Mom's Blog :: Archived Entries

It's Catherine. My sister-in-law is so nice to say all those things about me, but what it comes down to is that I don't want mom to be alone. She needs someone to support here and tell her she's alright. I know that at some point I will leave, but I am not willing to leave her alone in the ICU and when her emotional state is so up and down. Mom has always been there for all of us and would drop everything to see us or help us when needed. Being at the hospital every day is boring and lonely but that's ok. It's a small sacrifice in the scheme of life. As for people waving to me, it's the cafeteria staff, not the doctors so much. The doctors eat in their own special room which is a bummer since I would like to maybe marry one and I can't go in the special room and hit on any of them! Just kidding, (sort of). As for the gang bangers, they aren't so bad. Just loud in the waiting rooms. I always park right by the elevator, have my key out, and check the scene when I leave. My mom taught me how to be paranoid and for that I am somewhat thankful!

I got here about 10:00 a.m. and they said mom has gone for a scan so I am waiting to hear what that was all about. My sister will also be here soon.

4:15 P.M. Mom was in good spirits and relaxed when we went in to see her this morning. The night nurse said mom finally slept from about midnight to 5:00 a.m. which is improved over NO sleep the night before. Our favorite day nurse, Chris, was back on as well. We always feel relieved when he is here. He is very attentive to mom and communicates so well with us about all that is going on. The CT scan showed NO signs of a neck injury so the neck brace is OFF! Hurray. Mom seemed very happy about that, too. More freedom! Before we left mom wrote on the clipboard that she was hungry and the words "NEED FOOD." Chris laughed and showed mom the tube that contains her food. She gave a thumbs down sign. :) I am glad she has an appetite, though. That is always a good sign to me!

Diane and Spencer treated me and the girls to Chinese today for lunch. It was nice to eat OUT and visit with my nieces. When Diane is here, her husband Spencer takes the girls to Kiwanis House for play time at the playground and a nap in the room. He does a great job taking care of my nieces so that Diane can have time with mom. The twins are adorable but they can be a handful. Alyssa handles all of this very well for a 7 year old! But she is really concerned, too, and always makes "Nana" pictures and cards to hang on her wall in her room. She is very close with my mom who has babysat all the girls since they were babies. Alyssa is very anxious to see mom. I told her maybe next week she will be in the recovery room and maybe then she can see her.

When we got back to the hospital after lunch my mom's friend Jane was here. My mom used to keep her horse at Jane's until Jane moved away, and mom supported Jane through her bout with Cancer. Jane was excited to see mom awake and said that mom was smiling a lot through their visit.

Rick, the Respiratory Therapist was here also, testing mom's breathing. He said she is doing very well and could MAYBE come off the ventilator tomorrow! MAYBE. If not they may still do the tracheotomy. Chris said mom will also finish her round of antibiotics by tomorrow, and will not take anymore unless she shows signs of a new infection. Her stats are all good. Mom took a nice nap this afternoon and is now awake but seems relaxed. Diane will leave around 5:30 in case of holiday traffic and will stop in to see my grandma on the way home.

Overall, it's been a good day and I am excited about mom's prognosis. I will stay in Kiwanis House until final decisions are made about her intubation or tracheotomy.

Special thanks today to my sister-in-law Steph for her heartfelt post last night that made me feel extra special, to Amanda Hoehn who has been feeding my turtle for 2 weeks, and to Linda Frolich, my student teacher, who is always willing to go the extra mile to help me with the students while I am away. She will be on her own with my class starting tomorrow, and I know she will do a great job!!! Good Luck, Linda! :)

Cath reports from the hospital that Mom is doing fine this morning and communicating well. Her breathing tests went well, and although she's agitated today, they hope to extubate her (remove the breathing tube) this afternoon if she calms down enough. More to follow soon..

I have been at the hospital since about 10:00. Mom was very agitated this morning, especially due to unpleasant BM's and all the cleaning involved. I am sure she is embarrassed by it all. But they extibated her anyway a few hours ago, which was temporarily exciting. She now has an oxygen mask on. She was pretty happy about that, but unfortunately due to her lack of sleep in the past 3 days she is very weak and tired and she can't cough up the junk in her lungs like she needs to in order to keep the vent tube out. Her chest X-ray shows that she still has tons of junk in her lungs, with no significant decrease since the pneumonia first started. Pneumonia is very hard to define and treat accordingly, which is why it can be life-threatening. I have been told they will most likely reintubate (put the breathing tube back in) her later today and then do a tracheotomy tomorrow. She's going to be mad as heck about that! Her agitation has declined over the course of the afternoon, and she has been napping for the past hour. Bad timing on her nap! She needed to be awake and energetic today for all the breathing tests and to cough, but no such luck. All for now.

Earlier the respiratory therapists came and tried a new therapy to help mom break up the secretions. It's called a Theravest. It wraps around her chest and basically vibrates her chest area really rapidily. It was loud and weird but mom was so out of it she didn't seem too affected. Then they suction through her nose, which she hates. It helped a little, but she just was so lethargic today that she didn't have the strength to cough like she needs to when she is off the vent. Then Mom got reintubated while I went to eat. She was so wiped out that it went smoothly and is still sleeping now. I haven't heard yet as to when she will have the tracheotomy. I am probably going to go pretty early tonight after the shift change, as I feel pretty wiped out, too. Busy day for us!

