Mom's Blog

Blog entries dated November 11, 2007 to November 24, 2007

Monday, November 19th, 2007, 2:50 PM

Well, Cath is at her side and just called me. Mom now has pneumonia for sure, and a possible infection on her incision. Both were expected and can be treated. She was also given more Versed, a bummer as it keeps her sedated, but necessary to keep her heart rate from going too high. Cath sounded upbeat on the phone, which as her big bro, makes me happy. I hate that she is there alone right now. Having a job really gets in the way of life! Cath also reports that Mom seems a little more responsive today to voice commands, and is opening her eyes slightly, as she did for me over the weekend. Mom is getting better, but it's slow.

Monday, November 19th, 2007, 6:50 PM

Just talked with Grandma, and she sounds good tonight - pretty upbeat considering the circumstances. I felt tonight as if she has a pretty good understanding of what happened to Mom and how her recovery is going. She'd like to visit the hospital again, so perhaps this weekend we can do that.

Tuesday, November 20th, 2007. 11:00 AM

Well, Mom's white blood cell count is down and they think she has an internal infection. Not good news, but not unexpected either. They are taking her for a CAT scan to try to locate the infection. Otherwise, her vitals are stable and she's a little agitated this morning so they have her on more Versed. She is very sick right now and I guess I'm about as worried as I've been since this began. I really feel helpless right now, and just have to trust that they are taking good care of her.

Tuesday, November 20th, 2007. 6:30 PM

Cath had a good visit with Grandma today, running some errands with her. Mom went in for her CAT scan about 5:30 PM - the scan is fast but getting a Doc to read it can take longer, so Cath will call with results when she gets them. They may have to operate if the infection is too bad, but I'm hoping all will be well. Mom is strong - she's always been able to shrug off colds and flus - they just never seemed to bother her much.

I leave for Sacramento early Thursday, so I hope to spend most of the day with Mom.

Wednesday, November 21st, 2007. 10:20 AM

Mom's scan last night has been read and shows no major, centralized infection, so at least right now no surgery is need. She also has a 'wound vac', which is a small drain tube attached to a suction device. This has been off for 2 days to watch her incision for infection. Last night it was turned back on, so it's resumed pulling fluid from her abdomen. This is nice because otherwise the fluid drains down the side of her body.

Cath also reports that she seems more alert, and was opening her eyes for periods of time, but not really looking at anything. She's also responding to verbal requests for hand-squeezing and toe-wiggles, so that's a nice sign. Her vitals are good, and her heart rate has lowered, most likely in response the to Versed, which also will keep her sedated. But, they are giving her red blood cells now, which they haven't done for a few days. I believe this means they want to supplement her natural production and increase her ability to move oxygen.

She is still on the ventilator, and Cath reports it was cranked up a notch Monday night. The nurses are pulling fluid out of her lungs every 2 hours or so. She is initiating her own breaths, but the machine has to finish them for her, as her lungs are too weak and wet.

From Cath, 10:40 AM...

I am waiting to go see Mom. I have been here since 10:00...not sure what they are doing. Last night I saw Dr. Anderson and Dr. Song. Both said that the scan did not show a mass. It seems they thought that they might see a damaged part of her liver that might be floating around. That would be a feeding ground for infection. They did not see anything like that, just lots of fluid. They are not sure where her infection is, but the cultures should tell them more. They also said that the white blood cell count and temperature might be related to her pneumonia, not an infection. I also learned that pneumonia is really complicated to identify specifically. It is a general term used to describe a general condition but the strains are still being researched.

Dr. Song held Mom's hand last night and asked her about pain because she hadn't squeezed for pain meds for a while. She shook her head no for pain meds. Then he asked her if she might want something for anxiety to help her relax, and she squeezed two times. So they gave her something different last night that I can't remember the name, and she went to sleep. He said it was really good for mom that I was here, but that I should be sure to get enough rest. So I left about 9:00.

Thursday - Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 2007, 11:25 AM

This is the first post from in Mom's room, right at her bedside. Very exciting! I arrived this morning via Southwest Airlines and Cath gave me personal chauffer service to the hospital! We were lucky that we could get a wifi signal in her room.

Big news today - Mom has been moved to new room! It's a huge, corner room. A big improvement, with lots of space and plenty of windows, so it's light and bright. Mom is WAY better than when I left her last Saturday. She wakes when I ask her to, and will strongly squeeze my hand when I ask. Her eyes are wide open and she appears to be looking at me and understanding who I am and where she is. She's holding her eyes open for a long time now, a big chore with so much medication in her. So, I'm am very encouraged by what I've seen in the hour or so I've been here.

She is still on a ventilator, and her lungs are too weak with think fluid to take her off it yet. Her vitals are good, and her heart is really good at 88. She is on saline, antibiotics and pain medication. She's moving around a lot too. Cath says last night she tried to push herself up and out of bed (just with one arm, but a try). The plan for today is to just monitor her. No actual medical procedures are planned, just a bath. She just waved her hand - very nice!

