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).
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
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.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Baker's Dozen in Ensenada
First of all, this blog is not dead. How about we say it was on summer vacation? Not that life has slowed down, but we can hope for more frequent posts.
We were invited to spend the weekend in Ensenada, sharing a house in Las Gaviotas with some friends. There were 13 of us, so our group was dubbed the "Baker's Dozen".
We got to the house early Friday afternoon, Dan and I immediately claimed a bedroom on the 2nd floor with an ocean view. While waiting for everyone to arrive, we enjoyed the sunset from the 3rd floor patio:
We enjoyed dinner in Puerto Nuevo (lobster, of course) and on Saturday visited wineries in the Valle de Guadalupe. Having visited Napa and Sonoma, I was really surprised at how low-key everything was. The first place we visited, Tres Mujeres, we all barely fit into the small cellar that stores the wines. The bottles didn't even have labels, but if you bought a bottle the lady there signed it for you.
Our next stop was Monte Xanic, which we arrived at after several miles of bumpy dirt road. This winery has lots of potential, plenty of land and a shaded picnic area next to a small lake. We bought wines here, Grenache and Chenin Blanc. They make some very nice Cabernet Sauvignon as well.
Next we hit Next we hit L.A. Cetto, a place I've decided to call the V. Sattui of the Valle de Guadalupe. This place was busy, and just like V. Sattui you can buy snacks to go with the wine and enjoy it right outside in their picnic area. We didn't stay very long as we had one more stop to make right around the corner, a cute little place called Dona Lupe that sells all kinds of jams and honey. After that, it was back to our rental house for a great steak dinner. It was a wonderful weekend, thank you Rafa for putting it together!
We were invited to spend the weekend in Ensenada, sharing a house in Las Gaviotas with some friends. There were 13 of us, so our group was dubbed the "Baker's Dozen". We got to the house early Friday afternoon, Dan and I immediately claimed a bedroom on the 2nd floor with an ocean view. While waiting for everyone to arrive, we enjoyed the sunset from the 3rd floor patio:
We enjoyed dinner in Puerto Nuevo (lobster, of course) and on Saturday visited wineries in the Valle de Guadalupe. Having visited Napa and Sonoma, I was really surprised at how low-key everything was. The first place we visited, Tres Mujeres, we all barely fit into the small cellar that stores the wines. The bottles didn't even have labels, but if you bought a bottle the lady there signed it for you.
Our next stop was Monte Xanic, which we arrived at after several miles of bumpy dirt road. This winery has lots of potential, plenty of land and a shaded picnic area next to a small lake. We bought wines here, Grenache and Chenin Blanc. They make some very nice Cabernet Sauvignon as well.
Next we hit Next we hit L.A. Cetto, a place I've decided to call the V. Sattui of the Valle de Guadalupe. This place was busy, and just like V. Sattui you can buy snacks to go with the wine and enjoy it right outside in their picnic area. We didn't stay very long as we had one more stop to make right around the corner, a cute little place called Dona Lupe that sells all kinds of jams and honey. After that, it was back to our rental house for a great steak dinner. It was a wonderful weekend, thank you Rafa for putting it together!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
What a day!
Today was such a whirlwind that even when I think back on it I still get tired! Now that the memo's officially out, I'm happy to report here that I now have a job as a Youth Services Librarian! There was a Personnel "glitch" that delayed the announcement, but now that word's out it seems that everything is happening at once.
First of all, I was amazed at the amount of congratulatory emails I received. It's nice to know that people remember who I am!
Then, I met with my new boss. Things are a bit crazy right now, the location I'll be working at just closed for painting and recarpeting. The scheduled reopening date is in early June, and I do hope that will be the case, because I've booked Sparkles the Clown as my first Summer Reading Program Performer on June 18.
My poor boss, she's having a problem with her foot and can't move well, so hopefully she'll be able to use this down time to get better.
So, I spent most of the morning trying to book SRP events. I was mildly successful and hope to have everything done by next week. Speaking of next week, I start training this coming Tuesday. That means my last day at my current location is Monday. I think I'm going to need moving boxes...
First of all, I was amazed at the amount of congratulatory emails I received. It's nice to know that people remember who I am!
Then, I met with my new boss. Things are a bit crazy right now, the location I'll be working at just closed for painting and recarpeting. The scheduled reopening date is in early June, and I do hope that will be the case, because I've booked Sparkles the Clown as my first Summer Reading Program Performer on June 18.
My poor boss, she's having a problem with her foot and can't move well, so hopefully she'll be able to use this down time to get better.
So, I spent most of the morning trying to book SRP events. I was mildly successful and hope to have everything done by next week. Speaking of next week, I start training this coming Tuesday. That means my last day at my current location is Monday. I think I'm going to need moving boxes...
Friday, March 13, 2009
Hopefully another fine weekend
Wow, nearly a month since my last post! I'm sorry I've neglected my blog, but sometimes there's just way too much stuff going on. This semester is the hardest one I've had yet. The material is great though, and I like both of my professors. I do need to get caught up on the readings, which hopefully will happen as soon as I submit my context paper.
I've been knitting though, nearly every night (which would account for the reading to pile up). A FO to share:
Easy Ripple Baby Blanket
Yarn: Joann Sensations Rainbow Classic
Some people call this color "clown barf", but while I was knitting it I was reminded of snow-cones. That's why I'm calling this Vivian's Raspado Baby Blanket. My niece Vivian is expected to make her debut in a couple of months, but the baby shower is tomorrow. We're driving up to Oxnard for it, and then we have dinner reservations at
Cafe Firenze in Moorpark! For those of you who've never watched Top Chef, the chef at this restaurant very nearly made it into the finals this past season. The food looks amazing, I can't wait.
I've been knitting though, nearly every night (which would account for the reading to pile up). A FO to share:
Easy Ripple Baby Blanket
Yarn: Joann Sensations Rainbow Classic
Some people call this color "clown barf", but while I was knitting it I was reminded of snow-cones. That's why I'm calling this Vivian's Raspado Baby Blanket. My niece Vivian is expected to make her debut in a couple of months, but the baby shower is tomorrow. We're driving up to Oxnard for it, and then we have dinner reservations at
Cafe Firenze in Moorpark! For those of you who've never watched Top Chef, the chef at this restaurant very nearly made it into the finals this past season. The food looks amazing, I can't wait.
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