Mom’s Status: 2010-08-15
Summary
Mom seemed significantly improved today; still feeling pain but less “tortured” by it. She’s resting more peacefully, and her skin color is better. She’s a bit stronger and required far less repositioning than previously, and she’s able to accomplish more of the shifting in bed on her on, without as much assistance from the nurses and family. She’s more content to lay still, and she’s more alert; I had small conversations with her. Finally, she’s eating more soft food. Her legs are still hypersensitive however. She still cries out when repositioned. But her overall attitude seems more positive and she seems to better grasp the necessity that she remain here in Pittsburgh for a little while longer to get the best care for her pain and the most complete resolution of her heart issues.
Pending Objectives
- Get council on results of the 2010-08-13 mid section CT scan and arterial doppler study.
- Find out if that “flapping object” was present in Mom’s heart in her 2008 echo cardiograms. DONE. It was not present. This is a new development since 2008.
- Monitor Mom’s overall pain status. We’re looking to get her pain stopped. Less pain noted today.
Log
10:15 AM: Leaving for the hospital. Details of the visit follow:
- 10:55 AM: I arrived to find her room door closed. Mom was sleeping. So I went into her room and pulled up a chair; waiting for today’s nurse to come in and give me a status update.
- 11:05 AM: Mom’s IV machine started beeping.
- 11:07 AM: Her nurse just entered to flush her pick line. This nurse just came on duty. So she hasn’t spent any time with Mom yet today. But she says that she received no reports of problems overnight.
- 11:10 AM: The doctor from palliative care just arrived. He woke Mom up to quiz her, to see if she’s more alert. She appears less delirious to him.
- She says the leg pain is still intense; a ten. But she’s better able to withstand it at present.
- 11:22 AM: The palliative care doctor left.
- 11:55 AM: A nurse entered to read Mom’s blood sugar.
- 12:15 PM: Mom asked me calmly to reposition her legs, and says that having this done every couple hours would raise her comfort level immensely.
- 12:45 PM: Helped her reposition in bed again. She’s still excited to go home.
- 01:10 PM: Nurse arrived to give meds.
- 01:30 PM: She enjoyed a half-cup of chocolate pudding for lunch along with a bit of ice.
- She seems better able to cope with her leg pain.
- 02:20 PM: The palliative care doctors came by again, and were careful to stipulate that when they talk about discharging Mom, they’re just making plans for when she’s ready to be released. But they’re not “rushing” her out, and they agree that she’s nowhere near ready to be discharged at this time.
- 02:50 PM: She seems to experience relatively little pain as long as she remains relatively still. However, her legs are still highly painful when she moves them.
- 05:10 PM: Blood sugar: 239.
- Sisters Christine and Jojo, along with friend Deb visited for much of the afternoon.
- 06:00 We’re leaving now. Mom is resting. I’ll visit again sometime tomorrow AM.