Hello all. Today they moved my mom again.....to Windsor in Elk Grove on Batey. I spent the whole day at the hospital waiting for this move and it did not occur until 4:30. Crazy....
My mom seemed very clear today - not completely back to normal but close. I think it through her off to move again but I hope that doesn't set her back. I am not happy with the move but was told that to contest the move would only prolong the inevitable so I didn't fight it.
She was so excited to see her dyne (down comforter) she was looking forward to sleeping. She ate a little dinner at WIndsor before I left and was watching tv and reading her Danish magazine. Today she helped me with a crossword puzzle.
Today the doctor told her again how important the breathing machine was and I asked her why it was so important to wear it all night and she said "she would die". I am still not completely convinced that she gets it....but she will. Last night they had her wear "hers" and she kept it on better than the hospital one...she did not take it off except for once but they put it right back on. I just hope that Windsor checks on her so they can put it back on - I had the respiratory therapist at Kaiser fit it exactly to my mom so that Windsor could just put it on her and she could go to sleep. I told them to check her often and she said that they were in there every 2 hours so I know that she can be without it for 2 hours. At some point my mom will be evaluated in a sleep study to see exactly where her breathing changes....but that will be later in clinic. Also she will get an EEG in clinic at some point.....there has been a referral to neurology.
SO if you would like to visit my mom that would be great....it would be appreciated....thanks
Friday, April 20, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Day 35
7:30 am my mom called me on my cell phone....she talked with Michael and then me...she just said hello and I asked her if she wanted a vanilla latte and she said yes....so I brought her one. It has now been one week exactly since she arrived at Kaiser for the 3rd time and tomorrow marks 5 weeks since this all began.
When I arrived she was sleeping a little but I woke her. A little while later Gunjit came in and got my mom up and gave her a bath and put her in a chair...it was 8:45. She ate a little more food and then asked for the paper - she really wanted to do the crossword puzzle from Monday but I only had yesterday (she said it would be too hard), then I suggested doing the puzzle in the people magazine. We had good conversation, she was clearer than yesterday.
The doctor came in...a new one since the dr. who has had her for the last week is now off rounds and it is Dr. Chu's turn, this drives me crazy about the health system do doctor follows the patient the whole way through - whatever happened to continuity of care??? Anyways Dr. Chu came in and said to my mom that she has been through so much and that his plan was to discharge her today....but after reading her chart and talking to the other doctor they thought that one more night would be good. I was very glad to hear this as the last 2 events have occurred on Thursday's. He said that she still has 5 days on the IV antibiotics so they could do those at the SNF and for each day she stays at the regular hospital she increases her chances of getting something new like another infection. He also talked to her about the Bi-PAP machine and that this was going to save her life without it she will die as the doctors believe that my mom has a little brain damage due to the fact that she needed CPR on the operating table and her Co2 status (she is considered a Co2 retainer) which if those numbers climb to the danger zone she will just stop breathing. I am still not convinced that my mom totally "gets it" but the more we all tell her the more it should sink in. He explained that my mom's ordeal was like being wounded in war....she can be repaired but she will never be quite the same...she will have to carry "battle scars" for the rest of her life, and one of those scars was the Co2 problem and the breathing problem. She will be moving tomorrow if nothing changes....crap.
Lunch came while Shirley was there, I had run home to get her Bi-PAP machine so the respiratory therapists (RT's) could work with her on her own machine, she didn't eat much of the main course but she did eat yoghurt and drink a little of the protein drink. Tomorrow I am going to have the RT's show me how to put the machine on so I can show the SNF.
Physical therapy came and my mom got up from the chair and walked with a walker about 50 feet back and forth....they practiced getting into bed as well as doing leg lifts and such. When they were done my mom said that she was tired so they PT left her in the bed and told me that my mom is doing really well. The PT told me that based on what she can do she would not qualify for the SNF but the fact that she needs IV meds she would. Her guess is that my mom will be there only 5 days and she will get PT during her stay but that she would be getting it at home 2-3x a week...shit....my mom is going home in 5 days?????? OH man - is she ready for that.....??? A little panic went through me...how was this going to happen?? Stay tuned.........................
