This week in Burley, Idaho - June 8-14, 2015

This week in Burley - June 8-14, 2015

June 8, 2015 - Monday 
Dad came in from hoeing weeds and moving hoses around to water the lawn.
"I'm exhausted," he said.
After he slept awhile, he said: "I just feel miserable all over."
He slept most of the day and didn't eat anything after we had cereal for breakfast.
    As he was going to bed he said: "I have a fever now." 
June 9, 2015 - Tuesday  
Walt didn't sleep last night, having a fever of 101 and having symptoms like when he had urinary tract infection twice in San Salvador.
   When I took him to the Emergency Room, the urinalysis confirmed this dx.  He was given an injection of anti-biotics and a prescription of anti-biotics for seven days.

  He felt miserable all day, and slept for a good part of the day.  
  We postponed our Temple Preparation Tuesday-evening class until Thursday, June 11.
That evening he tried to get his pills into the pill boxes for morning and evening, but he said he couldn't concentrate.  I helped him get them organized.

When we went to bed, Walt tossed and turned for a couple of hours ...
June 10, 2015 - Wednesday 
...and he had me give him an Ambien generic to try to sleep.  He still got up every 25-30 minutes to go to the bathroom, and then it was down to every 15 minutes.  He got so his legs weren't holding him up well and he was almost falling over and not able to "steer" the walker...like bumping into the walls and not being able to function.  Once, when he about went down, I about went down with him. (I had realized the night before that he needed me to walk beside the walker with him to help support him and guide him.)

About 3:40 A.M.  when he was so disoriented and hallucinating, I called the ER and explained the situation.  They said he needed to be brought in via ambulance and had me call 911 to arrange this.

Seems like they drove up in under 10 minutes. Dad was taken to ER via ambulance for being unable to walk and for becoming disoriented (from the Ambien we found out later).  And it didn't help that he had a urinary tract infection and fever.  

I followed the ambulance to the Emergency Room.
Dr. Lanny Campbell, the ER physician on duty, said he should be admitted to the hospital for observation.  Walt also had an antibiotic given to him by an IV so that the infection wouldn't spread throughout his body.

When they got him to Room 108 on the internal medicine floor, Dr. James Spackman come to check him.  When he saw how weak he was when the doctor helped the nurse get him in to the bathroom, he ordered that he only use a urinal in bed because of too much chance of his falling.

They had a "sitter" come to be in the room constantly with him because he is still hallucinating and disoriented and can't remember that he's not supposed to get out of bed. When he has to go to the bathroom, he starts trying to get out of bed.

I had a haircut appointment, so didn't cancel it when I found out they were having this "sitter" come in.  I barely made it to my appointment, and now I'm going to have a short nap before I go back over.
I got a better picture of the ambulance when I left the hospital this afternoon.

...I'll send more info when I get back to the hospital.  Thank you for your prayers, love, and concern for the 81-year-old patriarch of our family.  

When I got back to the hospital at 5:00, Walt was much better. He was not hallucinating nor disoriented.  The "sitter" was just finishing her 4 hours with him.

Steve had e-mailed about 3:00 that he had decided to use two of his vacation days and drive up to be with his Dad.  He said his ETA was about 8:30 that evening.

I e-mailed back that I wouldn't tell Dad he was coming and it could be a surprise.  And what a great surprise it was!
Walt improved instantly and began talking to Steve non-stop.
We didn't leave until almost 10:30.

June 11, 2015 - Thursday  
As Steve and I got to the hospital about 10:00, Dr. Spackman was just going to his office after making rounds.  He said he was discharging Walt this morning--if that was okay with me.  Of course it was okay.  Walt really wanted to get home.

As we walked into the room, there were Darrell Roskelley and Ken Fronk who had come to visit Walt, and they were preparing to give him a him a Priesthood blessing of health.  Dad asked Steve to join in the circle of the Administration.

Now for sure he will continue to improve and get better.

So we proceeded to get Walt ready to head home.  He's in the wheelchair ready to go to the car.

Then he's in the car.

