Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - PING Rollerdave - Done any riding?

It's been three days since your last report. We are going into withdraw. :D

^^^ What he said!!

I was just this morning thinking the same , It has become a daily read his postings , Hopefully he will back soon

maybe he took off on his 3rd ride and just hasn't stopped.
He could be half way across the US if his bike was grin powered.

I was just this morning thinking the same , It has become a daily read his postings , Hopefully he will back soon

Hey guys, Ol' Roller ain't forgot ya.

Wish I could give you another ride report, I'm DYING to get back out there, but things have come up.

Life comes at you head on and sometimes that's a good thing; we all need a wakeup call from time to time and I got that. Nothing's changed in THAT regard...

But sometimes it sucks when life hits you in the gut.

Last Friday my 78 year old mother was admitted to Unity hospital in Fridley MN with a bowel obstruction and placed under heavy sedation. She was in so much pain. She never likes anyone to see her cry.

My family is sort of... well.... complicated. It's fractured by the religious group some still belong to, by the divorce of my parents in 1966 fer pete's sake!

There has been a constant ongoing battle over mom and her power of attorney. One sister views it as the chance to have the power to 'fix' mom's life even though mom does not agree with her that her life NEEDS fixing. A brother has been staying with mom, albeit in violation of mom's lease and subsidized housing rules and views it as a chance to move mom into a 2br and get cheap rent.

These two ugly factions have garnered the supports of most of my family, just my one sister and I stand against eleven people who all have their own selfish agendas. She actually HAS PoA, and the rest of those clowns fear me very much. Let's just say that they have reason to know that my wrath is something to be avoided. Because none of them can stand in the face of the logical, moral, legal, and medical forces I bring to bear, they have turned sneaky and vicious.

Mom says she's tired and it's time for her to have help. She says assisted living. THEY put up a fight.

My last few days have been spent helping and supporting my sister battle them strategically, legally, and with the DR's to get mom what she needs.

Today I'm off to another meeting with the hospital social services liaison, and the whole clan will be there, Ugly and angry. They aren't going to like how this turns out, she is going into the assisted living arrangement she wanted, and is coming HERE between the hospital and assisted living while the paperwork clears.

I expect it to turn ugly, I expect to be personally attacked by members of my family who would not so much as deign to acknowledge my existence for the last ten years. I expect my brothers will go straight to mom's place and take whatever they want. I expect I will be called a bunch of names... "apostate" "gun nut" "parasite" "crazy"... I've already been called all of these, I usually just laugh at them. It all boils down to they don't want me anywhere NEAR mom, and certainly don't want to have to come HERE to see mom where their manipulation will be directly in my view.

Sorry to dump all this on you guys, but I felt I ought to let you know I hadn't forgotten you all, or walked away from all I had accomplished.

There's a long summer ahead of me yet, I am still determined. I am still here.

I just have to spend a lil' time doing right by my mom for the next few days.

If any of you would like to talk, I would be up for that. You can email me at my username minus the last letter at gmail.

Thinking about all you guys,

RD

Just take care of Mom, the bike will be still be there when life slows down.

Keep your head up and get your mom to feeling better.

I'm on that!

I gave my contact info to Tom, told him he was free to give it out.

Gotta motor, I'll check back later,

RD

Be safe dave and if you need to vent, I also gave you mine......

Gotta keep smiling.

sorry to hear the family issues...sometimes kids just need to understand, its MOM's life, NOT theirs

Families are complicated. Do what you know is right. It sounds like you've got your Mom's best interests in mind and that's the important part. Fight the good fight.

Take care Dave. Hope things work out and you can get more time for the Eagle.

Take care of the fam. Your bike will still be there in the morning.

Good Luck Dave! Like everyone says, take care of family, the bike will eagerly await you :)

Nothing, I repeat nothing is more important than family. Use the biking as an escape when needed, but you are doing the correct thing. Take care of your Mother. I miss mine dearly and I wish you and your family all the best.

Well folks,

It could have went a whole lot worse. The other side couldn't make it in full force, and we managed to get reinforcements. The odds weren't in their favor so they did what bullies always do when faced down, they crumbled.

