Mom has moved one last time

Early Thursday morning, September 1, 2011 Mom passed away in her sleep at Springhouse Estates.  She had fallen on Tuesday evening fracturing her pelvis.  She was placed on bed-rest and seemed to have very little pain which was well controlled with medication.  We are grateful that her departure wasn't accompanied by much suffering.  Prior to her fall she was getting around well on her own, helping others and participating in activities at Springhouse.  She was well cared for and the staff and residents really enjoyed having her there.  They have all told us how much they'll miss her.  We will all miss her warm and loving presence.
By now she is surely enjoying a reunion with Dad and all who have preceded her. Maybe she is making Heavenly Apple Pie(with 3 different kinds of apples, of course).

There will be a funeral Mass at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Ambler on Tuesday, September 6 at 11:00.  Visitation will be at the church from 9:30-10:45.

Online obituary: Fitzpatrick Funeral Home

Thanks to all for your love and support.  We know that Mom was loved and will be missed by many, many people.  Know that she was content and comfortable right up to the end.  God bless you all!

Mom has moved again!

We have taken advantage of an opportunity to relocate Mom to Spring House Estates, another sister community to Gwynedd Estates and Southampton Estates.  It is located less than a mile from Gwynedd Estates which means it is much closer for everyone.  We think he room is an improvement over the room she had in Southampton.  She has a nice big bay window and a very friendly roommate who is also a transfer from Southampton.  The unit is about half the size and the staff seem to be very nice.  I asked Mom yesterday how she likes her new room and she said she "loves it".
Update your address books:

Cathy Fadden
Spring House Estates, WBC 206-W
728 Norristown Rd.
Lower Gwynedd, PA 19002

New phone # 215-643-2637 (effective Thursday some time if you can believe Verizon)

It Was A Great Christmas!

We made it through another one!  Mom is doing well and she got to spend time enjoying her favorite pastime, visiting with her family.  The burns from the radiation are gone and she is experiencing NO symptoms or side effects of the cancer or its treatment.  What a great Christmas present!

During the past few weeks Mom has been able to enjoy several Holiday activities.  There was a party at Southampton Estates for the residents and their families with live entertainment and desserts.  Lori and Mo and I were able to join her for that.  There was some shopping with Maureen, a concert with Coleen, another concert with Lori and me, a bus trip with the other residents at Southampton to a huge drive-thru Christmas display on a farm in Bucks County, a couple of Christmas card writing sessions, phone calls from friends and relatives, and a surprise visit last week from Barbara courtesy of Barb's duaghter-in-law, Theresa (a genuine Angel!).

On Christmas eve Mom went to mass at St. Anthony's where Coleen sings in the choir.  On Christmas day Mom came over to our house and joined about 15 others for for a wonderful gathering which included all of her kids (except Pat and family), Gene and Jean, and some of Lori's family.  A great time was had by all.

We sent about 2 dozen Christmas cards which was about what she could handle in two card-writing sessions.  I think she enjoyed doing that.  I'm sure she'd love send more greetings to all of you and she certainly has you all in her heart.

We hope you all had a wonderful Holiday and we wish the best in the coming year.  Thanks so much for your cards, calls, and visits.  They mean an awful lot to Mom and the rest of us.
God Bless!

Radiation Complete

I'm sorry for the lack of posts recently.  In this case 'no news is good news' applies.  Mom got through her 20 radiation treatments with minimal side effects.  She has a burned area on her back about 4" in diameter and a smaller, less severe area on her chest.  It itches her quite a bit, but isn't painful.  Some hydrocortisone cream and moisturizer should help that heal completely in a couple of weeks.

She has been in good spirits lately and has enjoyed lots of time with her family.  Lori and I hosted Lori's family and Mom and Maureen for Thanksgiving and the rest of the Faddens on Saturday.  Mom came over the Tuesday before to help bake pies.  No one makes a pie crust like hers!  She has trouble remembering ingredients and quantities but once she started with the rolling pin, she was right on...like riding a bike.

She seems to be getting along well at Southampton Estates but she often asks about going 'home'.  It's tough for all of us but she doesn't dwell on it and she doesn't complain.  She's always happy for company or a phone call even though a little while later she'll likely forget it.  At this point her deficits all seem to revolve around recall of more recent events.  She recognizes faces and voices of her family and friends without a problem.

