The World of Grandpa Don
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Week Ending Friday |
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Or to learn more of Grandpa Don and his remarkable family ...
Many of the quotes found on this page are from the daily messages I receive from Covenant House  |
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Last week I signed off on my update on a down note. Things are better
today. As a matter of fact I thought I was going to miss something very
important on Sunday but someone is looking out for me.
I got up Sunday morning and was in good enough shape to go to church. I
have been a sponsor for my grandson's wife as she prepared to become a
Catholic. This was the morning of her acceptance and welcome into the
church. She was also Confirmed and received her first Catholic Communion
during the 9 AM Mass. I was able to be with her for the ceremonies. My
daughter, her husband, their four boys, including Sarah's husband and
co-sponsor, Dominick, were there along with Karen, one of my
daughter-in-laws. Sara's parents live in the Detroit area and were not
there. It was a very happy occasion. Another young lady shared the
ceremonies. Both Sarah and Elizabeth were raised Lutheran and were so
well versed in their Christian faith that their period of instruction
was very short which delighted Sarah because she wanted join Dominick in
the Catholic faith before their daughter was born. (Due Nov 16) They
will now be a family united in faith.
The family went for breakfast but I wasn't up to it and came home to
have a cup of coffee as I sat on the patio and watched my maple trees
turn color. I have two kinds of maples which are just starting to turn
at the tops. Two are crimson and one is more orange. I also have a
Bradford pear which will stay dark green well into the fall then turn
russet. It will snow before it drops it's leaves. One of my neighbors
has an ash and another has a birch. There are also some pines and spruce
in the mix. I watch the color change from my garden. (Planned it that
way.)
By then I was feeling almost human again and it doesn't get much better
than this. I spoke with the nurse practitioner ... she had given me her
home phone number and insisted I check in Sunday morning. I am to stop
taking one of the meds on Tuesday and come in to have the catheter
removed Thursday morning. By then the problem that caused all this
should be corrected and I should be back on track. Wearing the bag isn't
my idea of fun ... I once said that I would rather die than to use one
of them ... but God called my bluff.
Life sure does get interesting at times ... no, not at times ... it is
always interesting. Sometimes it is not much fun but days like today
make it all worth while. I feed Mikey went out to the Gazebo and soak in
the day. We won't have many more like that until spring.
What happened to me? For those of you who don't want to read the gory details, click on Details Over to skip, otherwise, read on....
Last week when my prostate swelled up and my bladder filled to the point of busting I left bible study and called for help. Joe came and took me to the Urologist's office. He wasn't in but Awa, the nurse practitioner inserted a catheter. It was not an easy task but relief was immediate.. I was glad to have my benevolent nuisance installed. However, late Thursday afternoon, I had uncontrollable urges to go and the my plumbing started to take over for the catheter because it was not completely sealed.
Dan had come here Thursday night, took me to the ER at Palos Hospital and stayed with me the two and a half hours. When we got there I was surprised how quiet and pleasant the place was. We were met at the door by an attendant with a wheel chair which I gladly eased myself into. A clerk took some information and we were directed to a pleasant waiting area. Soon I was wheeled to the triage nurse's station where the details of my problem were recorded. From there it was to the admitting desk and then back to the waiting area. It was only a short wait and I was wheeled into the actual ER. That was controlled chaos, just like on TV. The ambulance cases come in from another entrance and there were doctors and nurses scurrying about tending to a multitude of patients in curtained cubicles all around the room. Some patients were on gurneys in the aisles. My nurse Kay was pleasant and efficient. She appreciated the fact that I gave her a sheet of paper, which I carry with me all the time, with my complete medical history and list of medications. It also has my picture on it, the names and phone numbers of all my doctors and that of my children. After she did a preliminary check of my condition I waited for Dr Kim. While waiting, my bladder didn't and Kay was forced into clean up duty. Sorry Kay. But she put me at ease ... all in a day's work. After Dr Kim saw me the plan was to give me a bladder scan and then change the catheter to a larger size.