So in my very un-expert medical opinion, she is way better, just 10 days after her very bad accident. I am very happy. Her recovery will continue to be slow. The staff will keep watching her for infection and pneumonia and try to keep it under control as it happens. The respiratory guys will watch her and do tests to strengthen her lungs so she can hopefully get off the ventilator soon. That will be a huge step, as she hopefully will be able to talk then.

In an hour or so, we'll hear over the granny's in Vacaville - a 40 minute drive for dinner, then head right back. Diane is oh her way to Grandma's with food and texted to say that traffic is slow! Big surprise!

Hi everyone. This is Catherine. I just "talked" to mom for a bit. She's much more alert and aware every day which is great. She motioned for me to scratch around her face. She has tape all over to hold in the vent and feeding tube so I am sure it itches. I also asked her if she remembered what happened and she said she did. We were correct about the nature of the accident. She confirmed that the hay truck startled her horse, Jasmin and she bolted. Mom had her by the rope, and so Jasmin pulled her off her feet.

She is so restless and I know that being in the hospital bed is already making her stir crazy! She hates to sit for too long as it is, so this is going to be a struggle for her!

A special note about the hospital staff: To the doctors, nurses, RRT, x-ray folks, lab folks, lift team, etc - and anyone else - you are all amazing people and have done such an incredible job that it's difficult for us to express our gratitude in words, and there (clearly) isn't enough candy and cookies in the world to quantify our appreciation of what you do. We simply cannot thank you enough for your kind and compassionate care. You all deserve all the best that life has to offer!!!

Thursday, November 22, 2007, 9:45 PM

Dave: What a great day with Mom! She is awake and alert and able to write us notes and answer our questions. She is looking at us and just doing really well. Her vitals are stable. The big issue now is the ventilator. She needs to get off it in order to resolve the pneumonia, and the only was to get off it is to begin weaning her, which means a tracheotomy. We asked Mom an she agreed to this, so probably Monday, they'll put one in. This will be nice as she'll be able to start talking soon, but it will take a while for her vocal chords to come back. So, all this is really good news! She is SO much better than the last time I saw her that it's amazing. I'm very proud of her for fighting so hard through all of this. Way to go Mom!

Catherine: We had Thanksgiving at grandma's in Vacaville around 2:00 p.m Diane made everything for us and brought it to grandma's. Yum. My nieces, Alyssa (7), and the twins Britney and Kaitlyn (3) had a great time. Alyssa and I made a fort out of grandma's couch and Dave had fun sitting on top of it while Alyssa was inside. She thinks Dave is the greatest, just like I did when I was her age (and still do). We got back to the hospital around 5-6 last night and visited with mom until she fell asleep around 9:00 p.m.

Friday, November 23, 2007, 7:40 AM

It's Friday morning at our little place near the hospital, and Cath and I had a good night's sleep. We'll get ready, get some food and head up to Mom's room shortly. Hopefully she had a great night and is rested up so we can keep her busy writing us notes! More to follow soon.

Catherine: Mom was awake when we got here and in great spirits. She is still writing to us, conversational as always. :) Every day she now has treatments with an IPV (intrapulmonary percussion ventilator) for 45 minutes. They disconnect her ventilator and connect this special machine that pumps short, high speed air that helps break up the thick stuff in her lungs and makes it easier to suction it out. It's uncomfortable for her during that time, but it helps clear out her lungs. Mom still has a feeding tube, an IV for saline and antibiotics, and sometimes insulin, a tube coming out from her stomach through her nose that drains out the extra acid/fluid from her stomach, drains near her liver that drain extra fluid in her abdomen, and a "wound vac" on her incision that drains fluid form the wound. She still has blood transfusions on occasion, but not for two days. This was due to the fact that her white blood cell count was high because of the infection. She also gets liquid benadril when she feels itchy, heparin, a blood thinner, lasix which helps clear her fluid (helps her urinate), and morphine for pain when needed.

11:05 Diane is here now, visiting with mom.

5:35 PM

We are here, right at Mom's bedside, posting this via the hospital's non-free wifi. Mom had another great day so far today: She's writing lots of messages to us an can convey her feelings - a huge boost for us. Her condition continues to gradually improve, but here is the overall scoop: Her vitals are stable, she is still on a respirator, with pneumonia, but her lungs are slowly improving. She most likely will get a tracheotomy on Monday. She has a feeding tube giving her some Ensure-like stuff, she has a central line in her neck, used to give her saline, antibiotics, insulin and morphine, she has 2 tubes draining her abdomen, she has a tube hooked to a wound-vac draining her incision and she has a small pouch on her arm draining fluid from a tear in her skin due to swelling. The Docs have told us her liver and the related issues in her abdomen are resolving well, and the primary issue is mediating her lungs and breathing. So, overall, she's in amazing shape considering what happened and how serious her injury was. The body holds 8 units of blood - she was given over 100 units in the 2 days after her injury.