Hi All-

Mom slept all night until about 9:00 this morning. YEA! Today is a good day so far. She is not agitated, she is alert, but she forgot everything we told her so far. She thought she was in SLC again. So we did a recap of the past 16 days. In her own words (writing), "I have amnesia since my fall. It's like all the sudden I wake up." When I told her about the pneumonia she wrote, "Pneumonia is minor." When I told her about extubation yesterday she wrote, "Extubated me too soon." When I told her she hasn't really slept in 3 days, which made it hard for her to cough on her own, she wrote, "Forgive me". She thought the nurse was my best friend, Tessa and she said, "I am very appreciative of Tessa and her family." The nurse today, Guinevere, looks a bit like Tessa. She asked for some tea or juice, so I had to explain it might be another week before that can happen. She remembers that she has two appointments that need to be cancelled and Traffic School. :) Still responsible as ever. The tracheotomy will happen tomorrow. I am trying to find out what time so I can maybe go do some THERAPY shopping for myself while she's out. Or maybe I will go to Vacaville and see Grandma (as much as I dread that).

2:50 p.m. Mom continues to have a good day. We have been conversing throughout the day. I ask questions and she writes answers. I got her all up to speed. Dr. Anderson came by today as well, and told her how well she is doing, and she shook his hand and thanked him. She also told him she wants to talk and is thirsty and hungry! Mom also had a visit from the resident Psychologist. They tested her cognitive abilities, which are normal. They also discussed her anxiety and frustration levels, which they will probably start treating with medication soon. She was receptive to it all. Currently a doctor is explaining the tracheotomy tomorrow, and mom will sign her own consent form! :) Again, she is asking some questions, but is agreeable! We have been watching CNN today but it's almost time for mom's favorite bald guy...Dr. Phil...so I will write more later.

This is Dave posting this morning from San Diego. This morning at 7:30 AM, Mom went into surgery for a Tracheotomy (the placing of a breathing tube in her neck, rather than the mouth). As of now, I haven't heard how this went, but it's a fairly simple procedure and the doc didn't expect any issues. I assume she'll be sleepy for a few hours until the anesthetic wears off. Cath will be checking in on her shortly. The Trach is done to prevent complication of having a breathing tube in the mouth for more than 2 weeks, which can include damage to the lips, tongue, vocal chords and soft palate. It was also allow her pneumonia treatments to be more effective and hopefully allow her to talk soon. So, at least for now, the news is good!

Noontime: This is Catherine. The hospital called me at around 8:45 a.m. and said she was all done with the surgery and already waking up! So I jumped in the shower and came over. The surgery went really well. She's bleeding a bit from the incision site, but that is ok. Now the goal is to work on weaning mom off the ventilator. Then mom will no loner be connected to the machine. Instead she will breathe humidified air through the trach site. At that point the goal is to downsize the trach. Once she gets down to a smaller size, then she can be fitted for a valve that will allow her to talk and possibly drink. It is possible that she might be able to drink liquids and talk in a week or more. The will also continue to treat the pneumonia by suctioning regularly.

Mom is in good spirits. She remembers what is going on without a recap today although for some reason she thought she had a prosthetic nose! The nurse said that they were asking her some questions before they administered anesthesia, and they did ask her if she has prosthetics before. It's possible she had a dream about it as a result. Pretty funny, though. She asked how to care for her prosthetic nose!!! I was really perplexed by that question! Dr. Anderson also came by and said things looked good. She also asked when she will be able to talk, drink and eat and when physical therapy will start. She wrote that she wants to learn Tai Chi. :) She also asked several questions about things I had never heard of but the doc said all of those things are very rare. Leave it to mom to start showing off with some fancy medial terms!

ALSO, the Nurse Practitioner came in a decided to remove the tubes that were draining fluid from her abdomen. They weren't really draining anything anymore! Yesterday they almost stopped with the wound vac, too, but after 3 different opinions during her dressing changes (from the nurse, NP and one of her doctors) on her incision, they decided to leave it on for a while. Her incision shrinks every time I see it which is so great. She still has the drain from her stomach to drain bile and acids so that she doesn't get nauseous and throw up and aspirate. That tube will stay in until she can eat normally again.

ANYONE WANT TO THROW UP NOW??? :) I should put some sort of gross-out rating or warning on each of my blog entries, eh?

Just a note to let you know that our thoughts and prayers are with all of you. I am very certain your Mom is going to recover. I truly believe things happen for a reason and we don't always know why. It seems like just yesterday when I was going through the same crisis that your family is going through. Believe me, I was caught off guard just like all of you. I spent nearly three months at my son's (Zach) side and with everyone's assurance that they were praying for him, I got through it. I guess my best advice is to take each day at a time and know that you are not alone. We are praying for your mom just like everyone did for us.

