Update!

Okay! So we're terrible! The other morning we woke up and she was sleeping like this. I told Eddie she was practicing for her coffin.
It bugs me when people sleep with their hands like this, cuz that's the way they're always laying in coffins! I woke up once and found Eddie like that and made him change positions cuz it gives me the creeps!

Now for the update! Mom had her new graph procedure in her right arm yesterday. She got home for the hospital about 6:30p.m. She did okay. She did want pain pills which isn't normal for her. So we gave her two Tylenol #3. She was okay then until midnite when she woke me up because she was going to toss her cookies! She did and then went back to sleep, but woke me up again at 5:00 a.m. I think it was. Her arm was hurting and she was wide awake! I gave her two more Tylenol # 3 and she went back to sleep!
Around 8a.m. or so I attempted to feed her breakfast. After 4 bites it all came up. I gave her a good bath this morning. Her right arm looks like she's an Oompa-Loompa. The iodine stuff they put on you before they cut you open. Her entire arm from pit to fingernails is orange...except for the spots they actually cut into! After this, I let her be until about 45 minutes before transport got here to take her to dialysis. I gave her a little cup of applesauce. When tranport was wheeling her out the door, she tossed up the applesauce and she tossed at dialysis too. They even brought the yucky sheet home for me to wash! They're so nice. Because she threw up there and she told them she hadn't slept all night they gave her something for her tummy and to put her to sleep! I stopped by dialysis to check on her and she was sound asleep so I didn't wake her up. Transport brought her home. Roger told me she was "lethargic". Yes, she's drugged. She's been asleep since she got home two hours ago. Dialysis is worried about her getting dehydrated. If she ever wakes up...we'll try and feed her. Water her too! I found out today her weight has dropped to 136 lbs. If she wasn't in bad health she'd probably be excited about that! With her asleep, I have gotten a lot done around the house! Her Christmas cards have all been mailed out too! Eddie took them to the post office when he got home from work! That's the latest!

The latest!!!

This morning GmaGrumpy got to go see Dr. Shin, the vascular surgeon. She wants to put a new graft in GmaGrumpy's right arm. The scheduled date to do this is Wednesday, December 3rd. It will be another teflon tube! She says her veins wind too much and are too small to try to make a fistula out of them. So....that is the new adventure! She is looking forward to Thanksgiving and possibly an earlier dialysis time. We'll find that out tomorrow! That's the latest!

Can it get any better?

So with all the exciting preparations going on for Gma great adventure this Friday....she came home early from dialysis today.
Her access is clotted again!!! Her last clot was Sept. 13th. This is her first clot since getting the new graft! After she got home today I was reading up on the problem via the internet and found out that her new AVF has greater chances of clotting than her old one. It seems that human blood vessels produce something to help keep you from clotting. The stuff they did the new one out of is the same stuff they make teflon coating out of and because it is "teflon" it does not produce....anything! So, here I thought we'd have weeks, months, years of no problems...and yee haw....she clots! I'm trying to find out if there is something we should be doing to keep it from clotting.....haven't found anything out yet! One of her transporters says we might be leaving the bandage on to long after dialysis. Sounds to simple. Who knows!
Stay tuned....tomorrow I'll tell you how it all went!!!
Dee

A Small Adventure!

Yesterday, November 3rd, Gma Grumpy arose from her bed, with Eddie's help!

She sat in her chair for 2 hours.

She finished up her absentee ballot and ate lunch at the table.

We went for a small walk outside, just around the yard.

Under the tree!
By the beautiful roses!

Eddie danced her back into bed!

She was pretty tired and her right foot hurt later, but she did really good!

Abby requested an Update!

Eddie loves taking pictures of Gma Grumpy asleep.

It's easy to do these days. She sleeps alot.

Today Gma Grumpy said, she definately wanted to live til her next birthday.

She'll be 79 next April!

I asked if she wanted to make it until 90?!

She said, "Maybe! How do you feel about that?"

Now she wants to live forever!

She's had a pretty good time since the new tube was put in her arm.

She's off Home Health Care as of Saturday.

They didn't do a whole lot for her, so it'll be nice to be back in charge!

There's not any great news. She's doing good.

She has a doctor's appointment on the 21st of November.

Unless, something happens at dialysis, we won't have any updates until then.

She's been talking alot about Christmas and what to get people.

For Christmas she would like current family pictures of you! Doesn't matter if they're professional or self-portraits, she just wants pictures of what you all look like now.

She made a comment the other day that she hopes some of her great-grandchildren will come to see her in the next year. Should we have a family reunion before people go on missions?

Let me know what you think!

She survived...but will I?

Okay! She got home about 6:30 p.m. Dr. Shin had called around 3:30 and said that everything went well, keep it elevated and make an appointment in two weeks so she can check and see how it's healing! She did give her a Rx for Tylenol 3. woo hoo!
So...She just started moaning and I asked what was wrong....I can't remember what she said. I asked if I could do anything for her and she said, "Stop bugging me!" So, I gave her a pain pill and I'm hoping she'll sleep thru the night. I don't know how I'm suppose to change her. She's supposed to not bend her left arm or lay on that side. I guess I'll be calling home health in the morning to see if they can come out and teach me some great trick on how to care for her when she can't do much to help me. I'm very frustrated. I hate insurance companies that turn everything into out patient surgery. She should be in the hospital with some professional taking care of her!!!! Sorry....I'm feeling kinda grumpy myself tonight!

More fun!

So we saw Dr. Shin today. She's the vascular surgeon that was on vacation last week!
Tomorrow Mom is going to dialysis at 4:45 a.m. I figure she'll get home around 8:30 a.m. and then transport will pick her up again and deliver her to the hospital at 11:30 p.m. for her procedure at 2:30 p.m. They are going to fuse a plastic tube to her artery to be her new fistula. So...we'll find out more tomorrow...we hope!!! So...that's the latest! I'll try and remember to update this tomorrow after the adventure!!!!

