Mary Belle Johnson wrote in a card she sent me today, Tuesday, October 16, 2018, “Live one day at a time. Allow friends to help you.” Those are words of wisdom by a seasoned Christian lady from North Carolina. I needed it.
Being a caregiver changes the equation in my relationship with Melvine. She has taken care of me for over 58 years. Now is my time to take care of her. I want to do it right with love.
I have taken over Melvine's medications. It seems the older some of us get the more medications we need. Melvine takes a lot more than I do, although I have my share of them. She is an amazing woman. She places every pill in her left hand, and opens the tops of the other pill containers with both hands. When she gets them all together she swallows all of them at one time followed by water in a cup. I take my medications one at a time. Some pills are hard for me to swallow.
Because I have to monitor Melvine's medications, and keep a record of the narcotic prescribed by her oncologist for pain, I decided to carefully read the instructions on each pill bottle and place each pill or more in a cup for Melvine to take at one time. She likes it that I am doing it for her. Of course, I got her agreement first before carrying it out.
For most of our married life she has paid our bills by check. She had done an excellent job and I trust her. However, now is the time that I take over that responsibility and I am paying the bills. I have always done our income taxes using CPA's to help me.
Today, Tuesday, Melvine had an appointment to get IV fluids at the Athens Cancer and Blood Center. I had forgotten (you see I make mistakes too) that Bonnie Patch Bender, an LPN, was not coming to help me. She is Melvine's assistant at the Tuesday morning ladies of the church Bible study and prayer group. Bonnie was with them and went out to lunch with them. I called Bonnie on my cell phone and learned that I would have to do it alone. God gave me the strength I needed.
I got my Cadillac walker out of the trunk of my 2010 Lincoln Continental Towncar that I am selling. I went in the building and talked with Tiffany, the host that greets everyone and signs them in. By the way, Tiffany is a Pentecostal. I asked her for help with an attendant to bring a wheelchair to my car for Melvine. It was done in a flash. I then was able to find a good parking space, and walked with my walker with wheels and a seat back to the building, and to be with Melvine as she received the bag of saline. The procedure was to take about an hour and fifteen minutes. It was not dripping properly and it was as slow as a slow boat to China. Finally, one of the nurses came who is an expert and made some changes and got the drip flowing at a proper rate. Her name is Joy.
In the meantime, Melvine and I were able to talk with a man with Leukemia and his wife who were seated next to Melvine's chair. He is a retired barber who had cut hair for over 50 years. We talked about the Lord. In addition, I met and talked with other nurses and techs about the Billy Graham blessing.
We were there three hours. We came home and a supervisor from Cook's Pest Control came to look at the problem that carpenter bees had made. I thought that they had taken care of it, but more holes had been drilled. This is an issue I will have to deal with in addition to every other thing.
I went to Zaxby's for fried chicken and grilled chicken salads and I mailed a letter to pay a bill that was due.
After we ate Melvine and I had devotions together. The topic was “Watch Your Handoffs.” It was about the family where principles and values for life are learned. It is where character traits are hammered out and shaped and molded under the guidance of moms and dad. The Scripture lesson was one we all know. It is recorded or written in the Book of Deuteronomy 6:6-9:
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 You are to teach the commands of God to your children
6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
NKJV
Charles Swindoll wrote about handing off batons in a race. Here of some of the batons, and I need them all:
Determination: “Stick with it—regardless.”
Honesty: “Speak and live the truth—always.”
Responsibility: “Be dependable, be trustworthy.”
Thoughtfulness: “Think of others before yourself.”
Confidentiality: “Don't tell secrets. Seal your lips.”
Self-control: When under stress, stay calm.”
Patience: “Fight irritability. Be willing to wait.”
Purity: “Refuse anything that lowers your standard.”
Compassion: “When another hurts, feel it with him or her.”
Crisp, sharp handoffs at just the right time each day make winners out of runners.
These key things in our relationship with our spouse you can find in Charles Swindoll's book, Good Morning, :Lord . . . Can We Talk? on October 16.
Today, October 17, Jeanette Herndon Phillips will be coming to our home to stay with Melvine while I am at a doctor's appointment. Mary Belle Johnson wrote that I need to take one day at time and allow our friends to help us. Thanks a million, Mary Belle!