Overall it was a good day....Sonia called and said my mom was acting totally normal and they had a good visit and she ate about 1/2 her dinner. My brother went up there now and he will call soon with his report. Until tomorrow
When I arrived she was sleeping a little but I woke her. A little while later Gunjit came in and got my mom up and gave her a bath and put her in a chair...it was 8:45. She ate a little more food and then asked for the paper - she really wanted to do the crossword puzzle from Monday but I only had yesterday (she said it would be too hard), then I suggested doing the puzzle in the people magazine. We had good conversation, she was clearer than yesterday.
The doctor came in...a new one since the dr. who has had her for the last week is now off rounds and it is Dr. Chu's turn, this drives me crazy about the health system do doctor follows the patient the whole way through - whatever happened to continuity of care??? Anyways Dr. Chu came in and said to my mom that she has been through so much and that his plan was to discharge her today....but after reading her chart and talking to the other doctor they thought that one more night would be good. I was very glad to hear this as the last 2 events have occurred on Thursday's. He said that she still has 5 days on the IV antibiotics so they could do those at the SNF and for each day she stays at the regular hospital she increases her chances of getting something new like another infection. He also talked to her about the Bi-PAP machine and that this was going to save her life without it she will die as the doctors believe that my mom has a little brain damage due to the fact that she needed CPR on the operating table and her Co2 status (she is considered a Co2 retainer) which if those numbers climb to the danger zone she will just stop breathing. I am still not convinced that my mom totally "gets it" but the more we all tell her the more it should sink in. He explained that my mom's ordeal was like being wounded in war....she can be repaired but she will never be quite the same...she will have to carry "battle scars" for the rest of her life, and one of those scars was the Co2 problem and the breathing problem. She will be moving tomorrow if nothing changes....crap.
Lunch came while Shirley was there, I had run home to get her Bi-PAP machine so the respiratory therapists (RT's) could work with her on her own machine, she didn't eat much of the main course but she did eat yoghurt and drink a little of the protein drink. Tomorrow I am going to have the RT's show me how to put the machine on so I can show the SNF.
Physical therapy came and my mom got up from the chair and walked with a walker about 50 feet back and forth....they practiced getting into bed as well as doing leg lifts and such. When they were done my mom said that she was tired so they PT left her in the bed and told me that my mom is doing really well. The PT told me that based on what she can do she would not qualify for the SNF but the fact that she needs IV meds she would. Her guess is that my mom will be there only 5 days and she will get PT during her stay but that she would be getting it at home 2-3x a week...shit....my mom is going home in 5 days?????? OH man - is she ready for that.....??? A little panic went through me...how was this going to happen?? Stay tuned.........................
Overall it was a good day....Sonia called and said my mom was acting totally normal and they had a good visit and she ate about 1/2 her dinner. My brother went up there now and he will call soon with his report. Until tomorrow
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Day 34
My morning started with a phone call at 7:30am from my mom she was calling to say hi and tell me that she was on the Bi-PAP machine. I told her to leave it on and that I was on my way. My mom has not talked to me on the phone since the end of March when she called from Kaiser hospital after the first surgery. I got to the hospital about 8:30 to find my mom asleep and breathing into the machine. She slept for about 1.5 hours before they took her off. She woke up and look fresh and alert and needing to use the toilet. Deborah was there and helped her up. Afterwards we sat her in a chair for breakfast but she was convinced that she had eaten at 4:30 in the morning and there was no convincing her otherwise even the doctor (later) tried to tell her that they do not serve food at that time. Her breathing was very calm and she and I had short conversations about nothing. A while later the nurses assistant came in to give my mom a bath so I went down and got us a coffee. I arrived back at the room as they were finishing her hair wet still. She asked if I could comb her hair and she sipped her vanilla latte. We watched a little tv and she told me what the program line-up would be.
She fell asleep for about an hour in the chair and then lunch came. She ate very little of the main course but did eat a lot of yoghurt. She commented that her breathing was better but that she was still tired. The doctor visited before lunch and she told him that she felt better. It is funny how alert she is sometimes when he gets there....then goes to sleep when he leaves. He did mention that it was getting time to talk about her moving to the nursing home again so that she could get the physical therapy she needs. I am not thrilled with the idea but know that this is the next step. Hopeful all will go well and she will be there for a couple of weeks and then we will see what will happen next.
After lunch (she ate mostly yogurt again) and 2 hours in the chair she wanted to sleep so I went and got a bite to eat. I have to admit that the cafeteria food isn't all that bad. When I came back she was still sleeping. She woke enough for me to tell her that I was going to be going as I had to go and pick up the kids (she asks every morning where they are). We talked about her seeing them and I told her that we would wait until she moved to the next place...."where would that be?" she asked...." I really want to go to my house." I told her I knew that she did and she admitted that she wasn't quite ready for that yet.