Update!

Sorry, I should have done this sooner.
Dr. Shin is on vacation! Gma has an appointment with her on Monday at 1:30p.m. We will know more then.
The physical therapist came to the house today and had mom stand up today. Right now she's having terrible cramps in her right foot. I don't know if I'm supposed to give her asprin or tylenol or ibprofen? She said she'd ask tomorrow. I hope somebody does! I hope she falls asleep. She's moaning rather loudly because of the pain. I'll write again after Monday's Dr. visit!

The Not-so-fun Adventure!

So the adventure at the hospital began yesterday with us being there 2 hours early. It worked to our advantage, because it took them 2 hours to have her ready for her "procedure".

Her white blood cell count was high, so they had all kinds of questions for us, which kinda makes you wonder..."if we're supposed to have all the answers about elevated white blood cells, what's the point of having a hospital?"

ANYWAY! They took her off to radiology for the "procedure" at 1:30 p.m. (30 minutes late)!

I eventually left the hospital. I know this stuff takes anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I went back to the hospital at 3:00 p.m. I was told that she had just been moved to recovery.

I went back to outpatient daycare and talked with them. They made a few phone calls and said they were trying to get ahold of Dr. Shin. She the doctor that put in the fistula two years ago and the one that has done all the repairs over the last few years.

Dr. Grossman couldn't get the fistula to work again. They never got an answer from Dr. Shin, so they decided to put a new pick line in Mom's jugular! It's so NOT attractive. She hates it. She said last night she was taking it out today. I told her that wouldn't be happening.

This is just a temporary solution. I have no idea what they will end up doing. Maybe Dr. Shin can go in and roto rooter her fistula. If not, then she'll need a new one. You can't use the same artery, so it will either be in her other arm, or in one of her legs. This only speculation!

I have no idea what kind of time table we're looking at....because no doctor has seen or talked to her. It's ridiculous.

Too make an already retarded story, more retarded...

Radiology sent her back to outpatient daycare with two bandages over where they had attempted to work on her fistula.

She was sent home this way.

Of course when she got home, she started bleeding. If you apply direct pressure to one bandaid the other one spurts!!!!

Eddie and I ran to Walgreen's and got some gauze and a secure flex wrap to try and stop the bleeding. I wasn't about to remove their precious bandaids, so I just put everything on top of them. One of them bled a little through the night, but not through all the bandages!

They also sent us home without any instructions for pain!

The only thing it says on the paper they sent us home with is ...resume all medication.

Any questions call: and they gave a number. When she was uncomfortable last night, I called that number to get some instruction for pain killers. The phone number is for the hospital lab! They idiot who answered the phone didn't have a clue what I was talking about and wanted to send me to social services. I hung up on him. I called Dr. Shin's number and got a recording saying that everyone at the Doctor's answering service was busy and if it was an emergency to call 911 otherwise hangup and try again later.

I dug up a bottle of pain killers Dr. Shin had prescribed several "procedures" ago. Mom decided she didn't want any. She made it through the night. Her neck is really bothering her right now. We've asked if she wants pain meds and she says no. She also doesn't want to eat this time.

That's the update!

Here we go again....

So, yesterday GmaGrumpy goes to dialysis and so I head to Costco. While at Costco I kept hearing this music and wondered who cell phone was going off. It was mine. I retrieved my message to find that GmaGrumpy's access line was clogged again and unusable. So...I booked it home from Costco and about two hours later she finally arrived from dialysis. It took transport that long to get her home.
So, today at 10:30 a.m. Transport is coming to take her away to the hospital for another Fistulogram/Angioplasty. I should be keeping track of how many times we've done this. The worst part of it is the waiting. For both of us. Hopefully they'll be on schedule today. yesterday they were running about 5 hours behind! Dr. Shin's schedule is booked today, so someone else is doing it. Maybe a fresh pair of eyes, will find something new.
Of course this brought up a few questions for me. Obviously her fistula is a by pass of some sort. Because she's still alive. It hasn't stopped the blood from circulating. I always thought that they way they figured out it was clogged was because they stuck the needles in and nothing happened. Well, usually her fistula vibrates because of the blood rushing through it. You can actually see it and it feels gross. Yesterday...there was nothing going on with it. I mean nothings rushing through it at all.
My other question....how is it that the fistula gets clogged, but the clots don't go anywhere else in her body and kill her. Granted, I'm grateful for it, but it's just very curious. I suppose I'll google it and I'll learn all about it!
Have a lovely day!

Grandma Grumpy Update

Yes, more time has elapsed! I will give a brief update!

She's moaning right now. She's been telling me for awhile now that her teeth keep breaking and falling out. I didn't believe her until last week, when she gave me a few chunks. Before then she would tell me her tooth fell out and it was on the table. There was never anything on the table, so I thought it was corn in her teeth or something. She has lost a few teeth, molars, and tonight she took a drink of cold water and said it hurt her tooth. So...we may get to go to a dentist soon! yeehaw!

I don't remember if I posted July's lab report...but here's a synopsis of August:

It's all the same. Her protein is too low. Her URR is low again. That's how well dialysis is working. It's down from 75% to 69%. Anything over 65% is good. So, it's still effective, but not as effective as it was last month.

Her appetite is horrible. She didn't eat lunch today and she said she was starving when she got home, but only ate a few bites.

Eddie and I went to the last Ward picnic in the park tonight and when we got home she said she wanted some water and that she had got up and filled her cup herself while we were gone.

Now, we all know this isn't true, but she insisted that she had done it.

