The end - and the beginning

A blog entry written by my son, Brian:

Dear Friends and Family,

Dad passed from this earthly life about 1:20 pm yeaterday.

I spent Thursday night with him since my brother spent Wednesday night. Dad's breathing became progressively more labored and shallow as time went on, until he drew his last breath.

This represents the end of Dad's earthly life but the beginning of his eternal life. He no longer has a mind fogged by Alzheimer's Disease or ears that can barely hear or legs that can barely carry him along. For the first time in years he understands clearly, hears everything said around him, and can walk easily. Most importantly, he is face to face with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Mom, Daryl, and I will miss him, but we look forward to being with him when our time comes.

Arrangement's for Dad's memorial service are pending at this time; I'll send another email when they are finalized.

Meanwhile, Mom came down with a respiratory infection this week and fell in the bathroom Thursday night. Since Daryl is staying with her he was able to call 911. She wasn't injured seriously but is in the hospital recovering from dehydration and a urinary tract infection. The doctor discovered significant blockage in her carotid arteries as well and she will have surgery soon.

Daryl stayed with Mom Thursday night until Friday afternoon, when I came over from Hospice House to relieve him. I stayed with Mom last night and she is feeling better this morning. We expect her to be discharged tomorrow.

Thank you for your past and continued prayers. We appreciate them and can feel them.

Love,

Brian

Hospice move

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

Today we finally got Louis moved to Hospice, where he is very comfortable. I am so glad he is there and not in the nursing home. He has only a few days left before he moves again to his heavenly home, but he is in a good place for it.

My dear friend stayed with me after Brian left to go back to work, and tomorrow after her work day is finished, Mari will come to be with me. Daryl is driving down tomorrow to be with his Dad, so please pray for travel mercies for him.

I am either having a bad allergy attack or coming down with a cold, so please pray that I do not get sick this week. There are many decisions to make and papers to hunt up, so I need to be well,

God continues to be so good...Ryan was on the floor again and we exchanged a few laughs and greetings and hugs. He was by Louis at one point at he went by on a gurney and got to say goodby.

I am using the sleeping aids the doctor prescribed, so I usually get a good nights sleep, which is a blessing.

And so we wait...

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Small joys amid sorrow

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

Since we spent Jan. 20 in the ER, pretty much all day, Brian and I were together at Louis' bedside today just watching him sleep. As long as he is sleeping, I know he feels no pain. I washed his face and used the flavored sponges to moisten his mouth and lips, which caused him to close his mouth.

My dear friend, Mariagnes, wanted to take me to a belated birthday lunch, so after the Hospice nurse came, and all the papers were signed, Brian said to go ahead. Mari picked me up at the circle entrance and took me to Fresco's on the waterfront. We ate outside and it was a lovely break from the hospital walls. Due to a mix-up in my order, I received two lunches, on the house!, so had enough to take home for supper. God is good !

Another joy was seeing Ryan again, on the third floor this time, and I was happy to greet him, as he was to see me! The praying housekeeper, Malinda, was also back and i thanked her for her prayers for Louis.

Another answer to prayer..there will be a bed waiting for Louis at Hospice Woodside tomorrow...Magnolia 40. There is always a waiting list, so miracles still happen, (thanks, Russ).

Brian and I will go together to the hospital to wait for the papers to be signed and cleared, so Louis can be moved out in an ambulance which is paid for by Hospice.

And so another day comes to a close, but I am feeling more peace about the situation. The 23rd Psalm keeps running through my mind and I recited it on the way to the hospital yesterday. God's will be done.

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Decision made

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

Tomorrow I will tell the doctor to have Louis transfered to Woodside Hospice in Pinellas Park, I have not toured it yet, but it looks like a lovely place from the virtual tour I took online.

I held his hand today and washed his face and he tried to speak to me, but couldn't get the words out. I am full of tears right now at the thought of my beloved husband of 61 years leaving me, but I know he will have a new body and will not be suffering any more.

Once more, other believers were visiting the man in the next bed and gave me a little encouragement. God is good!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Another day at Bayfront--more decisions

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners.

