I have often wondered about how my judgement will go down when it is my turn to stand before God. I know my salvation is assured but what about other areas of my life? Will I be able to hold my head up and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I did all that I could do for others? Will I honestly be able to say that I treated others with the same respect that I would like directed towards me? Will I be commended for showing kindness or will I be shown where I have fallen short? In all honesty, I expect I'll see more of where I fell short than where I showed kindness.
I also wonder if I'll finally have the questions I've had answered. I imagine that I'll "know" everything I've been searching for the meanings to in an instant. Knowledge, joy, sadness, and shame will probably flash through my mind in the twinkling of an eye. I hope that I have more knowledge and joy than sadness and shame. All I can continue to do in this life is work towards that goal.
There have been many times I've wondered if my life has made any kind of impact on anyone else. Would I have been missed if I hadn't been here and been "me" in the sense of who I am now? Would the people I've come into contact with throughout the years miss the influence that I've had on theirs lives? Would they even recognize if I've had any influence on their lives? Have I even had any positive influence in their lives? Maybe, maybe not? What about negative impact? Sadly, this may also be something that I will have to answer for. I pray that the positives will greatly outweigh the negatives.
I'm not morbid and I'm not in a depressed state of mind, but I sometimes can't help but wonder if the world would have been better off if I had not existed. I nearly died as an infant from a very high temperature. How would the world have been different if I had? At times, there is almost a version of "It's a Wonderful Life" that flashes through my head. Of course, I don't even begin to think that any of the lives I've touched would have had the same type of impact on the world if I had not been here, but I still find myself wondering about it. What if I had made different choices with my life?
I often think I have let God down, and therefore let myself down, in many areas. I don't want to be the person who hid the "talents" that God gave me and didn't put them to the best use that I could have. I'm sure that I have done this. Things that I wanted to do, and either let others talk me out of or chickened out of, include: going away to college my freshman year, moving to Arizona to go to the university my sophomore year, traveling to Europe with my great-aunt as her companion, and joining the military. Each of those decisions were the direct result of (mostly negative) influence from someone else - and in turn, caused other decisions that were totally opposite of these. What if I had stood my ground in any of these choices and had the courage to face the challenge each presented? What kind of person would I have become instead of the person I am today? Would it have been an improvement or made me less of who I am? Of course, it's impossible to tell but I believe that when I stand before God that I will find the answers.
But, will I like them?
Monday, July 28, 2008
Home and doing well - except for that darn foot!
The pacemaker seems to be something that Ron's body needed. He's had more energy, better color, and a better appetite since coming home. Yesterday he said he was hungry all day and grazed in the kitchen. LOL - he's gained about eight pounds since last Thursday (and it's only Monday) and he is sure it's not from fluid retention. I told him that his grazing days are over and he had to be on more of a schedule for meals and snacks - not an all day gorge-a-thon.
We went back to see Dr. Heady today and he was disappointed in the foot. There was a dead patch where new skin had been just two short weeks ago. Very disappointing for us all to see that we've gone backwards instead of ahead. The good news is the deep tunnel seems to have closed in so we're hoping that this new problem is more surface than anything. He did tell Ron that he may be headed back to the OR for more debridement if what he did in the office today doesn't help.
He did so much cutting on the foot today in the office (with no anesthesia - thank goodness Ron doesn't have any feeling in his foot) that he had to cauterize more than one place that would not quit bleeding. He bled profusely all over the place - the pad, the floor, through two different pressure bandages - before Dr. Heady decided he needed to cauterize it. Took two tries to get it all taken care of.
Wednesday we'll see Dr. Peterie. That will be the first time since he OK'd Ron having Vancomycin. We're going to have a conversation regarding that decision...
We ended up purchasing a new scooter for Ron today. It's quite a bit heavier and holds up to 300 pounds (instead of the 250 his current one holds). Ron's weight fluctuates a lot so the 250 weight limit was not good enough. Right now he's at 264. This scooter was $1990 (and they marked it down from $2225 because I was going to purchase online). It was less expensive online but local repair if it breaks down is worth the extra instead of having to send it off for repair. His other scooter and this one are both made by Pride. The first one has held up very well so hopefully this one will also. We're going to sell the first one to Ron's daughter for $500. That's a very good deal for her as the new ones of this model are $2100. We paid $1100 for it in 2006, so we're doing OK on it.
