So .... Dad is going home tomorrow!!
They are releasing him from the hospital and we have managed to get the condo ready for them.
It is not perfect, but close enough and we decided that the best thing for him is to be in his own home and own bed.
Will try to give you more news this weekend.
Thanks for all your thoughts and well wishes!!
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Saturday, July 13th
Saturday, July 13th
Wow! What a difference a day makes!!!
We were called into the hospital late Thursday night because Dad could not breathe
properly, they had to intubate, took him for an MRI - it was insanity.
This morning, they removed the tube, he can talk again, which makes him very, very happy! He is smiling and making jokes, telling us that he loves us - it is Dad again!!
He is still in ICU - and will be for at least a day or two, but he will be getting better.
Rob is heading back home tomorrow and we are hoping that all is well now and that
Dad is on the road to recovery!!
Thank you for all your thoughts, prayers and well wishes - it means a great deal to hear from you all.
Take care,
Janine
Wow! What a difference a day makes!!!
We were called into the hospital late Thursday night because Dad could not breathe
properly, they had to intubate, took him for an MRI - it was insanity.
This morning, they removed the tube, he can talk again, which makes him very, very happy! He is smiling and making jokes, telling us that he loves us - it is Dad again!!
He is still in ICU - and will be for at least a day or two, but he will be getting better.
Rob is heading back home tomorrow and we are hoping that all is well now and that
Dad is on the road to recovery!!
Thank you for all your thoughts, prayers and well wishes - it means a great deal to hear from you all.
Take care,
Janine
Friday, July 12, 2013
Quick update, July 12th
Just to let you all know that Dad did take a turn for the worse last night, but the doctors have now decided that he has pneumonia and are treating him for that.
Will keep you posted....
Will keep you posted....
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
July 10th, 2013
Hello One and All!
Five days since I sent out my last update...
Thursday evening we did go to our first Stampede party - at Drew's house (neighbor & brother)
A good time was had by all - as always one of the best Stampede parties in the city - but I was far too tired to continue the party in the ManRoom with Kent & friends!
Friday, parade day! Big cheer for the First Responders & Volunteers that were honoured for their work in flood recovery! Lunch at the Ranchman's and then the President's Reception that evening at the Stampede.
But enough of that!! Saturday found us back at work at the condo. Sharon & I ripped out studs :
brilliant work my sister!! and other construction-ish stuff!!
Unfortunately, Mom & Dad left our place in Turner Valley at 6:30 in the morning - Mom took Dad to the Black Diamond hospital with severe chest pains. He said that it was an 8 or 9 out of 10 - not good. The (great!) doctors decided to send him into Calgary so that he could see a cardiologist so off they
went. The ambulance even took the temporary bridge (emergency vehicles only ) over the river
between Black Diamond & Turner Valley.
Dad has had a few rough days - they are trying very hard to regulate everything so that they can send him home. They are still searching for the perfect combination of medications - it complicates things
when there is not only heart problems, but also diabetes, kidney problems, COPD & Parkinsons...
He has been in the hospital for four days now and I don't think that he will be heading out anytime soon. But hopefully I am wrong and he will be back to his old self before we know it!!
Back at the condo, everything is now ripped out of the basement (except for the furnace, which should come out soon), the drywall is gone as is the carpets, bathroom fixtures, hot water tank etc. etc..
Today they came in and pressure-washed the entire space - next it needs to be dried, de-humidified,
and sanitized... It takes time since they are working on the entire 42 condos in the complex, but I can't complain - a friend's house in Calgary was "deemed uninhabitable" the other day : not fun at all!
A friend said the other day that she has volunteered her entire life, but has never been on the receiving end before and we now know what it is to know that people care and we get tearful thinking of the kindness of friends and of strangers.
Love to you all,
Janine
Five days since I sent out my last update...
Thursday evening we did go to our first Stampede party - at Drew's house (neighbor & brother)
A good time was had by all - as always one of the best Stampede parties in the city - but I was far too tired to continue the party in the ManRoom with Kent & friends!
