Saturday mornings . . .

. . . in our house usually go like this:

1. 6am or 6:30am, the kaaClunk of TWR in the bathroom (GpaK is UP for the DAY!) No sleeping in here, folks


2. 6:15 or 6:45, GpaK makes his way downstairs (in his Jammies - because it's SHOWER DAY!)


3. I follow, get the coffee ready, get GpaK's meds out, water, inhaler . . .


4. Check his blood sugar level - this helps decide what's on the menu for breakfast


5. Feed the dogs, take them outside, get GpaK's NEWSPAPER


6. Prepare breakfast


7. Clear dishes (it's now about 7:30)


8. Bill is up . . .


9. 7:45 SHOWER TIME! Woo Hoo! I help GpaK get undressed, get on the scale for his weekly weigh-in (we have a goal to keep it steady in the mid-180s), adjust he shower chair, help him into the shower, shampoo, scrub back, etc etc etc.


10. By 8:15 we're out of the shower, he's shaved and getting dressed


11. Clean up the bathroom and he's good to go. Eeeueeueeu (squeaky clean) He heads back downstairs


12. 8:45, it's time to fill the PILL BOXES! This takes about 20 minutes or so . . . IF you don't accidentally knock a partially filled box onto the floor.


13. Go online to order any necessary refills.


14. Saturday post-GpaK duty begins around 9:30 am.

Walker Texas Ranger . . . on the move!

Chuck Norris was the star. For someone who never watched the show, I sure say "Texas Walker Ranger" a lot. TWR is the nickname that my husband gave GpaK's walker. Sometimes we just call it Chuck for short.

I have to give GpaK credit - he does use his walker (for the most part) pretty faithfully (although it's pretty tricky to carry a martini with a walker - so when he's getting cocktails it's acapella).

Other things you'll hear frequently in our house:

• Anyone but GpaK: "He's on the move!" Warning to anyone within earshot that GpaK is on his way (required to send a signal about hiding foods that he shouldn't have)



• Kaa-clunk (the sound Chuck makes when he's in the bathroom in the middle of the night - He's actually pretty quiet on the hallway carpet!).



• Broiiiinnnggg - the sound the recliner makes when GpaK reclines (fairly frequently!)



• GpaK: "Margaret - can you help me turn on this damn television?" (at least once a day)

How far we've come!

Since April 8, GpaK has made amazing progress.

Consider then - Now:

• He needed help getting to/from the bathroom - now he's independent


• The stairs were a challenge, requiring at least one "spotter" - today he can easily ascend on his own


• Bill or I checked his blood sugar, administered Insulin - now he takes care of all of this


• Oxygen was used most of the time, then nighttime, now it's rarely used


• Little or no interest in reading, crossword puzzles - now his iPad is closeby, he reads the entire paper each day and almost always completes the crossword puzzle


• Refusing (practially) to go to Silver Sneakers exercise class - now he goes twice a week with just a little grumbling

We've done all of this while maintaining his weight in the 180s, keeping his blood sugar in check (anxious for the next A1C test !) and staying relatively sane.

Life is good.

Pouting is a life skill

He pouts. When the chips we (the non-diabetics) are munching on disappear as he approaches.
He pouts. When I serve a vegetarian meal (two veggies in the family).
He pouts. When one of the kids has my full attention for more than a few minutes.
He pouts. When my husband or I question the timing of his cocktail (a little early?!)

Another lesson about Life w/ GpaK is that pouting doesn't go out of season. It's like riding a bike but better, because you don't have to lift a finger!

Sometimes the pouting interferes with GpaK's favorite thing: enjoying food. The aforementioned questioning of the cocktail could actually result in pouting through the dinner hour, whereby the pouting trumps the request for seconds! Sucka!

Pouting also has a tendency to make those around him talk and laugh a little louder in order to dispel some of the awkwardness of the moment(s). GpaK's pouting used to make me uncomfortable; now I just feel sorry for him.