Thursday, May 19, 2011
Going Home...
It has been a while since we have updated here, but Mom is doing extremely well and is going home tomorrow. She has been in a Rehab facility since the night of May 9th and has done so well with her walking that they are sending her home. We have arranged for live-in caregivers for the next few weeks and as she continues to get stronger and do better, we will re-evaluate. She is looking forward to being at home and hopes to have lots of visitors and phone calls.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Day 5...
Today was a very good day! Grandma is feeling much better! Physical Therapy starts tomorrow. Aunt Donna bought her a cute winchime at the farmer's market downstairs and she just loves it! Thank you all for your continued support and prayers! We are all exhausted and ready for some rest.
Day 4...
Today they told us that her hemoglobin level was low so they are giving her 3 pints of blood! She was complaining of pain in her leg, vaginal area and shoulder. When we got there she said "If I die.... PAY MY BILLS!" The nurse came in and told her “you need to keep your eyes open and focus on us. You are not going to die today so get rid of the negative thoughts!” Donna looked at me and said “NO BILLS WILL BE PAID TODAY!” LOL
At noon the put in a pik line so that they could give her the blood through it and they can do all blood tests there as well.
Slowly throughout the day she got her color back, she was alert and able to hold a conversation and even worried about how much this stay was going to cost her! (we know that means she is feeling better!) She was able to watch Dr. Phil with me and really enjoyed that.
Last night she ate very well at dinner! It is a good thing she was not able to see what the food looked like because I know it was not appetizing! It feels good to have a good day under our belt and we hope that she continues to progress in this fashion!
Thank you for all of your prayers! If you would like to come by and visit she loves visitors, however we are going to try to maintain a calm environment so please call one of us first.
Now that I am up to date we will all be checking in frequently to keep you posted.
Much Love
Kristi
Day 3...
Today I went to work in the morning. Mom and Aunt Donna went to the hospital fairly early.
The Physical Therapists cam in at noon, it was extremely painful for her. Their goal was to have her up on her feet but to no avail. It was far too much on her to even just sit up. A little while later she was complaining of pain in her chest. The nurse said it could be heart burn but we will check with Dr. Ambe when he visits. At 2:15 she seemed delusional and confused. By 3:15 Dr. Ambe arrived, he was quite concerned about her chest pain and immediatly ordered tests and blood work. We are strating to get really concerned, they just did a blood draw to check her enzymes (heart attack related).
At 5:30 Dr. Ambe came in and told us that there was definately a lot of stress on her heart. They are going to do more blood work and move her to the DOU. She has become more delusional as time has progressed and is having a difficult time seeing even with her contact in.
At 8:40 she had an elctrocardiogram done, she was very scared, she cried and thanked us for everything, she does not want to die.
This was a difficult evening for us all. Donna shared her thoughts and feelings her is a quote from her..
The Physical Therapists cam in at noon, it was extremely painful for her. Their goal was to have her up on her feet but to no avail. It was far too much on her to even just sit up. A little while later she was complaining of pain in her chest. The nurse said it could be heart burn but we will check with Dr. Ambe when he visits. At 2:15 she seemed delusional and confused. By 3:15 Dr. Ambe arrived, he was quite concerned about her chest pain and immediatly ordered tests and blood work. We are strating to get really concerned, they just did a blood draw to check her enzymes (heart attack related).
At 5:30 Dr. Ambe came in and told us that there was definately a lot of stress on her heart. They are going to do more blood work and move her to the DOU. She has become more delusional as time has progressed and is having a difficult time seeing even with her contact in.
At 8:40 she had an elctrocardiogram done, she was very scared, she cried and thanked us for everything, she does not want to die.
This was a difficult evening for us all. Donna shared her thoughts and feelings her is a quote from her..
"At what point is enough enough , she has been through so much and I know she is not ready to die but her heart is weak and is working hard, how much more can she take and when do we tell her its ok to go. She was delusional again they say it was the medication, surgery, her age. I don’t want us to be selfish because we are not ready. Her eyes look empty and lost. It breaks my heart to see her that way and to see her suffer. I don’t see her getting stronger. I love her so much its ok mom."
Day 2... Surgery Day
Today Grandma had her hip replacement surgery. When we arrived at the hospital at 7:30 the Orthopedic Surgeon had already been in to see her. He had marked the surgical site and the nurse told us we would be able to talk to the anesthesiologist when we went to preop. They were very nice and explained the procedure and the 2 options we had (spinal or general) We went with the general anesthesia so that grandma would be more comfortable in surgery. Within 3 hours she was done and back to her room.
That afternoon their goal was to manage her pain, she was a bit confused which was to be expected but vitals were good and everyone seemed positive about her progress.
Aunt Donna stayed at the hospital while Mom, Andy and I went bowling.
That afternoon their goal was to manage her pain, she was a bit confused which was to be expected but vitals were good and everyone seemed positive about her progress.
