Mom's Blog :: Archived Entries

I was with mom this morning until late afternoon. Guinevere was on duty today. I guess they were short two nurses today and she was charge nurse so she was busy but she told mom and me funny stories about her trip to Burning Man. Mom said it sounded interesting but she wants a place with flush toilets and showers! Guinevere was also checking out her picture on the blog!! Mom was back on the ventilator today…today was a rest day. Marc was the respiratory therapist today. Tomorrow she’ll be off the ventilator and they want her to practice talking. The physical therapists are off on the weekends so mom was doing her exercises. She seemed happy and was writing a lot…the ‘new’ notebook is almost filled. Spencer and the kids went to Arden Fair Mall; Alyssa was still excited about yesterday’s visit to see Nana.

I just spent 2 great days with Mom. When I arrived Monday AM, she was practicing talking with her speaking valve, and was doing great! It was so nice to hear her voice! We talked for a couple of hours about all kinds of things, and I actually wore her out, so she had a good afternoon nap. Using the valve requires a conscious effort to move air over her vocal chords, so it's tiring. We talked again for quite a while in the afternoon after I returned from miserable lunch at 'I Love Teriyaki' in the Arden Fair Mall. Do not eat there under any circumstances (Raw Chicken = Grumpy Intestines). Mom was tired again in the afternoon, so they re-attached her to the vent. Late afternoon the PTs came by and helped Mom with her exercises again. She's doing very well and is diligent about moving around as much as she can in bed. She did stand next to her bed for about 5 minutes, with a little support from the PTs. She was off the vent for about 12 hours. She also mentioned she's a little worried about pulling off her vent tube accidentally and not being able to breathe, particularly in the middle of the night. The nurse (Gwenivere) reassured her that was unlikely, and even if it did happen, a nurse would be in within seconds to re-attach it.

Tuesday also went well - plenty of talking all day. She was also off the vent for 12 hours. During her afternoon PT session, she stood (with help) and shuffled across the floor to a chair about 4 feet away. She sat in the chair for about 20 minutes, then stood, and shuffled back to the back. All of this was done with 2 PT helpers, but she did really well and appeared confident. She asked Dr Huong if her PT sessions could be increased to 3 times a day, and he said he would request that, but didn't know for sure if they have sufficient staff to do it. Mom also politely scolded him and the staff for not wearing protection while in room x-rays were done! Mom also got a dressing change on her big incision in the afternoon, and Gwen said that will end in 3-4 days, as the incision has healed up enough to no longer need any dressing - very good! Mom is also no longer on antibiotics - Dr Huong said there is no sign of infection in the fluid in her lungs. So Mom is only on a very small dose of Heparin, a saline (Potassium Chloride) drip, and her nasal feeding tube. The issues related to her liver are all resolved, so not it's just a matter of getting the secretions out of her lungs and her exercising more to build up strength. Exercising also helps clear her lungs, so it's sort of a symbiotic circle.

Mom's spirits are good - she's pleased with her progress and very happy with her level of care. She dedicated to making the daily effort it will require to rebuild her strength and get better. Mom is okay with being semi-alone until the weekend. She's appreciative of how much we've been able to visit her, and understands we are all doing our best. She enjoy the company and conversation of the Docs, nurses and all the rest of the staff, so she's really not alone.

I gave Mom and big hug and a big kiss goodbye and left about 5:00 PM Tuesday night. She was conked-out from our busy day and ready for a nap. She's looking forward to her next visit from Diane and family and promised to surprise them with how great she's doing. I had good flight home as one of 18 (I counted - I've never seen a plane so empty) people aboard my Southwest 737. I had not only my whole row, but the entire back third of the plane to myself. Weird.

From Dave, in San Diego: Hello all Bog readers: Sorry it's been so long since the last update, and thanks for reading and sticking with us! Mom was alone Wednesday thru Friday last week, and although we were calling the hospital for reports, there just wasn't a lot that was new to report. Diane and family were up over the weekend, and Cath is on her way this morning (driving up again!) so we now have more to report.