Whew... I needed this. A better day. Prayers have been answered. Thanks for remembering us after my outcry yesterday!
Barbara was in much better spirits today, and was eating a little food. This is quite a load off of my mind. I have learned that one of the doctors which we have come to really appreciate thinks that symptoms such as depression, low bp, and chest pains are indicative of steroid withdrawal of sorts. Her steroid (administered to fight arthritis - while it is not safe, it is not the same type of steroid that athletes illegally take) had been increased during her illness for various reasons. The levels were just recently brought back to pre-surgery levels. It could be that her body needs a little more of the med right now, so blood tests are being done. Granted, this is a bit of a confusing area, but at least I now believe we're on to something.
The wrap was removed from her stoma today (where the trache had been in her throat). The respiratory doctor said that it had closed - although it is still healing - and that it should now be given air. I was quite impressed how well it looked.
Also, good news concerning the debridement on the back of her head (the LARGE area cut away due to a serious pressure wound). I reluctantly looked at it again today while it was being cleaned, and I was amazed at how well it was healing. I can't say it looked good (it is still mighty, mighty gross), but it is definitely healing.
Now let me address her stay at Rehabcare in St. Catherine's Hospital at East Chicago. One point I didn't think to make in yesterday's entry that was pertinent in our decision to move her now to rehab is this: certainly RIC is excellent, and we may still send her there... but the place where we've sent her is very, very good. What is the difference between very, very good and excellent? One day quicker recoup? We don't know. However, I am prepared to say as of tonight (with Barbara's full agreement), we believe she is now in a wonderful facility. I am extremely impressed with St. Cat's hospital... I never expected to find such a nice facility in East Chicago! The staff here has been worlds better than anything we encountered at Select in Hammond. The doctors who are attending her are compassionate and caring. We have retained the respiratory doctors that saw her at Select, and they are great. Also, she will continue with the rheumatologist (sp?) who has been attending to her up here since the surgery. The nurses here are efficient and attentive. She even has choices on her meals now. Her private room is comfy and homey, and as nice as many hotel rooms we've stayed in. The facility is very modern and appears to be recently remodeled. Another plus is that my drive is a breeze - and only 12-15 minutes travel time.
Can you tell I'm much happier this evening? Thanks again for your prayers. Keep up with us, though, we still have some tough days ahead.
Pray that the steroid issue is resolved,
Pray that Barbara's appetite gets better,
Pray that her therapy will progress well.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
February 22
We have settled in now at the Rehabcare unit at St. Catherine's hospital in East Chicago. RIC is not out of the picture, but we're really tired of being jerked around while Barbara needs rehab and insurance days are running out. One day they told us they would have a bed on March 1st, then it was Feb. 22. Or 24. But they couldn't commit to any of those days. It seems that patients at Northwestern University hospital get priority, as well as headline cases from around the US. You don't get to be the number one place in the country without having a big waiting list. I'm not soured on RIC so much as I am on the empty promises. If a bed does indeed become available for sure (and how will we ever know that?), we will reevaluate at that time.
I think we're pleased with our initial experience at St. Cat rehab. The staff seems to be fine, and I believe that Barbara will receive good care.
Several have questioned this decision, but the fact is that Barbara needs to begin rehab, we are running out of insurance days, and RIC won't commit to anything. While I have spoken to RIC, the idea that I could push them into accepting us is akin to the idea that I could persuade the president to absolve me from any future tax debt.
One plus that we now experience is that Barbara continues to have a private room. This is good for several reasons. She gets hot quite easily due to her meds, so a cool room is needed. Also, certain TV show spook her, and a roommate who constantly watches TV would drive her crazy. Plus, a roommate would mean the introduction of additional sources of potential infection. RIC does not offer average folks like us a private room.
Perhaps the overriding issue is that emotionally speaking, this has been a rough couple of days for Barbara. She is basically refusing to eat, and has been very depressed at being cooped up in a hospital room. Some days are good, and others aren't, but I would appreciate your prayers that she will experience a super-natural renewal of mind and spirit. I need your prayers too, because these days are very hard on me for a number of reasons.
I am really struggling to write tonight. I'm just frazzled, so I think I'm going to simply cut out here. Just keep us in your prayers - things have been progressing, and I don't want anything to mess that up.
Oh - if you can possibly visit, I assure you that your visits cheer her up and help her emotionally. Please consider popping in. If you want, you can call me on my cell first to make sure she isn't in therapy.
