October 2, 2021. Came back to Tres Rios on Wednesday and got back into our old site 81. We did want to get into the end site and be on the end, but the park put cones and a big piece of lumber so no one can go in the “wrong” way.
I had an issue with the awning lever trying to get the awning up when we left on Wednesday and today Jim tried to get the awning down but something was stuck. So while he was playing pool, I was done playing cards and attempted to get the awning down. The new lever Doug put in seems to be stuck and not moving either way. I was banging on it with a hammer trying to get it to move, and Mike came over to see what I was hitting. With his help, we got the awning down but I think there is something wrong with the lever as I could not get it to move.
I talked to Doug about it and we will look at it next week when it’s sunny and not raining.
Jim finished his antibiotics (Doxycycline Hyc 100mg) on Friday morning and then his left testicle began swelling up again. By evening he was in extreme pain and could barely sit or move around. He took some of his mother’s old pills, but I’m not sure they did anything and I told him to take Ibuprofen. He had a cold pack on his balls which helped with the swelling. He finally consented to Ibuprofen at 3:30 am Saturday morning. Taking them seemed to help with the pain and swelling.
Today he did not do anything except lay around; took more Ibuprofen and ate a little. He did not go to shoot pool, but just stayed in. He is still in pain when he gets up to pee, and feels the best when he just stays still. I will have to call the doctor’s office Monday morning to see about getting another round of antibiotics for him.
October 4, 2021. Spent the day at the ER after calling Buchanan’s office only to find out he was out of the office for the week; his office told us to go to the ER. There they put fluids into Jim, did an ultrasound on his testicles; gave him antibiotics and pain killers, none of which worked. He was laying on the table and fairly comfortable until it came time for him to get off the table, as he scooted down to the end he ended up in extreme pain as he drug his enflamed testicles down the bed. He was hurting so bad he was shaking as we walked out. The nurse gave him another pain pill, but it did not do anything for the pain.
The first infection must have stemmed from the biopsy, and did not quite go away when he finished the first set of antibiotics. The second antibiotic is Levofloxacin at 750mg once a day. Plus he has Acetaminophen/Cod #4 (300/30mg) for pain. He is also taking his old Hydrocod/Acetam (10/325mg) from his hand surgery which he did not take.
The nurse we had was quite interesting. She is from California; just sold their house and bought an RV and will be living in it full time. She does not agree with the vaccine, is a Trump supporter, and confirmed that the vaccine does indeed cause dangerous side effects.
October 6, 2021. Jim did not take any anti-inflammatory meds yesterday so yesterday evening he was still in pain. I made him take 800mg Ibuprofen with 1 of his codine pills at 6pm and then again at midnight. By this morning the pain had subsided and he is much more comfortable. Noon he will get 2 pills of the Aceta/codine, and then at 6 I think the ibuprofen mixture.
October 6, 2021. Doug came over this morning to look at the awning since he helped us install the end piece last time. He took out the rivits and checked the inside and it all looked OK. We then put it back together and discovered that the end cap was a little crooked. He looked at the rivits and they were off a bit, so he took a board and hammered it and straightened it out. After he did that the lever worked fine. We rolled it up and down a few times and it all checked out.
I have been giving Jim the antibiotic every morning at 7am; and Jim has been taking the Ibuprofen 800mg with an Codine tab and 2 tabs of the Aceta/codine every 6 hours. Last night he put an ice pack on for about a half hour. The skin around his penis is still swollen.
This morning his testicles seem to be going down, and the pain is virtually gone. Will keep on this regimine for another 4 days when his antibiotic will be done, and keep on with the other stuff.
October 12, 2021. Even though we have been going through this regimen, come Monday when he took his last antibiotic, his testicles have not changed much. The pain is pretty much gone, but the swelling has not gone down. I had to call the doctor’s office twice before I was able to speak to anyone. They would not refill the antibiotic and instead said he has to come in to see Dr. Buchanan Tuesday afternoon. This has been ongoing for three weeks so far and nothing has changed.
October 16, 2021. So Buchanan gave Jim around round of the same antibiotic only in a lesser dose. On Friday I called both Buchanan and Dr. Barnes office; Dr. Barnes office said Jim was taking the best dosage of antibiotics and Dr. Buchanan’s office prescribed a different, stronger antibiotic. I went to a health food store to get a homeopathic medicine but they did not carry it. But I did get him some probiotics to counteract the amount of antibiotics he is taking. Terri gave me some Correct X, an essential oil which I have been rubbing on Jim. He seems to be getting better, but it’s going to take some time.
October 26, 2021. Just been hanging around the trailer and not doing anything. Jim is still fighting that darn infection; still hard and slowly going away. He has today, Wednesday and Thursday still with antibiotics. We have an appointment early Friday with Buchanan, so we’ll see what course we head to next.
