It has been a long time since the last post. As you know, Dad passed away one month ago today. Many thanks to everyone for your kindness during that time and for joining in the celebration at his memorial service. We will not forget him.
I'm posting now, because Mom continues to have ups and downs -- more downs than ups. She seems to spend most of her time just lying on her bed; no interest in much of anything. Yesterday was a bit better as Liz got her to the gym(!) and found out that they have been taking her out to sit in the sunroom to read the paper. Definitely better than lying in bed all day. However, today she had another fall. They found her on the bathroom floor -- banged up pretty good, but other than that OK. Amazing that with all these falls she has not broken anything.
BTW, it was wonderful to have her out with Aunt Bet, Uncle G, and Uncle John Sunday -- bright spot in the month.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Rebound
Apparently this morning Dad was awake and his nurse decided he should get up! They got him dressed and took him out to sit in the sun porch for a couple of hours where he listened to the music program, doing a little singing (in his whisper-of-a-voice) and tapping along. Did not expect that! They also gave him a half cup or so of thickened water -- not much, but at least something. The nurse said that she would give him some thickened juice later. We think he had less morphine today, which may account for him being more awake.
Liz came in the afternoon knowing he had been up in the morning and was now back in his bed. She expected he would be worn out and asleep, but he was awake a good bit of the time. He still has a low fever, but the nurse said his chest was less congested. They had a nice visit, listening to some old Men of RV music. Liz and Julie McG. stopped by, too -- nice surprise. I imagine they were a little surprised themselves since we've led people to expect the worst.
Perhaps this good day was an anomaly, but we'll take it.
Liz came in the afternoon knowing he had been up in the morning and was now back in his bed. She expected he would be worn out and asleep, but he was awake a good bit of the time. He still has a low fever, but the nurse said his chest was less congested. They had a nice visit, listening to some old Men of RV music. Liz and Julie McG. stopped by, too -- nice surprise. I imagine they were a little surprised themselves since we've led people to expect the worst.
Perhaps this good day was an anomaly, but we'll take it.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Dad
I apologize for not providing an update in a while. I really need to now.
Dad is in very bad shape. Over the past month he had declined a bit, and somewhere during that time they put him on oxygen (permanently). Then this past Thursday, Liz called to say that he was coughing a lot and having severe breathing problems, scaring himself and Mom. His lungs are filled with gunk, no doubt caused by aspiration. They have him on a little bit of morphine to open his airways (not for pain) and some other stuff to help dry up the gunk, but the doctor says he is likely not going to come through this. He has a bit of a temperature which the doctor says is the beginning of pneumonia. They are not giving him food or water at this time (or ever?) because it will just exacerbate the problem, though it seems to be allowable to give him some ice chips. He is getting very dehydrated as you might imagine. Hospice is involved now to help keep him comfortable. Mostly, he sleeps.
Thursday when it was exceptionally bad, all of us siblings came down to be with him and Mom. Fortunately, the terrible coughing stopped around that time and the morphine started to help his breathing. It was good to all be together. We played some 'Dad music' and he tapped his fingers along with the songs. Josh, Lauren, and Rebekah came up to see him Friday morn, which he liked. Sharon stopped by, too. Some of the time his eyes were open and he was alert. Most of the time, he was resting with eyes closed but listening and would answer briefly and quietly when we spoke to him. MB and I came down with Luke and Jake today (Luke home for fall break). Dor had been there earlier. He had his eyes closed almost the whole time, but still was mostly conscious and listening to us. It just takes a lot energy to talk or open his eyes.
Mom -- who BTW has permanently moved into the room -- seems to be OK other than being scared when he was having trouble breathing. She understands where this is headed. She is in the room with him almost all the time now, but unfortunately she cannot easily get up and go over to him. We did get her to come, sit with him, and hold his hand for a while today. That meant a great deal to Dad. Having her there makes him so happy -- you can tell even when he doesn't open his eyes -- though she doesn't really understand it. He somehow summoned enough energy to put both his hands on hers and pull her over for a kiss -- not an easy maneuver for either of them at this stage.
Seems that time is very short. Glad that many of the grandkids have gotten to see him. Also very thankful for Liz who is there so much and for the kindness of the folks at Lima. And thank you for your prayers.
Dad is in very bad shape. Over the past month he had declined a bit, and somewhere during that time they put him on oxygen (permanently). Then this past Thursday, Liz called to say that he was coughing a lot and having severe breathing problems, scaring himself and Mom. His lungs are filled with gunk, no doubt caused by aspiration. They have him on a little bit of morphine to open his airways (not for pain) and some other stuff to help dry up the gunk, but the doctor says he is likely not going to come through this. He has a bit of a temperature which the doctor says is the beginning of pneumonia. They are not giving him food or water at this time (or ever?) because it will just exacerbate the problem, though it seems to be allowable to give him some ice chips. He is getting very dehydrated as you might imagine. Hospice is involved now to help keep him comfortable. Mostly, he sleeps.
Thursday when it was exceptionally bad, all of us siblings came down to be with him and Mom. Fortunately, the terrible coughing stopped around that time and the morphine started to help his breathing. It was good to all be together. We played some 'Dad music' and he tapped his fingers along with the songs. Josh, Lauren, and Rebekah came up to see him Friday morn, which he liked. Sharon stopped by, too. Some of the time his eyes were open and he was alert. Most of the time, he was resting with eyes closed but listening and would answer briefly and quietly when we spoke to him. MB and I came down with Luke and Jake today (Luke home for fall break). Dor had been there earlier. He had his eyes closed almost the whole time, but still was mostly conscious and listening to us. It just takes a lot energy to talk or open his eyes.
