Friday, July 31, 2009
Mom, 'n stuff
Mother is doing well. Her spirits are up, but anxious for something to happen. She is supposed to be assessed to determine her needs, so she can go on an extended care list. Hasn't happened yet. Time to start with the badgering the powers that be. In the meantime she is getting more mobile. She has lost the fear of putting weight on her foot, and she can get herself out of bed and on to her walker, maneuver to the wheel chair and sit down. She is not to do it by herself, yet, she still needs an assistant to standby, but tremendous progress.
Joy and Dorothy came over from Vancouver to see her, Wed. and Thurs, past. They were quite pleased to see her state of mind and body. They wheeled her around the hospital and played cribbage with her, something I had been doing myself. She still plays a good game. She is back on solid food, and still complaining about the food, which is in itself a good sign.
In any event she is still taking up a surgical ward bed and if (and when) they get around to the needs assessment she will move to the extended care wing awaiting a nursing home placement.
We were at Rob and Sue for a delicious bbq'ed steak last night, mmmm it was gooood. Along with Carolyn's famous pasta salad, it was great. And today we went with Suzanne and John to the Wardroom for lunch. That was a first and by accident. They invited us to go the the Chiefs and Petty Officers Mess for lunch (they are members) and it turned out the galley is closed for the summer for reno's. They directed us to the Wardroom, a place that I was more familiar with than they. Quite enjoyable. The rest of my time, apart from visiting Mom is golf, gym, and surviving the heat wave. It's been in or near the 90's for the past couple of weeks.
Time to go see Mom.
Ciao.
Friday, July 24, 2009
More on Mom
It was decided by the social worker and myself that a meeting wasn't required as everyone, including Mom, were on the same page. Mom is going to a extended care home, eventually. What will happen, next week, is a medical needs assessment, after which they can determine what homes can handle her needs. The first of those homes that have a bed she will get, or at least eventually. There are a few others in the hospital also waiting. The wait is 2 - 12 weeks, She must take the offered placement and she must remain there two months, after which she can ask to be moved to her preferred location, if she still wants to. The waiting time for that is completely dependent on her choice and could be up to a year.
She has accepted the prospect of a nursing home and is in fact relieved about it all. She was worried about going back to the Cridge and not getting the assistance, when she would need it. As a result she has been in pretty good spirits. The heavy drugs are gone and that is helping her spirits too. Mentally she is back to her normal jolly self.
Catherine is visiting this weekend and arrived last night, a bit too late to see Mom yesterday, but she will visit Mom tonight with Lyn while we go out to Merkleys for dinner.
Now you are up to date.
Ciao.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Progress Report & Happy Birthday Saul
Although Mom has been progressing she isn't progressing well enough to go to Rehab, and it is unlikely she will get back to her suite in the Cridge Centre. There will be a staff/family meeting next week to discuss this. She has an over riding fear of putting much weight on her leg, she is afraid of breaking it again, even with two nurses supporting her. She also has a fear of going back to the Cridge, which, even though they have a lot of services, they don't have the help she thinks she needs, and she is probably right. When the physiotherapist said it is unlikely she would go back to the Cridge and that she would probably be going to a nursing home, she took that as definitive. When we saw her that day her spirits were up, she was happy, it was like a load was lifted off her shoulders. She is ready for the nursing home. It was obvious to everyone she has accepted that.
So that is what will probably happen in due course. The meeting next week will give us the details to progress in that direction.
She is eating better, though cautiously. She is fed pureed food, as they don't want a recurrence of the blockage. Neither does she. Of course the food in the hospital is not great at the best of times, and pureed, yuck. We are making her banana smoothies, and puddings to take in to help out. She will graduate to solids, eventually, when she can sit up more regularly and more often.
I took the motorhome out for a run Triangle RV to see if how much it would cost to move a few gas lines, so we could recover some storage space. The $650.00 estimate put short shrift to that idea.
It is Saul's birthday today, that is Rachel's boy friend, so we are gathering at the Canoe Brewpub this evening to celebrate that with his Mom and Dad who are in from New Zealand. They are staying for 2 months and we loaned them our old Sunfire. This weekend they fly to Anchorage Alaska and with friends renting a motorhome to travel to Juno. Then they are taking a Ferry to Seattle, where their friends live, and stay there a couple of days and back to Victoria. That will take a couple of weeks. Their plans after that are sketchy right now. Nice couple, we look forward to seeing them again tonight.
Well that's about it for now.
Ciao!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
The Latest
Mom has been feeling much better since the blockage was removed. However, she felt poorly yesterday, after not sleeping well. I'm afraid that is the way it will be (good days, mixed with not so good days) until they decide if she is able to go to rehab. Hopefully she will respond and then rehab will be the next hurdle. Otherwise it may be nursing home time.
Ann Eng tagged along to visit Mom last night. That was a change of pace for Mom and it was nice of Ann to come and see her.
Carolyn, is still in reno mode, the living room carpet looks great, and we have had many compliments on that. Now she is get the materials to do the Master bedroom and the ensuite bathroom. Now to find the time with all else going on, to do it.
Chelsea blogged, see her link on the right.
TTFN & Peace
Friday, July 10, 2009
Mother is progressing
Mom's progress has been slow, and for a couple of days she was having trouble keeping food and or liquids down. She was complaining of a pain in the central chest and she was spitting up frequently. They were thinking heart pain, and giving her stuff for that. Unfortunately she was spitting up small amount into Kleenex and throwing it away. In fact nothing was getting down and, she wasn't telling them. This included her pills that she would take which afterward would come up gradually, and she still, apparently, didn't say anything. I asked her why she didin't tell them and she responded "they should know". Finally I talked to our family doctor and the nurses and they got a specialist to scope her throat and they found a bolus of food. She was literally blocked up. They irrigated that away, and now she looks and feels fine. Food and pills are going in and staying in the pain is gone. Thankfully there is liquid plumber.
She'll have to sit more erect when eating, which, now that the leg has improved, will be easier.
"We are healed of a suffering only by expressing it to the full." Marcel Proust.
"The problem with communication ... is the illusion that it has been accomplished." George B. Shaw.
TTFN, Peace.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Mom's Recovery
is going slow but progress is being made. She will be in her current ward until she is well enough to go to rehab. There, like last year, she will gradually get to do things for herself, and if, and when she is ready she will go back to the Cridge.
Currently she fades back and forth between reality and fantasy. She knows she is in a hospital, but then will talk like she is in the Cridge center. or she will talk of a wedding that took place and the nurses were too busy to feed them until 8 at night. Today a band was supposed to come but never showed up. This delirium is apparently common at this age after this kind of operation, especially with the pain meds and the fact that her sugar is high and they are trying to get it down. She isn't sleeping to well either. There is also evidence that she suffered some heart damage, maybe a small heart attack during the operation. They don't know for sure but the enzyme markers in her blood tests indicate that this may of happened. They have gotten her up for a couple of hours in a wheelchair and they get her up to go to the bathroom. She is complaining about the care, she feels they don't know how to get her up without it hurting. So it will take time but, hopefully, she will come around soon.
We had the cruise group for a brunch today, Chef Carolyn outdid herself with a baked egg and mushroom dish and an Apple/Bacon pancake, along with sausages, ham, various muffins, scones and croissants, not to mention the sparkling wine and orange juice. Very yummy and well received.
TTFN, Peace.