Insurance won't pay any on this since they paid on the first one. It's only one per lifetime unless extenuating circumstances warrant an additional purchase, and that's usually only after several years and the first one is no longer repairable.
We went back to see Dr. Heady today and he was disappointed in the foot. There was a dead patch where new skin had been just two short weeks ago. Very disappointing for us all to see that we've gone backwards instead of ahead. The good news is the deep tunnel seems to have closed in so we're hoping that this new problem is more surface than anything. He did tell Ron that he may be headed back to the OR for more debridement if what he did in the office today doesn't help.
He did so much cutting on the foot today in the office (with no anesthesia - thank goodness Ron doesn't have any feeling in his foot) that he had to cauterize more than one place that would not quit bleeding. He bled profusely all over the place - the pad, the floor, through two different pressure bandages - before Dr. Heady decided he needed to cauterize it. Took two tries to get it all taken care of.
Wednesday we'll see Dr. Peterie. That will be the first time since he OK'd Ron having Vancomycin. We're going to have a conversation regarding that decision...
We ended up purchasing a new scooter for Ron today. It's quite a bit heavier and holds up to 300 pounds (instead of the 250 his current one holds). Ron's weight fluctuates a lot so the 250 weight limit was not good enough. Right now he's at 264. This scooter was $1990 (and they marked it down from $2225 because I was going to purchase online). It was less expensive online but local repair if it breaks down is worth the extra instead of having to send it off for repair. His other scooter and this one are both made by Pride. The first one has held up very well so hopefully this one will also. We're going to sell the first one to Ron's daughter for $500. That's a very good deal for her as the new ones of this model are $2100. We paid $1100 for it in 2006, so we're doing OK on it.
Insurance won't pay any on this since they paid on the first one. It's only one per lifetime unless extenuating circumstances warrant an additional purchase, and that's usually only after several years and the first one is no longer repairable.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Ron is home
It has been a very long eight days but he’s home and, other than looking tired, he's actually looking better than he has in a long time. His kidney functions are back to 100%, he’s got good color in his face and legs, and his extremities are warm to the touch for the first time in months. He ended up with another heart “bleep” Wednesday night and it was good that he had the pacemaker. His nurse said that the monitor told the story of the 2nd degree AV block and the pacemaker then kicking it back into order.
It took all day for all of the doctors to parade through there. Every time we thought he was ready to go, they’d come back in and say another doctor wanted to check him out before he was discharged.
We did find out that we will be seeing the hematologist on an outpatient basis. Nothing major but he said Ron’s spleen is slightly enlarged and he wants to run some more blood tests on him. Not sure exactly what he’s looking for but I’m sure we’ll find out in due time. At least on August 1st our office co-pay goes down to $10 each visit.
Ron was able to sleep most of the night last night. I helped him up a couple of times and he's resting in his chair now. He says he's very tired and he knows the procedure took some energy out of him but I think that is just a normal side-effect of surgery so he should bounce back.
The home health nurse is on her way out to see him so I'll have her take a look at the incision and make sure that everything there is as it should be. I don't think he has a fever but she'll be able to let me know. His weight this morning was 254.6 and if it goes up two pounds in a day then we're to call the kidney doctor. I'm not sure what it was at the hospital but very close to that number. I will use our scales as the baseline to go from there.
It took all day for all of the doctors to parade through there. Every time we thought he was ready to go, they’d come back in and say another doctor wanted to check him out before he was discharged.
We did find out that we will be seeing the hematologist on an outpatient basis. Nothing major but he said Ron’s spleen is slightly enlarged and he wants to run some more blood tests on him. Not sure exactly what he’s looking for but I’m sure we’ll find out in due time. At least on August 1st our office co-pay goes down to $10 each visit.
Ron was able to sleep most of the night last night. I helped him up a couple of times and he's resting in his chair now. He says he's very tired and he knows the procedure took some energy out of him but I think that is just a normal side-effect of surgery so he should bounce back.
The home health nurse is on her way out to see him so I'll have her take a look at the incision and make sure that everything there is as it should be. I don't think he has a fever but she'll be able to let me know. His weight this morning was 254.6 and if it goes up two pounds in a day then we're to call the kidney doctor. I'm not sure what it was at the hospital but very close to that number. I will use our scales as the baseline to go from there.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Trying to give ME heart failure!
