"Shall she repeat it?"

With no orders to be walked during her Hospital stay, Mom spent close to three weeks off her feet.  A Rehab was chosen, and off she went.  

I explained my concerns about her current med regime, of which they agreed made little sense.  The nurses felt there would be no problem getting the facility MD to eliminate the Florinef.

2 weeks of meeting goals, one quick visit for 2 units of packed red cells, (all that fluid in the vessels to raise BP doesn't leave much room for those all important oxygen carting blood cells!), 28 days just wasn't going to do it.  The team meeting was very disappointing to us.  My Brother and I felt rather broadsided by the dictum that Mom was going to continue to need 24 hour care and her time was about up at the Rehab.

July 9th, I made 6 months at my job, and asked my Supervisor to do the evaluation.  (I had kept her abreast of all developments in case I had to leave again.)  I spoke to my DON of my hope that what needed to be done could be accomplished in a month.  Since I was not back yet a year, I needed to resign . . . again.

Mom's release date was Saturday July 14th, but my Brother and the Rehab convinced Insurance to allow her to stay until 1 pm Tuesday July 16th.  I worked through the weekend, slept Monday, and left 9pm that night.  I arrived at Mom's Condo at 10:30am Tuesday, unpacked the car, showered, kenneled two very confused dogs, grabbed some bags, and went to pick up Mom.

I have Returned!

By-the-bye,

and how I find myself right back where I started . . .

May began with Mom finding herself on the floor with hypotension, (low blood pressure).

After a short hospitalization and tests, the Doctor's solution was to remove ONE of the blood pressure lowering drugs and to place her on a sodium sparing hormone (florinef) to RAISE her blood pressure by increasing fluid volume.  (Ok, this is going to get ugly fast . . . just warning you!)

Mom and I are both prone to swollen ankles, (--from sitting, hot weather, or too much sodium . . . which we both avoid like the plague!  We have both had dopplers done of our legs and our vessels appear to be fine.), so I warned my brother to be on watch for increased fluid elsewhere and to especially watch her breathing.  Exactly one month later, Mom called him in a panic about her ability to catch her breath.

Back to the hospital

Lung sounds clear, need 4 liters of oxygen to maintain sats, some fluid on x-ray, don't think it's Pneumonia, but we will put her on Rocephen anyway, and we will do a thoracentesis in 3 days.  (it was a weekend)  They then removed 1600 cc of fluid from her left chest.  (Yes, that's almost a 2 liter bottle!)  

So now the Doctor removes the OTHER blood pressure lowering med and puts her on a CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE MED, (also lowers BP).  (She has never had a diagnosis of CHF.)  The Doctor does not get rid of the Florinef.   (that caused the fluid build-up and CHF!)

This is her Cardiologist of many years.  It's left me scratching my head.  I had the opportunity to talk to the treating Pulmonologist . . . and he didn't seem to understand either.  

We now appear to have gone Through The Looking-Glass! 

or right into the Twilight Zone.

suddenly appeared again

Do I look like General MacArthur?

I have returned. 

It's been a busy few months.

I was arranging contractors for my house's foundation, structure, and driveway.  

painting trim . . . precariously

Gone!  one disastrous porch and weedy driveway.
Oh yes, DIRT much better.

two tons of too small porch . . . outa here

I was painting portions of the house that didn't need repair, searching for my front garden, reconnecting with beloved friends, and back at work full time.  (I had just made my 6 month evaluation-excellent and was now eligible for the vacation/sick time I had been accruing.)

Whoo-hoo!

Mom was getting healthier, and with Dad having moved on, her blood pressure was returning back to her (low) normal.


Did I mention that two of her anti-arrhythmia drugs lower BP also?


Do you see a problem?