She's been talking tonight about going to bed in her bedroom and I keep telling her she sleeps out here in her hospital bed. There's no way she could sleep flat in her old bed at this point.

Yesterday the nurse supervisor for Alta View home health came and evaluated her health and will sign her up for Physical Therapy. A therapist is supposed to be coming soon as well as a nurse twice a week for 4 weeks and then once a week for 5 weeks. Chuchi, (yes Tody, that's her name) the supervisor, said that I needed a break and that they would also send someone to bathe her twice a week for 4 weeks and then once a week for 5 weeks. They're also going to send a podiatrist out to do her feet!!!

Chuchi, was very thorough! She told us we would be in their care for the next 60 days and then if more was needed they'd try for an extention! I really liked Chuchi becase she told us stuff none of the other home health people have.

Gma's a little kooky tonight...moaning a lot. I ask her if she's okay and she says yes and then starts moaning again. She's watching strange things on Tv. She's watching Big Brother right now. She's never watched that in her life. I asked if she'd like me to change the channel and she said NO!

Last week I got home from the Memorial Service and she was watching Telemundo! I asked her why she was watching it. She said, "I don't know what it is and I'm trying to find out!"

Last week she asked me where my Father was. I repeated the question..."Where's my Father?" She responded with..."Or your step-father. Whoever the man is who's my age who's around here." I asked, "Is there some man around here I don't know about?" She said, "No." I pointed to dad's picture and asked if she wanted to know where he was. I told he had passed away. When she remembers that it always then goes to....Is mom dead? and then she usually says, "oh ya! The baseball bats!" (The ones we put on Gma Ridge's tombstone!) IT's a good thing we did that, because that's only way she remembers that Gma is dead.

Dialysis seems to have gone okay today.

She still has a blood issue. I didn't get to dialysis today to ask them about it.

She did have an ultrasound a few weeks ago, but the Dr. said, the pictures weren't very good, but what they could see was normal. So she's not concerned. I need to talk to dialysis about it because it seems there's always "fresh" blood in her diaper when she comes home from dialysis. It might have to do with the amount of hepprin (sp?) she gets while on dialysis. Dr. Staples said, that's why they took her off cumadin. I didn't know that was why they took her off cumadin. Sometimes I really wonder about her doctor!

So....that's the low down on Gma Grumpy as of 9:36 p.m. 9/2/08

She's moaning again. I just asked her if she needed something and she said, "Something for my mind." I asked again if she wanted me to turn the channel and she said, "NO!" so...big brother it is! Go figure!

Here's a peak at what's going on right now:

She's scratching her head and telling me her bottom hurts. She just said she needs something to calm her nerves.

"At least the mantle ended up looking okay!"

"Why?" I asked.

She said, "I just didn't know if it would."

Moaning!

I asked, "are you tired?"

"Yes"

"Is there something I can do for you?"

Uh - Uh (negative)

and now I will sign off!

Jibberish!

She started speaking jibberish at 9:30 tonight. It's accompanied with telling me I'm mean and she's naughty, and I'm naughty and Eddie's mean. I'm putting her to bed. It's 9:48p.m.
I hope she feels better in the morning! She wasn't going to take her night pill. She acted like I was trying to poison her. I did finally get her to take it. It's hard to communicate with her when she's not making sense.

Still kickin'!

I'm so sorry it's be so long since I have updated GmaGrumpy's blog! She's still here. This is a picture Eddie took of her mid-July. He put the flower in her hair too.
She's doing okay. She talked with Dr. Jafari at dialysis today. She thinks she may get physical therapy again. We'll see. I never know what goes on at dialysis and sometimes, okay most the times I don't get the right story from her.
Tonight after dialysis, Eddie and I went to the ward Tuesday night picnics. When we came home she had all kinds of questions and stories for me. These are the actual things she said:
M: "Where did I go when you were gone?"
D: "I don't know where did you go?"
M: "I was in a car."
D: "Who was driving?"
M: "I think I was."
D: "wow! Who were you with?"
M: "I don't know." She went to say something else and she said, "My mom said," and her eyes got big and she said, "I guess I was with my Mom."
D: "You were?"
M: "Yes, she was here she got me ready for dialysis."
D: "No Mom, that was me."
M: "Oh! Well, I went to dialysis and they stuck two big needles in my arm!"
D: "Yep! That's dialysis."
M: "Then I came home?"
D: "Yes, and Eddie got you KFC for dinner." Look of confusion...."Kentucky Fried Chicken!"
M: "Oh yes!"
A few minutes later:
M: Where did Eddie and his wife go?"
D: "Eddie's wife?"
M: "Yes!"
D: "I'm his wife!"
M: "Then where did Eddie and your niece go?"
D: "Which niece?"
M: "The one who slept here last night."
D: "A niece didn't sleep here last night."
M: "Well, where did she sleep?"
D: "Which one?"
M: She thought for a moment...then got all excited...."Shannon!"
D: "She slept in Sacramento last night."
M: "Oh! Then I guess I can stop worrying about her!"
D: "I guess so!"

And there you go. Just a quick snapshot of our days!

She just told me she didn't have any of her pills today. Fortunately, I take care of her pills now so she has had all her pills today.

Last week she had a few days where she seemed very alert and with it and I felt good about things. The last few days she's been moaning all night and day. I'd love to know what she dreams about. This morning she was licking her lips like she was eating something. She says her legs hurt and that's why she moans. She also says she moans, just because she can. Other than the crazy comments posted above, she's been quiet tonight.