There's still stuff they can do to mom's stuff until we can get one of them out of mom's place and change locks, but mom is now beyond their reach. She will go into assisted living and get the help she needs and her power of attorney remains with the better of my two sisters. If there is any gap between hospital and assisted living, she is coming here and they all know it, and they all know it's her choice and that there isn't squat they can do.

I've gotta maintain a presence there both to bolster mom's spirits, make sure she is understood, and keep them from gaining a toehold. I hope she gets better so fast the assisted living isn't ready and she DOES come here for a spell.

It turns out to be a 'small bowel obstruction' and 'bladder infection' so it could be a few days, or a week or more. She has moderate to severe Alzheimer's so she keeps forgetting that she needs to get a nurse when she goes and "does business" so it can be looked at and count towards her being 'better.'

Also, she hated the food, and no input means no output! Her sister brought her some good broth, and we got her sugar-free jello she likes, we'll see.

I can't thank all of you enough for your outpouring of well wishes and support, but I'll try:

THANK YOU!

I am so glad to have posted here.

RD

Hang in there RD, i'm glad it went better than you thought it would. i agree with most of the advice everyones giving you. You also have to look after yourself too. make time for yourself and time to relax and take your mind of things. its not selfish so don't let anyone tell you that. if you take care of yourself you'll be much better for your mother:-)

Hey RD, good luck with all this, I don't envy you your position, but from your posts you sound like a decent chap and your mother sounds like she's in safe hands with you.

Don't neglect yourself in this, you'll need an outlet and sometime 10 minutes on a bike is a great way to get some fresh air and clear your thoughts.

Take care sir!
Steve

Best wishes to you and your family Dave!

My prays go out to you and your family. The modern Band of Brothers, bikeforums.net(edited). :rolleyes: I have only been here a few days, all I see is friendship and camaraderie. As long as you search before making a new thread. ;) I came here to ask a question and liked it, so I stayed. RD I hope things settle down for you, and your mother gets better soon as well lets you get into a situation where she doesn't need as much protecting. It may seem like the rest of the family might not like you but I bet your mother is very proud of you.

Best of wish,
Anton.

Ahem, it's bikeforums.net ;) :p
My prays go out to you and your family. The modern Band of Brothers, bikeforums.com. :rolleyes: I have only been here a few days, all I see is friendship and camaraderie. As long as you search before making a new thread. ;) I came here to ask a question and liked it, so I stayed. RD I hope things settle down for you, and your mother gets better soon as well lets you get into a situation where she doesn't need as much protecting. It may seem like the rest of the family might not like you but I bet your mother is very proud of you.

Best of wish,
Anton.

Kick some ass, Roller Dave! Keep standing up for what is right for your Mom no matter what! Screw everybody, nothing counts except for her wishes and needs. The rest of them can kiss your ass!

I wish you well Dave, keep up the good fight.

Well folks,

It could have went a whole lot worse. The other side couldn't make it in full force, and we managed to get reinforcements. The odds weren't in their favor so they did what bullies always do when faced down, they crumbled.

There's still stuff they can do to mom's stuff until we can get one of them out of mom's place and change locks, but mom is now beyond their reach. She will go into assisted living and get the help she needs and her power of attorney remains with the better of my two sisters. If there is any gap between hospital and assisted living, she is coming here and they all know it, and they all know it's her choice and that there isn't squat they can do.

I've gotta maintain a presence there both to bolster mom's spirits, make sure she is understood, and keep them from gaining a toehold. I hope she gets better so fast the assisted living isn't ready and she DOES come here for a spell.

It turns out to be a 'small bowel obstruction' and 'bladder infection' so it could be a few days, or a week or more. She has moderate to severe Alzheimer's so she keeps forgetting that she needs to get a nurse when she goes and "does business" so it can be looked at and count towards her being 'better.'

Also, she hated the food, and no input means no output! Her sister brought her some good broth, and we got her sugar-free jello she likes, we'll see.

I can't thank all of you enough for your outpouring of well wishes and support, but I'll try:

THANK YOU!

I am so glad to have posted here.