Been working on our new wills and other documents. She did some new ones and we will be heading up there next month to sign them. She did not do a codicil re: our OCP and TT memberships, even though I said they needed to be in there. Not sure if just doing a “letter” for TT would suffice to allow it to be passed on to our kids.
Saturday Erin came down to go wedding gown shopping with Jacklyn. When she was trying on gowns, they Face Timed with me so I was able to watch Jacklyn try on different gowns. She did finally pick one out, which is very beautiful. She will be walking down the aisle in a white wedding gown, something that did not happen with Joe. Jim will finally be able to walk her down the aisle. I have been looking at dresses as well, and found a wonderful website from the UK that has a multitude of dresses at reasonable prices. I think Jacklyn will use it to get Ellie & Jayden their dresses as well. Their dresses are half the cost of the other website she was looking at.
November 2, 2021. Bought a steamer and other bed bug sprays. Last week we steamed many parts of the trailer trying to get rid of the bed bugs. It takes a lot of time to steam as we have a small steamer and it takes time to heat up over and over. Then I sprayed with the residual spray, even behind the couch and inside the rear compartment. We steamed a few days in a row and now will wait a week or so and do it all again.
On Friday October 30 Jim had another appointment with Dr. Buchanan. He seems to think Jim’s infection is going away. It just takes time. He did prescribe another round of antibiotics; this time the Levofloxacin for seven days.
Today we had lunch with Karen Scott, the nurse who took care of Jim when he went to the ER that Monday when he was hurting so bad. Her husband Shane and daughter Brianna finally arrived from California, and since she had today off, she wanted to have lunch. We had a great time at Big Cup and good food as well. We then took them through Glen Rose down here to Tres Rios and showed them around; through the clubhouse and then the Lodge where a group was playing Mexican Train. Then we walked down to the Brazos and then along the trail of Squaw Creek. At the top we met Teri Rice and then Rod & Susan. Had a nice talk with all of them until Tony came up and was talking with Shane. We did not pay attention but all of a sudden Shane started yelling at Tony and said that Tony said “FU” to him, which Shane yelled back. Well, that incident broke up our talking with Rod & Susan and we walked back to the trailer, where they immediately left before Shane went and broke Tony’s neck.
November 6, 2021. Jim is almost done with his last round of antibiotics. I think he still has some infection but it slowly going down. I think this time his body will have to heal on its own. He has been taking a ton of antibiotics and that is not good for a body. Even though I have been giving him probiotics to counteract the antibiotics, he is still taking a lot.
But now he is having trouble behind his right shoulder blade. He is in a lot of pain whenever he goes forward with his right arm, tries to pick things up, shoot pool, etc. So now he is putting a cold pack on it, then the bed buddy warmth. He said that helps, but he also needs to take ibuprofen for inflammation. Don’t know when it started, but it seems to have started from shooting pool.
November 13, 2021. Mark Storm headed a “retire the flag ceremony” at Tres Rios. It was a very formal affair with four members of the local American Legion coming to participate. He spoke about the methods of retiring American flags, and Jim and I helped participate in the ceremony. We had a large one from the park which was stretched out and the stars were cut out and then each stripe cut and taken to the fire. There were a few other folded flags that were then put in the fire.
November 17, 2021. Jim had his annual doctor appointment with Dr. Barnes on Nov. 9. He went over his vitals, and we talked about Jim’s infection, which does not seem to be healing very well. Barnes gave Jim another round of antibiotics, this time 15 days of Levofloxacin. I also got him some homeopathic pills to help his infection. He did stop drinking very much for the last few weeks, but since his shoulder is hurting, he has started up again.
We are leaving Tres Rios today to head to Whitney. We will come back on Saturday for TR’s annual turkey day luncheon. On November 23, Jim has another doctor appointment with Dr. Barnes, only this time it will be in person so Barnes can check Jim’s infection. After that, we head back to Whitney, pack up and head to Brazos RV park on our way to Houston
Found out that our favorite park in Houston, Jetstream, was bought out and they no longer offer Passport America. So now our weekly rate has doubled from $164 to $325 per week. I did make a reservation at Green Caye to save money, but Josh said he did not want us staying 11 miles away, and would help us with the cost of staying at Jetstream.
November 21, 2021. Thursday evening we went down to the Golf Course Community Building and enjoyed an evening of corn hole with Dale & Kim and other Whitney residents. Was not going to go down at first, but then Dale talked us into it. Glad we did – had a good time.
Saturday we drove back to Tres Rios for the annual Thanksgiving Dinner. We had a great turn out; Teri said about 150 came to eat. Lots of good food and friendship. Afterwards we played cards; took Lucy for a walk with Mark & Ruthann, then drove back to Whitney.