It's been very humid the last few days so the AC has been on 24/7. Fortunately tonight it's cooler so we'll open up the house in awhile. I've already turned the AC off. She hasn't complained yet. Usually she'll tell me, if I turn the thermostat up....it's really hot in here.
So, the whole house is warming up while the outside is cooling off. It should be a nice night!
Eddie goes to work at Midnite. She always asks in the morning after he's worked a midnite shift, when did Eddie get home. She told me last week that it wasn't worth both of us being tired for him to be working 2 jobs. Eddie decided after working from midnite to 5a.m. and then 8:00a.m. to 2:30p.m. That he's too old to be doing that, so tonight is his last night for the midnite job.
He doesn't have to work tomorrow, but we have a sealing assignment at 10:00 a.m. He's already told me, I get to drive to the temple while he sleeps so he'll survive!!! It's all good!

Ooops! This is Gma's blog! Sorry for the tangent!

Mom Today!

Mom was back in the hospital. It was just for overnight. Right now she's at dialysis.

Her access line was clogged, so she had to get the clogs removed.

Radiology couldn't do it, so Dr. Shinn did surgery and removed the clogs.

Dr. Shinn thought they should keep her overnight for observation.

She was very confused when I got there this morning.

She was entertaining though.

Speaking of entertaining....

Eddie thought it would be fun to stuff Mom's bed

to scare Bubba when he got home!

He's a funny boy!

Mom should be coming home from Dialysis anytime now!

They were concerned at dialysis when she got there because she's lost more weight!

When you can't because of medical procedures, that's what happens!

I just did the kg conversion to lbs on the computer.

She's now at 150 lbs.

So that's a little more than 10 lbs!

More fun!

Carlotta!

Carlotta came to visit Mom this week. It was so good to see her.

Mom enjoyed their visit. She wasn't too goofy. Kinda talked about people I'm not sure that Carlotta knew, but it was an enjoyable time!

I'm so glad she came over and was able to visit!

Mom's Lab Report for May 2008 and Other Ramblings

URR (how well dialysis treatments are working.) 72%
Last month it was 71%
BUN last month 58 this month 46. They want her drinking her protein stuff at every meal. Doesn't work real well! She's not cooperative!
Albumin: 3.3 Same as last month. Should be 4.0 or higher. Also has to do with her protein intake.
Potassium 4.2 Good level
Phosphorus 3.7 Good level
Fluid: 0 - 2.4
Last month 0 - 2.8
Should be 3kg or less per treatment, so this is good!

We just need to work on her taking her protrein drink at every meal and eating more protein throughout the day.

She's been very interesting and entertaining lately. She said she didn't "go anywhere" last night. The other nights since Saturday she's been at our "other house" or in other rooms, in this house, during the night. Willy Wonka's chocolate factory is across the river in Montebello and she saw the Oompa Loompa's there. She said I could ask Armida and she'd tell me it was true!
She told me on Sunday that she had the most intelligent conversation with Eddie that she'd had in the last two years. She said he was standing at the head of her bed talking to her. He was actually in the bedroom when this was supposedly going on.

She also said she talked with his Mom, Ruby the other night. She's at the house across the river that we "also live at." She talks about being able to see Peggy Parker's house from our house over there. Peggy Parker's parents also live in our house across the river. I asked her, "Aren't they dead?" She gave me this disgusted look and said, "Why should they give up a perfectly lovely house!" I asked her if Dad has been to visit and she says, no, we kids bugged him enough and he doesn't want her cuz she was very naughty when she was little.

I told her the other day that Eddie's going to go away for a few days next week. She asked if he was taking the baby. We chuckled! We asked her if the baby's a boy or a girl and she said she didn't know. She told him he could take the baby with him on the airplane and stuff it on the seat and sit on it! Yesterday, she bolted up and bed and said, "Where's the baby!" I think there might have been one crying on TV for a minute. We don't have a baby!

She hasn't left the house in three weeks. I asked her today if she wanted to do her exercises or practice standing up and she said no! I don't think she'll ever stand again. I think she's in her hospital bed for the long run.

It's sad and the days that she's cranky, remind me of her Mother and it's really hard to deal with. When she's telling us stories about where she's been in the night and asking us crazy questions we are entertained and she's much more pleasant. She laughs with us at those times.

Patience is a virtue, a virtue I'm sometimes lacking!

Memorial Day 2008

Here is a picture of our little family in 1962.

Sandy, Mom, Dad, Betty

Billly, Bobby, & Donny

Here's Mom and Gene Egelhoff, her High School boyfriend.

Auntie Janet sent this picture to mom the other day!

Da Mudder

Eddie took this picture the other day. He calls it "Taco Rash." We had tacos for dinner and this is what "da mudder" looked like afterwards.

She's doing okay. She's getting a little more forgetful and she is sleeping a lot.

She says she doesn't remember where she is at night so she's asked us to tell her every night where she is.

The other day I closed the computer cabinet and she wanted to know when I put the pictures on the outside of it. I told her March. We have pictures of the brand new great-grandbabies on the front of the computer cabinet. She didn't remember them being there.

We took her to Walmart this week. We had a tough time getting her out of bed and in the wheelchair and out of the wheelchair and into the car and viceversa. I don't know how much longer we'll be able to keep taking her out. She does get cabin fever though.

She sleeps an awful lot too and she drops off quickly!!

Dialysis went okay today and she has two Dr. appointments this week. We'll see how they go.

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

Yesterday, I turned 78 years young!This is me and my great-granddaughter Mandorallyn

I got this bear and the pretty sweet peas for my birthday!

(And that's my favorite toy....the remote!!!)

Eddie, the chef!!!
Eddie and Sandy prepared a delicious BBQ! We had Chicken, Corn, Macaroni Salad, Sweet Yummy Sala, Watermelon, Deviled Eggs, Shrimp, Cake and Ice Cream.
This is my birthday cake!
Maddy helped me make a wish and blow out my candle!
Donny looks on!
The girls! Sandy, Abby, Maddy, & Sheila
Bill, Maddy, Sheila, Abby, Me, Sandy

I was very exhausted by the end of the evening!

