Tom's Diary

Today’s Activities

• Shower.  DONE.
• Cat duty.  Sister Jojo is performing this until I return home.

Log

07:00 AM: I’m up. 

08:30 AM: I’m walking to the hospital now to be with Mom.  Back later.

09:20 AM: Picked up a decaffeinated almond-flavored coffee, and a doughnut for Mom at Dunkin’ Donuts.  Now, I’m heading for the hospital. 

11:15 AM: Left Mom and heading for Subway for lunch.

12:00 PM: I’m back home.  Delicious cheese steak sub I enjoyed just now. 

01:30 PM: Watched   KDKA TV’s Local News at Noon   as well as   The Young and the Restless. 

02:10 PM: Added more content to the   Tom’s Views –> Mosque At Ground Zero   piece.  Now, it’s time for a nap. 

04:45 PM: I’m awake again, and listening to the local news.  I really am a news junkie.

06:15 PM: Blogged and iPodded, and now, [Emmy] and I are walking in to the hospital to visit Mom. 

06:30 PM: Stopped at Northwest bank to withdraw some spending cash. 

07:45 PM: We thought we’d take a stroll down Forbes avenue before heading home. We stopped at Dunkin’ Donuts for a decaf coffee.  We each got one at a total cost of $3.96.

08:45 PM: We’re boarding a 54-C bus now; going home.   

09:00 PM: We’ve returned to [Emmy's] apartment. 

10:00 PM: Watched CNN’s   Larry King Live   television talk show.

11:35 PM: Watched CNN’s   AC 360   news show as well as    KDKA TV’s Local News at 11:00 PM.    Now, it’s bed time.  So take care, and good night. 

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

None today.

Related Posts

• Mom’s Status: 2010-08-18
• Today’s Diet: 2010-08-18
• Tom’s Views –> Mosque At Ground Zero
• Weight Loss: 2010

Summary

Mom continues to improve; though not as dramatically today as earlier this week.  She’s eating more, sitting up in bed for brief periods, and the delerium appears to be clearing.  She requires less pain medicine today, and she’s asking to read newspapers and to receive get-well cards.  Over all, I’d say that her spirits are lifting, and she’s starting to seem a bit more like her old self.  She has quite a ways to go to return to her previous health.  But she’s definitely moving in that direction. 

Pending Objectives

• Get council on results of the 2010-08-17 (yesterday’s) mid section CT scan; once it’s done.  DONE.  This test revealed a hematoma.  See details about this elsewhere in this document. 
• Monitor Mom’s overall pain status.  We’re looking to get her pain stopped.
• Track the dissipation of Mom’s pelvic hematoma.

Completed Objectives

• 2010-08-16: 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. 
• 2010-08-16: Get council on results of the 2010-08-13 mid section CT scan and arterial doppler study. DONE.  Mom’s bleeding has lessened.  They plan on doing another CT scan tomorrow to check progress. 
• 2010-08-17: Establish physical therapy for Mom; per her cardiologist’s recommendation.  DONE.  She should have her first session either today or tomorrow. 
• 2010-08-18: Seek counsel on results of the 2010-08-17 (yesterday’s) mid section CT scan; once it’s done.  DONE.  This test revealed a hematoma.  See details about this elsewhere in this document. 

Log

08:30 AM: Leaving for the hospital.  Details of the visit follow:

