A Day in the Life of an Elderly, Retired, and Disabled Clergyperson

I used to do this several times a year and post the results in the newsletters of congregations that I severed. I think I may have also reported in my blog like this. I'll check... My memory was correct! It was for my birthday in 2007—a rather mixed day emotionally as I remember it:

Nick's Bytes post of 2-14-2007

Sooooooooo... here is my Friday, June 15, 2012, kinda like it happened:




4:56 AM—I’m awake but not bright eyes, maybe a bit bushy tailed though. Again I slept in my recliner and was awakened several times by Anne in the kitchen making wee morning hour snacks. Makes no difference; if Anne hadn’t awakened me something else would have. Alex, as usual, spent his sleeping time on top of me:

5:19 AM—Morning mediation and stretching exercises’ completed and Alex and Sugar given their breakfasts (separately, or Alex will eat Sugar’s before he eats his own).

Sugar awaits my topping up of her bowl

Quick breakfast as Alex eats his

5:50 AM— Prior to my breakfast, I took my “vital signs,” as directed by my MD2U physician.  All O.K.:

• Glucose = 122
• Blood Pressure = 118/77
• Pulse = 86
• Blood O without machine oxygen = 86
• Blood O with machine oxygen = 92
• Temperature = 96.9 F

6:30 AM—Breakfast  consisted of 6 Ritz crackers, a bit of peanut butter, my morning pills, and 2 glasses of water. I need a bit of to counteract the meds and stabilize my blood glucose As usual for the last several months, both Anne and I are out of money by the middle of the month. This month, I had to pay bills of about $250 more than usual. Also, we have had Anne’s new girlfriend, Lyndia, living with us, which has drastically increased our use of food.

8:20 AM—Awakened a second time after falling asleep as I was watching BBC World News; cleaned up, dressed, and began a series of phone calls attempting to solve:

1. Diagnosis of submachine gun-like thumping underneath the floorboard on my car: is it the exhaust system that was just repaired, or does the differential need fluid, or is it something else. Need the car on a lift to find the problem, but I could find no one who’ll do it free.
2. Contacted Almost Family, who the Veterans Administration contracts to provide 9 hours of home health care services to me a each week. There has not be a caregiver at my apartment for 9 days. My ability to keep the place (and myself) clean is about stretched to the end. I was informed that Almost Family has no staff to send me, but are in the process of hiring more workers. (I can write a couple of blog posts just about this).
3. Made calls to VA hospital regarding continued problems with my left eye following surgery a few months ago, attempted to reach patients advocate regarding actions taken on a couple of matter, and attempt to get a referral for the MRI my MD2U doc has recommended.  I wasn't successful in any of these. [SIGH] 

10:30 AM—Drove Anne and Lyndia 4 miles to catch a bus into Louisville for Anne’s medical appointment. Sad that, because of the problems with the car, I couldn’t drive them.

11:08 AM—Meals-on-Wheels lunch delivered. The quality of the food seems to have progressively decreased over the years. Although they help me because standing up to cook is painful to my left leg, I am beginning to wonder if their cost is worth what I am receiving.

12:20 PM—Awakened from post-lunch nap, played with Alex and Sugar while watching BBC America..

2:00 PM—My daily telephone call to my 89-year-old Mom.

2:25—Read and responded to emails, Facebook, and Twitter stuff. 

6:18 PM—Awakened from afternoon nap. For the first time in my life the arthritis in my hand is doing more than its occasional stiffness. This afternoon it is painful. I really don't like the intrusion of hand pain into the other body pains that I experience. Blue-Emu and the 800 mg Rx I usually take for my leg calmed the arthritis, but I still don't like it.

7:00 PM—Took meds scheduled with supper while finishing off the last of the Ritz crackers. Fed the kitties, snuggled Alex while playing Farmville on computer.

8:20 PM—Read a bit of my current mystery book, Dust, by Martha Grimes. I generally read three books at a time: a mystery, a novel (TheComplete Illustrated Works of Lewis Caroll), and a non-fiction work (a reread of William Barclay’s  Jesus as They Saw Him).

11:00 PM—Watched the Chelsea Lately TV show. I have read all of Chelsea Handler’s books and always watch Chelsea Lately at 11:00 PM, except when I am napping.

I don't know when, but I decided to finish this post on Saturday and went to sleep.