May 30th Update

Hi Everybody,I just got home tonight from spending some time with Mom in New Harbor. She had been doing pretty well until I came!! I think I must be a jinx. Let's see - where to begin?? Before I do begin, however, you should know that I talked with her and she is doing much, much, better!! Now you can read the details. When I got there on Monday, she was having some pain in her right shoulder, around her scapula and below it. Tuesday the pain was pretty severe, so we went to see an orthopedic doc in Damariscotta. After a lot of poking and prodding, Dr. Zaiti thought she may have a bruised rib or two due to her position on the operating table. He thought her muscles were in spasm and gave her a shot of cortizone. That took some of the pain away the next day, but by late morning, mom's face was red - very red, her eyes were burning and she had a severe headache. Phone call to Zaiti confirmed what we were thinking - a reaction to the cortizone that could last for 3 days or more. Discouragement!!! We decided to hang very low on Wed. and see if there was any improvement Thursday morning. There was - both the symptoms of the cortizone reaction lessened and the shoulder/scapula pain had decreased considerably. We decided to go ahead to Portland for her appointment with the cardiologist, Dr. Wight (Who by the way is handsome, kind, gentle and informative). Anyways, he is very pleased with how her heart is working and reminded mom that this journey is 12-16 weeks long and that though her progress is very slow - 3 steps forward and 2 back- she IS making progress. He did hear some fluid noise in her lower left lung (the same one that was drained 2 1/2 weeks ago), but he didn't think it was much. He did order a chest x-ray and a routine echo-cardiogram. Mom's blood pressure was very high but again, the doc didn't say much about that. He did say that he would expect mom to be tired, weak, have shortness of breath, have good days and bad days - pretty much everything that mom is experiencing. Hearing him say those things was somewhat reassuring to both mom and me. Bottom line with Dr. Wight is that he thinks mom's progress is fine! Friday home health came and Mom's blood pressure was very high again,(very unusual - her BP has been excellent for the last 2 months) so we talked with Dr. Wight and he prescribed an additional blood pressure med to bring it down. Another call to Dr. Zaiti to find out if cortizone can also elevate one's blood pressure - YES it can! Meanwhile mom's pain in her shoulder/scapula is almost gone, her flushing is not so bad, but she still felt a bit shaky. Today, Saturday, mom was feeling much better. She finally had a good night's sleep, and was pretty much pain-free and flush-free. Knowing that she was better and that home health was coming late afternoon to check her BP, I left at 2:00 with a bet about her BP. I bet her that it would go down to maybe 155/85. She bet 140/80. It had been 185/100 yesterday and the day before. Well, I'm glad to say she won the bet! In fact she was right on - 140/80. Now of course we don't want it to go too low, so home health is coming again tomorrow and Monday and they will get in touch with the cardiologist if necessary. Whew! Oh yeah - we had the chest xray on Friday afternoon. Fluid did show up in the lower left lung and I got the technician to show me the xray and give me a bit of scoop. She obliged and said that it was just a bit of fluid. So I called Dr. Wight to see if he could look at it that afternoon and call us back. I really didn't think he would but at 5:30 he called and said that the fluid was a tiny amount and that we didn't have to worry about it at all. YA-HOO! No trip to Portland for draining! Mom was so relieved!! So, she is still weak and shaky but I think the cortizone reaction is almost done. It did it's job at least with regard to the pain. She does not have to go anywhere next week except to Miles Hospital on Thursday for the echocardiogram - (Aunti Jo is going to take her) so she should be able to rest and take it easy this week coming. Susan is headed there for Friday - Sunday and Wendy and Martha are taking the two weekends after that. If you have any questions, just reply to this and I'll get back to you. Do I dare say, that she is finished with the bumps in the road and it will be smooth cruising now!Love, Beth xxoo

Update of May 17th from Beth

I talked with Mom tonight and she is feeling like she has turned a corner. She feels so much better with all that fluid gone. She is stronger and can do many more things herself. Just wanted you all to know.Beth x

May 13 Update from Beth

Mom had the fluid drained from her lungs today. She said it was a bit painful but not so bad. They took out 1 1/2 liters and 100cc of fluid! The chest x-ray that was taken after the procedure was clean and clear. They got home around 4p.m. and Mom went right to bed. She has already noticed a difference in her breathing. Phew!! Let's hope this is the last problem she encounters for the rest of her recovery. Beth xxoo

