Happy New Year? December 31st

Long day for Dad.  He is very weak but trying hard to do everything he can do.  Able to get up to the toilet with the help of two and then cruise about 20 feet into the hallway.  He has been up for that 20 foot walk about 3 times today.  It does wear him out for the next hour of so.  His spirits are good and he has requested to go on the walks, you can tell he wants to get out of here.

They have plans for a specialized xray in the morning to see if anything is moving through his gut.  It will take 3-4 hours to do the test.  Bad news today is that his white cell count has been climbing.  Could be an indicator of infection but he is not having any fever.  Will wait and see where this goes.

Here is to a better start in 2011 than the end of 2010.  Long road ahead for Dad but I have no doubt he is mentally tough enough and motivated to get on it.

Ron

Hey I was wondering is anyone reading these posts?  Leave me a message if you are.  Otherwise I don't need to keep doing them.  Happy New Year!

December 30th Evening Report

Sorry no pictures to post.  Dad does look a little funny he has about 10 days of white beard.  Yesterday they shaved it off but left the area under the tape that went over his upper lip and out to either ear.  Today it is a white band around his face.

Great day, as I reported his breathing tube was removed earlier.  Good news is that it did not need to be replaced.  He is on low flow oxygen tonight and doing great.  Nasal gastric tube remains in and may stay until Saturday.  He got up into a chair around 6 tonight, it took three people and Dad was much weaker than he had expected, it will take a while to build his strength back up.  Tonight he has been watching the bowl games.

Best day ever, now he just needs to keep moving forward.

Ron

Dad is extubated (the breathing tube is out)!!!!!!!

Best news to date, the breathing tube is out.  Dad is doing great, sitting straight up, asking questions talking a little bit.  He is still breathing supplemental oxygen but doing great.

Never thought I would be blogging

This dumb blog at least gives me something to do.  It is near impossible for me to watch Dad in his current state and not to be more active.  At least I can post pretty pictures these are from Sherry.  Great pictures Sherry thanks for sharing.

Ron

December 29th Evening Report

Not all bad.  Dad had a good day, heartrate stayed down and he was not in atrial fibrillation.  Things were   looking good enough that he had a trial to see if he could have his tube taken out.  Clinically he did well but his blood gas was just a little bit less than perfect.  It was determined that the safest course was to leave the tube in, keep him sedated tonight and repeat the trial first thing in the morning.  He could have his tube out and be talking by noon tomorrow.  No promises we will see how he does.
He continues to be in a good mood, is aware of what is going on around him.  Understandably foggy from the sedation going into him.

Let's hope for a great Thursday!  I am not sure that I want to be there to hear his first words after the tube comes out.

Ron

Dad's Dogs

December 29th Morning Report

Good news.  Got to meet Dr Garcia Dad's pulmonary doctor.  He was a little bit defensive and nervous but lightened up after a bit.  He is convinced that Dad must have aspirated (threw up into his lungs) at some point.  The good news is that he didn't have horrible damage i.e. ARDS from the damage.  Just a routine pneumonia that it looks like he is recovering from.  His oxygen dependence continues to decline 100 percent Monday, 60 percent Tuesday and down to 40 percent this morning!  His heart rate remains low mid 60s.  So overall improvement.

Had a nice pencil and paper talk with Dad this morning.  He is incredibly aware and still articulate.  Turns out he has not been reading the kindle, but was able to write out Patrick O'Briens name and to identify Lake Louise in Guatemala from pictures I shared with him.

So maybe you will find this funny, to keep Dad comfortable while the tubes are in they are using a drug called Propofol.  If any of you have had surgery you may recall this as "milk of anesthesia", it is the white substance that flows in to your veins as you fall asleep.  Dad is on a very low drip but it does make him tired, he fell asleep after I wore him out after 45 minutes.  So here is the funny part, Propofol was the drug that Micheal Jackson and his doctor were playing with at Neverland when he died.  Dad is a popstar.

