking for another job, keeping my eyes open.

Well that's about all I know for now.
Y'all take care!!
Cornbread

Virus going around the swamp

Hey Y'all,

This time yesterday I was so sick I wanted to die. Throwing up, shakes, sweats, hot and cold, diarrhea, body aches. I went to the V.A. to get checked out. C had to push me around in one of their wheel chairs because I could barely walk. They gave me a shot for nausea. I am starting to hold down some light food today and I'm feeling better.

Now K has it. She was up throwing up last night and shivering. She's in there sleeping right now. So far C hasn't got sick. Thank God.

I'm still weak. I'm going to get off here.

Y'all take care!

Cornbread

Howdy from the swamp

Hey Y'all,

I took my paperwork into the job today to return to work on Sunday. They want my doctor to fill out one of there forms and say it is O.K. to return to work. I have to get that all worked out before I can return. Always something LOL.

This evening C and I took a bike ride out to the bar I use to work at and had supper. Business seemed kind of slow. It was good to see my old boss and some of the patrons that come in there.

K called us yesterday while we we getting a tire fixed on my truck and said C's car that she was driving was not shifting right. It's at the transmission shop right now getting looked at.

C's unemployment has run out. We are grateful for the unemployment we have received. It's just now we don't have that to fall back on. We are having to get creative to make ends meet. I hate running up my credit cards.

My feet and legs are looking better. They are still reddish, but I am taking my anti biotic. I hope this doesn't flare up again and I end up in the hospital again. I really hate going there. The break from work has been nice and I am catching up a lot of stuff that needs to be done. It's not paying the bills being away from work.

Well that's about all I know for now.
Y'all take care!!
Cornbread

Good monday morning post from the swamp

Hey Y'all,
I just woke up. C and I decided today was going to be a relax day.

Yesterday We took a short bike ride to get a bite to eat and then over to my presidents house for a visit. Came home, got a nap. Last night we went to South Carolina and had supper with a brother from the club and his wife that we are good friends with. We came home and watched a little T.V., C went to bed and I took a shower. I didn't make it to sleep till 5 this morning. I am hungry but C is still asleep. One of the cats has crawled up into my arms as I am typing this.

Well Y'all take care!
Cornbread

Out of the hospital

Hey Y'all!
I got released from the hospital today. I am wore slap out. I got very little rest there. I was there a week. C was coming back up to stay with me And I called her and told her I had discharge papers. We stopped by to see dad on the way home. I got home and passed out in my chair. C had a hell of a time waking me up to go eat tonight.

Well Y'all, I know this is a short post, but I am tired and just want to relax right now.

Y'all take care!
Cornbread

Hello and Happy New Year from the Swamp

So much has happened in the Swamp since the last post. Cornbread K & I had a great Christmas. Cornbread was off till 6AM on the 26Th. He had 2 runs that day and got home late morning on the 27Th. He was wore out and had not had enough sleep as usual. When he got home I made us breakfast, and he was going to get some much needed rest.

As he was getting ready to climb in his chair he asked me to come look at his legs. They were dark red and purple and hot to the touch. He called the on-call nurse to put in a request for a call from the Doctor. Needless to say when she heard the symptoms she told him to go to the nearest ER.

Dealing with the VA and a civilian ER is tough. We had a friend stuck with a 12,000 bill when the VA refused to pay ( the on-call nurse had also told our friend to go to the nearest ER ).
So off we went to Augusta to the VA.

They took one look at his legs and got him right back to a bed. The Doctor came in and looked ran some test and we were told he has Celluliteis in his legs.
Celluliteis is an infection in the cells. It is caused by Bacteria getting into the cells thru a cut or a scratch. He was put on IV antibiotics and switched to oral ones on Wednesday with the hope he would come hone Jan 1, 2009.

WRONG!!!!!!! One of the things we have learned thru this process is that if you are a diabetic and do not have your sugar level in control the white blood cells can't do their job and get to the cells that need to be healed. Cornbread's have been running between 300 and 450 since he got to the hospital. He has been hitting the vending machines and I was bringing him food from the outside. OK I know I should not have.

He is now back on IV antibiotics and he has promised not to eat anything that he is not given by the nurses. His sugar level is still a bit high but has come down to 236 with the change in diet. He will have a MRI on Monday Jan 6TH and hopefully will get to come home after that.

I have been staying at the hospital, sleeping on a chair that folds out to a bed. K has been home or staying with friends. It sure is a blessing that she can drive and get around on her own. Cornbread and I have been blessed to have such a great responsible kid. I will be going back to the hospital tomorrow and stay till he gets to come home

Please keep Cornbread in your prayers. We all are going to need allot of support as we change our lifestyle to keep him healthy.