FFF In honor of Memzy and Halloween :)

Halloween 1986. Becca had a halloween themed birthday party. Can you pick out Emily and Becca? (and Chewy)
Halloween 1985--the politically incorrect homeless person and angel. LOVE IT!!

Thursday's update

I know you must be getting sick of pictures of Cris in the hospital but these are legit--new ones. Notice the "shirt" and tom-terrific jammy pants and the smile and the almost straight legs. Physical therapy today went really well. He's gaining strength and balance and the pelvis is mending and doesn't hurt as much.

Now this picture is important for two reasons. 1) He's casually sitting on the side of the bed airing out his back and bum from the constant laying-down-position. 2) I took the splint off his arm today to give his wound some air time. The zipper is on the under side and can't be seen in this picture. His arm is still a bit swollen but it looks great. We did our usual "range of motion" exercises and it was NBD (no big deal). Tomorrow we're hoping the nurse takes out the staples. Not to worry--I'll have my office staple remover in my purse just in case. Tomorrow's pictures should be really cool of the "filleted arm".

A special shout out to Nathan and Annalisa for their super surprise package yesterday with very special chocolates. He now has a candy "drawer" by his bed and feels right at home. Thanks to Gramma Decker for the Dewars ice cream gift cards. We had yummy sundaes today. He's collecting the greeting cards in his drawer and likes to review them when he gets bored. Thanks so much for all the well wishes. All is well and we're moving forward. Love to all, Carol

Physical Therapy Rocks!!

Yesterday Cris went to the PT ROOM and worked with "Ian". Getting from bed to wheelchair is difficult and sometimes painful but he is glad to do it.

LOOK--He's standing. Awesome Dude!! Absolutely no weight on the left leg/pelvis for a month.(Maybe pants would have been a good idea)

Today (pants included) he did different exercises and they didn't hurt too bad. Notice the mouth helps the left leg move better. Way cool socks.

Charlie decided he would exercise with Papa and make his muscles strong.
Loved the bouncy ball.
Notice all the beautiful cards from grandchildren. All other cards are greatly appreciated but not worthy of wall art. (grandkids, click on this picture to enlarge and see your cards :)The beautiful plant and balloons are from the Jeppson Family. Much appreciated. Thanks everyone.

Today I took off the splint, cleaned his arm, being careful not to touch any staples, and took another picture to document the healing process. It really does look cool.

Transferring from bed to wheelchair was MUCH better today and he is very encouraged. He had several visitors today and lots of activity and felt really good about it. His strength and endurance is increasing every day and we are very encouraged. Thanks so much to everyone for all your love and support.

What a good day we had!!

Our second full day at Mercy SNF went really well. The staff is super quick to respond to the "button"--the food is much better--the room is excellent--the TV and remote are good (this is very important when only your fingers work) and Cris had lots of company which really made him feel loved. He wouldn't have been ready for company earlier, but it was perfect timing today.

The physical therapist worked with him for about 1/2 hour, moving legs, arms and standing him up a few times. It wasn't too bad and he felt good to get off his back a bit. So we've moved past "survival mode" and are on to "we have a plan now let's get to it".

Again, Nick spent most of the day with Dad watching football which left me free to play with grandkids. They left about 4:30 for Henderson and we settled in for evening visitors.

Our Bishop and his wife and his second counselor came for a visit, gave us the sacrament and sister Lewis played her cello. It was awesome and helped us feel the Sunday spirit.

At home we made fresh play dough and had fun. Bella and Tasha

Liesl and Owen

Clara loves her Aunt Lori.

As I got Cris all settled for the night he said, "This was a really good day". I can't ask for more than that right now. (smiley face)

Saturday is a special day (primary music in the background)

Well Folks--today was a great day for many reasons.

1. Nick and Lori and girls are here for the weekend

2. Nick wanted to spend all day at the hospital with his dad watching football which left me free to enjoy my little princesses. It was a wonderful gift.

3. The rest of us gathered at Em and Sherod's to watch the BYU football game. It was a major fun cousin time.

4. Riley gave me a foot massage as I lounged on their couch. Oh, if I only had a picture of that. I swear I almost fell asleep midst all the noise. (It was still much quieter than KMC)

5. The girls and I made cupcakes and ate a lot of frosting.

6. We took Chinese food up to Mercy and Cris LOVED civilian food. He's eating much better.

We are so thrilled to be at Mercy. It's clean, quiet, kind, nice, peaceful, clean, quiet, kind, nice, peaceful. Cris moved his body much more in the bed today--a good sign. He was able to use his hands a bit more too and was relieved to get back to channel surfing. I think he'll be there about a week or so and then re-evaluated. All good things.

