Jann and RKW - did you need to have your dressings changed? I'm wondering how he'll manage that. I just talked to a home care agency, and it sounds like they'll be able to do an evaluation fairly quickly if he needs help once he's discharged. Someone could come for two hours a day. I think a nurse would have to do the dressing changes. Or the aide could drive him to the doctor's office and he could have it changed there. My MIL (they're divorced and she lives 1.5 hrs. from him) and I had discussed setting up one of those scheduling websites where people can sign up to help out, but he seemed so resistant that we didn't pursue it. His friends tend to be flaky anyway, so I don't know if it would work out. I also looked into short-term respite care at independent living facilities and now I want to go live in one...is that bad? :lol: Chef-prepared meals? New people to talk to? Someone to do my housekeeping? WHO WOULDN"T WANT THAT?!! Mostly, I'll be honest - I'm annoyed! We talked to him about this WEEKS ago and asked him what we could to help get him settled and got nowhere. :cursing: As always, appreciate you guys!

It's interesting - we did talk to the doctor during the pre-surgery consult, and we stressed that my FIL lives alone. When I asked my FIL about what specifically he has done to prepare, he has been very vague. He's said he's talked to some people and he's got some frozen pizza. I do think he'll need help with managing his medication, plus he has lower-back issues for which he receives cortisone shots. I'm concerned that being in bed during recovery is going to aggravate this, making him even less able to get around. His dietary restrictions are part of his gastrointestinal issues, so any digestive upset will also be difficult for him to deal with. The last thing I heard from him was almost two weeks ago when I suggested he might want to talk to some homecare agencies to see if he could arrange some care and he didn't respond anymore. He isn't an "old" 74, but this is major surgery. Thank you all for your suggestions and information.

Thank you all for your replies. You're confirming my concerns. We'll see how things play out. Maybe he's completely all set and just not telling us the specifics, but I doubt it. I was surprised that the doctor didn't recommend a short-term rehab stay, too. Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

My 74-y-o FIL is having a spinal laminectomy and fusion of C4 - C7. I wondered if anyone would be willing to share their experiences with this, specifically​ about the recovery time. He lives by himself almost 3 hours away and I can't get a sense of what he had done to prepare for this surgery. We've said we would come each weekend to help with food prep., groceries, laundry, and housework - he said he doesn't think he'll need this, even though he won't be able to drive or lift over 10 lbs. for 6 weeks. He also lives in an upstairs apartment and has some dietary restrictions that may make finding prepared food a little difficult. He is usually very dramatic about his medical needs, but this time, I think the doctor rubbed him the wrong way a bit because the dr. wanted my husband and me involved in the pre-surgery consultation. Currently, we have the weekends we would need to go out there blocked off so that we're available to go if he needs us to, and my husband plans to be there on the surgery date and again for his discharge, but he hasn't even told us what time the surgery is. He tends to do things like this, "Oh...I didn't know you didn't know." Umm...how would we? Usually, I would be more proactive about finding out all the details and making the plans, but I kind of want to see how this plays out. We have it roughly planned as far as the days, so it won't inconvenience us if he calls the night before... Anyway - any thoughts or advice would be appreciated! Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

I just looked myself up and one site said I had finished graduate school. Everything else was right, but I wish I had known I had gotten my Master's; I've told everyone I'm a grad-school dropout for years! 😂 Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

We had a film crew in the airbnb I assist with, and it wasn't a good experience, either. But it was cool to meet the crew. Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

I had to tell you guys a fun Ticket to Ride story. My daughter's school had this awesome board game day today as a fundraiser and Alan R. Moon came! He lives in town and is friends with the woman who organized it. I asked him to sign my game board, of course. 😊 He was so, so nice. He played the Junior version with a bunch of kids and was just an all-around fun guy. Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

I'm so sorry. Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

Our brother fraternity used to sell balloons of it at parties, so one night I went around picking up the discarded balloons. Then I blew then up myself and undercut their prices. Plus, I totally hammed up my own reactions to my own merchandise. I heard one kid say to another, "That's nitrous? I didn't feel a thing!" Then the fraternity boys found me and asked me nicely to stop my fun and games. Party poopers! Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

I've done the sub-q fluids before, but I'm not needle-averse and I'm starting nursing school in a few months, so I don't mind dosing cats with whatever. Giving the fluids is very easy. Lift the skin behind the shoulder blades and put the needle in. Would your husband mind doing it instead? You usually don't have to do it every day, and I'm sure there are videos on YouTube​. I'm sorry - this is never easy. Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

Crick. 😊 I'm from upstate NY, but real north-of-the-Thruway Upstate. Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

Meh. We pay 30% and then Heath insurance premiums on top of that - part of which is paid for by my husband's employer. I bet it adds up to 40%. I'd rather pay that and know I had coverage than all this dancing around we do. Whoops! Editing to say that lots of other people said the same thing I said. 😊

I remember your original thread. ☺ Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

We dealt with this same sort of thing this year in the fall. By December, my daughter (11) says she didn't want to be homeschooled anymore. We arranged for tours at two local schools - one charter, one private - and emailed the neighborhood school, with which she was already familiar. She loves the private school; it's tiny. 26 kids K through 8th, 4 teachers, kids she already knew, no homework, social values that are important to our family, a bus that only she and the other kids at the school ride that picks her up in front of our house, etc. It's a delightful little place that is a lot like homeschooling, but it happens outside of our home. And it's a great fit for her. She's learning a ton and making great friends. I tried the school boot camp before we decided on this school, but I'm so glad we enrolled her because it has improved our relationship immensely. Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

The zoo and naval stuff in Norfolk are fun. We stay in Cape Charles and make a day trip to Chincoteague one day and then to Norfolk another day. I live the Eastern Shore. If you do drive to Norfolk - and you have the time - drive through Cape Charles and see what you think. It's a lovely little town for a vacation. We rent the pink house on Strawberry St. next to the post office. 😊 Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

Well, some of us still like it, despite some of the negatives. 😊 Low cost of living, great state parks and libraries, and friendly people. We're all trying to do the best we can with what we've got. I went to Oneonta. It was a great school for me and such a nice little city. There are state universities like Binghamton and Albany and then state colleges​ like Oneonta that are smaller. There are plenty of airbnbs around Hamilton (the town) that I would check out. Or you could always stay near the Thruway around Verona or Oneida. I've stayed at the La Quinta in Verona and it's a fine chain motel.

I love the MBJ fabric - so soft! Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

You are not stupid. The doctors you've seen haven't been able to figure out our and they're supposed to be smart. You have tried numerous things to bring your son peace and comfort and you deal with the daily stress of setting someone you love suffer. Please give yourself grace. I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. Many, many hugs - you are an amazing mother. Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

These are great! A friend and I dressed in roller-derby costumes once and went as Kim Karbashian and Paris Kiltem. Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

A friend has some and I know they seem to go pretty crazy. She's always trimming them back and giving away shoots, so talk to the nursery about whether they're invasive-ish. Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

I got a low number, too - 1400 calories a day seems difficult! Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

No, they're not too tight, and they're only on for a few minutes at most. Here's a great article about it: https://vet.osu.edu/cvm/clipnosis-technique-can-calm-cats-vets-office-and-home Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

I'm sorry I didn't respond sooner - I just saw your question. We got the 2" binder clips. Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

Not if she making her famous Diabetes Fried Chicken! ;) Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

I'm posting this with one thumb because the cat is on my arm and I can't possibly move. Thank goodness for the Swype keyboard. :) Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk