Little Italy, Cleveland Style

Jeff is ready to rock Little Italy

Before we left the hospital we received a booklet of exercises Jeff needed to do.  High on that list was walking.  So today we followed the doctor's orders.

Jeff was moving slow but steady.  We took a number of breaks along the way which gave me time to take photos and to figure out how the hell to get to Little Italy.  In a patented Tess move we left the house with only a vague idea of where we were going and no idea how to get there.  As evidenced by the picture above, we made it.

I packed pain pills and his Warfarin, blood thinners, in case we were still out and about when it was "Pill Time".   Speaking of pills, look at the lovely collection of souvenirs we picked up at the pharmacy on our way out of the hospital yesterday.

It can be overwhelming, so last night while Jeff got some much needed sleep I wrote on each bottle what the medicine was for and when to take it.

Jeff goes in for a blood draw tomorrow to test is INR levels.  This test checks the bloods ability to clot.  It is the last time we'll have to go to the hospital before we hop on a plane to go home tomorrow.  Once we're home Jeff will need to go in and have his levels checked twice a week.  Eventually he'll be able to go in once a month or even less.  The drawback of the mechanical valve is that it can elevate the risk of blood clots which can stick to the valve and hinder its movement and do all the other bad things blood clots do.  So the blood thinner is one pill we don't want to miss.

Once we finally found Little Italy, we also found that it's on the only hill in Ohio.  Not a steep hill but it certainly was an incline.  Oops.  Jeff took it well.  I think the sight of the pastry shop half way up the hill gave him the added purpose and drive he needed.

None of these are on the new diet

We decided to go in for lunch and torture ourselves by sitting next to the case of forbidden food pictured above.  

Okay moving on and wiping the drool off my chin. 

 I took this picture thinking about how free flying balloons make you look up, just like a good church steeple does. 

In case you forgot which ethnic neighborhood you were visiting

So many electrical lines

The walk back to the bus stop was pretty slow going.  It was hot and Jeff was wearing out.  When we made it back to University Circle we found a Starbucks (3rd one in all of Cleveland) where we sat down to take a break.  It was nice having my travel partner back.  I feel complete once again.

Life's path is easier traveled with someone you love and who loves you in return