Monthly Archives: July 2014

Day 262 – A Slow Day

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Sorry for the late post on this blog.  I had some technical difficulties. 
Cindy had a slow day.  She only had two scheduled activities.  She also took a walk around the unit with Rita and did some band stretches.  Other than that, she visited with her slew of visitors and watched TV.   

Day 261 – Training the Caregivers

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Part of being in rehab is to get ready to go home.  There are weekly meetings every Tuesday to determine when each patient is ready to go home.  There is discussion that Cindy might leave the rehab withing the next week or so, but there is no definite date at this time.

Cindy and crew do not believe she is ready yet.  She doesn’t feel safe or strong enough yet.  This is more an insurance decision than anything else.  The doctor is trying to extend her stay.  Any suggestions?

Going home means that Cindy’s crew – Rita, Mary and Debbie – need to be trained to care for Cindy.  Today we had a Diabetic Teaching Session.  We heard some good information and Cindy got a new meter for measuring her sugar.

 

Next Monday we are getting Physical and Occupational Training.  We will also be trained by a nutritionist.

Day 260 – Climbing Mountains

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Cindy continues to work hard at Physical and Occupational Therapy.  The pictures below are some of the exercises she does.  Cindy has been pushing herself almost to the point of exhaustion – which is not necessarily a good thing.  But Cindy likes to do her best – and then some.

Bicycling at the gym

Walking a few steps

Schedule for the day



Day 259 – A Puppy Visit

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Cindy continues to work hard at Physical and Occupational Therapy.  She was able to walk to the elevator today.  She was able to open draws, walk back and forth from the refrigerator to the table and open and close the refrigerator.  But all this activity really wipes her out and she still needs oxygen to help her breathing.

Image from http://www.xanadu-fitness.com/news.html

When she finished all her work today, Cindy got a special treat.  It was puppy visiting day and she got to visit with one of the pups.

Day 258 – A Drought in California

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California is having a drought?  Want to know where the water is?  Cindy is retaining it.  OK, Not really.  Well, we are having a drought.  And it is true that Cindy is retaining water.  But she’s not the reason we’re having a drought.

But seriously folks, Cindy has started retaining water again which is not a good thing.  She had been taken off one of the diuretics and is now taking it again every other day.    So I thought that maybe inserting a faucet into her side might be a win-win situation. 

Day 257 – PT OT PT OT PT OT PT OT

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PT (Physical Therapy) and OT (Occupational Therapy).  That’s what Cindy does for recreation now.  And she is doing well. Every evening the student volunteers come by and write the next day’s schedule on Cindy’s board.  Each session is tailored to what she needs to do to get to go home.  It includes being able to take care of herself.  For OT, that means get out of bed, go to the bathroom, take a shower, get dressed, feed herself, etc.  For PT, that means to be able to walk, have good balance, improve her muscle strength, and a good range of motion..Cindy improves every day.

Today’s Schedule

Tomorrow’s Schedule












Day 256 – Sunday – a Day of Rest

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Today was restful for Cindy.  There was no Physical or Occupational Therapy.  She sat in her room with her company (Rita, Mary and Debbie) and had a fun time just talking.  Mid afternoon Cindy went for a stroll around the unit with her crew.  The nurse told us that 23 times around the unit is a mile.  We didn’t make it that far.

Cindy likes popsicles, so Debbie brought her a box of popsicles that can be kept in the freezer for her.  She already has a stash of fruit in the refrigerator and a case of seltzer in her closet.  Do we think that Cindy is just staying in rehab so she can be treated like a queen?

Image from  http://rozannegold.wordpress.com/2011/07/15/technicolor-ice-pops/

Yesterday, Rita went to a Giants game at AT&T Park and sat right under the announcers.  Someone had given her season tickets for the game.  She had a great time.  And what did Cindy get?  A Giants sweatshirt to keep her warm.  She was very happy.

Day 255 – Don’t Wake Me Up, Please

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Cindy did not sleep well this past Friday night.  The Respiratory Therapists kept waking her up every four hours to check her trachea and see how she is doing.  This wakes her up and she has a difficult time falling back to sleep.  She had spoken to her doctor before going to rehab and asked if she could not be disturbed by the Respiratory Team.  He agreed, but forgot to writ it in the notes.

Saturday is a working rehab day for Cindy.  Occupational Therapy included a shower in the morning.  She was not able to wash her hair because the therapists did not know how to protect the trachea.  Cindy hopes they will have better luck tomorrow morning.


The afternoon was Physical Therapy in the gym.  While on the bike, Cindy fell asleep.  She was too tired to keep her eyes open.  The therapist told her she would take Cindy back to her room so she could take a nap and bring her back down later.  Cindy said OK and fell asleep in her wheel chair.  The next thing she knew, Cindy was in bed and the therapist was waking her up to go back to the gym.  Cindy felt too tired to go, but she went anyway.  First, she asked to have a note put on her door asking not to be woken up after her last respiratory treatment at eight.  Tomorrow we’ll see if the respiratory knows how to read.

Day 254 – Getting Around the Kitchen

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Yesterday’s Physical and Occupational Therapy were evaluations.  Today started the real  work for Cindy.  She got to stroll around the Rehab Unit mid-morning with the help of the Physical Therapist and Mary.  That was a lot of work but Cindy did really well.  She got a break for lunch and some TV.  Mid-afternoon Cindy went down to the rehab gym for more fun and games.  This time, Debbie got to participate.

One of the things Cindy did with the Occupational Therapist was a trip to the Teaching Kitchen to make sure she is able to get around the kitchen when she goes home.  She opened the refrigerator and opened the cabinets above and below.  She was able to get a glass and fill it with water.  The therapist was also going to test her with the stove and oven.  Anyone who knows Cindy would know that wasn’t necessary.

 Of course this brought to mind a new twist to an old joke.
 

Therapist to Cindy:  We’re going to make sure you can get around the kitchen when you go home.

Cindy to Therapist:  Will I be able to get a glass of water?

Therapist to Cindy:  Yes.

Cindy to Therapist:  Will I be able to use my Keuruig machine to make coffee?

Therapist to Cindy:  Yes.

Cindy to Therapist:  Will I be able to use the microwave?

Therapist to Cindy:  Yes.

Cindy to Therapist:  Will I be able to cook?

Therapist to Cindy:  Yes.

Cindy to Therapist:  Wow, That would be great.

Therapist to Cindy:  Why is that?

Cindy to Therapist:  Because I didn’t know how before I got here..

Day 253 – Happy!!!

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Cindy is soooooo happy.  The nasal gastric tube that was feeding her was removed yesterday.  She was able to walk to the bathroom today, give herself a sponge batch, and get dressed.  She was also able to eat a full meal for lunch (hamburger with ketchup, club soda and vanilla cookies). 

The Physical and Occupational Therapists kept Cindy busy all morning and part of the afternoon getting her to stand up, sit down, move here and move there.  Cindy kept the nurses busy running in and out of her room by asking for ice, water, and a bunch of other requests.  It was a very mutual give and take.