November 29

Been pretty busy this Thanksgiving weekend--but Barbara came down to help out. THANK YOU!

Thanksgiving day we had Granny at home all day. But before we could leave the Rehab center, they wanted to give her some physical therapy workout--well, great. Get her more tired before we go. Fine. Barbara had stayed at the house and was fixing the turkey and dressing and sweet potatoes. I had made some pumpkin pie a day or two ago (without crust so was more like a custard) so we still had some left. In the afternoon we played some dominoes--here you see what is left of some pie with the dominoes on the table.

Friday Granny had more therapy work to do and she was also tired, so Barbara and I took some time to do some shopping--fabric store, of course. Saturday we had Granny home all day again. We just stayed at home and tried to relax. Had leftover turkey, what else? This time, Barbara had turned it into a casserole with veggies added.

Today we were sure Granny would have a busy schedule at the center, but when we got there at 8am, they were just about finished so we brought her back home until after lunch. We played cards before lunch. In the morning Barbara had decorated Granny's portion of the room a bit so she has a section to stick up any Christmas cards or cheery items for the holidays.

Barbara's flight back home left at 4pm, and then I went home to eat supper. I will be over again to see Granny before she goes to bed. I won't get to see her much this week as I have to work every day.

November 25 - early

Still have not gotten a progress report on Granny from the Rehab center. Apparently I have to make an appointment with the administrative nurse to stay late in order to meet with me. Due to the holiday week, there are fewer people available to discuss things with. The evening nurse did say she would leave them a note to call me today, however, after work I will be at the airport picking up Barbara so can't meet with them in person. Barbara is coming to help me this weekend--I'm hoping she'll do some cooking!

Last night the evening nurse said she didn't like the way Granny's lungs were sounding--she has developed a very bad cough and although she is still recovering her voice after the respirator, it has turned very deep and raspy. They had blood work & an xray done last night--negative for pneumonia. SO...still don't know why she's developed this--may be a bronchitis or sinus infection-type issue. Hopefully it will not prevent Granny from coming home during the daytime over the holiday & weekend. It has gotten much colder after a front came through yesterday, and nobody wants Granny to get exposed to chills.

Will be seeing Granny with Barbara much later tonight and hopefully we can have a Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow at home together. Hope everyone else has a Happy Thanksgiving!

November 22

Granny was very unhappy yesterday--apparently the weekend staff leave a lot to be desired. She was moved sometime during the night into another room--picked her up bag and baggage and stuck her at the end of the hall in Rm 212. (Surprise when I walked in the next day about 10am to see she had turned into a man!) They have their reasons for moving people, I'm sure--just the way they do it might not be easy to take. But, she never got her shower although was promised multiple times in the morning--about 1pm they said they would get to it about 4pm and Granny fell asleep and I took off. Was back about 4:30pm--still no shower so by then Granny didn't want one. 5:30 came and went; 6:30 and no SUPPER! Hello? I had to go hunt down someone--oops--they had forgotten to bring her supper. So, they tried to make up for it with 2 servings of ice cream and 3 different cups of juice. I told Mom I would take her home Sunday for lunch and bring her back just before supper. She was happy with that!


Also received a special delivery from Jamie, Lizzy, and 'Lil Red....these are pictures of her purusing the beautiful artwork--thank you Jamie, Lizzy and Jared!








SO...currently have Granny at home--first thing she did was use her bathroom, and has been sleeping in her chair, with Nico watching over her. I'm now in the process of getting a few chores done around the house--shew! I think Granny will be coming home every weekend during the day from now on. This week, of course, is Thanksgiving so she will be home more over the holidays. She still has to spend the night there, though, and take her medication and physical therapy work. I don't want her home alone yet--she is too prone to falling.

November 21

It's the weekend! Now is the time I have to try and catch up with all I've been postponing since November the 6th....ugh. Haven't been over to see Granny yet today, but will be soon--inbetween grocery shopping and Walmart. Luckily, it's an overcast, somewhat rainy day and therefore I have an excuse not to work on raking leaves which are an incredible mess, and only in OUR yard, I might add.

