I honestly thought I'd have more time to blog. Dan has been home for about a week and a half now, and I've gone back to work, so we are trying to settle into what is going to be our usual schedule for at least a month. Dan is in Sharp's Community Re-Entry Program (CREP), Monday-Friday from 9-3. He gets 6 hours of various therapy. It's a whole new set of therapists, but I've met them all and like them all. Also, there are only about 6 or 7 other people in the group so it's a nice small group and he is never neglected. In fact, they even keep an eye on him in the afternoons until I get off work to pick him up.
Physically, Dan is doing great. I've only had to give him extra insulin one time, and that was because I couldn't refuse him a taco that Joanna had brought. Other than that, his BG is usually somewhere between 95-120 when we check before meals. I'd like to think it's because of what we've been eating; I could continue to be anal about the carbs.
Obviously the main concern is still the memory. Dan's short-term memory is horrible, although at times it seems that there is progress. While he still can't remember what happened yesterday, with some prompting it seems as if he remembers conversations from earlier in the day. He has a book where we write his activities during the day. I do hope we find that right memory aid soon.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Trying to prepare for what's in store
I know these next few days are going to fly by...there's still so much to be done at home to prepare for Dan's homecoming. While I was by no means the best at housekeeping, for the most part I've been able to maintain a decent level of cleanliness at home. The real culprit is all the clutter.
Unfortunately, Dan has always been something of a packrat. Nowhere near hoarder stage, but in going through some of the stuff I have no idea why he kept it. Oh of course, there were the piles of papers he would get to someday, but now it's just time to get rid of it. Our shredder has been working overtime and one recycle bin just isn't enough. We even got a little tag the last time it was picked up, saying it was too heavy, but they did take it. I'll just have to parcel it out a little more evenly, and make use of my parent's bin as well.
The problem areas are the hallway and our bedroom. At this point I have a feeling my desperation plan will be to shove everything into a spare bedroom in order to have clear pathways. I also have to order some mobility-aid equipment; let me tell you, we certainly take it for granted what healthy bodies are able to do on a regular basis.
Unfortunately, Dan has always been something of a packrat. Nowhere near hoarder stage, but in going through some of the stuff I have no idea why he kept it. Oh of course, there were the piles of papers he would get to someday, but now it's just time to get rid of it. Our shredder has been working overtime and one recycle bin just isn't enough. We even got a little tag the last time it was picked up, saying it was too heavy, but they did take it. I'll just have to parcel it out a little more evenly, and make use of my parent's bin as well.
The problem areas are the hallway and our bedroom. At this point I have a feeling my desperation plan will be to shove everything into a spare bedroom in order to have clear pathways. I also have to order some mobility-aid equipment; let me tell you, we certainly take it for granted what healthy bodies are able to do on a regular basis.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Home in 2 weeks?
Today I got a call from Dan's case manager, who told me that a discharge date has been set for 2 weeks from today. I must say it was a bit overwhelming, since I'd expected him to be in rehab for at least 6 weeks. Obviously he can't stay in rehab forever, but I guess I was thinking I'd have more time to get things ready at home. We have so much junk that needs to be cleared out, and I have to be careful about loading our recycling bin because we got a warning last time that it was too heavy.
As of now, he will need 24-hr supervision. Whether or not that changes in 2 weeks remains to be seen, although I think it's doubtful. Believe me, I'd love for him to prove me wrong. He still has memory problems, and at one point this evening when he asked me who I was, I was so shocked I didn't know what to say, at which point he reminded me that his head was damaged. Shame on me.
There's a chance that after discharge, Dan will be accepted into the rehab center's day program, where he'd continue getting 3 hours of therapy a day. But there's a couple of physiological hurdles he has to clear, so I'm hoping in these next 2 weeks the nurses will be focusing on that.
Dan had some company for OT today, they sat in while he worked with Play-Doh. For PT, he did some walking without the walker, and went outside to play basketball. He dribbled some and shot a few shots, only to go back inside because it was too hot. I'll give him a pass on that one, thank goodness we're not on the other side of the country where it's scorching.
As of now, he will need 24-hr supervision. Whether or not that changes in 2 weeks remains to be seen, although I think it's doubtful. Believe me, I'd love for him to prove me wrong. He still has memory problems, and at one point this evening when he asked me who I was, I was so shocked I didn't know what to say, at which point he reminded me that his head was damaged. Shame on me.
