Blog Hiatus

Scott had a seizure  around 1:30 AM this morning and is currently in a local hospital ICU. Tests are being run and I know very little so far. I was sent home around 7:30 this morning over concerns about me.  I can not be with him due to Covid though  I was allowed in the ER as he was very combative and they needed me to help.

More as I know it.


12:44 AM Update..... I do not know much more other than, as of around three, he was pretty much the same. They were keeping him heavily sedated as he fights them and they continue to push fluids into him. The MRI supposedly came  back clean which means he did not stroke or something like that and does NOT have my biggest fear, cancer.

I do not know much as it is chaos there. Just spent the evening in the same ER for me. I have IBS and have had it for decades, It comes and  goes and stress is bad for it. So much of today was spent in the bathroom. I tried to eat a little but around 6 tonight and shortly afterwards things started escalating in very strange ways. I knew something was wrong and after last night, I had a fear that I could have a seizure and die here all alone. So, I called and the paramedics came and got me. Fluids were put in me, tests were run, and long story short, I have a huge infection going on in my colon. Fairly serious one and one that has been working away for awhile now and I just thought it was grief and stress flaring the IBS. So, antibiotics in an IV drip and three prescriptions to get filled tomorrow.

I am home, showered, both my bp meds are in me, and in my own bed. Hopefully, tomorrow will go a little better.

I just spent the evening in ER for me. I have IBS and things started escalating in a weird way so I called and got taken to the same hospital. After tests, it seems I have a major infection going on in my Colon on top of everything and have probably been dealing with a month now. Fluids, antibiotics, and my own bed for the night.



Update 1:30 PM Saturday... I have my meds and am taking them. First round at home of that has been a bit rough. I have talked to the hospital and Scott is the same as he has been. The body chemistry is closer to normal and he is consciousness, but he is very out of it. How much of that is the meds and how much is something else we do not know. They are monitoring his heart and there have been serious heart rate issues which may be a result of all  he has been through or some new problem. 

They will let me in to see him today between 3 and 5 as he is not Covid. So, I am going to try and pull myself together and go over. 

Thank you everyone for your comments and support. It means more than you know. 

Very Bad News

After a brief detour to see my brother who is currently here, as well as pick up Sandi's latest medications, we are now home. We got very bad news today.

Long story short--- the large B cell thing is pretty much everywhere in all sizes and shapes tumor wise and that includes multiple lymph nodes in her neck, chest and groin area. Doctors are trying to be positive and scrape me off the floor, but the situation is really bad. 

Only because it is a holiday weekend and all that entails with hospital staff and support, they are holding off admitting her for a new five day round of chemo until next Tuesday. Much of what they have used before chemo wise is ruled out now due to the fact that she has either built up a tolerance to it or if they used it again it would kill her.

If the first chemo deal does not work, they have a second option that has huge toxicity and other risks with it. They really don't want to try that as there are major issues with it.

So, not only is the news bad, it is far worse than anyone expected. They kept stressing they were not giving up and did not want her to give up either. She isn't. She took it amazingly well.

Sandi Update--- A Change In Plans

The upcoming schedule of events has changed in the last day. We now have a date for her port surgery. It is now scheduled for Monday at 7 am. That means we have to be at the hospital down the street at 5 am Monday morning. They hope to have her done by 8 am. If everything goes perfectly she will be back home by Monday evening.

This means the appoint with the bone marrow transplant doctor who will also handle her chemo therapy is now pushed back a week. Sandi will need the recovery time before they can start anything or do anything more to her.

In the meantime the nightly chills, shakes and sweats, and fevers continue unabated. But, at least, this is a step forward as the surgery for her port is now scheduled.

To, the waiting continues......

Surgical Thursday

The day never seemed to get here, but finally it is Thursday. In less than an hour from now we will head over to the hospital to get Sandi checked in. Sandi's cardiac surgery to go in and see what the thing is that is pressing on her heart sac is set for 1 pm.


If it is cancer---as we all expect--the doctor intends to leave the thing in place and back out of there. Removing it would raise the risk of spreading it as may have happened when they had to do so many biopsies last November. At that time several tumors in various places were removed. If it is cancer he will also put another port back into her chest and hook it into the main artery to her heart in preparation for more chemotherapy.


If it is not cancer, I am not sure what he will do. While I do understand why it should not be removed if it is cancerous, it seems to me anything pressing on the heart sac like this is should be taken out of there. Apparently, if it is not cancer, it still might stay in depending on what it is.


If everything went perfectly today, Sandi could be back home tomorrow. The odds for that happening are very low. Not only does Sandi have a history of heart attacks and strokes, there is considerable damage in her right lung still visible on the CT Scan from last November. While the fluid is not present in the lung, the scarring and damage it left behind is still very visible and a surgical obstacle. Not only does the doctor have to work around that, depending on how much he has to do, it may be necessary for a chest drainage tube again. If that happens, she definitely will be in longer.


So, that is where we are this Thursday morning. Hopefully, for once, everything will go smoothly and there won't be any complications. No matter what happens, today is going to be a very long day. I will update everyone when I can.