Tried a different way – down 144 to Meridian then east on 22 to Whitney. That was a lot longer than normal, so I think we will stick to 56 out of Whitney Tuesday morning when we head to Granbury for Jim’s doctor’s appointment.
Watched Sean & Jacklyn get baptized this morning at their church. It was very nice; they did the baptism first after singing some songs, and I was able to pull it up on the computer and video it.
November 23, 2021. Got up early in order to drive from Whitney to Granbury so Jim could see Dr. Barnes. We both thought that he was going to examine Jim’s scrotum to see the extent of the infection. He had Jim get a sonogram of his abdomen and get blood work, but he only mentioned it when we brought it up. Our appointment got interrupted twice when he got a phone call; and then he focused on Jim needing another colonoscopy. By the time we got back to Whitney it was 11:30. So basically it was a wasted 4 hours and $30 in gas for something that could have been done over the phone.
He also mentioned that the infection could be chronic and never go away. Brother. So he said to finish this round of antibiotics and wait a few days to see how the infection goes and then get it filled again. We have one more refill of 15 days.
November 25, 2021. Had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with Josh & Karen and their friends the Dunlaps. Josh brined the turkey for 20 hours in a fruit herb brine then smoked it in his Orian. It was really delicious – very tender and moist. Ellie and I made pumpkin pies with one of them having a cream cheese mixture swirled around in it. There was so much food and it was all delicious – we were all pretty stuffed. Good thing we ate early in the day; by bedtime some of it was digested.
After dinner we played Mexican Train while Ellie & Jason played with the Dunlap’s kids and the dogs.
Jim rubbed his right eye and said now it seems like a film has developed across his iris. It really bothers him and he does not think he could drive like that. So luckily Josh’s eye doctor is open today and I made Jim an appointment for this afternoon. Hopefully it’s not too serious and the doctor can do something.
We also need to get an oil change on the truck and return some underwear Josh bought Jim to help with his infection. Both Walmart and Duluth are very close together, and I think we will go tomorrow to get that done. Jim wanted to go today, but it being Black Friday and there was no answer at Walmart tire center, they are probably very busy today.
November 30, 2021. Friday afternoon we went to see Josh’s eye doctor, who looked at Jim’s eye very closely after putting in drops to dilate his iris, and ended up diagnosing him with a detached retina. Of all the luck. He did have a large floater in the right eye, but we never had any idea that a floater could have caused the retina to detach. Saturday morning we had another appointment with a retina specialist in Houston. Josh drove us down there since he knows the area and we do not.
He ended up waiting for us since Jim just went there for another examination and consultation. They took a bunch of pictures and talked with us about surgery. If we stayed in Houston to do the surgery, we would have to pay to stay at Jetstream, and we would virtually be on our own. So we opted to drive back to Glen Rose to have the surgery done in Fort Worth. The soonest surgery would have been done in Houston would have been Thursday (Dec. 2). Jim does have an appointment Thursday morning with another retina specialist, and at that time we will find out when surgery will take place.
Sunday night Josh took us out to dinner at a great Cajun restaurant. Karen and I had stuffed jumbo shrimp with crab stuffing, mashed potatoes and asparagus. It was delicious. What surprised me was Ellie; she actually likes to eat sushi, and for dinner that night ordered Parmesan oysters. She ate all but one, which she gave to Grandpa.
Jason continues to be a problem when it comes to eating. He will not touch meat or eat what is served for dinner. He gets a protein shake, yogurt, veggies, cheese. He claims he does not like meat at all. Josh & Karen battle with him every day trying to get him to eat. He has even lost weight since July because he refuses to eat.
Today we left Jetstream and drove to Brazos RV Park in Caldwell. Jim was very reluctant to let me drive, so he drove us here even though he cannot see out of his right eye. He did very well, stayed in his lane and did a good job.
December 4, 2021. Got back to Tres Rios on December 1 and Jim had an appointment with another retina specialist on Thursday morning in Fort Worth. They took a few more pictures and set the surgery for Monday afternoon.
Unfortunately, Jim came down with the cold I got while in Houston. He has a sore throat and plugged up nose and is just chilling on the couch. We have a member generated potluck tonight at the Lodge. We were going to have Karaoke afterwards but since Kristen is out with a cold, it will probably just be dinner.
I had taken by wedding ring to Dave’s Jewelers on Hwy 377 in Granbury before Thanksgiving. I have not been wearing it for a few years since Dave cut it off my finger in 2017 after it swelled up so bad after the dogs sprained it when a little yipper ran out at us (that was May 2016). It's been a few years since I have not been wearing my ring, and I felt it was time to get it fixed and wear it again. He did a great job fixing it up; reinforcing the prongs holding the diamonds and made it a little bigger to get over my knuckle with a spacer underneath to make it fit my finger.
