Yesterday the doctor surprised us all by discharging my mom from the hospital!
For several days, the doctors and nurses had talked about the possibility of having my mom go to a rehab center for a short period of time to get her strength and mobility back to normal, so that was what we were expecting to happen. My mom even had me go on a shopping errand yesterday to get a few "rehab outfits."
However, when her doctor came to see her, he had her walk some around the room, told her that her labs looked great. She was no longer hooked to any kind of IV and was taking everything by mouth. So...he said she could work on getting her strength back at home.
We are really, really hoping that she is able to STAY home this time. Please continue to keep her in your good thoughts/prayers!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Monday Evening Mom Update
I drove in this afternoon and surprised my mom with a visit. I called my dad yesterday to tell him I wanted to come for a few days, and we decided to keep it a surprise...and she definitely was surprised!
As for what is going on with her...the doctors still don't know for sure and probably won't until they get her labs back. A neurologist saw her yesterday and ordered another CAT scan and spinal tap (both of which have already been done) because he was concerned there was some kind of pressure around her spine, causing her legs to be as weak as they are. Her liver is also a bit swollen and some of those levels are a little elevated, but one possibility for that is all the medicine she has been taking over the past twenty days.
HOWEVER...this afternoon a physical therapist worked with her to help her get around more and build up her strength, and my mom was able to walk down the hallway (assisted, of course), and she sat in a chair for a few hours. This is the most she has been up and about, and while it wore her out ultimately, she did say it helped her feel better. We're hoping to continue that kind of "exercise" so she can do more and more.
Her hospital meal looked terrible tonight, and I offered to get her some Mexican food...so we had a fiesta picnic instead of standard hospital fare. Woohoo!!
(A running joke with her meals at the hospital is apparently somewhere it says she can't chew her food well, so all her food comes to her chopped in tiny pieces. We've mentioned several times that she has all her teeth and can actually chew her food, and the next meal might be "normal," but sure enough, she'll eventually get the chopped up food again. I wish I had taken a photo of her chicken and rice tonight. It might be the grossest thing I've ever seen on a plate.)
And for our after-dinner entertainment, Darryl called us on FaceTime and Amelia danced to Taio Cruz's "Dynamite" -- I mean a full-on routine. It was hilarious!
So it was a good afternoon. Please continue to keep her in your prayers, and let's hope today marked the beginning of some steady improvement!
(Also, forgive any typos. I know better. I'm just tired.)
As for what is going on with her...the doctors still don't know for sure and probably won't until they get her labs back. A neurologist saw her yesterday and ordered another CAT scan and spinal tap (both of which have already been done) because he was concerned there was some kind of pressure around her spine, causing her legs to be as weak as they are. Her liver is also a bit swollen and some of those levels are a little elevated, but one possibility for that is all the medicine she has been taking over the past twenty days.
HOWEVER...this afternoon a physical therapist worked with her to help her get around more and build up her strength, and my mom was able to walk down the hallway (assisted, of course), and she sat in a chair for a few hours. This is the most she has been up and about, and while it wore her out ultimately, she did say it helped her feel better. We're hoping to continue that kind of "exercise" so she can do more and more.
Her hospital meal looked terrible tonight, and I offered to get her some Mexican food...so we had a fiesta picnic instead of standard hospital fare. Woohoo!!
(A running joke with her meals at the hospital is apparently somewhere it says she can't chew her food well, so all her food comes to her chopped in tiny pieces. We've mentioned several times that she has all her teeth and can actually chew her food, and the next meal might be "normal," but sure enough, she'll eventually get the chopped up food again. I wish I had taken a photo of her chicken and rice tonight. It might be the grossest thing I've ever seen on a plate.)
And for our after-dinner entertainment, Darryl called us on FaceTime and Amelia danced to Taio Cruz's "Dynamite" -- I mean a full-on routine. It was hilarious!
So it was a good afternoon. Please continue to keep her in your prayers, and let's hope today marked the beginning of some steady improvement!