I left about 2:45 and Shirley arrived about then (although we did not see each other). Shirley said that it was a good visit and that my mom slept just a little and then talked and watched tv with her. John and Leif showed up about 5'ish. She ate a good dinner - all her meatloaf, milk and yoghurt. Leif said they had a good visit and he left about 7'ish. At 9:45 this evening I called to check on her and the nurse was in her room. The nurse said that she was doing good and my mom told me good night and that she will see me in the morning.
All in all I think this was the best day this round. Tomorrow she gets a new doctor as they rotate out every week - I really do not like this system as one doctor gets to know her and then it is a new doctor. I am sure the topic of discharge will come up tomorrow - ugh!!! Until then....good night all (god nat alle)
She fell asleep for about an hour in the chair and then lunch came. She ate very little of the main course but did eat a lot of yoghurt. She commented that her breathing was better but that she was still tired. The doctor visited before lunch and she told him that she felt better. It is funny how alert she is sometimes when he gets there....then goes to sleep when he leaves. He did mention that it was getting time to talk about her moving to the nursing home again so that she could get the physical therapy she needs. I am not thrilled with the idea but know that this is the next step. Hopeful all will go well and she will be there for a couple of weeks and then we will see what will happen next.
After lunch (she ate mostly yogurt again) and 2 hours in the chair she wanted to sleep so I went and got a bite to eat. I have to admit that the cafeteria food isn't all that bad. When I came back she was still sleeping. She woke enough for me to tell her that I was going to be going as I had to go and pick up the kids (she asks every morning where they are). We talked about her seeing them and I told her that we would wait until she moved to the next place...."where would that be?" she asked...." I really want to go to my house." I told her I knew that she did and she admitted that she wasn't quite ready for that yet.
I left about 2:45 and Shirley arrived about then (although we did not see each other). Shirley said that it was a good visit and that my mom slept just a little and then talked and watched tv with her. John and Leif showed up about 5'ish. She ate a good dinner - all her meatloaf, milk and yoghurt. Leif said they had a good visit and he left about 7'ish. At 9:45 this evening I called to check on her and the nurse was in her room. The nurse said that she was doing good and my mom told me good night and that she will see me in the morning.
All in all I think this was the best day this round. Tomorrow she gets a new doctor as they rotate out every week - I really do not like this system as one doctor gets to know her and then it is a new doctor. I am sure the topic of discharge will come up tomorrow - ugh!!! Until then....good night all (god nat alle)
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Day 33
Today I arrived at about 8:30 to my mom sitting in bed with her breakfast tray still there...I could see she had eaten a good amount of oatmeal - she even told me that she ate "a lot". I asked her how she felt and she said she was very tired. Shortly there after she fell asleep. I gave her a mini-manicure that she completely slept through...I even soaked her hands in warm water worried that she would wet the bed (a trick we did as kids at sleepover - put someone's hand in water and they pee) luckily she didn't. I tried many times to wake her and she would rouse a little but not really wake up. Deborah came by to check on her and was worried that she was so tired, her nurses kept checking on her for the same reason. She assured me that they all were really trying to get to the bottom of all of this. Deborah showed me my moms chart and told me that her blood work showed mild anemia, and the list of different tests that they had done. They have done so many tests which makes me believe that they are really trying to get to the bottom of all of this.
The doctor came by and my mom barely woke up....he asked her where she was and she said "I don't know", so he told her and she agreed with him. He assured me that they would not be rusher her out as he really wants my mom to be able to heal so that she can finally fully recover. She has had 3 major events in the last month and she really isn't even half recovered from the surgery. Deborah said today that she really believes that my mom can get back to a very good place but we both agreed that her body could not take much more of this big events. I just hope they keep her long enough so that she can get on top of this. I remember the surgeon saying that she needed a minimum of 6 weeks just to recover from the surgery not to mention the respiratory failure and the 3 grand mal seizures. Today I ran into Dr. Brawley (her surgeon) in the hall and he was shocked to hear that she was back in there...he said he would go and see her.