Me and my new friend at the end of the day!

All is Well!

Surgery has come and gone and Gma Grumpy is doing fine!!!

Today is a normal dialysis day.

Tomorrow is the real day!!!

The hospital just called. After being post-poned twice, Gma's surgery will commence tomorrow!

3:00 p.m. at Beverly Hospital as an out-patient.

So...I'll keep you posted!

Dee

Out-Patient Surgery

Grandma Grumpy is scheduled for out-patient surgery this Friday at 2 p.m.
They are planning to go in and clean up her Aneurysm of AVF. Read the blogs that follow and it has pictures of Gma Grumpy's AVF and a website address that shows some gross slides of someone else's AVF.

It's a busy week this week:
Monday: See Dr. Shin at 2 p.m. to check Aneurysm of AVF
Tuesday: Dialysis 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. (leaves around 12:30 p.m. arrives home by 5 p.m.)
Wednesday: Dr. Staples at 2 p.m. regular checkup
Thursday: Dialysis 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. (leaves around 12:30 p.m. returns around 5 p.m.)
Friday: Out-Patient Surgary Pick-up around 10:45a.m., Admitting at 11:00 a.m.
Surgery at 2 p.m. Return home around...um...we'll guess 6 p.m.
Saturday: Dialysis 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. (leaves around 12:30 p.m. returns around 5 p.m.)
Sunday: TRULY A DAY OF REST!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday: SHE WANTS TO GO TO WALMART!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Home Health Nurses' last visit 8:30 a.m.

Gma Grumpy's AVF

They're going to do what to me? This is a great mug shot picture!!!

This is her Aneursym of AVF. The AVF stands for Arteriovenous Fistula!

I call it her Epcot Center!!!
She wanted me to tell you it's in her left arm!!!

That's a happy "mudder!"

Aneurysm of AVF

Here is a website that has a slide show of an Aneurysm of AVF. It's gross, but if you want to look....be my guest!

www-cdu.dc.med.unipi.it/Archives/photogallery/HDbrachial/index.htm

Happy Easter

I hope you all had a Happy Easter!

Gma Grumpy made it out to church. She said it was the longest hour and 15 minutes of her life. She also made it to Gma Meservy's for Easter dinner.

March's test scores are in!!!!

Yes! The lab reports are back!!!! She has improved in some areas and other's she's still getting a bad grade in!!!

Here are her new scores:

URR: 70%!!!! That's great!!! She was at 64% last month!

BUN: 30 :( She was at 53 last month and she is way too low!!! Have to increase protein!)

Albumin: 3.0 Proteins and Calories Too low! Should be 4.0 or higher!!!!

Potassium 4.4 this month!! :0) Last month she was at 5.0!!!! She's doing better this month!!

Phosphorus: 4.1!!!! Last month 6.7 Acceptable is between 3.5 - 5.5!!! another great score! :0)

Fluid: 0 - 3.5 !!!!! Last month 0.1 - 7.6. She's doing great!!!

Now if only we can get her protein up!!!! We will try to make her drink her protein powder gunk again!

They usually test her during the 2nd week of the month. So we'll see if she does better!!!!

I asked how her weight has been and she's been coming in at about 71.1 kg!!! That's good. If she's that low when she gets there, they don't take as much fluid out of her. They try to send her home around 7.0 kg. So she's doing good with weight!!! Last November when she was in the hospital for CHF (Congestive Heart Failure) Dr. Lange wanted her at 69.0 kg. So she's doing good.

We had a fun day today!!! I got to experience a first....I got to shave my mother's legs!!! She probably hasn't done it in over 30 years!!! The Easter bunny got her some new clothes and I thought she should have hairless calves!!! She was all for shaving them. We used Eddie's electric razor. After I did her legs, Eddie shaved her chin and her upper lip and whatever else needed some hair removal on her face. She's planning to go to Sacrament Meeting and dinner at Sister Meservy's tomorrow. Of course this was before dialysis...so we'll see how she does when she gets home. But at least she's thinking positive!!! Hopefully we'll have some pictures of tomorrow!!!!

Have a Happy Easter Eve!!!
Dee

G-ma's trip to Heaven!

In all of G-ma's stories of where she's been and what she's done in the last six weeks....we found the proof that she's talked with God!

There's No Place Like Home!

G-ma agrees!

I'm thinkin' in the last six weeks she's been over the rainbow or at least sleeping in some poppies!!!!

Friday's "Abenture"

Today Eddie and I had planned to go to the movies. G-ma decided she wanted to go too!

The last movie G-ma saw at the "theater" was Star Wars - Phantom Menace. I took her on opening day to see it. She really didn't enjoy it. It was WAY TOO LOUD! We even took earplugs!

Well, it was another opening day. There were no lines wrapped around the building. There were only 5 people in the theater!!! We went to see....."College Road Trip." Yes, we really did! Eddie and I liked the pig the best. G-ma likes Donny Osmond! (I liked him best at the end of the movie.) I like the pig pirate flag the very best. It wasn't too loud for G-ma!!!

A New "Abenture"

Yesterday, "da mudder" went on an "abenture!"

She still has her crazazy moments.

Sunday night when I was turning the lights off she asked if everyone was home. I said, "Yes!" She said, "I haven't seen Tody!" I said, "He lives in Reno." She looked at me and said, "I know that!" It's fun when the light bulb goes on and she realizes she's a little nuts!

Friday night she told us that while she was gone for the last 6 weeks she was learning how to make stain glass windows!