Mom -- who BTW has permanently moved into the room -- seems to be OK other than being scared when he was having trouble breathing. She understands where this is headed. She is in the room with him almost all the time now, but unfortunately she cannot easily get up and go over to him. We did get her to come, sit with him, and hold his hand for a while today. That meant a great deal to Dad. Having her there makes him so happy -- you can tell even when he doesn't open his eyes -- though she doesn't really understand it. He somehow summoned enough energy to put both his hands on hers and pull her over for a kiss -- not an easy maneuver for either of them at this stage.
Seems that time is very short. Glad that many of the grandkids have gotten to see him. Also very thankful for Liz who is there so much and for the kindness of the folks at Lima. And thank you for your prayers.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Dad in Hospital (briefly?)
Friday, Dad was admitted to the hospital because he was having some chest pain. They said his heart looks fine and he has had a flare-up of his COPD. They've been giving him some steroids and he is on oxygen. We saw him today, and he is feeling good. Sounds like there is a good chance he will be able to leave the hospital tomorrow.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Mom and Dad Together Again!
There has been more action since my last report. As reported by Liz, who has been wonderful in handling all this:
First, last week they moved Mom to a room closer to the nurse's station so that they could keep an eye her. She had "eloped" again - went to a music program in the independent-living area without telling anyone, let alone taking the required escort. They also asked if we could have a hired aide accompany her from 6-7PM daily, since that is an important hour in her daily routine, when she wants to leave dinner, go back to her room to get changed for bed and watch the PBS news. Unfortunately, the other aides are still helping others finish their dinners and other tasks that occur right at that time. Mom is impatient and has just walked back to her room by herself (and had a fall in her room then). Anyway, she now has an aide at that hour.
Then today they called to say that Mom's new room isn't working out. There is some conflict between the two roommates' TV remotes (Nancy called it "dueling remotes"), and also Mom's roommate is apparently bothered by the alarm that goes off when Mom gets up without assistance. (I'm guessing that means that Mom does that too often.) Anyway, the good news is that they want to move both Mom and Dad into a different room, #19, today sometime. I expressed that I don't want Mom to think this means they are aiming for her to be a permanent resident in the skilled nursing area, and Nancy was reassuring. This room is also under the care of Dad's usual nurse, Sophie, who is wonderful - and Dad won't have to adjust to a new nurse. Sophie will now have to adjust to caring for Mom! Mom will have the bed by the door, and Dad the one by the window. If Mom moves back to assisted living , Dad will have gained a window bed (which I think is nicer). He will then get a random roommate, but I don't think that should be a problem, judging by the current residents, who all seem pretty nice. More important, Dad is not in his room during the day anyway. Besides, (don't want to jinx her by saying this) Mom may be a while before enough safety and medical issues are sufficiently resolved that they will allow her back to assisted living, if ever.
I assume they will transfer her phone number as before, and they are going to bring Dad's dresser back from Oakbridge (where they moved it so I could fix the leg - which is done). I'll look at hanging some pictures, etc. when I go down next (probably tomorrow). Dad's phone should also be transferred, which won't affect anyone since you can't get him on the phone anyway. We'll have to see whether their activities change at all once they're living together again. I sort of don't expect any changes that way.
I ordered Dad some soled slippers with velcro closures, which should come in tomorrow or so. I know Dorrie knows about this, but I can't remember if I told the rest of you - Dad has a small sore on his toe, which is taking a while healing, and his feet have been swollen, so the podiatrist ordered that he not wear shoes until it's healed. Dor has been taking him to church in his slipper-socks, which has presented no problem as long as the weather is warm. I brought both of them to see Dorrie in "The King and I" at the theater in Shannondell (home to the King of Prussia players) last Saturday (Dad in his slipper-socks), which they enjoyed very much, but not as much as I did!! Oh, it was so well done! Gary's parents came down for the show, and Lizzer was up from DC also.
I forgot to say that I think Mom is tolerating the medicine buildup (increasing by one more pill will reach full dose). I haven't heard of any blood pressure drops. Keep your fingers crossed. I think she is moving better, more smoothly, with less-noticeable freeze-ups (and shorter). But sometimes the improvement seems erratic. Also, I am not convinced that this improvement in movement will actually change her risk of falls. Willowbrooke seem of the opinion that she is not capable of good safety judgement. I know she doesn't act in a safe manner, but I can't tell whether it's a mental incapacity or hardheadedness (and not accepting her own limitations). Gary says that she's just so darned logical (and knows it) that if you can't trump her logic or show her the flaws, then she won't really believe you. As Mom would say, "I wouldn't be surprised."
One other little thing (Rick speaking again): MB, Josh, Lauren, and I got down to have dinner with M&D the weekend before last. It was very nice and M&D were in good spirits. Dad was also looking like he's put some meat on his bones. Seems to be eating much better -- even ate the pureed fish! Amazing since he never used to eat any fish. Asked Mom about her falls. Was kind of wondering whether she was still falling backwards as before or it the falling was different now that she had the walker. So I asked, "Mom, which way are you falling?" Her answer, of course, "Down."
