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!

Wow! What a Week!

Nana has been doing so good for so long, I guess it was time for something to happen.

She had the head hospice nurse come over on Thursday (Aug 19th) to talk to her and assess whether she should stay on hospice or move on until she needed the extra care. They decided that they were going to get some blood work done and see where her "numbers" were and go from there. She was just doing so good.

Well wouldn't you know it, as soon as we think this isn't going to happen, she has a set back. We think she had another TIA that very next day! She went to bed on Friday (Aug 20th) just fine. She woke up on Sat just whacked!! I couldn't believe the night and day difference! She was back on oxygen, sleeping most of the day, not really coherent when she was awake. She hardly ate anything that whole weekend.

When it came time to go in for her cataract surgery on her left eye (aug 24th), she was improving but not as much as I hoped, so I had to tell them what was going on. It of course, not only halted the procedure for that day, but I am currently still fighting for them to go ahead with it after she's feeling up to it again. They are saying they never would have done it in the first place had they known her "condition"! What!??? It's still undecided, I'm still working on it. Her surgeon doesn't have a problem, it's the anesthesiologist at this facility. We might have to wait until there's an opening at the hospital to get it done.

Anyway, her blood work came back as being very qualified to stay on hospice. So they did all the paperwork to keep her on.

She is doing much better only as of last night. She has had that look of "the lights are on, but nobody is home" in her eyes for over a week! Last night was the first time she actually looked like she was coherently "in there"! She got up this morning and took a shower and seems pretty with it. I don't think she's been on oxygen since Saturday!

All I can say is, Wow! What a Week!! :)

Post Op Appointment

We went to see Dr. Wilcox today.

They tested her eye and they said her eye sight at this point is phenomenal!! She's seeing 20/25 without her glasses!! They also said it would get better when the swelling from the surgery goes down!

She is a happy camper! Even with only one eye done, she's reporting being able to see so much better!! She was watching TV yesterday with out her glasses and could actually make out faces!

We have to continue the eye drops for another week, then go back for another follow up visit. By that time it will be time to start the drops for the other eye in preparation for the same surgery!

She can hardly wait until it's all over!! August is going to be over before we know it!