She's told me twice now that she needs to go to the bathroom. I tell her, "So go!" It's very interesting the things she's not capable of doing, that she doesn't remember she's not capable of doing. In her head she thinks she can do lots of things, but she really can't! She did write thank you notes last week to the ladies who brought her flowers or visited her at the RHSNC and I only read one and it repeated itself twice. She's just not quite right sometimes. So, we just do what we need to and remind her of stuff and let her try stuff she thinks she can do and then do what it takes to get it done!

So there you have it!!!!

Dee

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water....

Well, she just asked.......

"Sandy? Where's my skateboard?"

She went to dialysis today. She came back and ate all her dinner which is better than what she did on Tuesday.

But now the crazy questions are starting!!!!

Has mother ever owned a skateboard? We told her she didn't have one. And she said okay. She told Eddie if he were good maybe he'd get one for Christmas.

Lem, her Physical Therapist that was working with her when she sprained her foot, will be here tomorrow. I just want him to work on her getting out of bed and into a wheelchair and into a car.

I got a new blood pressure machine. It fits on her wrist and works much better than any of the other electric ones she's had. I can only give her digitex if her pulse is greater than 60!

I can't check her pulse manually. I just feel my own. GO figure, so I got the new toy!

Yee haw!!! After laying down for awhile I actually got a good reading on myself. 117/77. When I was running around getting her breakfast after coming home from WalMart it was 165/105! Call 911!!! You might plant me before you plant her!!!!!

Have a lovely day!

Dee

A new day....

And I'm exhausted!!!!

She's at dialysis right now. She'll probably be back between 4:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
The home health nurse is coming at 5:00 p.m.

I have to get her bed ready for her return. (3rd time in less than 24 hours!!!)

Overgrown toddlers!!!! What fun!!!!

Have a lovely day!

Dee

She's home!

She is resting comfortably in the middle of the front room. Yeehaw!

So far, so good!

Dee

Today!

She's doing good.

She did fine at dialysis and is impatiently waiting to come home on Monday!!!

Not much else to say!

Dee

Update

Well, she'll be home on Monday. Probably afternoon.

The bed people called today and they'll deliver Monday morning. They probably wouldn't have called if I hadn't actually asked today what was going on with the breaking Mom out.

So, so much for RHSNC wanting to have an exit planning meeting. We'll just spring her on Monday.

She was in a good mood today. She gets time mixed up and she gets stuck on subjects sometimes and asks the same questions a lot, but that's just part of the fun.

Pray for us!!!

Dee

Evening Update

Hello!

She had a good day at dialysis. Only one strange thing. Her weight when she got there was supposedly 70.4 kg. and when she left....74.9 kg. What's up with that? I think someone doesn't know how much their gurney weighs!!!!

Anyway. Shortly after returning to RHSNC, her dinner arrived. Yes, the lady with CHF gets..... smoked sausage for dinner. At least they gave her steamed cabbage instead of saurkraut!!!! They also served wheat bread and chocolate chip cookies!!! Her charge nurse was there giving her medication, so she took the bread and cookies and exchanged them for white bread and applesauce.

Mom just about licked her plate clean!!!

She constantly asks, "When am I going home?" When talking to a nurse earlier in the day I did see that the orders are there. I was expecting a letter from the social workers to be on her tray when we got back...but there wasn't one!!!! The social workers will meet with us before they release her to make sure things are ready for her at home. At least that's how it's been when Hi's been there. So....we're waiting....Mom's impatient though! Maybe tomorrow!

So, it was a good day.

Dee

Morning Update

I got to RHSNC and she was sitting in her wheelchair watching Spanish TV.

She said she had already done therapy and walked the entire length of the therapy room to the applause of her therapist! She did it 3 times too!

I helped her get into bed before the transport got there for dialysis. She does not have much strength to stand up. So....transport will be a must for now.

She was in good spirits, but wants to know when she's getting out of there. No one has said anything to me. So, we'll wait and see what happens!

I did see the order in her file for her release once a hospital bed is acquired and that she will have PT/OT at home. So that's a good thing.

Peggy called her while she was eating her lunch and Mom was a little goofy. Couldn't remember who visited her yesterday. She said to old timers from church! She's funny.

Well, that's it for now. I'll write more later tonight!

Dee

Late Health Update

Sorry, I've waited so long to write tonight. It's been a long day and I'm tired and don't feel very well.

When I got to RHSNC she was just on her way to Occupational Therapy. She was doing her little bar lifts and I noticed one of the therapists was trimming another patients nails. I asked if they could do mom's. They said sure. So after about 15 minutes of lifting her bar this way and that way they trimmed her nails and that was the end of OT for the day. Then it was lunch and then the wait for transport to the Drs. appointment. It was kind of basic. Dr. Staples asked which side of her lungs fill up and I said I didn't know. She had already listened to the right side and so she moved to the left and said, "Ah ha! That's the side." (the left!) She says she probably had pnemonia last week, but she already treated her for that. She did put her back on cough syrup. I asked if she was on any medication to make her cuckoo and she said no. So, that's just mom!!!
As Dr. Staples was leaving the room, Mom asked, "When can I go home?" Dr. Staples said, "That's up to Sandy." So.....the order to send her home has been given and the request for a hosptial bed has been faxed to the insurance company. I guess Medicare won't pay for it. Mom wants me to find out how much one costs so she can buy one! Cuckoo!
We'll see what happens tomorrow.

RHSNC is so dumb. They didn't give me any information to take to the drs. visit. I had to beg for a list of her meds. and Fernando made me copies, but told me that he wasn't supposed to because of the patient privacy act. They're not supposed to give the dr. a copy of her meds???? Is that stupid or what!

My favorite statement from Dr. Staples, "She's too weak for Physical Therapy!" My response, "She's been doing it every day!"