Check out this cool zipper on his arm. Can you believe that thing?

Fun cousin time.

Who doesn't like cupcakes?

Papa with Nick, Lori and the girls. We are so happy they came for a visit.

WE MADE IT OUT OF KMC!!!!!

Today was another exercises in frustration and patience but we finally made it out of KMC. There are so many facets to health care, insurance, patient needs. Making your way through the labyrinth can be stressful---but I prevailed. Cris was transported by Medivan (see picture below) to Mercy Hospital skilled nursing facility on Truxtun and in his new room (rm 111) by 4:30. If any of you come to visit you'll think, "this is just an ordinary not-so-appealing hospital room". You'd be wrong. It's all relative people and believe me----it's a great room. It was determined he was not ready for "acute rehab" and we should save that benefit for after the pelvis heals. So OK--could we not have heard this 3 days ago? As it turns out--this is the right decision and we're very pleased.

He was out of bed and in the wheel chair twice today and yes it was painful but he did really well. He LOVED the ride in the medivan because it was the first time in 7 days he's seen the sky. He ate a really good dinner for the first time in several days and is very happy.

Sherod and Charlie brought Gramma Rogers up to see Cris today and she really appreciated it. Charlie and I went on a short outing to Target while they visited. It felt so good for me to be on a date with one of my munchkins. He chose slimy eye balls from the Halloween section for his treat. Is anyone surprised?

Nick and Lori and the girls arrive tonight and it will be so good to have them here for cheer and support.

Hope all you traveling flanksters are having fun. You know who you are.

No that's a sweet ride! Yes, we're all happy I put pants on him.




Look at that face--pretty happy.

One more day at KMC--seriously, it's got to end sometime.

Well peeps--it didn't happen. Cris is still at KMC waiting to be set free and go to Health South. Do you know the paperwork/channels/process to accomplish this task? Three hours on the phone, 7 phone calls from the bottom of the insurance food chain to the top and we're getting closer. Tomorrow is the day. I've walked that fine line between professional, polite communication and aggressive "this is my husband people, get off your rear ends and make it happen". Word of advice: We are all grateful for our double blue cross coverage (thank you KHSD) so don't burn any bridges. Oh the patience we're learning.

The good news for today:
1. His new pj's are terrific
2. Major score with the Jamba Juice as he has no appetite and doesn't want to eat much.
3. Thank heavens for baseball on TV--helps pass the time.
4. Again with the thank you to the great nurses.
5. Cris' patience and graciousness in his helpless situation is most admirable.
6. Thank you to our beautiful grandchildren for their cards, hugs, kisses and smiles.
7. Thanks to our ALS Group friends, local ALS case manager and Cedars Sinai team for their advice and support.
8. Thanks to our ward family
9. Again with the wonderful daughters in town and sons out of town. What would we do without them?

Today was a better day.

Today was a better day. One I can talk about with a cheerful voice. Yesterday--not so much. Lessons learned yesterday:
1. When you have to take morphine for 3 days (broken pelvis pain is BAD) and then you stop. There are natural consequences. a) anxiety b) pain c)loss of appetite d)you feel "wired" and can't sleep e) depression/things feel fairly bleak.
2. Hospital rooms stink. No other way to say it.
3. Lack of sleep makes everything worse--do whatever you can to avoid it.
4. Daughters are angels
5. Ward members and friends are angels
6. When you hit an emotional wall--let someone else take over. Give up, go home, go to bed.
7. Thank the nurses regularly. They don't get paid enough.
8. Never have sleepovers with strangers. This is referring to Cris' roommates. I can't even begin to explain.

Lessons learned today:
1. Patience is a virtue for 5 days. It will not happen on day 6. If Cris' doesn't get moved out of KMC tomorrow some one is going to die. And it ain't gonna be me.
2. Sleep helps everything.
3. Daughters are angels.
4. Our Bishop is an angel.
5. When your loved one has no appetite (for various good reasons)--coaxing with smoothies sometimes helps. Just don't tell him how many "boosts" you put in that Jamba Juice. He'll find out soon enough :)
6. When feeding your husband--put on your glasses so you get the food IN his mouth.