Sorry no pictures to post of Dad in the ICU.  I will tell you that he has a white beard, but his nurse with some urging offered to shave him today.

Just waiting to talk with his next doctor.

Your Turn

Need pictures and stories.  Please take some time to contribute, a few pics a funny story anything.

Yes you can even edit my text.

Dad's Trip to Honduras and Guatemala October 2010

Just a bunch of pictures.

Dad's Medical Story

This blog will be quick post about the events of his current hospitalization.

December 17-18 Dad was not feeling well, he thought his potassium was low.  Despite encouragement he did not want to got to a walk in clinic but wanted to wait and see his regular doctor on Monday.

December 19th after continued encouragement he went to the emergency room.  His bowels were grossly distended with resultant obstruction.   There was concern that his intestine had flipped and kinked on itself.  In addition he was also found to have an inflamed gallbladder with stones.

December 20th at 2045 he was taken to surgery with Dr. Juan.  He removed a gallbladder that was grossly infected ("near gangrenous") and untangled the bowels (cecal pexy).

December 21st.  Dad did great with the surgery and the next day, his birthday, was in great shape.  He continued to have a distended abdomen without much activity which is common after surgery.  He was coherent and cooperative, up and walking as requested and anxious to go home.    Happy 79th Birthday!

December 22nd much of the same.  Anxious to go home, anxious to eat.

December 23rd.  First time that Dad showed some signs of disorientation.  That is not an uncommon problem in people over 70 who have been hospitalized for a few days, days and nights start to jumble etc.  Around this time he pulled out his nasogatric tube (a tube placed from nose to stomach to drain fluid and gas to help relieve the obstruction).  His abdomen remained distended and not much gas or stool passing.  Around this time Dr Juan started him on IV feeding to help his nutrition status.

December 24th.  Nothing was really changing.  Increasing level of disorientation, not cooperative, may have pulled out another nasogastric tube.  Dr Juan elected to move him to the ICU so there could be closer observation of Dad to prevent removal of the tube.

December 25th.  Merry Frickin Christmas.  Dad is in the ICU.  He was sedated and I suspect restrained at that time.  First with Ativan then Haldol.  Around this time they also supported his breathing with BIPAP (just a mask with pressure, like CPAP).   Still not much bowel activity but otherwise by report he was doing well, no fever no elevation in white count.

December 26th.  Not improving, nothing really changing.  About this time a pneumonia was identified on his chest xray.

December 27th.  Dad was seen by a Pulmonologist Dr Garcia.  He suggested a bronchoscopy that afternoon to take a closer look and get a culture.  Report in the morning is that he was doing okay.  Not sure if it was at the time of the bronch or shortly after that he had a breathing tube placed and was put onto a ventilator to help him breath.

December 28th.  I arrived at 1645.  Dad still had the breathing tube in, good news is that his oxygen had been reduced from 100 percent down to 60 (room air is 20 percent).  The ventilator was assisting him not breathing for him.  Despite the fact that the intubation tube is very uncomfortable plus a nasogastric tube still Dad was not requiring or requesting any sedation.  In fact earlier he had been sitting up reading his kindle.  He got quite excited when I saw him, he tried very hard to write messages with modest success.

During the visit his heart rate was a little to fast for someone with a pacemaker.  One of the cardiologists stopped by and identified that the top part of his heart (the atrium) was beating to fast and inefficiently.  His name is Dr Schecter, nice guy.  Dad was started on a drip medication to slow things down.

Decmeber 29th.   Just got to the hospital.  Waiting to meet with his pulmonologist, Dr Garcia.  Dad had a great night heart rate is down to 60-80 and the drip medication is being slowed.

That is all that I know at this time.  I tried to make the words small and offer explanations.  If I failed just post a question and I will fix it up.

Welcome to Roger's Blog

Easy spot to keep everyone updated on how Dad is doing.  Plus I thought it would be fun if everybody would post pictures of Dad through the years as well.  Access is very simple anyone who wants the login info just needs to send me a note.  Forward it to everyone that you think is appropriate.