Kevin

Review: "From Hospital to Home Care: A Step by Step Guide to Providing Care to Patients Post Hospitalization"

Published by Home Care Assistance, Inc., From Hospital to Home Care: A Step by Step Guide to Providing Care to Patients Post Hospitalization is designed to provide readers the information they need for a variety of situations when a loved one needs help to stay in his or her home. This book is designed for readers who are totally unfamiliar at any level with the process so readers with this knowledge will find little in the book to assist them. The book is in sections that relate to those involved in the discharge process, dealing with various diseases, and resources available to you from the company publishing the book.

After an opening chapter outlining a typical scenario involving an elderly man and his fall requiring hospitalization, it is on to Chapter 2 where the various people who play a role in what happens next are discussed. Whether it be the patient, family members, doctors, nurses, discharge planner, social worker, therapist, etc. everyone has a role and the various roles are covered here.

A key competent of this is the discharge planner who is the subject of “Chapter Three: Helping the Discharge Planner.” The need for communication by all is stressed as is the need to verify everything with the discharge planner.

“Chapter Four:  Where Do Discharge Patient Go?” follows with brief explanations of what is a skilled nursing facility, hospice, etc.

Chapters Five through Ten cover various situations and concerns “Post-Discharge.” This can be pain for the patient, safety issues such as falls, burns, etc. or mental health issues such as depression, anger, anxiety, etc.  Dealing with these issues as well as exercise and mobility and personal hygiene are covered here in simple to read short chapters. Like the entire book, a lot of what is in these chapters reflects various situations where the names have been changed to prove anonymity for the patient being discussed.

“Chapter Eleven: Acute Medical Problems” begins on page 74 and covers such issues as Pneumonia, shingles, dehydration, bowel-related problems, among others.  Each situation is explained in detail before advice is rendered in short sub-sections titled “Home Care Considerations” and “Emotional Considerations.”

Things can just happen and that is the theme of “Chapter Twelve: Accidents and Surgeries.”  Soft tissue injuries, fractures, knee replacement, and abdominal surgery, are covered here.

Chapters Thirteen through Twenty-Three (pages 94-154) go through various specific diseases and their unique situations. Whether it be Cancer (Chapter 14, pages 99-104), Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (Chapter 17, pages 115-123), Kidney Disease (Chapter twenty-One, pages 140-145) and others are covered here. Like the other chapters the information presented is of a general nature giving readers a wide overview of the situation.

“Chapter Twenty-Four: Transition from Hospital to Home” returns to the early pages of the book by outlining 7 steps to make things as successful as possible. Communication with everyone, preparing your home, having medical equipment delivered, etc., are just a few of the helpful suggestions in this chapter.

“Chapter Twenty-Five: Summary” is a two page chapter that follows with a strong point made throughout the book. The home care giver must take some time for him or her. Taking care of yourself is vitally important and some suggestions as to how to do so are included here. As this reviewer well knows from direct personal experience on multiple occasions, this is way easier said than done. But, vitally important, especially in long term situations.

The book closes with a one page ad for the company that had the book published and brief bios of the three company members who wrote this book. There are also six blank pages for “Notes” at the very end.

Written in very general terms From Hospital to Home Care: A Step by Step Guide to Providing Care to Patients Post Hospitalization prepares those who have never gone through any situation like this for what will happen when it is time to discharge the patient who still needs help.  Chapters are short and general in nature designed for readers who have never been through any of this experience. Readers who have a need for deeper knowledge will need to look elsewhere.

From Hospital to Home Care: A Step by Step Guide to Providing Care to Patients Post Hospitalization

Kathy N. Johnson, James H. Johnson, and Lily Sarafan

Home Care Assistance, Inc. (Home Care Press)

http://www.hospitaltohomecare.com

January 2012

ISBN# 978-1-4675-0180-4

Paperback (also available as e-book)

166 Pages

$17.95

Material supplied by the publisher in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2012

Author of the e-book short story collection Mind Slices available at Amazon and Smashwords in a variety of formats. Contributor to the Carpathian Shadows, Volume II anthology available in print and e-book.

Sandi in the Hospital

As some know, Sandi was admitted to a local hospital yesterday because she was having severe breathing problems.  At first there was massive concern that she had at least one blood clot, if not more, in her right lung as there were no breath sounds there.

According to x-rays and the CT Scan the real problem was that her right lung was completely full of fluid. If that was not enough, urine analysis indicates her kidneys seem to be having serious issues. So, they hospitalized her, drained two liters of fluid out of the right lung and gave her some heavy duty meds to work on the kidneys. They could have easily taken at least one more liter out of her right lung but if they take too much too soon the lung would collapse. So, they took what they could safely get late yesterday afternoon and will reevaluate what to do later today.

I was finally able to talk to her a few minutes ago and the news is a little better this morning. She has had breakfast, a shower, and been down to x-ray where they took another set of pictures of her chest. She is off the oxygen this morning. She says she feels a little better and can breathe a bit better with not as much pain as she had yesterday after they did the draining deal. She says that the x-ray tech would not tell her anything this morning (unlike the one yesterday) but she thinks that the fluid is probably at the same level it was after they drained things by the way she feels.

She expects to be coming home today. The doctor has not made his rounds yet so when or if that will happen is still unknown.