The really exciting news is that Granny was home last night for a quick visit! I was able to bring Granny home for supper last night--my restriction was she had to be back to the rehab center before midnight (the medicare curfew). But the nurse wanted her back before 9pm because she had some medicine she needed to take. Fine with me! We had some vegetable soup I had made for supper (and no--it wasn't poisonous just because I was the one who cooked it). Granny got to sit in her recliner and watch Biggest Loser tv program that I had recorder for her. Also got to use her OWN bathroom--she shares one with 3 other residents at the center. And read some of the mail that has been piling up. But by 8pm, she was more than ready to go back to the center and get some sleep. It was only about 2-1/2 hours, but it was really good to see her home.

Nico was so surprised to see her, too--although she told me later that Granny smelled really different from wherever she's been. Nico was very courteous and tried to stay out of the way of the wheelchair and walker, but also very happy to help her finish up the soup she was too full to finish.

November 18

Granny's first day in rehab seemed to go okay. She had some therapy doing some leg exercises. She said she was eating more. They still want her to call for assistance before going anywhere by herself like the bathroom, or walking around her room. This is to make sure she doesn't lose her balance and fall.

I was there for the evening meal briefly before I left to bring her some more clothes and another blanket that she wanted, etc. I left Granny sitting on the side of her bed eating, and she was still there when I got back but dinner was finished. However, she WAS looking pretty tired by then. Then the occupational therapist came in and had Granny do some arm exercises with a 1lb weight. After that was done, Granny was ready for bed and went to brush her teeth and get back in bed--yikes--it was only 7pm! But I was good with that because I was ready to get home and try to relax some myself.

Now tomorrow, she will have a little bit more exercise as she gets used to using her muscles more and more. The occupational therapist had already said that Granny was in the top category for what she needs to accomplish so it won't be long before she's ready to come home. As I understand it, they evaluate the patients once a week for overall progress. And I think the last week or so, they have the patients work with their own equipment (like Granny has her own walker/cane) and they also review possible obstacles that exist in the home that we have to look out for or fix.

Tomorrow, I have to work a little later in the evening, so probably won't post anything on the blog. But all is well, and Granny is definitely getting better now. Woo Hoo!

November 17

Ok--Granny has been relocated to the Lakewood Nursing & Rehab Center, 2323 McCain Blvd, North Little Rock, AR 72116. The phone # to the Rehab Center is (501) 791-2323, however, Granny does not have a phone in her room so don't call her yet. I have the option to sign up for cable TV and phone service, but Granny wasn't ready to do that yet--not sure how long she will be there, and didn't want a lot of stuff if she wasn't going to be there long.

The Center provided transportation for Granny from the hospital about 2pm. Granny had been sitting up in a chair since 10:15am. The Physical Therapist who came in at 9:30am wanted Granny to walk around, but since her blood pressure went from 103 to under 70 when she stood up, she decided not to walk her anywhere. So, Granny had been sitting in the chair--unable to take any naps--until about 3:30pm after checking into the rehab center. She was totally exhausted. I left for 30minutes to get her some things from home and when I got back, she had taken a little nap and was being initially evaluated by the physical therapist onsite. She looked 100% better after that little nap, and the therapist said she was doing extremely well for just getting out of the hospital.

With a few items from home and a different setting, I think Granny is going to do well at the rehab center and will be coming home pretty quick. She had a real good attitude when I left her this evening. Get this--her meal had a corn dog in it, and she actually said it tasted good. Is that amazing, or what?

The rehab center is litterally 2 blocks from the house--I can pop back and forth within 2 minutes if she needs anything. I can go see her any time--24 hours a day. SO...it's looking good so far. Tomorrow she will have her first therapy session. I'm currently working on some laundry for her and will be going back to work tomorrow.

Candice & Jared sent Granny a card--here's a picture of her looking at it in the hospital this morning. I think she enjoyed it, don't you?

