Monday, December 28, 2015

Grumpy Old Men

It's update time again! My brother-in-law has been released from Gotham Hospital and sent to Fartland Nursing Home for rehab on his broken arm. A lot closer to home. Now it's a 30 minute drive instead of over 2 hours. 

I called the nursing home "Fartland" because it's mostly full of old farts...so my brother-in-law fits in pretty well. To say he's the Grinch channeling Scrooge is an understatement. He savors schadenfreude like Paula Deen loves butter. His day isn't complete until he ruins someone else's. I've known him for 40 years and he's always been like that. It took a while, but eventually I learned to just ignore the mean spirit and accept him for what he is...a grumpy, technophobic, cantankerous, bigoted, reclusive, diehard fan of wrestling who happens to be the brother of my wife who loves him dearly.

He's mending well and able to get around fairly well but it's sounding like it will be around the end of January before they let him go home. Once there he'll be eligible to have a visiting nurse and someone to help him with housework two or three times a week through some of the social service agencies in the area. Since he lives in a mobile home behind our house, my wife will probably be checking in on him daily as well.

In regards to my own health, I'm scheduled for another CT scan in a couple of days to evaluate the effectiveness of my new medication. I'm a bit nervous about that. My hair has been gradually turning from white back to gray but my beard remains white. I let it grow out into a full "Santa Claus" beard over the last few months but trimmed it back to my usual 3/8" length today. My voice has also become a bit hoarse, a common side effect of the medication. Other than that, no major changes. I had a routine checkup with my primary care physician this afternoon, my A1C is doing well along with all the other vitals. I also got a shot of Prevnar 13 as a 65th birthday present. All in all a good visit.

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