December 6, 2021. Jim’s cold seems to have gone away for the most part. Hopefully he will feel good by the time he gets up and we drive to the surgery center. Surgery is scheduled for this afternoon; pre-op at noon and then the surgery after that and then recovery.
Left a little before 11am and made it to the Arlington Texas Surgery Center before noon. Jim was taken into pre-op; it was about 1:30pm when he went into surgery. The surgery took about 45 minutes with post-op about 45 minutes. Dr. Williams was very pleased with the surgery. Back at home Jim tried putting his head down on the dining room table, but said it was not comfortable. So he is laying on his left side with his head in a downward position. He said that is the most comfortable so far. He tried laying on the bed but that did not work either. He has a follow up with the doctor Tuesday afternoon.
December 12, 2021. We are continuing with the eye drops. He can still see the bubble in his eye and his eyesight is not getting any better. He does try to play pool and played cards one day, but still tries to keep his head down.
I made reservations for Tres Rios from December 29 to January 12, because I want to head to Houston to visit with the family for a week. I did promise Jason that we would come back to visit. From there we will go to the Thousand Trails in Medina Lake for three weeks so we can visit different RV parks around the area that sell or lease lots.
December 15, 2021. Yesterday’s eye doctor appointment was good. The doctor is pleased with the recovery. Bubble is down 20%, with 80% to go. That will take between 3-4 weeks, putting us near the middle of January. I am still hoping that they will let us buy another week out as Jim still cannot see out of his right eye.
December 21, 2021. Went to Nick’s Christmas party Friday night at a country club in Fort Worth. We had a lot of fun. The theme was casino night where they gave away $2500 in fake money which we turned in for chips. Then we were able to “fake” gamble for more chips. I sat at the Craps table and learned that. When there were a lot of people standing around the table, we would put our chips down and even though someone else would roll, it would affect the whole table so you would either win more chips or lose. It was a lot of fun actually. At the end of the gambling session, we turned in our chips for tickets which we put into jars in front of various gifts that were given away. Neither of us won any of them, but it was fun anyway.
Saturday December the 18th we had another potluck. Lots of people showed up and there was a lot of good food. This time I roasted butternut squash with brussels sprouts, dried cranberries and pecans. It was hit actually; I got people saying they really liked it. Kristen, our new manager, headed the karaoke evening. She has a great voice and sang a few songs, along with a few others.
We are trying to buy another week out since Jim’s eye is still not functioning properly. Since Josh and Karen are flying to Phoenix for Christmas, we do not have to worry about going to Houston this week. If all goes good, we will head down there in the middle of January and stay for Josh’s birthday.
December 27, 2021. Been quiet for us here at Tres Rios. We did not do anything on Christmas day. The weather is in the 80s so we are sitting outside enjoying the nice weather. I have not been feeling very well lately. My stomach is funny, but I keep eating anyway. My back is hurting and I just overall feel crummy.
Josh & Karen and family flew to Phoenix on Christmas Eve and then drove to Flagstaff on Christmas Day so they could all go skiing. Karen’s Dad is with them, and her sister and family are supposed to be flying out too. It’s nice that she is able to spend time with her family. Jim and I would not have been able to spend the holiday with them anyway since Jim’s retina surgery.
This whole world is going crazy. Biden is sending our country down the toilet with his vaccine mandates and so many things going up in price. They are doing their best to destroy our economy and way of life.
At least none of my family will be forced to take the vaccine. There are just too many adverse effects from it and I worry that they might take the vax. Jim talked with Jim Urban the other day and he is going to get a booster. Nothing we say will change his mind. I just pray everyone we know who gets it stays healthy.
December 29, 2021. Jim had another eye appointment yesterday. Doctor Williams said everything looked good. The bubble is down 50% and he figures another 3 weeks before it’s gone. It’s been three weeks since the operation, so hopefully by January 19 Jim can drive. He has another eye appointment on January 18 for hopefully his last checkup.
We both still have been under the weather. Cannot quite put my finger on what is going on, I just know that I am not feeling 100%. I don’t have a fever but get a headache occasionally and my stomach feels funky. Oxygen is OK so I don’t believe we have “covid.” But maybe we have a version of the flu; no throwing up or anything. Jim does not feel totally up to par either; he has a lot of mucus coughed up from his lungs.
Tres Rios is having a New Years Eve party. I am making a dish to take, but don’t know if we will make it all the way to the new year. Depends on how we feel.
December 31, 2021. Went to the Tres Rios New Year’s Eve party. There were not a whole lot of members who came, but they did have a two man band playing a lot of country songs. We all enjoyed listening to them. People brought food to share, which was very nice. We did make it to midnight though. They had a balloon drop and one young lady went about stomping on all the balloons. I still did not feel good throughout the evening; don’t know what is going on with my stomach – maybe mucus from post nasal drip? It just makes me feel nauseous all the time.
