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Partridgeberry of Sleet
Feb. 7th, 2019 10:02 pmI didn't have the wherewithal to post yesterday. I was tired out and just wanted to crash. Yesterday, it seemed Mother was very slowly on the mend. Although the PTs couldn't get her out of bed and into a chair as they had hoped--she couldn't follow directions and was too floppy--she seemed more alert and was eating and drinking. The doctors talked about moving her to a rehab facility, possibly today. We were happy, and when we finally left the hospital around 7 pm, we had dinner with Mr. and Ms. Science and felt hopeful.
Today, however, she seems to have had a bit of a setback. We arrived in time for doctors' rounds. The nurse said she'd had a "so-so" night, which I think meant not very good. She'd been awake several times, disoriented and uncomfortable. She tried to pull out all her IVs and lines. Eventually they had to give her a small dose of oxycodone. They've been trying to get her off all sedatives, hoping her mind will clear up. Her blood oxygen went down, and they had to put her back on oxygen via a cannula. Her hemoglobin went down to 6.7, and they had to give her a unit of packed red blood cells. They're also watching a few other things. So she's definitely still on ICU status for tomorrow. The case manager came around and said she'd reserve a place for her at the rehab on the campus where she currently lives, for Saturday. Right now, I am not feeling hopeful that she'll be able to move on Saturday.
She was still on oxygen today, although it was the lowest setting. The PTs did not try again to get her up. The nurses used a sling to transfer her into a chair, and she was able to sit there for the time they wanted, thanks to Mr. and Ms. Science who kept her awake and talking, and fed her some dinner. That was a step forward. However, the OTs have written on her whiteboard, "Needs assist at all meals." She is not able to feed herself. She can't use her right hand, and her left hand twitches and shakes. You can put a spoon into it, and it will stay there, but she will not have the motivation or ability to use it to scoop up food and put it in her mouth. She has to be fed, and it is a lengthy process. She loses interest rapidly, and then you have to wait awhile and introduce the idea of having another bite as a new idea. Otherwise she gets really cranky. This is going to be a serious problem if it can't be resolved. But that is a worry for the future.
She is still very disoriented, confused, and sleepy. She seems less alert than she was yesterday. It is still possible that this is the result of the anesthetic and she will get better over time. We can't really know what is going on. We try to help as best we can. Mr. and Ms. Science had to go home today because they have work issues to deal with. We are exhausted. You wouldn't think that sitting in a hospital doing almost nothing would be so tiring, but it is. Tonight we went to Deb's house and she gave us wonderful soup and accoutrements. We were bringing a loaf of bread, but as we were getting out of the car, it fell out of the Sparrowhawk's bag and tumbled into a puddle under the car. And just to make everything super wonderful, there was a big ice storm back home, and our house has been without power since 8:30 this morning. I suppose it is just as well we weren't there. We're in a comfortable hotel room instead. But it causes a lot of worry that is not needed right now.
Today, however, she seems to have had a bit of a setback. We arrived in time for doctors' rounds. The nurse said she'd had a "so-so" night, which I think meant not very good. She'd been awake several times, disoriented and uncomfortable. She tried to pull out all her IVs and lines. Eventually they had to give her a small dose of oxycodone. They've been trying to get her off all sedatives, hoping her mind will clear up. Her blood oxygen went down, and they had to put her back on oxygen via a cannula. Her hemoglobin went down to 6.7, and they had to give her a unit of packed red blood cells. They're also watching a few other things. So she's definitely still on ICU status for tomorrow. The case manager came around and said she'd reserve a place for her at the rehab on the campus where she currently lives, for Saturday. Right now, I am not feeling hopeful that she'll be able to move on Saturday.
She was still on oxygen today, although it was the lowest setting. The PTs did not try again to get her up. The nurses used a sling to transfer her into a chair, and she was able to sit there for the time they wanted, thanks to Mr. and Ms. Science who kept her awake and talking, and fed her some dinner. That was a step forward. However, the OTs have written on her whiteboard, "Needs assist at all meals." She is not able to feed herself. She can't use her right hand, and her left hand twitches and shakes. You can put a spoon into it, and it will stay there, but she will not have the motivation or ability to use it to scoop up food and put it in her mouth. She has to be fed, and it is a lengthy process. She loses interest rapidly, and then you have to wait awhile and introduce the idea of having another bite as a new idea. Otherwise she gets really cranky. This is going to be a serious problem if it can't be resolved. But that is a worry for the future.
She is still very disoriented, confused, and sleepy. She seems less alert than she was yesterday. It is still possible that this is the result of the anesthetic and she will get better over time. We can't really know what is going on. We try to help as best we can. Mr. and Ms. Science had to go home today because they have work issues to deal with. We are exhausted. You wouldn't think that sitting in a hospital doing almost nothing would be so tiring, but it is. Tonight we went to Deb's house and she gave us wonderful soup and accoutrements. We were bringing a loaf of bread, but as we were getting out of the car, it fell out of the Sparrowhawk's bag and tumbled into a puddle under the car. And just to make everything super wonderful, there was a big ice storm back home, and our house has been without power since 8:30 this morning. I suppose it is just as well we weren't there. We're in a comfortable hotel room instead. But it causes a lot of worry that is not needed right now.
