10.31.07
Can’t visit? Please call.
If you can’t make it to Inola, please give Floyd Leon a call at 918-543-0231.
10.30.07
Dad is back in Inola with Marilyn
Dad (Floyd Sr.) was sent back to Inola today from St Francis. The move went well and he is resting. There are still plans for him to go back to St. Francis for his gall bladder to removed in 4 to 6 weeks. We will keep you posed.
Chris Roberts is in England this week so visitations are light if any at all. Although Al is still in Tulsa till Thursday or Friday his visitations are limited due to a respiratory infection he has been battling since he and Tanya returned from Acapulco. It would be a good week for anybody that can make it out to Inola to go see them. Your support and visitations is greatly appreciated and much needed.
10.28.07
Floyd Jr. Visit…coming to an end
It has been a whirlwind 10 days in
Tulsa that has come to an end. My wife, Susan, made it to
Tulsa safely on Thursday after fighting the So Cal fires before leaving. Although the fires got within a mile of our house she left somewhat assured we would have a home to return to. We celebrated Al and Tanya’s new marriage yesterday in Tulsa as they hosted their
Tulsa wedding reception.
Dad has come a long way since I have been here. The easiest way I can pass on his progression is when I arrived I would have put him at about a 5 on a 1 to 10 scale. I visited with him yesterday and would move him up to an 8 or 9. He has been off the ventilator for a couple of days and had a new voice box installed yesterday. Hooray!!! He can now talk again and easily carry on a conversation. I expect him to return to Inola to join Marilyn sometime this week. The surgeon has tentatively scheduled his gall bladder surgery in 4-6 weeks. Dad needs some time to build up his strength and to reduce the inflammation in his gall bladder and the surrounding areas. All in all dad looks good, his spirits are good and he is on his way to recovery. He has worked hard this last week to get to where he is and is anxious to join Marilyn back in their new Inola home.
Marilyn has made some huge strides in Inola. She was lifted into a chair on Friday and was able to spend 2 ½ hours sitting up. She enjoyed the change and was a real trooper through out the process. She is getting her ultra sound whirlpool baths every other day, a very rigorous physical therapy routine and they have just started on her speech therapy with the plan of getting her on a voice box soon. Depending on the day and how she is feeling, she can sometimes talk now so our hopes are the addition of a voice box will simply make speaking easier for her and more consistent. We are in the process of getting a TV installed in her room so she can watch her only show, The Young and the Restless, along with other programs, Jenks football and movies she may want to see. We got her new gowns, footies and her own personal hygiene items. We expect Marilyn will be able to be mobile enough soon to experience her surroundings at the care center to include a visit outdoors. The staff told me this is huge to a patient like Marilyn because she can then see first hand her new home. The experience will answer a lot of questions and clears up a lot of confusion she now has about her new home.
Please visit Dad and Marilyn in Inola. I know they would love to see you!
10.27.07
Marilyn Visit 10-27-07
Marilyn was sleeping when I arrived today to visit her, nurses came in to turn her and said that she has her days and nights mixed up. Said that she keeps the nurses hopping on the night shift. Nurses turned Marilyn and she barley awoke, talked to her for a few minutes and she was back to sleep.
Finished putting her and Floyd’s cards up and nurse came in again to turn Marilyn, she did stay awake a little while longer and we talked for just a little while.
Noticed that her finger nails had been painted, nurse said that the activity group did that for her and also did her toenails. Nurse said that Marilyn sat in the chair yesterday and she really enjoyed it. Marilyn enjoyed looking at all the decorations. Nursing home has the place decorated really nice for halloween. One day this week they are hoping to get her to the beauty shop there at the nursing home. Nurse said that they hoped to have Marilyn up in the chair Halloween night as lots and lots of children come thru the nursing home.
Nurses came in again to turn Marilyn and got her to wake up some. We talked for a little while, she kept asking me to show her the baby I was holding, told her I was just holding a bottle of water, she said no not the bottle let me see the baby. Finally convinced her that I did not have a baby in my arms, and she went back to sleep.
Told Marilyn that Floyd should be here in Inola in a couple of days and she nodded.
Chris Roberts
10.26.07
Floyd Visit 10-26-07
This evening Floyd was off the ventilator and breathing with the aid of oxygen . He is waiting for a new voice box, he asked the nurse when could he get the box, she checked and said it would not be until Monday. Floyd was frustrated about this, he said someone has a key to the place where they are at and they should get him one.
He said that it should be Monday when he goes back to Inola if the Dr. can get the paperwork ready. He is looking forward to getting back there. Hope the TV is working when he goes there, wasn’t working last weekend.
