Wednesday and Thursday

Yesterday we had a sort-of snow storm come through the DC area and while the day of rest at home was good and I was glad to at least not be at work, I really wanted to be back in Annapolis... but had to remind myself that Grandpa had both Joyce and Johnny with him throughout the day and Grandma was stable and being cared for so there was little I could have done except perhaps get status updates first hand.

In any case I've now spoken (this afternoon) with Joyce, Grandpa, and my mom (Rosemary) and here's the gist of the last two days:  (If you read this Mom/Joyce/Grandpa and I've made some errors, let me know and I'll correct them.)

Wednesday 

Joyce was with Grandpa in the morning through afternoon, and Johnny arrived from New Hampshire in the afternoon and stayed the night with Grandpa.

I'm told Grandma was much sleepier on Wednesday than on Tuesday, so she didn't talk as much and Johnny said he had some trouble understanding her at times.  She was also not swallowing so she did not get normal food like she did on Tuesday.  However, Joyce tells me that as someone new came in to the room (like the doctor or their church pastor) she would perk up and lift her head a little.  

My mom also reports there was a visit from the cardio doctor who was "very negative" in her words, about the fact that Grandma wasn't swallowing again this day.  (The consensus seems to be that this doctor has a terrible bedside manner, so who knows what his deal is.)  Being able to keep up the swallowing shows progress, but with Grandma so sleepy they can't give her anything.

Joyce and Grandpa also visited the rehab facility in Heritage Harbor.  Joyce thought it was "very nice" and Grandpa liked that it was close enough that he could walk there.  The ultimate plan will be for Grandma to move to a rehab facility like this and get a variety of rehab therapies once we know what kind of deficiencies she has.

Thursday (today)

Grandpa and Johnny went out to the hospital this morning and were home for lunch when I spoke with Grandpa and then Joyce. 

Today, Grandma has a bit of a fever (101 F I think), which is not good.  The doctors are investigating the cause today.  I think they took some blood and a chest X-ray to see if perhaps she has developed pneumonia.  Should have the results of that by the time I talk to someone next.  If it is pneumonia, they will start her immediately on some antibiotics; if it's not, we'll see what it is. Fingers crossed.

Grandma was a bit more alert today.  She was still so sleepy and unable to get normal food, but the therapist said she would try back later to see if perhaps Grandma was more alert then.

They cannot give Grandma water (the fear is that she won't swallow it and it'll go down her lungs) so Johnny swabbed her mouth a little with a wet cloth and Grandma loved that... She's probably hungry for real food, and I'm sure her mouth gets a bit dry.  I think Grandpa said she joked with Johnny about "sneaking in" a banana for her, but she knows she's not to have food yet.

Downgrade to Special Care Unit 

Also, sometime in the last two days (Wednesday maybe?), Grandma was downgraded to the Special Care Unit, which is a step down from Critical Care.  The difference is that in Critical Care you're hooked up to a monitor of vital signs 24 hours and they check your vital signs every hour, but in Special Care she is not hooked up to the monitor and the nurse checks her vitals every hour.  This is a good thing; Grandma is considered "stable" as far as her vitals, so it's probably good they  feel comfortable sending her down a level.

One complication of this though is that when she was in critical care she had a machine to squeeze her legs and feet help prevent blood pooling and increase circulation in her legs to prevent a clot, but they didn't hook her up to that in Special Care.  Grandma was a bit restless today, complaining of cramped legs, so Grandpa and Johnny asked this morning if she could have that again.  Her sleepiness today might be related from having the leg cramps... I think the blood tests they're doing today might also include a test for her potassium levels.

So that's what I have right now.  Will probably talk to someone this evening and if there's more to say then, I'll post again.

Thanks,
Christina

* I have not yet heard how the "rehab evaluation" test that I thought Grandma was supposed to have on Wednesday went.  She was sleepy, so maybe they held off.  I'll try to ask this evening.