RD

I would get in there and change the locks ASAP, if they want to get something of theirs out of the house, they need to get you to let them in, otherwise all that will be left is crap.

Family first... especially if it is Mom!

Besides, it's supposed to snow again anyway! :)

Hey, Rollerdave,
It's been a couple of days again, just wondered how things were going for you? I hope you get things straightened out soon, and can get back on the trike. I just came in from my first ride over 10 miles and wondered how you were doing.
- Bob

Haven't had the chance to get back on my trike yet, we got about a foot of snow and a few inches stuck.
Weather's got me bummed, and family bickering can take its toll.

The infighting has spilled over into a custody battle between one of my genius brothers and his ex-wife who had been a houseguest here until the first.

Whatever.

My ex and her husband came in from out of town and left their son Cody here. He's a great kid and has stayed here off and on over the year when it was too much for them to be parents.

I expect next week to be very warm, and we should have new cables on Becky's Nishiki Meridian by then and have the bike we bought Cody but wouldn't let them take last time brought out of storage and checked over.

This whole thing has me hopping, I'm eager to get back out and know I will, but it's tough being so agitated.

They just aren't sure when mom will be released, or if we will need to host her for a few days or whether her assisted living arrangement will be ready by then.

Meanwhile, I'm still here, still hanging in there, still spending as much time with mom, as I can, still checking in here AND at my other forums.

Hopefully soon....

RD

RD, I missed this in my haste to try to get back up to speed after having been down in California last week. Wow, I would not want to mess with you--you are obviously determined to get your mother the best care possible for her.

I am so glad to see you stick to your guns and get things going the way they should be.

We're proud of you in more than one way.

East Hill

Thanks all!

Here's the latest.

Mom's not improving like they want, she's been throwing up so they tubed her. It goes in her nose and down the hatch. They've gotten about two liters of stuff back out through this tube and are hoping that the kink in her bowel will sort itself out; otherwise it's the knife.

Surgery presents a few complications in this twisted tale. Firstly, if she has to undergo surgery, she will likely be released to a nursing home to recuperate and will go from THERE to assisted living, no side trip to Ol' Roller Dave's Hacienda of fine dining and non-stop card playing.

Secondly, she belongs to a religious group that refuses certain parts of what is considered normal medical care. This makes the surgery more risky, but it is her strongly held principle. I am not her PoA, my sister is, and she is a member of this group as well; so I have serious concerns for whether she will fare well in surgery.

She could... But she goes in with a medical disadvantage due to her age and frailty already. This just introduces further wiggle room for Murphy.

Today (Saturday) is "the unwelcome ex-house guest gets to visit her daughter on the premises and act like she owns the joint" day.

Yay.

We see mom tomorrow. Hopefully we go pick up whatever is ours from her place soon, I am not mom's PoA so I do not control her apartment, and although I have lobbied in the strongest terms for a total lockout my sister declines at this time for reasons not fully explained to me. I've made my case, I'll just have to extract my stuff and wait.

I am VERY tense and it is still too cold for me to take Eagle out by myself without help.

Once it warms enough for me to weld, I will modify the hitch platform that carries my mobility scooter so that I can self-load Eagle and then I won't need anyone's by-your-leave!

I can't wait for today to be over.

RD

Best wishes, Dave.

I won't go into beliefs, but so much pain could be avoided with reason instead of religion. But whatever, no one's going to change because of me.

I won't go into beliefs, but so much pain could be avoided with reason instead of religion.

Can I get an AMEN!

can you FEEL the POWER?

How many gear inches does it have!

Seriously though, my sis calls tonight and says things have... um. "started moving" with mom...

Maybe good news!

Chatted with Tom a bit and he reminds me of the existence of a Laproscope so even if she goes under, that's what they'll likely use and it isn't all that invasive.

So, the roller coaster starts climbing.

RD

Well, I'm thinking positive thoughts, and I imagine that everyone else who reads this thread is too, RD.

Let the movement begin!

(and try not to stress, ok?)

Feel free to PM me as well, if you think it would help.

East Hill

Yep, and Dave, you can call me anytime. :D