First of all - apologies to those of you who either called yesterday or who were waiting for calls - Dan has a "working weekend" going on here and I am having some health issues of my own and neither of us were able to get to Woodbine yesterday.
Dan is working again today so I went this morning by myself, fully intending to call Marlene and Meryl. Unfortunately, Estelle was not responding or talking anyone who was present today so it didn't seem like a good time to be trying to get her to speak on the telephone.
She was sitting in her chair, but looking pretty uncomfortable. She slumps badly to one side and it is almost impossible to keep her sitting straight. The aide said they had just gotten her up and were intending on taking her out of the room in a little bit but felt that they'd give her some time to adjust to just being in the chair itself before moving her out of her comfort zone. She was not responding to them and she did not respond to me, either. I pulled up a chair and sat next to her and tried to get her attention several times. She would open her eyes and (occasionally) look at me and then turn her head and close her eyes again and that was it. I asked her if she would like to call anyone but, as with everything else I asked her, she did not answer.
I spent some time changing the water in her flowers and straightening her closet and her drawers and then I simply sat with her for another 40 minutes or so and then I left. It is a big weekend here in DC and the streets are filled with motorcycles, motorcycles and more motorcycles (and people lining the streets waiting to wave at motorcycles) making road travel quite difficult. I'm not supposed to be driving anyhow, so it seemed the better part of valor to get myself off the streets as soon as possible.
I did notice 2 shirts in her drawer which I do not recognize. Normally I would simply return them to the nursing staff but I think Viv told Dan that she was sending some clothing to Mom but I do not know if these shirts were from her or if they are in Mom's drawer by mistake. (They seem to have problems keeping clothing straight sometimes.) These blouses did not have names in them and I do not want to tag them as Mom's if they are not her's. If Viv could please contact Dan or myself and let us know, it would be appreciated - and if will also help to make sure they will be returned to Estelle after they are laundered.
Anyhow, everyone have a wonderful holiday weekend, or what's left of it, anyhow. Dan will visit Mom tomorrow if he does not have to work again and hopefully she will respond much better to him.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Spent over an hour with the director of respiratory therapy at Woodbine today. Wonderful man - he is in charge of the ventilator/trach unit there and oversees all of the respiratory patients on the other floors.
Dan and I have been concerned for awhile over the fact that Estelle has had ever increasing amount of phlegm and secretions in her mouth which she cannot get rid of on her own. We worry constantly that she will cough and choke someday or that, because her swallow reflex is so poor, she will aspirate and get another pneumonia. Bob (the respiratory director) has also been concerned about the same thing, hence the long conference.
He discussed various means of preventing either such occurance - some of the simple enough to do and some of them a bit more difficult and painful. The best thing to do would be to suction her regularily - but suction is painful sometimes and uncomfortable all of the time. Mom would not be a good candidate for routine suction because she bites down on anything which comes near her mouth and does not want to let go. However, because I have been present a few times when she had eiher choked or I've needed to manually remove large amounts of think phlegm from her mouth, he is going to have a suction machine put into the room so that, in case of emergency, it is readily available.
For now, they are going to clean her mouth more often then normal (usually 2 - 3 times daily.) Now they will do it at least 4 times daily and any other time they notice she is retaining oral secretions. It is pretty hard to do, however, because, as I said earlier, she either refuses to open her mouth at all or she bites down on whatever is being used to swab her. There is always a danger of broken teeth when someone does this. No matter how gently the person doing the cleaning or suctioning is being, teeth sometimes get broken. I've had it happen myself - it's just one of the side effects which is sometimes unavoidable.
He is also going to put her on a different "turning" schedule. Currently the standard order on her floor is for bedridden patients to be turned every 4 hours....on the vent unit they do it once every 2 hours because of the increased susceptiblity to pneumonia. Eselle is not on a ventilator, obviously, but because she does not move or shift position on her own or lift her head or clear her throat by herself she is also at major risk of pneumonia and he (and we) feel that she is definitly a good candidate for being put on the more frequent schedule in the attempt to head off any unfortunate side-effect of being virtually totally immobile.
