Painful Recovery from Oral Surgery

Monday, Mar 28

For Mar 27 CPAP. Reported figures, were horrible, because of the inappropriateness of wearing the CPAP so soon after the surgery, while not yet healed. Time on 7 hrs 30 min with AHI=14.67. Events: 108 H, 35 CSR, 3 CA, 4 PP, 92 PC, 8 RERA. No major mask leaks (max=16 L/min); oximeter on entire time with SpO2 dipping a few times slightly below 85, but most above 90 with some variations in pulse (nothing out of the ordinary, as my defibrillator corrects it if it goes below 50 bpm). I imagine the blood was being sent down my throat and causing the wild parameters.
1-MessageMar27-2016 Welcome Stats Horrible-AHI-14.67
Stayed home today to try to figure out what happened and rest and put ice on my swelling.

I took a selfie and contacted all doctors—sleep, cardiologist, and oral surgeon.
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I created the selfie above 3 days after the removal of a decayed root canal and double implant bone-graft surgery, with the swelling down a little.

I had a telephone call from the oral surgeon, with a few questions and comments, but he honestly did not think it was related to the use of my CPAP machine. He seemed to be more concerned about the bruising or mask being hurtful on my cheek, rather than my concern that the forced pressure restarted the bleeding from the sutured two sockets. He thanked me for calling and mentioned I should call again if I had further questions. He wanted to know what the sleep doctor told me, and I had already told them I only spoke to the medical assistant and they did not think I should resume wearing it until I felt better. (The implication was that it did affect it.).

On a lighter note, I posted the hens & chicks 2016 offering from John to the Buy Nothing Ellensburg (BNE) site, where we gave away a bunch last year:
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These will all be given away. Another double-hen with many little ones has been dispersed to about a dozen 4-inch square pots. They will get to stay on the Naneum Fan for another year. Another gardening note: Asparagus thinks spring has come.

Tuesday, Mar 29

For Mar 28 CPAP. CPAP not worn; however, oximetry checked.

I stayed home today from exercise to recuperate.

Just got off the phone with the medical assistant of my sleep doctor, Dr. Kumar, who returned yesterday’s call to tell me I should not have put on the CPAP machine so soon after the oral surgery (I left it off the first two nights, but not because I was told anything about doing so in post-operative procedures).

I went for an INR today after 1:00. It was 1.8, so I have to return next Tuesday, probably because I left off a pill Friday night, but also, the added Amoxicillin should have increased the INR, not decreased the value.

I set up my meds for the week, and realized I was out of one that cost me $14 in December. I was surprised to find out it has decreased to $5 this year for the same amount.

Too many people are interested in the offering of Hens & Chicks on the BNE site. I guess I cannot easily give to all, so I will have to figure how to randomly choose, or see if people will share some of the larger containers. (Update, another person on the group has volunteered to share some and we will likely meet in a park in Ellensburg to distribute.) We both are recovering from surgeries, so we will postpone this effort another week at least.

I took care of Simone, the cat, at Anne’s. Actually, I believe she is a ghost. I clean up, give her water, and check her food, but she never lets me see her.

I went by Grocery Outlet and succeeded in finding a Key Lime Pie to cheer me up for dessert tonight. In addition, I got Vanilla ice cream, fresh salsa for my omelets, and sharp Cheddar cheese (named after the town in Somerset. Probably should have gotten some sour cream to go with it, as the Cottage Cafe serves with their egg creations.

Wednesday, Mar 30

For Mar 29 CPAP. No CPAP used. Oximeter recorded the entire time.

I am not playing fiddle at the Food Bank or attending SAIL today, but instead am staying home to recuperate. I have been washing dishes and dealing with medical appointments and feedback.

I just was on the phone with RCI about our combined timeshares that end tomorrow – and now I have paid a fee to extend all the ones left appropriately for use by March of 2018. I added those expiring this year so they will expire with the others. We now have a total trading power of 183, which we can offer to anyone who can plan a trip (especially an advanced trip to a special place in the world) early as 2 years in advance (the earlier the better for known dates of travel). Please contact me NOW for any such upcoming trips, and when the power drops to 4 points, I will notify folks to take from that combined week to set up your vacation, and we can provide chances for more folks. You can get a week anywhere in the world for the current week’s trading cost ($229) to remove from the space-banking system, and also you will need to pay the guest certificate fee ($69) to allow your use of it as a nonmember. IF you choose a place that I can get to and spend the first night or 2, I will drive there and check us in for no guest fee (but I need to work with you in advance so I put the reservation in our name, and no payment happens up front. Again, if you know you have a trip coming up, plan NOW, using our trading power and don’t wait for an email. I think tonight at midnight starts a new offering of reduced vacation costs. If you want on my list of notification, please jot me an email and I will add you to the list. I will give you my password access so you can search the hundreds (thousands) of opportunities. I do not wish to act as your travel agent.

I sent the following message to my oral surgeon’s office this morning, and had a thank you acknowledgment response come by phone from the surgical team later today.

Shannon, Lisa, Shawn, and members of the team at SunRidge Oral Surgery.
I talked with the representative (medical assistant) of my sleep doctor, Dr. Kumar, and Memorial Sleep Center.
With the bone grafting, I should not have resumed my CPAP machine until more time had passed for healing. That length of time is not specified, more than when I feel better, but could be at least a week.

The pressurized forced air into my nasal passage, throat, and mouth likely caused the bleeding that occurred Sunday night, when I wore it 2 nights after the procedure.
I think you should follow-up on this and change your medical data collection form to ask if a patient uses a CPAP machine, and you definitely should add that information to your Post-Operative Instructions for Bone Grafting, which is verbally explained after the treatment and given to the patient to take home.

Thank you for changing your data collection to insure knowledge for the future. I wish I had not had the experience. I also have previously described my pain, bleeding the night after the treatment, and I submitted a selfie of my swelling (had gone down some) and the bruising. It is now 5 days later, and I continue on the pain reliever (it very much is needed), and the Amoxicillin.
That antibiotic will affect my INR most likely, but I did skip a Coumadin (2.5mg) Friday night, because of the bleeding, and I had an INR drawn yesterday that was 1.8. I have to have another draw in a week to see if it has changed. Supposedly, the antibiotic will raise it.

I hope you take my comments positively and discuss them with Dr. Tew.

Sincerely,
Nancy Hultquist
      P.S., I am on a CPAP machine because of its ability to control and prevent my SpO2 (blood oxygen saturation percentage) from decreasing, as it will, when I sleep. 

Shannon, the Implant Treatment Coordinator, also requested my sending any proofing comments of the post-operative instructions to the oral surgery’s office.

I continued with my notification of the Fiddlers & Friends playing Apr 2 of the upcoming event, location, and timing.