I don't know what planet she's fallen off of, besides the germaphobe one, but I guess she thinks mom is just basketweaving over there.

This all came up because I asked for home health to come and check up on mom and I asked for PT and that's when she made that statement.

Here's my question....not that any of you can answer it, but I'll throw it out there anyway....
How come when Dad had renal failure his Kidney Specialists became his Primary Doctors?
Wouldn't you think a kidney specialist or cardiologist would make more sense for a renal failure patient or CHF patient than an internal medicine dr? Just a thought!

In case you haven't heard. Lori Leanne had a baby boy this morning. I guess they were planning to take it today by c-section and then she hurried it up cuz she wen't into labor last night. She wasn't due until April 1st, but she's been on bed rest for 3 weeks. The baby is 4lbs 7 oz and 16 inches long. Matt and Amy Jo are due on March 4th also a boy.
The stork is busy in our family this month!!! Congratulations Karlo and Lori and Good Luck Matt and Amy Jo, Matt and Shannon, and Danny and Lacey! All boys! Oh yeah! Speaking of that! G-ma told Eddie and I the other night that we needed to have a little girl because the family needed more girls. She also told Dorothy Anderson that we were in Utah for our little boy. So...go figure!!!!

Betty Snelson and Marcella Robinson visited Mom today and brought her some red tulips. She said when her nails were being clipped that we needed to go outside and spruce up their garden. They have beautiful pansies, so I don't know what she wants to spruce up. She also told me the other day that she wants to buy some palm trees for the house. I asked if she was going to make a big W over the driveway and she said NO! She told Eddie last night he needed to sprinkle the grass and she asked if he was working on her flower bed by the garage. I told her tonight he had re-planted her roses in the flower bed and she was happy to hear that.

Some other crazy statements from the day: She wonders where she goes at night and how she gets back in her bed. She did make some humorous statements today about God. She said she told God she wasn't ready to go yet and for him to tell Jesus. She then said that Dad never looks happy when she sees him. I said maybe he's not finished with her mansion yet and she said, she just hopes he finishes her chair. Whatever that means!

Oh yeah! The one pill I keep forgetting they added to her list yesterday was....vitamin C!
Something about her pressure sore on her bum!

Did you see the eclipse tonight? That was pretty cool!!!!

Eddie and I are looking forward to our new adventure with "da mudder."

Anybody out there want to g-ma sit April 16th - 23rd? Yes, we have an invite to go somewhere, but we probably won't go...because of "da mudder" That will also be about 6 weeks into her return home and we'll probably need a break!

Anyway...if any of you have any bright ideas about giving us breaks in the next few months whether it's in April or for that long , please let us know!!!

Well, that was all pretty random!!
Dee

Evening Health Update

She was very bright eyed and bushy tailed after dialysis, and yet she was very tired as well. She said she didn't sleep at dialysis. She has been lately. She said there was hardly anyone there. She was right.

She had dinner shortly after she arrived back to RHSNC. She ate a good portion of it. Her weight when she got to dialysis was 70.9 kg. That's back to around where Dr. Lange wants her. He wants her at 69 kg. The charge nurse came in to give mom a pill and a glass of protein stuff and she told us of the new meds that have been prescribed. They're concerned about her pressure sore on her bottom and I forgot what else. So I don't even remember what new pill they're giving her, but they are going to be giving her a new drink like boost to beef up her calories. It's one that's okay for renal patients.

I will know more tomorrow. They'll send a list of meds with her to Dr. Staples, so hopefully I'll remember what they have her on.

She was very coherent today. When she starts dozing after dinner she was talking in her sleep. She was talking about her dolls again. She caught herself a few times before she said something cuckoo!

So...until tomorrow!

Dee

Morning Health Update

I got to RHSNC and Mom was in Occupational Therapy. She was lifting her pole and then she got to go over to the pulley over the door and stretch her arm and back muscles and then she got to peddle with her hands for cardio!!! She's doing very well. Stephen, her PT, said today was her best performance to date with a WALKER!!! So....I will not be surprised if she's home by Friday.

Her Doctor appointment is tomorrow and Dr. Staples wasn't real thrilled with sending her to RHSNC, (she wanted to send her home on Hospice!) I'm sure when Mom says she wants to go home, she'll sign her out. I'm hoping that means she won't be home that night, because we don't have a hospital bed for her yet. I'm pretty sure RHSNC will work that all out...that's why I'm thinking she'll be home by Friday or maybe Thursday.

Her charge nurse, Fernando, came in today to give us her sack lunch for dialysis and chatted for awhile. He asked why she was still there, because she's doing better. So, if PT and OT says she's doing good and her charge nurse doesn't know why she's there....I'm guessing she's coming home!

So....there you have it!!!

Dee

Evening Health Update

She was doing really well tonight. She asked what she had to do tomorrow and I told her she had to do her physical and occupational therapy and then she got to go to dialysis. She asked, "What if I don't want to?" I asked, "What if you don't want to do dialysis?" She said, "Yes." I told her, "You'll go home on hospice and you'll pass away in one to three weeks." So, she's going to dialysis tomorrow. She asks constantly, "When do I get to go home?" or "Where am I sleeping tonight?" She did well with conversations today. It always makes visits more interesting when she does more than sleep and ask goofy things. Before the night was over she did ask why there was a pig in the family pictures....and then Pinnochio....and then a cow's ear. So...go figure!

I do believe she will be home very soon. The therapists think she's doing well and she wants to get out of there. She's supposed to have a dr's. appointment on Wednesday. Dr. Staples will sign her out in a heartbeat!!! She seriously could be home before the week is over!!!!