Bob is also going to try to get an order from the doctor to have speech therapy evaluate her every couple weeks on a regular schedule because it will give him a better idea of just how capable she is of swallowing - thus he can better evaluate and update her risk of aspiration and we can better evaluate if she is improving enough to actually undergo the barium swallow test again in the hopes that she may someday be able to drink a cup of tea or eat something solid again.
All in all, it was a very fruitful discussion - and he was nice enough to give me his personal phone number and tell me that if we had any problems or questions with anything, even matters other than respiratory ones, that we could call him and he would try to get us the help or information that we needed.
I also discussed her feeding tube with her physician today - and he seems quite pleased with the condition of the current one. That, too, is good news. The skin seems to be continuing to heal and the leakage is managable with gauze 4x4s.
I continue to be impressed with the caring and profesionalism of certain members of the staff here. It is heartening to find people in this day and age who are willing to go that extra mile.
We may not be able to make Estelle better - but we are trying everything we can to make sure she does not worsen.
I know it does not sound like enough - it does not feel like enough - but for right now, it seems to be all we can humanly do.
Dan and I have been concerned for awhile over the fact that Estelle has had ever increasing amount of phlegm and secretions in her mouth which she cannot get rid of on her own. We worry constantly that she will cough and choke someday or that, because her swallow reflex is so poor, she will aspirate and get another pneumonia. Bob (the respiratory director) has also been concerned about the same thing, hence the long conference.
He discussed various means of preventing either such occurance - some of the simple enough to do and some of them a bit more difficult and painful. The best thing to do would be to suction her regularily - but suction is painful sometimes and uncomfortable all of the time. Mom would not be a good candidate for routine suction because she bites down on anything which comes near her mouth and does not want to let go. However, because I have been present a few times when she had eiher choked or I've needed to manually remove large amounts of think phlegm from her mouth, he is going to have a suction machine put into the room so that, in case of emergency, it is readily available.
For now, they are going to clean her mouth more often then normal (usually 2 - 3 times daily.) Now they will do it at least 4 times daily and any other time they notice she is retaining oral secretions. It is pretty hard to do, however, because, as I said earlier, she either refuses to open her mouth at all or she bites down on whatever is being used to swab her. There is always a danger of broken teeth when someone does this. No matter how gently the person doing the cleaning or suctioning is being, teeth sometimes get broken. I've had it happen myself - it's just one of the side effects which is sometimes unavoidable.
He is also going to put her on a different "turning" schedule. Currently the standard order on her floor is for bedridden patients to be turned every 4 hours....on the vent unit they do it once every 2 hours because of the increased susceptiblity to pneumonia. Eselle is not on a ventilator, obviously, but because she does not move or shift position on her own or lift her head or clear her throat by herself she is also at major risk of pneumonia and he (and we) feel that she is definitly a good candidate for being put on the more frequent schedule in the attempt to head off any unfortunate side-effect of being virtually totally immobile.
Bob is also going to try to get an order from the doctor to have speech therapy evaluate her every couple weeks on a regular schedule because it will give him a better idea of just how capable she is of swallowing - thus he can better evaluate and update her risk of aspiration and we can better evaluate if she is improving enough to actually undergo the barium swallow test again in the hopes that she may someday be able to drink a cup of tea or eat something solid again.
All in all, it was a very fruitful discussion - and he was nice enough to give me his personal phone number and tell me that if we had any problems or questions with anything, even matters other than respiratory ones, that we could call him and he would try to get us the help or information that we needed.
I also discussed her feeding tube with her physician today - and he seems quite pleased with the condition of the current one. That, too, is good news. The skin seems to be continuing to heal and the leakage is managable with gauze 4x4s.
I continue to be impressed with the caring and profesionalism of certain members of the staff here. It is heartening to find people in this day and age who are willing to go that extra mile.
We may not be able to make Estelle better - but we are trying everything we can to make sure she does not worsen.
I know it does not sound like enough - it does not feel like enough - but for right now, it seems to be all we can humanly do.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Today's flowers:
Not much to say today. When I arrived at Woodbine Estelle was getting her morning vitals taken and receiving her AM medications. She was not responding to the nurses or the aides and I thought she was asleep but when they were finished and gone she had her eyes wide open and was staring up at the ceiling. I attempted to get her to talk to me several times but the most I could get was to have her turn her head in my direction and stare at me. She would not respond at all.