Friday, parade day! Big cheer for the First Responders & Volunteers that were honoured for their work in flood recovery! Lunch at the Ranchman's and then the President's Reception that evening at the Stampede.
But enough of that!! Saturday found us back at work at the condo. Sharon & I ripped out studs :
brilliant work my sister!! and other construction-ish stuff!!
Unfortunately, Mom & Dad left our place in Turner Valley at 6:30 in the morning - Mom took Dad to the Black Diamond hospital with severe chest pains. He said that it was an 8 or 9 out of 10 - not good. The (great!) doctors decided to send him into Calgary so that he could see a cardiologist so off they
went. The ambulance even took the temporary bridge (emergency vehicles only ) over the river
between Black Diamond & Turner Valley.
Dad has had a few rough days - they are trying very hard to regulate everything so that they can send him home. They are still searching for the perfect combination of medications - it complicates things
when there is not only heart problems, but also diabetes, kidney problems, COPD & Parkinsons...
He has been in the hospital for four days now and I don't think that he will be heading out anytime soon. But hopefully I am wrong and he will be back to his old self before we know it!!
Back at the condo, everything is now ripped out of the basement (except for the furnace, which should come out soon), the drywall is gone as is the carpets, bathroom fixtures, hot water tank etc. etc..
Today they came in and pressure-washed the entire space - next it needs to be dried, de-humidified,
and sanitized... It takes time since they are working on the entire 42 condos in the complex, but I can't complain - a friend's house in Calgary was "deemed uninhabitable" the other day : not fun at all!
A friend said the other day that she has volunteered her entire life, but has never been on the receiving end before and we now know what it is to know that people care and we get tearful thinking of the kindness of friends and of strangers.
Love to you all,
Janine
Friday, July 5, 2013
Further updates
July 5th, 2013
I sounded so unrealistically optimist last time!!
Sorry - I am just really tired!!
Monday - we were able to go to the condo and remove masses of mud from the garage -
tried not to think too much about the basement...
Tuesday - time to remove everything from the basement. Very sorry that we do not have illiterate parents - we must have removed a thousand books from the shelves downstairs...
Couches, chairs, bedroom furniture, bedding, Christmas decorations, and Dad!! Why so many empty wine bottles???
Note to self - never, ever keep photos, photo albums, or any keepsakes in the basement, especially on the bottom shelves!!
Up and down the stairs soooo many times - will have buns of steel after this!!
Huge piles of garbage in front of the house - along with all the mud from yesterday.
Quentin - you are the best!! Not only did he work so hard, but he knew how to set up the generator
so that we could have lights!
Sheila, you are the best of the best!!! Especially when we removed all the rotting food from the freezer
and when the fridge almost landed on you!!!
Dirty is the new sexy!!! You worked so hard - I really, really appreciated it!!!
And Erin - my lovely hard-working daughter! You look great clean or dirty!!!
Wednesday - brought in Roger, our friend and favourite contractor, to get the mud out of the basement.
What a filthy job!! We appreciate it so much!!
And good news!! The condo association has insurance that covers sewer backup! So the insurance people will take care of cleaning up the piles in front of each condo, cleaning and sanitizing the basement, removal of the wet drywall - we are so, so lucky compared to many of our friends!
Thursday - Mom & Dad and Sharon came out today. Also Erin, her friend Zoe and her friend
Danielle who is here visiting from Toronto.
There wasn't a lot to do at our condo - we now have to wait for the insurance people, but there was
plenty to do in some of the neighbors' condos!
We left filthy but we had accomplished a lot!!
Mom & Dad are doing alright - much better since they now know what the situation is and much better since it looks as though insurance will cover much more than they thought.
Friday - Stampede begins so I am taking a day off!!!
E-mail me if you want Mom & Dad's new cell phone number....
I sounded so unrealistically optimist last time!!
Sorry - I am just really tired!!
Monday - we were able to go to the condo and remove masses of mud from the garage -
tried not to think too much about the basement...
Tuesday - time to remove everything from the basement. Very sorry that we do not have illiterate parents - we must have removed a thousand books from the shelves downstairs...
