Life Quotes At CharmRoyal.com

Monday, January 31, 2011

Happy Days!!!!!

Well if you like checking with us to see that things are still looking good for patsy the you are going to enjoy our report tonight. Yesterday, some really good friends of ours stopped by and brought us lunch and we had a really good visit. We have not seen them for a long time and we was able to catch up a bit. Patsy was very much involved with our conversation and it was fun.
Today I decided to take Patsy for a real bath. She hasn't had one for many months. My daughter works at the care center and they told her that she could have access to the tub after the daily schedule was over. So, I got Patsy dressed and Chad stopped by and helped me load her into the car and away we went. It was great!!!! We put her into a chair like contraption and then lifted her up and swung her around and the lowered her into the tub. We washed her and then we washed her hair. It was great to see her smile and enjoy the bath.
We got her out and dressed her again and then we took her to the next room and Christy gave her a haircut. We got her home and she fills great.
The home health thing isn't working very well and tomorrow I am making some changes. I will give you a report on that in a day or so.
Last but not least, I had to order another round of meds that we are putting Patsy on as soon as they get her. I was not sure how I was going to do that because the cost was $95.00. I looked in Patsy key bank account and guess what, some one had made a $100.00 deposit. Makes my heart swell!!!!!! Thanks to all that continue to bless us with your prayers and support.
Again, thanks for riding along, RAZ

Saturday, January 29, 2011

In search of sunshine!!!

It was time to take another sample to Carol today. Things are changing in Patsy and we are trying to stay on top of it. Here is an example of why I haven't and won't put Patsy in a nursing home.
Because I am so close to her, I know everything that is going on with her. After she had her seizure, I put her back on the meds from Denver but after a week, I realized that she was sliding a bit. The meds are simply over working her. I talked to Carol and she agreed that we should stop them again and I did and after a day of being of of the meds, I took a sample to Carol today for further testing.
Carol says that the meds from Denver did their job and now it is time to go forward. She has some meds ( I call them that for lack of a better word) that I need to order tomorrow to work on some things that need to be worked on. I don't understand it all but I trust Carol and at this point, I don't trust the alternative.
I am still learning what true love is all about. You would think that after 38 years I would already know it all but I don't. Patsy looked at me after a kiss and as I looked in her eyes, I could see her telling me. She didn't have to say anything, she didn't have to hold me, she didn't even have to kiss me. But when she looked me, I knew. I am a lucky guy. I have had a chance to learn all over again how special she is.
So today we went for a drive. I needed to see if I could get her in the little car and back out again. So I got her fed and dressed and loaded her in the wheel chair. With a little work, we got her in the car and went to Emmett. After dropping off the sample at Carols, we went up by Black Canyon Dam and then to Sweet. I bought her a water and cookie and then back home. She got a little tired and was glad when we got home but she did alright. We stopped by grandpa Hardmans, he is not my grandpa but we call him that. Patsy looks kind of rough so he wasn't sure what to think. They have not seen her at her worst. I told her to say hi to him and she mumbled "HI NORMAN". I was pretty happy.

We had a nice dinner tonight and she is watching tv while I keep you updated. My back hurts a bit tonight from lifting her in and out of the car but not bad. And the journey continues. Thanks for being there with us, RAZ

Monday, January 24, 2011

What a week!!!!

Ok all you tired travelers. I am back and I have had a bit of sleep and now have my head screwed on a bit better. I felt so helpless as I tried to hold my wifes hand while she was having a terrible seizure. To watch her and see her stiffen and to listen to her and the noises that she was making is something I don't want to have to do again. And for the next couple of days not knowing what has happened to her and what is next is the pits. I sat in the recliner (my new bed for now) and tried to sleep but every little noise or movement or noise and I was awake. So I watched and waited for something to happen next. Was she going to have another seizure????

And now the wait is over. I can't believe the results. I even called my daughter and the nurse and Carol to see if what I was seeing could be. IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE A SERIOUS SEIZURE LIKE THAT AND COME OUT OF IT BETTER THEN BEFORE??????????????

That's right!!! Patsy is back to where she was before and she is actually doing better then before wed. The nurse came in today and Patsy pulled her arm out from under the covers on her own and waved at her. Unbelievable!!!! Carol called today and I put the phone to her ear and she actually tried to say something to her. Her case worker came by to have me sign the papers to discharge her from hospice. Patsy was up and sitting in the chair and as we talked she smile and laughed and when asked a few question, she answered yes and no.

So what happened. No one seems to know. I have my ideas. But that does not mean to much. I believe that we were feeding Patsys brain and It just decided to fire a bit and wake up a little. But I really don't know.

Patsy is still here and I am happy. We discharged her today from hospice and they are supposed to start home health soon. I am excited to start building her strength back.