To those of you who have been praying for Louis and me, I thank you. When I think of all the germs I have encountered as I walked through and sat in the ER and throughout the hospital, I believe God must have a shield protecting me. While I feel tired and am not eating at regular times, I still am pretty healthy.

Louis was on his right side all day, and mostly slept. He had a sitter whose job was to just sit and watch over him and, I guess, the man in the other bed. Louis was awake at different times and when his eyes focused on me, he seemed to know me, but is not speaking much, just whispering. Joel, the nurse, told Brian that they have called in an ENT doctor to check on him, as they believe he has mastoiditis. I was not told this, and I was there over four hours.

The doctor wants to put in a feeding tube and I am not for it, so Brian and Daryl and I will consult with a hospice rep to find out more about it. At this point, I do not see Louis coming back to where he was before the infections and pneumonia invaded his body.

I am asking for prayers for divine guidance and wisdom as to the next step. I know Hospice takes wonderful care of patients, even when they are not dying, so we will see if that is an option.

God, in his goodness, sent a wonderful person in the cleaning lady who came in after the patient left this afternoon. She said her husband was in the hospital six months and the doctor said he would die. She said "My God did not tell me that" and her husband is now home, walking around the block and does everything but bathe himself. At the time, she was working and visiting him at the hospital twice a day...very hard on her, but she said, "God made your husband, and He will take care of him!" Amen

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

A birthday in the ER

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

After being at the bedside of Louis in the ER from 10 Am until 5:30 or so PM, Brian and I left Louis in a room in good hands. We met Dr. Cohen the neurologist, who took His history and ours, is very kindly, and someone I would love to have as a doctor, also met the speech therapist, who recommended a feeding tube, which I said no too, and then was assured by the nurse practioner who works with Dr. Cohen that there was no need to make that decision yet.

Louis was x-rayed, chest, abdomen and hip-knee...things I think should have been done the first time he was admitted. We had to wait all day because the hospital is full and no beds were available for any of the ER patients, so I guess they had to check out the ones well enough to go home, in order to get beds for the new ones.

The one thing that is wrong again is another UTI. Dr. Cohen said constipation and infections can cause a normal person to have slight dementia and a person already suffering from dementia to have a bad reaction.

So once again , and as he has been all along, Louis' future is in God's hands. I had a really nice visit from Pastor Rick, who prayed a wonderful prayer for us both as he sat with me in the ER for awhile. What a blessing! God in His infinite mercy is good!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Another day

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

Without seeming to be too discouraged, I must admit that I cannot see that Louis will ever be able to come home again. I don't know what God has in store for tomorrow, but today My beloved slept nearly all day, and did not eat much lunch... just a couple bites. He was awake when I came back this afternoon, but does not seem to really know what is going on. I think he knows me and my touch, and responds when I touch his knee which pains him when it is moved.

He ate well for supper, and drank the Glucerna shake I brought and most of his apple juice, but once again is running a slight fever. I cannot seem to make the nurses and staff realize that he needs to be turned every two hours and I know they are probably not as busy as the hospital staff, but need to be more organized. The morning nurse did not know a thing about him except his last name. I had to fill her in when I got there.

John Honey visited today, which was a real blessing. He went over the speech with me that he is giving at AA tonight. Karin and Jim brought a delicious stew and accompaniments for my supper, which I really appreciate. Thanks, you all.

As always, God is in control and He is good, May his will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Back at Shore Acres

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

Well, when I arrived at Bayfront this morning, no one had been able to wake Louis for his breakfast, so I just raised his bed and started feeding him while his eyes were closed. He started eating and soon woke up and ate a good portion of his cold meal and drank his juice and milk. His nurse, Amelia, said I was an angel, and mashed up his meds so she could give them to him while he was opening his mouth.

Two of his doctors came by and said the kidneys were clear and his pneumonia was practically cleared up, so I was glad I was there to meet them. I must say Amelia is a very caring nurse and as busy as she was, she gave time to talk to me and take care of Louis. I thank God for her and she was very encouraging and thanked me for my help, which I, in turn, thanked her.