I told her about the weather, I told her that Dan was working hard at a special project and was working much overtime and that Marlene and Muriel and Merryl had all called over the weekend to wish her well but I am unsure if she heard or understood me. I will tell her again next time I see her.
After about 20 minutes of simply staring off into space she closed her eyes and seemed to fall into a sound sleep. I stayed another half hour or so but she did not wake up or open her eyes again and I decided that I'd try to make it home before the storms came.
Some days are good and some are not so good. This was a not so good day, I think.
Hopefully the next visit will be better.
I did ask the nurse about her feeding tube and she told me that this one was working much better - very little leakage and the skin around the insertion site continues to improve. I snuck a peek for myself when she left the room and it all looked well to me, too.
Hope everyone is well and enjoying the warmer weather and surviving the storms if they are happening in your area, too.
Not much to say today. When I arrived at Woodbine Estelle was getting her morning vitals taken and receiving her AM medications. She was not responding to the nurses or the aides and I thought she was asleep but when they were finished and gone she had her eyes wide open and was staring up at the ceiling. I attempted to get her to talk to me several times but the most I could get was to have her turn her head in my direction and stare at me. She would not respond at all.
I told her about the weather, I told her that Dan was working hard at a special project and was working much overtime and that Marlene and Muriel and Merryl had all called over the weekend to wish her well but I am unsure if she heard or understood me. I will tell her again next time I see her.
After about 20 minutes of simply staring off into space she closed her eyes and seemed to fall into a sound sleep. I stayed another half hour or so but she did not wake up or open her eyes again and I decided that I'd try to make it home before the storms came.
Some days are good and some are not so good. This was a not so good day, I think.
Hopefully the next visit will be better.
I did ask the nurse about her feeding tube and she told me that this one was working much better - very little leakage and the skin around the insertion site continues to improve. I snuck a peek for myself when she left the room and it all looked well to me, too.
Hope everyone is well and enjoying the warmer weather and surviving the storms if they are happening in your area, too.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Sat.-Sun., 5/21-22
Another brief update.
We visited yesterday, and stuck around a little more than an hour. Unfortunately, our conversation was fairly non-eventful. We brought her some more fresh flowers, which she pronounced "beautiful," and talked to her a lot. Mom talked to us a little. I did ask if she remembered she went to the hospital earlier in the week, because of some trouble with her feeding tube. She answered that very clearly with "Yes, it came out." So we know that memories can stay around for days (long-term memories, of course, are there for her in general.)
Today, Sunday, I stayed longer, but more than anything, I watched her sleep. She was in bed when I came by, still asleep, and didn't wake up to loud hellos. I asked the nurse if we could go down to the patio a little later, when she woke up -- that would be fine, the nurse said. She asked whether I wanted to do that now, or after her feeding. I told her "after lunch" would be fine.
When they gave her her meds through the tube, there was some shifting around, so she woke up a bit. I called "Good morning, Mom," from a little distance from her bed. She called back "Good morning, sweetheart." But when the aids were gone, I could not understand much else she was saying today, and she fairly quickly just nodded back off. She'd rouse herself when I called to her (now from right next to the bed,) but conversation was just very difficult. So I asked her if she'd like me to play the guitar, and she was fine with that. I played for a long time, and she listened, and eventually drifted back off to sleep.
I did not ask the nurses to rouse her again to hoist her in the chair and take her downstairs. I slipped out after our Sunday afternoon concert. It seems these days I only know lullabyes.
We visited yesterday, and stuck around a little more than an hour. Unfortunately, our conversation was fairly non-eventful. We brought her some more fresh flowers, which she pronounced "beautiful," and talked to her a lot. Mom talked to us a little. I did ask if she remembered she went to the hospital earlier in the week, because of some trouble with her feeding tube. She answered that very clearly with "Yes, it came out." So we know that memories can stay around for days (long-term memories, of course, are there for her in general.)
Today, Sunday, I stayed longer, but more than anything, I watched her sleep. She was in bed when I came by, still asleep, and didn't wake up to loud hellos. I asked the nurse if we could go down to the patio a little later, when she woke up -- that would be fine, the nurse said. She asked whether I wanted to do that now, or after her feeding. I told her "after lunch" would be fine.