She made the comment tonight, that now that she's understanding more about what happened to her, the comments that people are making at dialysis to her are making more sense. Jasmine hasn't called her a trouble-maker lately. Jasmine's the tech that found her unresponsive and brought her back. She actually talked about people at dialysis and usually we mention people by name and she looks at us like she doesn't know who we're talking about. We talked about Fred who usually puts her on and she knew who he was. Maybe the fog is lifting? Some things are starting to stick in her mind. That's a good thing. It's okay if we have to remind her too.

Hope you like the blog!

Dee

Afternoon Health Update

I got to the RHSNC today and G-ma Grumpy had her shoes and socks on and said she was waiting for "him" to come back and get her ready to go to therapy. "Him" turned out to be Stephen, her PT. He came back and started helping her get her PJ bottoms on and then got paged, so I helped her get dressed and she did really good on her own!!!! They went off to therapy, so I came home for awhile. I went back and she was sitting in her wheelchair eating lunch and watching The People's Court. She actually does watch that sometime, so that was a good thing. She got a phone call from Peggy while she was eating and I told her she needed to answer it. After lunch she signed some birthday cards for upcoming birthdays. She said she still had to do occupational therapy. I told her they were supposed to be having a President's Day party somewhere in the building. She said she wanted to go to it. So I pushed her down to the occupational therapy room. It looked like they were having a meeting in there so we kept going and went to the Activity room. No one was there so we went to the front lobby and it's such a pretty day I took her outside. She liked the pretty pansies in the front flower bed. I took her to the one side of the place and then we went through the parking lot and would go between cars every now and then so she could see the river. There's not much water in it, but there was a guy on horseback!!! She could see the park in the "Gardens." She said that was where she learned to play tetherball. We went back to the front door after cruising the entire parking lot. She said she heard a frog, so we had to look for it. No frog! We went back in and a therapist was looking for her, so I let her go have her occupational therapy. She told me early she gets to put large plastic screws in round holes for therapy!!! When the therapist found us, he said he heard she was doing very well with all her therapy. So...we will see when she gets to come home!!!! She says she's ready today!!!

Mom's Dialysis Lab Report for February 2008

Test: BUN (Protein) Jan: 40 Feb: 53 Take 2 protein drinks a day

Albumin (Protein & Calories) Acceptable is 4.0 or higher
Jan: 3.2 Feb: 3.1 Take 2 protein drinks a day

Potassium Acceptable: 3.5 - 6.0
Jan: 5.0 Feb: 5.0 Perfect

Phosphorus Acceptable: 3.5 - 5.5
Jan: 6.5 Feb: 6.7 Take 2 Phosphorus binders at meals

Fluid Remove 3 kg or less per treatment
Jan: 2.2 - 5.2 Feb: 0.7-5.6 Limit fluids to 4 cups per day

URR Urea reduction ratio. How well your dialysis treatments are working. Acceptable over 65%
Jan: 73% Feb: 64%

G-ma Grumpy's Adventure to the L.A. Arboretum

On Sept. 24, 2007, we took G-ma Grumpy to the L.A. Arboretum in Arcadia. I had never been there. It was fall and so it would probably be a more exciting adventure in the spring or summer when things are blooming. I did finally get to see the house from the beginning of Fantasy Island. "The plane! The plane!" It's a cool looking house. It was an "abenture" as Eddie says.

A brief summary of how she got to RHSNC!

On January 24, 2008, G-ma Grumpy was found "unresponsive" at dialysis. They started CPR and called 911.

She was transported to Beveryl Hospital where she flat lined again and they put her on a ventilator, but was only on it for a day and a half. She was eventually moved to a regular room and on January 31st was sent to Rio Hondo Subacute Nursing Center for rehabilitation.

She has physical and occupational therapy 6 days a week and is transported to Montebello Dialysis Center three days a week for her dialysis treatment.

Our goal is to bring her home when she is stronger and more mobile.

Continuing problems will include short term memory loss and and mental confusion.

Mom's Creation

Here we are marching off to take G-ma Grumpy to the Rio Hondo Subacute Nursing Center.

You can tell by the look on her face....she's not very thrilled!!!

Update 2/17/08 P.M.

Well, tonight she was hilarious.

She told me that she had been to Hell House! There were drugs everywhere. After the first drug house, they went to a second drug house. And then when she got back to the rest home, someone had let in a dog and two cats that were running around her room.

I asked if she knew anyone at the "houses" she was at and she said, she didn't know their names, but she knew their faces! And she knew the dog and cats, but couldn't remember their names.

The nurse came and put her to bed after those stories and then she was still hilarious. Seth called and she talked to him and said something about him having a mentally ill grandma.

I should write everything down, cuz it's just funny.

She talked about the dolls again. Said they were coming off the wall. I asked if they were going to sleep with her again, (like she said last night,) she looked at me like I was crazy. She said no. I asked her what dolls they were and she said they were her dolls.

Then she said the dog was on the coffee table eating.

She tells some crazy stories when she's awake, but when her eyes start closing is when it gets really fun. That's when she waves, or points at things that aren't there or starts talking to no one or about strange things.

When we left she said, "I love you. I love both of you....but he's a problem!"

She thought her shoes were still on under the covers, but she was barefoot.

She also said, she didn't know how she went to all these places and that the "Home" was pretty dumb for not knowing she was gone all that time.

She had taken everything out of the drawers in her table and put them on top of the table, so I put them back.

She also said that we tell her crazy things so she thinks she's mentally ill.

All I can say is this is one crazy ride!!! We're holding on with seatbelts fastened!!!!

Have a good one!

Dee

G-ma Grumpy 4-27-2007

Grandma Grumpy

Well, I thought it might be easier for us all if I made a blog for Mom's/G-ma's health updates.

We'll see how it goes. Then instead of getting daily e-mails, you can check out her blog at your own leisure.

Let me know what you think.

Dee