I was told that he would be discharged, but no time, so after giving him his lunch and waiting there for six hours, I went down to Joffrey's and got a sandwich and then was overcome by fatigue, so I told Amelia I was going home and the paramedics could take him to shore Acres and Brian would meet them there, which he did.

He has a different room and nurse and he was cleaned up and bed changed and taken care of while Brian was there, so I just stayed home and rested, which I am still doing. I think the talk I had with the nursing home rep and remarks I made about the care, may have had a good effect. "The squeaky wheel gets the grease."

Thank you all for prayers, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." God is good to keep me going.

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Sixth floor Bayfront

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

Today I went up to the 4th floor as usual and walked down to 454 and there was a stranger in what formerly was Louis' bed. I asked the nurse and the charge nurse, and no one knew where he was, so she got on the computer and found they had moved him to the sixth floor. I asked why and the reason was he no longer needed to be on the cardiac care floor, because the monitor was removed, so I have no idea what the sixth floor section he is in is for.

Anyway, I found him and his breakfast tray which was untouched...it was 10:30 already. I started to feed him and the care tech came in and I told her he needed to be fed and she had just found that out. Sigh. Sometimes the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing. Louis ate a good cold breakfast, and then was tired. Moves like that totally exhaust him. I met the doctor on call, and he said that he will be discharged tomorrow to be sent back to Shore Acres. Another ambulance ride! Brian and I have decided to have an appointment to talk with the nurse in charge, and ,if necessary, the administrator to get things changed and get him properly taken care of.

I stayed long enough to give him lunch, which he was hungry for, and ate just about all of it...still pureed stuff, but that seems a lot easier for him to swallow. He gave the raspberry, and popped his lips a couple times like he was doing at home, so he is gradually remembering the things I wish he would forget. :o)

On my way home, I took a ride through the crowded park and saw dozens of turtles of all sizes catching some rays on the bank of the canal. I also saw the usual ibis and herons and then realized that God was smiling, because the song on the radio was "All Creatures of our God and King". I admired the various contrails criss-crossing the sky on this beautiful, warm day. I went home, ate a little lunch and took a short nap. which was good.

I felt like I should go back down to the hospital, instead of waiting for Brian to fill in, and got there just as they were loading Louis on a gurney to take him to x-ray for his chest. When he came back he was too exhausted to eat any supper, but the nurse Amelia seemed to be very conscientious about his care. Brian stayed longer, but could not get his dad to eat any more.

Well, we will see what takes place tomorrow and when he gets moved, but God is good and will watch over us through it all.

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

A shorter way

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

What a difference a day makes! Louis was awake and looking around when I arrived at his room this morning. I asked him how he felt and he said, "Fine." This with needles in his hand and tubing coming out other places. He answered some questions and then was mumbling about something, not understandable. The care tech said he ate all his pureed eggs, grits and oatmeal and drank his juice and milk. Then when his lunch came, he was really hungry and opened his mouth like a bird to eat his pureed beef, mac&cheese. and his pureed spring veg. soup. Also his choc. ice cream and drank all his milk and cranberry juice. Dr. Fubella, the kidney specialist was in and said he would leave orders to get him up and would probably discharge him Monday.

So, back to the nursing home. I talked to the doc, Carol, from Shore Acres, who also came to check on him and told her of my concerns about the lack of care there. She said to address my concerns to the right people there, which I already have to a couple of staff. I cannot have him at home without full time care help, but God has been good to watch over him so far, so I will trust him to give me backbone enough to be the squeaky wheel!

His roommate was gone when I got there this morning, so the bed and walls and tray were scrubbed down and they got rid of the bed and brought in another and then filled that one before too long. This time instead of the TV going all the time, the wife talked non-stop. Well, you can't choose your roommates and fortunately, noise does not bother Louis with the hearing aids out!

