Just need to talk to my friends (200)

Good morning

Ron prayers that you will feel better soon.

HB hope things work out for the best

Checking in with my porch friends. I will catch up on your posts when I can. I miss him so so much! I'm letting myself grieve and cry. I've been without healthy, normal him for 2-1/2 years but now I'm truly alone 💔

Thanks for your support xo

Ron…when you feel bad post! We have pretty good viral medical care on the porch…lol

David…Please do not short change your wife. She may not mind driving you at all and once you are in the VA your trip will likely be limited. Have you thought of using an Uber?

HB…gold stars sent for your chart.

Good evening

Caro-Lynne glad to see you on the porch. ((( It is ok to sit on the porch and cry.)))

lol Lorita I went up to pediatrics one day and there set a physician asking the nurses how to treat her child's earache. In fairness to her she was not a pediatrician. I just thought it was cute.

Iris hope you get to feeling better.

Ron notice your chair is empty. Hope you felt a little better today.

Get well soon, Ron. I'm so sorry that you are so sick.

Ron, Caro Lynne, HB, Iris: thinking of you this morning.

Good morning to the early risers.

Loveskitties— The work on those blankets is truly art. The Paw Patrol, especially, made me smile.

David— It seems odd that the Senior Transportation van doesn't have the capacity to work for those with mobility issues. Perhaps they have an ADA-compliant van. Or consider Uber/GoGoGrandparent. The latter uses Uber/Lyft but it's a concierge service that is easier for seniors to manage. I know from a friend whose mom lives in suburban Boston it does operate in your area.

Carolynn— This is such a sad period for you. It's such a difficult transition.

Iris— I know we're on opposite sides of the country, but that sounds very like the virus DS and I had last month. I tested negative for COVID and Flu A/B, too. I suspect it's the one that landed mom in the hospital, too. She was also negative for flu, COVID and RSV. My cough is still, umm, productive. The nurse yesterday told me mom's cough was the most violent she'd ever heard. Yikes.

Ron— I'm so sorry. You and mom have very similar issues. She's been hospitalized since the 13th with pneumonia. She did 2 different antibiotics, IV steroids, breathing treatments every 4 hours. They tried, and failed, twice to wean her off the IV meds and onto oral. She's finally in all oral medications, done the antibiotics but still on a nebulizer treatment every 4 hours and on 40mg prednisone for now. BTW, your hand shaking is likely the result of the steroids you're being given. YMMV, but I find anything above 40mg/day or delivered IV really gets mom's hands rattling. I've had to cut her food and transfer her soup into a Styrofoam cup because the bowl of the spoon was empty by the time it got to her mouth.

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I failed miserably at getting a short rehab stay. On one hand, though, I think she's less likely to contract COVID at home and I think her cat is the best medicine for her.

I did put my foot down about the ambulation. She had a wonderful nurse yesterday who was very empathetic to how I was feeling. She talked to me about what the PT report offered. I sense she didn't like the discharge plan much either. I countered that I was not comfortable assuming responsibility for a patient who has not demonstrated the ability to walk. She hooked mom up to portable O2 and we did a circuit around the unit which is greater in distance than what she'll need to do at home. She did pretty well. I think we'll be OK.

The nurse did agree with me about the ridiculousness of the PT report including mom's need for "supervision of family" as a mobility aid. I just shook my head. There is no family, just Harshed B. Discharge is supposed to be today. I'm catching up on laundry so I can pack for my stay at her house. I've got to food shop for her house and bring some supplies from here— shower chair, wedge pillow, laptop. I want them to supply portable O2 (I have big tanks at her house and one on my car) and a rolling walker.

I'm going to need to rent a car. DH and I share one and DS's is in the shop awaiting a new clutch. I can't leave DS and DH without wheels and I'll need the car. Ugh.

And because I like to make life interesting, I set mom up with a telehealth visit with her psychiatrist. The doc rescheduled her 6 weeks out and she's overdue. I can do this from the hospital but will need a somewhat private place. Ugh again.

Maybe her roomie will be gone today. She was supposed to be discharged yesterday. She's been there 2 days with a concussion after a fall. She's a character— older than mom and something of a social activist. She seems to have hearing loss and ran Zoom meetings with the boards of 2 different Quake Meeting committees. She was focused, organized and articulate (and loud) during the meetings. Between family and friends called. She used the phone's speaker mode and was a whole different animal. With friends she adopted a kind of whiny little-old-lady voice. I had to laugh. I felt bad for her, though, dealing with mom's cough which is loud and kind of TMI.

Wish me luck today.
HB

Ok I'm going to mention this. I thought about mentioning it earlier but decided against it. Think it is time. All I am doing is mentioning it as I have very little to no experience with this, Pertussis/whooping cough. It is being seen by Dr Griffin an infectious disease doctor out of NYC that i listen to every Saturday morning on TWIV. He mentioned it a bit last Saturday. The only experience I have is as I have mentioned before with an infant less than 30 days old who came to ER and we had to intubate, ventilate and transport to a children's hospital, not good . Children in household had not had vaccines.

Dr Griffin mentioned last week that it is a nasty disease and that it can take a while to get over it. I believe he said the cough can last as long as 3 months. I’ll start paying closer attention to what he says. I read just a little bit on it. Said it is easily spread and mucus is thick and stringy. Just something to think about. Many physicians may not have seen it so may not be on their radar screen.

There can be a bit of MRSA, Cdiff etc. on rehab units too HB. They are sort of a petri dish as people there are usually pretty sick and have often been sick for awhile. HB Im sorry you have been placed in this position. Know a little bit about the stress that is involved. You can always call a squad and go back to ER if things go sideways at home.

Today was the first time that I went out since I broke my ankle. It felt funny with the boot on my foot. Because of my boot my wife will not let me get my rollar of the car when we went out to lunch at the local Tech school which put on lunches for seniors a couple times a year. And because of my broken ankle she doesn't want me to go to my exerciasses (I know that she is looking for me) she is afraid that I may fall again and end up in a nursing home.

I believe I told you that I am on the waiting list for the local Veterans Home (which is a long term health care facility), well I have received the final application and I could be there by the first of the year.

Please keep me in your prayers that I am accepted.

Beth it is but it has been a long time since I had it. Im not sure if still effective or not. Saw something about taking it every 10 years. I take tetanus every 10 years but not sure anything else was in it. Maybe my doctor will know. Saw something else about you were ok unless outbreak in your area. At work i would say i prefer a preemptive strike when i was dealing with a patient. Too late after it has broke out is how i see it lol. Maybe Dr Griffin will mention it someday. Going to try and remember to ask my doctor. Could ask the pharmacist too. They actually are the ones who keep me more up to date and ask me about if I have had this or that vaccine.

David prayers that things will work out for you.

good morning