Cris had a much better day today. He finally slept last night and his pain level was very low. No pain meds at all. He was moved around in his bed quite a bit today and tolerated it much better. While rolling him on to his side to change sheets/bathe, etc. the nurse exclaimed, "There it is"!! We finally found the bruise from the fall. We were so perplexed that he didn't have any bruises. We hadn't been able to roll him over until today and there it was--about the size of a large grapefruit on his left butt-cheek. Finally, something to show for all this. Emily stayed with Cris for lunch today so I could make a shopping trip to find him some spiffy physical therapy outfits. Fashion and comfort--an important thing. I had to look for stuff that could fit over the cast, button up the front, cover the necessary parts and still look good doing it. Success!! Look for PT pictures in the future.

Love to everyone,
Carol

P.S. Who is voting for Cloris Leachman on dancing with the stars? Whoever you are--stop it!!

the teeth won

No post last night. It was that or brush my teeth. The teeth won. We didn't make it to Health South yesterday but hope today is a better day. Thanks to everyone for your cheer, love and support.

Day Three of our outstanding adventure

Things are lookin' up people! Lessons learned today:
1. Bringing candy for all medical staff improves your care. Seriously
2. Lying on your back for 2 1/2 days makes everything itchy.
3. Ice chips on the sly never killed anyone.
4. Having a doctor in the family helps you know what questions to ask.
5. Visiting grandchildren bring the sunshine right in to the room.
6. When they say you can't use your cell phone in the hospital--pretend you didn't hear, ignore and if necessary--look at them like they're crazy. This only happens in the ER/trauma area--whatever. Like my cell phone is going to interfere with that catheter. I'm just sayin'.
7. Hospital food is never good--never.
8. Pay attention to the doctor and try to remember EVERYTHING he says.
9. A smiling face gets you more help than an impatient one.
10. Last, but not least--be pro-active about what step comes next. Being one step ahead is always good.

Surgery went very well this afternoon. A plate and a few screws stabilized the left arm/elbow area. He tollerated the surgery and anesthesia well and was fairly comfortable when finally settled back in his room.

The plan is to move him from the hospital to a rehab center tomorrow. The arm will be immobile for 7 days and then physical therapy. The pelvis will require non-weight bearing bed rest for we don't know how long. It will be really good to exit this hospital and go to Health South Rehab. It's a beautiful place, closer to home, cheerful and they have great PT's there. One day at a time--one day at a time.

Thanks so much for all your calls, blog comments, emails, etc. I print everything and take it to Cris in the hospital. It really cheers him.


Cris loved his visitors today. Gramma Rogers was very happy to see him.



Clara and Liesl comforting Papa.
The best medicine.
John sent beautiful flowers. Thanks John!
Post surgery. New splint on arm--medicated smile. Emily brought home-made bread and soup for dinner. It tasted sooooooo good. First real meal in 3 days for Papa.

Look at all the beautiful cards from Liesl, Owen, Riley, Jack and Charlie. Papa loved them.

Look who took a swan dive off an escalator

This is going to seem like an odd post--I agree--but sometimes you have to get your "therapy" wherever you can. Obviously I've chosen blogging as my therapy tonight. Some of you already know the story--others will be shocked, but here goes.

Yesterday Cris went to Sears to visit one of our home teaching people who work in the basement. He does not go 'solo' very often but wants to do what he can, while he can, so off he went to Sears. He stepped on the escalator to go down to the first floor, lost his balance, reached for the rail, couldn't hold on AND FELL OVER THE SIDE 23 FEET TO THE FLOOR BELOW. I know--I know!! It all happened so fast he didn't even have time to be scared. When he hit the floor he was stunned but did not lose consciousness. People ran to him (the clerk who witnessed the fall is permanently traumatized) and found him moaning. He told them his name, and gave them my cell number. I get the call--I can't believe what I'm hearing--I'm only 5 minutes away--I arrive in front of the paramedics thinking "I bet that's for him". I'm understandably upset. I hold it together until I am following the ambulance then I cut loose with a good cry. We spend 12 hours in the trauma bay at KMC and the result is:
Broken pelvis in two places but not displaced-that's a good thing.
Broken arm in two place just above the elbow.
No other injuries, no head injury, no spinal injury, nada.
Pain on the entire left side--that includes hair follicles.

He was to have surgery on the arm today (plate and screws) but the orthopods were too backed up with life threatening traumas so we wait patiently. They assure us tomorrow is the day. Then we take it a day at a time and hope to heal quickly.

Some funny comments: The EMT's came back to see him later in the day--still in the trauma bay--and report that the "judges as Sears gave him a 9.5 on his dive. He would have had a 10 but he didn't point his toes on the way down." Cris said he feels like a turtle stuck on his back--can't move a thing. His pain is successfully managed with morphine and we hope tomorrow is a better day.

We are very blessed that his injuries were not worse. We are so thankful to Emily and Becca for their support. It's been invaluable and kept me stable. We appreciate everyone who has expressed their love and prayers on our behalf.