Hooray for me.".ve get too soon old and too late schmart" as my Pennsylvania Dutch grandmother used to say. Today I took different elevators, and discovered I came out practically in the mezzanine of the front entrance, which has an elevator down to the ground floor! Not nearly so much walking, but I did have to cross sixth st. to get to the parking garage. Guess it doesn't matter when I discovered the shorter way even if we only have two more days.

Brian was kind enough to spell me this afternoon, and went to give his Dad the evening meal, which he was hungry for. Louis even sang today and said "Happy Birthday" for no apparent reason. God is good! And answers prayers!
Keep praying for us, They are what keeps us going!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Friday, the 15th

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

Just a short one tonight, I hope. I am so tired it is difficult to type straight.First, Lauren, the nurse today, is an nice and patient as Phong said she is. She took time to feed Louis, and since he is taking so long to chew and swallow, they have him on pureed foods now, which I am sure are nutritious, but look to me like they have already been through the intestinal tract. He would not eat lunch, just slept, because I discovered that all the bedding was wet from a leaky IV.

So, I was there while the nurse and care tech rolled and changed and bathed him all over. The way they do this is amazing! Even though he has lost lots of weight, they work as a team, using gravity to move him. They got him all cleaned up, and I shaved him with a new Norelco electric razor I bought, which works really well and then all he wanted to do was sleep.

Since they could not find a new vein to put the IV in, they asked permission to do a PIC in the upper arm. I don't remember what that stands for, anyway, they have a special team which does this. His arm will be deadened, and they will insert the needle. Dr. Cabella, (sp) the kidney specialist wants him to still receive the antibiotics via the IV. Lauren gave him the meds crushed up in pudding tonight, and it took about half an hour to get him to open his eyes and eat. He finally drank a little milk and a couple bites of mashed pots. Lauren said she would try to get him to eat some more later.

He is still very sick and Lauren explained to Brian and me how many muscles are involved in the simple act of swallowing, which neither one of us realized. They leave him in a raised position for forty five minutes after eating to avoid aspiration, but he is very glad to lie back down..

Brian left work early tonight so we could go eat together, so we went to Atlanta Bread and were the only ones there for most of the time we ate. It was very enjoyable. Then he drove me back to the parking garage to get my van which was good because I was so tired to trek up the slope again.

One other thing...I got turned around again coming out of the elevator and God had another kind man to lead me out! I am so directionally disfunctional, it is pathetic! But God is good in so many ways to me. I thank Him for kind and loving prayers which are sustaining me! The 23rd Psalm has been running through my mind today and I was reciting it all the way to the hospital this afternoon.

Love and hugs, (did I say this would be short???)
Amaryllis

Adventures at Bayfront

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

Some good and some not so good news today. When I arrived at the fourth floor today,, I was met by Phong, who said that Louis had refused to eat breakfast and spit out his meds. He asked what I wanted to do if he did not start eating and I said no feeding tube!

He agreed, with the age and condition. I had just had a conversation with Mari about the agony her mother went through with her feeding tube, so God's timing was perfect.

However, when lunch came, Louis surprised us by eating a large portion of lasagna, all his pears, half his soup and all his iced tea! I called Phong in so he could see him eat and he said he was so proud of him! I really did not expect him to be hungry for supper tonight and he did not eat a bite. He also was not thirsty. If he comes back from the severe pneumonia and UTI, it will take a lot of therapy to get him to be mobile again. Only God knows if that will happen.

About Phong...He is a very caring young man. He asked me today if I minded telling him my age, so I did. He seem surprised and wanted to know who was coming to pick me up. I told him I drove and parked in the garage. I believe in their culture the young take care of the old, because he asked if I lived alone and I said I did now, because of Louis being in the hospital. He thought he had been living in the nursing home. I told him just since New Year's eve when all this started. Phong gave me a hug and kiss because he is off tomorrow, but he said the nurse tomorrow is nice.

Then when I left, I got turned around again on the second floor, looking for the Skywalk. A young doctor came out of double doors and I asked him the way and he walked me through the operating section, which he said was a shorter way, and saw to it that I was turning the right way. I repeat, God sends the nicest people to guide me along my stumbling way.