When they gave her her meds through the tube, there was some shifting around, so she woke up a bit. I called "Good morning, Mom," from a little distance from her bed. She called back "Good morning, sweetheart." But when the aids were gone, I could not understand much else she was saying today, and she fairly quickly just nodded back off. She'd rouse herself when I called to her (now from right next to the bed,) but conversation was just very difficult. So I asked her if she'd like me to play the guitar, and she was fine with that. I played for a long time, and she listened, and eventually drifted back off to sleep.
I did not ask the nurses to rouse her again to hoist her in the chair and take her downstairs. I slipped out after our Sunday afternoon concert. It seems these days I only know lullabyes.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Wednesday, May 19, 2011
8:40AM
Just a quick update.
Estelle's feeding tube fell out last night. They were unable to replace it at Woodbine and so they are keeping the site open and we are waiting for the specialists at the hospital to call back with a scheduled time for new tube placement. Hopefully it will be sometime today and the new insertion will go smoothly.
Other than that, she is doing well. I'm sure this will be a set-back as she does not like the ambulance trips there and back nor does she care much for the ordeal of being picked up, put down, poked, prodded and otherwise put through painful procedures.
I certainly don't blame her.
I'll update as things progress.
3:45PM
Back from the hospital. Everything went well. The tube was replaced and anchored as firmly as possible without too much trouble. Estelle handled it well. She was awake and alert most of the time and was very patient and appreciative of the hospital staff's efforts. Her blood pressure was extremely high but we're hoping it's because she was unable to take her tube medications for hypertension and once they get started again it will come back down. They were getting ready to give her the meds when I left about 40 minutes ago.
They replaced the tube with one a size larger. The doctor and I talked about eventually replacing the current arrangement with a much smaller one called a "button," which is much harder to pull out and seems to cause far fewer problems in the people who have long term feeding tubes. We talked about putting one in today, in fact, but because Estelle's skin is still somewhat raw and irritated from leakage he felt it would be a bad idea. This "button" arrangement sits right on the skin and with the area being still quite raw it could cause infection. He felt it would be better to let the skin heal a bit more before trying it.
If this larger size tube works without leaking, we'll leave it the way it is...however, if it continues to leak or if it falls out again we shall think seriously of changing it to the newer one. The only drawback is that many nursing homes are unfamiliar with their care and usage and the staff at Woodbine might not be familiar with them. Not insurmountable, they can learn, but still something to consider. It's not always good to be the patient that they're "learning" on.
By the time we got back to the nursing home Estelle was pretty much exhausted. She told the nurses at Woodbine that she was "terrible," and complained of generalized pain all over. They got her undressed and changed and tucked her comfortably in bed and were going to give her some extra pain medication along with her normal daily meds. She looked very tired so I told her I had to go but that I would be back in the morning and she said that would be "lovely."
Hopefully the morrow will find her feeling better. She's been quite alert recently and we'd really love for her to stay that way.
Just a quick update.
Estelle's feeding tube fell out last night. They were unable to replace it at Woodbine and so they are keeping the site open and we are waiting for the specialists at the hospital to call back with a scheduled time for new tube placement. Hopefully it will be sometime today and the new insertion will go smoothly.
Other than that, she is doing well. I'm sure this will be a set-back as she does not like the ambulance trips there and back nor does she care much for the ordeal of being picked up, put down, poked, prodded and otherwise put through painful procedures.
I certainly don't blame her.
I'll update as things progress.
3:45PM
Back from the hospital. Everything went well. The tube was replaced and anchored as firmly as possible without too much trouble. Estelle handled it well. She was awake and alert most of the time and was very patient and appreciative of the hospital staff's efforts. Her blood pressure was extremely high but we're hoping it's because she was unable to take her tube medications for hypertension and once they get started again it will come back down. They were getting ready to give her the meds when I left about 40 minutes ago.
They replaced the tube with one a size larger. The doctor and I talked about eventually replacing the current arrangement with a much smaller one called a "button," which is much harder to pull out and seems to cause far fewer problems in the people who have long term feeding tubes. We talked about putting one in today, in fact, but because Estelle's skin is still somewhat raw and irritated from leakage he felt it would be a bad idea. This "button" arrangement sits right on the skin and with the area being still quite raw it could cause infection. He felt it would be better to let the skin heal a bit more before trying it.