When you can, please tell Lorraine that she is in our thoughts, prayers and heart and as soon as she gets to the point where she feels pretty good, I will be talking to her. From what Pete and Michelle have told us, you all are giving 100% to your mom. I think a lot of your family even though I have not met everyone. Catherine, I will be calling you first chance (as soon as Michelle or Pete remember to give me your #).

All of you are going to get through this and as heartbreaking as it has been, believe me, something good will come of this. Remember your mom is going to pull through this and your love and support all of you are giving to her is her strength!

Sincerely, Cathy and Zach Biljanic (Miracle Boy)

The message above was sent by Michelle's mother. Michelle is Pete's wife, so Cathy is Pete's mother-in-law. Her son Zach had a horrible accident a few years ago and so Cathy can certainly relate to life in the ICU. Zach is like a younger brother to me, so his condition during that time was scary for me as well. Zach also often joins us on our family trips to Lake Powell. He seems to have made a full recovery. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers, Cathy!

Noon: Mom continued to have a great day yesterday. She was awake when I got here, and the Charge Nurse, Marcia said that she will have a scan today on her abdomen "just to check" and make sure there are no masses from her damaged liver. Marcia has also put in an order for Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy to start A.S.A.P. Mom is anxious for that. The doctors are also going to start her on a different round of antibiotics, as she still shows signs of an infection in her lungs (fever, secretions, etc.) He fever went up to 101.8 last night. The doctors explained all of this to mom and is is great to see her understanding and agreeing. She looks pale to day, but I think it's just because she's been inside for so long.

4:00 p.m. Another busy day for mom! A scan on her tummy, another visit from the Psychologist, and also the first visit from an Occupational Therapist named Robin (male). He and mom's nurse, Marcia, helped mom to sit up for the very first time! It was really exciting. I wanted to take a picture but mom wasn't keen on that. :) They helped her get to a sitting position in her bed, and then she actually held herself up in that seated position, with her arms beside her, for a few minutes on her own. She said it made her dizzy, so they didn't try to have her stand today, but maybe in the next few days. The O.T. said he would be back tomorrow morning for another try. Mom seemed very pleased. She's been smiling a lot and it's nice to be able to see her facial expressions now! We are watching Oprah now, so more later...

Mom is in good spirits again today, even though she says it is hard to sleep at night with all the interruptions and noise. I am also perplexed by how noisy the night staff can be! They do a lot of very loud conversing! Mom is a light sleeper like myself. :) The doctor is increasing her dose of Heparin, the blood thinner, because her scan yesterday showed that she has a blood clot in her left leg. Blood clots can be very dangerous if they move into vital organs. The doctor seemed to think the blood thinner would do the trick. We are expecting the O.T. around 11:00. She will also have another breathing trial off the vent today. If she does well, they will remove the vent and she will breath humidified air through another small attachment. If she's not ready, they will try again tomorrow. Mom is excited to see Pete, and possibly Michelle, who should be arriving some time Sunday. I am also set to fly home Sunday.

Hello all, I regularly check your blog to keep track of how Lorraine is going. I'm far away and the one and only time we met was 12 years ago (12!!), but I still remember all the hospitality I received from all of you (David & family -hairy cats included :-), your grandparents.. and Lorraine). She is in good hands (not only doctors' but also yours!!) so I have no doubts on her recovery. Please, receive all of you a huge Spanish hug !!

Go, Lorraine, go!! Carlos

***For those who don't know, Carlos (above) and I (Catherine) worked together in Yellowstone N.P. for two summers (1993 and 1994 I think) when I was in college. We also traveled together in Utah and California with two other friends (Karl and Karin) the following summer. That is when Carlos met most of my family. I saw him again when our friend Karin got married in Arkansas (maybe 10 years ago? ). Then I stayed with Carlos and his family in Madrid for a few days when I traveled in Europe in the summer of 1999. His mom made us the BEST food while we were there, and we had pastries dipped in chocolate for breakfast which I will never forget...yum! Carlos is an excellent host, tour guide and a life-long friend, and I am so glad I met him! ***

3:50 p.m. Another busy day! After mom's breathing trial, the R.T., Rick, said that mom did ok on her breathing trial, but is still not ready to come off the vent. They may start a different type of therapy in which they lower her pressure to half for 30-45 minutes to strengthen her lungs, in addition to the short, no-vent trials and the RPV therapy. Mom sat up for a few minutes again today with the help of her O.T. therapist, Robin (male), and then STOOD for about 5-10 seconds with help. Very exciting stuff! Later the Physical Therapist came by and did all sorts of exercises with mom. She made her a list of each exercise, and taped it to the T.V. :) The P.T's generally see as many patients as they can in one day, but may not make it every day, depending on how many patients there are each day but she wants mom to do the exercises 3 times a day at 10 reps. She also said that mom is supposed to be moved in her bed every two hours, and that her bed should be put into chair position 2 times a day. I have been here for nearly 3 weeks, and have never seen her moved that frequently! More like 3-4 times a day, and this is the first day she has been put into chair position! Unfortunately the nurse was not in the room when she said that, but it is on her list!