Well, they are still going to do the pacemaker but we had to have a bit of excitement first.
On Ron's wrist band it clearly says he's allergic to Vancomycin. On his chart it also clearly states that. When the PA for the cardiologist came in, she said the infectious disease doctor (Dr. Hartmann) had ok'd the pacemaker and ordered Vanco for him.
I said - hold on, he has an allergic reaction to Vanco and should not have it. His kidney doctor has said if he ever had it, it should be given very slowly and he should have Benadryl first. She said, well Dr. Hartmann said he could have it. I said Dr. Hartmann is not his primary infection doctor and he doesn't know Ron.
She left to go check with him again and when she came back she said he had ok'd it and to just give it slower. The nurse came in with 50 mg Benadryl that she injected first and then followed with the Vanco. They even slowed it down from 250 ml to 150 ml drip (not sure how that computes).
Less than five minutes later he said he was sick. I pushed the call light and got the nurse aid who was going to take his sugar (he'd had a low sugar a bit earlier). I said it was not his sugar, it was the IV. I left to go to the nurse's station and found only a student nurse there. I told her that he was sick and having a reaction to the IV drug.
By the time I got back to the room, the aid was calling his nurse. I walked in and he had collapsed back into the chair with his eyes open but fixated. His pupils were huge and he was totally unresponsive. I honestly thought he had died that quickly.
They called for a critical care team to his room and literally within seconds his room was filled with people from all over the hospital, including the cardiologist. They flushed and then pulled the IV line and started a new one.
Several of them told me he probably shouldn't have Vanco ever again. Duh... if they had listened to me in the first place he wouldn't have had it this time.
I don't ever need this kind of excitement again. EVER!!!
They are here to take him for the pacemaker now so I sure pray that things go more smoothly this time around.
On Ron's wrist band it clearly says he's allergic to Vancomycin. On his chart it also clearly states that. When the PA for the cardiologist came in, she said the infectious disease doctor (Dr. Hartmann) had ok'd the pacemaker and ordered Vanco for him.
I said - hold on, he has an allergic reaction to Vanco and should not have it. His kidney doctor has said if he ever had it, it should be given very slowly and he should have Benadryl first. She said, well Dr. Hartmann said he could have it. I said Dr. Hartmann is not his primary infection doctor and he doesn't know Ron.
She left to go check with him again and when she came back she said he had ok'd it and to just give it slower. The nurse came in with 50 mg Benadryl that she injected first and then followed with the Vanco. They even slowed it down from 250 ml to 150 ml drip (not sure how that computes).
Less than five minutes later he said he was sick. I pushed the call light and got the nurse aid who was going to take his sugar (he'd had a low sugar a bit earlier). I said it was not his sugar, it was the IV. I left to go to the nurse's station and found only a student nurse there. I told her that he was sick and having a reaction to the IV drug.
By the time I got back to the room, the aid was calling his nurse. I walked in and he had collapsed back into the chair with his eyes open but fixated. His pupils were huge and he was totally unresponsive. I honestly thought he had died that quickly.
They called for a critical care team to his room and literally within seconds his room was filled with people from all over the hospital, including the cardiologist. They flushed and then pulled the IV line and started a new one.
Several of them told me he probably shouldn't have Vanco ever again. Duh... if they had listened to me in the first place he wouldn't have had it this time.
I don't ever need this kind of excitement again. EVER!!!
They are here to take him for the pacemaker now so I sure pray that things go more smoothly this time around.
Pacemaker today and home tomorrow
Ron's heart rate keeps dropping into the 30's when he sleeps so the cardiologist asked for some more telemetry readings. He told Ron yesterday that he was looking at a pacemaker in the near future. Today, he decided that doing it now as opposed to later was a good idea.
Ron wasn't too keen on the idea as he's worried about introducing infection into the incision. I got online and looked up a bunch of things for him and I think he is more calm now. His big thing is that he slept just fine last night and his heart rate must not have changed because the nurses didn't come in and say anything.
The problem he has is it's an intermittent dropping of his rate - maybe tonight, maybe next week, or maybe every day. If it drops while he's asleep, and I'm asleep, it could cause a problem. I asked the cardiologist if he could have a heart attack because it dropped and he said that it was entirely possible.
