Greeting dear readers! Your “Marilyn Beane’s World” is back on another week’s journey. Would you like to travel with me? I’m sure you do. So come along and I will have news from my home at Windward Gardens in Camden.
Sunday, Nov. 24: After 7 a.m. the sweet CNA nicknamed Lashes got me up and dressed and into my wheelchair. My journey has started. I was uplifted by my TV pastors David Jeremiah, the late Charles Stanley, and Michael Youssef.
The sweet PT came and changed me over to my portable oxygen tank and wheeled me down to therapy. She put me through standing exercises then had me pedal on the fishy exercise bike.
My sweet roommate had been helped up and dressed. The sweet OT wheeled her down for her therapy. I watched her do her standing exercises at the bars. Then I was wheeled back to my room and shifted back to my concentrator.
A little later before lunch, the OT came and changed me over to my portable oxygen tank again. She wheeled me back down to therapy. We played Connect Four for my reaching exercises. She won the first game. I won two games. Then she put me back on the fishy bike. This time I pedaled with my arms for exercises.
Then she wheeled me back to my room and shifted me back to my concentrator. This morning before I was out of bed, the sweet X-ray technician came in wheeling a portable X-ray machine. She took three chest X-rays. She was talking comical.
About 1:30 p.m. Lashes helped me back to bed. Bingo was being held down in the dining room by another male resident, but I was too tired.
Monday, Nov. 25: The sweet med tech helped me up around 7:30 a.m. She helped me dress and into my wheelchair. My journey today is on a sunny day with cool coastal temps about 45 degrees. I talked with my precious savior in bed this morning and read his word after I was up.
I did some coloring pages for Christmas and watched classic movies on the ME channel.
Tuesday, Nov. 26: Waking up after a good night’s sleep, I had my prayer to my awesome lord in bed. The sweet nurse gave me my meds and a yogurt treat. The sweet, tall and thin CNA came in to get me up and gave me a nice shampoo and shower. She helped me dry off and dressed me. She wheeled me back to my room.
After breakfast, the OT came and changed me to the portable oxygen tank. She wheeled me down to the therapy room. She put on my right knee brace and helped me through standing exercises.
I was surprised my roommate’s sweet sister came in to say a few words to me, smiling. She and her nice husband went to our room to see my roommate. While I was pedaling on the new step exercise bike, they came back with my roommate to see me before leaving for home.
We wished each other a Happy Thanksgiving and extend to the rest of the family.
The sweet OT treated my left shoulder with ultrasound and massaged Biofreeze into both shoulders. She wheeled me back to my room. She did exercises of my shoulders and arms.
The sweet activities director replaced new batteries in our wall clocks, which have stopped.
It was a cloudy day with cool temps in the 40s. At 1:30 p.m. the sweet nurse wheeled me into the activities room to attend the resident council meeting. I sat beside my sweet roommate. The sweet activities director conducted the meeting. After the meeting, the sweet nurse helped me to bed.
Wednesday, Nov. 27: After breakfast, the sweet PT came and wheeled me down to therapy. I had standing exercises. Then I pedaled on the fishy exercise bike. The OT treated my left shoulder again and I pedaled on the new step bike on the Singapore scene.
The nurse practitioner came in to tell me she saw my x-ray report. I have got pneumonia in my right lung and a bit in the left. She said I had to be put on a stronger antibiotic. She listened to my lungs. I had lots of noises and congestion.
The sweet nurse tapped on my back sitting up and laying on my stomach. My oxygen level was taken and she listened to my lungs.
At 2 p.m. the sweet nurse wheeled me into the activities room for bingo and wheeled me to the table where my sweet friend Mary and two other friends were playing. The sweet activities director called off the numbers.
I won two games, the first and last. Mary won one game. We had a chocolate treat afterwards.
Two sweet CNAs helped me get to bed. The sweet nurse gave me my nebulizer treatment. It was a cloudy day with a bit of sun. Temps about 45 degrees.
I watched the news this morning. I found out that CBS reporter Dan Rather passed away with cancer. He was 89 years old. I watched classic movies on the ME channel. I prayed to my heavenly father and read his word.
Thursday, Nov. 28: I was helped out of bed and dressed and into my wheelchair before breakfast. My sweet roommate was helped up a little later.
It is Thanksgiving Day so she and I watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade from New York City. A lot of musical marches, beautiful floats, young people dressed in colorful costumes, singing and dancing, a Santa Claus float with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and sweet animal balloons floating up high.
In my room the sweet nurse did tapping on my back with me sitting up, then on my stomach. My antibiotic was started this morning. It was a dark rainy day here on the coast with cold temps about 35 degrees.
This morning the sweet nurse and I got to see a beautiful blue jay in the tree outside my window. It was fluttering around, then it perched on a limb looking straight in here. I was told that my late husband Elden had come to wish me Happy Thanksgiving Day.
Friday, Nov. 29: I didn’t get a full night’s sleep. The sweet favorite nurse gave me my 7 a.m. meds. The day nurse gave me my nebulizer treatment. The day CNA got me up and dressed a little past 8 a.m. She helped me in my wheelchair.
The PT came in while I was being helped. She told me she wanted me at 10 a.m. The sweet activities director gave me a coffee first. The sweet PT changed me over to my new full portable oxygen tank and she wheeled me down to the therapy room.
She helped me through standing exercises at the parallel bars. She was happy that I stood at some length of time. I did these four times.
Then she helped me on the new step exercise bike. I took a trip on the Singapore scene. I did about 10 minutes of that then I was seen by the OT to have my left shoulder treated with ultrasound. She massaged both shoulders with Biofreeze. Then I had to do stretchy exercises.
We saw several blue jays fluttering and perching in the tree outside the window down there. The OT had me stretch my arms with the pulleys. She wheeled me back to my room.
She changed me over to my oxygen concentrator. After lunch, another sweet CNA helped putting me to bed. It was a sunny day, clouding up mid afternoon. Morning temps 35 degrees. It was 41 degrees in the afternoon here on the coast.
Saturday, Nov. 30: The CNA helped me get up and dressed and into my wheelchair. Mostly my activities was coloring and watching the news and watching the wild animals and “Heart of Heroes” which is about rescuing people.
At 2 p.m. the sweet CNA wheeled me down to the dining room to play bingo. It was a very small group of about four or five of us. My sweet friend Mary was among there.
One of the nice resident men called off the numbers. I won two games. I stayed until 3 p.m. I had to excuse myself as I was blurry eyed and very tired. Lashes was walking down the hallway and said she was popping me into bed. She wheeled me back to my room.
It was cloudy with some sunshine. Temps here on the coast were about 35 degrees. My word, don’t it get dark early now?
Well, it’s time to end this journey for this week.
In closing, I want to share my precious lord’s word. Because of God and his promises we can choose to not lose heart. Even as I and others suffer, I am living in faith each day, relying on his power to renew me. Let’s fix our eyes on the eternal promises each day.
(Write “Marilyn Beane’s World,” Windward Gardens, Room 105, 105 Mechanic St., Camden, ME 04843-1811.)