She's gotten many cards from friends and relatives and they make her happy.  Unfortunately, she's not given to responding these days.  Perhaps one of us can sit with her some afternoon and we can get a few Christmas cards out.

Thank you all for the calls, cards and emails to Mom and to the rest of us.  They are greatly appreciated.  Peace and good health to you this Holiday season.

Starting Radiation

Mom starts her daily treatments on Monday.  She had her initial treatment "simulation" last Monday.  The technicians said she was very cooperative and was able to lie still as long as was necessary.  The radiation oncologist is confident that the size and nature of the tumor make it very amenable to this somewhat abbreviated course of radiation.  She will have about 20 treatments instead of the more typical 30 or so.

Mom's appetite has been good and she's putting on weight.  Unfortunately, some of the weight is fluid retention and we're not clear on what might be causing that.  I am hoping to get a visit in with the cardiologist in the next week or two.

Things are going pretty well at Southampton Estates.  She seems to be adjusting fairly well but it's hard to say if she's really happy there.  She does engage in some of the activities but the majority of the residents in her section are not as high functioning.  We'd like to get her into activities with the residents of the assisted living section but the psychologist feels that those folks may quickly tire of Mom's memory problems and she would be left out most of the time.  Sadly, Mom is in a sort of a gray area in terms of her cognitive abilities.  For now it appears unlikely that she'll be moving again soon.  That may change if a bed opens up in a facility that's closer to her children.  She will have a phone starting Monday or Tuesday.  She spends a lot of time out of the room so reaching her may be a challenge.  I'm not sure if we'll get an answering machine.  We'll see how things go.  Her new number will be 215-396-8579.

Aunt Ginny and Uncle Joe were in on Thursday for a visit and took Mom out to lunch.  It went well and Mom seemed to enjoy the visit although I wouldn't say she was in her best form.  Her level of perkiness seems to vary quite a bit and there's little to account for it except the unpredictable nature of Alzheimer's Disease.

I think the staff begins to get the residents ready for bed shortly after dinner so Mom tells me she hasn't seen much of the Phillies.  Hopefully she'll see some this weekend. GO PHILLIES!!

Cardiac Ablation

Mom had her heart procedure today. (I'm with her now at the hospital)
Several weeks ago, while in the hospital, Mom had an episode of an excessively rapid heart rate.  This type of rhythm disturbance can be dangerous, especially if it continues for a long period.  The EKG at the time indicated a 'short circuit' that is typically very amenable to a cardiac ablation procedure.  In this procedure the Electrophysiologist (cardiology sub-specialty) uses special catheters to do an EKG inside of the heart to map the minute electrical pathways.  He attempts to stimulate the heart with small electrical impulses to induce the problem rhythm.  When he has induced the 'bad' rhythm he locates the precise area of causing the problem.  He then uses another catheter with a tiny microwave tip to burn (ablate) the problem area, thus cutting off the errant electrical pathway.  It is typically a very successful and permanent treatment for this particular rhythm problem.

During the procedure today however, the doctor was unable to induce the problem rhythm.  He tried for quite a while but the rhythm remained normal.  Since the rhythm couldn't be induced, nothing further could be done.  What this means is that Mom probably has a high threshold for going in to this rhythm and that treating her with the medications that she is already taking will likely be adequate.  We believe that she may have had some episodes of this in the past but they have been self-limiting.  The doctor feels that this all means that she'll likely do well with her current treatment and there is nothing more to be done other than possibly tweaking medication doses.

Since he didn't do the ablation, Mom can go home this afternoon.  (We were anticipating an overnight stay.)  Right now she's groggy from the sedation but is fine otherwise.

We will be working on getting phone service hooked up this week so look for more on that later.

Mo will be bringing Mom home this afternoon.  I will be heading to the ball park this evening to bring extra good luck to the Phitin' Phils.  Hopefully, Mom will be watching for me on TV!

Mom says "Hi!" to everyone.  Thanks for stopping by.

Mailing Address

Southampton Estates
Sunshine Gardens 119-D
238 Street Rd.
Southampton, PA 18966

A Little Sluggish Lately?

I got a call from the nurse at SE (Souhampton Estates) this morning.  Here is the update.  