November 16

Recovery is a slow, painful process. Granny is still struggling with a lack of appetite, shortness of breath, periodic dizziness, some depression and overall weakness. But for the first time at this evening's meal, she actually said some of the food tasted good! (I wanted it in writing, but she just stuck her tongue out at me.) She definitely wants out of the hospital, though, which is a good sign.

The next step we are looking at is getting Granny into a rehab center to have professionals work with her on the level she needs to get her up to snuf so she can come home. The rehab program in the hospital has been determined unsuitable for her. That program entails 3 hours of physical therapy, and Granny gets too winded just walking (with help) from the bed to the bathroom. What this means is, Granny will be transferred to a rehab center close to home (depending on room availability--either 2 blocks from home, or a few miles north of here). She will live there with people around to monitor and watch her progression, take her to doctor appointments if needed, provide meals, assistance with dressing, washing, etc. As I understand it, there would be 2 paitents in a room and is half-way between a hospital room and a hotel. Anyways, they really push the patients to get well--to be able to clothe themselves, bathe themselves, walk without assistance, etc--everything they need to be able to live at home. The time frame needed for the rehab duration depends on the individual patient's progress. So don't really have a clue how long Granny would be in rehab, but probably could be several weeks.

If all goes well Granny will be transferred tomorrow, and I will be there to follow all of that and help get Granny settled. I will keep you posted. Hopefully the transition will flow smoothly and I will be back to work on Wednesday (I need the rest!).

November 15

Granny didn't sleep real well last night, but she didn't have any "episodes" or mishaps--which is a good thing! She was moved to the room next door #357. Her neighbor said it was because of a lot of noise that was disturbing other patients (I think that was Granny's original roommate that had a noisy breathing apparatus or something).

Granny is trying to build up her strength, balance & stamina in order to come home. I was hoping she would improve right away, but it looks like it's going to take awhile. She has absolutely no appetite--doesn't want to eat most of the food she is brought (says it doesn't taste good and doesn't even look good). She puts on a happy face when the doctors come in (and we saw 3 of them today) saying she was feeling better, however, as soon as they leave she is back in the dumps--propping her head up on her hand while looking at her food. Says she's bored, but doesn't want to play a game, work a puzzle, read a book, look at the newspaper or magazine, doesn't want the TV on....etc. She's just being abnormal. BUT, this may all be the normal recouperating process and the drugs she has to take may be affecting her appetite. And since she's only been out of the ICU 24 hours, I can't expect her to jump up and dance a jig. Or can I?

The cardiologist that saw her today suggested a rehab program which they have in the hospital on the 1st floor for the patients while in the hospital. So we most likely are going to be in that program for a week unless improvements are dramatic. He said we are going to have to take it slow with Granny on this. Meaning, probably won't be released from the hospital for awhile. The cardiologist had talked with the pulmonary doctor and they both agree that the heart issue appears to be doing fine now, the breathing was sounding good although there was a little bit of wheezing still, but there had to be another reason why she is still so short of breath currently.

I'm a little disappointed, but in actuality, Granny is doing absolutely fantastic. I just need to have more patience. In the meantime, will keep you posted! Keep sending Granny your cards or notes of encouragement. I'm sure she would be thrilled to even get a picture one of the kids drew or colored....how about a picture? I can print those and take 'em to her! (I had stolen some pictures of Radley from Facebook and she looked at those for a long time.)

November 14

Granny was doing pretty good this morning--eating real food for breakfast. She is very tired, and also very tired at lunch. She complains that she could sleep for a week! This afternoon they are moving her to a regular room, but will still have a heart monitor. The pulmonary doctor is still watching the issue with fluid in the lung; he is not convinced it is entirely due to the heart issue. She is coughing which is a good thing, but doesn't appear to have any infection. As she gets stronger, the cardiologist still thinks she may get out of the hospital early this coming week. And then we will most likely have a lot of physical and occupational therapy to go through.

These are the pictures before and after from the heart cath yesterday. This is the main artery feeding the heart and you can see the artery is much larger after the stint was inserted.