May 12 Update from Beth

Mom had her follow-up appointment in Portland on Monday with the surgeon. As I mentioned on the last blog entry (maineupdate.blogspot.com), Mom has been having shortness of breath and getting really tuckered out just walking and getting in and out of bed. Well, there is a reason for this. They discovered that Mom has about a liter of fluid in her lungs. Dr. W said that one in ten surgery patients get this because the body can't get rid of the fluid fast enough. So Mom and Martha are headed to Portland again on Wednesday. They will drain the fluid right in the office. It's about a 30 minute procedure. Then she will go get a chest x-ray. The wounds on her surgery leg are healing nicely and the rash from the antibiotic reaction is gone. She is still not up to having visitors. We are hoping that after the fluid is drained she will feel like a new woman! Martha leaves on Thursday and Brad and Sharon come on the same day until Sunday, the 17th. Then I think Auntie Jo and /or Earl will cover until Martha comes back on the 20th. Then I'll be coming up for a week starting on May 23rd. That's it for now. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.Love, Beth xxoo

May 9 Update from Beth

just got done chatting with my sister, Martha who is at Mom's along with my sister-in-law, Sharon. Martha reports that mom is doing well. The rash from the antibiotic is gone, her surgery leg wounds are healing very well, she's walking a bit more, and even went outside to catch a few rays yesterday. Today they took her up to the hospital in Damariscotta for a chest xray that was ordered by her surgeon. Mom, Martha and maybe Auntie Jo are headed to Portland to meet with the surgeon, Dr. Weldner for Mom's follow-up visit this Monday. The xray was needed for that appointment. Mom still has quite a bit of shortness of breath when she does any kind of moving about. That remains uncomfortable but they will get some info about that from Dr. Weldner. We have quite a list of questions for him!!It sounds like things are going smoother than last week! Ya-hoo!

April 30th update from Beth

Hi all,I got mom home on Sunday late afternoon. We had a rough couple of days with fluid build-up. The doc at the hospital changed mom's diuretic on the day she left and it was not a good change. We have that under control and mom is feeling better but still not great. She is laying low, not ready for visitors or even phone calls, but Wendy and I are around if you want to call in the evenings after 8:30 for any reason. I am heading home on Saturday and Susan and Wendy will hold down the fort together. It has been very helpful to have two of us here at the house. We will continue to do that for at least another week. Thank you all for your prayers, thoughts, cards, etc. We so appreciate it. It's wonderful knowing Mom has such a caring community of people out there. I'll probably report again from Vermont next week. Beth xxoo

Going Home-- Sunday

Hi All,
Mom is going home today!! The paperwork is almost finished and I'm guessing we will be on the road by noon. Mom has requested fish chowder, crusty bread, salad and Ring Dings for supper. Wendy will get all those goodies for us when she comes through today. I will transport Mom and stay until at least Tuesday to see the transition through, debrief Wendy, talk with Home Health, etc. While Mom has no dietary restrictions now, she does have other restrictions:
o no driving for at least 3 weeks
o no lifting for 8 weeks (it takes this long for the sternum to heal)
o no bending at the waist
o no visitors for 2 weeks
We will take good care of her. The hospital sends home a nice chart that helps the caregivers and the patient know what to do and what to expect. One of us kids will be staying with Mom for at least 2 weeks - Drs. orders.We have coverage lined up through May 17th and if needed we will go longer! I do not have access to email in New Harbor, but I will be talking to Wendy daily and can report from Vermont on any news. It won't be daily - maybe every three days or so.
Beth xxoo

Sat. April 25 Update

Hi all,
I don't have anything new to tell you but I realize I haven't emailed lately. Mom is either going home tomorrow or Monday. Wendy is coming to New Harbor on Sunday and I am going home either Monday or Tuesday. I'll email when we have the date for certain.
Beth

Thursday, PM from Beth

Hi again,
Mom had another good day. They still say she is doing very well. She is walking more and feeling stronger. I did not get to see the doc today but have an appt. for tomorrow to discuss home, home care, etc. etc. Auntie Jo is coming for a visit tomorrow. I do believe it's supposed to be sunny and in the 70s !!
Beth xxoo

Wed. PM from Beth

Had 2 great visits with mom today with both of us taking naps in betweeen them. She looks great, everyone is amazed at her progress. No more talk about date of going home. I'll try to catch the Doc tomorrow morning. Not much else to say. Things continue to look fantastic!Beth xxoo