All of us had been noticing a bit of a decline in energy over the past week or so.  Mom's getting a little more short of breath, and yesterday I noticed significant swelling in her legs.  She's also had a marked weight gain over the past week, about 10 pounds.  The doctor came in to see her while I was there and they ordered some tests which were done yesterday afternoon.  Bottom line: It appears that Mom is retaining fluid and the likely culprit is the medication she is on to stimulate her appetite.  The medication is now discontinued.  A diuretic was prescribed and hopefully things will get back to normal.  A chest x-ray, EKG and blood work were all good and an ultrasound of her legs did not show evidence of blood clots, a possible side effect of said medication.  For now we'll give the diuretic a chance to work.  Once she sheds the excess fluid her breathing and energy level should get back to where they were.  The staff will be monitoring her weight and leg swelling more frequently.
Another bump in the road.

Radiation Consultation

This morning I took Mom to Holy Redeemer to see the radiation oncologist.  After reviewing the various test results (CT scans, PET scan) he suggested a treatment regimen consisting of 20 'conventional' radiation treatments over four weeks.  The treatments would be daily and take about 10-15 minutes each.  We had hope that she would be a candidate for a newer technology called Cyberknife or Gammaknife which are also radiation treatments but are delivered by multiple highly focused beams.  The advantage is that it can be accomplished in 3-4 visits over two weeks.  Unfortunately the tumor is too close to some major blood vessels and there is risk of damaging the vessels with this type of radiation.  The doctor feels that due to the size and location of the tumor she will likely not have severe side effects from the 'conventional' radiation.

The proposed treatment is the least toxic and lowest risk of those we've explored.  We will discuss all of this with Mom and hopefully come to the right decision for her.

The cardiac procedure (ablation) to correct the rhythm problem is scheduled for Oct. 19.  She will be in the hospital overnight following the procedure.  The radiation could possibly start the following week.

Mom seems to be adjusting to her new environment.  The staff reports that she is interacting more with some of the other residents.  There are a few that are functioning on a higher level cognitively.  We are hoping that she can be placed in an assisted living section that has exit monitors so that she'll have a little more independence and more interaction with folks on a similar functioning level.  We've had her out to dinner a couple of times and gone for several walks around the grounds at Southampton.  She enjoys being outside but complains that the trees and bushes along the walking don't have identification tags.  She must think she's at an arboretum (it does look like one)!  We're still in a holding pattern on the phone in her room.  As soon as we know something we'll share it here.

All of us have really had our hands full cleaning out two apartments, packing, moving, storing and cleaning all while spending time with Mom, going to the doctor, meeting with the staff at Southampton and squeezing in our own day to day stuff.  The time spent on the phone with each other, doctors' offices, concerned friends and family and countless others is staggering.  We hope that this forum helps to keep all of you informed.  We apologize for not always returning calls or spending the time on the phone that we might like to under different circumstances.

Thanks for checking in and for all of your support.  It really means a lot to all of us.  Don't forget the 'comments' section under each post.  You're welcome to post questions (or comments) and I check it regularly.  Email also works well (click 'view my complete profile' under 'About Me')

Good night.

Another New Home

Since last Thursday Mom has been at Southampton Estates, a sister community to Gwynedd Estates.  The secure area where she's staying is primarily used for residents whose needs are somewhat greater than Mom's.  We're hoping that after an evaluation period the staff will deem her suitable for an apartment in an assisted living section designed to prevent wandering of the residents.  This would be sort of a hybrid of assited living and a totally secured area.

The section she is in now is all semi-private rooms, a big adjustment for all of us.  She doesn't seem to mind but she has never been one to complain.  She has a roommate who sleeps most of the time.  She's continuing to eat well.  We took her out to dinner Sunday night and she had good time.  She got to see all of her children this weekend.  That always lifts her spirits.

On the medical front, everything is stable.  We're awaiting a consultation with the radiation doctor to determine a course of action.

For the time being, Mom doesn't have a phone to receive incoming calls.  We're holding off the hassle of dealing with Verizon to move the phone service until we have a better idea of where she'll be.  I'm sure an arrangement could be made to speak with her by one of our cell phones or by the phone at the nurse's desk.  Contact one of us for details.

Have a great day!