Well, continue to pray for strength for me for the journey we are now walking through. I am getting very tired and dread the long walk to the fourth floor, but God is good to give me the energy to put one foot in front of the other.
We wait to see God's plans for tomorrow.

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

4th floor at Bayfront

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

What a blessing today was! I was surrounded by the love and caring of four dear friends as they took me to lunch at Atlanta Bread, and gave me a much-needed break. Mari even drove me home with two quarts of soup and the goodies Carole gave me. Thanks, ladies! Everyone was so nice and it was good to have some laughs. I enjoyed some of the clam chowder tonight. It was delicious!

Mari also baked me some cookies. which are yummy!

I met Louis' Bayfront family doctor today...Dr. Razi, He is big and informal seems very caring. He explained the renal failure goes along with Pneumonia because of dehydration, but is easily corrected with IV's . However, he is calling in a kidney specialist tomorrow to check Louis out. Louis slept (loudly) just about all day while I was there and ate only a bite of food, althoiugh his nurse, Phong, said he ate a good portion of the breakfast . Once again we have a caring nurse who came in frequently. Louis has big air booties on his feet now and a large foam wedge pillow to keep him on his side to ease the pressure on his sore bottom. He is in the cardiac care unit because of the possibility of a clot forming from the inactivity. When Brian visited tonight, he spoke to Phong about the lack of appetite and he said that is not uncommon when he is so sick and fighting the germs.

So we keep on praying and trust God in his infinite mercy to do the healing through the doctors. God is good!

Another great thing God does is send people in my path to show me the way around the hospital. I get so turned around I always have to ask the first person I see for directions and so far they have been men who walked me to the way I should go. Mari and I had a laugh when we got on the elevator and got off what we thought was the wrong floor. Four burly paramedics got on and pushed the up button when we decided we needed to get back on. They stopped the elevator and then told us we were on the right floor to go out the exit. We were laughing and I said we weren't even blond! God has a sense of humor, too. Another chuckle when I walked too far on the fourth floor and looked bewildered, and the guy in scrubs said "Where do you need to go, girlfriend?" :o)

All in all a tiring but good day. Keep on praying for Louis and I know God will hear the prayers!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Another morning

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! After a late night waiting in the ER with Louis, who had fluids going in and fluids coming out, Brian and I called it a night when we got the results of all the blood tests. Louis has pneumonia and is in good hands at Bayfront, I hope.

I spoke with his nurse this morning, who is a male and sounds very caring, and he is being turned every two hours because of nasty potential bedsores on his bottom. I will visit him as soon as I shower and get dressed, but I stayed in bed until almost 7:30 this morning. I'm not used to staying up so late.

I appreciate all the love, concern and calls I have been receiving. Please keep up the prayers for his recovery and comfort.

"Trust the past to God's mercy, the present to his love,
And the future to his providence.
St. Augustine.

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Back to Bayfront

This has been a looong day and evening, dear friends and Prayer Partners! The doc at the nursing home discovered from blood tests that Louis had several elevated levels and things that indicated he should be in the hospital. So, after a long wait during which he ate a good supper and I did not, Gil came to wait with me and the ambulance to take him to Bayfront Hospital again.

Brian met me there and after several hours of waiting, the results showed pneumonia. So he will be admitted again and I will eat a bowl of cereal and call it a night.

God is so good to surround me with the love and concern of dear friends and for moving Brian up here to be with me!

Keep praying. please,
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Another day

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

Well, lots of activity for Louis today, none of which involved getting a bath. He was rolled into a sling-like devise which weighed him like a cow or hog, and then this afternoon was exhausted from the attempt to put him in a wheelchair. Apparently during the fighting against it, his left elbow was severely bruised and skinned and I discovered it bleeding. One doctor, and four attendants and thirty five minutes later, he finally got a bandage to cover the wound. I could have gone home, got a bandage and been back in the time they got their acts together!

This was the first time the staff doctor had checked him out, and she said after examining his back, that he had five spots which should be watched. Trouble is, no one comes in to turn him over on his side . I really think it is time to make waves to get him washed and a little more attention paid to him. I see aides drinking sodas while on duty, texting as they walk down the hall, talking about last night's TV. Am I being too hard on them? I don't think so.