Wednesday a.m. Update from Beth

Hi all,
Susan was at the hospital this morning and said Mom continues to improve. She is walking without help but with a walker to the bathroom. Unfortunately she got a roommate at 11:30 last night and because of all the interruptions didn't sleep that well. Barb, Dr. Weldner's assistant came while Susan was there and said that if Mom continues to improve at the rate she's going without any downward spirals she may be able to skip rehab and go home as early as this weekend as long as there is someone there with her for at least 2 weeks - maybe longer. So, when I go this afternoon, I will talk with Barb and find out some details about her strength, limitations, changes in meds, home health, blood tests, follow-up visits and many other things. She is thrilled at maybe not going to rehab but I want to make sure she is strong enough to be home even with another person there. It seems early, but we all know how strong and determined Mom is. I'll write again but maybe not until tonight. Beth xxoo

Tuesday Afternoon Update from Beth

Hi again,
As we speak, Mom is being transferred down the hall from Intermediate Care to the regular section. Her levels are fine all the way around.

Beth

Tuesday Update from Beth

Hello,
I am banned from the hospital until tomorrow noon. That is the time I will have been on antibiotics for 24 hours. I developed a bronchial something - I'm pretty sure it's not contagious (I get the same thing several times each year) but better safe than sorry. So this news comes from Susan who's been visiting with mom today. Mom continues to get stronger. She walked the hall today and will do that several times more. When Susan left at 10:30 they were going to get her out of the chair for another stroll. Then she was to have a nap. She can sustain wakefulness (is that even a word??) for longer periods of time, but still requires lots of sleep. She doesn't like the fact that she's sleeping a lot or that she is pretty weak. We keep reminding her that it's only been so many days since surgery. She is in the Intermediate Care Unit on the first floor. We don't know how long she will be there. They didn't have any reports on her creatin levels or blood counts yet this morning. Mom is totally off all wires and tubes. She is one strong woman!! I'll report again tonight if there is any change. If you

Monday Night Update by Beth

Hi Everybody,
Susan and I just got back from saying goodnight to Mom. She left ICU around 4:40 this afternoon and is in the Intermediate Care section on the first floor (she does not have a phone there). She has a big private room with her own bathroom. She went here rather than a regular care floor because her creatin level was too high - a result of the extra diuretic they gave her because she wasn't peeing enough. Well, now she is peeing too much and her kidneys are working overtime. They will work on finding that balance. We found out that this morning's blood transfusion was to help replenish blood lost during surgery. They will do another blood test in the morning and she may even get more blood (she actually needed 4 units when she had her knee replaced years ago so don't worry about the blood transfusion/s). She is hardly hooked to any machinery now - talk about freedom!! Her appetite continues to improve and we have seen noticeable improvements with her strength. Starting tomorrow she will become more physical with the help of her nurses. She will stand with help, shuffle around a bit and may even try out a walker. Things look great! That's it for now!Goodnight,Susan and Beth xxxooo

Monday Morning Update from Beth

Hi Everybody,
Mom had another excellent night. Susan and I just visited with her for almost an hour. She had some scrambled eggs, a bit of toast with peanut butter, coffee and gingerale. She totally noticed when we walked into the hall near her room (she hadn't done that up until today) and called out, "hello girls". She is so much more alert this morning. Her voice is stronger, she didn't fall asleep while we were there. Her color is good, she's peeing "copious amounts" according to the staff. They did however give her a blood transfusion this morning. Her blood counts have been a bit low since right after surgery and they waited to see if her counts would come up on their own and they decided to give her a boost. Later today they will reassess her blood counts. We will ask about that as the day progresses. Again they are not that concerned. Everything else is looking real good. Still not sure when she is leaving ICU. When that happens, I will send off another message. Martha heads back today and Auntie is home and will return on Friday.
Beth xxxxoooo