There's a chance that after discharge, Dan will be accepted into the rehab center's day program, where he'd continue getting 3 hours of therapy a day. But there's a couple of physiological hurdles he has to clear, so I'm hoping in these next 2 weeks the nurses will be focusing on that.
Dan had some company for OT today, they sat in while he worked with Play-Doh. For PT, he did some walking without the walker, and went outside to play basketball. He dribbled some and shot a few shots, only to go back inside because it was too hot. I'll give him a pass on that one, thank goodness we're not on the other side of the country where it's scorching.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
2-week progress report
Since I'm off on Mondays, I try to get to rehab as early as possible so that I can sit in on Dan's therapy sessions. He gets 3 hours a day (Speech, Occupational & Physical); sometimes he will have 2 half-hour sessions at different times of the day instead of one whole hour. And, the schedule changes daily, which I think is a good thing.
So yesterday, I missed his very early PT session. After lunch, he had speech, which I'm afraid to say I had to step out of because he was making me laugh so hard!
Before I continue with this story, let me say that Dan is currently thinking that he either is or was a cop.
Annie, the Speech Therapist, was working on describing scenes and asking Dan to tell her what kind of a scene she was talking about. She describes what I think is an office or bank:
Annie: So you walk into a room, and there is a desk with an office, and a man in a suit. Can you tell me where you are?
Dan: That depends on what kind of a suit.
Annie: Well, he's wearing a shirt and tie, and he has a dark suit on.
Dan: Does he have a gun?
Annie: Um, no.
Dan: Handcuffs?
At this point I am trying so hard not to laugh out loud, because I see where Dan is going with this. Poor Annie, I'm sure she had no idea what she was getting into when she got my husband for a patient.
In other progress news of the baby steps kind, Dan is spending more time in his chair than in bed, his transfers take only one person (and just as a spotter; I'm almost comfortable doing it myself), and he is feeding himself all of his meals even with the TV on (it used to be a distraction).
So yesterday, I missed his very early PT session. After lunch, he had speech, which I'm afraid to say I had to step out of because he was making me laugh so hard!
Before I continue with this story, let me say that Dan is currently thinking that he either is or was a cop.
Annie, the Speech Therapist, was working on describing scenes and asking Dan to tell her what kind of a scene she was talking about. She describes what I think is an office or bank:
Annie: So you walk into a room, and there is a desk with an office, and a man in a suit. Can you tell me where you are?
Dan: That depends on what kind of a suit.
Annie: Well, he's wearing a shirt and tie, and he has a dark suit on.
Dan: Does he have a gun?
Annie: Um, no.
Dan: Handcuffs?
At this point I am trying so hard not to laugh out loud, because I see where Dan is going with this. Poor Annie, I'm sure she had no idea what she was getting into when she got my husband for a patient.
In other progress news of the baby steps kind, Dan is spending more time in his chair than in bed, his transfers take only one person (and just as a spotter; I'm almost comfortable doing it myself), and he is feeding himself all of his meals even with the TV on (it used to be a distraction).
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Our New Journey, Part 3
Dan's second stay on 6 West lasted a little over a week. On July 27 he was discharged to the acute rehabilitation hospital, just down the street from the main hospital. He shares a room, but his roommate is very nice and a few days after Dan was admitted there, they changed their room to a bigger one that accomodates all of their equipment.
Dan gets 3 hours of therapy a day, Physical, Occupational and Speech, plus some Recreational therapy as well; today he is doing a gentle exercise class. At today's Patient/Family Conference, we met with his team of therapists who reported on his progress. The major consensus is that he is greatly improved in the week since he was admitted. He is on antibiotics right now for a couple of minor infections, but his blood sugars are steady and the issues with his heart rate and blood pressure are improving. His physical therapist has him walking around 25 feet, and he seems to not want the aid of his walker. Sometimes his right foot crosses his left foot path but that is improving. They will focus on balance and strengthening.
OT-wise, he is able to put on his clothes by himself, except for socks. Self-care is coming along nicely.
Speech therapy: much improved, their focus is on improving memory and attention. He does initiate many tasks but still needs cues to stay on task.