First, last week they moved Mom to a room closer to the nurse's station so that they could keep an eye her. She had "eloped" again - went to a music program in the independent-living area without telling anyone, let alone taking the required escort. They also asked if we could have a hired aide accompany her from 6-7PM daily, since that is an important hour in her daily routine, when she wants to leave dinner, go back to her room to get changed for bed and watch the PBS news. Unfortunately, the other aides are still helping others finish their dinners and other tasks that occur right at that time. Mom is impatient and has just walked back to her room by herself (and had a fall in her room then). Anyway, she now has an aide at that hour.
Then today they called to say that Mom's new room isn't working out. There is some conflict between the two roommates' TV remotes (Nancy called it "dueling remotes"), and also Mom's roommate is apparently bothered by the alarm that goes off when Mom gets up without assistance. (I'm guessing that means that Mom does that too often.) Anyway, the good news is that they want to move both Mom and Dad into a different room, #19, today sometime. I expressed that I don't want Mom to think this means they are aiming for her to be a permanent resident in the skilled nursing area, and Nancy was reassuring. This room is also under the care of Dad's usual nurse, Sophie, who is wonderful - and Dad won't have to adjust to a new nurse. Sophie will now have to adjust to caring for Mom! Mom will have the bed by the door, and Dad the one by the window. If Mom moves back to assisted living , Dad will have gained a window bed (which I think is nicer). He will then get a random roommate, but I don't think that should be a problem, judging by the current residents, who all seem pretty nice. More important, Dad is not in his room during the day anyway. Besides, (don't want to jinx her by saying this) Mom may be a while before enough safety and medical issues are sufficiently resolved that they will allow her back to assisted living, if ever.
I assume they will transfer her phone number as before, and they are going to bring Dad's dresser back from Oakbridge (where they moved it so I could fix the leg - which is done). I'll look at hanging some pictures, etc. when I go down next (probably tomorrow). Dad's phone should also be transferred, which won't affect anyone since you can't get him on the phone anyway. We'll have to see whether their activities change at all once they're living together again. I sort of don't expect any changes that way.
I ordered Dad some soled slippers with velcro closures, which should come in tomorrow or so. I know Dorrie knows about this, but I can't remember if I told the rest of you - Dad has a small sore on his toe, which is taking a while healing, and his feet have been swollen, so the podiatrist ordered that he not wear shoes until it's healed. Dor has been taking him to church in his slipper-socks, which has presented no problem as long as the weather is warm. I brought both of them to see Dorrie in "The King and I" at the theater in Shannondell (home to the King of Prussia players) last Saturday (Dad in his slipper-socks), which they enjoyed very much, but not as much as I did!! Oh, it was so well done! Gary's parents came down for the show, and Lizzer was up from DC also.
I forgot to say that I think Mom is tolerating the medicine buildup (increasing by one more pill will reach full dose). I haven't heard of any blood pressure drops. Keep your fingers crossed. I think she is moving better, more smoothly, with less-noticeable freeze-ups (and shorter). But sometimes the improvement seems erratic. Also, I am not convinced that this improvement in movement will actually change her risk of falls. Willowbrooke seem of the opinion that she is not capable of good safety judgement. I know she doesn't act in a safe manner, but I can't tell whether it's a mental incapacity or hardheadedness (and not accepting her own limitations). Gary says that she's just so darned logical (and knows it) that if you can't trump her logic or show her the flaws, then she won't really believe you. As Mom would say, "I wouldn't be surprised."
One other little thing (Rick speaking again): MB, Josh, Lauren, and I got down to have dinner with M&D the weekend before last. It was very nice and M&D were in good spirits. Dad was also looking like he's put some meat on his bones. Seems to be eating much better -- even ate the pureed fish! Amazing since he never used to eat any fish. Asked Mom about her falls. Was kind of wondering whether she was still falling backwards as before or it the falling was different now that she had the walker. So I asked, "Mom, which way are you falling?" Her answer, of course, "Down."
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Phone Working
Mom's phone is working again. I'm sure she'd love to get calls (she won't talk long:)
Unlike Dad, she is in her room a fair amount.
Unlike Dad, she is in her room a fair amount.
Mom still in Willowbrooke
Sorry I haven't updated this in a while. Spoke with Liz last night and she filled me in on the current status.
First of all, Mom is still in Willowbrooke since she hasn't shown signs of improvement. Though they transferred her phone to the new room, it hasn't been working right. Is supposed to be fixed by today(?) Anyway, if you have tried to reach her and haven't been able to, that might explain it.
Since Willowbrooke can handle people with needs like Mom's, she no long needs the full time aide. That's good from a cost perspective, though I imagine she misses the company. The move to Willowbrooke is hopefully temporary, the idea being that if they get her on the right medication she will show some improvement (less falling, etc.). So far, though, the Parkinson's medication they've tried hasn't helped. (They could only put her on half dose, since it makes her blood pressure drop.) At this point, Liz is trying to get in touch with the doctor to find out what's next. I guess either she doesn't have Parkinson's or perhaps a different medication would work better.
Along with the falling issue and the problem of her legs getting 'stuck' when walking, Mom also is not able to stand up by herself from a sitting position. She had been having some trouble with it for a while, and according to Liz it seems she can't really do it at all any more. Though she still walks, she also gets around some by wheelchair now if the distances are too long for walking.
The last note on Mom is that the woman in charge of activities talked to her for a while to see what kinds of things interest her, and sadly there isn't much. She likes going to church, talking to family, and watching her news program, but not much else. Shows less interest in things she used to enjoy such as books and puzzles. Hope that changes.
Not much to say about Dad. He seems happy and is pretty stable, for which we are very thankful. Has had some problems with feet swelling and sores on his toes(?), but that is all Liz could think of.