John and I drove by Jack in the Box for Jumbo Jacks, taking along a drink, to be on the front row at the Ice Age Floods (IAF) lecture tonight on Glacial Lake Columbia. It was a different presentation from the usual. The fellow seems fixated on several sand & gravel features near Spokane formed about 16,000 years ago and ignores all else about the Ice Age. He thinks geologists and glaciologists don’t understand how ice-dams fail and seems not to realize we’ve had ice-age action for the last 2.5 million years. There were several geologists in the room, one being a friend that sat beside John, and they were not an accepting bunch. John managed to remain silent.

On our way back home tonight via Bar 14 Road a little over a mile south of us, we saw a black bear running down the road and off north into the woods, toward Dr. Dave Lundy’s house. That’s the only bear we have seen locally, although years ago our nearest neighbor saw a small cinnamon colored one about 50 yards from our house. In 2009, John encountered (first name basis) and photographed a Cinnamon Black Bear two canyons east from us, at a higher elevation. Linda Lundy got back to me with this statement, “We have heard there is a bear nearby from several neighbors…also wolf tracks…must be careful…thanks for the update. Linda” John says he doubts they are wolf tracks; I wonder if they are mountain lion /cougar, which we do know are in the area. Wolves have been viewed in the Teanaway valley 25 miles northwest of us, but not here (to our knowledge). A big wolf can travel miles, and will, in a few hours – so it is possible.

I wrote Jack Powell to ask him about how the speaker at the ice age talk responded to his and other’s questions after we left. Seems just about everyone thought his presentation was confusing.

This morning, I called and talked with Jackie at Dr. Kumar’s office asking them specifically to tell me why I should not wear a CPAP machine after oral surgery, because my oral surgeon does not think it matters and wants to hear from the sleep doctor. Latest, I came home to a call from my sleep doctor’s assistant (Jessica) that did not answer the question I asked, but told me I needed not to put the CPAP back on until I was healed from the surgery, and I needed to ask my dentist when that would be {usually it was a week}.

If you think I feel I’m getting the run-around or that doctors are passing the buck, you would be correct. [John says: I don’t think they know much about this issue and don’t want to say so. Seems to me it is an irritation that is magnified for the user because of the soreness. Like the dentist, I don’t know how the air flow could cause any problem.]

Thursday, Mar 31

For Mar 30 CPAP. No CPAP used. Oximeter recorded the entire time.

This is a bye date for our music group because only 4 assisted living homes remain in town. We take the 5th Thursday of the month off for a break. I needed it this week for sure.

Below are my corrections to their post-operative procedures (minus any message about the use of a CPAP).

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5-CorrectionsToPostOperativeProcedures-2

I spent time this morning redoing the song, “Side By Side” to a more readable and more easily followed copy so that it all fits on one page. It will be in our next 3-month music packet.

Friday, Apr 1 HAPPY APRIL FOOL’S Day

For Mar 31 CPAP. CPAP off; oximeter on entire time with results graphed.

I talked with Dr. Tew (oral surgeon) this morning. He called to tell me I should try putting the CPAP back on this weekend. He mentioned that they told people not to blow on wind instruments creating pressure in the mouth, such as trumpets and tubas. Flutes should be okay, and fiddles fine. I never received that information, so I do not know how they know to tell certain patients. Nothing on the medical registration information included a question about playing a musical instrument. The information was more about medical history and insurance coverage. Because of the anesthesia required, they contacted my cardiologist and family physician, but never was a sleep doctor mentioned or was I asked for any other medical connections.

The doctor also told me they did recommend people on CPAPs who had upper mouth work done that might interfere with the sinuses, not to use their CPAP. My point again – how did they know that patient used a CPAP ?

I worked on music for tomorrow night with one of the players who hasn’t made it to practices but is able to run off her own copies I send her through email. I sent 6 that have changed from last year’s selections. She was there last year.

John worked behind the house cutting previously downed trees into firewood pieces, all dressed up in his protective gear. The orange hat is Stihl brand and the blue Kevlar “apron chaps” are Husqvarna.
6a-CollageJohnOutBackSawing
The chain sawing on 4-1-16 is found here. Link

I worked inside on dishes and assembling music for four of us to use that I carry along with me. One to share (mine with Joanie) and one to be shared between two guitarists who are longest with the group, Charlie and Gerald. The oldest, Gerald Gordon, has been with the group since the 1950s – started by is father-in-law, a blind fiddler. I didn’t join until the early 1990s.

John came in and thawed some pork & bacon chili with grated sharp cheddar and a sliced Honeycrisp apple for lunch.

After that, I cut John’s hair to make him more presentable. It looks good — except for his cowlick, which I cannot control in the upper right back.
Experts explain.

He is back out stacking wood, and then will be loading planks and pallets to go to town for moving the heavy straw bales (compressed and soaked from an over-flowing creek) into the back of our truck.
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My next chore continues with sorting and filing receipts, while trying to get to the boxes beneath to locate my external back up disk to use it for that needed reason. Then, I will be switching to finishing the master copy of the music for the next 3 months for the Kittitas Valley Fiddlers & Friends. I cut my workload amazingly by using as a base the happy songs I put together to play for the Memorial last Saturday, and adding a few other songs. Come July, we switch to Patriotic tunes, for the majority, and then August and September, we switch to a different playlist; likewise for October, November, and then December is all Christmas songs.

I found lots of receipts and stuff to sort, enter, and pack away, but I did not locate my external drive, so I need to check another 2 boxes, currently out of reach in the stack. May wait for John to get home to help me retrieve it. (He came in and we realized they only had old newspapers and magazines and not what I was looking for.)

Saturday, Apr 2

For Apr 1 CPAP. CPAP off; oximeter on entire time with results graphed. It stays in the 90s most of the time but occasionally pops down toward 85 or so not more than 3 times per night.

John unloaded the wet compressed straw bales he picked up yesterday afternoon, and we just had a small lunch made from last night’s leftovers.

I downloaded Little Brown Jug and Hello! Ma Baby from Musicnotes, for free. Eventually, we can add that to our repertoire, but not until after I have caught up with taxes and other clean-up chores at home.

Today after 1:00, we are going to celebrate the 80th birthday of a friend, Walt Farrar, whom we have known for many years in the valley, through our involvement in the Kittitas Valley Trail Riders club. I am going to wear my tee shirt with the KVTR logo on it. We are no longer members because I am no longer allowed to ride a horse.
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Welcome to Walt’s Birthday Party 4/2/16

Party! Party!

Cutting Chocolate Cake

Cutting Carrot Cake

We came home by way of Grocery Outlet to claim our pie paid for yesterday (accidentally charged), but not delivered. Yesterday, the acclaimed 99 cents for a pound of Campari tomatoes didn’t materialize because the warehouse did not send the right amount to the store for the sale that started yesterday. When I walked in, the gal that adjusted my receipt told me they had more tomatoes, so I bought some more for my neighbor and one for us. We delivered them on the way home.

