Whew!
Just returned from visiting my brother at the Mayo Clinic for a couple days. He looks great, albeit a bit tired from time to time. It was so great to see him and his family and to share some laughs with them. It was a much more upbeat visit than a week ago when I went alone. This trip everyone was focused on getting him back home. If all goes well with his radiation treatments, he should be home as early as Friday.
Details still need to be worked out as far as ramps, access, etc. He is moving around pretty good getting from bed to wheelchair, etc. He still gets fatigued when sitting up for long periods of time. This is what we often times forget. Because of his good outlook and upbeat attitude we often times forget that he's in almost constant pain. That tends to beat a person down, to where they need frequent naps and rest. Throw in radiation treatments, twice a day OT and PT, and wall to wall visitors, and it's no wonder he's always tired.
Much of the family was there yesterday. His father, mother and brother-in-law, my mom, sister, brother, and their kids, as well as Tom's sister-in-law Rose. The visits with him in the hospital and the rest of the family back at the Staybridge Suites were timed very well. The kids were very well behaved at the pool and back in the bedroom of the hotel while the adults caught up on things around the cheese tray and some wine. It was as good a Christmas as any of us could have hoped for given the circumstances.
At five o'clock, Tom and I went over and picked up Rob. It turned out that he was slated for receiving communion at 5 (it was Sunday), so we all took communion as well, which again, was pretty meaningful for me; breaking bread with my brothers. Pretty significant stuff in the big picture, IMHO.
Tom wheeled Rob over to the hotel for dinner. We had lasagna, wine and some good laughs. Rob had gotten a Wii fishing game, so he played that and actually landed a couple of fish along with his nephew Hunter.
I wheeled him back to his room at about 7:00, and we all said good night. We then went back to the hotel. Tom, Patty, Rose and the kids got on the road back to Shoreview as they were not staying the night. Rob's wife Jane came over to our room while the kids were in hers and we had a great chat for about three hours. What a woman she is. We had some great laughs too remembering old times and talking through our issues and emotions.
So it was an awesome twenty four hours really. It was a bonus to see my sister and her girls as well as Rob's in-laws. I sincerely feel God brought us all safely together for that short time to enjoy each others' company and rejuvenate ourselves through our love for each other. Mission accomplished.
Blogging off...
Details still need to be worked out as far as ramps, access, etc. He is moving around pretty good getting from bed to wheelchair, etc. He still gets fatigued when sitting up for long periods of time. This is what we often times forget. Because of his good outlook and upbeat attitude we often times forget that he's in almost constant pain. That tends to beat a person down, to where they need frequent naps and rest. Throw in radiation treatments, twice a day OT and PT, and wall to wall visitors, and it's no wonder he's always tired.
Much of the family was there yesterday. His father, mother and brother-in-law, my mom, sister, brother, and their kids, as well as Tom's sister-in-law Rose. The visits with him in the hospital and the rest of the family back at the Staybridge Suites were timed very well. The kids were very well behaved at the pool and back in the bedroom of the hotel while the adults caught up on things around the cheese tray and some wine. It was as good a Christmas as any of us could have hoped for given the circumstances.
At five o'clock, Tom and I went over and picked up Rob. It turned out that he was slated for receiving communion at 5 (it was Sunday), so we all took communion as well, which again, was pretty meaningful for me; breaking bread with my brothers. Pretty significant stuff in the big picture, IMHO.
Tom wheeled Rob over to the hotel for dinner. We had lasagna, wine and some good laughs. Rob had gotten a Wii fishing game, so he played that and actually landed a couple of fish along with his nephew Hunter.
I wheeled him back to his room at about 7:00, and we all said good night. We then went back to the hotel. Tom, Patty, Rose and the kids got on the road back to Shoreview as they were not staying the night. Rob's wife Jane came over to our room while the kids were in hers and we had a great chat for about three hours. What a woman she is. We had some great laughs too remembering old times and talking through our issues and emotions.
So it was an awesome twenty four hours really. It was a bonus to see my sister and her girls as well as Rob's in-laws. I sincerely feel God brought us all safely together for that short time to enjoy each others' company and rejuvenate ourselves through our love for each other. Mission accomplished.
Blogging off...
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