If this larger size tube works without leaking, we'll leave it the way it is...however, if it continues to leak or if it falls out again we shall think seriously of changing it to the newer one. The only drawback is that many nursing homes are unfamiliar with their care and usage and the staff at Woodbine might not be familiar with them. Not insurmountable, they can learn, but still something to consider. It's not always good to be the patient that they're "learning" on.
By the time we got back to the nursing home Estelle was pretty much exhausted. She told the nurses at Woodbine that she was "terrible," and complained of generalized pain all over. They got her undressed and changed and tucked her comfortably in bed and were going to give her some extra pain medication along with her normal daily meds. She looked very tired so I told her I had to go but that I would be back in the morning and she said that would be "lovely."
Hopefully the morrow will find her feeling better. She's been quite alert recently and we'd really love for her to stay that way.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Sat.-Sun. May 14-15, 2011
Dan again, with this weekend's Estelle news.
Saturday, for us, was a short visit. Mom was sitting in the "gerry chair" in the hall when we came in. (The "gerry chair" is a reclining wheelchair, like the front seats of cars.) Laura said "Hello Estelle, how are you?" and she replied "terrible." We asked why, and the answer was difficult to understand. Laura asked if she wanted to go back to bed, and she said yes.
So, we got an aid's attention, and they got her back into bed. This is a difficult process. It consists of putting a harness under her, elevating her with a powered winch, very carefully pivoting her over to the bed, and carefully lowering her. And of course, before putting her in the sling to transfer her, there is some cleanup to be considered.
As you can imagine, it took some minutes behind a closed door before we were let in again to see Mom appear, mater ex machina, as it were, in her bed.
At this point we began the "hellos" again, but got no answer. After another twenty minutes of this process, we announced we were leaving and would return Sunday. It was disappointing to us and likely to her, but some days are like that now with Mom.
Sunday, I got over to Woodbine around 11:30 a.m., and we had a nice (and more extended) visit. I asked Mom if she'd like to go outside, and she nodded. So I got hold of an aid, and let her know where we were off to. The aid brought Mom down, and passed word to another one, who was to bring her feeding down after us. So down we went in the elevator, the aid wheeling the gerry chair, me carrying my guitar, which I'd brought because Mom had liked it back in New Jersey, and because it helps when things are quiet between us.
When we arrived outside, we had the whole patio area to choose from. We set up under the shade of a tree. With the beautiful weather, it felt like a nice little sidewalk cafe in an off hour.
The weather here was beautiful: about 70 degrees and a little cloudy, but with plenty of sunlight and a light breeze. I said to her "not quite the Champs Elysee, but it'll do." (Mom had spoken a few times of her time when she was young and working in France, and I decided via projection that she must have at one time or another spent an afternoon or two in such a spot.) This earned me an unexpected "Ha."
Vivien had called as I drove over, so once we were situated, we called Vivien, and they were able to talk a little. Unfortunately, the second aid had arrived with the feeding as Viv and Mom talked, so we had to work the phone call around the fuss of connecting the tube. But that worked out fine.
Then Mom and I talked a little bit, and I played a few songs fairly badly, but she's always had a generous ear for my middling musical talents. For the record, I can report that Mom likes the guitar bit of "Alabama Rain," by Jim Croce, at least as mangled by yours truly.
As we talked and I played, some other friends and relatives called, and Mom mainly listened to them, but did not answer very fluidly.
One of our relations passed condolences along about her brother Alan, who's recently passed away (condolences again to our English relations.) We had not passed the news along yet, and it certainly got Mom's attention - she asked "What was that about Alan?" a couple of times, so I explained to her. "My brother slipped away," she said. I said yes, her brother had passed away. I held my hand on her arm, and she slightly nodded. She asked if we had to go over. I said it was probably a bad idea, given her condition. She nodded again, and seemed to accept that. We were quiet for a little while, even for our standards. So, I asked if I should play more, and she said yes.
Marlene called a bit later. When Marlene calls from England, she usually wants to talk afterwards too. After she had talked to Mom, I told Mom I'd be back in a moment, and walked around a corner and out of earshot to discuss her condition, which is essentially unchanged.