This picture is pre-surgery, post morphine, mellow yellow. Stay tuned for updates from time to time. And yes, I did buy 2 quarts of Jaimoca Almond Fudge ice cream on the way home from the hospital last night. Hey--we all need our meds.

FFF with some of my local peeps

Today we decided to make Halloween cupcakes and decorate them very scary. Please note the spiders, roaches, etc. and oh yeah--the byud (blood). And FYI--that's not lipstick Charlie's wearing--it's chocolate. Notice his pile of cupcakes--no frosting--need I say more? Liesl and Owen hung in there and decorated ALL of theirs asking, "Can we eat the rest of the frosting when we're done"? Good times!

Dance is in our blood!!

I'm so glad everyone enjoyed Memzy's jazz video posted Friday and to prove that her talent is genetic, I have posted this picture of me when I was 6 years old. It proves two things. 1) Dance is in our blood (laughing sarcastically) and 2) This picture is proof that at age six I had thin legs. It's a beautiful thing. Our lesson in R.S. today was all about seeing the positive things in life. I have much to be grateful for and thin legs at age six is one of them :)

Pure joy !!

I know you must be getting tired of my posting grandkid pictures but I can't seem to stop. I promise on Fave Foto Friday to be more creative. I have a killer video of Emily jazz dancing at age 11 that would put any hip hop exercise class to shame. I'm trying to decide if I should ask permission first or just do it. Hmmmmm.

Today Clara and Liesl were over for a play date and I brought out the new ballet skirts purchased at Target yesterday. You can see why I couldn't resist. This is at 8:30 A.M. so cut me some slack on my no makeup and scroungy pj's. Clara got tired and within 5 minutes she was asleep on my pillows. Proof positive that she yuvs her gramma. I'm just sayin'. . . . .

Halloween's a comin'!!

Little Miss Clara sitting up like a big girl. This is the face of sunshine!! Gramma loves her so much.


It's important to wear your halloween costumes as often as possible so that: a) you make sure they fit well and are comfortable and jazzy, b) Mom gets her money's worth. (Ariel and Annakin--sp?)


Again with the clustering form of decorating. Charlie insists that all things be organized in to families--and I mean all things. He arranged these in "ghost" , "pumpkin" and "witch" families. He scouts the house to make sure there's a mom, dad and brudders to complete each grouping.

This is my front porch--it's a pumpkin family with lots of cousins. Charlie said the cat is their pet.

Totally Successful ALS WALK 2008

Get your scrolling fingers ready. The ALS WALK today was fabulous and we thank each and every one of you from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness and support. We had about 40 on our team and many others who contributed but couldn't be at the walk today. It was a bit emotional to feel such support from family and friends. We are very blessed.

Here's the group shot with some of our Parks Pals.

The love of my life.
Just a few of the kids. Gotta love 'em. They were great supporters.
The starting line. On your mark . . . get set. . . .
Cutting, cutting, mouth helping him cut. . . . .

GOOOOOOOOOOOO---------------!!

Some people look good no matter what they're wearing.
Jack and Liesl loved helping Gramma Rogers.
Little Miss Clara was the most beautiful baby at the event. Hands down.
Some of Cris' co-workers from the district office and several schools.
Gramma Rogers had a great time.
Fun times.

We don't have the final count yet, but so far our team has raised $2,500. We were so thrilled. The ALS Association has given us so much help, support and durable medical equipment. Our life is much easier because of this great organization and we were honored to sponsor a team. Thanks to everyone.

One More Prom Picture--Cris 1963 !!

Now THIS is a cute prom picture, only I don't like the person on the left. She's old news anyway. But you can see how cute Cris is-----Oh Yeah!

Prom Picture from 1965? Seriously?

The year--1965
The guy--Bob Drury
The dress--I made it myself.
The hair--I have no explanation, except to say that "henna rinses" were really the rage. How hawt is that?

Owen and Liesl cleaning up the lemon cake bowl earlier this week. Liesl wanted chocolate chip cookies but kindly agreed to Owen's choice.

Today was homemade pizza day for Em's boys. They were not keen on a green salad to accompany said pizza and chose fruit kabobs instead. (Looking at sharp sticks) No eyes were injured in this activity.
Yummy pizza. These are the "after" pictures because gramma cannot take pictures while the odds are three against one with the flour, dough, cheese, sauce, sausage---you get the picture. I decided not to take a picture of the kitchen floor--too gross.
Charlie decorated my house for Hayoween---we call this style "Clustering".