As I sat there...I kept thinking about her Co2's and how they were probably climbing upwards accounting for the sleepiness.....about 2:30 this afternoon they came in to take blood for a blood gas...yahoo now we will know. I asked how long it took to get the results and they said about 15 minutes.....her Co2's were high again 68 (norm 35-45) they also said that the ph of her blood was in the normal range meaning that my mom's body has the ability to handle more Co2's then mine could most likely because she does have COPD. I will say that the nurses and respiratory therapists were very attentive to my mom and her sleepiness. I really have been very happy with my mom's care at Kaiser...I also feel much better being there and being able to help out and take a little care of my mom too.
This afternoon Shirley was with my mom and they put her on the Bi-PAP machine again...my mom was not happy to see that machine again. But they wanted to try it for a couple of hours to see how she was..she did it and lasted the 2 hours. Shirley said too that my mom was very sleepy today and they didn't talk too much but my mom would exchange eye glances occasionally. Sonia and her girls arrived later in the afternoon (about 5:00) and my mom was still on the machine. Sonia told me that when they took the Bi-PAP machine off that my mom was very alert and awake and was ready for some dinner. Sonia had frozen Ensure and my mom ate 1/2 of the container....then dinner came and she ate very well. They left her about 7pm and she had just fallen asleep again. At 8:30 I talked to her nurse and said that maybe they should offer ear plugs and a sleeping pill tonight so that my mom would leave the machine on. It will be interesting to see if my mom is different tomorrow after a night of wearing the machine. I know she hates this machine and I know that the one's you can get at home are smaller and quieter.
Thank you again for all your well wishes....until tomorrow...take care
The doctor came by and my mom barely woke up....he asked her where she was and she said "I don't know", so he told her and she agreed with him. He assured me that they would not be rusher her out as he really wants my mom to be able to heal so that she can finally fully recover. She has had 3 major events in the last month and she really isn't even half recovered from the surgery. Deborah said today that she really believes that my mom can get back to a very good place but we both agreed that her body could not take much more of this big events. I just hope they keep her long enough so that she can get on top of this. I remember the surgeon saying that she needed a minimum of 6 weeks just to recover from the surgery not to mention the respiratory failure and the 3 grand mal seizures. Today I ran into Dr. Brawley (her surgeon) in the hall and he was shocked to hear that she was back in there...he said he would go and see her.
As I sat there...I kept thinking about her Co2's and how they were probably climbing upwards accounting for the sleepiness.....about 2:30 this afternoon they came in to take blood for a blood gas...yahoo now we will know. I asked how long it took to get the results and they said about 15 minutes.....her Co2's were high again 68 (norm 35-45) they also said that the ph of her blood was in the normal range meaning that my mom's body has the ability to handle more Co2's then mine could most likely because she does have COPD. I will say that the nurses and respiratory therapists were very attentive to my mom and her sleepiness. I really have been very happy with my mom's care at Kaiser...I also feel much better being there and being able to help out and take a little care of my mom too.
This afternoon Shirley was with my mom and they put her on the Bi-PAP machine again...my mom was not happy to see that machine again. But they wanted to try it for a couple of hours to see how she was..she did it and lasted the 2 hours. Shirley said too that my mom was very sleepy today and they didn't talk too much but my mom would exchange eye glances occasionally. Sonia and her girls arrived later in the afternoon (about 5:00) and my mom was still on the machine. Sonia told me that when they took the Bi-PAP machine off that my mom was very alert and awake and was ready for some dinner. Sonia had frozen Ensure and my mom ate 1/2 of the container....then dinner came and she ate very well. They left her about 7pm and she had just fallen asleep again. At 8:30 I talked to her nurse and said that maybe they should offer ear plugs and a sleeping pill tonight so that my mom would leave the machine on. It will be interesting to see if my mom is different tomorrow after a night of wearing the machine. I know she hates this machine and I know that the one's you can get at home are smaller and quieter.
Thank you again for all your well wishes....until tomorrow...take care
Monday, April 16, 2012
Day 32
Today I arrived about 8:30 to find that my mom had just had a breathing treatment...she always seems a bit clearer after the treatment...it increases her oxygen level to about 99%. She still had her breakfast, she had not eaten much...I had brought a yoghurt and asked her if she wanted that so she ate a bit eventually eating the whole container, but not much else. She seems to be drinking ok but if someone isn't there then she wouldn't drink. The newspaper was delivered and my mom tried to read it but kept falling asleep. It seems that she dreams because she opens her eyes, says something and then is fast asleep again.