Couches, chairs, bedroom furniture, bedding, Christmas decorations, and Dad!! Why so many empty wine bottles???
Note to self - never, ever keep photos, photo albums, or any keepsakes in the basement, especially on the bottom shelves!!
Up and down the stairs soooo many times - will have buns of steel after this!!
Huge piles of garbage in front of the house - along with all the mud from yesterday.
Quentin - you are the best!! Not only did he work so hard, but he knew how to set up the generator
so that we could have lights!
Sheila, you are the best of the best!!! Especially when we removed all the rotting food from the freezer
and when the fridge almost landed on you!!!
Dirty is the new sexy!!! You worked so hard - I really, really appreciated it!!!
And Erin - my lovely hard-working daughter! You look great clean or dirty!!!
Wednesday - brought in Roger, our friend and favourite contractor, to get the mud out of the basement.
What a filthy job!! We appreciate it so much!!
And good news!! The condo association has insurance that covers sewer backup! So the insurance people will take care of cleaning up the piles in front of each condo, cleaning and sanitizing the basement, removal of the wet drywall - we are so, so lucky compared to many of our friends!
Thursday - Mom & Dad and Sharon came out today. Also Erin, her friend Zoe and her friend
Danielle who is here visiting from Toronto.
There wasn't a lot to do at our condo - we now have to wait for the insurance people, but there was
plenty to do in some of the neighbors' condos!
We left filthy but we had accomplished a lot!!
Mom & Dad are doing alright - much better since they now know what the situation is and much better since it looks as though insurance will cover much more than they thought.
Friday - Stampede begins so I am taking a day off!!!
E-mail me if you want Mom & Dad's new cell phone number....
Monday, July 1, 2013
July 1st - Kent's 55th birthday!!
But somehow that wasn't very important today!!
We were able to get into the condo today.
First we had to register at the "Welcome Centre"
( does that sound Orwellian or what??)
Then Kent, Mom and I drove to the condo.
We passed what we thought was a fence but was actually railroad tracks twisted and on on its side / bizarre!! Boats and cars and tree trunks in odd spots - very Twilight Zone.
We had received an "orange" designation so we knew they couldn't move back in so we were prepared for the worst...
But .... We could see that there had been about three feet of water in the basement but all that was gone, leaving behind about three inches of mud in both the basement and the garage. Fortunately the water did not get in to the main
floor at all!!
Today we managed to clean out the garage and help out some neighbours
Hopefully the vacu truck ( who knew there was such a thing??). Will come tomorrow and remove the mud. Then we will have to strip down the basement and clean things up do that Mom and Dad can get back home!!!
I think that they will stay at our place in Turner Valley now - it's much closer
And we don't have a land line there, so call us on my cell. 403-804-8001 or Kent's. 403-804-7003.
We will try to get Mom and Dad their own cell phone as soon as we can.
Mom and Dad are doing okay - we did take Dad into the hospital yesterday because he really wasn't feeling well - not a heart attack!!!!!- and they gave him anti biotics for a touch of pneumonia and a few sleeping pills so that he can get some good sleep.
I am sooooooooo dirty - I will try to post pictures on Facebook - but as a friend (wendy) said :
In Calgary and High River right now - dirty is the new sexy!!!!!
Love to all...
Oh, and if anyone wants to help out, there are about 42 condos in the Baker Creek condo complex and almost every single person is a senior....
Call or e-mail me
We were able to get into the condo today.
First we had to register at the "Welcome Centre"
( does that sound Orwellian or what??)
Then Kent, Mom and I drove to the condo.
We passed what we thought was a fence but was actually railroad tracks twisted and on on its side / bizarre!! Boats and cars and tree trunks in odd spots - very Twilight Zone.
We had received an "orange" designation so we knew they couldn't move back in so we were prepared for the worst...
But .... We could see that there had been about three feet of water in the basement but all that was gone, leaving behind about three inches of mud in both the basement and the garage. Fortunately the water did not get in to the main
floor at all!!