Late afternoon we went to the fairgrounds to play music at the dinner of the Anniversary Dance of the Blue Agates Square & Round Dance club, as some of us have done for several years, starting at the Swauk-Teanaway Grange but the increased regional attendance now has too many people coming to fit there. We provide music as people are arriving and then during their meal. After they are done eating, we are invited to go through the buffet. They are “round dancing” while we eat.

We encountered horses in the parking lot but did not learn the nature of that event. We were surprised to arrive at the fairgrounds and find all the parking lot and adjacent grassy area filled with RVs and horse trailers, cars, and 3 events going on simultaneously, with a major Gun Show in the other (larger) end of the building. The normal front door entrance lead several of our group astray because they were following directions I gave them to get to the front door of the Teanaway room. So much for planning. There was a sign for Blue Agates, but you had to see it on the west side of the building, as well as recognize the name. It didn’t mention “Dance.”

We all eventually made it and had to set up on the floor because the raised stage (for dance caller) was too small to accommodate all of us, even with two on the floor.
8-KittitasValleyFiddlers&Friends-4-2-16BlueAgateSquare&RoundDance40tyAnniversaryDinner
The buffet was full of many salads and the main course was tri-tip BBQ (slow roasted). As a fundraiser for the club at the end, they auctioned off the remaining beef in packages said to be about a pound – for $5.00. We got two, but only received a pound and a half of meat, so $6.67/lb. It was, however, nicely prepared, and the 10 Bucks went to a good cause.

The Round Dancing started as we were eating. Most of us knew and had experienced a simple form of square dancing growing up, but this dance many of us were not familiar with.

One Minute Round Dancing 4-2-16

We got home late but the horses were happy to be fed, and one of the ferals, Woody, was waiting for us half way in the drive. After we parked and were near the front door, she got up on the cable-table eating station – her favorite.

Sunday, Apr 3

For Apr 2 CPAP. CPAP off; oximeter on entire time with results graphed.

Another nice sunny day, with temperatures reaching 73. Maybe spring has finally sprung. John brought me a bouquet of 3 Daffodils a couple days ago. They cheered me.

Received a thank you note, via Facebook, from a former student, now in France, for a birthday card (Jacquie Lawson sent from the UK) we sent today. Lori worked for the National Park Service for years. We’ve got to catch up.

From: Lori Rome
Nancy and John, thank you so much for the lovely National Geographic digital card. That was very sweet of you. How are you guys doing? Any chance you might be interested in a visit to France? I’ll be here until January next year. How are all the animals doing? You really made my day. Lots of love.

John has been doing many yard chores today – moving firewood, tree trimming, feeding the animals, feeding us a brunch, and emptying 300 pounds of sandy soil from the back of a pickup.

John Using Black+Decker Pole Saw for De-Limbing
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Several limbs from a Ponderosa 4-3-16 came down in this video.
Little branches and gravity

I checked through more boxes of materials, washed a load of dishes, worked on finalizing the details of the blog, and John went out back to transport the cut firewood around to a stack under the soffits of the barn.

Hope your week was fine.

Nancy and John
Still on the Naneum Fan

SUNDAY — Views past & forward

Thankfully, we did not have any earthshaking events happen, and we can report the same ole, same old.  We like it that way at the hospital.  Another week passed means one more step toward the end of my infusions on September 28th.  That’s right before my retirement “party” on Oct 2nd.  Looking forward to both and for both to be in the rear-view mirror.

I’ve had far fewer (as in “almost none”) atrial fibrillations or other arrhythmias since introducing and balancing ‘amiodarone’ (am-ee-OH-duh-rown) with other meds.  Also sold as Cordarone, amiodarone interacts with many other drugs and stays in the body for weeks after one stops taking it.  I’m off digoxin because of an anticipated interaction. If you are around someone on amiodarone you can read about it here:

http://www.medicinenet.com/amiodarone/article.htm

This next week has some health events happening–another try at the Holter heart monitor, and another echocardiogram to see how my heart is doing.  Will report in next weekend, and hopefully NOT before.

We have been continuing to raise the puppy that we are keeping till after his titer has shown he has immunity to Canine Parvovirus, sometime after Oct 4th when we will take him in for the lab test.  The vet’s lab is in Phoenix, so not as handy as I get here at our hospital on my blood tests.  If my INR is too high or too low I know in a couple of hours and can subtract or add Coumadin with the evening pill intake.

We went every day during the work week to the hospital to Out-Patient Services for the infusions, now of just Rocephin.  It usually lasts only a half hour not counting the setup and take down time, but it totally is less than an hour, so that’s nice.  They are so good to me and have brought me a Glucerna-boosted chocolate milk shake every session.  They put me under a heated blanket because the rooms are cold, and have me in a nice bed for which I can control the height, the head, and under my knees, to lift them as well.  I get very comfortable for my infusion.  There was only one day last weekend when I was subjected to have it done in a chair with no warm blanket, and that was no fun.

On weekends we go to Medical Surgical, or as happened Saturday, the beds in MedSurg were full, so I was taken care of in the Critical Care Unit (CCU).  I had a nurse yesterday who remembered me (and I her) from my stay there, way last summer when I also had bacteria in my bloodstream, which started all this heart mess, the Endocarditis.

There was no one staying in the CCU, but the day before it and Medical Surgical floor had been filled with young people, all kids.  There were 6 appendectomies in one day, by one doctor.  He said there must have been something in the water.  He has worked at hospitals before in large urban areas and never had a cluster like this.

We also went to garage sales a couple days this week (Friday and Saturday).   Found neat stuff, not the least of which is a case (50 cents) for my Dulcimer… it’s a case for a keyboard that died.  They want $50 plus for special cases on the web.   I’m obviously feeling better to be going back to yard sales.  John is kind to drive me fairly close and let me out, so that I don’t have to walk too far, even though I’m getting better on my stamina each day.  Two stops we went to were neighborhood sales with 5 or 6 sales on the block.  Another was at a retirement community with the folks unloading knickknacks collected over a combined 943 years.  There is a lot of “stuff” accumulated in such a long time by so many people.

John says I’m supposed to keep this blog to my health, so I will relate that I did get some things to aid in my health.  I nice new pillow for my recliner foot rest (free); a lap blanket for cool nights, even though our heat has been coming on; a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses for my trips outside.  I lost a lot of weight, so clothes and coats are nice to find deals on at yard sales too.   I got a nice “Rawhide” looking coat with fleece from a friend at a yard sale.  I found one of the foam seats for cushioning chairs.  So, that’s my news of the uneventful week of hospital care, but how it influenced my healing process.  The prices, except the coat, were 50 cents.  Also, I take my many pills with chocolate milk in an ‘Old Fashioned’ (squatty) glass.  This shape is easier to rinse out and clean than taller shapes.  At one sale, for $1.50, I got 8 owl-motif glasses so can put the Christmas scene ones away for a few months.  I continue to spend gas money on finding good deals at sale, and it gets me some fun exercise too.  I pick up shirts that fit for a quarter, and that’s nice.

