01/12/11 OUT, SAFE, ICED IN

It seemed like forever to get Joe released from Emory on Tuesday after completed Part 3A of HyperCVAD-R. The hospital was short staffed because of the snow then the ice glaze on top of it. By 8AM Joe had the room all packed up. He was so anxious to get home. I tried to tell him to leave it alone or the time will seem to drag which it did. We left the room at about 2PM and stopped by the Emory Hospital Pharmacy to get a golden load of drugs. Since it is a new year, Joe has to pay $1200 of his deductible with AT&T which we met half of it at that on Tueday. Jeez! While we waited for the drugs to be prepared, I took the luggage and packed up the car and stopped by the Infusion Department to make Friday's blood test and transfusion appointment which will be at at early hour of 7:30 AM. Hopefully it will mean we get out faster. I am kind of worried about Emory running out of blood since there has been a plea at the bottom of the TV from the Red Cross that there is a dire need for blood. There was also a by line that stated the Emory Hospital was postponing operations because of the low blood supply. Something else is now added to my list of concerns. If anyone is in the Atlanta area, please give blood at Emory. You will save someone's life.

The roads around Emory were covered with a layer of ice so I drove about 15 mph. I knew that Joe was hungry and we were in luck when on North Decatur Road we saw that Melton's was open. Joe was really happy about that. There was quite a crowd there having lunch and also around the bar. Many of the people walked from their homes to get there since there was not that many cars parked in the parking lot. People were jovial and in a festive mood. We had yummy cheeseburgers perfectly cooked the way we love them.

US 78 is a 6 lane highway that had only one lane passable in each direction. Thank goodness it was still daylight since I could see that the highway was going to be a real issue after sunset. One hour after we got home, they had shut down US 78 down. God was watching over us. I had gotten off at Mountain Industrial to avoid the steep hills of Hugh Howell or Lilburn Stone Mountain Road. There was no way I could believe that it was possible to climb those roads under the icy conditions. We stopped by Publix so I could run in and get some needed supplies. Little did I know that we would be housebound for three days or I would have bought more food. Hugh Howell Road from Publix to our home had a thick layer of packed icy snow. I drove slow and kept my distance away from other cars. We could see some cars and pick up trucks that did not make it. They were stuck off the side of the road in weird directions. Turning onto Silver Hill Road and Gunstock was even worse. The real test was making it to our home on Musket Court since there is a steep hill coming off of Musket Lane. I started up the hill slowly and my wheels were spinning like crazy and the car twisting left and right. I made it to our home. The driveway had a two inch layer of packed ice. We were home safely. Thanks be to God.

I suppose it was about 4PM when we finally made it home. I realized that Joe was weak when he had difficulty making it up the two steps from the garage to the house. I told him to lay down on the couch and rest that I would take care of the unloading and unpacking. It kept me busy for quite awhile. The next chore was to set up his week of med's. I had to empty the one's that were there and figure out what they were so I could put them back in the right containers. It took me about an hour to get it all set up when I was finally able to sit down and rest. I was beat.

Dinner was spaghetti and meat sauce which was a gift from the owner of my maid service, Chris Ellis. I had frozen it and thank goodness we had it. It saved the night. Joe loves anything with tomato sauce. He ate what he could since his appetite is down quite a bit from all the excess fluid in poor body. It has made him uncomfortable and very tired. He laid back on the couch with orders from me to rest and do nothing. He said he was cold though he had two blankets on him and the thermostat at 73 degrees. I was worried that he had a fever so I took his temperature several times but it was normal. Many times during the night I would reach out to touch his forehead and face to make sure he was okay.

We stayed put all day Wednesday where Joe rested on the couch. His feet are still swollen and he feels congestion in his lungs from all the fluids they put into him. He had a craving for grapes, sherbet and cantaloupe so I decided to try to venture out to the grocery store. I did not get very far. I backed my car out of the garage and there I got stuck. The wheels spun and no matter how I tried to rock it, it would not budge an inch. The driveway is sheer ice. I had to leave my car haphazardly parked in the driveway and headed into the house to tell Joe that I was not going anywhere and that it might be days before this stuff thaws out.

