my mom

[Greg]

Will this give you a chance to regroup for a few days while she is in the hospital?

[Drunk Monk]

Will this give you a chance to regroup for a few days while she is in the hospital?

Not really. I'm bedside until they decide what her path will be.  I plan to go home tomorrow night - we have tix to the symphony - so that'll be a few hours of respite.  

The plan, as it stands, is to have her stay at Good Sam for 3-5 days.  Then she might come home or go to rehab.  We shall see.  If rehab, it depends how long she'll be there.  That'll give some relief but remembering the previous rehab, I'll still have to attend to her.  There are constant details that must be sorted, and she needs constant help with that.

[Drunk Monk]

Back at Good Sam. She still has some residual pain from the operation, mostly back (incision) but still some hip. Her pain meds are now just oxy 10mg & Tylenol. OT&PT are going to fit her with a back brace and are going to try to get her to stand. She hasn’t stood up in like 2 months - only right after the 1st operation. She’s very hoarse from the intubation, but calm and reasonably lucid.

[Drunk Monk]

She stood up. Took 3 people, the brace & the Walker but it looked promising. The PT & OT will likely recommend her be discharged to rehab in a few days

---

Dammit. She just had another pain surge. She was doing so well. Ate on her own. Hopefully that was just an aftershock.

[Greg]

I hate your life.

[Drunk Monk]

She's still having pain issues but they are less.  She's also heavily medicated, much more than before so it's hard to tell what's happening. It's possible that the pain is due to remaining swelling, or 'ghost' pain.  It's also possible that the procedure failed.  Her new back brace is extreme - it trussed up like a bodice in the back and there's a collarbone attachment that must be adjusted between sitting and standing - no way she can manage that on her own.  She'll probably be transferred back to Mtn Vw rehab tomorrow.

[Drunk Monk]

Back at the rehab center, with the emotional support bunnies. She was supposed to be transported at 2:30 but still has yet to arrive.  I'm tempted to go grab a salmon burger at El Camino Hospital, but as I'm here, I should really stay and receive her.  Not sure what the delay is - they say that happens sometimes.  

So now I wait...

[Drunk Monk]

The EMTs were very apologetic saying dispatch gave them the pick-up order over an hour late, and then when they got there, my mom was stressing because she stresses about every little thing nowadays, so her bp was like 180-190 and they cannot transport when it's that high (she generally runs high but that's way high).  So they had to wait until she calmed down.  

Of course, everyone at the facility recognized us, which was good for my mom.  She's in a much better room, far from the annoying door alarm.  She has a roommate who seems nice enough (her previous roommate here was too far gone to speak - new roommate immediately offered to share some of her easter candy).  I didn't stay long.  I had already stayed long.  I'll be back tomorrow morn to meet with her doctor.  

She seemed in good spirits and her pain level was only 2 (it's been 10 for so long now). I really just want her not to be in pain anymore. 

I'll take this week to recoup, since I know she's safe there.  I also really hope she's there for at least two weeks because I have something important scheduled for 4/20, something I've been looking forward to throughout this long excruciating journey.  Now I'm back in Svale, enjoying another sunset in the living room.

[cranefly]

2 is good.  Wish it could be 0, but still, 2 is good.  May it stay there or go down going forward.

[Drunk Monk]

Good Sam had her on Oxy IR and morphine.  The rehab center won't be so generous with the meds.  

We can only hope.

[Drunk Monk]

She was pretty dopey this morning.  Asleep when I got there - then when the Doc & team came, we had to wake her and she was pretty bleary.  She was in moderate pain but not level 10.  

I met with the doc and the team (OT, PT, SW).  Some of the staff has changed over the last month.  Others remember us from last time.  She'll be there for a week - the next review is next Tuesday and I'm really hoping she's there for one more week beyond that.  I could use the break.  I've moved my stuff out, taking it back to the Cruz tonight.  I can move back in later, and will probably have to do so.  My biggest concern is if she can't handle trips to the bathroom anymore on her own.  We shall see.  

Good Sam called.  Looks like the co-pay will be around $1K.  We could get a discount if we paid immediately and didn't look at the bill.  wth?

[Drunk Monk]

My mom has shown significant improvement.  She's walked with a walker 75 feet.  She's not in as much pain - 2s not 10s, and she's actually refusing the oxy.  She's in rehab for at least another week but we're optimistic.  The tricky thing is she must wear this cumbersome back brace for the next 8 weeks at least and she can't get in and out of it by herself.  She also can't manage the bathroom yet.  But there's some hope that she can return to some level of independence soon.  

Today was annoying tho.  I went for the Tuesday Dr rounds first thing, only to find that because the regular doc was away, the substitute wasn't coming until 1, so it was svale to mtn vw to frmont then back to mtn vw and now i'm back in frmont.  I've been at my mom's for the last two nights.  The heater controller batteries died so the heater didn't work which i didn't figure out until the middle of Sunday night when I realized I was cold.  Then the shower broke again and I got so frustrated I punched a wall and sprained my wrist.  Not a good few days but at least I didn't get any more bites.

Oh, and that Good Sam fee?  Looks like insurance will cut it down to around $100, not the $1K that I could've got the discount on if I paid right then.  Fookin vulture bastards.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Most hospitals are obliged to give you a payment plan, but not obliged to *offer* it. During second knee surgery it was at a much better interest rate than using my credit card, which is what they were pressuring me to use. Fookin vultures.

[Drunk Monk]

Greg
Your mom left my mom a long message about caretakers.

[Greg]

Holy crap. Sorry. How does she even have your mom's number?

I was briefly at my mom's house enroute to my sister's 60th birthday party. They had the in home care givers boss there so I asked for her card in order to give to you in case you needed someone for your mom. Then Donna, my mother's polish linebacker of a caregiver, who only works weekends for my mom gave me her info. She makes more money if you hire her directly. And after talking to my sisters, the home-care boss is a bit of a nightmare.

Again, sorry my mother has reached out of her bubble to spread her infection.