Also, I played music at the Rehab last Thursday, the place where I spent 6 weeks back in January and February, with physical therapy 3 times a day to regain use of my muscles that had atrophied.  Those are happy memories only now, and it is nice to be able to walk down the hall, past my old room, and into the cafeteria to play for some people / patients I met while there, as a patient myself.

Okay, I had best stop this so John can put out on the blog.

Have a nice week and we hope to do the same.

Nancy

SUNDAY — Drip. Drip!

Nancy’s follow-up to a week of intensive care . . .

Hello folks, I’m back.  We stayed till 9:30 at the potluck and jam session.  Each day at 3 P.M. I get infusions.  Rocephin.  Drip. Drip. Gentamycin. Drip. Drip.

Saturday and Sunday the procedure differs because out-patient services are not open on the weekend.  So I go to the regular Medical Surgical nurse station (MedSurg in hospital-speak) and check in.  They treated me like a million dollars too… and all went well.  John brings a book and I sleep.

I’m a thousand percent better, if that is possible mathematically, from last Tuesday a week ago when I entered ER in Ellensburg.  They still did not really find a source of internal bleeding, so I’m blaming it on the bacteria and hopeful the antibiotics will vanquish them forever and the blood loss. (Maybe it could be suppressed production and not a loss?  Just a thought.  Either way, maybe it will vanish.  JFH)  Only 5 ½ weeks to go.  Drip. Drip.  The Gentamycin was added because of my pig valve in my heart.  Previously, June/July ‘09, I was on straight Rocephin.

I think the one day I had the CT Scan, Endoscopy, Colonoscopy, and a ton of Barium X-rays of the whole track, upper and lower intestines, from 2:45 till 10:00 P.M., and about 5 blood draws, that I deserved the an award for the most procedures one patient was subjected to in one day.  I might have had the TEE that morning too.  That also included a rude awakening early morning by the nurse who had seen a succession of atrial fibrillations and thought there was a V-tac going on.  It was not.  She was obviously upset and wanted to know if I had any chest pain; well no, only the continuing pain from the two clots in my spleen.  I also said I was having a night mare (probably caused by the antibiotics, she said).  So I was ready to go back to sleep and await the morning blood draw at 5:15 a.m.

Rest in the hospital has to come in pieces. One morning (night?) they woke me at 3:30 to weigh me.  Hello!  I’m supposed to rest. I got pretty good at it.  The last few days there I was moved to a MUCH quieter room on the 4th floor in ACU (Acute Care Unit).  That is one step down from ICU (intensive care) but honestly in my case I was still on telemetry and oxygen and still very monitored.

We’ll return to Sunday postings now.  I trust the next reports will continue with my feeling better and improving.  Don’t quite have the stamina back yet after a week of bed rest, but I’m getting there.

~ ~ ~ ~It seems when Nancy has issues the house colludes with her.  Our water system – well, house, barn, yard – seems to be leaking.  We have a 30 gallon pressurized tank.  The pump is supposed to keep water in it and another gizmo inflates an internal bubble and presto we have water when and where we want it. Currently the pump and gizmo do their stuff and then the water drains back out via some unknown leak. Then the pump – pumps again, and it drains out again.  Drip. Drip.

Nice folks came this morning and carried away the penultimate puppy – I turned the pump on and got enough warm water so we could send her off without the dirt.  We still have the male but need to wait a few more weeks until he develops immunity to parvovirus because of the known incidence of it somewhere visited by the family that got the little guy that died (and the virus is now in their own house and yard).  We stopped and got him an extra vial of prevention today.  So he gets a shot tonight. Ouch!  — but hopefully no drip, drip.

We have a report back on the little puppy who left today.  She slept the entire 3.5 hour trip home.  They have introduced her to their securely fenced backyard, and their older dogs in the house.  She has explored the house.  She also found out about a water sprinkler and enjoyed getting her head wet, staying a happy puppy.  We are grateful for yet another fantastic home.

TUESDAY — Yikes!

We’re back in the ICU at Yakima Regional.  Nancy has something going on and not being sure what, the consensus of the medical profession was that Yak-Reg ICU is the best place for her for a few days.

I’ll make this short (for now):  We woke early this morning, I think about 5:30.  I let the puppies out, asked Nancy if she was okay.  She was, then she wanted something to spit into.  I got that for her and went down the hall and went to bed.  At some time later she got up and went into the kitchen and was dumping here tiny waste bucket into the sink.  At that point she apparently had a ventricular fibrillation episode and sank to the floor.  Her ICD responded with a double whammy and converted the beat back to normal.

Her legs and arms are weak (and maybe more so from the incident) and she rested a time on the floor but did not get up.  She thought I had gone outside and expected my return.  After about an hour she yelled for me and, being just down the hall, I appeared after the first yelp.

We then went to the Ellensburg ER where they soon determined the main thing wrong, as far as they could tell, was from a blood sample.  She was quite anemic and the doctor thought that might have triggered the V-fib and set off the ICD.  Test of the kidney function did not suit them either. They cannot download the data from the ICD here and so, with a unit of blood hanging beside her – off to Yakima she went.

I talked with her a few minutes before 5 P.M. and she sounded fine but had little real news.  I’m posting this at about 5:25 and will head on down.

More Wednesday.

John

SUNDAY — A roller coaster week

This was the week of the Washington Old Time Fiddlers Summer Workshop in Kittitas, WA, 10 miles from our home.  I was starting it in a very run down condition, having gone back to not being able to hold down food and therefore not having caloric intake and proteins for stamina and energy.   I had arranged for a doctor’s appointment Tuesday afternoon, meaning I would have to leave during the last break at Fiddler’s class.  Classes go from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

I had missed an atrial fibrillation medication, Metropolol, which apparently had elevated my heartbeat to 124 with severe atrial fibrillation.   That is way above my normal in the 80s.  So that was the concern of most of the visit.  The pacemaker attached to the defibrillator has nothing to do with regulating that heartbeat, and that is solely done through the one medication I missed.

The doctor did check my legs for fluid build-up (none), listen to my lungs, heart, and feel around the lower part of my body searching for pains.  The only thing I had was tummy grumblings from no food.  Everything else provided a good report.  The doctor requested more lab blood work there before I left, to see if that showed any problems.  I have been poked so much, it’s no wonder I’m anemic.

