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At Last

At last: the last boring-ass weekend! Our girl is nearing the launch pad, scheduled to depart for home next Friday the 24th. She will have PT here at home, a hospital bed and probably a part time aide. And her boy (me), who I am sure she will run ragged.

Hey, it beats driving to Pike Creek every day at rush hour. And, I'm betting that she will thrive when she is in her own home that I know she misses so much.

The Great Escape. Sisters Jean Bean and Pooh Bear and I assisted in an escape from the gulag to enjoy a Mother's Day meal. She returned voluntarily.

Unexpected. Totally unexpected

I think Carol has Stockhold Symptom. You know, that thing that happened to Patty Hearst where she identified with her captors?

Carol likes Cadia. Yeah, shocking. She has developed a positive relationship with so many key people that she seems to no longer worry about the lack of help from aides and questionable food.

But that was yesterday. Today is another day. Anyhow, she has decided not to move to Wilmington Rehab and ride it out at Cadia. I think that is a good decision because she has progressed well enough with her PT that she must be close to a point where she can come home.

Same ole, same ole

The focus remains on PT and OT. Progress is noteworthy but no end date has been announced or speculated. At least not by people who make the decisions. Carol thinks she is not strong enough to come home and that a week or two in advanced PT at Wilmington Hospital 6th floor rehab is necessary. She is pursuing this idea with Cadia management and admissions personnel at Wilmington. We shall see.

Focus on PT

PT and OT are getting a bit more intense. Carol is able to put more weight on the new shoulder and is doing assisted transfers. Perhaps there is the possibility of an exit plan in the near future?

Another weekend

BORING. No PT. No OT. Agency nursing help.

But, flowers from friends, a little wine & cheese and take-out from Capers and Lemons made for some relief on Saturday. And both sisters, Jean (RT) and Nancy (Pooh Bear) are coming today so the tedium and lack of nursing help will hopefully be compensated by good company.

And, hopefully, one of the last weekends in the gulag.

Road trip

The trip to Philadelphia yesterday went smoothly. Dr. Abboud seems pleased with Carol's recovery. However, we expect she will not leave Cadia anytime soon. We learned that her discharge is not Dr. Abboud's call but that of the staff at Cadia.

Dr. Abboud give the Cadia therapists instructions for more aggressive PT and OT so we are hoping she will progress enough to come home in a couple of weeks. Mind you, that may be wishful thinking.

In the meantime, Carol has received the attention of those who run Cadia. That coupled with her ability to leave her room and terrorize the staff has made her nursing home life a lot better. We have to remember she is a Campbell. The Campbells, they like to run things.

F Word

Know how to get a nice old lady to yell out the F word? Have another yell out "BINGO".

A sure sign that Carol has adjusted to nursing home life: yesterday she played Bingo. Really. I would love to have video to share but alas I have none. She did not win. Probably merely muttered the F word.

Today we go see the surgeon in Philadelphia. Because no medical transport was available, we are taking Carol's van. We have hired a driver because of severe traffic around 10th and Chestnut. This will allow me to accompany Carol to the Dr's office while the driver deals with the car and the madness of center city.

Big day.

No news

No news is good news when reporting on life in the gulag. Same crappy food, same degree of incompetence. Boring.

That said, yesterday Carol was actually allowed to use her shower chair and take a long overdue shower. Whoopee! Also, she took her last dose of the antibiotic prescribed for the UTI and will be allowed out of solitary confinement. I am not sure that a return to the general population will mean much except for trips to the PT room but suppose it is better than staring at the same four walls 24/7.

And, we'll take it as a sign of progress.

The Weekend

Weekends used to be fun. In fact we once lived for the weekend. But in most healthcare institutions weekends are the worst. Part time help. Or no help. No PT. Limbo. Time stands still.

But, since we are measuring progress by the number of passing days at least two more notches can be carved in the wall. And, with any luck, Carol will only have one more weekend after this one in the gulag. She sees her surgeon on the 24th and we are praying that he will send her home.

Solitary confinement

To add insult to injury Carol is now subjected to lock-down. Can't leave her room for nine days due to her UTI, has been identified as a staph infection. Not that she was really going anywhere. But just going to the PT room twice a day was at least a change of scenery and a place where progress can be measured.

Speaking of progress, yesterday marked five weeks since surgery. Maybe two weeks more of this? Ugh. But progress.

Questionable progress

Carol has been on the new drug (whatever it is) for 24 hours. She felt better yesterday than today but so far no information regarding efficacy or progress. If I learn more when I visit this evening I will post.

Rollar coaster

After making progress with PT and OT Carol is currently suffering from a UTI that the Cadia medical staff (such as it is) cannot seem to get under control. She is resistant to Cipro and are recommending a more powerful IV antibiotic. We have requested Dr. Reinhardt get involved to the extent he can. Rules & Regulations (institutional and medicare) have complicated a lot of events along the path of this current journey. Stay tuned.

Good News

Yeah, it's about time and the good news is twofold. First, Carol was actually picked up by med transport (a different company than GEM, the one who never showed on Monday) and taken to Philadelphia. Second, her surgeon has given the green light to doff the brace, start more aggressive exercise and put 25% of her weight on the new shoulder.

I don't know how you measure 25% but hopefully that will mean something to her physical therapists. Progress is everything!

April fool

So the big day was a gigantic April Fool's Day joke. The transport company, scheduled to take Carol to the surgeon in Philadelphia, didn't show. My confidence in most areas of medical service has dropped to a new low.

Happy Easter

Weekends are very quiet in most medical institutions. Holiday weekends more so. I expect to find a very bored patient when I arrive later today. But it's OK because tomorrow will no doubt be exhausting since she has that important appointment with her surgeon in Philadelphia.

Here's to him giving the green light to more extensive physical activity!