(Also, forgive any typos. I know better. I'm just tired.)
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Saturday Morning Mom Update
Just cutting right to the chase...
My mom is being tested for West Nile, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme Disease, and several other similar insect/parasite-related illnesses; HOWEVER, it will be 5-7 days before we know the results because the labs have to be sent to California.
(Can I pause for a minute and say how ridiculous that is? Seriously? Please tell me there is a good explanation for a 5- to 7-day turnaround on lab results.)
So...the doctors now are just focusing, as they have been, on treating her symptoms. Right now, her main complaint is a horrible headache that she has pretty much had for 2-1/2 weeks. She told me if they could find something that would successfully diminish that pain, she thinks she would feel a hundred times better.
There's no reason to suspect that my mom won't recover from this; it just seems to be taking a long time, and right now, we aren't even sure what she has. (And have I already mentioned that it will be 5-7 days before we know???)
Still keep my mom in your good thoughts in prayers. We really do appreciate them!
My mom is being tested for West Nile, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme Disease, and several other similar insect/parasite-related illnesses; HOWEVER, it will be 5-7 days before we know the results because the labs have to be sent to California.
(Can I pause for a minute and say how ridiculous that is? Seriously? Please tell me there is a good explanation for a 5- to 7-day turnaround on lab results.)
So...the doctors now are just focusing, as they have been, on treating her symptoms. Right now, her main complaint is a horrible headache that she has pretty much had for 2-1/2 weeks. She told me if they could find something that would successfully diminish that pain, she thinks she would feel a hundred times better.
There's no reason to suspect that my mom won't recover from this; it just seems to be taking a long time, and right now, we aren't even sure what she has. (And have I already mentioned that it will be 5-7 days before we know???)
Still keep my mom in your good thoughts in prayers. We really do appreciate them!
Friday, July 20, 2012
Mom Update: Friday Morning
So it appears that some family and friends are consulting this blog for information about my mom, so I'm going to try to update it when I know something new.
When my mom went to the hospital yesterday, her kidney doctor saw her and felt she should be seen by a neurologist. (My mom was diagnosed with kidney disease two years ago but has done very well with maintaining her kidneys' function since her diagnosis. My mom LOVES her kidney doctor, and after I met her last week, I love her too. She's the perfect blend of seriousness, intelligence, humor, and compassion.)
Anyway, a neurologist hasn't seen her yet, BUT they did a CAT scan on my mom yesterday and the doctor she was seeing during her hospital stay last week is working with her again, and he is consulting with an infectious disease specialist. Based on questions they've asked my mom, it seems they are trying to rule out Lyme Disease. (My mom doesn't think she has been bitten by a tick, though, and she doesn't have any kind of rash.)
So, basically...we still don't know what is going on. Her sodium was low, as suspected, but apparently the doctors think something else is going on.
(As of right now, I'm hanging tight in Baton Rouge, even though it is really hard not to be there. I am trying to get things squared away here, however, just in case I need to return to Florida. Whatever information the doctors have today will probably determine what I will do.)
Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers!
When my mom went to the hospital yesterday, her kidney doctor saw her and felt she should be seen by a neurologist. (My mom was diagnosed with kidney disease two years ago but has done very well with maintaining her kidneys' function since her diagnosis. My mom LOVES her kidney doctor, and after I met her last week, I love her too. She's the perfect blend of seriousness, intelligence, humor, and compassion.)
Anyway, a neurologist hasn't seen her yet, BUT they did a CAT scan on my mom yesterday and the doctor she was seeing during her hospital stay last week is working with her again, and he is consulting with an infectious disease specialist. Based on questions they've asked my mom, it seems they are trying to rule out Lyme Disease. (My mom doesn't think she has been bitten by a tick, though, and she doesn't have any kind of rash.)
So, basically...we still don't know what is going on. Her sodium was low, as suspected, but apparently the doctors think something else is going on.
