The nurse tells me that Ingrid spent some time in her chair yesterday. That's great news! (She wasn't reading yet, and many of you know that this is the true indicator that she's feeling better..) But moving to the chair is a good sign. If you are trying to call, call the main Providence number, ask for the Renal Care Unit, and ask the nurse to help you talk to her. She doesn't hear the phone.
If you come by to visit, and she is asleep, go ahead and wake her, unless the nurse tells you not to. She sleeps A LOT. She will want to see you, so try awakening her, even if you only can speak with her for a short time.
Other Henke Happenings? School began today! Katie is in her 4th grade class, and Jake had his final first day of school; he's psyched to be a senior. Wow! Where did the time go?
Late night edit:
I spent some time with mom this evening. She was alert and talkative (relatively) and seemed to be feeling stronger. She said her leg was feeling better, and, in fact, the surgeon came by while I was there, and he looked at the wound and said she is healing quite well. Half the staples should come out next week.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Monday, August 08, 2011
Sleeping, sleeping...
I'm sitting with mom right now and thought I'd take moment to post a quick update. Mom is hooked to a pain medication pump as the leg pain is severe right now. In addition, she is being dialyzed pretty aggressively. Both of those conditions cause her to be loopy and really tired. If you have tried to call her, there's a good chance she did not know, as she is sleeping a lot. For those of you who have asked what you can pray for, please pray for the pain to ease and that the dialysis helps her calciphylaxis. And pray for doctors and for us all to have the wisdom to know what's best at each decision point. I've told mom about each of your messages and thoughts, and she appreciates you all so much, as do Kirk and I.
Saturday, August 06, 2011
Surgery on a Rainy Day...
The doctors decided to do mom's leg surgery today rather than Monday. She went into surgery around 1:00 PM and was finished at 3:30 PM. The surgeon said it went very well and she tolerated it surprisingly well. He said that surgery confirmed that this was the best decision; she had very little circulation in her lower leg anymore.
Mom is awake now and eating some crackers and her oh-so-yummy hospital dinner so she can take her pain pills; she is in quite a bit of pain. She is experiencing the weird sensation of feeling an itch on her foot...even though the foot isn't there anymore. Her vitals are good and her dressing is dry.
As always, we thank all of you for your comments, phone calls, and, most of all, your prayers.
Mom is awake now and eating some crackers and her oh-so-yummy hospital dinner so she can take her pain pills; she is in quite a bit of pain. She is experiencing the weird sensation of feeling an itch on her foot...even though the foot isn't there anymore. Her vitals are good and her dressing is dry.
As always, we thank all of you for your comments, phone calls, and, most of all, your prayers.
Thursday, August 04, 2011
Ingrid Update
First, thank you to ALL of you for your kind words, thoughts, wishes, and prayers. Mom appreciates them so much, as do Kirk and I. We are truly blessed by our wonderful family and friends.
The past few days have been a lot of waiting time. Mom has been seen by several different doctors for her various medical issues. Here's an update:
1. The issue that landed us in the hospital, the stomach pain, is currently being considered to be calcium deposits. This is apparently very hard to treat; the current treatment is to give mom an IV of sodium thiosulfate.
2. We still do not know why the peritoneal catheter is not working; the surgeon who placed it still has not come by to see her.
3. The podiatrist, nephrologist, and orthopedic surgeon have discussed mom's foot problem. Although there has been some healing, she has a lot of pain, and they say that the usual progression of things is that they would remove the partial toe as planned. Then, because she has so little circulation in her feet and lower leg, they would end up continuing to remove portions, trying to reach a place where tissue and circulation are healthy enough to heal. So they recommend removing her lower leg now. They asked mom to think about it and talk with family to make a decision. Mom told me tonight that she told the orthopedic surgeon that she agrees to have her lower leg removed. We are looking at probable surgery on Monday.
