Livin' in the lap of R&R

So I went back and read to mom all the reports that Jill and Curt and others had written about Mom the week after she went to the hospital, as she said she didn't remember anything about that week at all. After doing so, I realized that I had really slacked on my responsibility to update all of you on Mom's progress since coming home from the hospital on Monday, the 20th (3 days ago). So I thought I would send out an update on her for the past few days...

Stats-We take Mom's weight, blood sugar, blood pressure, oxygen levels, and pulse every morning. On the whole they are pretty good. She had quite a bit of edema (swelling in her legs and feet) when she left the hospital. She felt that she was walking on two stilts. The past 3 days, we have gotten her compression socks on, and it has made a huge difference in the amount of fluid in her legs. So we will continue to do so.

Home Health- The day after Mom came home from the hospital (T-21), a home health R.N. from Alpine Healthcare came to assess her and get her set up for home health. The following day (W-22), a physical therapist and an occupational therapist came to assess her. They each took her blood pressure (which for the most part, is normal). The nurse put some more steri-strips on one of her incisions in the front that was still bleeding a little. She also checked her protime (coumadin level) and her blood sugar.

When the physical therapist (Jedd) came, he told her she would not need to go to the cardiac rehab facility at Jordan Valley Hospital. He assured her that he would come 2 days a week for 6-8 weeks, rather than 3 days a week for 4 weeks, and that when he was done with her, she wouldn't need to go to the rehab facility. However, yesterday the surgeon's office called, and told us in no uncertain terms that they only wanted the therapist to come for 10-14 days, and then they wanted her up to cardiac rehab facility to continue her exercise, as they will put her on a heart monitor and blood pressure monitor the whole time she's exercising. So we may not have the home health group very long, because the physical therapy is the longest contact we have with the home health care group.

When the occupational therapist came (who was contracted by Alpine Healthcare, not an employee of said company), she said she probably wouldn't need to come back, as Mom had such good helpers and her health was doing so well. She said that occupational therapists mainly work with her arms and upper body, and for 6-8 weeks, she's not supposed to work her arms and upper body, so maybe when the 6-8 weeks is over, to give her a call if we need one.

The first couple of nights we were home, Mom didn't sleep very well. The first night she only got about 4 hours of sleep. The next night 6 hours, and last night 7 hours. So she is taking a lot more naps during the days to make up for lost sleep.

The strength in her legs is not back yet. She cannot get down to pray and get back up again very easily, so she is having to modify some of her routines.

She LOVES the 5 1/2" elevated toilet seat that we bought for her, and loves to go sit on her "throne."

I was so excited to finally be able to cook again after spending almost 24 hours/day in the hospital for over a week. So we have been having fun, fun meals.

I think she gets discouraged that she can't run and play yet, but that time will come. We are hoping by the end of January, when her 6 weeks is over, that she will feel much more like "running." Until then, she wants to stick pretty close to home where her oxygen is, so that she can rest and heal.

Until then, she is our Christmas miracle, and we are so grateful that she is home, and feeling stronger than she has felt for a long time.

Jann