Today we managed to clean out the garage and help out some neighbours
Hopefully the vacu truck ( who knew there was such a thing??). Will come tomorrow and remove the mud. Then we will have to strip down the basement and clean things up do that Mom and Dad can get back home!!!
I think that they will stay at our place in Turner Valley now - it's much closer
And we don't have a land line there, so call us on my cell. 403-804-8001 or Kent's. 403-804-7003.
We will try to get Mom and Dad their own cell phone as soon as we can.
Mom and Dad are doing okay - we did take Dad into the hospital yesterday because he really wasn't feeling well - not a heart attack!!!!!- and they gave him anti biotics for a touch of pneumonia and a few sleeping pills so that he can get some good sleep.
I am sooooooooo dirty - I will try to post pictures on Facebook - but as a friend (wendy) said :
In Calgary and High River right now - dirty is the new sexy!!!!!
Love to all...
Oh, and if anyone wants to help out, there are about 42 condos in the Baker Creek condo complex and almost every single person is a senior....
Call or e-mail me
Saturday, June 29, 2013
June 29th
Hi Everyone,
I thought that this might be an easy way to let you all know how things are progressing.
Mom and Dad had to evacuate their home on Thursday, June 20th and left with two changes of clothes, their passports and their pills!! As they left, they could see water creeping down the lane in front of their house....
They were directed to the local high school and awaited instructions.
After three and a half hours, they decided to leave - when they were told that cots and a meal were going to be provided!! This was going to be a long evacuation - little did they know!!
Off to Janine's house in Calgary which was fortunately still high and dry. Many of our friends' homes had their basements flooded and also had to evacuate. How fortunate to live on a hill!
But Erin and I weren't there - we were on a kayaking trip in Alaska - completely off the grid!
Mom and Dad have been here since, waiting for news about their home.
Kent and Brad were also here and Erin and I came home on Monday
Today we are still waiting for the okay to go into High River to see what the damage is.
Some people have been allowed to go in today - section one. Hopefully we are in section two,
and rumour has it that we will be allowed access in three to seven days.
The Alberta government has issued prepaid debit cards to the High River residents, which is great,
But I drove them down to Nanton to pick them up and we spent NINE hours in line to pick them up!!
It was a mess - no-one should have to line up for that long - especially seniors!!!!
Thankfully they now have a priority line for seniors etc..
Mom and Dad are okay. This has obviously been extremely stressful for them and frankly, Dad's health was not great before all this. We are looking after them as well as we can and will work to get them back home when we get the okay.
Thank you to everyone who have asked after them, and to those who have offered to help.
I'll try to keep you posted!
I thought that this might be an easy way to let you all know how things are progressing.
Mom and Dad had to evacuate their home on Thursday, June 20th and left with two changes of clothes, their passports and their pills!! As they left, they could see water creeping down the lane in front of their house....
They were directed to the local high school and awaited instructions.
After three and a half hours, they decided to leave - when they were told that cots and a meal were going to be provided!! This was going to be a long evacuation - little did they know!!
Off to Janine's house in Calgary which was fortunately still high and dry. Many of our friends' homes had their basements flooded and also had to evacuate. How fortunate to live on a hill!
But Erin and I weren't there - we were on a kayaking trip in Alaska - completely off the grid!
Mom and Dad have been here since, waiting for news about their home.
Kent and Brad were also here and Erin and I came home on Monday
Today we are still waiting for the okay to go into High River to see what the damage is.
Some people have been allowed to go in today - section one. Hopefully we are in section two,
and rumour has it that we will be allowed access in three to seven days.
The Alberta government has issued prepaid debit cards to the High River residents, which is great,
But I drove them down to Nanton to pick them up and we spent NINE hours in line to pick them up!!
It was a mess - no-one should have to line up for that long - especially seniors!!!!
Thankfully they now have a priority line for seniors etc..
Mom and Dad are okay. This has obviously been extremely stressful for them and frankly, Dad's health was not great before all this. We are looking after them as well as we can and will work to get them back home when we get the okay.
Thank you to everyone who have asked after them, and to those who have offered to help.
I'll try to keep you posted!
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