So, to wrap up, somebody is still watching our girl and I think she is still fighting. I just fed her some dinner and she is trying to feed herself. I gave her a piece of turkey and she is trying to put it in her mouth. She does pretty good. What a week, glad you were with us on our journey, RAZ

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Hey gang
Good news but I don't have time to bring you up to speed tonight. Check tomorrow and I will give you a good report. RAZ

Saturday, January 22, 2011

She's back!!!!

I want to thank Carey for Keeping you updated. I have been really spent taking care of Patsy and just had a hard time with my thoughts. But, Let me do an update before you all get used to Carey and don't want to hear from me any more.
Wed afternoon I was getting ready to go to Boise for a club meeting and at 4:30 I noticed that Patsy was not responding to me. I thought that maybe she was just tired or something but the more I watched her, The more concerned I got. I called Denise (her nurse) and asked if she could stop by. She did and her first response was that she looked a like she might be having a stroke. But we ran her stats and tested for body function and control and she seemed fine. her blood pressure was a little high which Patsy usually is. (that is why they always think she is having a stroke) Patsy was just staring into space and not responding. That is when things got really bad.
Now I have been with Patsy when she has had a seizure brought on by a vagal response. But even as much as they scared me, this was much worse.Watching her go through that and then seeing the blood coming from her mouth from what we later determined was a bite to the lip, was just about as much as I could take. The Nurse immediately gave her some Lorazepam. This is a knock out drug that works like a muscle relaxant to try to head off any other seizures. Patsy rested. At about 10.00 or so that evening, Patsy start twitching and moving around a bit. Not knowing what to expect, I called Denise and we decided to give her another dose to help her sleep through the night. We also gave her some Ibuprofen to help her in case she might be in any pain because of the seizure. I guess they are pretty rough on the body. Patsy slept.
Thursday night came along and Patsy was awake for awhile and she seemed to be staring at the walls again. I just didn't want her to have another seizure so Denise and I decided to give her another dose. She says that the doses are low level and It isn't hurting her. Patsy slept, I watched her. 2 night now with no sleep.
Friday, Patsy was relaxed and slept all day. Or at least she had her eyes closed. Nothing major happening but I did notice a little grimacing on her face so I gave her some Ibuprofen a couple of times. One bright spot, Katy called and I put the phone to her ear and Katy said hello to her. To her surprise and to mine, Patsy tried to talk to her and mumble a little bit. It made my day and Katys. Carol called (she has been working hard trying to help) and she suggested that we put her back on the meds from Denver to try to stabilize her. We had taken her off of them because it was over working her body and we were doing heavy doses of nutrition to the brain and body.
Patsy ate really pretty good yesterday. I tried to feed her something every two or three hours to help build her strength back up. I was back to feeding her with a syringe but and she still didn't open her eyes. I got her out of bed and she sat in the chair for about 6 hours. Moving her to the chair woke her a bit and she looked at me and a small smile and then back to sleep or what ever she is doing. So, I put her to bed last night and she was resting really well. I watched her until about 11:00 and then I crawled up in the recliner and tried to sleep a bit. I still checked on her about every hour but she did really well.
That brings me to today!!! I got up at 6:00 and did a few things. At 7:00, I decided to check her diaper and and see how she was doing. I pulled the covers back and she opened her eyes. I said hi and HOLLY COW!!! SHE SAID HI back to me. I told her it was nice to have her back and she smiled and kinda chuckled. I couldn't be happier. I gave her a kiss and she kissed me back. That was a something that she has not done since wed. I have been worried sick, literally!!! So I gave her another round of Meds from Denver and she went back to sleep.
So, what happened. Well, the nurse said she had no idea. Just that what ever has been happening in Patsys brain, this was just another one of those things.
What I have done that has been different????1. I moved her several times from her hospice bed to the couch and then to wheelchairs and back several times. 2. We pulled her off the Denver meds and started her on a rebuilding herbal treatment.
Did doing any of those things change the brain a bit to cause this???? I don't know the answer. I am just hopeful that she gets back to where she was on wed morning.
One more observation. From Katys call yesterday and my talking to her today, I have noticed that she is trying to talk more. While hugging her today I asked her if she liked hugs. She said no. she just wanted to sleep. I loved it.
I'll shut up now and report later on how she does today. Thanks for being there, RAZ

Friday, January 21, 2011

Seizure Update

We there isn't much to update. After the seizure the hospice Nurse gave her some medication and the stuff seems to knock her out. So she's just been sleeping and resting since it happened. Dad has been able to get a little food into her. And the hospice Nurse has put the switch to homehealth on hold for a few days until we see how Mom is going to pull out of this.
Thats all I know for now. Dad is pretty tired because he has been trying to stay awake as much as he can to watch her. But I'm sure when things settle down a bit he can tell you more of what is going on.

