Monday, December 8, 2025 – Day 482

Monday, December 8, 2025

Good morning, everyone.
17 days until Christmas. 🎄

Yesterday was a tale of two halves…productive in the morning and puddles in the afternoon.

Late morning we had a full-blown Christmas-card brigade assembled: Cindy, Barb, Mark, Geoff, and Kristin all gathered around the table pens and envelops in hand For as long as I can remember, Christmas cards have been my job. Being left-handed, I always avoided smearing ink by running the envelopes through the printer…my clever workaround. But now, without functioning thumbs, even picking up the envelopes is a challenge. So another task has quietly, reluctantly shifted to Cindy’s side of the ledger.

While the card crew worked, Alex showed up to install our new fancy bidet in the powder room. Santa must’ve heard that fewer trips upstairs would be a thoughtful early gift. Only catch? Someone had to install it. Another job that once belonged to me…sliding over to someone else’s column.

Tim had tried last week, but the supply line fought him every step of the way—leaking no matter what he did. Alex, being a mechanical engineer and veteran of industrial pumps, volunteered to take a crack at it. He ran into the same stubborn leak, but he stayed with it, made all the adjustments, and after about an hour, everything finally held tight. Water on, floor dry…bidet miracle achieved.

The group broke up around 1:00 p.m. Everyone drifted back to their Sunday routines. Cindy went shopping, and I headed to the guest room for a rest. Just me and Bear holding down the fort.

A bit later, gearing up to watch the Bears-Packers game, I got up to take a bathroom break. That may not sound like much, but every bathroom trip is an ordeal these days. It takes serious effort to get there without falling.

Well… I didn’t fall per se—but when I transferred from the bed to the wheelchair, I didn’t get my backside fully onto the seat. Before I knew it, I slid right off and landed on the floor. At first, I didn’t think much of it…until I tried to get up. That’s when I realized I had a real problem—and I still desperately needed to pee. Not the best timing.

I tried getting to my knees to pull myself up. No dice. My body wanted no part of that plan. I knew I couldn’t stay on the hardwood floor, so I started scooting—inch by inch—toward the bathroom. By the time I crossed the threshold onto the tile, I was shocked by how exhausted I felt. It hit me hard just how much strength I’ve lost over these many months with ALS.

At least I made it to the bathroom. If I peed now, I figured, at least the floor could handle it. And yes—the heated floor was a lovely 84°F, so that was one small comfort in the middle of the fiasco. I tried using the toilet to pull myself up, but again, no luck. My bladder reached critical alert…and let’s just say, my kegel muscles were shot.. My first thought was: Damn…more cleanup. I’m not making life easy on Cindy.

My last hope was to scoot into the shower. It’s a zero-barrier setup, so getting in was easy. If I could get up onto the wall-mounted seat, I could clean myself up and salvage the situation. But that attempt went the same as all the others. No strength. No leverage. Just me, stuck on the floor.

So I put my back against the wall and decided it was time to call Cindy. Only problem—my phone was still on the bed. But thank goodness for the Apple Watch. Cindy picked up on the first ring. I opened with, “I’m okay,” and we went from there.

In the end, I dodged another bullet. I wasn’t hurt…just wet, embarrassed, and grateful that Cindy was close by to rescue me. But one thing is crystal clear: we need a new strategy for when I’m home alone. That’s today’s project.

Have a great Monday. Love you guys! ❤️