4. The discharge planner has started the process of applying for mom to transition to Providence Extended Care Center (PECC) when she finally is able to leave the hospital. She will certainly need rehab and physical therapy for her leg. In addition, if they are correct about their diagnosis of the calcium issue, it looks like this is a pretty serious disease that is difficult to treat.
I was asked today if mom is up to receiving visitors. The answer is "yes." Mom feels well and is up to visitors, she is just needing to stay in the hospital. She'd love to hear from and see friends.
Again, thanks so much for all your prayers.
The past few days have been a lot of waiting time. Mom has been seen by several different doctors for her various medical issues. Here's an update:
1. The issue that landed us in the hospital, the stomach pain, is currently being considered to be calcium deposits. This is apparently very hard to treat; the current treatment is to give mom an IV of sodium thiosulfate.
2. We still do not know why the peritoneal catheter is not working; the surgeon who placed it still has not come by to see her.
3. The podiatrist, nephrologist, and orthopedic surgeon have discussed mom's foot problem. Although there has been some healing, she has a lot of pain, and they say that the usual progression of things is that they would remove the partial toe as planned. Then, because she has so little circulation in her feet and lower leg, they would end up continuing to remove portions, trying to reach a place where tissue and circulation are healthy enough to heal. So they recommend removing her lower leg now. They asked mom to think about it and talk with family to make a decision. Mom told me tonight that she told the orthopedic surgeon that she agrees to have her lower leg removed. We are looking at probable surgery on Monday.
4. The discharge planner has started the process of applying for mom to transition to Providence Extended Care Center (PECC) when she finally is able to leave the hospital. She will certainly need rehab and physical therapy for her leg. In addition, if they are correct about their diagnosis of the calcium issue, it looks like this is a pretty serious disease that is difficult to treat.
I was asked today if mom is up to receiving visitors. The answer is "yes." Mom feels well and is up to visitors, she is just needing to stay in the hospital. She'd love to hear from and see friends.
Again, thanks so much for all your prayers.
Monday, August 01, 2011
Ingrid... A Medical Update
As many know, my mom's medical condition has been fragile at best the past couple of years, and especially so the past 10 months or so. We have been doing in home peritoneal dialysis since February, and overall it has gone well, although mom has had intermittent issues with low blood pressures and the symptoms that accompany that, and low appetite and decreasing leg strength. She had started using a walker at all times, and mobility was limited, but she was still able to get into the car, take care of herself at home, etc. The dialysis was going pretty well overall.
This summer she developed some sores on her left foot due to diabetic neuropathy. One of her toes was in pretty bad shape, and her heel developed a sore that was and is very slow to heal. We were looking at future surgery to remove part of her toe, and if the heel did not get better, perhaps her foot or lower leg.
About 10 days ago we ran in to further issues. Mom's peritoneal dialysis stopped working. An x-ray and CT scan did not reveal what the problem might be, and the surgeon who could do some exploratory surgery was out of town, as were her podiatrist and her nephrologist. So mom went in to place the catheter that would allow for hemodialysis while we waited. She started hemodialysis last Monday.
You may recall that the whole reason we started peritoneal dialysis was because hemo is not a good option for her. It lowers her blood pressure to the point that she is ill, and as a result they cannot be as aggressive with treatment as they need to be. She leaves hemo weak and ill, sleeping almost exclusively for the following 24 hours to recover. Her legs weaken, and she gets mentally confused.
Needless to say, last week was not good. From Wednesday on, she was unable to take the two steps it takes to get into our home; she was unable to walk to the restroom or to make herself food, and she had a hard time speaking, finding words, etc. We anxiously awaited the opportunity to find out why peritoneal is n't working, and whether we can get it working again, as we started using a wheelchair to get her around the house,installed a wheelchair ramp to be able to get her to dialysis, etc.
On Sunday morning mom woke up with severe pain in her lower abdomen, and a hard, red mass below her navel. The doctor told us to bring her to the hospital, where she was given an ultrasound and immediately placed on IV antibiotics and admitted to the Renal Care Unit, Room 258.
