As I mentioned before Grandma Dowling was in the hospital for quite some time. She spent about 10 days there and she lost a lot of the strength she had left. She has now moved into Covington Manor on the Rehabilitation side for now. She is going to do physical therapy for a while and try to get back to being able to do some things for herself. The therapist sounded very positive and confident that they would be able to push her enough to get some of her strength back.
This last week however, we have run into some new issues. With all of the excitement going on with Grandma, Grandpa has lost basically all of his short-term memory. He is forgetting things, how to get to and from places, items he needs to take with him, and just can't keep very good track of what is going on. Because of this, he is now done driving, and we are working on making arrangements so that he will still be able to go see Grandma and get to the places that he needs to go. It is hard on him, but he is taking it really well, and he is calling us when he runs into issues, so we have been able to help him.
Please keep Grandma & Grandpa Dowling, and the rest of my family in your prayers. It has been a difficult spring for us.
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Thursday, March 31, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Spring into Action
In the last few weeks a lot has happened... I will start with the newest information first...
Grandma Dowling is in the hospital now. She went in late Wednesday night with extremely high blood pressure, and for the last two days has been experiencing some confusion. Scans have shown significant brain deterioration, and she is very weak right now. She isn't eating or drinking very much. We keep hoping that maybe some of this is from the medicine they gave her for her blood pressure, but not much sign of improvement at this point. She is more alert (awake more often) but hardly talking, and not wanting me be alone, and is very confused about why she is there. We are not entirely sure what is going to happen next, but for now we are looking for a place that can offer more care for her to move into. Grandpa is holding up, but it is really hard for him to see Grandma like this.
Also, in the hospital is our niece Catie. She is 10 years hold, and has recently been diagnosed with Chron's disease. She did not respond well enough to the medicine the first time, so now she is back in the hospital getting another blood transfusion and a scope. They are going to look into changing her medicine and keep her for observation....Prayers for both Catie and Grandma would be much appreciated.
For some more uplifting information..
Scott and I had a very nice Spring Break. We went up to visit Scott's good friend and groomsman Brian who lives in Verona, WI. Brian works for a HUGE company called EPIC. EPIC produces computer software for hospitals. This company has an extremely high-stress and demanding working environment, so to make up for some of that the campus is designed in an extremely unusual and creative way. Each building has it's own theme, and every conference room has its own extremely unique design... Here are some pictures from our trip.
We also went to a farmer's market in Madison - we saw the protesters at the Capital building (but did not partake in the action) We did however, get away with some good Wisconsin Cheese, jerky, and homemade tortillas! Before we headed back home we went bowling!
The rest of our Spring Break Scott and I spent working. Scott worked at laying tile with his dad at his parent's house (pictures to come). I spent the week working on switches, homework, and my normal nannying days.
Also fun news: Spring has brought lots of fun with Sheldon - he is extremely ornery and gets into everything. If it fits in his mouth, he thinks it's his and it's gone before you remember that you set it down! We can keep him entertained for hours with the laser-pointer! Here are a few of my favorite pictures;
Grandma Dowling is in the hospital now. She went in late Wednesday night with extremely high blood pressure, and for the last two days has been experiencing some confusion. Scans have shown significant brain deterioration, and she is very weak right now. She isn't eating or drinking very much. We keep hoping that maybe some of this is from the medicine they gave her for her blood pressure, but not much sign of improvement at this point. She is more alert (awake more often) but hardly talking, and not wanting me be alone, and is very confused about why she is there. We are not entirely sure what is going to happen next, but for now we are looking for a place that can offer more care for her to move into. Grandpa is holding up, but it is really hard for him to see Grandma like this.
Also, in the hospital is our niece Catie. She is 10 years hold, and has recently been diagnosed with Chron's disease. She did not respond well enough to the medicine the first time, so now she is back in the hospital getting another blood transfusion and a scope. They are going to look into changing her medicine and keep her for observation....Prayers for both Catie and Grandma would be much appreciated.
For some more uplifting information..
Scott and I had a very nice Spring Break. We went up to visit Scott's good friend and groomsman Brian who lives in Verona, WI. Brian works for a HUGE company called EPIC. EPIC produces computer software for hospitals. This company has an extremely high-stress and demanding working environment, so to make up for some of that the campus is designed in an extremely unusual and creative way. Each building has it's own theme, and every conference room has its own extremely unique design... Here are some pictures from our trip.
 |
| Brian in the Indiana Jone's themed hallway |
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| When Scott touched the idol it made sound effects and he jumped a mile high! |
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| The tree house - a real conference room |
 |
| New Yoke theme hall (subway below) |
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| Scott and Brian in conference room |
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| The Doorway to Hell: you could ring the door bell and get different demons to respond (creepy) |
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| Stairway to Heaven (the building's name was Heaven) |
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| Rocking Ralph - the horse I fell from while trying to get down - couldn't walk right for a week! |
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| Dungeon and Dragons theme |
We also went to a farmer's market in Madison - we saw the protesters at the Capital building (but did not partake in the action) We did however, get away with some good Wisconsin Cheese, jerky, and homemade tortillas! Before we headed back home we went bowling!
The rest of our Spring Break Scott and I spent working. Scott worked at laying tile with his dad at his parent's house (pictures to come). I spent the week working on switches, homework, and my normal nannying days.
Also fun news: Spring has brought lots of fun with Sheldon - he is extremely ornery and gets into everything. If it fits in his mouth, he thinks it's his and it's gone before you remember that you set it down! We can keep him entertained for hours with the laser-pointer! Here are a few of my favorite pictures;
 |
| Scott and Sheldon doing dishes |
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| it was so warm the other day that I opened up the door and let fresh air in..Sheldon stood in this position looking outside at the street for most of the night..He would run from window to window, and then back to the door.. Scott is pretty sure he made friends with some squirrels. |
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