As we prepare for Thanksgiving we are first & foremost thankful my dad is here with us today:)Thank you God, all healthcare professionals, family, friends, colleagues, and anybody else!
Good news, my dad continues to make steady progress despite some lingering medical issues. He has experience blood pressure drops again, always in the afternoon, always after sitting it the chair for period of time. It doesn't happen every day, but is very frustrating as he will be absolutely fine then with little warning, hits rock bottom. I actually witnessed this for the first time on Saturday and it does come on quickly, requiring quick action. Once he lays down, within minutes everything is fine. Everyone was picking their brains, trying to figure this out. Break through...Apparently he was "sometimes" receiving BP meds twice daily, when it should only be once daily. Hopefully this is resolved once & for all.
The urologist appointment went well & I'm sure the doctor was going to remove the cath; however, my dad pleaded his case & the doc gave in. My dad is worried if the cath comes out he will get another UTI; therefore, wants to wait until he can stand. We are hoping he can bear weight on one leg in a few weeks. As you can tell, this inability to bear weight on the legs puts one in a position for a number of complications. Sigh... Due to the above isuses, we will not be bringing my dad home for Thanksgiving afternoon. It was his suggestion, he is fine with it and so are we.
On the bright side, last weekend my dad was given the go head to walk the chair with his feet. He quickly learned how to maneuver his wheelchair with his feet! Mobile Mel! He made it down to the door to greet me. Soooo awesome & such a huge surprise! He was soooo happy! He felt the pain in his knees on Monday, and decided he better leave the trips to the door for days when he doesn't have therapy. The therapists continue to work with his knees getting to around 75 degrees. Dr. Jaeblon would like to see 80. He will get there. Another milestone, my dad was sitting in a "regular" chair yesterday when I arrived. His butt was tired from the same old wheelchair seat so he asked to sit in the guest chair. If nothing else, it was normalcy/change!
Sad news... my dad's best friend since childhood, Tom Wodarski, passed away this week. Rest in peace, Tom, you will be missed. There will be a celebration of Tom's life on 12/19 in Point Place. We are hoping my dad can attend that for a bit, then Christmas.
Happy Thanksgiving to all and thank you for your ongoing support over the last three months!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Just got back from the gastroenterology appointment. Great news... upper GI is 100% healed! Yay! My dad handled the procedure extremely well and was chatty when he woke up from the anesthetic:) One less doctor to visit!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
I just got back from the doctor.
In a nutshell... Not the news we wanted to hear, but not bad. No weight bearing yet. Doctor said it would have been a stretch to bear weight at this point regardless of age, it's just the nature of the beast. The joints are involved which requires additional time and not something you want to mess with. We will return in four weeks to reevaluate.
Good news... All injury spots are progressing nicely, no more boot, right leg is actually improving quicker than the left & will probably be the first leg to bear weight. Remember, that was the leg in which everything was "shattered"! The left femur injury was worse than the right, involving the knee, pins, etc. Doctor said it is a possibility there may be a "fine tuning" surgery at some point to remove some of the hardware.
Sad news... Dr. Jaeblon has accepted a new position in another state and will be leaving the first of the year. He has been such a strong player in my dad's recovery that it is hard to imagine him not part of the team. Thankfully the trauma surgery is behind us!
We are still planning on bringing my dad home (his house) for the afternoon on Thanksgiving. Next week we will be visiting the gastro doctor on Monday and the urologist on Thursday. I will write again after that.
Thank you blog readers for all your support!
In a nutshell... Not the news we wanted to hear, but not bad. No weight bearing yet. Doctor said it would have been a stretch to bear weight at this point regardless of age, it's just the nature of the beast. The joints are involved which requires additional time and not something you want to mess with. We will return in four weeks to reevaluate.
Good news... All injury spots are progressing nicely, no more boot, right leg is actually improving quicker than the left & will probably be the first leg to bear weight. Remember, that was the leg in which everything was "shattered"! The left femur injury was worse than the right, involving the knee, pins, etc. Doctor said it is a possibility there may be a "fine tuning" surgery at some point to remove some of the hardware.
Sad news... Dr. Jaeblon has accepted a new position in another state and will be leaving the first of the year. He has been such a strong player in my dad's recovery that it is hard to imagine him not part of the team. Thankfully the trauma surgery is behind us!
We are still planning on bringing my dad home (his house) for the afternoon on Thanksgiving. Next week we will be visiting the gastro doctor on Monday and the urologist on Thursday. I will write again after that.
Thank you blog readers for all your support!
Friday, November 5, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
Hello Blog Readers,
It's time for a weekly follow up. My dad is doing really, really good, both mentally and physically. The cardiology visit went well on Wednesday. Dr. Bingle did not feel my dad has any serious cardiac issues going on, that the initial low blood pressure readings were due to the stress ulcer and the continued low readings were due to too much medication. He will follow up with Dr. Bingle in 3 months (once he is actively moving around) just to be sure everything is still OK.
Physical therapy is doing wonders for my dad. He is now able to "walk" while sitting. When he does this he is actually picking each leg up fully, trying to reprogram the muscles in preparation for the day he can step down & begin to walk again. There has been lot of improvement with range of motion in his knees & ankles. He also, can now scootch himself up in bed with his upper body after placing the lower end of the bed on incline. One must be creative!!
Next Thursday is going to be a BIG day. That is the orthopaedic doctor visit at which time the doctor will x-ray all fractured/healing areas and determine whether or not my dad can start placing weight on his left leg & left forearm. Please pray!!! The right leg is not far behind. Once he reaches that goal, the caregivers at Heartland are sure my dad will walk out the door!!
At this pace, we are hopeful my dad will be able to come home for the afternoon on Thanksgiving. He is, in fact, already making plans!
I thank you again for your continued prayers, visits, phone calls & cards:) Regardless of how you have reached out, each one has helped brighten my dad's day & encouraged him through this long road to recovery.
It's time for a weekly follow up. My dad is doing really, really good, both mentally and physically. The cardiology visit went well on Wednesday. Dr. Bingle did not feel my dad has any serious cardiac issues going on, that the initial low blood pressure readings were due to the stress ulcer and the continued low readings were due to too much medication. He will follow up with Dr. Bingle in 3 months (once he is actively moving around) just to be sure everything is still OK.
Physical therapy is doing wonders for my dad. He is now able to "walk" while sitting. When he does this he is actually picking each leg up fully, trying to reprogram the muscles in preparation for the day he can step down & begin to walk again. There has been lot of improvement with range of motion in his knees & ankles. He also, can now scootch himself up in bed with his upper body after placing the lower end of the bed on incline. One must be creative!!
Next Thursday is going to be a BIG day. That is the orthopaedic doctor visit at which time the doctor will x-ray all fractured/healing areas and determine whether or not my dad can start placing weight on his left leg & left forearm. Please pray!!! The right leg is not far behind. Once he reaches that goal, the caregivers at Heartland are sure my dad will walk out the door!!
At this pace, we are hopeful my dad will be able to come home for the afternoon on Thanksgiving. He is, in fact, already making plans!
I thank you again for your continued prayers, visits, phone calls & cards:) Regardless of how you have reached out, each one has helped brighten my dad's day & encouraged him through this long road to recovery.
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