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. 

08:00 AM: Added more content to the   Tom’s Views –> Mosque At Ground Zero    piece. 

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

09:00 AM: Stopped at Dunkin’ Donuts for a coffee, and a donut and diet pop for Mom.   $4.75 was the total cost for those items. 

11:45 AM: I’m back home.

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

01:45 PM: Nap time.  Back later.

04:00 PM: I’m awake again. 

06:45 PM: Watched   KDKA TV’s Local News   shows at 4:00, 5:00, and 6:00 PM.  During that, I whipped up a batch of strawberry-flavored cream cheese Jello, and chatted with [Emmy] about the more poignant news pieces.  Now, I’m heading to visit Mom at the hospital.  I’ll return later. 

08:00 PM I finished with Mom, and while walking to the bus stop, I realized that I forgot my money at [Emmy's].  Grrrrr.   Well, this just means no coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts, and that I’ll have to walk home.  But the weather is crisp yet warm, and I could stand to lose a few pounds anyhow. 

08:45 PM: I’m home.

11:35 PM: Watched   Larry King Live,   AC 360,   and   KDKA TV’s Local News at 11:00 PM.  Now, as per usual lately at this time of night, I’m off to bed.  I have another busy day tomorrow; visiting Mom and writing.  So I want to be fresh.  More later.  Good night. 

Tom Hesley

Received Mail and Shipments

None today.

Related Posts

• Mom’s Status: 2010-08-19
• Today’s Diet: 2010-08-19
• Tom’s Views –> Mosque At Ground Zero
• Weight Loss: 2010

Summary

Mom’s alertness continues to improve.  But she seemed to be in more pain today than the past couple days; likely due to the reduction in pain meds. She’s also more swollen in the legs and feet, and doctors are concerned about a scar they discovered in Mom’s liver.  Over all: A mixed bag of good and bad today.

Pending Objectives

• Monitor Mom’s overall pain status.  We’re looking to get her pain stopped.
• Find out what the liver doctors think of the spot on Mom’s liver. 
• 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:

• 09:15 AM: I arrived.  Mom was sleeping but awoke briefly; she acknowledged me, and then continued dozing.
• She says she’s feeling better over all but still in pain.
• 09:20 AM: She’s talking more and in better spirits. 
• 09:45 AM: Mom’s favorite cardiologist arrived.  He has conferred with the infectious diseases doctor and the cardiac surgeon.  Her cardiologist wants to keep going with the antibiotics.
• The shortness of breath that brought Mom to the hospital originally, he says, may have been caused by the infection.  If during physical therapy this problem resurfaces, they’ll investigate it further at that time.
• 09:50 AM:  Mom’s primary (favorite) cardiologist left, and shortly thereafter, the cariac surgeon arrived.
• He says that at this point, Mom’s valves do not seem infected and that the spot seen on earlier ECGs may be a suture applied during her valve replacement surgery in early 2008.  But he wants to watch it and the rest of the heart for changes over time. 
• He said that there’s no active infection in her heart that he can see on the pictures.  But he wants to follow her closely with follow-up echos.
• There is not leaking around the valves.  This is further evidence that her heart is not impaired by infection at present.
• Still negative blood cultures today.
• 10:10 AM: The cardiac surgeon left.
• 10:15 AM: The IVs are beeping again.  They’re particularly irritating today.
• 10:20 AM: Mom’s favorite cardiologist came back; saying that he has conferred with the surgeon, and they agree that Mom should stay here in Pittsburgh at least until this coming Wednesday.  They desire to perform another ECG on Monday to compare with earlier ones.  This will allow them to tell if Mom’s heart condition is worsening or improving. 
• They also notice scarring on Mom’s liver.  The surgeon wants to fully understand that before he’d opt for surgery. 
• 10:25 AM: The infectious diseases doctor arrived.  Mom indicated to him that her appetite is still very weak, and he told her that in spite of that, she must eat more than she is currently; lest she delay her healing.  He also believes that the optimal treatment for Mom’s condition would be a valve replacement; to be sure that all the bacteria are out of her system.  But since Mom is so weak, he’s content to wait and see how well the antibiotics work. 
• Her liver function is returning to normal.  He feels that the liver enzyme changes noted in Mom’s blood during the early days of her stay out here, were likely due to the infection, and not caused by any chronic liver problems. 
• 10:30 AM: The infectious diseases doctor left. 
• 10:30 AM: She’s now talking to Jeff on my cell phone. She just received pain meds.
• 10:35 AM: Mom just finished talking with Jeff.
• 10:40 AM: A dietitian just arrived.  She’s concerned that Mom isn’t eating more.
• 10:45 AM: Mom’s pain has increased over the past fifteen minutes.  She seems more irritable and agitated today.  She’s crying and “desperate” for relief. 
• 10:50 AM: Mom’s IV machine just started beeping again.   Grrrrrrrr.
• 10:55 AM: Her legs and feet appear more swollen today and she’s in severe pain at the moment.
• 11:15 AM: I’m leaving now that the doctors have visited and Mom is now dozing again in relative peace. 

06:45 PM: Laving now for this evening’s visit to Mom at the hospital.  Details later. 

• 07:25 PM: I arrived.  Mom is dozing comfortably.  She awoke briefly and said hi to me, and then went back to sleep.
• She had no visits from doctors this afternoon, she says.  Nor did she eat her doughnut from this morning.  So I helped myself to it.   
• 07:50 PM: She woke up a few more times while I sat with her, and we had brief conversations.
• 07:55 PM: But she’s pretty tired.  So I’m leaving now.  I visit again in the morning. 

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• Today’s Business: 2010-08-19

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.
• 12:40 PM: 2 bowls of Cheerios with organic skim milk and organic raw sugar.  800 calories. 
• 04:30 M: 1 bag of popcorn.  260 calories.
• 07:30 PM: 1 plain doughnut.  300 calories.
• 09:30 PM: 1 bowl of oatmeal with Parmesan cheese.  500 calories. 
• 09:45 PM: 1/2 cup of raisins.  260 calories.

Total calories: 2220.

Tom Hesley

Related Posts

• Other Food Diary Entries
• Today’s Business: 2010-08-19
• Weight Loss: 2010