The squares

I woke up in the middle of the night, to the sound of Ron coughing, again and again.  And again.  And again.  I finally got up to offer him some cough syrup (actually a guiafenesen pill), and couldn't find him in his room.  He was in the kitchen.  I hate it when he goes in the kitchen because he only goes there to drink. 

Sure enough, he was drinking.  He was apparently choking every time he took a drink.  I told him he woke me up and asked him to please let me sleep.  His response was unprintable, or typable as the case may be.  I went back to bed, he finished eventually, I went to sleep. 

But, not surprisingly, I woke up exhausted.  I got ready for work and we left for the warehouse.  I reminded him he fell out when the wheelchair hit the ramp, yesterday, and to get a good grip.  I suggested we use the seatbelt provided with the wheelchair.  He scoffed at me and told me he would be fine. 

We got to the vehicle OK.  Got Ron loaded.  Off we went. 

I bought our supplies and we waited (not long) for Jack.  When he arrived I gave him a cold Gatorade and a big cup of ice with a straw.  I would be very foolish NOT to take care of the only man who is helping us, in this heat.  It has been one of those heat index makes it feel over 100 degrees days.  But he really got excited about the cold bottle of water I brought him when I came out with the carts. 

We got the carts loaded and into the building.  He can get into the foyer but no further.  I take it from there.  I got everything into the building, moved it all onto two carts, stocked, helped Ron, and put everything away.  I also serviced the new bill changer. 

We finished up and left, and came home.  I was pretty tired so I laid down for a nap.  I woke up before the alarm went off, with a headache.  I took something and tried to lie down again.  No joy.  Lying down, I kept focusing on my headache. 

So I got up.  Ron and I eventually went out to dinner and got some shrimp.  It wasn't as good as I expected it to be.  It was alright, though, and, most importantly, it agreed with my medication.   It wasn't very expensive, either. 

On a couple of occasions I have had my dinner and my medication fight it out, and it was pretty ugly.  Thank God I did not experience that tonight. 

Ron took his vitamins (the oral ones, a multi with iron and the folic acid) with dinner.  Our ride home was late so Ron got a little cranky. 

Our ride finally arrived and off we went, it was a straight trip.  Every driver in the fleet (about 500) seems to know about our possum.  They all ask me about it every time I ride. 

Last night possum got up on the bookcase and knocked over my basket of squares.  The squares are a long story. 

Back when I first started on lithium, I was kind of vacant for a while.  I would just stare at random things for minutes on end, spaced out.  Square things, in particular, like the tiles in the bathroom at work, were fascinating.  I told Ron about it. 

Ron got the scissors and stole a cardboard box out of the garbage, then went in his room.  One day, he presented me with a basket full of cardboard squares he had cut out by hand.  They were all irregularly shaped but clearly a square shape. 

I treasure that basket and it's contents.  They're my squares, a symbol of Ron's acceptance of my less-than-perfect-medicated-self.  I was upset they fell.  I only "lost" a couple, which I retrieved and placed back in the basket.  I didn't tell the drivers about any of this, though. 

We got home and I got Ron in the house, then checked the mail.  Oh, goody, more medical bills!  I put it in the pile. 

I went back in the house, poked around on the computer a little bit, and then called Mom and Dad.  They put their visitor on the phone.  That was awkward.  One, I don't do well talking to kids and 2.  What do you say to your abuser's kid?  Awk-ward!  Then they put the whole call on speaker, like they normally do. 

I wasn't sure what to think if the visitor was listening in on my tale of a drunken Ron falling out of his wheelchair and all, but figured it was probably not as bad as what he's seen at home.  Who knows, it might make him feel better, knowing other people have serious problems, too.  I didn't hear him talking so maybe they sent him out of the room but safe to say I had NO expectation of privacy. 

I always expect that everything I tell them will be rebroadcast, so I don't say anything I wouldn't want to the world to know.  And I proceeded that way tonight. 

Dad told me he had to give himself shots in the belly before a procedure a while back, and it was not a big deal.  Good to know.  From what I hear, from people who've done it, it's not that big a deal. 

But I have a problem with shaking hands.  I mean, with my hands shaking.  Could that be a problem?  I know God is big enough to overcome that.  But does He want me giving Ron shots?  I tease Ron a little about "getting him with a big needle" but I hope Ron knows I am kidding, I would do everything possible to make it painless.  We'll see.  Worst case I waste a needle, a little b-12, and Ron has to go to the doctor's office for his shots. 

My adoptive mother said she knows many seniors who have to have a b-12 shot.  So it's pretty common in seniors to begin with, then you add the drinking - costs the body a lot of b-vitamins, and then his diet is terrible.  Not surprising he ended up anemic. 

It's a good thing he had the clots when he did, so he could get the anemia diagnosed and corrected.  His heart was already showing signs of strain from lack of oxygen, per the doctors.  He could have had kidney failure.  All sorts of bad things averted. 

It is like God to use something like blood clots to get anemia diagnosed.  Hopefully I can get it treated pretty easily. 

I am hoping giving a shot becomes "no big deal" just like checking his blood sugar.  Not that I do, very often, it is always excellent. 

We have tomorrow off.  I may go out again, not sure.