A Somewhat Good Day :o|

Hey All,

I went up to the hospital after I'd had a chance to go to Mom's apartment at the Rutherford.  I picked up some Green Tea and some Chamomile tea for her.  I also picked up what was left of her huge bag of cheezies (the one she got in her stocking at Christmas) and a package of Mango-Peach fruit cups.  There were also two packages of Strawberry Ensure in her fridge that I decided to take up with me as well.  She's not eating as much as I'd like her to, so I thought there'd be no harm in taking up the Ensure.

Anyway, when I arrived, she'd just finished lunch and was sitting quietly, pondering life (I think).  When I peeked around the corner I got the biggest smile and a "Hi Sweetheart"...that's always nice to hear.  We chatted for a while, she drank an Ensure, I made her a green tea, she ate one of the fruit cups and then the snack fairy came along with some yogurt, so we mixed in what was left of the fruit in the fruit cup and she ate that, too!  Well, most of it anyway.

I asked her how she was doing and she said she felt pretty good today.  That's nice to hear.  However, she's still having trouble articulating her words.  She'll start a sentence and get half way through when it turns to a word salad...I asked her if she was happy and she said yes.  I asked her if she understood everything that was said to her and she said yes (well, actually it was "uh huh."  I asked her if she got frustrated sometimes when she couldn't get her words out to tell someone what she wanted and she answered me with, "All the time."  So she's well aware of what's going on and quite frustrated about it.  We're working through this, and I know she's fighting and I know she's frustrated.  Sadly, she knows she's frustrated, too.  However, I can usually figure out what she wants.  It takes a bit for the nurses to figure it out, but they eventually get it...they just have to ask and be patient.  I'm trying to "teach" them how to work with her.  I suppose it's a fruitless effort as this is an interim stay.  She's slated to be moved once they can find appropriate accommodations for her.  She can not return to the Rutherford because the quality of care she received there was not acceptable.  The doctors at the University WILL NOT release her to the Rutherford.  She needs to be carefully monitored - her INR, her thyroid, her potassium and her fluid retention all have to be close watched.  They weren't doing that at the Rutherford.  They were watching her INR at the Rutherford...well, the pharmacist was watching it...and she ended up in the hospital with it at 10!!!  That's not appropriately monitoring it...and they WEREN'T monitoring anything else...or she wouldn't have been off the map (at 43) with her thyroid...anyway, I've already been on this rant once!  I'll not go there again.

Mom's doing all she can to fight to become healthier and with any luck, she will win.  We still have a good three months to determine whether she has been successful.  For now, she's taken baby steps!

Anyway, thanks for stopping by today...more tomorrow...
xo