I told Ron that I didn't want him to go through all of this and then go home and have a heart episode. No way... So, he agreed to do it today. I did say it was totally his decision and I would support whatever he wanted to do.
Ron wasn't too keen on the idea as he's worried about introducing infection into the incision. I got online and looked up a bunch of things for him and I think he is more calm now. His big thing is that he slept just fine last night and his heart rate must not have changed because the nurses didn't come in and say anything.
The problem he has is it's an intermittent dropping of his rate - maybe tonight, maybe next week, or maybe every day. If it drops while he's asleep, and I'm asleep, it could cause a problem. I asked the cardiologist if he could have a heart attack because it dropped and he said that it was entirely possible.
I told Ron that I didn't want him to go through all of this and then go home and have a heart episode. No way... So, he agreed to do it today. I did say it was totally his decision and I would support whatever he wanted to do.
He's feeling better and itching to get out, but...
I tell ya, once he gets back on the main track he is a bear wanting to get out and go home. I told him yesterday that he could lay in this bed just as easily as he could lay in the bed at home. I'm still waiting on him, but at least he's also being monitored so that's nice.
Dr. Francisco says that he needs a pacemaker but we're not worried about it. It's a fairly uncomplicated procedure and neither of us are concerned about it at all. He wants to do one today or tomorrow but Ron would rather wait until next week. I don't know... It's tough because when his heart rate drops he has no symptoms so I am concerned. Ron's concerned about the germs in the hospital, opening him up, and the possibility of re-introducing bacteria into his system.
It is a toss-up. I told him that it was totally up to him. I'll go along with whatever he decides to do. I may not like it and I may not agree but it is his body and his choice. He said that last night no one came in and said that his heart rate had dropped and he feels better. During his sleep is when the heart rate plummets and since it's not consistent, it's hard to tell if this is going to be an ongoing problem or not. I just don't know.
Dr. Francisco's partner (Dr. Amirani) is who does the procedure and he'll be the one to come in tomorrow and discharge Ron. Dr. Francisco will be out of town but will see Ron in his office next week - either way.
Ron is worried that I'll be upset with him if he doesn't have the pacemaker put in today. I said I absolutely would not and that it is totally his choice. I know that he is apprehensive - not about the procedure but about the possible side-effects, i.e., more infection, longer time in the hospital, complications, etc.
This is a tough decision and I'll post an update later.
Dr. Francisco says that he needs a pacemaker but we're not worried about it. It's a fairly uncomplicated procedure and neither of us are concerned about it at all. He wants to do one today or tomorrow but Ron would rather wait until next week. I don't know... It's tough because when his heart rate drops he has no symptoms so I am concerned. Ron's concerned about the germs in the hospital, opening him up, and the possibility of re-introducing bacteria into his system.
It is a toss-up. I told him that it was totally up to him. I'll go along with whatever he decides to do. I may not like it and I may not agree but it is his body and his choice. He said that last night no one came in and said that his heart rate had dropped and he feels better. During his sleep is when the heart rate plummets and since it's not consistent, it's hard to tell if this is going to be an ongoing problem or not. I just don't know.
Dr. Francisco's partner (Dr. Amirani) is who does the procedure and he'll be the one to come in tomorrow and discharge Ron. Dr. Francisco will be out of town but will see Ron in his office next week - either way.
Ron is worried that I'll be upset with him if he doesn't have the pacemaker put in today. I said I absolutely would not and that it is totally his choice. I know that he is apprehensive - not about the procedure but about the possible side-effects, i.e., more infection, longer time in the hospital, complications, etc.
This is a tough decision and I'll post an update later.
Things to do while sitting in a hospital room...
1. Watch TV.
2. Drink bad coffee.
3. Surf the Internet.
4. Drink bad coffee.
5. Try to rest in a straight-back chair.
6. Play games on your laptop.
7. Drink more bad coffee.
8. Stare at the clock.
9. Watch HGTV.
10. Drink...yep...more bad coffee.
The past week has been a combination of the above - day in and day out. Thankfully, I got a recliner once Ron got transferred to a regular room. It's not great but a whole lot better than the straight chair I had before that.
