It is so amazing how much grandkids can lift your spirits.....   David, Katie, Anna, and Hayes came down today...  Anna's birthday will be Tuesday, so they came to celebrate.....  when we were at the grocery store Larry suggested that WE make cupcakes for her, he picked out a cakemix, and i got to make them, but I saved the decorating for Anna and Hayes....   went out to eat, Big Orange hamburgers, then home to eat cupcakes..........



NOTE  it is also amazing that this blog has a mind of its own.....  i posted all of the photos at the same time, but 2 are oversuzed, then i cannot scroll down to them to edit them......

Oh well.....  

Modeling the vest...     

no hanging wires to snag, but still heavy to carry....

Cut holes on the insides of pockets for the wires, they go around his back.....

Have some other ideas that I will try.....

Yesterday Larry wasnt feeling well and so skipped rehab. Was a stormy rainy day anyway....

 But later in the day, he said he felt like he needed to walk, and and he announced that he would begin going with me to stores...   sure am glad...   will save me money from going clothes shopping, oh, but then spent more on things/snacks for him......   lol  not really...   he is a major online shopper for things he wants....

 TODAY was a better day, he accompanied me to the grocery store....  it took longer, but that is ok....  he did great...   he just now asked me if I wanted to go out to eat tonight, at our favorite Chinese restaurant....  of course I said yes, now I am just wondering if he will take his wallet.... he hasnt carried it since new normal began.  Just expects me to have my purse.....   smile.   NOPE, HE HAD MONEY....   SMILE

He wore his new vest I had modified for him....  forgot to get a photo of him in it, but here are the mods....   he can run all of the wires/cords on the inside now. There is one inside pocket that holds the controller, and you can see where I have made and bound a cord hole.    Have a couple of other vests that I will be modifying as well.....

Only dear Possum would see that....   This man called the hospital while we were in Florida, and the desk clerk came to see if we would take his call....   cause he lives in Canada, and his name was Possum....   he always makes us laugh....   and we love Denise his wife too......

Last week Larry had his first day of evaluation at Cardiac Rehab, but no actual exercise.  Thursday, his first day, he didnt feel quite up to it, so he called in sick.....  oops.....

Ok today he was ready...  I went up with him, not for him, but for me...  i will now most likely just drop him off, and run an errand, or maybe take a nap in my jeep.....  it is still very surreal that we are where we are today, planning his treadmill time as opposed to hospice....  If you have not been reading from the beginning. We were getting ready to plan his hospice the end of February.... now it is SPRING

One of the adjustments for LVAD patients is no shower for now.....  Larry has a shower bag and eventually will get to shower, but not until more healing takes place....  baby wipes are great, I wash his hair in the kitchen sink for him, at least until he has healed enough to be able to raise his arms up.

But I found 2 great products.....  locally.....

Also here us Larry with his doggy, LitaBit, I cannot even take his vital signs without her supervision.

And speaking of vital signs...  we keep a daily log, he has no pulse any more...  his blood pressure reading has to be done with a cuff and a doppler wand.....  

Warning........
If you get queasy, you might want to skip this post.


Several have asked me what his driveline is like.....   it is healing, but we still have to change the dressing every day.... today I had a chance to get a photo.....   but had trouble with sterile gloves, sometimes they just dont want to go on......   second pair worked....

Anyway, just a couple of photos.  He has dome problem because a foley anchor doesnt stick to his skin, so I reinforce that with paper.... we were putting one on everyday, before i tried the tape.  it is just to prevent pulls on the dtiveline.  To the right you can see the controller...   the controller then attaches to either a split cord to for the two batteries or to a single device for hookup to an outlet....   when on the outlet, he can only go about 30 ft.   Using a special mediderm tape, breathable, paper tape was tearing his skin.....  yes, I label it, so I can remember if it was changed.  Nurses taught me to have a sharpie nearby.  At least 2 more weeks of daily changes, then  Dr Ransom might go to a every 3 day dressing...   if

He also has the incision for his heart, and drainage, but those are all healed up.....  so no dressings.

I stole this photo from lvad C facebook.   All 4 cardiac doctors......