Funny how these posts were all about Dad for so long and now they are all about Mom.
First of all, Mom is still in Willowbrooke since she hasn't shown signs of improvement. Though they transferred her phone to the new room, it hasn't been working right. Is supposed to be fixed by today(?) Anyway, if you have tried to reach her and haven't been able to, that might explain it.
Since Willowbrooke can handle people with needs like Mom's, she no long needs the full time aide. That's good from a cost perspective, though I imagine she misses the company. The move to Willowbrooke is hopefully temporary, the idea being that if they get her on the right medication she will show some improvement (less falling, etc.). So far, though, the Parkinson's medication they've tried hasn't helped. (They could only put her on half dose, since it makes her blood pressure drop.) At this point, Liz is trying to get in touch with the doctor to find out what's next. I guess either she doesn't have Parkinson's or perhaps a different medication would work better.
Along with the falling issue and the problem of her legs getting 'stuck' when walking, Mom also is not able to stand up by herself from a sitting position. She had been having some trouble with it for a while, and according to Liz it seems she can't really do it at all any more. Though she still walks, she also gets around some by wheelchair now if the distances are too long for walking.
The last note on Mom is that the woman in charge of activities talked to her for a while to see what kinds of things interest her, and sadly there isn't much. She likes going to church, talking to family, and watching her news program, but not much else. Shows less interest in things she used to enjoy such as books and puzzles. Hope that changes.
Not much to say about Dad. He seems happy and is pretty stable, for which we are very thankful. Has had some problems with feet swelling and sores on his toes(?), but that is all Liz could think of.
Funny how these posts were all about Dad for so long and now they are all about Mom.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Parkinson's(?) and the Full Time Aide
Liz called last night to talk about what is going on with Mom. I'll summarize it the best I can.
Mom has been falling a lot and, as you probably know, everyone is concerned about this. She also has a problem that I think was mentioned before: she sometimes cannot get her feet to move when she is trying to walk. She'll be walking fine, pause for some reason, and then be unable to start walking again. A number of people have suggested that this and the falling sound like Parkinson's, though she does not have some other typical Parkinson's symptoms. The doctor (on Monday?) started her on Parkinson's medication to see if that makes a difference. Liz tells me that it should be pretty obvious in a few days whether the medication is helping.
Meanwhile, Lima said that with all the falling they don't want her alone and she should have an aide 24/7. So, now she has full time aide. The hope is that the Parkinson's medication will help her significantly such that she will not need the aide for more than a short time. The 24/7 care is not cheap and so far as I know it is not covered by Medicare (if anyone knows otherwise, let us know!). One good thing is that her aide (at least the one Liz mentioned) is very nice and has been good company for Mom.
There was also some talk about whether she could/should move out of assisted living and into the unit that provides a higher level of care. Currently, there are no openings like that in Lima (where Dad is) so she would have to go to a different facility. I think we all hope she can stay in assisted living, but we'll see.
Anyway, that is pretty much it for now. I expect to report back once we know whether the new medication is helping.
Oh, and Liz spent a lot of time with Dad yesterday going over all the cards and letters people sent for his 85th. Thanks to all of you who did that!
Mom has been falling a lot and, as you probably know, everyone is concerned about this. She also has a problem that I think was mentioned before: she sometimes cannot get her feet to move when she is trying to walk. She'll be walking fine, pause for some reason, and then be unable to start walking again. A number of people have suggested that this and the falling sound like Parkinson's, though she does not have some other typical Parkinson's symptoms. The doctor (on Monday?) started her on Parkinson's medication to see if that makes a difference. Liz tells me that it should be pretty obvious in a few days whether the medication is helping.
Meanwhile, Lima said that with all the falling they don't want her alone and she should have an aide 24/7. So, now she has full time aide. The hope is that the Parkinson's medication will help her significantly such that she will not need the aide for more than a short time. The 24/7 care is not cheap and so far as I know it is not covered by Medicare (if anyone knows otherwise, let us know!). One good thing is that her aide (at least the one Liz mentioned) is very nice and has been good company for Mom.
There was also some talk about whether she could/should move out of assisted living and into the unit that provides a higher level of care. Currently, there are no openings like that in Lima (where Dad is) so she would have to go to a different facility. I think we all hope she can stay in assisted living, but we'll see.
Anyway, that is pretty much it for now. I expect to report back once we know whether the new medication is helping.
Oh, and Liz spent a lot of time with Dad yesterday going over all the cards and letters people sent for his 85th. Thanks to all of you who did that!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Birthdays and yet more falls
We all got together for birthdays on Saturday at Liz's (dad was 85 -- thanks to all who sent a note!). Beautiful day and we had a great time. Neat to get Mom and Dad out. I think they had a lot of fun and it was good for all of us to see them, though we kept them up past bed time.
Dad seemed the same or better than the last few times I've seen him. Mom is having more trouble. It took a long time just to walk to the house from the car because her legs simply would not move for her. Once she got rolling, it was not too bad, but if she stopped it was hard to get them going again.
Then she fell later that night (@ 2 AM) on the way to the bathroom and again the next afternoon by the elevator. According to Liz:
Brenda (the nurse who called after the second fall) said she thinks Mom mostly falls backwards and lands on her back. She looked up the results of the urine test from last week (apparently they did some other tests as well, I don't know what), and the results of all were negative. Too bad, in a way. She said the symptoms remind her of Parkinson's, so I think I'll ask the neurologist about that this week. I believe they must've ruled it out earlier on, but what's to say that something new hasn't developed? Anyway, there aren't blood tests for this sort of thing, so it's possible it wasn't obvious earlier. Or something. Who knows.
