Going home...well... out of here!

Mom is leaving the hospital tomorrow!! She wishes she was going home, but is content to wait a couple more weeks and get stronger through a transitional facility. Once the doctor gives the discharge orders tomorrow, they will come pick her up from Aspen Ridge West (on 5300 S. & 700 W.) and take her there. Then she will begin the second phase of her recovery...getting stronger. Yippee!! The first phase of transitional care began yesterday when they started giving her lasix by pill instead of by PICC line. Today they took the Groucho Marx oximizer off of her and put on a regular nose cannula. With the same amount of oxygen (5 ltrs), she is still working to keep her saturation levels (sats) up to 90-95. Right now Lisa, the OT (Occupational Therapist), is seeing how long she can stand at the sink to brush her teeth and wash her face. Her oxygen still drops pretty dramatically but we're working on it. Now Lisa is having her put pillow cases on the ten pillows in here. She's had three groups of nurses come in for tachycardia (a HIGH heart rate) during the time she's been putting on the pillowcases to make sure she wasn't having a heart attack. It was quite a flurry of people in here. But Mom keeps putting on the pillowcases. She has a mission to perform and it's the first time she's been able to do something besides sit like a bump on a log. Plus she hasn't felt faint or dizzy. After she was done and rested, her heart rate and sats returned quickly to normal. Very interesting!!
One of the things I love about Mom is that she still has her quick wit and sense of humor. Several nurses and doctors (except Dr. Madsen, of course) have told Mom that she has become their favorite patient by far. She gives them sassy and witty remarks and generously gives of her kindly advice when she's walking with the PT Aric or chatting with the night or day nurses. She's interested in them and in their personal lives. They love it when she's feeling good, because she smiles and her personality perks up to a new level. Frequently she has us all actually laughing out loud. I know they have patients coming in and out of the hospitals constantly, but they definitely know and love Janice Bassett!!
Well, hopefully the next blog will come from Aspen Ridge West...tomorrow! Until then....