Out of Woodland!

Mom and Dad were discharged from Woodland on Friday.   I took them to my house and so far they are doing well.  Mom has a difficult time negotiating the front stairs so we are having a railing built.  They are both happy to have real food.   They would love to hear from you.  Feel free to call.  If you don't have my number let me know and I will email it to you.  

Take care,

Cindy

Step Backward

Mom was having problems this morning with retaining a lot of fluid in addition to non-stop diahrea.  She was so weak she could not get up, so Ron called an ambulance and got her to the emergency room.  They evaluated her, decided her heart was doing fine but was concerned about her progress. We decided that Woodland Park Rehab would be a better choice for her since the at home care was not working for her well.  So until further notice, that is where she will be.  Please visit.  

Thanks,

Cindy

She's Going Home!!!

We are taking Mom home as soon as she finishes her lunch.  She wanted to stay here to eat, so either she is still starving or the food here is really good.  

The foot issues is somewhat serious.  They call it "trash feet."  Debris from the aorta has gone down and settled in the small blood vessels of her feet so she gets very poor circulation.  At its worst the toes and feet can turn black and you can lose them.   This is probably not what will happen.  There is a drug they have given her to make her platelets slick.  Mostly, it just takes time---from 4-8 weeks to resolve.  They need to be watched closely.  If they get more mottled or start turning black, we have to call a vascular specialist.  So if you are visiting, ask to see her toes.  Since I won't be here for a while, I will need help with monitoring.   

As I said, blogs may be few and far between. Bye for now.

Cindy

7/1/08 Update

Mom has all of her tubes out!   Good-bye feeding tube and catheter. She still has oxygen at times.  The plan is to discharge her tomorrow.  She is coming home.  We will have home support services starting part time on Friday, so I can train and check-out the person and then full-time starting Saturday.  Mom's only problem at present is that her feet are swollen and very painful.  We have the doctors checking on this.  She had a Dopler test to look at circulation and it was fine.  We will keep you posted.

We may need a volunteer to take her to her doctors appointment (in Magna) at 10:30 Thursday  July 10th but the the home aide should be able to do that. 

Once we are home, i.e. Thursday and Friday, it will be harder for me to post to the blog since Mom and Dad do not have wireless internet.  If I can escape for a while, I will go to the library or park outside a house that Nicholas and I found that has non-password protected wireless internet.  

Cindy

7/1/08 Update

6/30/08 Update

Mom has had three meals and a snack now and seems to be doing very well with food. She was also given the go ahead to drink water from a straw. They stopped the feeding through the tube but haven't taken it out of her nose as a precaution. It is likely to come out tomorrow.

The current plan is to discharge her on Wednesday. They think that she is doing so well, she could go straight home without going to a rehab facility first. We are in the process of making the decision about whether that would be a good idea. Mom would really like to come home. If she did come home we would have either round the clock care for the two of them (after I leave) or care from the early morning until they went to bed.

When she comes home she will not be able to drive or lift anything over 10 pounds for 6 weeks.

Cindy

She's Eating!

Mom was just given chocolate pudding, raspberry yogurt, and cranberry necter.  "It is out of this world!" she says with each bite.  She is so funny.  She made us open all of the containers at once, having no doubt she would eat them all.  The next step is getting the feeding tube out.  They will wait and get a calorie count tomorrow to see if she has her appetite  is back completely. Apparently,  when people haven't eaten for a while, they don't have an appetite.  Somehow, we don't think this is going to be a problem with Mom.

Cindy

Great News!

Mom passed the test!!! She can eat!!! We just have to wait for the doctor's orders saying so.  Mom is disappointed that lunch is over and she has to wait for dinner.  I think we will persuade the nurse to get her applesauce or pudding or something.

Cindy

6/29/08 Update

Mom is getting stronger by the day.  She walked 1/2 way around the ward today.  They are doing a swallowing test as we speak.  If she passes, she can start eating food as soon as the doctor agrees.   She can also drink water if she passes.  Her oxygen level is great. It appears that the only reason she is using the oxygen mask is to keep the air moist so she can continue to cough out the thick secretions in her lungs.  Her heart functions continue to be great.  Everyone is very pleased with her progress. 

Cindy

6/28/08 Update

Sorry I am posting this so late.  Mom is quite a handful now that she is feeling better.  She is on the cardiac floor in Room 329.  She is getting stronger by the day and speaks quite well now.  

She is still only given ice chips (5-10/hour) and is on the feeding tube.  We think they are being a little too conservative but I guess it is better to be safe than sorry.

Mom is busy begging people to give her ice chips.  She told me to just get her a glass of water to drink, she would be fine.  When I told her I couldn't and explained why, she confessed that she had already gotten up by herself, grabbed a glass, filled it all the way up and drank it!  "It was so good!" she said. I haven't told the nurses for fear they will restrain her arms again.  The doctors have finally given the okay for family to give her ice chips but only 5-10/hour still.  So if you come visit be prepared for very persistent requests/demands.  She can be very persuasive.  "If you know what is good for you, you will get me some water!"  

Speech therapy was just here and she thinks that Mom's swallow response is good.  They will do swallowing studies tomorrow so that maybe she can have water and food on Monday.  Heart functions and blood pressure are great.   Her oxygen saturation level stays in the mid-90's even when she has the mask off.  Mom reports that the physician assistant who saw her today said that she would probably be transfered to a rehab facility in 4-5 days.  

Cindy