Dad seemed the same or better than the last few times I've seen him. Mom is having more trouble. It took a long time just to walk to the house from the car because her legs simply would not move for her. Once she got rolling, it was not too bad, but if she stopped it was hard to get them going again.
Then she fell later that night (@ 2 AM) on the way to the bathroom and again the next afternoon by the elevator. According to Liz:
Brenda (the nurse who called after the second fall) said she thinks Mom mostly falls backwards and lands on her back. She looked up the results of the urine test from last week (apparently they did some other tests as well, I don't know what), and the results of all were negative. Too bad, in a way. She said the symptoms remind her of Parkinson's, so I think I'll ask the neurologist about that this week. I believe they must've ruled it out earlier on, but what's to say that something new hasn't developed? Anyway, there aren't blood tests for this sort of thing, so it's possible it wasn't obvious earlier. Or something. Who knows.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Yet Another Fall
Just got this from Liz:
Just a short report here - Mom apparently had another fall last Fri. morning. I got a message from the nurse, but it was too late to get hold of them for any details. The message said they had found her sitting on the bathroom floor, checked her over, she looked OK, no head-bumping this time. When I mentioned it to Mom, she said it wasn't a fall, that she was sitting on the toilet, having summoned them to help her with changing her pants. Today when I was over there, I said to her that she seemed to be having much more trouble moving around than usual, and she admitted that her side hurt quite a lot. So I looked, and she has a large blackish bruise (with a bit fading to yellow) over her left ribs under her arm, right under the bra line. We went to the nurse's office, and they think the looks of the bruise matches the timing of the Fri. fall, which Mom apparently doesn't remember. We made arrangements for her to have some Tylenol regularly for a few days (and they gave her the first dose), then we went to CVS. But she was having trouble moving her limbs well again. It reminded me of her condition the morning of Uncle Tom's funeral service, when she was coming down with bronchitis. Remember how her limbs didn't seem to move "on command" and she was so-o slow? It's very worrisome. The walker got a bit too far out ahead of her a few times, and she got "frozen" and couldn't make her legs catch up. I was sorry we had even gone anywhere - I didn't let go of her arm the whole time. She did say that "things had gone downhill" recently, which presumably means "since last Fri. morning," but she doesn't really know. She said the bruised area was causing her difficulty with many actions, like lying herself down on the bed and standing up from sitting on the bed, so I hope that pain and stiffness is the cause of all the sluggish movement. I went back to the nurse's office later (by myself) and told them I was worried and asked them to keep a closer eye on her than usual for a few days. Because of the fall, she is already having her vitals checked daily, so they will notice if her temp rises (if she's starting some other infection). They also said that if she is still complaining of pain tomorrow or so, they may see about a rib xray.
Just a short report here - Mom apparently had another fall last Fri. morning. I got a message from the nurse, but it was too late to get hold of them for any details. The message said they had found her sitting on the bathroom floor, checked her over, she looked OK, no head-bumping this time. When I mentioned it to Mom, she said it wasn't a fall, that she was sitting on the toilet, having summoned them to help her with changing her pants. Today when I was over there, I said to her that she seemed to be having much more trouble moving around than usual, and she admitted that her side hurt quite a lot. So I looked, and she has a large blackish bruise (with a bit fading to yellow) over her left ribs under her arm, right under the bra line. We went to the nurse's office, and they think the looks of the bruise matches the timing of the Fri. fall, which Mom apparently doesn't remember. We made arrangements for her to have some Tylenol regularly for a few days (and they gave her the first dose), then we went to CVS. But she was having trouble moving her limbs well again. It reminded me of her condition the morning of Uncle Tom's funeral service, when she was coming down with bronchitis. Remember how her limbs didn't seem to move "on command" and she was so-o slow? It's very worrisome. The walker got a bit too far out ahead of her a few times, and she got "frozen" and couldn't make her legs catch up. I was sorry we had even gone anywhere - I didn't let go of her arm the whole time. She did say that "things had gone downhill" recently, which presumably means "since last Fri. morning," but she doesn't really know. She said the bruised area was causing her difficulty with many actions, like lying herself down on the bed and standing up from sitting on the bed, so I hope that pain and stiffness is the cause of all the sluggish movement. I went back to the nurse's office later (by myself) and told them I was worried and asked them to keep a closer eye on her than usual for a few days. Because of the fall, she is already having her vitals checked daily, so they will notice if her temp rises (if she's starting some other infection). They also said that if she is still complaining of pain tomorrow or so, they may see about a rib xray.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Dad is Home
Talked with Liz. He came home yesterday afternoon. Doing OK on the major things, but his bedsore is worse. Sounds like is was very tired and went right to sleep.
On another note, Mom had another fall yesterday morn. I think nothing too serious, but she banged her knee and head again. Sounded like it may have had to do with the fact that her bed is kind of high so she can't sit on it with her feet on the floor. The PT folks are going to see what they can do to remedy that. Mom did get out for a long day with book club friends after that and was pretty shot by the end of the day according to my sources.
