Week end, May 29-31

To all of the blog junkies out there, I apologize for not updating sooner. I hope I didn't cause you too much stress. Friday, Mr. Bichler was discharged from Madison County Hospital, armed with some heavy-duty antibiotics for the UTI which is believed to be the culprit of this latest hospitalization. We have a follow-up appointment on Wednesday and I assume we will find out the results of the many blood cultures that were taken last week. Although, he seems very fatigued, he is so glad to be back home. Mike and his construction crew put the finishing touches on the garage and it is a real beauty. Saturday, we visited two of the graduation open houses that we were invited to and Mr. B had a great time visiting and eating. Wade and Devan both had his very favorite strawberry filled cake. Not sure what we will do today. It is Graduation Sunday at our church and the hand bell choir is playing. I still have some mulching to do around the front of the house but other than that I think I have things pretty well caught up. Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers during this last brief hospital stay. We would also like to congratulate all of the new graduates and wish them continued success in the future!! We ended up going to dinner at York, a birthday dinner compliments of our friend Sharon. Saw quite a few people from West Jeff and one special young lady named "A".

Thursday, May 28

This morning I talked to the doctor and Mr. Bichler's white blood cell count was finally getting down close to normal. However, his temperature spiked again several times through the afternoon but the doctor still thinks the antibiotics are working and by morning they hope to switch him over to oral antibiotics and send him home. Hopefully, by tomorrow afternoon we will be back home recovering once again.

Wednesday, May 27

Well, things aren't going quite as we had planned...so what else is new? This morning when I arrived at the hospital Mr. B was being wheeled down for chest x-rays. Took me by surprise as I thought he was being treated for a UTI but evidently his temperature spiked early this morning to 103 and now the doctors are worried that there may be another underlying infection somewhere else. So they are trying to rule out pneumonia, heart problems and they have sent blood and urine cultures to try to isolate the culprit. Unfortunately, some of these tests take several days to reveal anything. I hope to see the Dr. in the morning to get more information. I did go to work (yes it is work because I get a pay check!) at the Girl Scout Camp after checking in on Mr. B at the hospital. We had a group of 1st graders today signed up to do creeking, fishing and pond study. I helped with the fishing. We had a great time and caught one large mouth bass, about 12 inches long, at least seven times. He evidently really had a taste for the hot dogs that we were using for bait. The kids had a great time and the rain held off until the bus pulled out of the parking lot.

Tuesday, May 26

Well just when it seems all is right with the world something unexpected happens! After a great weekend and good beginning to Tuesday, I returned home from the zoo to find Mr. Bichler not feeling very good. I took his temperature and it was 101.8. After talking with his Doctor at OSU he suggested I take him to the ER, suspecting a urinary tract infection. We went to the ER at Madison Co. around 5 pm and I got home around 10:30. Mr. B was admitted and is getting IV fluids as well as antibiotics and motrin for the fever. When I left he was already feeling so much better. Hopefully, he will get home by Thursday morning. He is looking forward to a dinner date with the 5th grade teachers from Norwood and already informed the doctor that he has to be home.

Friday, May 22

Not sure what I was thinking when I signed up to do a tour in May. There were no less than 100 of those big yellow buses in the parking lot when I got there. The school group was late and appeared to arrive without anyone in charge. They came in and immediately dispersed into the already busy and crowded court yard. We finally salvaged enough to piece together several groups of the remaining students. Evidently, the parents in the groups didn't get the memo that 10 docents had been requested to give them a tour to talk about animal classifications, adaptations, life cycles and habitats. My group of about six 3rd grade boys, 4 parents and a stroller headed into the North America region We stopped at the swans, talked about the pronghorn and how they are the fastest land mammal in North America and then on to the otters and bald eagles. At the eagles we lost one of the boys, 10 minutes later we found him with another group. Romeo evidently didn't want to be in my group. We crossed the train tracks and were in the wolverine cabin when we were told that the toddler that I assumed was in the stroller was missing. I was minutes from calling security to report a missing child before the parents came back with said child. The toddler was located back at the otters. I hurried through bears, cougars, wolves and moose and got them to the picnic area and wished them a good day at the zoo and headed the opposite direction. I would be surprised if they actually get back to school with the same number of students that they came with! When I got home Andy was enjoying a visit from one of our neighbors. I was so glad to see Mr. B having such a nice time. Tomorrow we may check out the flea market on S. High, just for the fun of it!! Happy Memorial Day Weekend.

