Category: Jack

I am grateful to all the men and women who have served our country. Also grateful that my Veteran Husband, Jack came home alive from Vietnam.

A very young Jack.

Hubby served in the early 1960s in the Army. He was a fixed-wing pilot on the Otter and the Caribou Aircraft.

Here is Jack with his Army Aviator friend, Jim. They’ve been friends all these years.

This group of men had flown Otters and Caribou aircraft during their time in service to our country. This museum had a beautiful Caribou aircraft for all to see.

Now, in Jack’s later years,  it is Jack and I going through his Agent Orange Health problems. We’ll get through it. I am just so grateful that Jack made it back. If he hadn’t I never would have known him or had him in my life.

The last thirty years have been good ones for us. And on this Veteran’s Day, I am so grateful to have my Veteran sitting next to me at home.

God Bless the Men & Women of the Military. I thank them all for their service.

After Breakfast:

Jack is still in the hospital awaiting more surgery. Whether he has more of his toe/foot removed, or they just simply close the wound, we don’t know. It seems the two services here at the hospital can’t decide.

We are frustrated. Jack wants to get out and come home and I am looking forward to not having to drive two and a half hours each day! But, there is no place I would rather be than at my husband’s side.

After Lunch:

Well, Jack is being discharged! They decided to leave the drain in for a week before doing a final closing when we return.

I will be trained to dress the foot and be his at home nurse. Actually I am not worried too much about doing this, as I took care of his toe before he lost it.

I’m slightly nervous about them sending him home because I am not completely comfortable with them leaving the infected bone in his foot! I voiced my concern about this to them, but they tell me that the dual antibiotics will keep the infection from spreading. I felt that no one was really listening to me. I pray this will all turn out well.

After Supper:

Jack is home, sitting in his recliner, with his laptop on his lap and he is sound asleep. Finally, he is relaxed and resting!

I continue to drive back and forth across the State of New Hampshire to be with my Jack. It’s just over an hour each way, and the first few days I did this, I didn’t feel too bad. But today, oh wow, was I tired!

Of course there is no place else I would be right now than at Jack’s side. He is going through something that no one should ever have to go through.

On Tuesday he got to see what was left of his toe. Quite frankly, there is nothing left of his toe. They didn’t necessarily lie to him, but there is no half toe. It is completely gone.

There was a sadness in his voice as he told me about seeing it. And later I shared his sadness when we were told that he will need at least one more surgery on the toe.

We were also told that he may need a PICC Line, and at home IV antibiotics. Does that sound familiar? And here is the even stranger part, they are talking about using the same two antibiotics that I was given.

We both feel a bit shell shocked, and we hope that this will be over soon. However, I am starting to feel that Jack’s recovery from his infection will take as long as, if not longer, than mine.

My friends asked me to dinner tonight and it was the first normal, wonderful and delicious meal that I have eaten, since Jack got sick. I am so grateful.

I hope you all had a Happy 4th of July!

On Monday morning, around seven o’clock, I got a call from Jack telling me that surgery was scheduled for noontime. The Vascular Surgeons had been in and determined that the best way to contain the infection, which is Osteomyelitis, was to amputate part to most of his right big toe.

I raced to shower, dress, and call my friend about walking the dogs, and I was out the door by 8:15!

It took me just about an hour to get there, and get to Jack’s room. Where his Nurse was preparing him for the surgery. His Nurse, stopped to talk to me as well, and all I can say is…what a nice man!

Jack and I talked until they came for him at eleven o’clock, almost an hour earlier than scheduled for his surgery. I walked down to the pro-operative area, and waited with him while Anesthesia came to speak to him. Jack does not do well with general anesthesia, and I wanted to stress this to them. Well the Anesthesiologist couldn’t have been nicer and she switched his drug mixture, which in the end, was perfect for him.

Surgery lasted well over an hour and I texted with my step son the entire time. I was so grateful to him, because he really helped me to stay calm and to relax. Love you Jon!

Finally they came to get me and bring me to recovery, and there Jack was sitting up, wide awake and with slightly less than half his right big toe. His foot was wrapped up in thick bandages and a compression bandage on top.

But best of all, Jack was smiling. He was happy that it was just half the toe and not the entire toe, or the toe and foot! Since he has almost no feeling in his foot, the pain was minimal.

Jack’s only complaint was that he was hungry! But when we arrived back in his room, not only did he have lunch waiting, but he had two roommates!