John and I left Cle Elum and went to Ellensburg to pick up the meds, and on home.  I took the missing med and proceeded to throw it up along with my yogurt from lunch.  This was at 5:00 p.m.    I didn’t feel like eating any dinner, but I took all my night meds at 9:00 p.m. with chocolate milk and Lucerna, a high protein supplement for diabetics to rebuild proteins in the system, hoping that would give me some sustenance.  (I had been on that while in intensive care in Yakima and then all the time during the time I was in the Rehabilitation nursing home from Jan 20 till Feb 26. because of the lousy food I couldn’t eat.)

My last entry to my stomach (all the meds included) did not last long.  They all came back up.  I had not retaken the Metropolol, and so decided to retake that medication only, at 10:30 heading to bed.  That stayed down, so the next morning my heartbeat was back to normal.  Still was having trouble with the stomach.

John, being the sharpest knife in our drawer of medical memories of all my health issues since last year (keeping this blog cemented things in his memory too), realized I was suffering the same symptoms I had in Intensive Care in March here in the Ellensburg hospital for 4 days, with fluid in my lungs.  Then after throwing up a lunch 3 hours after I ate it, the visiting hospitalist from the Tri Cities prescribed me onto Reglan.  The pharmacy did not have that in the records, so they requested a refill from my cardiologist in Yakima.  They realized it was not in their records, so they called my doctor’s office in Cle Elum, but they also did not have it.  Finally, late afternoon Wed. another doctor tracked down what John had already remembered (but the nurse calling for me earlier could not discuss with John because of privacy issues)—and so they ordered a refill.  John went to town late to get it.  I need to take a pill ½ hour before a meal.  I have now been doing that since Wed. night this past week, and I am keeping all food down and gaining more stamina and energy. [From John: earlier posts about this issue are in late March beginning on Wednesday 3/24]

It got me through the end of the class and the Friday afternoon recital, in which our class performed admirably on “For the Love of Tara” a song written by Denis Lanctot to honor the death of Tara his sister in law who died in an auto accident at 22.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l33Mdji-4BA

takes you to a duet of the song played by Leahy and a fiddler friend; try to listen to it and I think you will understand our choice.  Our class of 26 played both parts, with our teacher backing us up on the piano.  Many people at the recital said it was the most beautiful “orchestral” piece they had ever heard, in an old time fiddling setting.  We have a reputation for that in that class, this being our 16th year.  I have been in the class all 16 years.