Being a caregiver changes the equation in my relationship with Melvine. She has taken care of me for over 58 years. Now is my time to take care of her. I want to do it right with love.
I have taken over Melvine's medications. It seems the older some of us get the more medications we need. Melvine takes a lot more than I do, although I have my share of them. She is an amazing woman. She places every pill in her left hand, and opens the tops of the other pill containers with both hands. When she gets them all together she swallows all of them at one time followed by water in a cup. I take my medications one at a time. Some pills are hard for me to swallow.
Because I have to monitor Melvine's medications, and keep a record of the narcotic prescribed by her oncologist for pain, I decided to carefully read the instructions on each pill bottle and place each pill or more in a cup for Melvine to take at one time. She likes it that I am doing it for her. Of course, I got her agreement first before carrying it out.
For most of our married life she has paid our bills by check. She had done an excellent job and I trust her. However, now is the time that I take over that responsibility and I am paying the bills. I have always done our income taxes using CPA's to help me.
Today, Tuesday, Melvine had an appointment to get IV fluids at the Athens Cancer and Blood Center. I had forgotten (you see I make mistakes too) that Bonnie Patch Bender, an LPN, was not coming to help me. She is Melvine's assistant at the Tuesday morning ladies of the church Bible study and prayer group. Bonnie was with them and went out to lunch with them. I called Bonnie on my cell phone and learned that I would have to do it alone. God gave me the strength I needed.
I got my Cadillac walker out of the trunk of my 2010 Lincoln Continental Towncar that I am selling. I went in the building and talked with Tiffany, the host that greets everyone and signs them in. By the way, Tiffany is a Pentecostal. I asked her for help with an attendant to bring a wheelchair to my car for Melvine. It was done in a flash. I then was able to find a good parking space, and walked with my walker with wheels and a seat back to the building, and to be with Melvine as she received the bag of saline. The procedure was to take about an hour and fifteen minutes. It was not dripping properly and it was as slow as a slow boat to China. Finally, one of the nurses came who is an expert and made some changes and got the drip flowing at a proper rate. Her name is Joy.
In the meantime, Melvine and I were able to talk with a man with Leukemia and his wife who were seated next to Melvine's chair. He is a retired barber who had cut hair for over 50 years. We talked about the Lord. In addition, I met and talked with other nurses and techs about the Billy Graham blessing.
We were there three hours. We came home and a supervisor from Cook's Pest Control came to look at the problem that carpenter bees had made. I thought that they had taken care of it, but more holes had been drilled. This is an issue I will have to deal with in addition to every other thing.
I went to Zaxby's for fried chicken and grilled chicken salads and I mailed a letter to pay a bill that was due.
After we ate Melvine and I had devotions together. The topic was “Watch Your Handoffs.” It was about the family where principles and values for life are learned. It is where character traits are hammered out and shaped and molded under the guidance of moms and dad. The Scripture lesson was one we all know. It is recorded or written in the Book of Deuteronomy 6:6-9:
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 You are to teach the commands of God to your children
6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
NKJV
Charles Swindoll wrote about handing off batons in a race. Here of some of the batons, and I need them all:
Determination: “Stick with it—regardless.”
Honesty: “Speak and live the truth—always.”
Responsibility: “Be dependable, be trustworthy.”
Thoughtfulness: “Think of others before yourself.”
Confidentiality: “Don't tell secrets. Seal your lips.”
Self-control: When under stress, stay calm.”
Patience: “Fight irritability. Be willing to wait.”
Purity: “Refuse anything that lowers your standard.”
Compassion: “When another hurts, feel it with him or her.”
Crisp, sharp handoffs at just the right time each day make winners out of runners.
These key things in our relationship with our spouse you can find in Charles Swindoll's book, Good Morning, :Lord . . . Can We Talk? on October 16.
Today, October 17, Jeanette Herndon Phillips will be coming to our home to stay with Melvine while I am at a doctor's appointment. Mary Belle Johnson wrote that I need to take one day at time and allow our friends to help us. Thanks a million, Mary Belle!