I got him settled, made sure he was eating his lunch before I headed home. As I got ready to leave, I gave him a big hug and kiss, and whispered in his ear, “Just remember, I love you, Jackie nine and a half toes!”

I’d had only 3 hours of sleep on Sunday night, (a slight panic attack) and I needed rest. I played with the dogs, got them fed, and at 9:30 last night I climbed into bed with the dogs and I slept until six o’clock this morning.

Today I am off to see him again. They mentioned that they may release him by the end of the week, so once I find out when, I need to do a big grocery shopping.

So that was my day yesterday, and now it’s time to drink my coffee, and then get ready to hit the road. Thank you for all your prayers!

So much has been going on the last few days. I have hardly had a chance to sit, sleep, let alone write. But tonight, I have the time, and the inclination to sit and write.

Jack, my husband was admitted to the hospital on Friday with a severe infection caused by his diabetes. It started in his toe, and spread into his foot and up his leg. His body wasn’t fighting the infection, so he had no fever at all. Oddly enough, his temperature was only 97 degrees (F).

They took him by ambulance to the Veteran’s Hospital in Vermont, where they began treating him with two strong IV antibiotics.

Meanwhile, I’ve been driving back and forth (an hour each way) and I have tried to keep the house running, the dogs cared for, and at the same time made sure that Jack has what he needs at the hospital to be comfortable.

Today his 18 year old cell phone died and so on my way over, I had to stop at Verizon and get him a new one. He did not want a Smart Phone, but just a simple flip phone like the one he has had. Here is the miracle. They actually still make them.

Once I got to his room, I set about adding a few of his contacts, and showing him how to use it, which is basically how the old one worked. Score one for me! He was so happy and when I glanced at his face, he looked a bit better.

The last few days travels have not been uneventful. Yesterday on my return home I was two cars in back of a compact car that suddenly went off the road and hit a tree going 40 miles an hour! The airbags deployed, noses were bloodied, but all five young people walked away with only bruises. The car was totaled. I saw it happen and pulled into a parking lot and called 9-11 and got police and fire on scene in under 4 minutes. The police arriving in under 2 minutes. I felt quite shook up witnessing this, and I guess it made me think of my own accident all those years ago.

The dogs are a tad confused with Jack gone. Arnie lies on the floor by the bedroom door waiting for his Daddy. And when the door gets opened, his little heart breaks when his Daddy is not there.

My friends have been wonderful. They have helped me with the dogs, listened to me, and one friend is going to help with our lawn. I need to line up help with the fruit trees, and possibly get someone to help me with the cleaning.

I guess I am trying to put everything in order so I don’t feel so overwhelmed.

The prognosis for Jack’s toe, foot and leg are still unclear. For now he will be in the hospital until the infections are under control.

But I’m here, and I will write when I can.

Life goes by so quickly, doesn’t it. One day you are 16 looking at the world ahead, the next you are 21 and starting your life, 50 and half way through and then 79. How on earth did that happen?

Hubby has lived so much. He has been so many places and done so many things. More than I could even write about here. You see, he is 20 years ahead of me, and so much of his life happened before I was even born.

But for the 30 years I have had him in my life, we have traveled and raised puppies and shared so much.

So Happy Birthday and may you have many more!

Hubby had a scary incident yesterday. Apparently he got up in the night and fell between his bed and the closet door. Since we’ve both had terrible colds, and I snore, he’s been in our guest room, so I heard none of this.

He said when he woke up, in a pool of blood, he had no recollection of having gotten out of bed or of falling. Which is really weird because he has two large gashes on the top of his head. And the door and rug looked like there had been a murder in that room!

He didn’t come and get me, which I was really pretty angry about, and simply got back into bed. In the morning he told me about it, and I went about cleaning his wounds and dressing them with antibiotic ointment.

I admonished him for not coming for me, and I wanted him to go to the doctor, but he refused. So I told him he had to have a quiet day.

Then I went into the room and began cleaning the door, wall and rug. The wall and door was easy, but the rug was a three part process. (Thank goodness I have a carpet cleaning machine!) In the end, I got out all the blood and there is no stain.

Still I am worried about Hubby. He is 78 years old and has several health concerns. I’ll be watching him like a hawk and when he goes to the doctor again later this month, I plan to go with him.

Meanwhile, I am cooking good healthy meals for him, including blueberry muffins for his breakfast, and trying to make things easier for him.