Mom’s Status: 2010-10-03
Summary
Now that Mom is settled in once again at the nursing facility, she continued her physical therapy there along with occupational therapy. She seemed like her old self today when we visited her, and was excited to see the upcoming Steelers game this afternoon. They’re continuing her anti-biotic a little longer; although now, they’ve cut her dosage back to one dose every 36 hours. Mom once again welcomes visitors now that she’s stronger, and happier. She’s managed to move herself from her bed to a wheelchair for the first time since last I wrote, and her friends who have visited her over the past week say that her skin color is quite good. She still experiences coldness quite often. So we’ve taken her some blankets, her coat, and hat. She wears these items in the lounge. The nurses wonder at this, but are not concerned that there’s anything unusual the matter with Mom. That’s just Mom, we tell them.
Deferred Objectives
These objectives are on hold until Mom returns to the nursing facility.
- Track Mom’s extreme weakness and loss of feeling in legs. IN PROGRESS. This has gotten notably better since her return to Altoona. The nerve damage she experienced during August appears now to be quite reversible given Mom’s accomplishments in therapy in September. She’ll continue full OT and PT workouts.
- Monitor Mom’s overall pain status. IN PROGRESS. Her pain is almost all gone. She doesn’t mention it at all anymore unless asked.
- Track the dissipation of Mom’s pelvic hematoma. IN PROGRESS. We have to follow up on this one.
- Locate Mom’s living will. IN PROGRESS. Given that Mom has expressed her wishes to both us and the nursing staff and doctors, I’ve deferred this item. With us nearby to instruct them should a crisis arise, there’s less need for a hard copy of the living will.
Completed Objectives
- Order podiatrist for regular checkups on Mom’s feet. DONE. A doctor who makes regular visits to this hospital is now monitoring and treating Mom’s foot troubles.
Log
11:20 PM: Sister Jojo and myself arrived at the nursing facility. Details of the visit follow:
- 11:40 AM: We arrived. Mom was already up and buzzing about the room in her wheelchair.
- I took a card or two to her that came in the mail last week. She read and enjoyed it; smiling in varying degrees as her eyes scanned each hand-written line on its inner surface.
- 12:15 PM: Mom led us downstairs to the television room, where we sat at a round table, and conducted the formal part of our visit.
- She’s missing one pair of magenta-colored pants. She wants us to pick up five to seven more pairs of pants of this type. Sister Jojo and I will go shopping sometime this week for those. However, she has lots of socks, and so, needs no more of those at present.
- She likes her new bedroom, and her roommate seems pleasant to talk to, and fully alert. Mom has a buddy now.
- 12:20 PM: They brought her a chicken dinner for lunch, and one of the nurses offered Jojo and I a few slices of pizza. At first, we declined. But as we watched the box sitting on the next table over, the temptation to accept her generosity got the best of us, and we ate it. Yum.
- I told her that I was thinking of cooking a chuck steak for supper tonight, and she strongly advised me to pound it beforehand, to beat the toughness out of it.
- She’s been reading the newspaper and seems up on events of the day; which marks another big leap in cognitive activity for her. Except for her problems walking, she in every other way, seems like herself again.
- She still gets sad sometimes. But she’s talked with others in similar situations to hers, and that’s helped her to feel better about her future.
- 12:55 PM: We’re leaving now. I think she might have wanted us to go, so she could get ready to watch the game.