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