On another note, Mom had another fall yesterday morn. I think nothing too serious, but she banged her knee and head again. Sounded like it may have had to do with the fact that her bed is kind of high so she can't sit on it with her feet on the floor. The PT folks are going to see what they can do to remedy that. Mom did get out for a long day with book club friends after that and was pretty shot by the end of the day according to my sources.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Dad Doing OK
The doctor just called Liz and said that Dad is improving. They plan to keep him in the hospital over the weekend and hope to send him home Monday.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Dad Back in the Hospital
Got this from Liz yesterday morn:
"The nurse at Willowbrooke called me last night at 2:30AM to say that they had just sent Dad to the hospital. She had called Mom also. It seems that Dad started with a hard, moist cough yesterday (Sun.) morning, which led to a temperature of 101.8 at 6:00PM. They called his doctor, gave him breathing treatments, and put him on oxygen. The doc ordered antibiotics and an xray (for Mon.). At 2:30AM or so, Dad was very agitated and his temp didn't respond to Tylenol - went up a bit, in fact. So they sent him to Riddle Hospital - Sophie said the antibiotics would take some time to be effective, and they didn't want to wait for that."
I talked with Liz (and a little with Dad) later. After doing time in ER, he was admitted. He has pneumonia, which is not surprising. He also has a bedsore (which they had been tending at Lima). Liz and Mom visited him yesterday afternoon. Rebek also stopped by on her way to Maryland (with a car full of belongings since she is moving!). Dad's temp is down and he seemed in pretty good spirits. I think Liz said they are doing some cultures to determine further treatment. We are really hoping this stay is a lot shorter than last time.
"The nurse at Willowbrooke called me last night at 2:30AM to say that they had just sent Dad to the hospital. She had called Mom also. It seems that Dad started with a hard, moist cough yesterday (Sun.) morning, which led to a temperature of 101.8 at 6:00PM. They called his doctor, gave him breathing treatments, and put him on oxygen. The doc ordered antibiotics and an xray (for Mon.). At 2:30AM or so, Dad was very agitated and his temp didn't respond to Tylenol - went up a bit, in fact. So they sent him to Riddle Hospital - Sophie said the antibiotics would take some time to be effective, and they didn't want to wait for that."
I talked with Liz (and a little with Dad) later. After doing time in ER, he was admitted. He has pneumonia, which is not surprising. He also has a bedsore (which they had been tending at Lima). Liz and Mom visited him yesterday afternoon. Rebek also stopped by on her way to Maryland (with a car full of belongings since she is moving!). Dad's temp is down and he seemed in pretty good spirits. I think Liz said they are doing some cultures to determine further treatment. We are really hoping this stay is a lot shorter than last time.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Small Update
Well, it's been almost two weeks since I last wrote, so I feel like I ought to report something even though there is not a whole lot to say health-wise (mostly a good thing).
Mom has been doing pretty well -- seems back to her usual self.
Dad is doing OK, but he still is not back to walking after the stay in the hospital. I think he is back to daily PT, since the stay in the hospital resets the clock for Medicare with regard to paying for PT. He is of course on the soft food/thickened liquid diet that he doesn't really care for. Hope he is getting enough calories.
This past weekend was 'family time'. Saturday we moved everything out of the apartment (Liz and MB had packed it all in a marathon session last week). Most of it went into a rental truck that went to Dor's house. Then Sunday, we all got together for March b-day celebrations at Dor's at which time people rummaged through the truck-load of memories to figure out who wanted what. Josh and Lauren were able to come up and they picked up Mom and Dad on the way. It was fun and productive, but there is still a pile of stuff cluttering Dor's house. Although Mom and Dad were glad, as always, to see all of the family, I think the big get-together is kind of hard for them, especially for Dad -- too much going on and it goes too late for them.
Mom has been doing pretty well -- seems back to her usual self.
Dad is doing OK, but he still is not back to walking after the stay in the hospital. I think he is back to daily PT, since the stay in the hospital resets the clock for Medicare with regard to paying for PT. He is of course on the soft food/thickened liquid diet that he doesn't really care for. Hope he is getting enough calories.
This past weekend was 'family time'. Saturday we moved everything out of the apartment (Liz and MB had packed it all in a marathon session last week). Most of it went into a rental truck that went to Dor's house. Then Sunday, we all got together for March b-day celebrations at Dor's at which time people rummaged through the truck-load of memories to figure out who wanted what. Josh and Lauren were able to come up and they picked up Mom and Dad on the way. It was fun and productive, but there is still a pile of stuff cluttering Dor's house. Although Mom and Dad were glad, as always, to see all of the family, I think the big get-together is kind of hard for them, especially for Dad -- too much going on and it goes too late for them.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Dad's Back & More Mom News
Spoke with Liz tonight. (She had a busy day today -- seems to be par for the course.)
Dad was discharged from the hospital today. Yay! She drove him back to Lima. He's weak and tired, but back eating a bit. Hope he can get his weight up.
Mom fell again over night. They found her face down on the bathroom floor this morn. Sounds like she was there 3 hours -- not good. She went to the doctor who said she might have bronchitis. She had had a bit of a fever. She also had been having some trouble moving her limbs, worrying us that she might have had a small stroke, but the doctor thinks the bronchitis may have just made her weak and unstable. He has her on antibiotics, I think. Liz said she seemed to be moving better today than yesterday, so we are hoping the doctor is right and she will be back to 'normal' once she gets over the bronchitis. Meanwhile she has been told to call for help when she needs to get out of bed for any reason (such as going to the bathroom). She told Liz, 'yes, dear.' We'll see.
Dad was discharged from the hospital today. Yay! She drove him back to Lima. He's weak and tired, but back eating a bit. Hope he can get his weight up.
