December 24

Merry Christmas,everyone.  It seems just like a regular day here.  Paul and Tracy (and probably Daisy) are coming tomorrow.

Barrie won't be here for Christmas.  She said Kasey is at her Dad's house anyway.

I've done over an hour of physical therapy today.  I was prepared to hate it, but  I know I'm making progress and getting stronger. 

The food is another story,  I sent my tray  back today and asked for a bowl of tomato soup , some toast, and a large glass of milk.  I got a bowl of cold soup, one piece of toast and no milk.

A nurse mentioned that a local artist comes twice a week to give lessons.  Guess I will check it out.

I've knit a scarf and hat, and started on a sweater.  I tend to get sleepy when I knit!

Update 12/17/14

Hi everyone, it's Tracy hijacking Mom's blog again, because I wanted to share great news with you.

 

We met with Mom’s care team today, and things are going really, really well! She is eating MUCH better – pretty regularly 50% - 75% of her meals. Her physical therapists have her walking 500-600 feet (with her walker) on some days...not every day, but she's definitely building up her stamina. They suggested that she start walking down to the dining room for meals, which she wasn’t crazy about, but I’m hoping they can convince her to do it. The Dr. said if she’s more active we could take her off the blood thinners, which she’s been on because of their concern about blood clots due to her being bedridden.

 

She has gained 2 or 3 pounds, and seems much brighter and happier. The Dr. would like to try reducing her pain meds even further to see if that will help with her alertness, and they want to make an appointment with the cancer center for a followup in January. Now that they feel she's on the upswing, they want to see what the cancer Dr. feels is the next best step in her cancer treatment.

She has started knitting a scarf, and asked for some movies and magazines. Her pressure sore is also improving a little, which they think is due in good part to her increased appetite and calorie/protein intake.

So overall, good news and I thought you’d want to know. I have asked Barrie to come down for Christmas, hoping that she and Kasey could help keep Mom's spirits up after the bad news about Judi, but haven’t heard back from her.

I do have a favor to ask of all of you...please pester Mom to get out of bed and walk to the dining room for meals. She's never been much for caving in to peer pressure, but maybe just this once it will work. The faster she regains her strength, the sooner she can come home. And that's MY Christmas wish this year! 

Love to you all,
T.

Hi All

Yes, it's me, what's left of me, anyway.  If you want entertainment, don't try this.  I  find myself wondering what hit me.

Tracy says I spent a week at the Vail Valley Medical and I don't remember any of it.  That's when they decided maybe  they were medicating me too much. 


sleep, eat, knit, sleep some more.

Thanks for all the cards and letter from all of you.  I love and miss you all.
Duene

Update 12/14/14

Aren't you all proud of me that I posted an update without Claire reminding me? LOL

This will be short and sweet, because I haven't been able to actually go see Mom since I've been back. The facility is still under a quarantine due to the GI outbreak; the head nurse had thought they might be cleared up by Thursday or Friday, but I guess there were a couple of people who got sick again, so they decided to keep the quarantine in place. Disappointing, but what can you do...

I have talked to Mom on the phone a couple of times; the good news is that she has at least tasted the food there enough to complain that she doesn't like it. The bad news is, that means she's still not eating much of anything. I told her to keep a list of things that sound good to her, and to ask them for those things. And she hasn't had any Ensure for a while, which is something I know she will eat and it provides a lot of protein and calories, so I need to talk with the nurse about why that's not happening.

Our conversations have been short, but she sounds like she feels better and maybe/hopefully has a little more energy. I have a list of things to bring to her and one of those is her laptop, so maybe she will start posting her own updates for you. I'm sure you would all appreciate that!

The Bronco game is starting so I will sign off. I'm hoping to be able to go see her after work tomorrow; keep your fingers crossed that the quarantine is lifted.

Have a great rest of your weekend,
T.

Update 12/9/14

Good morning, all. I do not have much news to share, but I promised to post an update when I got back from vacation so here you go...

Bill and Alice did a wonderful job checking on Mom while I was gone, and it was a huge relief to know that someone like them could be here on her behalf. The care facility is a good one, but it helps to have someone there daily to make sure she's getting the care she needs. The staff can get a little lax unless you stay of top of what's going on.

I spoke with Mom on the phone on Saturday, and she sounded much brighter. Alice said she was dressed and in her wheelchair when they got there, which I think was a first. I tried to go see her last night, but when I got there, the facility had been quarantined due to a GI outbreak. They wouldn't even let me go peek my head in if I gowned up with mask and gloves, so they were taking it very seriously which I guess is good. The head nurse said Mom and her roommate were two of the only people in the facility that hadn't been hit by the bug, so appreciate their efforts to keep it from spreading any further.

I was able to talk for about an hour with the head nurse, who went over Mom's charts with me and we talked about how things are going. There may be a slight (very slight) improvement in her eating, so we are hopeful that this might signal a turnaround.

The bedsores had gotten infected the last time I was there, but a round of antibiotics seem to have kicked that and the nurse said it appears to have little bit of new tissue growth, which is great news. Hopefully she'll continue to eat more, which will give her body the energy it needs to heal.

That's all I have to share; please let me know if I'm not answering all of your questions. I don't want to cross the line between an update and TMI.

Happy Holiday to you and your loved ones,
T.