Aunt Donna stayed at the hospital while Mom, Andy and I went bowling.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Day 1...
On Monday May 2, 2011 I was going about my normal routine which included stopping by Grandma's to put her contact in. As I got in the car to leave I looked in the rear view mirror and noticed I didn't like my hair. I went back into the house fussed with it a bit and tried on 3-4 different hats before I finally decided to just deal with it and off I went... Nothing out of the ordinary... As I approached Grandma's house I called her to let her know I was on my way. Usually I wake her up but this morning was unusual, the phone went to the answering machine I didn't think too much about it until I pulled on to her street. That was when I saw my absolute worst fear, Grandma laying helpless on the garage floor. Luckily she had only been there a few minutes and she was very coherent. After getting help from some workers down the street they put her in a chair and I let her calm down before making any rash decisions. She was bleeding from her left arm and her right leg. Then she started complaining that her left leg hurt. She tried to convince me that she was ok to walk inside. I let her try to get up with her walker but she quickly learned it was not going to happen.
I called 911 and while they were in route I prepped Mom and Aunt Donna about her condition. The paramedics arrived and boy we were they cute! They were so gentle and kind with Grandma I was really impressed. I talked to Joyce since she was supposed to take Grandma to an appointment and let her know what was going on. Once we arrived at the hospital they immediately did Xray's and determined that she had indeed broken her hip. The doctor informed me that they were going to need to transfer her to Irvine where they had the Orthopedic Specialties. Now that I had a diagnosis it was time to call mom and Aunt Donna to let them know they needed to get here. That was a very difficult call to make, here my mom and dad are up north taking care of my Grandpa and I am suppose to be taking care of Grandma. Now look what happens! They were able to coordinate their flights to arrive at John Wayne within a half hour of each other. Meanwhile Joyce and Becky came to the Lakeview ER to wait with me! What a blessing that was. I don't know how I would have gotten through that without them.
At 3:00 we were finally on our way to Irvine. The ambulance took her and got her all set up in her room. When I got there she seemed very lethargic and a bit delusional. (from the pain meds I think) I fed her dinner and stayed until Andy came so that I could go pick up the girls from the airport.
At 8:00 Donna arrived and Mom followed at 8:30. It was so comforting to have them home and to know we were no longer fighting this alone! Grandma was very happy to see both of them that evening. Before we left we were informed that surgery was scheduled for 9am. I talked to the Ortho on the phone and she explained the surgery and what was involved. She was going to have Hemiarthroplasty what that means is that she broke the stem and ball and that they will be replacing just that portion. There are risks involved however without the surgery she would never walk again. So surgery it is! Bright and Early!!
Each day I am going to write seperatly so bare with me.
I will leave you with a cute picture... Can't wait to have margaritas with her again soon!!!!
I Love you Grandma!
Kristi
I called 911 and while they were in route I prepped Mom and Aunt Donna about her condition. The paramedics arrived and boy we were they cute! They were so gentle and kind with Grandma I was really impressed. I talked to Joyce since she was supposed to take Grandma to an appointment and let her know what was going on. Once we arrived at the hospital they immediately did Xray's and determined that she had indeed broken her hip. The doctor informed me that they were going to need to transfer her to Irvine where they had the Orthopedic Specialties. Now that I had a diagnosis it was time to call mom and Aunt Donna to let them know they needed to get here. That was a very difficult call to make, here my mom and dad are up north taking care of my Grandpa and I am suppose to be taking care of Grandma. Now look what happens! They were able to coordinate their flights to arrive at John Wayne within a half hour of each other. Meanwhile Joyce and Becky came to the Lakeview ER to wait with me! What a blessing that was. I don't know how I would have gotten through that without them.
At 3:00 we were finally on our way to Irvine. The ambulance took her and got her all set up in her room. When I got there she seemed very lethargic and a bit delusional. (from the pain meds I think) I fed her dinner and stayed until Andy came so that I could go pick up the girls from the airport.
At 8:00 Donna arrived and Mom followed at 8:30. It was so comforting to have them home and to know we were no longer fighting this alone! Grandma was very happy to see both of them that evening. Before we left we were informed that surgery was scheduled for 9am. I talked to the Ortho on the phone and she explained the surgery and what was involved. She was going to have Hemiarthroplasty what that means is that she broke the stem and ball and that they will be replacing just that portion. There are risks involved however without the surgery she would never walk again. So surgery it is! Bright and Early!!
Each day I am going to write seperatly so bare with me.
I will leave you with a cute picture... Can't wait to have margaritas with her again soon!!!!
I Love you Grandma!
Kristi
Family and Friends
I have designed this blog to help keep everyone updated with the status of my Grandma. As we have information we will be updating. We would love for you to leave well wishes and comments for grandma. We will read them to her so that she can have some communication to all of you.
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