A very efficient CNA brought Louis' supper tray and a guest tray for me, which I did not order, but was grateful for anyway. After I tried to get Louis to eat, which he did not want to, I gulped my bland food down and then gave him a Glucerna shake which he drank. I asked Michael, the CNA, where he had been, because he got someone immediately to lift Louis up higher. checked him over and straightened his covers...and he said he works at the other end, to request him (said in a hurry) so I will!

All in all a very tiring day, brightened by phone calls from a couple dear friends. But God is good and I wait for his will to be done,

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Let's see. what day is this?

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

To answer the question above, it must be the eleventh day, because Louis was taken to the hospital on NY's eve. I have been told that the large dark bruised looking spot on his left heel, is a pressure sore from rubbing on the bed. They are treating it with an ointment that is supposed to toughen the skin, and putting a pillow under his lower legs to keep the feet off the bed.

I am a little discouraged by his lack of appetite. He chews and chews, and then has to be told to spit the bite out. I took him some Glucerna milkshake today and he drank all that, and ate some fruit I brought for him. He slept a lot today, and is frightened when anyone moves him or the bed goes up and down. When I talk to him he will respond a little, but does not talk on his own.

I have never seen him quite this way before, so I am praying he will have a breakthrough soon when the infection is finally gone. He will need a lot of phys. therapy to even begin to sit up, let alone walk again. Righ now, shoes are out of the question with the heel the way it is..

The sermon on True Friends, today really was good for me, because without all your prayers, I don't know what I would do, but God has a plan for us, and He is Good! So we wait for his Will and continue to pray for healing for Louis.

Thank you all just for being there, and offering help.

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

more prayers please

Good evening, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

I spent most of the morning and part of the afternoon with Louis, and helped with his bed bath and changing of the sheets., which he does not enjoy. He seems frightened at being turned and has to hold on to the bed or my hand, while I talk to him and try to calm him..

He is not getting the food he is used to...low fat and low cholesterol..and I talked to a nurse about it today, again. I took in some grapes and fruit that he eats at home and he enjoyed that after eating very little of his lunch.

Please pray for his fever to lessen. Brian said he was given Tylenol to help it go down this afternoon. This must still be the UTI causing the fever. I thought he was over that, but maybe not. He was sleepy a lot today, but seemed to know me and talked a little when asked questions, so this is good

It seems we make a little forward progress and then slip backwards, but God is in control and knows exactly what is going on.
God is good!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Praises!

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners!

God has begun to answer prayers. Today Louis spoke words saying, his name and my name after prompting. He also said, "Yep" a lot in answer to questions. When I was feeding him supper, i said another bite? and he said, "No bite", so he is slowly coming back. My friends Gil and Lee, visited today at lunch when he was not communicating very well, and then another friend, John, came this afternoon, loved on Louis and massaged his shoulders and he looked at John and recognized him. We prayed for him after he said "Yep" when asked if he would like us to.

We also prayed for Mr Moses, his roommate, who was grateful for the prayers.

John then insisted on buying my supper and bringing it to me which we shared together after I went home.
Dear friends are good, and God is Good all the time!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

situation

Good morning, Dear friends and Prayer Partners,

No further news on Louis. Yesterday I fed him lunch and he ate about half, but he is still not communicating and does not seem to be able to talk. He looks at me like I look familiar, but still has trouble relating to people. He sleeps a lot but they are going to try speech therapy today. This infection has really knocked him out!

I appreciate so much your prayers for us...strength and energy for me and recovery for him. God is good!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Moved

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

After being so tired I was almost in a coma, last night, thought I would update you this morning. Louis slept all day yesterday, waking up only for lunch that I fed him. He had been moved across the hall during the night, had a bath, got shaved, which he really needed, and was totally tired out. His infection seems healed, but he is still running a low grade fever for some reason.

