Update on Sandi

Sandi was allowed to come back home late Friday afternoon. She is not right and she knows it and is frustrated. How much of this is the brain damage she suffered and how much of it is the medications of various types in her system I don’t know. Her blood pressure remains very unstable despite the sixteen drugs they have her on now.  We got through the weekend but it was close as her blood pressure went way up several times. One would think with ten blood pressure drugs in her, she would not have this kind of issue but we were told to monitor closely as her body needs time to adjust to the new meds. Of course, they adjusted the dosages on three others as well as changed the frequency of her taking five other ones. Kind of makes one wonder what all this is doing to her.

Sandi is supposed to see our regular doctor sometime this week and then the neurologist within the next two weeks to evaluate the brain damage and whether or not it is reversible. The neurologist believes it most likely is not reversible at this point. He further believes she has been quietly having strokes since she had the heart attack and strokes back in April 2010. That event put her in ICU for four days. If he is right, that means the all clear we were given in May 2010 was very wrong. At this point, his main goal going forward is her not to get worse as her brain scans present as if she is a 71 year old woman with Alzheimer’s.

Considering Sandi turns 52 in January, the fact her brain is that bad off at this point is very scary. Not to mention all the other associated issues and potential issues with that kind of diagnosis. She agitates very easily now and fixates on one thing. An example of that was how upset she got yesterday afternoon when she could not find one of the meds she is supposed to take. She was convinced that I had not picked up the drug Friday afternoon after I got her home from the hospital and that she had never taken it. Not only had she taken it Friday and Saturday afternoons as scheduled, the bottle was sitting behind another medicine bottle. She simply could not find it.

So, that is where we are this Monday morning.  For the foreseeable future, I pretty much have to figure out on my own how we are going to deal with anything going forward. From doctor visits, school stuff with Scott, trips to the local food bank, and everything else, it is all on me now as she has to be as calm as possible. That means I can’t discuss anything with Sandi. She triggers easily and when she gets upset things go downhill quickly.

We are in real trouble and I don't know what we are going to do.