Dan gets 3 hours of therapy a day, Physical, Occupational and Speech, plus some Recreational therapy as well; today he is doing a gentle exercise class. At today's Patient/Family Conference, we met with his team of therapists who reported on his progress. The major consensus is that he is greatly improved in the week since he was admitted. He is on antibiotics right now for a couple of minor infections, but his blood sugars are steady and the issues with his heart rate and blood pressure are improving. His physical therapist has him walking around 25 feet, and he seems to not want the aid of his walker. Sometimes his right foot crosses his left foot path but that is improving. They will focus on balance and strengthening.
OT-wise, he is able to put on his clothes by himself, except for socks. Self-care is coming along nicely.
Speech therapy: much improved, their focus is on improving memory and attention. He does initiate many tasks but still needs cues to stay on task.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Our New Journey, Part 2
Things changed drastically for us on Saturday, June 26. Dan had been moved from Surgical ICU to the cardiac recovery floor the day before. A friend and his daughter were visiting; we were watching the U.S.A./Ghana World Cup game. Dan decided to go for a walk in the hallway; they advise post-op patients to get up and walking as soon as possible. He chatted with the Physician's Assistant (PA)in the hall and came back, sat down heavily, seemed out of breath. We put his canula back on him, but it did not seem to have any effect. Next thing I knew, our friend decided to push the call button for the nurse, and Dan was toppling over in his chair. Thank goodness our nurse was coming in the room at that moment, she took charge immediately and yelled for help. We were ushered out of the room just as I heard an announcement over the loudspeaker, "Code Blue, 6 West" (the location of our room).
We were taken to the lounge on that floor, and soon after a pastor came to see us. The first thing he said was that he was not bringing any bad news. After that, one of the nurses who had taken care of Dan prior to his surgery came to see us and reassured us that he had a pulse. After that, the PA came to see us, reassured us that he was much better than he was 7 minutes ago, and that they would be moving him back to Surgical ICU. Our friend volunteered to go and get our personal belongings out of the room, according to the PA, it looked "like a bomb went off in there."
So we were sent to the waiting room in the SICU; it must have been over an hour before we were allowed to see him. By that time, our son had arrived; also my brother, who was planning to visit anyway, had also shown up. I was extremely grateful to our friends for sticking with me until they showed.
Meanwhile, the docs were trying to figure out what caused Dan to collapse. From the way he was acting before his collapse, he appeared to be "ahead of the curve" (cardio-god's words) in terms of recovery, and there was talk of discharging him after the weekend. It seemed like every kind of specialist was being consulted; I remember a pulmonologist doing a bronchoscopy, because they suspected there might be a big mucus plug in his lungs. It turned out there was no big plug but they did suction some out. Later, we found out that Dan had a big pleural efflusion; in addition, he was suffering from sepsis. Dan's second stay in SICU lasted until July 18.
We were taken to the lounge on that floor, and soon after a pastor came to see us. The first thing he said was that he was not bringing any bad news. After that, one of the nurses who had taken care of Dan prior to his surgery came to see us and reassured us that he had a pulse. After that, the PA came to see us, reassured us that he was much better than he was 7 minutes ago, and that they would be moving him back to Surgical ICU. Our friend volunteered to go and get our personal belongings out of the room, according to the PA, it looked "like a bomb went off in there."
So we were sent to the waiting room in the SICU; it must have been over an hour before we were allowed to see him. By that time, our son had arrived; also my brother, who was planning to visit anyway, had also shown up. I was extremely grateful to our friends for sticking with me until they showed.
Meanwhile, the docs were trying to figure out what caused Dan to collapse. From the way he was acting before his collapse, he appeared to be "ahead of the curve" (cardio-god's words) in terms of recovery, and there was talk of discharging him after the weekend. It seemed like every kind of specialist was being consulted; I remember a pulmonologist doing a bronchoscopy, because they suspected there might be a big mucus plug in his lungs. It turned out there was no big plug but they did suction some out. Later, we found out that Dan had a big pleural efflusion; in addition, he was suffering from sepsis. Dan's second stay in SICU lasted until July 18.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Our New Journey, part 1
A month and a half ago, my DH finally decided to see a doctor for the nagging cough he'd had for several months, compounded with the fact that he was having problems breathing after climbing the stairs at work. He's one that never goes to the doctor, and as such when he called the doctor's number on his insurance card, he learned that said doctor doesn't take his insurance.
