Eureka - January 2019

1-6-2019.

We had a lousy start for the new year. Mary Ann was really sick on the first day of the new year. She had terrible pains and could not sit down or lay down. She is discouraged and was in a bad mood. I had to keep quiet and did not turn on the television.

Thursday she had an appointment with the surgeon. He showed us the MRI they took when she was in  emergency. He recommended another operation.

Mary Ann and the surgeon had discussed, before the surgery, the source of her pains. There were two spots where material had grown near the nerves and caused the problem. The surgeon recommended  to fix the area which was likely to cause the pain. And he thought the other area would be fine for the next five years.

When Mary Ann had now excruciating pain for four weeks he looked again at the MRI done in emergency. Instead of only looking for leakage and infection at the operated area, he took a look at the whole area and came to the conclusion that the second are in question had closed and that is the reason Mary Ann is suffering.

The surgery will be done on Monday.
 

1-13-2019.

Monday morning we went to the hospital again. Mary Ann’s surgery was at 11:30 AM, but we had to be there at 9:00 AM.

I took Mary Ann home at about 4:00 PM. The surgery was successful.

Wednesday Mary Ann had again terrible pain. The doctor thought it was a blood clot.

The rest of the week was tough for Mary Ann.
 

1-20-2019.

Monday we finally saw some improvement. Every day Mary Ann felt better and had less pain.

Friday morning she surprised me. She came in the living room fully dressed. She did it without my help.

In the afternoon she baked cookies. Life is a lot better now.

Saturday, Glenda, Mary Ann’s sister, picked her up and the two went and had lunch in Fortuna. Everything went fine.

I drove to McKinleyville for a potluck late lunch. The Rambler Walking Club celebrated their twelfth  birthday.

There was a lot of good food and a lot of sweets. Kathy, the host, always does a wonderful job.

Besides organizing the walks, she is also a world traveler. She has a lot of art work from different countries on display.  

Sunday was another bad day. Mary Ann woke up and could hardly walk. She was in terrible pain.

She called her sister and her sister and brother in law came to the house. We decided to call 911.

The ambulance came and picked up Mary Ann. I followed the ambulance.

The emergency room doctor requested an MRI right away.

There is some inflammation and liquid at the site of the operation. The surgeon was not on call but he came to the hospital anyway and looked at the MRI. He said inflammation is normal but he can not explain the liquid. He had a long talk with Mary Ann. He will open the incision and remove the liquid and install a drain.

He will try to do this on Monday if the hospital can schedule the operation. Monday is a holiday.
 

1-27-2018.

Mary Ann went into surgery on Friday. The surgeon removed the fluid and some more material which was pressing on the nerves.

Saturday, Mary Ann was feeling better. We walked in the hallway for a while. She has very little problem sitting down.

Sunday she felt really good and the doctor said she can go home on Monday.

I believe this time they solved the problem.

 

Sunday afternoon I went to the Lutheran  church, which is located not fat from the hospital, and joined the German speaking group for discussions and German cake and coffee.

1-31-2019.

Monday, I brought Mary Ann home. She felt really good.

Tuesday morning was a disaster. She had a lot of pain. She had not taken her medication during the night.

Wednesday, she felt great and told me I should sleep again in the motorhome.

On my Wednesday walk I passed a house which was lifted up and workmen were installing a concrete foundation. A lot of houses in Eureka sit on wooden posts.

While the Midwest and East have very cold temperatures, in Eureka bushes and trees are starting to bloom.

At the Moose Lodge these two bushes are in full bloom.

Thursday morning I drove to Mary Ann’s house and checked on her. She is doing fine.
I hope it stays that way, because the last two months were not easy for both of us.