No More Trips to the Bathroom!?

Well, sort of. Yesterday Nana kept stopping in the middle of the hallway and trying to give up going the rest of the way to the bathroom. I had to really talk her into getting all the way in there, she just wanted to give up. It just is so much work to move her body around. Up until now, I wasn't ready to give up that trip down the hall because it was her only exercise anymore. I just feel once she gives that up, her muscles are going to really deteriorate and she will be bedridden soon. She already was complaining her muscles hurt because she stopped walking around the house, coming into the kitchen and livingroom areas for short periods of time.

Well, after yesterday, I felt she was in danger of actually falling. I really can't hold her up, I can balance and steady her, but if she were to really buckle and give up, I'm afraid she would go down. So we gave in last night and set her up a bedside commode. I went out and got one of those office chair plastic pads to put under it and deodorized garbage bags to help contain the odor. So far so good.

It is better for her breathing not to make the long trek, but not so good on her muscles. She's more and more puffy and talks more and more slurred. Last night I think was the first time she didn't break out her coloring books and color. She didn't eat much yesterday either, I wouldn't even say but a 1/3 to 1/4 of one meal.

I'll try to keep you posted more often.

Love to you all!

Nana is still going downhill

Nana is still declining rapidly. Her heart rate is continuing to rise yesterday is was 132! Her blood pressure is dropping. Her breathing is getting more and more labored. We have her on 3 liters now and sometimes that's not enough. She can hardly move around without wheezing all over the place. The breathing treatments help but she still is working real hard to get enough air.

Her nurse is saying they don't expect her to bounce back this time. I guess only time will tell. She expects her to slip into a coma before she actually passes away. No one knows for sure how long this will go on, but I guess they think this is it.

They told me to tell people if you want to see/talk to her...Don't wait too long.

Breathing Treatments

Nana is having such a hard time breathing these days, we started her on albuterol breathing treatments last Thursday. It seems to be helping. Things just aren't looking very good at this point.

Yesterday she didn't feel much like talking at all. It just is taking too much work! But she still is coloring! I could hear her use her pencil sharpener last night!!

Good Bye, Dr. Wilcox

Today was her last follow up visit with Dr. Wilcox, eye surgeon! She is not seeing as well as she has been, I think, due to her recent strokes. (I think she may have had another one yesterday.) She just is really out of it, She couldn't read much of any of the charts. He did say she is having some retinal membrane issues (probably due to the diabetes) and wants us to continue the Nevanac eye drops 3 times a day for a month. Then we'll go back to see Dr. Wilkes (the original eye doc) in about 3 weeks.

Another Stroke??

It looks like Nana has had another mini stroke on Wednesday. She was having trouble speaking most of the day and also trouble swallowing. When Rose came by yesterday, we asked her about it and she said those two symptoms usually go together and it was likely this was another one!

I fully expected her to be wiped yesterday, but it didn't happen until today, she didn't get up until 4pm!!

Her follow up on her eye went well. We will continue her drops and go back in a week. She reports being able to see all sorts of things she couldn't before, even with her glasses!! It's about the easiest surgery you could have!!

It's Done!

We were finally able to convince the anesthesiologist to schedule the surgery on her other eye! It was on the condition that he would observe her, the day of, before the surgery, to make sure he was comfortable with her condition. I was pretty worried they weren't going to do it. She just isn't doing very good these days. I even prepped Nana for the possibility. She said she prayed a lot last night.

We got there at 6:30am! They treated her just like the last time. It was as though we never had the conversations the weeks before! I didn't say anything!!! I just let them go for it! I thought I was in trouble when he asked if she was relatively healthy???? (As he's looking at her chart?) I just said, well, as healthy as can be expected for a hospice patient! :) He gets this look on his face, and starts going through her charts a little more thoroughly, "little" being the operative word! He asked what she was on hospice for... kidney failure. Okay, but her heart is healthy?? Do these guys actually read the chart when they "look" through it???? I just looked at mom, wondering what she was going to say, she was looking at me...before we could answer, he asked if she's had heart surgery? She had a stint put in about 7 years ago. That changed the subject enough! He said okay! Let's go!! Pheww!! I thought we were going to lose it for sure!!

She did it!! Came through it with flying colors! She was so happy to be back home and in her bed with both eyes fixed from the cataracts!! She's a little swollen tonight, but she is doing well as far as the surgery is concerned.

As far as my last post, things are about the same. Her oxygen levels were down to 87% at the surgical center this morning on room air. They asked if she was on oxygen at home, I said yes. So the nurse just put her on it! That shot her levels up to 97%, good enough for surgery!! Her heart rate was in the high 90's and her blood pressure was a lot more normal 136/96! I think Heavenly Father really blessed her. She wanted this done so bad and behind her. It was really hard to have half of her vision.

Thinking about it, Again??

I never know what to say, or how much to say. I just don't like this guessing game.

Nana appears to be doing much better on the outside, but apparently on the inside she is not doing so good....Here are some of her vitals and symptoms....

*higher heart rate, 120 to 170 beats per minute resting. Not all the time but more and more consistently.

*lower blood pressure, not only low for her, but low! 97/66 yesterday.

*She's struggling with heart burn, and nausea on a regular basis.

*More and more chest pain. comes and goes.

*She's on and off oxygen on a regular basis.

*She's talking about people who have passed away visiting her again.

*She's also talking about feeling like her days are numbered. When I asked her how that felt, she just said I want to see everyone I know and say goodbye!



What does all this mean?? I really can't say, but Hospice is preparing again. We've been here before, but I guess we just really never know. So...Take it how you want and act accordingly! :)

PS Her cataract surgery is rescheduled for Tuesday, Sept 7th. But we'll see how she's doing whether or not they'll actually do it!