He soon returned to tell me he lied. One, their bladder scan equipment was out for repairs. Two, they had contacted Ewa, , my Urologist's nurse practitioner, and she suggested that since my prostate had obviously become swollen, if they removed the catheter they may not be able to insert a larger one. And so, they simply readjusted the one that I already had and apparently that worked ... somewhat. I was sent home with instructions to go to the doctor at 8:45 on Friday. I was still having minor "accidents" Friday morning but I drove to the doctor's where Awa did what she recommended against at the ER. She replaced the catheter with a larger tube albeit with a little painful difficulty. I left with an antibiotic and samples of two medications, one to reduce the bladder urges and the other to shrink the prostate. The plan is to stop the first on Tuesday and continue the other for a couple months. By then, the prostate should be fully healed. Anyway ... that's the plan.
I think I have figured out what happened to cause the problem in the first place. For many years I had been taking Hytrin to help shrink the prostate. The surgery was supposed to eliminate the need for that medication and after almost a month after the surgery, but before the prostate was completely recovered, my prescription was running out. The doctor told me to finish what I had and stop taking it. Apparently, my still healing prostate still needed a little help and a week after I stopped the medication, the prostate closed my urethra. I am now taking Flowmaxe to re-shrink the prostate and Detrol to reduce the bladder pleasure. I stop the Detrol today (Tuesday) and the plan is to remove the catheter on Thursday but continue the Flowmaxe until we are absolutely positive that it is not needed. Some people would be screaming and hollering ... even calling the lawyers ... because the doctor made a mistake. I prefer to call it, maybe, a misjudgment in not anticipating the idiosyncrasies of my particular physiology. Stuff happens and that's life. I still am grateful that my doctors have kept me alive far longer than I deserve for the way I have abused this body.
Anne Marie and Joe came over Friday night and she went shopping so that I have food for the next week. Some would say that it is payback time for all the times that Anne and I had to take care of our kid's childhood illnesses and accidents. It is no such thing. It is "Love time". When things need to be done, you do it. Nothing is "owed" when you do for others or others do for you. The quote (below) from the Talmud came from Covenant House today. It could be paraphrased, 'He who does for others, does for himself'. We are here to do for others, whoever they are and whenever there is a need. Saturday was a day of quiet R&R. The medication to calm the bladder started doing it's job and that was very obvious to me. I didn't sleep well Thursday or Friday but Saturday was better.
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He who prays for his neighbors will be heard for himself.
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A beautiful huge pine tree in my neighbor's yard had turned ugly. Sunday afternoon I watched as he cut branches away that were on my side of the dead tree. It was one of those pines which send big branches every which direction and has clumps of 6 - 8 " long needles sprouting many pine cones. Besides being a great backdrop for my gazebo it provided a great "climbing tree" for his children. They were often to be seen perched in its substantial arms. Mead was working with a very quiet battery powered chain saw and I was surprised at the ease at which it severed the dead limbs. The needles have been turning brown all summer and there was no green left. His plan was to remove the weight of branches on the South side so that when he cut the main limbs they would fall to the north, into his yard. He planned well and by nightfall all but one of the main trunks were on the ground. I can now see his house from mine and the gazebo's background now includes a stately blue spruce and a huge ash tree. Mead said the tree was full of holes, bored by some bug and there was sawdust covering the ground below the tree before he started cutting.
Monday, still abnormally warm for this time of the year, was another day of rest. I have been having trouble falling asleep but sleeping soundly after midnight. Two naps took me during the morning and so it went by rapidly. I wanted to take some photos outside but the batteries for my camera were dead and would not take a charge.
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Nothing is a greater impediment |
I planned to share my further thoughts on the economic crisis but my friend Bob Clarke sent a link that tells the story far better than could I. It is long but the subject deserves the time it takes to tell the story. I urge you to watch the entire presentation then decide for yourself. See The Economic Crisis. Who Caused it?
There are no lies or scare tactics in the story which, I hope you just watched, just facts. It is a story of misjudgment and over zealousness in solving a problem, a good idea carried to excess due to misjudgment and misplaced trust. I am afraid that if John McCain looses this election it will be in part because of the "any means to an end" attitude of some of his supporters in their use of slander and lies against Mr. Obama. These tactics often backfire as intelligent people see through them and will actually hurt the veracity and good will of their candidate. Obama does not get the blame for all this. As the video presentation points out, it goes back several administrations and is laid in the laps of the Democrats. But Obama does wholeheartedly support the Democrats approach to things. That approach is a sincere effort to assist the working man and the poor. It has been, however, an impractical approach to the problem.