I had an issue with the awning lever trying to get the awning up when we left on Wednesday and today Jim tried to get the awning down but something was stuck. So while he was playing pool, I was done playing cards and attempted to get the awning down. The new lever Doug put in seems to be stuck and not moving either way. I was banging on it with a hammer trying to get it to move, and Mike came over to see what I was hitting. With his help, we got the awning down but I think there is something wrong with the lever as I could not get it to move.
I talked to Doug about it and we will look at it next week when it’s sunny and not raining.
Jim finished his antibiotics (Doxycycline Hyc 100mg) on Friday morning and then his left testicle began swelling up again. By evening he was in extreme pain and could barely sit or move around. He took some of his mother’s old pills, but I’m not sure they did anything and I told him to take Ibuprofen. He had a cold pack on his balls which helped with the swelling. He finally consented to Ibuprofen at 3:30 am Saturday morning. Taking them seemed to help with the pain and swelling.
Today he did not do anything except lay around; took more Ibuprofen and ate a little. He did not go to shoot pool, but just stayed in. He is still in pain when he gets up to pee, and feels the best when he just stays still. I will have to call the doctor’s office Monday morning to see about getting another round of antibiotics for him.
October 4, 2021. Spent the day at the ER after calling Buchanan’s office only to find out he was out of the office for the week; his office told us to go to the ER. There they put fluids into Jim, did an ultrasound on his testicles; gave him antibiotics and pain killers, none of which worked. He was laying on the table and fairly comfortable until it came time for him to get off the table, as he scooted down to the end he ended up in extreme pain as he drug his enflamed testicles down the bed. He was hurting so bad he was shaking as we walked out. The nurse gave him another pain pill, but it did not do anything for the pain.
The first infection must have stemmed from the biopsy, and did not quite go away when he finished the first set of antibiotics. The second antibiotic is Levofloxacin at 750mg once a day. Plus he has Acetaminophen/Cod #4 (300/30mg) for pain. He is also taking his old Hydrocod/Acetam (10/325mg) from his hand surgery which he did not take.
The nurse we had was quite interesting. She is from California; just sold their house and bought an RV and will be living in it full time. She does not agree with the vaccine, is a Trump supporter, and confirmed that the vaccine does indeed cause dangerous side effects.
October 6, 2021. Jim did not take any anti-inflammatory meds yesterday so yesterday evening he was still in pain. I made him take 800mg Ibuprofen with 1 of his codine pills at 6pm and then again at midnight. By this morning the pain had subsided and he is much more comfortable. Noon he will get 2 pills of the Aceta/codine, and then at 6 I think the ibuprofen mixture.
October 6, 2021. Doug came over this morning to look at the awning since he helped us install the end piece last time. He took out the rivits and checked the inside and it all looked OK. We then put it back together and discovered that the end cap was a little crooked. He looked at the rivits and they were off a bit, so he took a board and hammered it and straightened it out. After he did that the lever worked fine. We rolled it up and down a few times and it all checked out.
I have been giving Jim the antibiotic every morning at 7am; and Jim has been taking the Ibuprofen 800mg with an Codine tab and 2 tabs of the Aceta/codine every 6 hours. Last night he put an ice pack on for about a half hour. The skin around his penis is still swollen.
This morning his testicles seem to be going down, and the pain is virtually gone. Will keep on this regimine for another 4 days when his antibiotic will be done, and keep on with the other stuff.
October 12, 2021. Even though we have been going through this regimen, come Monday when he took his last antibiotic, his testicles have not changed much. The pain is pretty much gone, but the swelling has not gone down. I had to call the doctor’s office twice before I was able to speak to anyone. They would not refill the antibiotic and instead said he has to come in to see Dr. Buchanan Tuesday afternoon. This has been ongoing for three weeks so far and nothing has changed.
October 16, 2021. So Buchanan gave Jim around round of the same antibiotic only in a lesser dose. On Friday I called both Buchanan and Dr. Barnes office; Dr. Barnes office said Jim was taking the best dosage of antibiotics and Dr. Buchanan’s office prescribed a different, stronger antibiotic. I went to a health food store to get a homeopathic medicine but they did not carry it. But I did get him some probiotics to counteract the amount of antibiotics he is taking. Terri gave me some Correct X, an essential oil which I have been rubbing on Jim. He seems to be getting better, but it’s going to take some time.
October 26, 2021. Just been hanging around the trailer and not doing anything. Jim is still fighting that darn infection; still hard and slowly going away. He has today, Wednesday and Thursday still with antibiotics. We have an appointment early Friday with Buchanan, so we’ll see what course we head to next.