We decided to have a grocer store picnic, so we headed to Stokes where we ran in to Mr. Whiting, one of Steve's high school teachers, and a few shared experiences were talked over.

Then it was off to the river to have lunch.  Steve took some photos of us on my camera, but none of them took except this photo of the river--which was smooth as glass.

After a nap at home, we went for a drive, first driving out to Don Melling's acreage to see our old orange '74 pick up that is still parked there.

Steve showed us where he had hit barely missing almost head on a horse that was in the barrow pit.  He just tore the mirror off the passenger side.  He was shook up at the close call.  He may have been going faster than he should have.

From there we drove down Bedke Boulevard to show Steve some new boat docks and across from them Ray Robinson's "High Desert" Milk Production Plant that turns out such items as butter, cheese, etc.
   Then we had hamburgers at Edith's. Steve had always wanted to eat there -- so got another item checked off his bucket list.  (Again the photo didn't take.)
   We made it just in time for the first evening showing of "The Cokeville Miracle."  We had a good cry at the end and Dad said: "That was very thought provoking!"

After an evening ice cream snack, we all got to bed at an early hour.

June 12, 2015 - Friday 
Tradition = When family visit we go to Charlie's Cafe for breakfast. Jose, the owner and cook came to greet Walt.

After a yummy, old-fashioned breakfast, I took a photo of Steve and Walt by the back door of Charlie's.

Steve took a photo of Walt and me, and Charlie's sign.

Steve wanted to take this poster of his BHS foot-ball-breaking-record days to show his two sons, Kimble and Carter, that he was an athlete in high school, too.

Then Steve needed to head back to Utah.  I had taken several photos of Steve with Dad, so Walt took one of Steve with me.

It's never easy to tell a son or daughter "good-bye" after they've come to visit us.  So nice of Steve to come help his Dad get better faster.   He gave a goodbye "honk" as she headed south.  
Dad said, "It's great to be with all or part of the family, but sometimes it's very special to be with just one-on-one."

That late afternoon we enjoyed our Burley 3rd Ward Dutch Oven Dinner at the Stake Center pavilion. Darrell and Mary Ann Roskelley made a dutch oven cherry cobbler and homemade root beer.  The next day The Roskelley's mission call came -- they enter the MTC August 3 to serve 18 months in the Texas Fort Worth Mission - CES (Church Education System).  Exciting!

Here's another family in our ward - Travis and Briana Call Jones. Their son, Deacon, is sitting down by his Dad's feet.  

Christine Willich Heiner had several medical questions for Dad, both at our picnic table and as we were leaving.

June 13, 2015 - Saturday  
next 

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June 14, 2015 - Sunday
Woke up to a dozen beautiful pale pink roses for our 54th Wedding Anniversary.

Our new Church Block time since May 17 is 10:50 a.m. to 1:50 p.m.
  Inspiring talks by Kaia King, Laura Bailey (I think that's what they announced.  We didn't get a printed ward program today.)
Sister Ludlow beautifully sang "I Know That My Redeemer Lives."
And ended with Diane Fluckiger.  She ended with "The Living Christ" as she had memorized it along with the challenge given to the primary children to memorize it.


When we got home we had a quiet dinner, then a Sunday nap before we went home teaching to David and Alice Hansen.

Then our home teachers--Eric Pierce and Tate Garrard--came at 6:15. Tate gave a great lesson on D    I wanted to get a photo of us by the flag out front, but as they were finishing the lesson, the scouts came by gathering all the flags.

So my sweetheart husband, put our flag out after the hometeachers left and we got our photos by it.  Couldn't find our tripod that holds the camera to get our photo together.
Here's Walt.

And here I am.

Here is the photo that Brother Pierce took before they left from home teaching.

We hope you have had a spiritual, peaceful, and restful Sabbath Day.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true.
It was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith for these latter days.
Because of restored Priesthood temple ordinances, we have been sealed as a husband and wife for time and for all eternity.

Of this we testify on the evening of our 54th Wedding Anniversary.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.