When Ron was in the hospital in February, we signed up for "Senior Connection" which costs $25 annually. As a benefit of Senior Connection, he gets a private room upgrade at no additional cost (if a room is available), I get up to two snacks a day (the snacks could be 1/2 of a sandwich, some fruit, etc.), and then we have some other benefits that we could use. We've used the private room upgrade each time he's been in, which has saved us a lot of money. I think the difference between semi-private and private is around $50 per day. Multiply amount that times the number of days he's been in the hospital and it has really added up. Our insurance won't pay for a private room unless it's medically required that he have one (such as when he had MRSA).
2. Drink bad coffee.
3. Surf the Internet.
4. Drink bad coffee.
5. Try to rest in a straight-back chair.
6. Play games on your laptop.
7. Drink more bad coffee.
8. Stare at the clock.
9. Watch HGTV.
10. Drink...yep...more bad coffee.
The past week has been a combination of the above - day in and day out. Thankfully, I got a recliner once Ron got transferred to a regular room. It's not great but a whole lot better than the straight chair I had before that.
When Ron was in the hospital in February, we signed up for "Senior Connection" which costs $25 annually. As a benefit of Senior Connection, he gets a private room upgrade at no additional cost (if a room is available), I get up to two snacks a day (the snacks could be 1/2 of a sandwich, some fruit, etc.), and then we have some other benefits that we could use. We've used the private room upgrade each time he's been in, which has saved us a lot of money. I think the difference between semi-private and private is around $50 per day. Multiply amount that times the number of days he's been in the hospital and it has really added up. Our insurance won't pay for a private room unless it's medically required that he have one (such as when he had MRSA).
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Still hanging at the hospital
We thought Ron was going home today but it doesn't appear that this will be the case.
He had an oximetry test overnight to monitor his oxygen level and it's low enough that we're going to have to have oxygen for him at night when he sleeps. That's not a problem. No one smokes at our house so no biggie. Just have to figure out who the provider is going to be and get it ordered.
His heart rate dropped overnight and then he also had some down times during the day today. I know the nurse was in here twice today to check him because the telemetry monitor informed them that his heart rate was dangerously low. At one point I think it went to about 40, which causes a bit of concern. Dr. Francisco ordered an echo cardiogram this morning but we don't know the results of it yet. He told Ron to make an appointment for next week. I don't know if he's aware of the other episodes of the heart rate changing or not.
Dr. Truong was also in this afternoon. He doesn't believe that Ron needs any bone marrow testing and seems to think his anemia and platelet count is a direct result of the kidney disease. He did order a scan of his spleen to make sure it's not holding any infection there that we should be concerned about. He had some blood work drawn also. So far, no scan yet but the blood has been drawn.
The nephrologist was also in and said that things on his end were looking good. He doesn't expect that Ron will need to be here kidney-wise for any longer. He also told us that if Ron gains more than 2 pounds in one day to call his office. If so, then his kidneys are struggling again.
Physical therapy was here for an evaluation and watched him transfer from the bed to the chair. She brought him a band for exercising his arms.
We're still trying to get an over-the-bed trapeze set up for him but not sure if insurance will approve it or not. He's got a durable medical equipment cap per year of $1,000 and I have no idea how much those cost. If we don't get it then I don't think it's any big deal. We've managed without up until now, so we can continue to manage without it.
The only hangup now is Dr. Alvarado not being here yet and the spleen scan not being completed yet. At 6:40 pm, I don't expect that to happen so I'm confident that it will be tomorrow before Ron goes home. That's OK with me. I want to be sure that all the bases are covered before he's sent home.
The social workers who are coordinating his discharge and home health were a bit discouraged that Dr. Alvarado had not been here before they left for the day. Oh well... there is always tomorrow.
The central line and catheter were both pulled today and there haven't been any problems, which is a good thing.
He had an oximetry test overnight to monitor his oxygen level and it's low enough that we're going to have to have oxygen for him at night when he sleeps. That's not a problem. No one smokes at our house so no biggie. Just have to figure out who the provider is going to be and get it ordered.
His heart rate dropped overnight and then he also had some down times during the day today. I know the nurse was in here twice today to check him because the telemetry monitor informed them that his heart rate was dangerously low. At one point I think it went to about 40, which causes a bit of concern. Dr. Francisco ordered an echo cardiogram this morning but we don't know the results of it yet. He told Ron to make an appointment for next week. I don't know if he's aware of the other episodes of the heart rate changing or not.