Been working on our new wills and other documents. She did some new ones and we will be heading up there next month to sign them. She did not do a codicil re: our OCP and TT memberships, even though I said they needed to be in there. Not sure if just doing a “letter” for TT would suffice to allow it to be passed on to our kids.
Saturday Erin came down to go wedding gown shopping with Jacklyn. When she was trying on gowns, they Face Timed with me so I was able to watch Jacklyn try on different gowns. She did finally pick one out, which is very beautiful. She will be walking down the aisle in a white wedding gown, something that did not happen with Joe. Jim will finally be able to walk her down the aisle. I have been looking at dresses as well, and found a wonderful website from the UK that has a multitude of dresses at reasonable prices. I think Jacklyn will use it to get Ellie & Jayden their dresses as well. Their dresses are half the cost of the other website she was looking at.
November 2, 2021. Bought a steamer and other bed bug sprays. Last week we steamed many parts of the trailer trying to get rid of the bed bugs. It takes a lot of time to steam as we have a small steamer and it takes time to heat up over and over. Then I sprayed with the residual spray, even behind the couch and inside the rear compartment. We steamed a few days in a row and now will wait a week or so and do it all again.
On Friday October 30 Jim had another appointment with Dr. Buchanan. He seems to think Jim’s infection is going away. It just takes time. He did prescribe another round of antibiotics; this time the Levofloxacin for seven days.
Today we had lunch with Karen Scott, the nurse who took care of Jim when he went to the ER that Monday when he was hurting so bad. Her husband Shane and daughter Brianna finally arrived from California, and since she had today off, she wanted to have lunch. We had a great time at Big Cup and good food as well. We then took them through Glen Rose down here to Tres Rios and showed them around; through the clubhouse and then the Lodge where a group was playing Mexican Train. Then we walked down to the Brazos and then along the trail of Squaw Creek. At the top we met Teri Rice and then Rod & Susan. Had a nice talk with all of them until Tony came up and was talking with Shane. We did not pay attention but all of a sudden Shane started yelling at Tony and said that Tony said “FU” to him, which Shane yelled back. Well, that incident broke up our talking with Rod & Susan and we walked back to the trailer, where they immediately left before Shane went and broke Tony’s neck.
November 6, 2021. Jim is almost done with his last round of antibiotics. I think he still has some infection but it slowly going down. I think this time his body will have to heal on its own. He has been taking a ton of antibiotics and that is not good for a body. Even though I have been giving him probiotics to counteract the antibiotics, he is still taking a lot.
But now he is having trouble behind his right shoulder blade. He is in a lot of pain whenever he goes forward with his right arm, tries to pick things up, shoot pool, etc. So now he is putting a cold pack on it, then the bed buddy warmth. He said that helps, but he also needs to take ibuprofen for inflammation. Don’t know when it started, but it seems to have started from shooting pool.
November 13, 2021. Mark Storm headed a “retire the flag ceremony” at Tres Rios. It was a very formal affair with four members of the local American Legion coming to participate. He spoke about the methods of retiring American flags, and Jim and I helped participate in the ceremony. We had a large one from the park which was stretched out and the stars were cut out and then each stripe cut and taken to the fire. There were a few other folded flags that were then put in the fire.
November 17, 2021. Jim had his annual doctor appointment with Dr. Barnes on Nov. 9. He went over his vitals, and we talked about Jim’s infection, which does not seem to be healing very well. Barnes gave Jim another round of antibiotics, this time 15 days of Levofloxacin. I also got him some homeopathic pills to help his infection. He did stop drinking very much for the last few weeks, but since his shoulder is hurting, he has started up again.
We are leaving Tres Rios today to head to Whitney. We will come back on Saturday for TR’s annual turkey day luncheon. On November 23, Jim has another doctor appointment with Dr. Barnes, only this time it will be in person so Barnes can check Jim’s infection. After that, we head back to Whitney, pack up and head to Brazos RV park on our way to Houston
Found out that our favorite park in Houston, Jetstream, was bought out and they no longer offer Passport America. So now our weekly rate has doubled from $164 to $325 per week. I did make a reservation at Green Caye to save money, but Josh said he did not want us staying 11 miles away, and would help us with the cost of staying at Jetstream.
November 21, 2021. Thursday evening we went down to the Golf Course Community Building and enjoyed an evening of corn hole with Dale & Kim and other Whitney residents. Was not going to go down at first, but then Dale talked us into it. Glad we did – had a good time.
Saturday we drove back to Tres Rios for the annual Thanksgiving Dinner. We had a great turn out; Teri said about 150 came to eat. Lots of good food and friendship. Afterwards we played cards; took Lucy for a walk with Mark & Ruthann, then drove back to Whitney.
Tried a different way – down 144 to Meridian then east on 22 to Whitney. That was a lot longer than normal, so I think we will stick to 56 out of Whitney Tuesday morning when we head to Granbury for Jim’s doctor’s appointment.