Told Floyd that I would be going to see Marilyn tomorrow and he said that he was glsd I was going.
Chris Roberts
10.24.07
Floyd Update 10-23 & 10-24-07
Visited Floyd last night and he was sitting up in the chair and looking much better that Monday evening. Floyd Jr. was visiting with him when I got there and he was talking using the ABC chart. Marilyn’s sister Dee came in to visit Floyd, that was a nice surprise. Dee had been to visit Marilyn, she will be staying for a few days and I know that Marilyn will love having her there.
This evening when I visited Floyd the nurse was with him, he was having trouble getting deep breaths from the machine. They switched out his trek, and that helped a little, the machine kept malfuctioning so they had to use a hand pump (don’t know the medical name for it) while they got a new machine in. Floyd was getting very anxious at times. I stayed with him until they got everything hooked back up and until he felt better. We talked a lot this evening and he was in good spirits when I left.
Chris Roberts
10.21.07
Update on Marilyn…
Tanya & I went to visit Marilyn today after Church and she was resting. It took a while for us to get her attention trying not to startle her. Once she awoken we checked on her level of comfort and attitude and she seemed to be doing fine today. I let her know that Dad was doing ok but the doctors were trying to get him to where they could perform a small surgery and that he would hopefully be joining her again soon once that had been completed successfully. The nurses came in to make her scheduled turn during our visit. I then checked on her comfort level again and she wanted me to turn on her fan as she was rather warm. Then once the fan was turned on and I comforted her she immediately went back to sleep. We stayed around for another half an hour and decided not to disturb her and left so she could rest peacefully.
Having picked up a slight bug from our trip to Acapulco I wore a mask to be safe and not to transmit anything to Marilyn.
I have not yet gone to see Dad after returning from my trip because he has pneumonia. The ICU nurse thought it would be better to make sure that my bug had cleared prior to my visiting dad.
Thanks again for all your continued support and prayers!!!
10.20.07
Marilyn & Floyd Visit 10-20-07
Marilyn seemed to be in really good spirits today, she seemed pleased to see me. I noticed that she had the big neck brace of and had a neck cushion round her neck. Asked her if that felt better and she nodded yes. Nurse said that the other neck brace was cutting into her neck and caused quite a gash on both sides. Dr. ok’d for the brace to come off. Her hair had been washed and she looked good. Marilyn was able to verbalize some today and I asked her if she would like to talk to her brother Claire and Margot she said yes, called them and she was able to talk a few words to them both. She was really glad that she got to do that. We called her sister Dee but she was not at home, Marilyn talked a few words to Don, Dee’s husband. Called Chris her other sister but she did not answer. Told Marilyn that we would call next time and try to get them, she said OK. They have a brace on her right arm trying to straighten it out some. Her left arm was hurting and the nurse said it was due to the muscles tightening up and she worked her arm for a while and had Marilyn actually move the arm a little. Marilyn gets to have whirlpool baths 3 times a week, asked her if she liked that and he shrugged her shoulder, nurse said that she did not want to have the whirlpool bath today. Stayed till 4.30pm with her.
Went by to check on Floyd this evening and he was again very quite. Asked him if everything was ok and he nodded yes. Told him I went to see Marilyn and that she got to talk to her family, told him about the neck brace being taken of and he asked if she could now move her head, told him that she couldn’t.
Chris Roberts
Floyd & Marilyn Update…
Hello Everyone…
Floyd Jr. called and asked me to please post an update on his recent visit to see both Dad & Marilyn!
He spent quite a while with Marilyn Friday afternoon and she seemed in pretty good spirits! He took her a gown along with some personal Items we had gathered from the house. The staff suggested we get her a small TV and mount close to her bed so that she can see easier than the one they have now so we will be doing that this coming week!
Dad was sleeping as he stopped by Saturday morning and he didn’t want to awaken him as he needs his rest!
Overall considering they both appear to be holding their own.
10.19.07
Floyd Visit 10-19-07
Floyd was very quite this evening, he was able to talk and not use his ABC chart. He said that he wasn’t feeling very well and that he did not know when his surgery would be. I asked him if he had any visitors and he said no. Asked if Floyd Jr. had been to see him and he said he thought that he saw him earlier, he wasn’t sure if Al was there.
He kept falling asleep, he said that he just got some pain medicine. He wasn’t hurting at the time I was there. Told him that I was going to see Marilyn tomorrow and he said he was glad and went back to sleep.
Chris Roberts