Dr. Truong was also in this afternoon. He doesn't believe that Ron needs any bone marrow testing and seems to think his anemia and platelet count is a direct result of the kidney disease. He did order a scan of his spleen to make sure it's not holding any infection there that we should be concerned about. He had some blood work drawn also. So far, no scan yet but the blood has been drawn.
The nephrologist was also in and said that things on his end were looking good. He doesn't expect that Ron will need to be here kidney-wise for any longer. He also told us that if Ron gains more than 2 pounds in one day to call his office. If so, then his kidneys are struggling again.
Physical therapy was here for an evaluation and watched him transfer from the bed to the chair. She brought him a band for exercising his arms.
We're still trying to get an over-the-bed trapeze set up for him but not sure if insurance will approve it or not. He's got a durable medical equipment cap per year of $1,000 and I have no idea how much those cost. If we don't get it then I don't think it's any big deal. We've managed without up until now, so we can continue to manage without it.
The only hangup now is Dr. Alvarado not being here yet and the spleen scan not being completed yet. At 6:40 pm, I don't expect that to happen so I'm confident that it will be tomorrow before Ron goes home. That's OK with me. I want to be sure that all the bases are covered before he's sent home.
The social workers who are coordinating his discharge and home health were a bit discouraged that Dr. Alvarado had not been here before they left for the day. Oh well... there is always tomorrow.
The central line and catheter were both pulled today and there haven't been any problems, which is a good thing.
Monday, July 21, 2008
The man is driving me nuts!
Every meal of every day he asks if he can have something that he's already been told he can't have - fried Catfish, sausage, soup, cheese, potato chips, etc. I told him that trying to get the same thing every day wasn’t going to change the answer – NO. He said he's hoping someone will mess up and let him have what he's asking for. I asked him if he wanted some poor tech to get into trouble because he wouldn't cooperate and he said he did not.
A diet that’s restricted in sodium, potassium, and that follows diabetic guidelines is really difficult to figure out. Some things he could have on one diet he cannot have on another. If he tries to get enough carbs into a meal, it usually goes over in sodium and potassium.
I told him I am sorry that it’s so restrictive but not following dietary rules in the first place (when he was first diagnosed with diabetes) is what brought him to to where he is now. Fighting the sodium and potassium restrictions aren't fun but it's something he has to do if he plans on having any quality of life.
I told him tonight he was making life very difficult for me by being so uncooperative. I left early and left Keith with him.
I am sleep deprived.
A diet that’s restricted in sodium, potassium, and that follows diabetic guidelines is really difficult to figure out. Some things he could have on one diet he cannot have on another. If he tries to get enough carbs into a meal, it usually goes over in sodium and potassium.
I told him I am sorry that it’s so restrictive but not following dietary rules in the first place (when he was first diagnosed with diabetes) is what brought him to to where he is now. Fighting the sodium and potassium restrictions aren't fun but it's something he has to do if he plans on having any quality of life.
I told him tonight he was making life very difficult for me by being so uncooperative. I left early and left Keith with him.
I am sleep deprived.
I am exhausted
I'm not quite sure why I'm exhausted, but I am. I think I slept fairly well last night. My sugar was up a bit this morning and it may still be up. I'm sitting in the recliner in Ron's room and trying very hard to keep my eyes open. I can't focus on the page in front of me so not sure if it's fatigue or high sugar stopping me from focusing. Or, it could be an optical migraine which has no pain but keeps me from being able to see clearly.
Ron is better today and because he's better, he's grouchy. He is fighting the catheter, fighting the IV, fighting the foot things that squeeze his calves to prevent blood clots, and anything else that he can think of to complain about. There's not much I can do to help him and I have to admit I've lost my patience with him a couple of times today. I just get comfortable and he wants me to get up and get something, fix something, or move something. Sure - I can do it; I've got nothing better to do.
The doctors are agreeable that he's able to probably go home tomorrow. I have no problem with that but I still want him to see OT/PT to assess how he does in transfers and to show them his weaknesses. His foot is not infected but since the hole is bigger I just don't know how he could be any "less" on it than he already is. Dr. Heady said maybe a rehab facility would be an option for him but I'm sure Ron would fight that.