Watched Sean & Jacklyn get baptized this morning at their church. It was very nice; they did the baptism first after singing some songs, and I was able to pull it up on the computer and video it.
November 23, 2021. Got up early in order to drive from Whitney to Granbury so Jim could see Dr. Barnes. We both thought that he was going to examine Jim’s scrotum to see the extent of the infection. He had Jim get a sonogram of his abdomen and get blood work, but he only mentioned it when we brought it up. Our appointment got interrupted twice when he got a phone call; and then he focused on Jim needing another colonoscopy. By the time we got back to Whitney it was 11:30. So basically it was a wasted 4 hours and $30 in gas for something that could have been done over the phone.
He also mentioned that the infection could be chronic and never go away. Brother. So he said to finish this round of antibiotics and wait a few days to see how the infection goes and then get it filled again. We have one more refill of 15 days.
November 25, 2021. Had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with Josh & Karen and their friends the Dunlaps. Josh brined the turkey for 20 hours in a fruit herb brine then smoked it in his Orian. It was really delicious – very tender and moist. Ellie and I made pumpkin pies with one of them having a cream cheese mixture swirled around in it. There was so much food and it was all delicious – we were all pretty stuffed. Good thing we ate early in the day; by bedtime some of it was digested.
After dinner we played Mexican Train while Ellie & Jason played with the Dunlap’s kids and the dogs.
Jim rubbed his right eye and said now it seems like a film has developed across his iris. It really bothers him and he does not think he could drive like that. So luckily Josh’s eye doctor is open today and I made Jim an appointment for this afternoon. Hopefully it’s not too serious and the doctor can do something.
We also need to get an oil change on the truck and return some underwear Josh bought Jim to help with his infection. Both Walmart and Duluth are very close together, and I think we will go tomorrow to get that done. Jim wanted to go today, but it being Black Friday and there was no answer at Walmart tire center, they are probably very busy today.
November 30, 2021. Friday afternoon we went to see Josh’s eye doctor, who looked at Jim’s eye very closely after putting in drops to dilate his iris, and ended up diagnosing him with a detached retina. Of all the luck. He did have a large floater in the right eye, but we never had any idea that a floater could have caused the retina to detach. Saturday morning we had another appointment with a retina specialist in Houston. Josh drove us down there since he knows the area and we do not.
He ended up waiting for us since Jim just went there for another examination and consultation. They took a bunch of pictures and talked with us about surgery. If we stayed in Houston to do the surgery, we would have to pay to stay at Jetstream, and we would virtually be on our own. So we opted to drive back to Glen Rose to have the surgery done in Fort Worth. The soonest surgery would have been done in Houston would have been Thursday (Dec. 2). Jim does have an appointment Thursday morning with another retina specialist, and at that time we will find out when surgery will take place.
Sunday night Josh took us out to dinner at a great Cajun restaurant. Karen and I had stuffed jumbo shrimp with crab stuffing, mashed potatoes and asparagus. It was delicious. What surprised me was Ellie; she actually likes to eat sushi, and for dinner that night ordered Parmesan oysters. She ate all but one, which she gave to Grandpa.
Jason continues to be a problem when it comes to eating. He will not touch meat or eat what is served for dinner. He gets a protein shake, yogurt, veggies, cheese. He claims he does not like meat at all. Josh & Karen battle with him every day trying to get him to eat. He has even lost weight since July because he refuses to eat.
Today we left Jetstream and drove to Brazos RV Park in Caldwell. Jim was very reluctant to let me drive, so he drove us here even though he cannot see out of his right eye. He did very well, stayed in his lane and did a good job.
December 4, 2021. Got back to Tres Rios on December 1 and Jim had an appointment with another retina specialist on Thursday morning in Fort Worth. They took a few more pictures and set the surgery for Monday afternoon.
Unfortunately, Jim came down with the cold I got while in Houston. He has a sore throat and plugged up nose and is just chilling on the couch. We have a member generated potluck tonight at the Lodge. We were going to have Karaoke afterwards but since Kristen is out with a cold, it will probably just be dinner.
I had taken by wedding ring to Dave’s Jewelers on Hwy 377 in Granbury before Thanksgiving. I have not been wearing it for a few years since Dave cut it off my finger in 2017 after it swelled up so bad after the dogs sprained it when a little yipper ran out at us (that was May 2016). It's been a few years since I have not been wearing my ring, and I felt it was time to get it fixed and wear it again. He did a great job fixing it up; reinforcing the prongs holding the diamonds and made it a little bigger to get over my knuckle with a spacer underneath to make it fit my finger.