Her nephrologist is now back and saw her this morning. She is staying in the hospital for now to try and sort out the various issues that are going on, and to give her occupational and physical therapy to assist with her self-care issues.
It's believed that the mass in her stomach is an infection, and possibly calcium deposits. I do not know what the course of treatment for that is, yet.
The surgeon is supposed to have a consult with her this afternoon regarding the peritoneal catheter and finding out what is going wrong there.
The podiatrist needs to be consulted regarding how much of her toe/foot/leg needs to be amputated. The heel is getting better but is not completely better. I am very anxious about this particular item, and am hoping the podiatrist will be willing to continue to see if the heeling can complete. Amputation is scary and we are trying to avoid it at all costs...
I haven't been by to see mom yet this morning, but will be swinging by later today after work. We are relieved that she is receiving skilled care for the many issues that are plaguing her, and we are praying like crazy that the doctors make good informed choices and that mom can heal. We do think that we are looking at a stay at an extended care nursing facility once the urgent issues have been dealt with...
Your prayers are appreciated, and I know she'll love hearing from any and all who giver her a call. The number at Providence Hospital is 907-562-2211, Room 258.
I will post updates to this blog as I receive them, so that friends and relatives will know what is happening...
-Martina
This summer she developed some sores on her left foot due to diabetic neuropathy. One of her toes was in pretty bad shape, and her heel developed a sore that was and is very slow to heal. We were looking at future surgery to remove part of her toe, and if the heel did not get better, perhaps her foot or lower leg.
About 10 days ago we ran in to further issues. Mom's peritoneal dialysis stopped working. An x-ray and CT scan did not reveal what the problem might be, and the surgeon who could do some exploratory surgery was out of town, as were her podiatrist and her nephrologist. So mom went in to place the catheter that would allow for hemodialysis while we waited. She started hemodialysis last Monday.
You may recall that the whole reason we started peritoneal dialysis was because hemo is not a good option for her. It lowers her blood pressure to the point that she is ill, and as a result they cannot be as aggressive with treatment as they need to be. She leaves hemo weak and ill, sleeping almost exclusively for the following 24 hours to recover. Her legs weaken, and she gets mentally confused.
Needless to say, last week was not good. From Wednesday on, she was unable to take the two steps it takes to get into our home; she was unable to walk to the restroom or to make herself food, and she had a hard time speaking, finding words, etc. We anxiously awaited the opportunity to find out why peritoneal is n't working, and whether we can get it working again, as we started using a wheelchair to get her around the house,installed a wheelchair ramp to be able to get her to dialysis, etc.
On Sunday morning mom woke up with severe pain in her lower abdomen, and a hard, red mass below her navel. The doctor told us to bring her to the hospital, where she was given an ultrasound and immediately placed on IV antibiotics and admitted to the Renal Care Unit, Room 258.
Her nephrologist is now back and saw her this morning. She is staying in the hospital for now to try and sort out the various issues that are going on, and to give her occupational and physical therapy to assist with her self-care issues.
It's believed that the mass in her stomach is an infection, and possibly calcium deposits. I do not know what the course of treatment for that is, yet.
The surgeon is supposed to have a consult with her this afternoon regarding the peritoneal catheter and finding out what is going wrong there.
The podiatrist needs to be consulted regarding how much of her toe/foot/leg needs to be amputated. The heel is getting better but is not completely better. I am very anxious about this particular item, and am hoping the podiatrist will be willing to continue to see if the heeling can complete. Amputation is scary and we are trying to avoid it at all costs...
I haven't been by to see mom yet this morning, but will be swinging by later today after work. We are relieved that she is receiving skilled care for the many issues that are plaguing her, and we are praying like crazy that the doctors make good informed choices and that mom can heal. We do think that we are looking at a stay at an extended care nursing facility once the urgent issues have been dealt with...
Your prayers are appreciated, and I know she'll love hearing from any and all who giver her a call. The number at Providence Hospital is 907-562-2211, Room 258.
I will post updates to this blog as I receive them, so that friends and relatives will know what is happening...
-Martina
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