I want to see about an overhead trapeze so he doesn't push down on the bed with his foot when trying to move up higher in the bed. This has always been a concern for me and I'm constantly moving his foot or moving the pillows he's supposed to have his foot propped up on.
I want a sleep study to see if he's getting enough oxygen because the nephrologist says he may not be getting enough oxygen so the carbon dioxide builds up and triggers the kidney failure.
Dr. Alvarado did order the sleep study so hopefully it will happen tonight. She also ordered the consult with the hematologist so I hope he will come in tonight or tomorrow. PT is supposed to come sometime today too but since it's already 4:00 I'm not sure that will happen. Personally, I don't care if he stays until Wednesday if that's what it takes. I want all the bases covered before he goes home so we don't have a repeat performance in six weeks. I'm getting tired of all of this.
I'd like to have some time to actually rest and recuperate during this time frame where I'm supposed to be on short term disability. I really wanted to have some time for me, which I know is very selfish of me but I think I do need it.
I'm glad that Amy is there but I don't want to ask her to do too much. She has her hands full with work/school/Isaiah. The combination of those is a full load. Thank God though that she lives with us. Not sure what I'd have done sometimes if I'd been living there alone with Ron. I know she wants her own place but there's nothing wrong with them staying with us as long as it's mutually beneficial and OK with both parties. I know that Ron loves having Isaiah there.
But, I digress...
I lost a bit more weight but gained back a pound. I'm still very happy with the weight loss up to this point so I can't complain. I'd like to lose about 10 more pounds in the six weeks that I'll be off work. No matter what I lose between now and then will be a blessing and rejoiced over. Ron says I'm having too good of a time putting on things and saying "oh, this is too big!" LOL! I have given away stacks of clothes and I have several things to put on Craigslist.
Ron is watching TV so maybe I'll lay my head down for just a little bit...
Ron is better today and because he's better, he's grouchy. He is fighting the catheter, fighting the IV, fighting the foot things that squeeze his calves to prevent blood clots, and anything else that he can think of to complain about. There's not much I can do to help him and I have to admit I've lost my patience with him a couple of times today. I just get comfortable and he wants me to get up and get something, fix something, or move something. Sure - I can do it; I've got nothing better to do.
The doctors are agreeable that he's able to probably go home tomorrow. I have no problem with that but I still want him to see OT/PT to assess how he does in transfers and to show them his weaknesses. His foot is not infected but since the hole is bigger I just don't know how he could be any "less" on it than he already is. Dr. Heady said maybe a rehab facility would be an option for him but I'm sure Ron would fight that.
I want to see about an overhead trapeze so he doesn't push down on the bed with his foot when trying to move up higher in the bed. This has always been a concern for me and I'm constantly moving his foot or moving the pillows he's supposed to have his foot propped up on.
I want a sleep study to see if he's getting enough oxygen because the nephrologist says he may not be getting enough oxygen so the carbon dioxide builds up and triggers the kidney failure.
Dr. Alvarado did order the sleep study so hopefully it will happen tonight. She also ordered the consult with the hematologist so I hope he will come in tonight or tomorrow. PT is supposed to come sometime today too but since it's already 4:00 I'm not sure that will happen. Personally, I don't care if he stays until Wednesday if that's what it takes. I want all the bases covered before he goes home so we don't have a repeat performance in six weeks. I'm getting tired of all of this.
I'd like to have some time to actually rest and recuperate during this time frame where I'm supposed to be on short term disability. I really wanted to have some time for me, which I know is very selfish of me but I think I do need it.
I'm glad that Amy is there but I don't want to ask her to do too much. She has her hands full with work/school/Isaiah. The combination of those is a full load. Thank God though that she lives with us. Not sure what I'd have done sometimes if I'd been living there alone with Ron. I know she wants her own place but there's nothing wrong with them staying with us as long as it's mutually beneficial and OK with both parties. I know that Ron loves having Isaiah there.
But, I digress...
I lost a bit more weight but gained back a pound. I'm still very happy with the weight loss up to this point so I can't complain. I'd like to lose about 10 more pounds in the six weeks that I'll be off work. No matter what I lose between now and then will be a blessing and rejoiced over. Ron says I'm having too good of a time putting on things and saying "oh, this is too big!" LOL! I have given away stacks of clothes and I have several things to put on Craigslist.
Ron is watching TV so maybe I'll lay my head down for just a little bit...
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