I was of the opinion that the economy is basically independent of government. I was wrong. I now see that government meddling can, and has, disrupted the natural laws of economics. Given the circumstances, the present economic crisis was inevitable because it was based on an impracticable dream as noble as it may have been. We now have an opportunity to correct the errors of the past and I believe it is the practicality of John McCain that is necessary to do it. We can not afford to simply make the system work, we must redesign the system so that credit is used with responsibility not as a tool to overextend those who can not afford it. We must return to a reality where you can not spend more than you can afford. We must learn to live in the reality of life where our dreams are recognized as possible goals and not something to be satisfied no matter what the consequences. Instant gratification is unrealistic and unnatural. Lets get real.
And speaking of the fallacy in the desire for instant gratification, it holds true across the board, being a natural law of nature. No matter if it pertains to sexual desire, gluttony for food, the want of power, money, or the things money can buy, it never satisfies and only increases the desire for excess. When we satisfy our real (basic) needs we feel rewarded. When we obsess over wants beyond our needs we are never satisfied because there is always more to want. Case in point ... I like my coffee and as I mentioned, drank five or more cups each day. I was advised to limit myself to one cup per day and I have done so for the past several days. I nurse that one cup all morning and it has never been more delicious than it is now. I really appreciate the taste. Since my coffee maker does not continuously heat the pot it retains its perfect strength and taste and I simply zap it in the microwave when it gets cool. A single pot of coffee will now last five days. Actually, since I drink from a coffee mug, I am getting about a cup and a half a day but that is down from about eight.
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It is neither wealth or splendor, |
As I sat writing the soap box dissertation (above) a call was received from the manager of the local Schwab brokerage office. We had a pleasant conversation regarding the economic situation. Schwab has served me well but they are not magicians. My current position is as good as can be expected considering the situation and I am not loosing any sleep. I expect things to get better and also expect to weather the storm.
Tuesday I got an email from Jean, a fellow genealogy researcher on the Packard line. She had heard from Richard Packard who has a very informative web site on the subject. She is hoping to glean some information on our line of the family from him. Her email also had some information on her immediate ancestors. I will not go into details but her grandmother, after her first husband's death, married her father-in-law. It reminded me of the old song, "I'm my own grandpa". You youngsters may enjoy hearing it.
It was much cooler Tuesday but windless and sunny. I took some of my R&R on the swing in the back yard. Mikey enjoyed the change in weather as well as I did. He wandered the yard several times as I sipped ice water (not coffee). There are trees across the street, all the same type but the difference in color from tree to tree is fascinating. One is all red while its neighbor is mottled in yellow and red. A few have started to drop their leaves. I do get to see the fall colors right here at home but I will admit that it won't compare with the colors of a forest when viewed from a distant hill. Still, natures glory is awesome from any perspective.
While I was indulging in R&R Barbara was industriously cleaning the house, singing all the time. She couldn't help noticing that something was slowing me down and when she left she asked "Mr. Plefka, you sick?" When I said, "Yeh, little sick." she commanded me, "No ... No ... Mr. Plefka, you no be sick ... no good!" I will do my best to please her and get better.
The greater the difficulty,
the more glory in surmounting it.
~ Epicurus
Wednesday, and long overdue, I emptied my closet floor of the clutter of old shoes. I couldn't throw them away because they were all useable ... but no longer used. I now have several pairs of the special ones from my foot doctor. There were multiple pairs of dress shoes, casual shoes, walking shoes, and work shoes, all with shoe laces which I will never - ever put on again. Thank God for Velcro! They were all placed in a big plastic bag and the St. Vincent DePaul pick up tag affixed to it then dragged down stairs for the scheduled pickup on Wednesday.
I had a special request from the parish Shawl Ministry so I put together a special page on the web site honoring Deacon Mike. See it at Deacon Mike Kiley and the Shawl Ministry. I sent a request to Liz who maintains the Home page of the parish web site to "Spotlight" the page. I also culled the dead email address from the parish "Include-Me" membership roster. There were eight addresses which have bounced back undeliverable for more than 6 issues. Bob Lewis had sent his usual notification that he had uploaded the next issue of the parish bulletin to the parish web site so I sent out an issue of the "Include-Me" newsletter letting members know it was ready for viewing. This issue included a request for someone to assume the task of keeping the parish On-Line Calendar up to date because one of our team members has had to quit. These are the kind of things that keep me off the streets and out of the bars during the week.