Mom fell again over night. They found her face down on the bathroom floor this morn. Sounds like she was there 3 hours -- not good. She went to the doctor who said she might have bronchitis. She had had a bit of a fever. She also had been having some trouble moving her limbs, worrying us that she might have had a small stroke, but the doctor thinks the bronchitis may have just made her weak and unstable. He has her on antibiotics, I think. Liz said she seemed to be moving better today than yesterday, so we are hoping the doctor is right and she will be back to 'normal' once she gets over the bronchitis. Meanwhile she has been told to call for help when she needs to get out of bed for any reason (such as going to the bathroom). She told Liz, 'yes, dear.' We'll see.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Full Day
Yesterday was Uncle Tom's memorial gathering -- a good time to remember him and enjoy seeing family on that side that we don't see enough. Enjoyed hearing Lynn and Merit's memories. Dorrie taped it so that can show it to Dad.
Mom had a fall yesterday morn. Someone found her on her knees on the floor of her room. Not sure how long she was there. She hurt her knee and also her rear, so we're not quite sure what happened. She was able to come to the memorial gathering -- Dor picked her up -- but she was moving incredibly slowly. In hind sight, she should have come in a wheelchair. I spoke to her this morning and she sounded very tired and said that her knees felt OK but her lower back hurt.
After the service, Liz took Mom back for lunch and we went to visit Dad. Sharon was there and later Ted stopped by with Aunt Mary. Merit had stopped by the day before. Nice for Dad to have all these surprise visitors -- he really enjoyed them.
At the hospital we spoke quite a bit with Ben the 'swallowing guy' who told us in detail about Dad's video swallowing tests and everything related to his problem -- very informative. Dad 'failed' his swallowing test Monday, but they are beginning to feed him anyway (as we asked). It did feel like it was good we were there in person to ask about him getting food. Seemed like it might not have happened otherwise, though I don't really know. Things tend to slip through the cracks.
Went back to Lima after a while where Liz and MB worked on going through things in the apartment with help from Mom. Full day.
Mom had a fall yesterday morn. Someone found her on her knees on the floor of her room. Not sure how long she was there. She hurt her knee and also her rear, so we're not quite sure what happened. She was able to come to the memorial gathering -- Dor picked her up -- but she was moving incredibly slowly. In hind sight, she should have come in a wheelchair. I spoke to her this morning and she sounded very tired and said that her knees felt OK but her lower back hurt.
After the service, Liz took Mom back for lunch and we went to visit Dad. Sharon was there and later Ted stopped by with Aunt Mary. Merit had stopped by the day before. Nice for Dad to have all these surprise visitors -- he really enjoyed them.
At the hospital we spoke quite a bit with Ben the 'swallowing guy' who told us in detail about Dad's video swallowing tests and everything related to his problem -- very informative. Dad 'failed' his swallowing test Monday, but they are beginning to feed him anyway (as we asked). It did feel like it was good we were there in person to ask about him getting food. Seemed like it might not have happened otherwise, though I don't really know. Things tend to slip through the cracks.
Went back to Lima after a while where Liz and MB worked on going through things in the apartment with help from Mom. Full day.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Too Much Hospital
Sorry to be slow in posting, particularly since there was a lot I should have said.
The past week did not turn out as expected, and the reason (I think) was not anything unusual with Dad. From my perspective, it seems the people at Crozer were seeing Dad's swallowing issues for the first time and responded aggressively. The social worker called a meeting of the whole family on Friday (the doctor finally showed up after 45 minutes). It was one of these end-of-life type discussions -- we may need to make a decision about whether he will be permanently on a feeding tube if the swallowing is not improving, or does he want to just go for quality-of-life. They were talking about under what circumstances he might go into hospice, etc. Unfortunately, David and I both had to attend by cell phone and it was hard to catch everything, though I did catch up with Liz later for clarification. Dad was alert and listening during the meeting, but didn't say much. I think it is very difficult for him to follow a discussion like that with a lot of people in the room.
What is odd and frustrating to me is that I don't believe Dad's swallowing problem is any different than it was before he went in the hospital (he went in for a stomach virus from which he recovered quickly). He shows no signs of dying -- at least not today. Yes, the swallowing is a problem. Yes, he could have aspiration which is dangerous. But they were dealing with this at Lima and I think they can continue to deal with it. He may have aspiration -- not sure that can be helped. (Somehow through what I think has been a pretty long time with this swallowing problem, he has amazingly not gotten pneumonia.) Not sure how being in the hospital is helping unless he wants a feeding tube, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't. As of tomorrow, he will have been in the hospital a week since recovering from the stomach virus. Part of that time they weren't feeding him at all, then finally they gave him a nutrition IV. They are waiting to do a video swallowing test tomorrow. Meanwhile, his digestive system is not being exercised and he is not getting physical exercise (they may have finally started some PT yesterday).
I think the family agrees that him staying in the hospital this long was a mistake -- we should have been more pro-active in getting him out. What I expect will happen is that after the swallowing test tomorrow, they will slowly start getting him back on pureed food and he will have to go through this whole process all over again -- not being able to eat food he likes for a while and needing a lot of PT. As David pointed out, even if the swallowing test looks bad we/he will probably recommend that he eats anyway, so why have they bothered putting him through all of this? Aargh.
On top of everything else, Uncle Tom's memorial gathering will be Tuesday and Dad won't be out of the hospital by then. Fortunately, it sounded like Lynn and Merit will probably stop by to see him (as will we).
So, please continue your prayers! Sorry to be so cranky.