The doctor came in and said that the influenza tests were negative so we could stop wearing the masks - thank goodness they are really uncomfortable - he also looked perplexed when trying to figure out what is going on...he asked her a few questions and she answered them pretty well only missing a couple. He moved her a little and she said ouch around her neck area....she has had a stiff neck so he ordered a ct scan to see if anything was going on...it came back negative. They did a chest xray and found that she had congestion so he ordered meds to rid her body of fluids. I asked him if the cause of the seizures could end up being a mystery and he said yes. That is annoying as if it were something else then that could probably be treated but if is unknown then what??
She is weak but was able to stand with assistance when physical therapy moved her from the bed to a chair...she sat there for almost 2 hours...she did fall asleep a lot but sat there just the same. I still feel that some of the weakness is related to her oxygen situation but they have not done another blood gas test to check her Co2's. I think I am really going to ask a lot tomorrow about doing a blood gas. She did get a little morphine about 11am which could account for some of her sleepiness but it shouldn't still be in affect at 8 pm should it??
For lunch and dinner she didn't each much either...but she did eat almost another container of yoghurt - at least there is protein in yoghurt. It is hard to force a person to eat...but she must eat in order to get stronger.
The patient care coordinator came in today again....we talked about the idea of my mom going home with help as well as the possibility of going back to a SNF for rehab - that is a hard one. But I am not sure what all is available if she goes home. I do know that she needs a lot right now and I wish they could keep her in the hospital until she was a lot stronger...so she could go home. I just really think that her best chance to heal will be at home but the logistics of it all is a bit overwhelming and confusing. I also talked to Shirley about the "what if" my mom can't go home .....what are the options...I am not totally sure - I just really hope that she can go home to herself.
The doctor came in and said that the influenza tests were negative so we could stop wearing the masks - thank goodness they are really uncomfortable - he also looked perplexed when trying to figure out what is going on...he asked her a few questions and she answered them pretty well only missing a couple. He moved her a little and she said ouch around her neck area....she has had a stiff neck so he ordered a ct scan to see if anything was going on...it came back negative. They did a chest xray and found that she had congestion so he ordered meds to rid her body of fluids. I asked him if the cause of the seizures could end up being a mystery and he said yes. That is annoying as if it were something else then that could probably be treated but if is unknown then what??
She is weak but was able to stand with assistance when physical therapy moved her from the bed to a chair...she sat there for almost 2 hours...she did fall asleep a lot but sat there just the same. I still feel that some of the weakness is related to her oxygen situation but they have not done another blood gas test to check her Co2's. I think I am really going to ask a lot tomorrow about doing a blood gas. She did get a little morphine about 11am which could account for some of her sleepiness but it shouldn't still be in affect at 8 pm should it??
For lunch and dinner she didn't each much either...but she did eat almost another container of yoghurt - at least there is protein in yoghurt. It is hard to force a person to eat...but she must eat in order to get stronger.
The patient care coordinator came in today again....we talked about the idea of my mom going home with help as well as the possibility of going back to a SNF for rehab - that is a hard one. But I am not sure what all is available if she goes home. I do know that she needs a lot right now and I wish they could keep her in the hospital until she was a lot stronger...so she could go home. I just really think that her best chance to heal will be at home but the logistics of it all is a bit overwhelming and confusing. I also talked to Shirley about the "what if" my mom can't go home .....what are the options...I am not totally sure - I just really hope that she can go home to herself.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Day 31
arrived to find my mom talking with Shirley...she said hi to me but it looked like she couldn't turn her head. Her neck is stiff and painful probably from the neurological tests done on Thursday. A little while later she asked Shirley where I was. Shirley told me that the doctor had already been there and he said that the pathology came back that it was not Herpes Encephalitis meaning that she still may have encephalitis but that the herpes test was negative. They ran a lot of different tests that we should have answers for this week. They are continuing the current course of antibiotics as my mom seems to be improving on them.
The doctor also said that she needs to eat more so she can regain her strength - she mainly eats the fruit but she really needs the protein - I had thought that adding a teaspoon of protein powder to everything may help. There is an order to stop the IV fluids which means that she will have to drink more. And she will be getting the Incentive spirometer - the breathing thing that she will have to do 10x per hour.
I realized that not only are her glasses missing but so is her watch...I went to the ER to see if they may be in lost and found but no so they gave me another place to check tomorrow. Her glasses are gone but I reported them to Windsor and I will call them if the watch doesn't show up at Kaiser.