It is turning cooler and it was raining all Wednesday, not a day to be out on the street anyway. By evening I was having problems with my catheter again. It was as if my body was telling me I didn't need it anymore. A call was made to Awa and she advised me to try to deal with it but if it got to be too much to go to the ER again. That was enough incentive to make me deal with it. She said she would come into the office early and for me to be there at 7:30 the next morning. My son Dan has been upset that I am seeing and talking to the nurse practitioner and not the doctor. He forgets that it was the doctor who told me to stop the meds too soon and Ewa who has been doing all the work to rectify the problem..
Prayer is the key that opens the heart of God.
~ St. Padre Pio
At 7:30 Thursday I was at the doctor's office. I had had a good night's sleep with no problems. Awa used the catheter to fill my bladder with liquid and then removed the catheter. I expelled the liquid the normal way and she was pleased with the rate of flow. So was I. ... I was human again! I left with two medications, one to take for six weeks and the other for 12 and both to keep the prostate from swelling. There was a third medication to be taken only if I had uncontrolled bladder spasms and I was to call if that happened again. She also noticed that I had a rash. I had been treating it with baby powder. No, she explained, the powder holds the moisture and makes it worse. She gave me a prescription for a salve for the rash and recommended an over the counter cream for prevention.
Returning home I enjoyed an ample breakfast and went to the drug store for my prescription and a few other things. I got some batteries for my camera as well. Sitting down in the living room a nap took me. I enjoyed a ham and cheese sandwich on toast ... zapped in the microwave to melt the cheese. Delicious! I had just finished when Awa called to see if I was OK. She instructed me to return to the office a week from Friday so she could "check my flow" again.
With all this folderol I missed Bible Study and Mikey missed his grooming appointment. Life is what happens while you are planning something else. In the afternoon, armed with the new batteries, I went out and took some photos. Click on the thumbnails for a larger view.
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What is left Oct 16, 2008 |
The Old Pine Tree |
Close Up View |
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| A Maple Starting to turn |
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Fall 2008 |
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The Garden Early Fall |
to Mark Barilla, son of my sister Rita (Copeland) and husband John. May all be well with him and his family.
Sarah and Dominick had gone to her doctor Thursday and she and their daughter are doing well. From there they came to my house and we decided to go to Lang Lee's. I knew the service would be fast and we would not be there long so my "condition" should not be a problem. It wasn't. We all enjoy their Mongolian Beef, Dominick and I, nice and spicy, and Sarah, mild. When we came home I presented Sarah with Anne's big old rocker for the baby's room. Anne had gotten it when her first grandchildren were born so she could hold and rock them when they were at our house. It will now go to a new generation. This rocker is well built, its seat is 3" thick solid wood and should last for several generations. I am glad it will be put to use again to comfort our great granddaughter.
Everyone must row with the oars he has.
~ English proverb
I woke up Friday well rested and with Mike's face looking at me over the edge of the bed. Then it was a mad rush to the necessary room. After breakfast I found the sun is now slanting below the wide eves of the house and Mr. Sunbeam flooding into the living room. Mikey will take advantage if it's warmth during the ensuing months, moving from time to time as the rays traverse the floor.. After my reflections I called the Halford's to postpone Dinner & Cards this weekend. I just don't feel up to it. Dick is trying to recover from the flu and they were going to call me to postpone as well.
I feel as I am on the right track again, or maybe I should say I am on the right course in my little boat, using the oars that came with it. So ... my health isn't perfect ... no big deal. Nothing is perfect in this world but we keep rowing because a lot is good. What is important is that we are on course for the right destination and we leave a good feeling with those we have met on the way. Maybe those we have touched will learn a little not only from our mistakes but maybe they see something good in us and carry that on to make this world a little bit better than before our being here. Life is good. Thank You God.
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Too blest to be stressed. |
Grandpa Don
Plefka
. Links
of the Week
Following the link is ...
the name of the person who led me to it.
I'm my own grandpa
Deacon Mike Kiley and the Shawl Ministry
The Two Wolves ... Alex Kapocius
Anne wanted everyone to be 'Nice'.
This button was in one of
her dresser
drawers I cleaned out in August of 2004
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