I think we're pleased with our initial experience at St. Cat rehab. The staff seems to be fine, and I believe that Barbara will receive good care.
Several have questioned this decision, but the fact is that Barbara needs to begin rehab, we are running out of insurance days, and RIC won't commit to anything. While I have spoken to RIC, the idea that I could push them into accepting us is akin to the idea that I could persuade the president to absolve me from any future tax debt.
One plus that we now experience is that Barbara continues to have a private room. This is good for several reasons. She gets hot quite easily due to her meds, so a cool room is needed. Also, certain TV show spook her, and a roommate who constantly watches TV would drive her crazy. Plus, a roommate would mean the introduction of additional sources of potential infection. RIC does not offer average folks like us a private room.
Perhaps the overriding issue is that emotionally speaking, this has been a rough couple of days for Barbara. She is basically refusing to eat, and has been very depressed at being cooped up in a hospital room. Some days are good, and others aren't, but I would appreciate your prayers that she will experience a super-natural renewal of mind and spirit. I need your prayers too, because these days are very hard on me for a number of reasons.
I am really struggling to write tonight. I'm just frazzled, so I think I'm going to simply cut out here. Just keep us in your prayers - things have been progressing, and I don't want anything to mess that up.
Oh - if you can possibly visit, I assure you that your visits cheer her up and help her emotionally. Please consider popping in. If you want, you can call me on my cell first to make sure she isn't in therapy.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
February 21: Rehab Update
Hi. This is Jackie again. It's been a while since writing. Since I have not been in Indiana with Mom and Dad, I haven't really had much to contribute. Today I am writing this to relay some information Dad told me this morning.
Apparently Mom is being transferred to a rehab facility in East Chicago TODAY at around 3:30pm. I am unaware of the name of the hospital it is attached to, but it is in East Chicago and possibly even closer of a drive for Dad to get there than the facility she is currently in! Praise the Lord! The wait with RIC and all the mixed information they were giving became too much. We all think it is the best decision to get her into rehab sooner than later, especially with the limited amount of time we're working with. It will be great to know she'll be starting to become more active and possibly making larger and larger leaps in progress every day!
I am eagerly awaiting my visit to Northern Indiana planned for March 9-13. I am oh-so ready to see Mom and to talk to her face to face (it has actually been since September that I've gotten to do that). I am prepared to be completely overwhelmed at the progress she has made and to praise God for it!
Apparently Mom is being transferred to a rehab facility in East Chicago TODAY at around 3:30pm. I am unaware of the name of the hospital it is attached to, but it is in East Chicago and possibly even closer of a drive for Dad to get there than the facility she is currently in! Praise the Lord! The wait with RIC and all the mixed information they were giving became too much. We all think it is the best decision to get her into rehab sooner than later, especially with the limited amount of time we're working with. It will be great to know she'll be starting to become more active and possibly making larger and larger leaps in progress every day!
I am eagerly awaiting my visit to Northern Indiana planned for March 9-13. I am oh-so ready to see Mom and to talk to her face to face (it has actually been since September that I've gotten to do that). I am prepared to be completely overwhelmed at the progress she has made and to praise God for it!
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
February 20 - Will this ever end?!?!
Sorry it's been a few days since posting. Don't know what to say. Ever been so frustrated that you didn't know what to say? Frankly, I'm at the point where I get agitated easily just by discussing what is going on. I'm not sure I know up from down right now!
As you probably already know, Barbara's trache was removed last Thursday. Her throat is healing very nicely. Great! Also, the wound area from the back of her head is also healing. However, the massive size of it means that it will take a LONG time to return to normal. I am very pleased that Barbara continues to make progress moving. She used her hands and arms to gesture while talking to someone today, and didn't even realize she was doing it! She's also starting to be able to use a remote control a little - although it's hard for her. During physical therapy, she was able to slowly eek her legs towards the edge of the bed for them to set her up for a while. These are all wonderful things.
I'm am very grateful to God for the way He has helped Barbara; but I don't praise Him because of her progress. I simply praise Him anyway. Progress or not, He is still too great for words. I can say that without being disingenuous because we still face some overwhelming problems in all of this mess.
Barbara's blood pressure has been low, at times frighteningly low, over the past several days. She felt really lousy today, and it's pretty scary to see how how she dips at times. It's upsetting that we can't seem to get a plan of attack from anyone as to how to deal with this issue.