My mom still is showing signs of confusion although it is a bit better each day. She is good about answering the questions the doctor or nurses asks but as the day and gets them right about 80-90% of the time but when I sit with her for awhile different things emerge...like she thinks she sees something or thinks that she's been somewhere...and she gets a bit mad when we explain that whatever she is talking about really isn't there. I feel bad for her and sometimes wonder if I should just play along instead of correcting her. I am really interested to see what all the tests show, if they give us a reason for the seizures as well as the confusion.
The discharge nurse came in today and I talked to her but I really didn't want to....I don't trust that they have the patient's best interest at heart...she told me that my mom was lucky to have advocates as she works with patients who have no one. She asked what our plan was and I told her that I wanted to weigh all the options....home care vs. SNF (not my fav). I can not help but feel that my mom (and anyone else for that matter) would heal better and faster in their own environment but the logistics are a bit confusing for me.
The physical therapy team was supposed to come in today to assess my mom's abilities but I never saw them - I am hoping that they came by so she can get started on a little movement. I want to see what she can do...as she was doing really good last Wednesday and I had been hopeful that she was well on her way to recuperation....I hope that this hasn't taken her too far back.
Thank you again for all your well wishes....as the doctor told me today (he said he went back over all of her chart) my mom has made it through so much...she shouldn't even be here....she has climbed her way back from hell....her body has taken a very large hit and she is just going to take time to get back. Friday marked 4 weeks since this all began.....her surgeon told me that she wouldn't even be "over" the surgery until at least 6 weeks. It is going to be interesting to observe where this journey takes my mom and all of us on this trip with her.
The doctor also said that she needs to eat more so she can regain her strength - she mainly eats the fruit but she really needs the protein - I had thought that adding a teaspoon of protein powder to everything may help. There is an order to stop the IV fluids which means that she will have to drink more. And she will be getting the Incentive spirometer - the breathing thing that she will have to do 10x per hour.
I realized that not only are her glasses missing but so is her watch...I went to the ER to see if they may be in lost and found but no so they gave me another place to check tomorrow. Her glasses are gone but I reported them to Windsor and I will call them if the watch doesn't show up at Kaiser.
My mom still is showing signs of confusion although it is a bit better each day. She is good about answering the questions the doctor or nurses asks but as the day and gets them right about 80-90% of the time but when I sit with her for awhile different things emerge...like she thinks she sees something or thinks that she's been somewhere...and she gets a bit mad when we explain that whatever she is talking about really isn't there. I feel bad for her and sometimes wonder if I should just play along instead of correcting her. I am really interested to see what all the tests show, if they give us a reason for the seizures as well as the confusion.
The discharge nurse came in today and I talked to her but I really didn't want to....I don't trust that they have the patient's best interest at heart...she told me that my mom was lucky to have advocates as she works with patients who have no one. She asked what our plan was and I told her that I wanted to weigh all the options....home care vs. SNF (not my fav). I can not help but feel that my mom (and anyone else for that matter) would heal better and faster in their own environment but the logistics are a bit confusing for me.
The physical therapy team was supposed to come in today to assess my mom's abilities but I never saw them - I am hoping that they came by so she can get started on a little movement. I want to see what she can do...as she was doing really good last Wednesday and I had been hopeful that she was well on her way to recuperation....I hope that this hasn't taken her too far back.
Thank you again for all your well wishes....as the doctor told me today (he said he went back over all of her chart) my mom has made it through so much...she shouldn't even be here....she has climbed her way back from hell....her body has taken a very large hit and she is just going to take time to get back. Friday marked 4 weeks since this all began.....her surgeon told me that she wouldn't even be "over" the surgery until at least 6 weeks. It is going to be interesting to observe where this journey takes my mom and all of us on this trip with her.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Day 30
I arrived to see my mom about 10:30...Shirley was there and had been since about 8:00. My mom said hi to me and recognized me....we all talked and she seemed much clearer than yesterday but still confused about some things. My mom tried to tell me what she ate for breakfast but she couldn't seem to get the words out until Shirley helped her, she ate all her scrambled eggs and a little french toast and a little coffee from a straw. She also tried to tell me her address with a little help. She still thinks that she is home and was trying very hard to convince us that she was. After a little while Shirley headed out to continue her day....I am grateful to have Shirley there, she is very good with my mom.