• 09:25 AM: I arrived at Mom’s room.  She was sleeping peacefully.  So I sat down beside her to wait for her to wake up.
• One rail at the foot of her bed has been removed   Apparently they allowed her to put a leg out of the bed through this space.
• 09:40 AM: She woke briefly and recognized me; asking me what I had planned to do today.  But then she went back to sleep while I explained.
• 9:50 AM: Mom’s favorite cardiologist arrived.
• Mom told him that her legs hurt less than yesterday, but that the pain is still intense today. She also said that she sat on edge of bed overnight.
• She’s being given two antibiotics currently.
• Another heart surgeon is reviewing Mom’s case and will visit her today, and then make his recommendation on surgery to remove this infection tomorrow. 
• Since Mom has been eating more the past few days, they’re going to stop IV feeding today.
• She’ll need to receive antibiotics for four to five more weeks from today.
• 10:00 AM: Her favorite cardiologist departed.
• 10:15 AM: Mom asked me to get her some newspapers to read.  So I went to the gift shop on the first floor and bought three: USA Today, The Pittsburgh Tribune, and The Pittsburgh Post Gazette. 
• 10:20 AM: Mom requested that I help her sit up on the edge of her bed, and given her cardiologist’s interest in getting her moving that he expressed yesterday, I decided to help her up.
• 10:25 AM: Getting her legs positioned for sitting up produced much pain.  But we got her into the sitting position.  However, she soon tired and asked to be laid back down.
• 10:27 AM: But shortly after that, a physical therapist arrived, and wanted to sit Mom up again.  Interesting timing.  But Mom agreed to try and sit up again and have her stand up with assistance.  They measured her blood pressure as she sat.  It was good.  But soon, the therapist gave up the effort for today, since Mom seemed confused — when asked to move in one direction, Mom would move in another.  They’ll attempt to get her sitting again (and standing perhaps)  tomorrow.  They’ll exercise her three to five times per week. 
• 10:30 AM: Mom’s infectious diseases doctor came in.  He said that yesterday’s CT scan revealed a hematoma in Mom’s pelvic area that is likely triggering much of her leg pain.  It has not changed in size or shape this week, and could take several months to completely disappear.  The good news is that it’s not growing any bigger. 
• 10:45 AM: The infectious diseases doctor departed.
• 10:45 AM: The mailman delivered a card from one of Mom’s best friends back home, which she enjoyed reading. 
• 10:48 AM: A woman from Housekeeping arrived to empty the trash and Mom Mom’s floors. 
• 11:05 AM: Housekeeping left. I gave Mom some ice; though she did not want the diet Pepsi I brought for her.  She may drink some later.
• 11:10 AM: Now, I’m leaving as well.  

06:15 PM: Going to the hospital now for the evening visit to Mom.  Details follow:

• 06:50 PM: We arrived.  Mom had been sleeping but awoke briefly when she heard us enter.  She acknowledged both [Emmy] and I, smiled, and went back to sleep.
• She’d previously eaten a little supper.  But looking at her tray, she appears to have eaten very little.
• 07:20 PM: Mom started breathing loudly, with shallow breaths.  She asked me to get the nurse.  I did.  The nurse read her oxygen level, which was 96%.  Good. 
• 07:40 PM: Eventually, her breathing returned to normal and she went back to sleep.  Perhaps she experienced a scary dream that stirred up her breathing.  [Emmy] noticed that this sort of breathing was what Mom was experiencing before going into Altoona Hospital.  That problem has been put on the back burner while they resolve this infection.  But I will ask the doctors how they plan to address this original issue of shortness of breath. 
• 07:45 PM: We’re leaving now.  More tomorrow.

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• Today’s Business: 2010-08-18

I keep this food diary to stay aware of just how many calories I’m eating daily, with the hope that it decreases the likelihood that I’ll overeat.    It seems to work, so here we go with another day…

Today, I consumed the following items:

• Herbal tea throughout the day. 0 calories.
• 09:00 AM 1 large decaffeinated Dunkin’ Donuts coffee with half & half.  100 calories.
• 11:40 AM: 1 foot-long cheese steak sub.  1000 calories.
• 04:55 PM: 2 bowls of Cheerios with organic skim milk and organic sugar.  800 calories.
• 08:30 PM 1 large decaffeinated Dunkin’ Donuts coffee with half & half.  100 calories.
• 10:15 PM: 1/2 bag of popcorn.  130 calories.
• 10:20 PM: 1 bowl of cherries.  200 calories.
• 10:30 PM: 5 slices of muenster cheese.  400 calories.

Total calories: 2730.

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• Other Food Diary Entries
• Today’s Business: 2010-08-18
• Weight Loss: 2010