Story 25Nov2025: Thanksgiving 2021

Please note that Apple is having trouble this Black Friday with sending photos. I will update this when the photos finally transfer from my iPhone.

Thanksgiving started with me getting up at 730ish. I woke at 6ish but rolled over. I found in the sink cut-up potatoes and carrots, and onions. Corwin wanted to help and prepped a pile of veggies for us for Thanksgiving.

I read my emails, made coffee, and wrote the blog. This is my usual start for a day.

As I was finishing dressing, Barb and Leta showed up. Leta wanted an early start, and soon I had the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade playing in the living room. Barb and I planned the day a bit, and then I headed into Portland.

No traffic, of course, and I was quickly in Susie’s room 361. Susie was less responsive and had more trouble talking. She was sleepy and was left to sleep in a bit. Her breakfast tray was outside still.

Lorene is the nurse today, and she was our first nurse out of ER at Legacy Good Samaritan. She explained that Susie had trouble speaking today, and there is hope that this is the impact of the pain killers on Susie for the chest tube. I raised the concern that we made the same mistake last week, and there was a possibility Susie has had another stroke.

The docs came in and said that Susie was on new drugs to stop a new stroke, if possible. They were reducing the painkillers as Susie was sleepy. Susie is too weak for rehab at this point, they told me.

The lung doctor came in a bit later, and I helped remove the chest tube, which was quite a painful process. Blood draws had been done, and more were scheduled. The tests to know if there is a deeper infection in the left lung are still pending, but the doctor was optimistic that the lungs were better.

The nurse had me feed Susie for a bit. I brought a sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving for Susie. She was able to eat a bit, but then the electrolyte drink seemed to cause her to spit up, and that was that. I cleaned up Susie and then put her head back down to let her rest. We put on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade that quickly ended and was replaced by a dog show rerun.

The nurse came back in with drugs and more food for Susie. A new bag of saline and antibiotics was emptied into Susie via the IV. Every time she bent her arm, the IV stalled. A new IV line was ordered. Also, instead of drinking the electrolyte–yuck, it will be added to the next bag of saline. Susie was looking better with the fluids.

All morning Susie’s heart was racing. The nurse, docs, and even I agree that dehydration was an issue. Also, they had stopped Susie’s heart med when her blood pressure dropped. This was continued now that Susie’s blood pressure was stable. So all PT was put off for a day until all these changes worked.

Susie’s heart stabilized over the next two hours.

I gave Susie a goodbye kiss or two and then took Air Volvo home. Barb had cleaned the kitchen and forgoed the lecture about the dirt. Dinner was about an hour out.

I helped a bit; it is a tiny galley kitchen and only works with one person working in it.

We had a quiet dinner as we all missed Susie.

Barb started washing up a bit. We then had some of the worst store-bought pecan pie ever made. I helped bag most of the food or put it in smaller bowls. We had enough left over to have Thanksgiving a couple more times!

Micro-turkey (8.5 lbs) and was likely beat-up by chickens. It was quiet good.

Barb and Leta left after to see Susie. We had made a special arrangement with the nurse to let them both in at the same time. They stayed a few hours, and Susie seemed to wake up for them while still unable to speak clearly. A new IV was put in. They watch some Harry Potter.

Barb and Leta left Susie watching TV.

I read and tried to sleep. I finished up the dishes and pans. I had a bit of turkey with my evening meds. I finally fell asleep.