Carey

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

A Rough Evening

Hey everyone it's Carey tonight. Just wanted to write a quick update. Mom had a massive Seizure tonight. The Hospice Nurse gave her some kind of medication to keep her comfortable for the night but that's about all I know. I will have Dad write more about what happened in the next day or so when the nerves calm back down.

Carey

Friday, January 14, 2011

I guess we will do it!!!!

Well, it is official. Patsy will be discharged from Hospice by next Friday. It has been kind of an emotional day for me. While I am really happy that Patsy is doing better, I was not ready to make the change but it will be best for her.
So here is what I think is going to happen. By next week Hospice is going to move us to Home Health and they will take the bed back. Patsy doesn't meet the requirement for Home Health to provide a big bed but they will provide what they call an air overlay which is a thin air mattress that lays on top of the bed. That air mattress will still have an air pump and I assume it will help to move her around a bit. We will lose the diapers and wipes, but, we will still have somebody come and help give Patsy a bath and they are working on trying to keep Debbie but we don't know for sure. Patsy will also have a nurse assigned to her but it will be a different one then Denise. Bummer!!! But they will be able to keep getting her any meds that she might need. They will also provide a wheel chair that reclines and that is where they will probably be doing her therapy. I don't think that the new chair will fit through the opening to the bedroom. SOOOO, I will need to get her up in the mornings and put her in the wheel chair that i have here and then move her to the front of the rv and get her out of that chair and move her to the new chair. When I need to change her I will have to move her from the chair and to the couch. Maybe a little nap and then back to the hair. At night I will take her back to the back of the rv and put her to bed. We were thinking about setting up a hospital bed an then I would sleep some where but when I asked Patsy if she wanted me to set one up or put her back in her bed, she indicated her bad. So, that is what we are going to do.
I need to do a little work in the bedroom before this an all happen and I think Chad is coming this weekend to help me. I will have to rearrange the living room again when this all happens but such is life. On the road again so try to keep up, Raz

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Now what the heck do I do!!!!

Well, I guess it is time to post again. Sorry for not keeping up.
I think Patsy has hit a little plateau. After a month of steady improvement, I think Patsy has leveled out just a bit. Not that she isn't doing okay, but just not doing much more. I called Carol and told her and so she went to work to try to find out why. Here is what she found.
I put some of the medicine that Patsy is taking on a cotton ball and put them in individual baggies. 10 to be exact. Then I did a new saliva sample from Patsy and put that in a bag. I took them to Carol on my way to the meeting last night and she worked them up. After testing last night, Carol called me to let me know what she found. She says that the meds are over working her body a bit and that explains why she seems tired and not as alert. Also, Patsy has what we thought was a blueish color on her fingers on her right hand. Denise first thought that maybe we had a circulation problem or and oxygen problem. After testing her, we found her oxygen levels to be great and her hands were warm so that didn't make much sense. After further examination, we decided that the color was more silver than blue. We also noticed that her finger nails were always dirty on that hand And I figure that it was because something was cleaning out of her body and it was coming out through her fingers. I know, you all think I am a little weird but I just tell it the way I see it.
Anyway, Carol thinks that it is all part of the body working to hard thing. So here is what we have decided to do. We are pulling Patsy off the stuff from denver and keeping her on the new stuff that Carol put together for Patsy last week. We will stay off of them until monday and then I will do another sample for her and take it over and test again and see where we are. I am willing to bet that by Monday her fingers have cleared up, we will see.
I new problem has entered our life or at least a decision that needs to be made soon. Patsy has been on hospice now for 60 days and is certified for 90 days. Denise is ready too discharge her when I am ready. What does that mean???? Well, Hospice is designed for end of life care and it has become apparent to her and to me that Patsy is not there. If we convert over to Home Health instead of Hospice, then we can get Patsy a speech therapist, and a physical therapist and start working on building her body and brain back. Sounds great right!!!! Well here is the problem. I will loose this bed possibly and will definitely loose the diapers and wipes and her bath gal and Denise as her nurse which I really like. Plus, it means putting her back in our bed and me having to wake up every hour and turn her. It also means that I will have to start taking her to therapy and that means moving her in and out of the bus. It also means I will have to find a different van because I don't think I can get her in and out of the little car I drive around. I guess I have gotten to soft. This last month has been easier on me and now it looks like I need to get back to work. I really don't know how I can afford to do all that but I just need to have a little faith I guess. Chad is working on getting my tranny in my pickup and I want to see if I can lift her up into that. I am so happy that she is doing better, I think.
It is not a decision that has to be made today but with in the next week or so and you will need to keep riding along on our journey with us. I may really need your prayers if I have to start taking her in and out for therapy. We see !!! RAZ