Thanks to friends and neighbors leaving has staples that I had frozen when we first came home from Houston. I was able to make us some delicious grilled cheese sandwiches. I never tasted such good as those today! I also thawed out some spectacular homemade chicken soup to complement the sandwiches thanks again to Chris Ellis. Joe enjoyed it big time as I did too,

Charlie Lester, my dear neighbor, across the street called me and asked me if I needed help getting my car unstuck. It was not urgent and I told him that I intended to leave it that way. He asked me if we needed anything. I told him that I was trying to head to Public since Joe had craving for grapes and fresh fruit. Amazingly he walked over to our home and delivered us some of his grapes, delicious sweet pineapple, ripe oranges and a big red apple. Now, how sweet was that! How can one thank people enough for at they have done to help us. God will surely send them blessings.

For dinner tonight I thawed out the BBQ chicken that I had frozen from our open house way back in September. I made some fabulous chicken salad for dinner and almost as good as Kenny and Ziggy's in Houston. I was surprise how much chicken salad can be made out of three chicken breasts. So it anyone would like to stop by and have some chicken salad, come on by. We would love to have you.

We rented a movie on Comcast On Demand. "The Town" with Ben Affleck was very very good though it was a real shoot em up but it kept Joe's attention which is hard to do these days. He has a very short attention span. I rubbed his ankles and put ice on them to try to get the swelling down. He is still weak. I think that by Friday, he will be close to normal. He just needs lots of rest and fluids. Of course he still has the chemo cough and sinusitis. The cough medicine can make him constipated so I gave him some gentle stool softener with a laxative. It is a mild one and I know that it will give him relief.

As we were watching "The Town", Greg Bennett, our next store neighbor called to ask if I had an issue with my car. I told him that I was trying to get to the store and I got stuck in the driveway. He offered to drive me to the store but I would not hear of it since it was dark, below freezing and too dangerous. He offered to have Chad and him come over to get my car back into the garage. I protested but he said they were bored and would be glad to do it. They were successful with using a large bag of sand and Greg backed my car into the garage so it would be easier for me to get out. We need some real sunshine and some above freezing temperatures to melt this stuff. In the South we do not have the snow removal equipment like the North and Midwest has. What little there is, is used for the interstates and major roads. Forget about the secondary and surface streets. The removal is done by Mother Nature and she has not been cooperating.

Joe's brother in law, Rick Dangar, had a stent put in an artery this morning that was 90% blocked. He was smart enough to know something was wrong when he had been hiking at Amicola Falls recently when he had a pain in his chest. He had it checked out and it saved his life. Thank you Lord for answering our prayers for a safe procedure for Rick. He is spending only one night tonight in the hospital and will go home tomorrow. Pray for a fast and full recovery for Rick. He is so dear to Joe and me. He was the person who drove me to Houston when I was sick and in need.

It is really hard for Joe and I to believe that he only got out of the hospital yesterday when it truly feels like three days ago. I had to read my facebook page to prove to the both of us it was only yesterday. There is a massive disease happening in the Atlanta area called Cabin Fever. Parents are about to lose their minds with the kids being home bound for four days. They have run out of ideas to keep their kids busy. It is not possible. Kids are going to test their parents' patience to an extreme.

I had a huge laugh today with our dog. Max. I had taken him outside this afternoon to do his business. He had gone into the woods in our backyard where the snow had a thick layer of ice on it. Watching Max trying to get up the hill to the driveway was a sight to see since he could not get any traction. He slipped and went sideways and skidded back down the hill. He was smarter on the next try. He took one step at a time and came up sideways very slowly. I laughed so hard that I wish that I had gotten a video of his attempt. I am sure it would be a hit on the evening news and on You Tube. I will try to capture it tomorrow morning but I am betting that he will not even try to go to the backyard.

I am requesting prayers be said for the people of Queensland, Australia with their devastating and wide spread historical flooding. We have friends there and we have not heard from them. I am praying that they and their families are safe and their homes saved.

Good night my family and friends. Thank you for being there. We still need you.

Ciao!