November 13 - later

Granny still doing good, although tremendously tired. (go figure) After 4 hours forced to lie flat on her back recouperating after the heart cath, she was SOOOOO ready to sit up. A little woozie, but she made it through. She had another meal of clear liquids--jello being the favorite, and she was ready to try and sleep through the night (assuming the nurses stop poking and waking her up to turn her or take readings or something every 30minutes). Her pulse rate had lowered by 10-12 indicating her heart was not working as hard trying to pump blood; her blood pressure was looking good, and the heart rythms were looking better than in the past as well. As I was leaving, she said she wanted some chocolate cake.

Hmmm...wonder if they make that flavor of jello?

(I was going to post some pictures that the cardiologist gave us of the before & after of the blocked artery in the heart, but I left them at the hospital. I will try to get them posted tomorrow night after I bring them home.)

Good Friday the 13th

Granny had her heart cath procedure this morning and came through with flying colors. The doctor found the blockage and put in a stint to open it up and the blood is flowing through now. Granny has to lie flat on her back for four hours afterwards and right now has about an hour to go with this. She has already had some jello and frozen sherbert following this procedure, and she's still hungry!

I am typing this on Barbara's pc through the wireless connection at the hospital, so will update more later tonight. In the meantime, visiting resumes in the ICU in about an hour. We plan to be here to help Granny eat her supper, and then we are going to go out for our own celebration dinner. Thanks for all the prayers--I think they worked! Later.....

November 12

Finally some progress to report! This morning was pretty miserable--Granny was still struggling with the ventilator, although she was breathing on her own. Gagging, and wanting to cough with the tube down her throat, the soreness & dryness, unable to talk... We were waiting for a procedure in which they would "go in" with a big needle/syringe (I guess) and remove as much fluid from the lung as possible. When we were kicked out at 10am for "quiet time" in the ICU, the pulmonary doctor apparently decided to remove the ventilator--YEA!!!! At 11am, the nurse found us in the waiting room to let us know and allowed us to see her briefly after that ordeal. She was in bed, but smiled and waved at us immediately. Then, when we got back at noon after going for a bite to eat in the cafeteria, we found her sitting in a chair and she smiled at us right away! YEA!! She still had the feeding tube which goes from the nose to the stomach, but it was quite obvious she had really improved after that ventilator was removed.

She told us she had even walked down the hallway a bit! For the next two hours she sat up in the chair and we hung out. She dozed off a few times in the chair and by the time we were kicked out for another "quiet time", she was saying she wanted to lay down in bed because she was very tired. We also got a visit from the cardiologist during this time and he was very impressed with her progress in such a short period. She still had to do the fluid removal procedure which the doctor found out was scheduled for 3pm, but he said if she did well with that and it did not appear to be an infection, and if all went well over night and tomorrow morning, that we may go ahead with the heart cath to test what we needed to do for the heart. Haven't heard yet if she still has an infection, but when we got to go back in at 4pm after this last procedure, she was looking fine and ready to go home!

See how happy she looks? Her feeding tube had been removed and she said she could breathe better after the fluid was off (although it was a rough procedure). She was given the "clear liquid" diet for supper and she scarfed it down! Beef broth, grape juice, Sprite, cherry jello, and cherry sherbert. Her job now is to continue to rest and get ready for hopefully the last big procedure, which is to go up through a vein into the heart, insert dye, see where blockage/damage is, and then to possibly use stints or balloons to open up the closed veins/arteries.

November 11

Another long day with not a lot of progress. Granny was breathing on her own for over 6 hours, but the ventilator was still attached, however, the doctors don't want to remove it completely at this time. So, to alleviate some of the effort with breathing & discomfort, it was turned back on and she was given some calming medicine. The ventilator has a tube going down the throat and it is very uncomfortable, and makes you want to gag.

Tomorrow they are going to do a procedure to remove more fluid from around the lung which had accumulated since yesterday, then see if they can remove the ventilator later on in the day.