*Pictures are at the battlefield of the Little Bighorn where Gen. George Custer and his men were killed and buried. Gen. Custer was later moved and now lies at West Pointe.

Thursday, May 21

A long, busy day today. Mr. Bichler did double duty today. He had his usual therapies in the morning from 9-11:15. We had lunch and then he had to be back at 1:15 for a group therapy. I didn't go with them but I guess they rode the bus to Dodd Hall and completed a scavenger hunt at OSU. Mr. B said he did lots of walking. They had to find the Oval and Mirror Lake just to name a few. When I picked him up at 4 he was definitely worn out. His therapist said he did really good so he was pretty satisfied. Tomorrow he can rest while I am giving a tour at the zoo to a group of 3rd graders! I'm excited, it's my first tour this year.

Wednesday, May 20

Not much to report today. We went to see Gary Jainshig and he still is not looking well. He was still in his room, not in his usual seat policing the dining room and checking out all entering visitors. After lunch we finished planting the sweet corn and started working on getting our pool open. That may take some time. Hope everyone is enjoying this lovely weather!

Tuesday, May 19

Up really early this morning, 5 a.m. and in the Bear Kitchen by 7 chopping the aviary diet. The keepers in the North America region are the best therapy ever. I usually stay and work a few hours in one of the regions but today we had an appointment with STRS (State Teachers Retirement System) to look at retirement options for Mr. Bichler. After crunching all of the figures we have some good information to go over before a final decision is made. I think Mr. B. is feeling relieved about everything we learned at STRS. Later, we actually were able to get both mowers started so we got the lawn mowed and after supper we walked through the woods and saw the hawk chick for a brief moment.

Monday, May 18

Determined to start the week off with a better attitude, I was up early relaxed in the hot tub and then hit the exercise bicycle, all of this after I first filled the bird feeders and uncovered the tomato, pepper plants and flowers. We had a good breakfast and then headed over to outpatient therapy. Today I dropped Mr. Bichler off and then went to have his watch repaired and picked up some things I needed from Lowe's. When I got back to therapy Mr. B was hard at work in occupational therapy. I ran Mr. B home and then headed back to Dodd Hall for a TBI Spouses support group. This is a monthly meeting of people who have a spouse that has suffered a traumatic brain injury. A psychologist heads the group and everyone shares their personal story as well as concerns and frustrations. It is also a great place to ask questions because these are people who are facing many of the same problems. They offer insight, solutions and sometimes just empathy. I feel very encouraged following these group meetings because I realize how far we have come in a relatively short time. Tonight I feel hopeful!

Friday, May 15

I spent the morning working around the house, painting the upstairs bathroom and finally getting around to vacuuming downstairs. We went to visit our friend, Gary Jainshig at the Madison House and learned that he had been hospitalized for the last week. He has been discharged but isn't doing very good. I did get him to eat some ice cream which I believe is just as effective as chicken soup, even more so if you add hot fudge and caramel sauce. We are going to have to make more of an effort to visit as often as we can. We treated ourselves to a night out and I must say we had a most enjoyable evening. We went to see the high school production of Li'l Abner. Mr. Bichler wanted to see Wade in his starring role as Abner, but we both had such a great time seeing all of the students perform. It was easy to see how hard everyone had worked to make this musical such a success. What really struck me was how much fun the cast seemed to be having during the performance. After the curtain call Mr. B congratulated as many of the cast as he could get to. I know a lot of students have really missed having Mr. Bichler at school but what they may not know is how much he misses them. Each time we leave an event where he has seen some students he comments on how much he misses seeing kids each day at school. If you don't have plans Saturday evening, plan to attend the H.S. musical, you won't regret it, I promise! Congratulations to Ms. Trenor on a job well done!! (of course she has the best kids in the world to work with!)