Our teacher, Roberta Pearce, from Nampa, Idaho found that Leahy performed this piece on ‘youtube’ and she transcribed it into music for us to learn.  The whole class voted to play it as our one recital song from all the ones we learned all week, and there were sixteen total.

~~~~~~~~~~

The information that follows is by the writer of the song, Denis Lanctot – from Canada.  “For the Love of Tara” is my third recording and it is very special to me. I dedicate it to Tara Lynne Touesnard, my wife’s sister, who died in a car accident on April 25, 1994.

This tragedy drove me to immediately begin working on plans to recreate the fiddle that died with her – a fiddle that had once belonged to me and then to Tara.

~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for going through my week and I’m happy to say I’m doing very well today, on Sunday.  Yesterday we drove part way up Blewett pass toward Wenatchee, to meet the new family of one more of our puppies, a nice female.  She is now in her new home with a huge backyard to romp in with her new buddy, a year old Beagle.  They renamed her Co-Co.

We were hopeful in the last post Aug 1 that this would be a better news week, and finally it turned out to be.

See you next week.  We are actually scheduled to be at a potluck for our trail riding club Sunday afternoon, so will try to get it out earlier in the day.

SUNDAY — the good news is

The week is over!  Wow.  This was one of my worst weeks in many.  Monday morning this past week started with a bang.  Well, there wasn’t much noise but blueberries cascaded about the kitchen like a 4th of July fire cracker.  I stepped into the kitchen to get some blueberries out of the fridge, to clean some and sugar them for our morning cereal.  John was outside explaining a subtle point of etiquette to a horse.  I had 2 pounds of blueberries in my right hand and was moving … when I tripped over my imagination or the rug, do not know, and slammed into the edge of the counter-top Formica around the sink.  It was full speed ahead.  The bag of blueberries got two holes in it and berries exited from both, but my left arm hit the sharp counter edge, halfway between my elbow and shoulder.  Immediately, I was in pain, and had a huge lump forming.  This is not good to have internal bleeding in a patient on the blood thinner Coumadin.  I first tried to pick the blueberries off the counter, still in the bag with — I thought — one hole, to put in another bag with no holes, but suddenly they started falling again out the back side hole.  So, I sat down for a few minutes to rest.  It was still swelling so I went and called to John to please come help.  [Someone had to save the blueberries! JFH]

He had enough sense to tell me to call my family physician’s nurse, who said get ice on it to reduce the swelling, do that every 20 minutes on and off, she would contact the doctor, and I was to report back in an hour.  Meanwhile, she called back to say to hold pressure on the ice.  So I did.  I started with a flaxseed bag that doesn’t get all that cold, but it worked.  She suggested a package of frozen green peas, which later when we had to go to town, John got for me to use for the afternoon ice sessions.

The swelling went down (probably started at the size of a golf ball) after a couple of applications of the ice pack, and so then they sent me to the hospital for a blood draw to check my INR for the blood clotting factor… before the doctor wanted to decide on the change to my Coumadin dosage for the night and succeeding days.

I missed my exercise class because of all the excitement and being at the hospital for a blood draw.  But, the swelling went down (although I still applied frozen green peas, once home from town).

Tuesday was spent totally on my back trying to rest and recover.  That’s not good for keeping the muscles working.  I did walk up the driveway and back that evening with a little bit of exertion and trouble.  It started my atrial fibrillation which really hasn’t been bothering me in weeks.

Next day, was exercise class again and I forced myself to go.  It was a most unpleasant experience.   I sat out a lot of class without energy or stamina to join in.  All my cohorts and my teacher are very concerned and responsive to me.  It’s nice being with such a great group of supportive people.

Thursday, was not much better.  I geared up to go to my music venue with the Fiddlers and Friends, at 2:00 to 3:00 at a local nursing home.  I played the fiddle but did not sing along because it was just too taxing.  I was not feeling well, and had no stamina.

During this week, however, I contacted both my doctors:  the cardiologist in Yakima and the family physician.  They are both concerned and we have upcoming appointments (this week and next).  The cardiologist will have me for a week on a heart event monitor which will show them what my heart is doing all the time.  I can also press a button to request a read-out report be stored on things when I feel stress.

I’m not looking forward totally to this coming week, the first in August, because it is my week in the Washington Old Time Fiddlers’ workshop classes.  I am concerned at my low level of stamina how I will make it through the classes M-F from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  There are afternoon and evening events as well – some educational, some just fun — which I know I will miss this year.

The nice thing, however, is that the people in charge know my condition, and plan to provide a room in the air-conditioned facility where we have classes, which will have a recliner and provide a place to escape to rest if (WHEN) I need.

Okay.  That’s a long negative report, but I will try to do better, eat better, and all the other things.

Part of this is my mental attitude and depression about being worse off 2 months after the defibrillator implant than I was going in for it on June 1st.  John thinks, perhaps, the many medications need tweaking.

Puppies – three still here – are still growing but remain cute, funny, and playful and we are looking for homes.

August is set to be a busy month.  We wish for all of you the best, and will report back next week with better news.

SUNDAY — Spoke too soon last week?

I think John got carried away with the header last Sunday.  I went downhill as I was unable (at 1:00 a.m. Mon.) to keep food down from a late supper.  It was sort of a long week, with a sick puppy too.

I’ve been trying to gear my mental state to be positive, but my healing process is still not as fast as I would like.  I spend too much time reclining in the recliner, but am thankful for it.  John says I just have to realize that the damage done is not easily recovered.

My meds have to continually be checked with blood work every two weeks to be sure my potassium level and INR (clotting range) is all right.  This week it was not, so the meds had to be readjusted.  Whether that played a part in my feeling down, is unknown.   My stamina just is not there as I figure it should be and was told it would be.

[John says: Health issues are not translatable from person to person.  For example, an otherwise healthy person that has by-pass surgery may feel much better within weeks – if that surgery was preceded by a heart attack, recovery to a former medically-free healthful state will not occur and the actual recovery may be slow.  Nancy, following a heart attack, had a complete system-wide collapse involving multiple organs.  Issues from congestive heart deterioration remain even though a malfunctioning heart valve has been replaced.  Comparisons with others don’t make much sense.  We have to acknowledge the individuality of this existence and with medicines, exercise, activities, and diet encourage the best possible outcome.]

I’m continuing to try to get better.  Sleeping throughout the night with uninterrupted sleep is impossible with food issues (see above) and puppies, and particularly sick ones.  That obviously is playing a part in the process.

Nothing else on my health this week so I’ll switch to the puppies and other events that keep us going and busy.

John tries to work every day with the horses, and some days are better than others, with associated wind or heat.   He does most of his work in the morning cooler hours.   He also takes out time to help our neighbors  (ages 87 & 84) with things around their farm.

Tuesday we drove to Ritzville (a little over 100 miles away) to meet a family from Lewiston, ID who got a nice female puppy for their family.  They have named her Lucy.  She made the trip well, with John holding and my driving, until Moses Lake when she got antsy.  She had to “pee” so we found an empty field and John took her for relief.  She settled down for the next 40 miles and we met the folks at their aunt’s place a little after 1:00 p.m.  The area near Ritzville includes dry-land farming and there were thousands of acres of fields with multiple whirlwinds lifting columns of fine soil into the air.  These “dust devils” were numerous and varied greatly in height, width, color, and lifespan.  Very interesting but we failed to take a picture.  Otherwise, it was an okay trip, and the temperatures were not that hot here in Ellensburg, where we left her 3 siblings, and our adult dogs.  We got home about 4:15, checked, and everyone seemed fine.

It wasn’t till later that we realized the one puppy was not acting right and she was very uncomfortable sleeping and miserable all night just as if she had a bad stomach.   She was crying in her sleep and shivering in pain (we guessed).

Wednesday morning was filled with more sick puppy and finally taking her to the vet.  She was treated for a seizure and there are only guesses to the cause (bump on the head, heatstroke, ate something wrong, was bitten by an insect, who knows).  She spent the night in the vets and came home the next morning back to being a puppy again.  She has been fine since, so I doubt we will ever know what happened.

We heard good news from puppy owners with new ones in their homes.  Those stories are always welcomed.