When I came back, Mom asked where I'd gone. I said I wanted to talk to Marlene a little bit, and Mom asked "about what?" I told her to catch up on Marlene's family, and Marlene wanted to know how Mom was doing. Mom asked what I told her. I told her "you know, you have good days and bad days, like everybody." She said "yes. Today is good." I was so happy to hear that -- especially given the news -- that I confirmed, asking "Today is a good day?" She said "very good."
Our little sidewalk cafe filled up while all this was going on. There was sunlight around us, and people talking and visiting, and a nice breeze, and even birds singing. I can see how for Mom that's a very good day.
Eventually I took the guitar back inside, returned for Mom, and wrestled the Gerry chair back upstairs (with the help of another resident's family, a polite young man who held a door open as I manuevered the chair and the feeding stand through.) When we got upstairs I got her nurse to check the tube site, to make certain I hadn't somehow screwed that up by being all self-reliant about moving her back in. The nurse reports that it looked fine. Because of where I was standing and where she was standing I did not get a look at the site for myself. So long as it stayed connected, as far as the dangers of transportation go, that was fine for now. Laura (who knows much better than I what she's looking at,) will continue to monitor the site itself.
All in all, a good visit.
Saturday, for us, was a short visit. Mom was sitting in the "gerry chair" in the hall when we came in. (The "gerry chair" is a reclining wheelchair, like the front seats of cars.) Laura said "Hello Estelle, how are you?" and she replied "terrible." We asked why, and the answer was difficult to understand. Laura asked if she wanted to go back to bed, and she said yes.
So, we got an aid's attention, and they got her back into bed. This is a difficult process. It consists of putting a harness under her, elevating her with a powered winch, very carefully pivoting her over to the bed, and carefully lowering her. And of course, before putting her in the sling to transfer her, there is some cleanup to be considered.
As you can imagine, it took some minutes behind a closed door before we were let in again to see Mom appear, mater ex machina, as it were, in her bed.
At this point we began the "hellos" again, but got no answer. After another twenty minutes of this process, we announced we were leaving and would return Sunday. It was disappointing to us and likely to her, but some days are like that now with Mom.
Sunday, I got over to Woodbine around 11:30 a.m., and we had a nice (and more extended) visit. I asked Mom if she'd like to go outside, and she nodded. So I got hold of an aid, and let her know where we were off to. The aid brought Mom down, and passed word to another one, who was to bring her feeding down after us. So down we went in the elevator, the aid wheeling the gerry chair, me carrying my guitar, which I'd brought because Mom had liked it back in New Jersey, and because it helps when things are quiet between us.
When we arrived outside, we had the whole patio area to choose from. We set up under the shade of a tree. With the beautiful weather, it felt like a nice little sidewalk cafe in an off hour.
The weather here was beautiful: about 70 degrees and a little cloudy, but with plenty of sunlight and a light breeze. I said to her "not quite the Champs Elysee, but it'll do." (Mom had spoken a few times of her time when she was young and working in France, and I decided via projection that she must have at one time or another spent an afternoon or two in such a spot.) This earned me an unexpected "Ha."
Vivien had called as I drove over, so once we were situated, we called Vivien, and they were able to talk a little. Unfortunately, the second aid had arrived with the feeding as Viv and Mom talked, so we had to work the phone call around the fuss of connecting the tube. But that worked out fine.
Then Mom and I talked a little bit, and I played a few songs fairly badly, but she's always had a generous ear for my middling musical talents. For the record, I can report that Mom likes the guitar bit of "Alabama Rain," by Jim Croce, at least as mangled by yours truly.
As we talked and I played, some other friends and relatives called, and Mom mainly listened to them, but did not answer very fluidly.
One of our relations passed condolences along about her brother Alan, who's recently passed away (condolences again to our English relations.) We had not passed the news along yet, and it certainly got Mom's attention - she asked "What was that about Alan?" a couple of times, so I explained to her. "My brother slipped away," she said. I said yes, her brother had passed away. I held my hand on her arm, and she slightly nodded. She asked if we had to go over. I said it was probably a bad idea, given her condition. She nodded again, and seemed to accept that. We were quiet for a little while, even for our standards. So, I asked if I should play more, and she said yes.