Anyway, Cath and I will chill here until were pooped out, then head back to the 'compound' where we are staying. I fly back to Orange County at noon tomorrow and I believe I'll feel comfortable leaving her with her condition as it is now. What a huge relief. She's not out of the woods yet, but so much better that it's almost unbelievable.

This will probably be my last post for today, but check back in the morning!

THANKS to all of the family and friends we've heard from the last 11 days! You thoughts and wishes have bouyed us and all been relayed to Mom, and been a wonderful source of inspiration for her.  

Saturday, November 24th, 2007, 10:30 AM

Mom was very alert and restless last night. A good sign that she's very aware of herself, but also a problem as she was pulling at all her tubes and actually trying to get out of bed. We stayed in her room until just before 2 AM, then went back to the compound and tried to get a little sleep. We've been here for about an hour now this morning, and Mom is so fidgety that she needed a little Versed to her calm her. Right now she getting another Pulse treatment for her lungs, and the tech said her breathing trial this morning went so well that he's going to try a longer trial later today. We was breathing on her own for about 5 minutes and getting enough volume to do fine, so this is a positive sign. We now just need her to rest more so she can heal! Getting off the vent would be huge step for her emotionally and physically!

I leave in about an hour for the airport to head home to San Diego. Today is Steph's birthday, so it's nice that it worked out that I could be home at least part of the day for it. Cath will stay at least through the week - she's amazing!

2:00 p.m. This is Catherine. I took Dave to the airport then had to make some phone calls to Vacaville as my grandma is having a bad day. My sister Diane is here now, and her husband Spencer is with the girls over at Kiwanis House, playing on the playground then taking a possible nap with the girls. Mom continues to be restless and agitated even though they gave her a sedative. She is unresponsive to it!!! She continues to fidget, chomp on her breathing tube, and try and move around or get out of bed. We had her restraints off all yesterday, but they are tight now today. It is exhausting to try and keep her relaxed. I can see it in her face that she is so distressed, and it is heartbreaking. The nurses brought in a TV/VCR and we are going to try a movie just to see if it distracts her or even better, puts her to sleep. I had maybe 5 hours of sleep last night so I could use a nap myself! :)

5:58 PM This is Dave, now posting from back at home. It's a weird feeling to be so far away so quickly and suddenly feel so detached from the situation after being so close to it for 3 days. I'll trust Cath to call me with any important changes to her condition. Anyway, minimal sleep last night means the sofa and a big blanket are calling my name! More to follow later...

6:10 PM.  This is Steph.. My first entry into the blog!  What a relief it is to hear the progress mom has made. I was able to be with Cath, Pete & Dave the first few days after her accident.  Sitting in the waiting room or her room for hours on end just watching her or waiting to hear news regarding her condition from the doctors or nurses at the SICU.  I remember the last night I was there, Dave and I were sitting in the two chairs in her room trying to get some sleep. I would doze off for maybe a minute or two, to wake up with a start to stare at the monitors surrounding her bed.  By now, I knew what the regular readings were, and I would look at each one to make sure nothing had changed.  To hear the progress she has made to this point is amazing!   It has been tough to be away and wait to hear any updates.  I am sure I am driving Cath and Dave crazy with my calls...  I would also like to thank the medical staff at the SICU - They have been absolutely amazing.  They have listened to all our questions, and patiently answered every one of them.  I know they are all very busy, but they never made us feel like we were taking up their time, in fact they make us feel like they are there for mom and us for as long as we need them.   I understand some of the medical staff are starting to wave at Cath in the cafeteria since she has become so familiar!  I think all of us have gone through the entire range of emotion over the last almost two weeks.  But, Cath... your strength in all of this has been amazing.  I went through something similar at your young age of 32, although mine ended quite differently.. For someone so young, to do what you have done is admirable.  In case no one realizes this yet... Cath has been by mom's side since the beginning.  Cath only leaves long enough to get something to eat, or to get a few hours of sleep.   No one has mentioned either, that this hospital (although great) gets alot of the gang members or indigent people so the waiting room on several occasions has been a bit scary. Not only has Cath stayed by moms side, but she has had to deal with some scary people and situations all by herself.  Cath, I am very proud of you, I love you,  and I'm proud to be your sister.  Dave, I am also very proud of you.  For people our age (still youngish) to have to deal with all you have with your Dad and now your mom seems so unfair.  But, you have handled it all with courage and grace, and yes even some of your "Dave humor" and have also managed to be a rock to the rest of the family including your neurotic wife!  I know its really hard for you to be away from mom and Cath right now, but I'm so glad you got to talk to mom and she got to right notes back to you.  By the next time you go up there I am sure mom will be off the ventilator and talking and watching her Dr. Phil show everyday.  I love you.   Pete, I know Cath is looking forward to your visit.. Hopefully in the next couple of days..