Not a Piece of Cake

The world can change directions for you on the turn of a dime, when you're a caregiver. Our world had a major collapse a few days ago. Just when I was rejoicing over having a new chore provider to help with some of the tougher household jobs around here, Dean was creating a new work load right under our noses.

Over the past few weeks, I had been pointing out to his home health nurse some gradual symptoms he'd been having. He had even seen his primary care doctor last Monday to see what might be going on.

Dean would report that he didn't feel well, I noticed he wasn't eating as much, was more grouchy, and slightly lethargic, just subtle things. (Thought it might have to do with oxygen, because he was having a harder time keeping his oxygen saturation levels normal. We'd been to his pulmonolgist too and they had doubled his oxygen intake at night.)

As it turned out, after two days of his drinking water almost constantly, I took him to the emergency room (it was a Friday again, of course). His blood sugars were incredibly high--810 as a matter of fact! We're talking a potentially fatal situation. It was a wonder he was able to walk into the hospital by himself.

To make a long story short, he's now in a rehab facility trying to get his blood sugars regulated with insulin shots. I am going back and forth in my fears over what this means for his future, well, our future, because the story hasn't ended.

We're both trying to take it one day at a time. Trusting God to guide me in some heartrending decisions. Not sure I can continue taking care of him at home. If I were healthier myself, and if Dean didn't have the dementia he has, this diabetes would be a piece of cake. Oops, if I let Dean read this post, he'll beg for some cake, probably DEMAND it. You get my drift...

Dean trying to gum an apple a few days before his blood sugars were discovered high--glad it wasn't a piece of cake!

What Do You Expect?

I've never had the luxury of having a dishwasher. I was beginning to feel almost as left out as someone might feel who's never owned a microwave. Dishwashers seem almost standard in houses these days, whether it's a rental or any other house on the market.

The only thing that's kept me from yearning for a dishwasher has been the fact that you have to bend over to load and unload the things. It's hard for me to do that these days, because of my shortness of breath. I can barely manage to do a few loads of laundry every week.

But now, I have something that makes me feel better about being out of the loop for not having a dishwasher.  I have a maid!

Yes, I persuaded my husband's care coordinator that we needed more than a chore provider to help with light housekeeping, which was being nicely provided by our daughter for the last few years.

Now I need someone with time to tackle tougher household duties that I am getting more and more incapable of doing as the years go by.


Fortunately, I had just the right person in mind for the job: a friend who's also a professional housecleaner. We finally got her paperwork completed and she started work today. After several hours, our house is sporting a very clean refrigerator, living room floor, and bathroom, and I have her to thank for this magic of cleanliness.

I am eagerly looking forward to her visit next week and feeling very optimistic about the future cleanliness of our home. God knew just what kind of help we needed and prompted me to ask for it at just the right time.

I never expected God would be able to answer my need for help so completely. But as usual, He has far exceeded my expectations time and again. That's just the kind of God He is. You ask for someone to do some housecleaning, and he sends you a real professional maid!