John picked blueberries (24 pounds) at a location just west of Yakima on Saturday and got them in the ‘fridge’ before we left late in the afternoon for a music gig for a local church.  (Sunday now and he is freezing and bagging them.)

Finally, besides exercise class for me, I played music at a nursing home on Thursday afternoon.  Then Saturday evening we played again at a church picnic and had a great dinner as well.  The temperature was not nice, sitting at 96, but they provided shade for us, and it cooled off to 90 by the time we left.  The church is of one of the members of our music group, and we have done this for about the past five years.  The interest of the young kids in music and our instruments was most fascinating.  We found ourselves playing songs we don’t normally do in nursing homes, because the kids requested them:  Old McDonald Had a Farm; Mary Had a Little Lamb; Pop! Goes the Weasel, and one about popcorn on a apricot tree I’d never heard.  It was actually fun to see them keeping time to the music and participating.  There were a few old timers as well who came over and joined us.

I’d better stop and when John comes back in from watering the raspberries and giving the puppies a big dish to use as a pool, and after lunch, he will put this out on this blog.  We will also bring in the puppies to share the a/c in the house so they don’t overheat. Our afternoon temps are topping out at just under 100 degrees F., but Monday may get that high.  By Wednesday we will only be in the high 80s and low 90s.  We are without clouds so at night the temps drop to near 50 degrees (our elevation is 2,240 feet).

Thanks for staying tuned.  Nancy

SUNDAY — Is no news good news?

We made a trip to Cle Elum to our family physician, Monday, our anniversary.  I got a clean bill of health and he changed a few meds.  Went over my labs and had positive feedback from my doctor about my concern that I wasn’t gaining stamina as much as I desired.  He was nice and said I’m still in the healing process and I just have to be patient.  Get my rest and do what I can.  I told him about my cardiologist wanting to put a heart monitor on me for an entire week to keep an eye on how my heart and body is responding to my normal week’s activity.  That’s in the future for August.  He encouraged me to participate in the experiment.

Oh, we also started me back on another medication to see if it would control the “acid reflux” — that seems to be occurring occasionally.  The last 3 nights I have eaten away from home, so I have restarted taking that medication before dinner.  So far; so good.  (John was with me Thursday and Friday but I was by myself Saturday night.)

That’s all I have to report (thankfully) on my health, so will end with a few stories of the other things in our life right now:  puppies, jam sessions & potlucks, etc., and music events, and John’s horse training.

Happily, we went for a healthy “Sammie”  sandwich as Quiznos after the doctor’s appointment.  The appointment started around 1:30, so it was time for lunch when I was through.  Funny thing is how much doctors depend on computers in treatments now.  When we got there the computers were down, which affected getting some of my lab work out in a timely fashion.  Oh, well.

Puppies.    (turned 7 weeks old on Monday this week)

We sent two puppies to their new homes on Wed. and on Thursday.  The little “runt”, Trouper, went to a home with two boys, 4 and 2, and the older one was totally smitten by the puppy.  He is doing fine, and I am very impressed how good the little boys are with the puppy.  This morning, we received 5 great pictures of his new life with them and their 12 year old dog.  The next day, a liver/white female went to her new home here in the valley with a family who had a dog from us for 14 years and loved her lots.  She just died this spring.

We have one more puppy to transfer this coming Tuesday, and then we have 3 who need new homes and for which we do not know yet for sure who will be their new owners.  If anyone is reading this within a decent driving distance of Ellensburg, who might be interested in adding a wonderful Brittany puppy to your family, please let us know.  They are so smart.  We keep introducing to them to new things to keep them learning and adapting to human handling and interaction.

Finally, the other events – in our life:  music keeps me busy, as Saturday night, when our “group”, the Kittitas Valley Fiddlers and Friends, went to the upper county to play for an antique car rally at the Cle Elum Senior Center.  They treated us to a catered dinner that was very nice, including chicken and rice, green beans, tomatoes, salad and a great (rich) dessert.  It was yummy, and we played during the “cocktail hour” before dinner, and they had a program afterwards so we didn’t play our normal hour of music.  They seemed happy with what we did.

John is making progress with the new horses.  They are slow in trusting him, but they are learning well.  They had never worked with but one person, so gaining their confidence has been a chore.  John is patient with them, and it is paying off.  Our weather could have cooperated a little better – earlier cold and rain, and now hot sunny and windy days.  [John – Horses are difficult when it is windy.  Things move in the wind and make noise.  As a prey animal, their attention goes to the things “out there” that might be sneaking up on them.]  These guys never had treats (carrots & apples), but now they will walk up to us in the pasture (to John for sure), to get treats.  The youngest will take a carrot from me, but the older ones do not really know me yet.

That should be enough for this week.   We wish you all well and we are happy I’m getting better, even though my stamina has not yet returned to allow me to do more than a couple hours.  And then I have to take naps through the day (probably to make up for no sleep from the puppies), to get through the day.

Love and thanks for all the good wishes you keep sending by email or phone, or cards.

SUNDAY — Dog Days of Summer

Please note that Monday is the 12th of July.  In 1969, the 12th was on a Saturday and we married on that date – 41 years ago.  So,  Happy Anniversary to us!

[from John :    Wikipedia < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_Days > has an interesting write-up of the Dog Days of Summer which references Sirius, the Dog Star, and “a time period or event that is very hot or stagnant, or marked by dull lack of progress.”  As a side note, years ago Nancy named one of our Britts ‘Sirius Sashay’ and the puppies we now have are her great grand children.]

from Nancy:    John reminded me I am supposed to write an update on my health for the blog, as promised last weekend.   I must say sadly I don’t have a lot of good things to write, except that I’m alive and still kicking but I’m not ready for the Rockettes, just yet.  My energy level has not returned, and I find myself only good to gear up for a couple of hours for an event, and then I have to rest.  It could be that sleep during the night being interrupted with puppy care is part of the problem.  They usually have us up at midnight and then 3:00 and finally when it is light, we can put them out in the backyard as early as 5:30 (this morning).  They turn 7 weeks tomorrow.  We transferred a sweet puppy today to her new owners (more on that later).

Back to my health and lack of energy.  At first we wondered if the change in meds might have prompted some of the problems – that may still turn out to be the case, and tomorrow is a doctor’s visit to my family physician in Cle Elum.    I was scheduled last week at the hospital here in town for blood draws for various lab tests.  I had them all done right after playing fiddle with my group for a little over an hour.  I did not drink during the playing time.  I guess I should have and should have been hydrating my system all along (I thought I was doing this).  I drink an awful lot of lemonade that John makes for me from powder.  However, a call from my family physician’s nurse indicated my lab tests showed I was dehydrated and needed to intake more liquids.  That said, I did.  That probably explains why I had a headache and was feeling so lousy.  I missed my Friday afternoon exercise class because I didn’t feel up to getting there and doing it. It’s from 1:30 to 2:30 MWF and in an a/c room with a bunch of supportive ladies (and one man).

The other tests were apparently okay, although one was still being processed.  I do not know if the results will be back before my appointment right after lunch tomorrow.

The new medication affects my potassium balance and that was one of the tests.  I called my pharmacist Saturday morning (who also is my fiddling buddy), and she ran all my medications through the system to alert them/us to any possible drug interactions.  None were found except for the concern with this new medication and the potassium imbalance, and the need to keep an eye on the potassium.  That was my cardiologist’s concern for this doctor’s visit and the labs drawn, 3 weeks after my last visit with him.  He wanted to stay on top of that.

I’m still on a diuretic (Bumex) and that pulls fluids from my system, contributing to dehydration.  It’s to keep the fluids from piling up in my lungs or my legs.  The potassium was cut back because of the interaction with the new drug that actually helps shed sodium (the Na of salt) and retain potassium.  This means I have to be aware of something called hyperkalemia, or “ higher than normal levels of potassium in the blood.”

“The hormone aldosterone regulates kidney removal of sodium and potassium. Lack of aldosterone can result in hyperkalemia with an increase in total body potassium.  Hyperkalemia may be caused by medications, including medications that affect kidney function (potassium sparing diuretics, such as spironolactone, amiloride, or triamterene) and potassium supplements (especially intravenous potassium).” (Taken from a Mayo clinic site)

Spironolactone is the new med I am on.

