He's Still Got It!

Today, Douglas, Deke and Angie's husband, Chris, went off with their cast nets to try their luck with the mullet which is eaten in large quantities in this area but not so much at home. When they returned, Chris had some questions about throwing the net so Don went outside with him to give him some pointers. Even though he has been so tired lately he just couldn't resist...he picked up that heavy net and threw it just like he has done for years!

What a Difference a Day Makes!

Don had a rough time yesterday and was in and out of the bed most of the day. Things got worse as the day went on and he was in quite a lot of pain due to re-starting his chemotherapy after four days without it while he was in the hospital. When he first took the chemo it caused a lot of pain in his abdomen and it seems like this was the same pain he was in last night. Unfortunately, I had evacuated without his pain medicine. I had everything else, except that and I was in a panicked state as his pain got worse and he grew more upset. Our precious niece, Nicole, came to the rescue and called in his pain medication to the pharmacy here and before long, Don was a new man! When I returned from the store, everyone wanted to see the medicine to check out the prescriber information: Dr. Nicole Vignes!!! Woo-hoo! Never did we think when she rode the St. Louis King of France school bus with Ashley & Drew that one day she would be coming to her Uncle Donnie's rescue with pain meds! Thanks a million Nicole!

After days of waking up to dreary conditions, this morning a new day dawned, both outside and in. I came back from the grocery to find the pier lined with pelicans AND Don in the kitchen making a "beachhouse" breakfast just like old times! Today we are Blessed.

Resting comfortably!

Don had his surgery this morning and is doing fine. They could not see the area where the bleeding occurred but they banded the varicies they did see, cutting off the blood supply. Hopefully this will prevent the reoccurrence of this problem for a while. When he returned to the room he complained of pain in his esophegus and was given "something for pain." The next thing we knew he was very comfortable and no longer complaining! We had too many visitors to count and enjoyed all of the stories we heard during the visits. Debbie got us ssshhhhh'd by the nurses once and thrown out of the room on another occasion! Next we'll be run out of town!

Three's a Charm!

We evacuated to Pensacola to avoid the worst of what may come from Gustav. I could tell Don was not feeling well after our 8 hour, middle of the night journey and after talking I came to the conclusion that he was bleeding internally. We went to Sacred Heart Hospital and after an epic journey through their emergency department, learned that he is bleeding but the location cannot be determined. This morning at a time that has yet to be determined, he will have surgery to locate and hopefully repair the bleed. The hospital would not allow me to stay in the room overnight and I know I saw a little smile come across Don's face when I was told I had to leave - I'm sure he was thinking, "Ahhhh, alone at last". So, this morning I am in Navarre listening to the wind and rain come and go outside and praying that the tornado predicted for this area does not materialize. I spoke to his nurse at 5:00 AM and learned that they have not yet scheduled the procedure. I plan on leaving here around 7:00 AM - hopefully the weather will have quieted down by then.



Now, as for the title of this entry - for those of you who have known Don and I for less than 10 years, Don's history includes hospitaliztion during three hurricanes, George in 1998, Katrina in 2005 and now Gustave! I think he likes the evacuation accomodations afforded by area hospitals! At least he knows there will be no power outages to deal with - you know he cannot live without A/C! Although I am sick to my stomach as I type this, I am sure he will be fine and we will be on our way back to New Orleans once he is feeling better. Please continue to keep Don in your prayers - especially through this surgery.



I'll report on his surgery this evening when they throw me out of the hospital!

All is well..so far!

We stayed busy today running errands and having lunch while we were out. My sister-in-law, Kathy, called and said was cleaning out her refrigerator and freezer in preparation for Hurricane Gustav. She reminded me of how awful our refrigerators smelled when we returned after Katrina so I got busy defrosting shrimp to cook before the power goes out! Don thinks I am crazy but if I NEVER again smell rotten food that has been closed up in a refrigerator for a week it will be too soon. Neither of us wants to evacuate again and I can only hope by some miracle this hurricane weakens out in Gulf or heads off in another direction. The only problem is the fact that we have family in both Texas and Florida - so...landfall on the Gulf Coast is out of the question!



On a lighter note, our nephew Sam came over tonight for a visit - he is always good for a laugh or two. He played with Drew and visited with Uncle Donnie and G.G. (my mother). He was with my brother Larry and they left before I got a chance to take their picture - I'll get them the next time they visit!

California Girls

Tonight our niece, Roxanne and her daughter, Kaitlyn (the princess in this picture), called from San Francisco to check on Don and the rest of the family. We got to catch up on what they have been doing. Kaitlyn is talking up a storm and sounds so grownup. Roxanne said her husband Ed hit a hole in one (his first) during a golf game on 8-8-08. He called her and said he won a car - a Delta 88! How funny is that!!!

Guess Who Came to Lunch!

Cathy Marter called during the week and said she would be over this weekend. We actually had plans to visit last weekend but both of us were in Orange Beach and unaware that the other was just down the street! So, we tried again. I cooked a nice lunch and we visited for quite a while and heard stories about her grandchildren. We are so lucky to have good friends that will come out in a tropical storm to visit with us!!