Marlene called a bit later. When Marlene calls from England, she usually wants to talk afterwards too. After she had talked to Mom, I told Mom I'd be back in a moment, and walked around a corner and out of earshot to discuss her condition, which is essentially unchanged.
When I came back, Mom asked where I'd gone. I said I wanted to talk to Marlene a little bit, and Mom asked "about what?" I told her to catch up on Marlene's family, and Marlene wanted to know how Mom was doing. Mom asked what I told her. I told her "you know, you have good days and bad days, like everybody." She said "yes. Today is good." I was so happy to hear that -- especially given the news -- that I confirmed, asking "Today is a good day?" She said "very good."
Our little sidewalk cafe filled up while all this was going on. There was sunlight around us, and people talking and visiting, and a nice breeze, and even birds singing. I can see how for Mom that's a very good day.
Eventually I took the guitar back inside, returned for Mom, and wrestled the Gerry chair back upstairs (with the help of another resident's family, a polite young man who held a door open as I manuevered the chair and the feeding stand through.) When we got upstairs I got her nurse to check the tube site, to make certain I hadn't somehow screwed that up by being all self-reliant about moving her back in. The nurse reports that it looked fine. Because of where I was standing and where she was standing I did not get a look at the site for myself. So long as it stayed connected, as far as the dangers of transportation go, that was fine for now. Laura (who knows much better than I what she's looking at,) will continue to monitor the site itself.
All in all, a good visit.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
It's been a long week here so this will be short today.
I spent about 90 minutes with Estelle today. She was asleep when I arrived but woke when her friend, Meryl, called on the phone. She was a bit groggy and was having some trouble talking because her mouth was very dry from just waking up so we hung up, I cleaned her mouth out and then we called Meryl back again. She was not real talkative but she did listen intently and seemed quite pleased to be on the phone.
I spoke to the head nurse and to her social worker, Jasmine, who told me that Estelle had a very good day yesterday - one of the best they'd seen. They are getting her up and in a chair every other day and some days they put her chair in the hallway so she can see what's going on. Apparently VIvian had called Jasmine and she arranged for Mom to call Vivian yesterday from the nursing station and, according to Jasmine, they had a very nice phone call so that was good to hear.
After talking to Meryl,I spent some time talking to Mom, watering her plants, checking her feeding tube and just generally being present but not really doing or saying much of anything for a good deal of the time.
The nursing home was having a cook-out/picnic outside today but it was starting to rain. I thought about taking her outside for the stimulation if the rain quit but I am never sure if it's a good idea to have her sitting around and watching people eat things. I do not know how much she might miss eating, I know she always liked food and dinner situations, so I am always afraid it will be a painful reminder for her. Seems better to avoid the situation, there are plenty of other times to go outside and plenty of other activities which do not involve food which are available.
Anyhow, that was our morning. I hope everyone has a good weekend.
I spent about 90 minutes with Estelle today. She was asleep when I arrived but woke when her friend, Meryl, called on the phone. She was a bit groggy and was having some trouble talking because her mouth was very dry from just waking up so we hung up, I cleaned her mouth out and then we called Meryl back again. She was not real talkative but she did listen intently and seemed quite pleased to be on the phone.
I spoke to the head nurse and to her social worker, Jasmine, who told me that Estelle had a very good day yesterday - one of the best they'd seen. They are getting her up and in a chair every other day and some days they put her chair in the hallway so she can see what's going on. Apparently VIvian had called Jasmine and she arranged for Mom to call Vivian yesterday from the nursing station and, according to Jasmine, they had a very nice phone call so that was good to hear.
After talking to Meryl,I spent some time talking to Mom, watering her plants, checking her feeding tube and just generally being present but not really doing or saying much of anything for a good deal of the time.
The nursing home was having a cook-out/picnic outside today but it was starting to rain. I thought about taking her outside for the stimulation if the rain quit but I am never sure if it's a good idea to have her sitting around and watching people eat things. I do not know how much she might miss eating, I know she always liked food and dinner situations, so I am always afraid it will be a painful reminder for her. Seems better to avoid the situation, there are plenty of other times to go outside and plenty of other activities which do not involve food which are available.
Anyhow, that was our morning. I hope everyone has a good weekend.
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