APRIL

Boy, did we get fooled on Monday. It was a day early but it could definitely qualify as an April Fool's joke.

Donny's doctors told him to exercise so that he could get his strength back. He likes to walk around the church parking lot usually but on Monday he said, "Let's walk down Chitwood Road." 

I've been walking with him to keep an eye on him and I was ready for some new scenery. We took a slow but steady pace as we walked down the country road. By the time we got back home, Colt and Scout were arriving home from work.

Donny ate a bowl of chocolate ice cream and he seemed to be fine. I was in another room when he called me.

Donny said he was sick and his head was cold and clammy again. I was scared he was having heart trouble but the little monitor he wears over his shoulder wasn't going off.

Donny's stomach was messed up and he had to throw up. Donny never gets sick. I talked him into letting me drive him to the hospital. On the way we were trying to figure out what was wrong.

Donny had to go to the hospital last time because he was dehydrated. I asked him what he had to eat and drink. All he could remember was three cups of coffee and a bowl of ice cream. 

The emergency room doctor had told him coffee isn't good for him because it's a diuretic. He hasn't been drinking enough water.  He didn't want to go to the emergency room so I asked him if he'd drink some water to see if it would help. 

We went to Krystal's and got something to drink. I bet we stayed there for at least an hour while Don tried to recuperate. I got his glass refilled. He got sick again after drinking the water too fast but after that he said he felt better. He still didn't want to go to the hospital though so we rode around town. 

Donny told me to take him to Mama's house and he'd rest there. He crashed in the sun room. Mama bundled him up in blankets and even pulled her new heater to the sun room for him.

She petted him and made him pudding to settle his stomach. 

Scout, Katie, and Bennett came to see if he was okay. They had been eating dinner at the Oakwood Cafe while we were in town.

Donny finally said he felt better and he had to go home to take his medicine. He wasn't sick anymore. I sure am glad because I don't do well in a crisis. My first response is to panic. Bless his poor old, new heart.

I'd rather be fooled than be right. I was scared he was having a heart attack. We all were. April fools on us.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Sanna, Patricia, Susie, Debbie, Aja, Allan, and Kathy

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Jason and Hanna, Myra and Noodie, Ann and Jim

RIP
Beulah Burchfield, Henry Cornwell, and Donna Shoates

REMEMBER
It's tax time!

AS ALWAYS

PIO

FEBRUARY

Greetings Y'all. If you have a honey and want to show them how much you love them, don't buy them one of those giant teddy bears. That is such a creepy gift. "Hey honey. I got a gift for you. A life size bear!"

I can imagine the woman thinking, "What the hell kind of gift is this? Does he think I'm a twelve year old girl? Nice. Now where am I going to stash this thing?" Yikes! Well, not to worry. I'm not expecting anything, big or small. a nice, quiet holiday. No drama. Please!  

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I'm afraid I didn't get what I wanted for Valentine's day. My husband blacked out and fell in the bathroom recently. I helped him up and his head was cold and clammy. He said he felt weak but wasn't hurting anywhere. I thought he might be getting the flu. He monitored his blood pressure and it was too low for him. He called the doctor the next week. After taking blood tests, they called the next day and told me to get him to the emergency room immediately because his blood work showed he had a heart attack. That's why he fell.

We went to Hamilton Medical Center in Dalton and they admitted him after poking and prodding him for hours. They planned a stress test for the next day but the cardiologist said it was too dangerous to run a stress test until they found out the problem. They scheduled a heart catheterization for the next day.

Instead of getting good news from the doctor, we were told that Don needed bypass surgery. I rode in the ambulance with Don as he was transported to Chattanooga at Memorial Hospital. We went to the same hospital that Daddy had been in only a couple of months before. He was supposed to have surgery on Friday, a week after his bathroom fall but they wanted to do some tests on his liver first. His surgery was postponed until the next Monday.

After five hours of surgery, he was moved to recovery in the CVICU. They kept him in ICU monitoring his blood pressure and pumping him full of drugs in IV's. 

Colt and I camped out in his room the night before his surgery. We intended in traveling back and forth to see him in the hospital but the south was slammed with a snowstorm. I was hospital bound in the waiting room until Scout was able to come to the hospital and rescue me. I was so happy to get back home and take care of things, not to mention sleep in my own bed.

Colt was supposed to take me back to Chattanooga today but Don said he was still in ICU and told me to wait. He thinks he will be placed in a room tomorrow. I certainly hope so. It is very hard sleeping on a little bench in the waiting room. 

I was able to snag a recliner after a couple of days when most of the families cleared out. They didn't want to be stuck at the hospital because of the storm. I didn't have that luxury. I don't trust my car enough to drive it to Chattanooga so I rode with Colt up there. Scout came to pick me up in Mama's car. I don't mind driving an old car but it is really inconvenient when you want to go somewhere and don't know how reliable it will be.

My sweetie is in the hospital after having quadruple bypass surgery and valve repair. He was a walking timebomb. I am so grateful that he went to the doctor in time to correct it. That is the best Valentine's gift I can thing of. Our wonderful family has been right there to support and encourage us throughout all this. Friends who are going through their own difficulties are so kind and caring and have been invaluable to our family. It is times like this that you learn who cares and who doesn't. Thank you all. I love you, each and every one. 

I hope you all had a happy and healthy Valentine's day. I hope we don't get any more snow this winter. It's too much. Everything is too much. This has been a difficult year, so far, and it's only February.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Mikki, Alicia, Brooke, Don, Douglas, Bailey

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

RIP
Delbert Callahan

AS ALWAYS
PIO