My pharmacist continued to counsel me from her records and outlined the symptoms.  My cardiologist had also mentioned some of these and said if I had any such signs of severity that I should check myself into ER immediately.  These are the symptoms in her literature:  muscle weakness, cardiac Arrhythmia (which I have anyway), and hypotension (low blood pressure).

The symptoms mentioned in the Mayo Clinic report are as follows, “Hyperkalemia often has no symptoms. Occasionally, people may have the following symptoms:

  • Irregular heartbeat
  • Nausea
  • Slow, weak, or absent pulse

Well, the first I always have; the second I have occasionally too, as today when my body decided over the noon hour that it no longer wanted to keep the strawberries from morning late breakfast, in my system.  I have had a lower heart beat (in the 60s), but not worth worrying about, and certainly no absent pulse.  In recent checks on my trusty measuring device, my blood pressure has been fine and the heartbeat as well, although it will occasionally show the atrial fibrillation we already know I have.

Well, the few sentences John is expecting me to write have gone on into much more, and I will stop now on the health part.  It’s good for me to review this before I visit my doctor tomorrow.  Food for thought and he will be interested in my research and reporting.

I will end on a nice, fun note.  We transferred a white and orange female, Milly, to her forever home today.  We gave her a bath before the meeting, and she slept afterwards while drying.  I also clipped her little toenails (with a human’s toe clipper) while her toes were moistened.  We did that first drying and changed to a different towel.  She laid in John’s lap awhile and then we changed towels and I had her again in my lap.  She went through the bath just fine; John is good with bathing young puppies, and she handled it well, not fighting it at all.  Her new owners already have a Brittany from us and she was along to meet the new entry to the family.  This will be a wonderful home and we are grateful.

Not much else new in our world.  There is the daily horse routine, plus John has been volunteering time to help our elderly neighbor with his haying, and getting the bales to the barn.  Yesterday and today it was more a re-stacking thing from a harobed.   I know most people not in the rural west do not know what a harobed is.  That truly is what it is called, and it was named after the inventor’s daughter, Deborah (spell that backwards).  It is a piece of machinery that goes through a field of baled hay and lifts them up into a carrier that can be stacked as high as 9 bales, 3 across.  Once filled, the load, having been lifted row by row, is ready for the barn.  The harobed comes back to the barn and a lift stands up the stack and pulls away from it (under good smooth and clean conditions, the stack stays standing).  Under a full load, one of these can carry 3.5 tons.  Yesterday was not working well, and the stacks kept collapsing  — the old shed has an uneven floor and the bales are not as uniform as the ought to be.  Today was a better hay day.

What a technical advancement from loading bales of hay by hand onto a truck or wagon and stacking in the barn!  (And before that loose hay was muscled onto a wagon and off again in a barn.)

Thanks for staying tuned in and I hope for a nice week this week with more energy.  Yesterday, a few of our musical group went to Briarwood Commons (a retirement community in Ellensburg, for people over 55).  We go play for them the second Saturday of every month at 2:00 pm. till 3:00 and they serve us a late lunch for our efforts.  They love us and always sing along and sometimes get up and dance.  It is a worthwhile event that pleases us as much as them.

And on another worthwhile event: Wednesday night last week we had a great experience.  We joined a group of square dancers and host families and friends, at the Swauk-Teanaway Grange.  There are six young people (most are in their Junior year in high school) here from July 5 to Aug 10 in a program called the Children of Chernobyl.

See  http://www.cofcusa.org/factsheet.htm .

Most are from the region around current day Minsk, Belarus.  One of our musicians in our group that play at nursing homes, and his wife, are again a host family this year, for 3 of the gals.  The other 3 are guys and are in different households.  We met them and had a great potluck.  Afterwards the Blue Agate Square Dance caller got most of the people on the floor to do some dancing (I sat it out and watched and enjoyed seeing how well the kids did).  We stayed also through one of the gals playing a piece on the piano.  She is quite a musician.  Turns out she also plays the guitar, and she joined us at our Rehab facility play date the next day, Thursday.  Amazing.  She was playing songs she had never heard and sitting where she could watch Charlie’s fingering for chords.. and keeping up with us all.  One we had printed words for and she sang along and one she knew the words.  What talented people exist in our wide world !

Hope you have a nice week as well.

Independence Day Update

We wanted to wish you a happy July 4th, and hope you are having a less windy day than we are.  We have had gusts to 48 mph, and average winds over 35 mph all day, at the airport, 5 miles south of us.  We are protected somewhat by the trees to our west, but it has been really crazy for the past couple of days.  I’m glad we are not out for a picnic today.

The last posting told you about my recent visit to my cardiologist, and nothing much has changed along those lines.  I’m still recovering, slowly.  My energy level is not back where I would like it, and I still cannot yet raise my left arm over my shoulder.  But, I’m alive and well, and getting better each day – and very thankful for it.

As time goes by, we hear more and more about people who have had challenging medical emergencies and made it through as well.  There have also been some who haven’t, so that is always food for thought and prayer.

We just learned of a serious accident with friends; a swather (machine for cutting hay) fire in Oregon (in their field) that caused severe 2nd and 3rd degree burns to our friend.  He and his family are in our prayers, as he gets through the burn unit in Portland, OR.

Speaking of swathers, our neighbor ran over a rock and jammed his swather.  John volunteered to chisel the rock out, and it worked.  Amazing.

We are still caring for our puppies, who turn 6 weeks old tomorrow.  We have a lot of care taking them in and out of the house, and now we are in charge of feeding them instead of their mommy.  She has weaned them with our help.  They are eating hard puppy chow just fine now, and are romping and playing in the backyard.  They have a big dog house they can escape to, to get shelter from the wind when they need rest from playing.  It’s nice because they do all their peeing and pooping outside, and not in our washroom, where John has to clean up the papers and carry to our compost pile.

We have homes for all but 3 now, as one we were counting on, fell through, because of the facial markings.  That is NOT the way to choose a hunting dog and family member, in my estimation.  I’m just as happy he’s not getting her.  We are thrilled the little guy, who is doing very well, has a forever home, here in Ellensburg, where we might keep track of him.   I’m sure he will eventually catch up, but he is still half the size of his siblings.  He is going to a fishing family as is his sister to another, so they will be introduced to fishing soon.

We won’t want to ship any of these puppies, so if you are reading this and know of someone interested in a fine hunting dog, but who is within the Pacific Northwest, then let us know, please.

Speaking of dogs:  since we last wrote, our Brittany (the brother to the mom of these puppies) finished his show championship — in Pennsylvania.  Yes, you heard that right.  Our trainer (field) was out West, but inherited his family farm in Aleppo, PA, and moved there a couple of years ago, taking our pup with him.  He and his wife have been campaigning him in field trials, and also in shows when the availability presented itself.  Just this last weekend, he was entered in 4 shows, and won two of them and was runner-up in the other two.  The significance is that it finished his show championship, and he is now titled, Ch. Cedaridge Vintage Cork.  We hope they finish his field championship this fall, and then he will be a Dual Ch.

ALEPPO — meaning: as John found on the web, is a pine tree.  It’s also known as the Jerusalem pine.  It is unlikely it would grow there in Aleppo, PA, but could be. It is found mostly in eastern Spain, the south of France, and on to Jordan and Morocco.  Supposedly, it is grown in the southwest U.S. (It is also an ancient town in Syria.)

Finally, about the 4th of July celebration for us.  For John and me supper will be a good inside picnic with BBQ pork and beans tonight, but the real celebration was on Friday, July 2, when the music group I play with … Kittitas Valley Fiddlers & Friends, entertained at the local Dry Creek Retirement Center who together with the Adult Activity Center put on their annual July 4th BBQ for the community.  We have provided music for 5 years.  This year we did our regular old-time music, but interspersed patriotic songs:  Battle Hymn of the Republic, There’s a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere, America, America the Beautiful, This Land is Your Land, and our specialty, the national anthem, sung acapella.   We did it at the beginning and near the end.  We stood up and so did almost all of the elderly people, many in walkers, and they sang at the top of their lungs, with their right hand over their heart.  It was a most moving and awesome experience.   It is not something we will soon forget.   We played music from 11:30 to 1:30 with a short break to eat of the catered picnic buffet.

Hope this finds you all well.  Thanks for continuing to check this blog.  We will try to update it every weekend.