Friday, June 29, 2012

this is going to be a long post!

This is what happens when I forget my charger... instead of 6 or 7 updates today, you are just going to get one really long one! For the record, I am totally stealing Amy's Q&A format. she is a lot funnier than I am though.

Q: How is Jay?
A: Better. Today was difficult, but they have some good meds going and the pneumonia should be under control in a day or two. It kept him from going for a jog, but he did manage to read each and everyone of your messages/emails/comments.

Q: How can I reach Jay?
A: Comment here on the blog. This is why we created it. We have so many people to keep in touch with: family, friends, work people, all the bloggers jay follows .... Updating everyone seperatly would not have worked. So we update here and you comment. When he can, Jay reads the comments himself, when I can't, I read them to him.

If you want to send Jay a more personal message or don't want to post for the world to see, just email him to mortimersdad @ gmail.com (remove the spaces, this is to prevent spam). Right now he is mostly just reading his emails, but I'm sure he will be writing very soon. I'm pretty sure he snuck in a few today!

For now, no calls at all. He did manage to make 2 calls out today, but it's quite complicated as they have a very very strict no-cell policy. So don't be waiting by the phone for him to call you. Also, don't leave messages on his cell phone. That thing is good for nothing!!!

Q: Can I visit?
A: Yes! But here is the scoop on visiting. For now, we have to be masked, gloved and gowned. They don't like to use these procedures and this is why they were not in place at first, but right now they are. You can still visit. You cannot bring anything with you in the room. Your purse has to stay outside, you can't bring a book. The only exception is his iPad which gets specially cleaned before it goes in.

The visits are of 2 types: Active or Passive. What I mean is that if you just want to stop by, say hi, stay for 10 minutes and talk to Jay, that is fine. You don't need to pre-warn, to schedule. Just come. You might have to wait if someone else is there or just left, we try to space the short visits out a little bit to give him time to rest. The Passive visits are the ones I was trying to organize. It's the person who sits in the room while I am not there, stays for 1, 2, 3 hours whatever the case may be. You sit, you get him his glasses, you adjust his pillows, you keep an eye on the blood pressure number and you keep guard at the door and make sure the active visitors are respecting the rules.

Getting active visitors is not a problem. We are still a bit short of passive visitors, so if you have an hour to spend on a VERY uncomfortable chair doing nothing since you can't bring anything, then by all means, sign up! (And if you are coming to see me then don't worry. you can come anytime and hang with me in the waiting room. if you are lucky, there will be a soap-opera worthy family in there!)

THANK YOUS:
First off, a huge thanks to Gideon for taking the morning shift today! I got to have breakfast with NJ for the first time since the surgery. She is doing great, but this is VERY hard on her. She misses Jay, she misses SQ who is at camp and she misses me since I'm pretty much not here.... Which brings me to my next thank yous: Debbie and Paul. When I realised today that I would not be coming home at 4 as planned, 1 quick message and NJ was having a lovely Shabbat sleep-over at her 2nd family's house. Knowing she is there allowed me to focus on Jay. Thanks to everyone who dropped by at some point today, some just to peak in and say hi, some to hang out and keep an eye on the monitors with me. And to Dr. Gruber, Jay's doctor of 25+ years who came to check on him. Thank you to everyone who brought stuff to the house: delicious challah and cake, a little wine, I'm sure there is more. It's all very much appreciated. We freeze a few things to last us for the long-haul, we eat what we can and we are also sharing some of the goodies with the nurses. So be assured, it's all very much appreciated and not going to waste.
I am not thanking my 3 magical fairies who each managed to spend time with me today AND each brought something I desperatly needed: good knitting, lunch, and a phone charger!( no, that was not a thank you)  And finally, a special shout-out to poor Dee.... Our beloved manager who is running things for us during this time. We haven't worried about the store for one second because we know she is keeping things running. To the Snod-Gals as well, thank you for covering all my shifts and not giving Dee grief about it!

All right, that's quite enough.

7 comments:

  1. Thank you V. That informative post helps. Stay positive. J we are thinking of you. KS

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  2. Ditto to KS's comment. It should clear things up for everyone.Have a good night J. Cheryl

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  3. It is so good to read these updates! Im thinking about you Uncle Jay everyday. Sincerely, Kaylee

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  4. Merci Viginie pour l'info.. ce blog est vraiment génial. Si tu as besoin de quelqu'un pour prendre la relève.. en visite passive Mark et moi somme dispo... Tu nous dis quand (matin, soir... même nuit si cela était nécessaire) et l'un de nous sera la... samedi, diman, lundi on a des dispos...Laisses nous savoir tu peux me texter.
    Avec toi Jay de tout coeur..et Virginie prends soins de toi aussi.

    Dominique Xxx

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  5. Thinking about you Jay and hoping you have a better night. Shabbat Shalom...D.

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  6. virginia, i read this after replying to your email.. i understand more now. so i am available between 2 and 4 for an active visit. I will keep watch on whatever is needed, i can wear the gown, gloves, andmask and i am a very good pillow fluffer... so count on me for that. i will come unless you tell me otherwise

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  7. domique: samedi de 4 a 7 our dimanche dans l'apres midi. texte moit pour confirmer ou repond ici. un gros merci.

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