Anyway, the doctor thought there was nothing more they could do for him in the hospital, so after visits from three rehab reps, I visited Shore Acres rehab and nursing home yesterday morning and chose them. He was not moved until after 6:30, by ambulance, and I knew I would have trouble finding the place in the dark. Sure enough, I wandered around Shore Acres for half an hour with Brian on the speaker phone trying to give me directions, but I could not read the street signs in the dark.

Thank the Lord, he got there just as the ambulance was unloading his Dad. The paramedics had shown me the way they go on their computer, and I tried to follow it, but that was my mistake. I should have gone the way I did in the morning. I was tired, hungry, and worn out by the time Brian came to get me and show me the way, but at least, I got to see that Louis was peacefully sleeping in a bed and prayed for him to have a better day today.


I will call the facility today and see what I need to bring for Louis...clothes, etc, since he was still in a hospital gown when he was moved. He has a very nice roommate and I am thankful for that. God is good!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Short update

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

Louis is continuing on in the hospital for the next day or two, because the infection still has not cleared up, and this decision calms my mind, because he is in no condition to be moved right now.
I talked with the Dr. taking the other doc's place the rest of the week and she was very eloquent and informative about his treatment. I think she is So. African, and had an accent , but seemed well informed. Louis was a little more alert today, not sleeping so much, did not eat his breakfast, but ate all his lunch that I fed him. He also took his meds for me, which he wouldn't do for the nurse.. Even tho' he doesn't know me half the time, he knows my face and called me by name twice with a little prompting.

My young friend, Ryan, will not be there tomorrow, and will be celebrating his 20th birthday!! I knew he was young, but never guessed he is still a teenager. He seems so mature. He is so helpful and knowledgeable about his job, I wish him well, and gave him a hug when I left. He is a blessing!

God is good at finding me parking spaces in the dreaded parking garage. I still do not like it!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis...very tired

Still updating

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

Today Louis was not very responsive and slept almost the whole time I was with him. He woke up to eat his lunch, which I fed him, and had a fairly good appetite, but had his eyes closed most of the time. Tomorrow we make the decision of where to send him for rehab, so please pray for wisdom for me for the right choice, according to insurance and the doctor's visit.

I have been talking with a very nice patient care tech. Ryan, a young man who is going to join the Air Force soon, and today we had a good conversation about how to have a long marriage. (61 years for us) I told him tolerance and Jesus in the marriage. He asked me to repeat it and then said I should go on TV and put it in the paper and on the radio. He also believes marriage should be based on God and that all decisions should be made with God in mind. I told him I did not know what the future held for Louis and me, but God is in control and He knows, so we just have to trust in His will.
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Ryan came over to me and held out his hand, but I stood up and gave him a hug. God sends the nicest people in my path!
God is good!

More updates tomorrow! Keep those prayers coming!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Another update..prayer request

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

Well, the end of the hospital is not in sight,yet. Louis still has IV's and antibiotic pumping into him and the longer he stays in bed, the weaker he gets. Today the Phys. Therapist came and encouraged him with her help to sit up and dangle his legs. This was very difficult for him and she says he will probably have to go to a rebab center (nursing home) after he leaves the hospital , so he can get back to being mobile. the longer he stays in unfamiliar surroundings, the more confused he is. He will eat if someone feeds him, but the nurses cannot stick with him long enough to help, so today I was there to have his breakfast warmed up, so I could feed him, and then I fed him lunch. He has a good appetite, but needs help, because he cannot use his hands well because of monitors and iv's

Brian is taking the supper shift and is trying to shave him and get his teeth brushed. But God is in control and he is Good!
Keep on praying,

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Update

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

Thanks to all who are praying. Louis is still in the hospital and is still fighting the infection in the bladder and urinary tract. He has a good appetite if someone feeds him, because it is difficult to eat in bed when you have tubes and monitors attached. So I fed him his lunch and supper and he ate everything. He still is not too communicative with the nurses unless they have a good attitude with him, but is fine with Brian and me.

I will not be able to bring him home until they can get him up and remove the catheter, so it may be another day or two.

Thanks for keeping us in your prayers!

Love ahd hugs,
Amaryllis