December 6, 2021. Jim’s cold seems to have gone away for the most part. Hopefully he will feel good by the time he gets up and we drive to the surgery center. Surgery is scheduled for this afternoon; pre-op at noon and then the surgery after that and then recovery.
Left a little before 11am and made it to the Arlington Texas Surgery Center before noon. Jim was taken into pre-op; it was about 1:30pm when he went into surgery. The surgery took about 45 minutes with post-op about 45 minutes. Dr. Williams was very pleased with the surgery. Back at home Jim tried putting his head down on the dining room table, but said it was not comfortable. So he is laying on his left side with his head in a downward position. He said that is the most comfortable so far. He tried laying on the bed but that did not work either. He has a follow up with the doctor Tuesday afternoon.
December 12, 2021. We are continuing with the eye drops. He can still see the bubble in his eye and his eyesight is not getting any better. He does try to play pool and played cards one day, but still tries to keep his head down.
I made reservations for Tres Rios from December 29 to January 12, because I want to head to Houston to visit with the family for a week. I did promise Jason that we would come back to visit. From there we will go to the Thousand Trails in Medina Lake for three weeks so we can visit different RV parks around the area that sell or lease lots.
December 15, 2021. Yesterday’s eye doctor appointment was good. The doctor is pleased with the recovery. Bubble is down 20%, with 80% to go. That will take between 3-4 weeks, putting us near the middle of January. I am still hoping that they will let us buy another week out as Jim still cannot see out of his right eye.
December 21, 2021. Went to Nick’s Christmas party Friday night at a country club in Fort Worth. We had a lot of fun. The theme was casino night where they gave away $2500 in fake money which we turned in for chips. Then we were able to “fake” gamble for more chips. I sat at the Craps table and learned that. When there were a lot of people standing around the table, we would put our chips down and even though someone else would roll, it would affect the whole table so you would either win more chips or lose. It was a lot of fun actually. At the end of the gambling session, we turned in our chips for tickets which we put into jars in front of various gifts that were given away. Neither of us won any of them, but it was fun anyway.
Saturday December the 18th we had another potluck. Lots of people showed up and there was a lot of good food. This time I roasted butternut squash with brussels sprouts, dried cranberries and pecans. It was hit actually; I got people saying they really liked it. Kristen, our new manager, headed the karaoke evening. She has a great voice and sang a few songs, along with a few others.
We are trying to buy another week out since Jim’s eye is still not functioning properly. Since Josh and Karen are flying to Phoenix for Christmas, we do not have to worry about going to Houston this week. If all goes good, we will head down there in the middle of January and stay for Josh’s birthday.
December 27, 2021. Been quiet for us here at Tres Rios. We did not do anything on Christmas day. The weather is in the 80s so we are sitting outside enjoying the nice weather. I have not been feeling very well lately. My stomach is funny, but I keep eating anyway. My back is hurting and I just overall feel crummy.
Josh & Karen and family flew to Phoenix on Christmas Eve and then drove to Flagstaff on Christmas Day so they could all go skiing. Karen’s Dad is with them, and her sister and family are supposed to be flying out too. It’s nice that she is able to spend time with her family. Jim and I would not have been able to spend the holiday with them anyway since Jim’s retina surgery.
This whole world is going crazy. Biden is sending our country down the toilet with his vaccine mandates and so many things going up in price. They are doing their best to destroy our economy and way of life.
At least none of my family will be forced to take the vaccine. There are just too many adverse effects from it and I worry that they might take the vax. Jim talked with Jim Urban the other day and he is going to get a booster. Nothing we say will change his mind. I just pray everyone we know who gets it stays healthy.
December 29, 2021. Jim had another eye appointment yesterday. Doctor Williams said everything looked good. The bubble is down 50% and he figures another 3 weeks before it’s gone. It’s been three weeks since the operation, so hopefully by January 19 Jim can drive. He has another eye appointment on January 18 for hopefully his last checkup.
We both still have been under the weather. Cannot quite put my finger on what is going on, I just know that I am not feeling 100%. I don’t have a fever but get a headache occasionally and my stomach feels funky. Oxygen is OK so I don’t believe we have “covid.” But maybe we have a version of the flu; no throwing up or anything. Jim does not feel totally up to par either; he has a lot of mucus coughed up from his lungs.
Tres Rios is having a New Years Eve party. I am making a dish to take, but don’t know if we will make it all the way to the new year. Depends on how we feel.
December 31, 2021. Went to the Tres Rios New Year’s Eve party. There were not a whole lot of members who came, but they did have a two man band playing a lot of country songs. We all enjoyed listening to them. People brought food to share, which was very nice. We did make it to midnight though. They had a balloon drop and one young lady went about stomping on all the balloons. I still did not feel good throughout the evening; don’t know what is going on with my stomach – maybe mucus from post nasal drip? It just makes me feel nauseous all the time.