The heart cath is still scheduled for Friday, however, it is very likely it will be cancelled and rescheduled for later next week as Granny has not improved her condition enough for the cardiologist. So we are looking at a few more days of just trying to sustain and improve Granny's condition.

Barbara & Bill are here with me now. Granny was lucid and responsive most of the day so she is aware and was happy to see them (although she still cannot talk with the ventilator).

November 10

There was not a lot of progress in Granny's condition today, but there was some and no worsening. There were no "episodes" last night. A lot of the fluid has been removed from the lung, the xrays are looking much better and the chest sounds clear (according to the primary care doctor). They have not been successful in removing the ventilator--when they try, Granny has trouble breathing. So, they have been trying to "ween" her very slowly off of it....was 100% Monday morning, then that evening went to 60%, 40% this morning and 35% oxygen when I left this evening [meaning they were giving her that percentage to maintain her oxygen levels]. They want her to maintain as close to 99% oxygen levels on her own before they take it away. I was told by the respiratory technician that they had to go slow and careful with Granny on this. The ventilator is not breathing for her entirely, but it is helping her to breathe easier.

Granny was obviously very tired today and not as lucid (communicative) as she was yesterday, however, she is responding with head nods and hand squeezes and toe wiggles, so she is aware of things. She is being fed by a feeding tube as of this evening. And her blood pressure has been relatively stable. Although I did not see the pulmonary or cardiologist (despite being there from 7:30am to 5pm--growl), the heart cath is still planned for Friday.

Keep Granny in your prayers!

November 9

Granny had a bad night last night and had to be re-admitted to the ICU early this morning. She had been put on a ventilator to help her breathe and will probably remain on it throughout the night at least. A port had to be put in her neck (what they call the main line) to give her meds and whatnot. They were unable to do any more sticks in her one good arm (the left arm has lymphodema so cannot be used for this).

Granny cannot talk or swallow with the ventilator, not to mention is very uncomfortable, but she was able to write a couple of sentences for me tonight--wanted me to wash her mouth, and let me know she had been given a pill to help her sleep (although I don't believe it could have been a pill since she can't swallow).

The nurse told me that the doctor was planning to do the heart cath on Friday. I plan to just stay at the hospital tomorrow to be sure I can talk with the doctor and to follow what is going on more closely. (I had gone to work today and I think I missed out on too much that was going on.)

Granny's Health

For those who may or may not know, Granny was taken by ambulance to the hospital early Friday morning. She couldn't breath, was sweating profusely, highly agitated, and had chest pain. After emergency treatment, spent rest of day and night and most of next day in ICU. She has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure and pneumonia (this part due to the elevated white blood cell count, meaning some kind of infection is present).

At this time, she is in a regular hospital room, getting lots of meds and attention from the hospital staff, and has stabilized for the most part. She is feeling better, although gets tired with very little exertion, including lifting her arms when eating. I spoke with the cardiologist today (Sunday) and he says she has a very weak heart--part of it is working, but some of it is not. He was able to hear the heart malfunctioning after Granny had just gotten back from walking with a therapist in the hallway, so he knows for sure she has some blockage.

The next procedure is to have a cardio cathetor (? spelling) which is a line put through a vein I think from the leg up to the heart. Then they put in dye to see where and how much blockage there is. During this procedure, they can also use balloons or stints to open up blocked areas. Some people require open-heart surgery for severely blocked areas, however, Granny is NOT a candidate for this option due to her age & overall condition.

The cardiologist also told me that Granny is currently NOT in a condition to undergo this cardio cathetor procedure yet. SO, she will stay in the hospital until she is well enough to have this procedure. The cardiologist was saying, 24, 48, 72 hours...just wasn't sure how long it would be before she is ready. Granny is in a private room with a phone, however, she cannot easily answer it nor hear well, so is not a good idea to call. If you'd like to send her a card--I'm sure she'd like that. (just send it to the home and I'll take it to her since not sure how long she will be in the hospital)

If you really need to know the hospital info: Baptist Health Medical Center, 3333 Springhill Dr., Room 204, North Little Rock, AR 72116 501-202-3000