(As of right now, I'm hanging tight in Baton Rouge, even though it is really hard not to be there. I am trying to get things squared away here, however, just in case I need to return to Florida. Whatever information the doctors have today will probably determine what I will do.)
Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Where do I even begin???
Last Tuesday, I had just gone to the gym (yep...go me!) and was getting ready for the day when my dad called to say that she was being rushed to the hospital by ambulance because her doctor said her "body was about to go into shock."
My mom had been fighting a yucky illness for over a week -- high fever (104-plus at times), weakness, and soreness in her neck and back. Because it was the week of the 4th and their regular doctor was on vacation, my dad took her to two different ERs trying to get a diagnosis, relief, something. Both times, she was told she just had a bad virus, and based on her blood work, they didn't see the need to do a spinal tap to confirm a meningitis diagnosis because nothing in her blood work suggested that she had an infection like that.
So when my dad was able to take her to her usual doctor, he sent her to the hospital right away to be admitted.
Darryl was literally at the gate of the Baton Rouge airport, about to go on a trip for four days. I called him, and within an hour, the three of us were packed and in the car, headed to Florida.
On the way there, my dad would call to update us. This hospital (a different one from the ones they had been to) did a spinal tap right away and diagnosed her with viral meningitis. (While any kind of meningitis is serious, the viral form is the less severe of the two.)
From that point on, my mom's health seemed to be a roller coaster. I would leave the hospital in the evening feeling that she was truly getting better, then the next day she would seem worse. At first, all the fluids they gave her through IV seemed to energize her a little, but then her body wasn't getting rid of the fluid quickly enough, so she had to be put on some strong diuretics to get rid of the fluid. Then her sodium was too low and she had to take a pill for that.
(I also must pause here to say a HUGE "thank you" to Darryl's sister, Ashley, and our sister-in-law, Daphne, for helping us so much with Amelia. Daphne met us at the hospital to get Amelia to take her to Ashley's house...we wanted Amelia as far away from all this as possible.)
We left on Saturday, after she seemed to be getting steadily better for about two days, and the hospital released her on Sunday. However, since then, the roller coaster has continued. Good days, bad days...and so it goes.
I was waiting to blog about this when things really seemed to be on the "up and up," but my dad called today to say she is going back the hospital. She is getting progressively weaker, and the theory is that her sodium might be dipping again and she needs to be where she can be monitored and cared for. Right now, my plan is to stay put if it truly is just a matter of getting her body chemistry "balanced." Please continue to send prayers and/or good thoughts her way because she is OVER this. Way over it.
I hope my next update is a positive one!
My mom had been fighting a yucky illness for over a week -- high fever (104-plus at times), weakness, and soreness in her neck and back. Because it was the week of the 4th and their regular doctor was on vacation, my dad took her to two different ERs trying to get a diagnosis, relief, something. Both times, she was told she just had a bad virus, and based on her blood work, they didn't see the need to do a spinal tap to confirm a meningitis diagnosis because nothing in her blood work suggested that she had an infection like that.
So when my dad was able to take her to her usual doctor, he sent her to the hospital right away to be admitted.
Darryl was literally at the gate of the Baton Rouge airport, about to go on a trip for four days. I called him, and within an hour, the three of us were packed and in the car, headed to Florida.
On the way there, my dad would call to update us. This hospital (a different one from the ones they had been to) did a spinal tap right away and diagnosed her with viral meningitis. (While any kind of meningitis is serious, the viral form is the less severe of the two.)
From that point on, my mom's health seemed to be a roller coaster. I would leave the hospital in the evening feeling that she was truly getting better, then the next day she would seem worse. At first, all the fluids they gave her through IV seemed to energize her a little, but then her body wasn't getting rid of the fluid quickly enough, so she had to be put on some strong diuretics to get rid of the fluid. Then her sodium was too low and she had to take a pill for that.