Thursday, May 14

Wow, how about that lightning this morning? Mr. Bichler had therapy and completed a scavenger hunt that involved making his way around the facility finding various items or rooms and then returning to the therapy area with minimal cues. The brain injury makes this seemingly simple task very confusing and difficult for Mr. B. With time and practice the brain will hopefully learn to compensate for these damaged areas. He also spent some time in the driving simulator. He scored pretty good on the first part of the test but had a little trouble due to the vision cut and his reactions are still not where they should be to drive safely. But it has only been 4 months since the accident so that is to be expected. On good authority we stopped at the Bag of Nails and had some onion rings and lunch. Very good!

This afternoon when the sun came out I spent some time watching the birds from my deck. Seems birds are nesting and fledging every where you look. Last night I saw a family of flicker woodpeckers foraging across the lawn and today I spotted the Baltimore orioles weaving their nest in a tree not 20 feet from our deck. What a treat watching her work on the nest. And yes she was doing all of the construction with the Mr only showing up briefly to supervise. Took my camera on my walk tonight, didn't see the red-tail chick but I did hear one of the adults nearby.

*a not very good photo of the oriole, a red-bellied woodpecker, and a downy woodpecker

Wednesday, May 13

I actually worked today at Camp Ken-Jockety. And yes, Mr. Bichler, it was work because I do get a pay check. We had an elementary school from Grove City, 3rd graders and a very fun group. They did fishing, creeking, pond study and a habitat nature walk. I led the nature walk. Poor Mr. B was home and not allowed to eat or drink all day because he had to be at OSU for an endoscopy at 3:30. We learned that he still has a little esophagitis from a feeding tube he had while he was in ICU. He will have to start taking his nexium again at least for awhile longer. Tomorrow, the driving simulator!

Tuesday, May 12

Busy day today. We tilled the garden and planted 4 more rows of sweet corn. We tried to mow but we are having lots of problems with our mowers. Finally got one of them running. This afternoon we met some friends from school for dinner at York Steakhouse. It was really great seeing everyone, especially those that we don't see as often as we would like. I left early because I was being recognized at the zoo during a Docent Appreciation Dinner for being a docent for 5 years. We even had our picture taken with Jungle Jack Hanna.

Monday, May 11

We had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed the nice weather. I worked the Migratory Bird table at the zoo yesterday for several hours. There certainly were a lot of people who celebrated Mother's Day by going to the zoo. When I got home we celebrated Mother's Day by having a cook out with my parents. Mom and I planted some of my hanging baskets and just generally enjoyed the spring weather.

Therapy today went really great. Mr. B met with his psychologist today which seems to help make sense of some of the changes that resulted from the accident. Physical therapy continues to go well and today he spent 20 minutes on the treadmill. He has nearly tested out and will no longer need to have PT. Occupational therapy has been working on job related skills but the big news is that on Thursday he will be working in the driving simulator. This should give us some information about how soon or if he will be able to return to driving. Here's hoping Thursday proves to be an encouraging experience.

Saturday, May 9

I usually don't post on the week ends but since we went to the girl's softball tournament in Mt. Sterling I thought we should share some of the pictures we took. Can't believe how windy it was but we really enjoyed seeing the girls and their parents. We even got free hot dogs after the game thanks to the parents. A little more sun and a lot less wind would have made it a perfect day. On our way home we picked up some tomato and green pepper plants to add to the garden. Happy Mother's Day and remember to feed your birds.... it's migratory bird day!