Sunday Mid-Day Update from Beth

Hi all,Mom had another good night. They have been monitoring her output closely since last night because she has not been peeing enough for their liking. They infused a dose of diuretic in her IV this morning and when we went in again at about 10:00 she was peeing and everyone was happier. She will probably stay in ICU today because of that. They do not seem to be worried about it however. Dr. Weldner said this morning that considering what her body went through and the fact that she has chronic renal problems anyways, that it is not unusual for her renal actions to "to go to sleep for a bit". He was not at all concerned. He told mom "I'm grinning from ear to ear" with regard to her recovery! All other things look great! She is still not hungry and didn't even want coffee this morning. She had jello around 10:00 and Martha got her some pudding and butternut squash soup that she might enjoy later today. She was in heaven when we got her a very hot facecloth for her face and neck early this morning. They have her sitting up (which she needs to do for at least 2 hours morning and then again afternoon)but she is still groggy and very sleepy. She said again, "I can't believe it's over." She is still in somewhat of a time warp. Her throat is bothering her a bit and also her back. Her voice is raspy and she speaks very slowly and softly BUT coherently! Things are continuing to look great!! We will be hanging around the waiting room again today and I'll check email regularly if anyone has questions.
Beth xxxxoooo

Sat. 4 p.m. update from Beth

Mom has had a good day. Martha, Susan and I had a great conversation with her while she had her lunch. She had jello with whipped cream and coffee. She didn't care to have the veggies or beef stew (I don't blame her). She thought at that time that it was Friday - not Saturday and we had a good laugh recounting some of the conversations she had had earlier in the morning with regard to the mix-up. "No wonder they were all looking at me like I was crazy." She slept a good deal of the day and can now give herself pain meds - obviously controlled and dosed. She just pushes a button and a dose is delivered through her IV. She can only get it after so many hours. At lunch she said she was pain free. Her color is much better. She sat upright for part of the day and slept in a reclined position. Her back is bothering her a bit - probably from having to lie flat for most of the morning. She is coughing and getting whatever it is in her lungs out. Dr. Weldner visited her this morning but he didn't visit us. He told her things were looking real good. The nurses believe that Mom will be out of the ICU tomorrow. I'm not sure where her room will be. We (Auntie Jo, Martha, Susan, Jen, Nic, Tucker) all got to have quick visits with her today. SURPRISE, SURPRISE - Pamela Cole and friend Norma stopped by and visited with us and with Mom this afternoon. They were attending a Quaker gathering in Portland and were headed back to Dartmouth, MA tonight. It was great to see them. It's now 4:00 and Jen and the boys are headed to Damariscotta and Susan, Martha and Auntie Jo are off to get Chinese!! I won't be sending any more news tonight - I will post more news mid morning tomorrow.Beth xxoo

Saturday at 12:30

I was at rehearsal, but Jo left a message at 12:30 today. Said that Faith was doing well. Got up for lunch. Still out of it , though. Having been through heart valve replacement myself, I know it takes days to regain some normalcy.
So the news remains good from Maine Med.

Beth Update - Night of Surgery

Sorry this is so late, but not much happened since my last email. Mom wakes up for a short bit now and again. She is able to answer questions about pain level and some other questions that the nurses ask. She has moved all her limbs. They say she is doing well. We are not really allowed to visit with her. We just check in periodically, talk quietly with her (we do all the talking) She hasn't responded to us, but again we've only been allowed in for a minute now and again. They took out the breathing tube at about 11:30. This is very good. We peeked in after that and sure enough, she was breathing on her own and doing a fair amount of snoring:) I am spending the night here in the waiting room with a pager in case they need to get hold of someone. Aunti Jo is up on the 5th floor on a pull-out couch in a private consult room. Jen and the boys, Martha and Susan are all at hotels tonight. It was great to see everyone. We are all doing well. I'll post another note tomorrow.
Beth xxoo

Post Op Report from Beth

12:30Dr. Weldner just came to let us know that things went very well. They were able to do all the things that needed doing. Two valve repairs (the tricuspid repair required moving the pacer lead that had embedded itself), one valve replacement (the aorta one which was still the trickiest but he was able to replace it), and one bypass. For those of you who knew about the MAZE procedure (which might have eliminated the pace-maker) he did not do that, but he came in with both thumbs up and said her heart looked good and strong. She held up fine. They only had her in circulatory arrest for 13 minutes - which he said was good. Now she has to wake up. They will not know anything about possible stroke until she wakes up, moves around a bit and they can do an assessment. That might not occur for a few more hours. They will be watching all the suture (did I spell that right?) places for blood leakage, she will have a chest xray (normal procedure) as soon as she gets to her room. We will be able to peek in quickly in about 45 minutes - after they have her settled in her room in the cardiothorasic intensive care. She will probably be out of it but we plan on talking to her anyways and letting her know that everything is great and that we love her! After we get to see her I'll send off another quick note. YEE-HAW, HOORAY, YIPEE!! SIBLINGS, I will call after we see Mom.
Love, Beth xxxooo