We ended up at Urgent Care, where after looking at his EKG recommended that we go immediately to the Emergency Room. We even had to sign a waiver since we would be driving ourselves instead of waiting for an ambulance to take him. Lucky for us, it was a slow night at the ER and the Urgent Care had called ahead telling them to expect us, so we were seen right away. The ER doc did an ultrasound of DH's chest, revealing an enlarged heart; plus he had an elevated level of an enzyme that is secreted when one is having a heart attack or some sort of infection that affects the heart. DH was admitted into the hospital that night.
We have a friend that works at the hospital we went to; she was working that night and when she saw us, that pretty much blew the plans for our camping trip that weekend.
A cardiac catheterization revealed that DH had several blockages in his heart, and the best long term solution would be bypass surgery. In addition, his blood sugar was very high, and given the history of diabetes in his family, most likely he was diabetic. Surgery was scheduled and we were sent home with about 10 different prescriptions.
We returned to the hospital on June 23. The surgery began at about 7:30 am and didn't finish until around 3:00. According to his surgeon (total cardio-god, BTW) it took about 3 hours longer than usual. He did 5 grafts and also repaired his mitral valve.
Before I go any further, let me say that Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego is an excellent, excellent facility. They have a comfortable lounge area for families during surgery, plus you are constantly being updated on your loved one's status and condition.
DH was moved into the Surgical ICU around 4:45. Prior to this, my only experience with ICU was when I went to visit my mom after she had an operation to alleviate an aneurysm. It was a very brief visit and that ICU was very open. This ICU, DH had his own room and his nurse was extremely attentive, checking his monitors every few minutes, administering medications, etc. She explained to me that they would be letting DH sleep through the night since his surgery took so long.
DH began to show signs of waking up the next morning; he began to respond to the nurse's commands to squeeze her hand. Once he was more conscious the nurse told him that I was there and did he want to see me, he nodded and as soon as I got to him he squeezed my hand, a very reassuring squeeze. His Respiratory Therapist extubated him soon after, and we were well on the road to recovery. Little did we know that things would change very suddenly, and not for the better.
We ended up at Urgent Care, where after looking at his EKG recommended that we go immediately to the Emergency Room. We even had to sign a waiver since we would be driving ourselves instead of waiting for an ambulance to take him. Lucky for us, it was a slow night at the ER and the Urgent Care had called ahead telling them to expect us, so we were seen right away. The ER doc did an ultrasound of DH's chest, revealing an enlarged heart; plus he had an elevated level of an enzyme that is secreted when one is having a heart attack or some sort of infection that affects the heart. DH was admitted into the hospital that night.
We have a friend that works at the hospital we went to; she was working that night and when she saw us, that pretty much blew the plans for our camping trip that weekend.
A cardiac catheterization revealed that DH had several blockages in his heart, and the best long term solution would be bypass surgery. In addition, his blood sugar was very high, and given the history of diabetes in his family, most likely he was diabetic. Surgery was scheduled and we were sent home with about 10 different prescriptions.
We returned to the hospital on June 23. The surgery began at about 7:30 am and didn't finish until around 3:00. According to his surgeon (total cardio-god, BTW) it took about 3 hours longer than usual. He did 5 grafts and also repaired his mitral valve.
Before I go any further, let me say that Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego is an excellent, excellent facility. They have a comfortable lounge area for families during surgery, plus you are constantly being updated on your loved one's status and condition.
DH was moved into the Surgical ICU around 4:45. Prior to this, my only experience with ICU was when I went to visit my mom after she had an operation to alleviate an aneurysm. It was a very brief visit and that ICU was very open. This ICU, DH had his own room and his nurse was extremely attentive, checking his monitors every few minutes, administering medications, etc. She explained to me that they would be letting DH sleep through the night since his surgery took so long.
DH began to show signs of waking up the next morning; he began to respond to the nurse's commands to squeeze her hand. Once he was more conscious the nurse told him that I was there and did he want to see me, he nodded and as soon as I got to him he squeezed my hand, a very reassuring squeeze. His Respiratory Therapist extubated him soon after, and we were well on the road to recovery. Little did we know that things would change very suddenly, and not for the better.
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