Also, we're both quite frustrated with the length of time this whole ordeal is taking. She is more than ready to be home, and I am more than ready to have her here. Oh, you're right, it could be worse. But when you get to the end of your patience and endurance, there aren't many places left to go. I have heard so many people say that God doesn't give us more than we can endure. Well, that didn't keep Job from complaining at length, and I plan to proceed in proper Biblical fashion! Not that that we have it as bad as Job, and not that I'm not really, really tired of hearing him used as an example. It just seemed a perfectly polemic thing to say.
As for Barbara moving to rehab... oh, am I ever getting tired of this mess. Whereas there was supposed to be a bed waiting for Barbara at RIC, we now learn that they won't have a place for her until the first of March. See, here's where I'm getting a bit whoofed. This place seems to throw us one delay after another, all the while we are running out of days that insurance will pay. We are now into Barbara's non-regenerating lifetime days (about 50 left), and once they're gone, I guess it comes out of our pocket. Yeah right. 50 days may seem like a lot, but 1) I don't like the idea of her using all of them up, and 2) she still has a long way to go. I hope to get some better answers from RIC, but in the meantime, we are talking with other area hospital rehabs about possible interim or maybe indefinite care. There is at least one that I'm impressed with. But this whole mess is criving me drazy.
Sooooo, please pray that we will have wondrous and glorious clarity concerning the rehab messola,
Pray that Barbara's blood pressure will stabilize,
Pray that she will have excellent health care workers that will love her and have compassion for her.
I mention that last one because before I left this evening, they sent in the male nurse that doesn't speak much English that we told them was to never be her nurse again. I spoke to the charge nurse, but she was very dismissive. Pray that I keep my cool when I bring this up to the administration tomorrow.
Sorry for unloading so much tonight!
As you probably already know, Barbara's trache was removed last Thursday. Her throat is healing very nicely. Great! Also, the wound area from the back of her head is also healing. However, the massive size of it means that it will take a LONG time to return to normal. I am very pleased that Barbara continues to make progress moving. She used her hands and arms to gesture while talking to someone today, and didn't even realize she was doing it! She's also starting to be able to use a remote control a little - although it's hard for her. During physical therapy, she was able to slowly eek her legs towards the edge of the bed for them to set her up for a while. These are all wonderful things.
I'm am very grateful to God for the way He has helped Barbara; but I don't praise Him because of her progress. I simply praise Him anyway. Progress or not, He is still too great for words. I can say that without being disingenuous because we still face some overwhelming problems in all of this mess.
Barbara's blood pressure has been low, at times frighteningly low, over the past several days. She felt really lousy today, and it's pretty scary to see how how she dips at times. It's upsetting that we can't seem to get a plan of attack from anyone as to how to deal with this issue.
Also, we're both quite frustrated with the length of time this whole ordeal is taking. She is more than ready to be home, and I am more than ready to have her here. Oh, you're right, it could be worse. But when you get to the end of your patience and endurance, there aren't many places left to go. I have heard so many people say that God doesn't give us more than we can endure. Well, that didn't keep Job from complaining at length, and I plan to proceed in proper Biblical fashion! Not that that we have it as bad as Job, and not that I'm not really, really tired of hearing him used as an example. It just seemed a perfectly polemic thing to say.
As for Barbara moving to rehab... oh, am I ever getting tired of this mess. Whereas there was supposed to be a bed waiting for Barbara at RIC, we now learn that they won't have a place for her until the first of March. See, here's where I'm getting a bit whoofed. This place seems to throw us one delay after another, all the while we are running out of days that insurance will pay. We are now into Barbara's non-regenerating lifetime days (about 50 left), and once they're gone, I guess it comes out of our pocket. Yeah right. 50 days may seem like a lot, but 1) I don't like the idea of her using all of them up, and 2) she still has a long way to go. I hope to get some better answers from RIC, but in the meantime, we are talking with other area hospital rehabs about possible interim or maybe indefinite care. There is at least one that I'm impressed with. But this whole mess is criving me drazy.
Sooooo, please pray that we will have wondrous and glorious clarity concerning the rehab messola,
Pray that Barbara's blood pressure will stabilize,
Pray that she will have excellent health care workers that will love her and have compassion for her.
I mention that last one because before I left this evening, they sent in the male nurse that doesn't speak much English that we told them was to never be her nurse again. I spoke to the charge nurse, but she was very dismissive. Pray that I keep my cool when I bring this up to the administration tomorrow.
Sorry for unloading so much tonight!
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