Saturday, January 8, 2011

2 reports in one day

Well, that was a cool experience. at 8:30 I got Patsy changed and got her ready for breakfast. 9:00 she ate a nice breakfast of hot cereal, applesauce, and some ham. A bottle of Ensure and we were ready to face the day. Patsy doesn't eat real fast so it takes 30 to 40 minutes to feed her. I answered a few emails and phone calls and then at 10:30 I got Patsy ready for her massage. I think this is the first time she has been out of the RV for three months, maybe longer. I was able to get her dressed and her hair done and ready by 11:00 and the boys showed up and helped me load her into the van and away we went. Sue did a good job on Patsy and I think she really enjoyed it. I put her on her stomach for half of the time and she hasn't been on her stomach for a long time. It really seemed to help her.
On another note, I have started a vinyl cutting business. I was able to borrow enough for a vinyl cutter off of a couple of jobs that I have pre-sold. It is an opportunity to make a little extra money and still be here with Pat. It is something that Pat and I had planned to do on the road so I may as well get started now. I won't be able to go out and do sales at this point but the learning process will be something that I can do here.
So keep riding along with us on our journey, RAZ

RAZ

A quick note before we attempt to take Patsy for a massage. That ought to be interesting to say the least.
Yesterday I got a phone call from Carol and she said she had been doing some work up on Patsy and that she had some things for her to add to the meds from Denver. So I hopped in the car and headed over and got them. Last night I started her on them and WOW!!!! Now I don't know if it was the stuff Carol started her on or just a continuing of her progress but, when I woke her she was a whole bunch different today. She was actually laughing out loud and, she said RAZ for the first time in many, many, months. Holy Molly!!!!! I just don't think you understand what that means to me. We see if she still talks to me after her massage. I will undate you later. RAZ

Friday, January 7, 2011

What, no bandages!!!!

The good news today is that we have removed the bandages from Patsy and she is all healed. We will still put come cream on her to keep the moisture away and try to protect the area. Her temp and vitals are good today and she continues to move forward. I am going to have to move her bed back a bit to get the wheelchair out tomorrow when we take her for her massage. I'll make it work some how.
The cold has been a test for us but we are winning the battle. It is costing us about 30.00 a week but that isn't as bad as I thought it might be.
Patsy smiled and said Hi to Denise when she came today and that was wonderful. She continues to try to use her arms and hands.
So, the journey continues. Nothing but good news I think. Thanks again for being there for us and keep riding along, RAZ

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

A little lovin' is good!!!!

I had better do a post so that my cell phone drives me crazy. Sorry I have been a little under the weather for a couple of days.


Sunday was a bad day. Patsy had a fever all day and all night and I could not break it. I used wash rags with cold water and it was still a battle. Monday was better. Her fever finally broke and she felt better. The problem was that I felt like I had been bucked off a horse. Monday night I called Christy and asked her to come over and cook Patsy some dinner and I went to bed. My back has been killing me from all the lifting I am having to do. Tuesday, things were better for both of us.

Yesterday I worked all day getting some work done and at 5:00, I went to Boise for a club Board meeting. Keri came by and sat with Pat for a couple of hours and fed her dinner. It was nice to get out and Patsy really like Keri.

I talked with Carol and asked her if she was okay with us taking Patsy in for a full body massage. She thinks it would be a great thing so I scheduled an appointment for sat at 11:30. I asked Denise if she could get approval from Hospice to pay for it and she did. They will pay for two visits a month. It will be really interesting to watch that massage with Patsy always wanting to grab our arms as we work on her. The bigger challenge will be getting her out of the bus and into the car. The van that we were using last year doesn't have a heater and I don't know how we will get her into and out of the little station wagon. But I am really excited about helping her with a good massage.

I got a little lovin today!!!! I put Patsy over on the couch for an hour and then, OOOOPPPPPSSSS, the couch layed down into the bed. Now before you guys and gals go crazy with what ever you might be thinking, I will tell it was nothing like that. But, I did crawl up next to her and gently rolled her towards me and I rubbed her back and I got a few kisses. I tell this story because of what happened while I was holding her.

I asked her if she like me rubbing her back and to my surprise, she started to talk to me a bit. It was mainly yes and no and some mumbling but I found it interesting. It was the first time in months that I have been able to lay by her and hug her like that and it really was special and I think for both of us. I think it was easier to try to talk for some reason being that close and almost a whisper if that makes any sense.
Okay, enough of that. We are having sloppy joes tonight and it is time to get them started.I included the lastest pic of Patsys back side to show the progress. Denise said that we are in pretty good shape.