Friday, May 8

Today was a pretty special day. Today we made our first trip back to school since the accident. We were greeted at the door by one of our former volleyball and basketball players who immediately gave Mr. Bichler a big smile and a hug. The two things Mr. B misses most about teaching. Mrs. Omen (principal) was providing a lunch to all her middle school teachers for teacher appreciation week and we were invited. Mr. B ate and visited through all three lunch periods. He especially enjoyed the cake, a strawberry filled cake from Cake Creations. It was delicious, Beth! When we got home he took a 2 hour nap, the first time he has napped in a long time so I guess all the social interaction just wore him out. We had intended to watch the MS boys baseball game tonight but unfortunately it was postponed because the field was too wet. Maybe we can catch the girls softball tournament tomorrow.

I walked our woods this afternoon and the day just kept getting better. I saw a red-tailed hawk chick in the nest. I only saw one but it's possible there is another younger chick. They have hatched 2 chicks each year for the last 3 years. I also saw a golden-winged warbler, a life bird for me and a Myrtle warbler and a female oriole. Like I said, it was a pretty special day!

*pic #1 is the 7th grade team, pic#2 is Mr. B with his long-term substitute and former student and pic #3 is the 7th grade team, principal and athletic director.

Thursday, May 7

Our vacation is over and it is back to life as we know it. Wednesday we had an appointment with our doctor from Dodd Hall. He did some blood work to check the pituitary and thyroid for hormone levels. He was very pleased with Mr. Bichler's progress especially since it has been nearly 3 months since he last saw him. He took him off one of his medications and cut back on one of the others. Now Mr. B only has to take 2 pills once a day and he is thrilled by that. Today it was back to therapy. We had lunch at BD Mongolian Grill because we got a free birthday lunch. The grass gods were smiling on us and allowed us to get the yard mowed. I was afraid if we didn't get it done soon I would have to have it baled. As it was I spent an hour raking, it had grown so tall. The barn swallows have eggs in their nests and I had a humming bird squeaking at me yesterday so I know that May is here. The garden is looking great, the peas, beans, and sweet corn have all pushed through as well as some weeds so I guess we will be tilling as soon as the soil dries out. We still need to plant some tomatoes and then planting flowers are next on the agenda. Life is Good!

Monday, May 4

Happy Birthday, Mr. Bichler. What a great day! Lunch and a play date at the Kid's Expo, later we had dinner at Friday's and home for ice cream cake! Heading home tomorrow.

Saturday, May 2

Today was dedicated to learning more about Delaware history. Mr. Bichler did get his flea-market fix by going to Spence's Bazaar and from there we went to Dover Days in downtown Dover. Since Delaware was the 1st state of the union, Dover the capitol is a very old and historic town. In the square in front of the capitol building they were having a traditional May Dance and there were many people dressed in period costumes. Of course once you got away from the square, it looked very much like our very own Ox Roast with the exception that instead of having roast ox sandwiches they had crab cakes and grilled shrimp. After lunch we drove north about an hour to Fort Delaware. It was really interesting and it sat out in the bay on Pea Island and we had to take a ferry out to the fort. Luke really enjoyed the ride. Once at the fort they had soldiers in the fort that talked about the history. The fort was used during the Civil War and held Confederate prisoners. They also had the first ever flush toilets. The toilets flushed into the moat that surrounded the fort. Guess that might be almost as good as crocodiles!

*pic 1 is the capitol building in Dover, pic 2 inside Ft. Delaware, pic 3 shows the moat around the fort.

Friday, May 1

The weather hasn't really improved a lot but it did get a little warmer today so we drove down to Rehoboth Beach for a few hours. The water was still really cold but Luke and I just had to get our feet wet and collect a few rocks and shells. Mr. Bichler only got as far as the beach chair but we all enjoyed the beach and the salty sea air. What a nice way to relax!