We are back to wearing a plastic gowns, gloves and a mask until they know what exactly my mom has they want us to take every precaution - I really dislike the mask...and wish the plastic gown had some sort of magical weight loss effect. I have to admit that I have a very hard time with all the waste....if you step out of the room you must discard everything and get new when you come back. So I try not to leave and today I noticed that it helped the staff not waste too much as they could hand me things and I could put them where they go or turn off a button. When my mom needed something I would just ring and tell them and they would happily bring it.
I was there when the doctor came in and he examined my mom and asked her questions....when was she born -she answered correctly with even the year, what month it was - she said October, what year is was - she said 2012, who I was - she said her daughter Michelle. Good answers. I asked him if the test results were back from the spinal tap and she said they were waiting for the pathology to come back but he believed that she has Herpes Encephalitis - so I asked about the treatment plan and he said that they had already started her on the antibiotics for it last night so hopefully they caught it early enough to get her better. I read a bit about it so I am interested to see what the doctor has to say once we get the "official" confirmation from pathology. In the meantime my friend Deborah (clinical nurse specialist) told to make sure they have her on delirium protocol...so I called the hospital tonight to tell them that. They have her bed alarmed so that she doesn't get up OR if she does the bells and whistles for sound. Basically it means that they need to keep a close eye on her. One think I thought was interesting for this protocol was that they are supposed to let her sleep and not wake unnecessarily - she will be happy about that.
She ate a little lunch and a little dinner about 10% of her meal. I hope that increases so that her strength can continue to get better. Now they need to do a physical therapy evaluation and get her up so that she doesn't get stuck in a bed again. Deborah wants me to push that issue tomorrow - I will be interested to see what she is able to do after this lastest set back.
I am interested to see what tomorrow brings...I told the doctor and the discharge nurse that I hope they are in no hurry to send my mom on her way....because my brother and I are very skeptical about the hurried way they move our mom through...I do not want her to leave quickly again...Kaiser hospital needs to keep her extra this time. Our health system is very broken and it is very sad. I only can hope that the people who make decisions would be in our families situation at least once so that they could see the "real" picture.
Thank you for your positive thoughts. My mom seems to be like a timex watch....she takes a lickin and keeps on tickin
We are back to wearing a plastic gowns, gloves and a mask until they know what exactly my mom has they want us to take every precaution - I really dislike the mask...and wish the plastic gown had some sort of magical weight loss effect. I have to admit that I have a very hard time with all the waste....if you step out of the room you must discard everything and get new when you come back. So I try not to leave and today I noticed that it helped the staff not waste too much as they could hand me things and I could put them where they go or turn off a button. When my mom needed something I would just ring and tell them and they would happily bring it.
I was there when the doctor came in and he examined my mom and asked her questions....when was she born -she answered correctly with even the year, what month it was - she said October, what year is was - she said 2012, who I was - she said her daughter Michelle. Good answers. I asked him if the test results were back from the spinal tap and she said they were waiting for the pathology to come back but he believed that she has Herpes Encephalitis - so I asked about the treatment plan and he said that they had already started her on the antibiotics for it last night so hopefully they caught it early enough to get her better. I read a bit about it so I am interested to see what the doctor has to say once we get the "official" confirmation from pathology. In the meantime my friend Deborah (clinical nurse specialist) told to make sure they have her on delirium protocol...so I called the hospital tonight to tell them that. They have her bed alarmed so that she doesn't get up OR if she does the bells and whistles for sound. Basically it means that they need to keep a close eye on her. One think I thought was interesting for this protocol was that they are supposed to let her sleep and not wake unnecessarily - she will be happy about that.
She ate a little lunch and a little dinner about 10% of her meal. I hope that increases so that her strength can continue to get better. Now they need to do a physical therapy evaluation and get her up so that she doesn't get stuck in a bed again. Deborah wants me to push that issue tomorrow - I will be interested to see what she is able to do after this lastest set back.
I am interested to see what tomorrow brings...I told the doctor and the discharge nurse that I hope they are in no hurry to send my mom on her way....because my brother and I are very skeptical about the hurried way they move our mom through...I do not want her to leave quickly again...Kaiser hospital needs to keep her extra this time. Our health system is very broken and it is very sad. I only can hope that the people who make decisions would be in our families situation at least once so that they could see the "real" picture.
Thank you for your positive thoughts. My mom seems to be like a timex watch....she takes a lickin and keeps on tickin
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