The past week did not turn out as expected, and the reason (I think) was not anything unusual with Dad. From my perspective, it seems the people at Crozer were seeing Dad's swallowing issues for the first time and responded aggressively. The social worker called a meeting of the whole family on Friday (the doctor finally showed up after 45 minutes). It was one of these end-of-life type discussions -- we may need to make a decision about whether he will be permanently on a feeding tube if the swallowing is not improving, or does he want to just go for quality-of-life. They were talking about under what circumstances he might go into hospice, etc. Unfortunately, David and I both had to attend by cell phone and it was hard to catch everything, though I did catch up with Liz later for clarification. Dad was alert and listening during the meeting, but didn't say much. I think it is very difficult for him to follow a discussion like that with a lot of people in the room.
What is odd and frustrating to me is that I don't believe Dad's swallowing problem is any different than it was before he went in the hospital (he went in for a stomach virus from which he recovered quickly). He shows no signs of dying -- at least not today. Yes, the swallowing is a problem. Yes, he could have aspiration which is dangerous. But they were dealing with this at Lima and I think they can continue to deal with it. He may have aspiration -- not sure that can be helped. (Somehow through what I think has been a pretty long time with this swallowing problem, he has amazingly not gotten pneumonia.) Not sure how being in the hospital is helping unless he wants a feeding tube, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't. As of tomorrow, he will have been in the hospital a week since recovering from the stomach virus. Part of that time they weren't feeding him at all, then finally they gave him a nutrition IV. They are waiting to do a video swallowing test tomorrow. Meanwhile, his digestive system is not being exercised and he is not getting physical exercise (they may have finally started some PT yesterday).
I think the family agrees that him staying in the hospital this long was a mistake -- we should have been more pro-active in getting him out. What I expect will happen is that after the swallowing test tomorrow, they will slowly start getting him back on pureed food and he will have to go through this whole process all over again -- not being able to eat food he likes for a while and needing a lot of PT. As David pointed out, even if the swallowing test looks bad we/he will probably recommend that he eats anyway, so why have they bothered putting him through all of this? Aargh.
On top of everything else, Uncle Tom's memorial gathering will be Tuesday and Dad won't be out of the hospital by then. Fortunately, it sounded like Lynn and Merit will probably stop by to see him (as will we).
So, please continue your prayers! Sorry to be so cranky.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Uncle Tom
We heard yesterday that Uncle Tom passed away. Not unexpected, but still sad. Continue to keep Lynn and Merit in your prayers. I imagine it will have an especially big impact on Lynn since she has been caring for him all along. Liz told us that there will be a memorial gathering for him Tuesday.
Dad is doing OK, though the news saddened him. Liz and Mom were there to tell him.
Dad is still in the hospital. They are concerned about his swallowing so he has no solid food now at all (just nutritional IV) and won't be able to leave until they believe he can eat OK. Hope that is soon.
Dad is doing OK, though the news saddened him. Liz and Mom were there to tell him.
Dad is still in the hospital. They are concerned about his swallowing so he has no solid food now at all (just nutritional IV) and won't be able to leave until they believe he can eat OK. Hope that is soon.
Monday, February 14, 2011
More on Dad -- also Uncle Tom
Dad is still in the hospital. Hoping they discharge him soon (today?). Seems like they ought to, but who knows.
We were down with Liz on Saturday to visit, bring Mom for a visit, and try to make some progress with the apartment. (We did get Dad's dresser and recliner moved down to his room, which I think he'll appreciate.) The visits were kind of funny. MB was there first and had a nice time with him watching a movie. When Liz, Mom, and I showed up he was much crabbier. Seemed like it had to do with the lunch, which he found unappetizing and which Liz was pushing him to eat; maybe also be because he needed to go to the bathroom. Anyway, MB & I came back in the evening and he was in fine spirits. We watched part of a movie with him and he talked nostalgically about the old days.
He seemed to us pretty much ready to be discharged (though he still had the catheter), but then Liz told us yesterday that he had started with a cough. Guess we'll see today. MB is headed down to visit and to work with Mom on sorting things out in the apartment some more. It's a process.
The bad news of the day is that Dorrie got a call from Merit that Uncle Tom is in very bad shape. He had a TIA a week ago and though some associated paralysis resolved quickly, he then had some pneumonia (also resolved?) and rapidly advancing dementia. Things got worse as he started with non-stop coughing and became barely communicative. Can't eat at all and will be moving to hospice. Please pray for him, Lynn and Merit.
We were down with Liz on Saturday to visit, bring Mom for a visit, and try to make some progress with the apartment. (We did get Dad's dresser and recliner moved down to his room, which I think he'll appreciate.) The visits were kind of funny. MB was there first and had a nice time with him watching a movie. When Liz, Mom, and I showed up he was much crabbier. Seemed like it had to do with the lunch, which he found unappetizing and which Liz was pushing him to eat; maybe also be because he needed to go to the bathroom. Anyway, MB & I came back in the evening and he was in fine spirits. We watched part of a movie with him and he talked nostalgically about the old days.
He seemed to us pretty much ready to be discharged (though he still had the catheter), but then Liz told us yesterday that he had started with a cough. Guess we'll see today. MB is headed down to visit and to work with Mom on sorting things out in the apartment some more. It's a process.
The bad news of the day is that Dorrie got a call from Merit that Uncle Tom is in very bad shape. He had a TIA a week ago and though some associated paralysis resolved quickly, he then had some pneumonia (also resolved?) and rapidly advancing dementia. Things got worse as he started with non-stop coughing and became barely communicative. Can't eat at all and will be moving to hospice. Please pray for him, Lynn and Merit.
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