I'm overdue for an Oma update. And today is her birthday, so first things first ... Happy Birthday Oma!
Oma got transferred to the Rehab Hospital, which is right next door to the hospital, on March 6th or somewhere close to there. She's been complaining of pain and doesn't think the pain medication is adequate, but is making it work. She doesn't much care for the food, but I think that is standard in places like this. The staff all seem to be nice, so that helps. She goes to therapy three times a day, and that wears her outs, but at the same time, hopefully makes her stronger.
Oma did have a small setback when her incisions started leaking and were infected. Thankfully, they were able to give her antibiotics and get things under control without having to transfer her back to the hospital. They will able to wean her off the oxygen too. They are watching her closely for blood clots and pneumonia because she is spending so much time in bed. They are also adjusting her medications as needed.
Her appetite has been poor, but she really liked the goodies I brought from the German store today ... brotchen, fleisch salad and schincken. It was a big hit.
If everything goes according to plan, Oma should be released to go home this week. The doctors are saying she should go home on the 19th on the 20th, so that is great news!
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
No Cancer for Oma!
The best news of the day is that Oma does NOT have cancer. At all. Anywhere. All of the masses were benign. Anything suspicious at all was benign. It can't get better than that.
Oma had some chest x-rays taken. While she has a bit of fluid in one of her lungs, I guess that is normal after surgeries such as these because they fill the patients up with so much fluid. She does not have a pneumonia, so that is good. She is still receiving 3 liters of oxygen to maintain her oxygen saturation levels though. She is supposed to begin a new "respiratory protocol," so a respiratory therapist will visit her, evaluate her and do what needs to be done to get things working right in the respiratory area.
The drain tube has been removed and Oma managed to get by without a leak from the pancreas. Her blood sugars have been running anywhere from the 120's into the 200's, so she's been getting periodic insulin. The nurse didn't think this was any indication of future numbers though as these could still be a reflection of the surgery and the resulting stress. It is still too early to tell if diabetes is here to stay.
Oma's on a morphine pump for pain, and able to get a couple of other pain medications orally for breakthrough pain. While she's not totally miserable, she's certainly not comfortable either. The short walk from the bed to the restroom tires her out. Her catheter is out now, so frequent trips to the restroom are definitely happening.
Oma has been referred to a rehab center. A rehab person will now come and assess her to see if she qualifies for the rehab facility. In order to qualify for rehab, she has to be able to tolerate three hours of therapy during the course of a day (not necessarily three hours back to back, but three different hours in one day). If she does not qualify, she will be instead referred to a "nursing home," which has the ability to do various levels of care. She was not thrilled with the mention of a nursing home until she was reminded that she was in a nursing home (that she chose!) after her hip replacement surgery last year. If she does in fact qualify for rehab, she would probably be transferred within a few days.
She's having trouble eating as she still has no appetite. She's thrown up a few times, but generally nothing sounds good. Even her beloved coffee doesn't entice her. She's drinking plenty of liquids, but not eating much but little bits of fruit.
We'll work through the little stuff. Just breathing a sigh of relief about the big stuff.
Oma had some chest x-rays taken. While she has a bit of fluid in one of her lungs, I guess that is normal after surgeries such as these because they fill the patients up with so much fluid. She does not have a pneumonia, so that is good. She is still receiving 3 liters of oxygen to maintain her oxygen saturation levels though. She is supposed to begin a new "respiratory protocol," so a respiratory therapist will visit her, evaluate her and do what needs to be done to get things working right in the respiratory area.
The drain tube has been removed and Oma managed to get by without a leak from the pancreas. Her blood sugars have been running anywhere from the 120's into the 200's, so she's been getting periodic insulin. The nurse didn't think this was any indication of future numbers though as these could still be a reflection of the surgery and the resulting stress. It is still too early to tell if diabetes is here to stay.
Oma's on a morphine pump for pain, and able to get a couple of other pain medications orally for breakthrough pain. While she's not totally miserable, she's certainly not comfortable either. The short walk from the bed to the restroom tires her out. Her catheter is out now, so frequent trips to the restroom are definitely happening.
Oma has been referred to a rehab center. A rehab person will now come and assess her to see if she qualifies for the rehab facility. In order to qualify for rehab, she has to be able to tolerate three hours of therapy during the course of a day (not necessarily three hours back to back, but three different hours in one day). If she does not qualify, she will be instead referred to a "nursing home," which has the ability to do various levels of care. She was not thrilled with the mention of a nursing home until she was reminded that she was in a nursing home (that she chose!) after her hip replacement surgery last year. If she does in fact qualify for rehab, she would probably be transferred within a few days.
She's having trouble eating as she still has no appetite. She's thrown up a few times, but generally nothing sounds good. Even her beloved coffee doesn't entice her. She's drinking plenty of liquids, but not eating much but little bits of fruit.
We'll work through the little stuff. Just breathing a sigh of relief about the big stuff.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Oma's in a Regular Room
Oma made it into a regular room yesterday afternoon. She has a roommate and would probably be much happier in a private room, but she seems comfortable enough. She's still receiving oxygen through a nasal cannula at the rate of 4 liters. They removed her epidural and she's now receiving pain medication (morphine) through an IV pump. She got her catheter taken out, but couldn't urinate on her own, so the catheter is back in for now. She was cleared to eat regular food (more than clear liquids), but claims to have no appetite yet. The pancreatic surgeon was by to see her and seemed pleased with her progress. While there was once mention of a possible Sunday release, there was no mention of that today. Still awaiting those pathology results, which should be back on Monday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