(I also must pause here to say a HUGE "thank you" to Darryl's sister, Ashley, and our sister-in-law, Daphne, for helping us so much with Amelia. Daphne met us at the hospital to get Amelia to take her to Ashley's house...we wanted Amelia as far away from all this as possible.)
We left on Saturday, after she seemed to be getting steadily better for about two days, and the hospital released her on Sunday. However, since then, the roller coaster has continued. Good days, bad days...and so it goes.
I was waiting to blog about this when things really seemed to be on the "up and up," but my dad called today to say she is going back the hospital. She is getting progressively weaker, and the theory is that her sodium might be dipping again and she needs to be where she can be monitored and cared for. Right now, my plan is to stay put if it truly is just a matter of getting her body chemistry "balanced." Please continue to send prayers and/or good thoughts her way because she is OVER this. Way over it.
I hope my next update is a positive one!
Monday, July 09, 2012
Lemon Icebox Pie!
I've had a busy past couple of weeks that included a trip to Florida, a few days spent with my former sophomore girls' small group from my "old" church, a busy 4th of July...and typically, this is when I don't blog for a while because I get overwhelmed by all the photos and such. So instead, I'm sharing a recipe. :-)
About a month ago, our friends Damian and Rebecca invited us for dinner and I offered to bring dessert.
(I love to make desserts, y'all.)
(And I love to eat them.)
Damian asked if I could make a lemon icebox pie. Truth be told, I'd never made one, but I'm not one to turn down a baking request. I remembered that my friend Tim had posted an article about icebox pies from Serious Eats on Facebook, and one of the pie recipes listed was one for lemon icebox pie. So I made it. And it was awesome. And you should add it RIGHT NOW to your dessert rotation. (Unless you don't like lemon icebox pie. And then I might think you are KRAZY.)
Here is the link to the recipe, which also includes a photo. (I have poor, poor food photography skills, and none of my creations look the least bit appetizing when I photograph them.)
ALSO...I love my lemon icebox pie with whipped cream. And while I'm not too good to eat some Redi-Whip out of the can, I also love some homemade whipped cream (and it is so easy!). I take a cup of heavy whipping cream, about 1-1/2 TBSP of sugar, and beat it with a whisk on the highest setting of my electric mixer until it looks like, well, whipped cream. (Also...I think the recipe for whipped cream is somewhat known, but I got those exact measurements from The Pioneer Woman.)
I see no reason why you can't spread that whipped cream all over the top of the pie, but because I love whipped cream and Darryl does not (what is wrong with that man?), I just serve a big ole spoonful of it on the side.
Perfection.
About a month ago, our friends Damian and Rebecca invited us for dinner and I offered to bring dessert.
(I love to make desserts, y'all.)
(And I love to eat them.)
Damian asked if I could make a lemon icebox pie. Truth be told, I'd never made one, but I'm not one to turn down a baking request. I remembered that my friend Tim had posted an article about icebox pies from Serious Eats on Facebook, and one of the pie recipes listed was one for lemon icebox pie. So I made it. And it was awesome. And you should add it RIGHT NOW to your dessert rotation. (Unless you don't like lemon icebox pie. And then I might think you are KRAZY.)
Here is the link to the recipe, which also includes a photo. (I have poor, poor food photography skills, and none of my creations look the least bit appetizing when I photograph them.)
ALSO...I love my lemon icebox pie with whipped cream. And while I'm not too good to eat some Redi-Whip out of the can, I also love some homemade whipped cream (and it is so easy!). I take a cup of heavy whipping cream, about 1-1/2 TBSP of sugar, and beat it with a whisk on the highest setting of my electric mixer until it looks like, well, whipped cream. (Also...I think the recipe for whipped cream is somewhat known, but I got those exact measurements from The Pioneer Woman.)
I see no reason why you can't spread that whipped cream all over the top of the pie, but because I love whipped cream and Darryl does not (what is wrong with that man?), I just serve a big ole spoonful of it on the side.
Perfection.
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