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!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
A Not-so-good Day
Mom has been feeling pretty well and has been eating very well. The PET scan went well yesterday and the results don't indicate any spread of the cancer. We'll meet with a radiation oncologist on October 7 to discuss treatment options. The memory has continued to be the biggest problem.
Today Mom went for a walk outside and got lost. Gwynedd called to say they couldn't find her for lunch and had everyone out looking for her. She was found out on a busy road after about an hour. Unfortunately there is no means of securing her whereabouts or tracking her at Gwynedd. She now must be transferred to a sister facility that has a secure unit. For now the closest available room is in Southampton. It's about 10-12 miles from Gwynedd. We'll move her tomorrow.
It's hard to say how much she grasps. If she's told something, she'll respond appropriately for a moment or two, but ten minutes later it's as if she never heard it. An hour after that she may recall some of it. For now her initial response to moving again is, "if that's what has to be then I'll do it". It is all very heartbreaking to watch, but it doesn't seem to bother her as much as it does the rest of us.
More info to follow as we get it.....
Today Mom went for a walk outside and got lost. Gwynedd called to say they couldn't find her for lunch and had everyone out looking for her. She was found out on a busy road after about an hour. Unfortunately there is no means of securing her whereabouts or tracking her at Gwynedd. She now must be transferred to a sister facility that has a secure unit. For now the closest available room is in Southampton. It's about 10-12 miles from Gwynedd. We'll move her tomorrow.
It's hard to say how much she grasps. If she's told something, she'll respond appropriately for a moment or two, but ten minutes later it's as if she never heard it. An hour after that she may recall some of it. For now her initial response to moving again is, "if that's what has to be then I'll do it". It is all very heartbreaking to watch, but it doesn't seem to bother her as much as it does the rest of us.
More info to follow as we get it.....
Monday, September 21, 2009
First Few Days
So far so good! Mom seems to really like her new apartment. As is typical with Alzheimer's Disease (AD), confusion and memory disruption are exacerbated by the changes in routine. Between the hospitalization and the move, the changes have definitely left her more confused than usual. Hopefully things will settle back down once she gets used to a new routine. She looks much better and is apparently eating more.
She would certainly enjoy calls or visits. Remember, she is not reliable. If you'd like to visit it might be best to touch base with with one of us to make sure she'll be home. If you tell her something that you'd like her to share with us, the chances are she won't recall it at all. She will not likely recall a visit either. We're hoping that some of her memory problems will improve a little after a few weeks but there's no way of knowing.
The best we're hoping for now is that she is comfortable and content. We think she is in a great place to allow that to be.
Tomorrow is the PET scan which will have her out all morning at Holy Redeemer. While we're there, I'm hoping to get her upstairs to say hello to some of her friends in the OR.
Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!
She would certainly enjoy calls or visits. Remember, she is not reliable. If you'd like to visit it might be best to touch base with with one of us to make sure she'll be home. If you tell her something that you'd like her to share with us, the chances are she won't recall it at all. She will not likely recall a visit either. We're hoping that some of her memory problems will improve a little after a few weeks but there's no way of knowing.
The best we're hoping for now is that she is comfortable and content. We think she is in a great place to allow that to be.
Tomorrow is the PET scan which will have her out all morning at Holy Redeemer. While we're there, I'm hoping to get her upstairs to say hello to some of her friends in the OR.
Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Home!
Mom got home last evening around 5:00. She really loves her new place. We're a bit surprised at how positive she is but we're not going to question it! She had dinner there last night with some of her friends in the community. They and the staff have been absolutely outstanding in their enthusiasm for welcoming Mom and making her comfortable as well as providing her children with some much needed peace of mind.
This morning Mom had breakfast and by 11:30 was telling us she was hungry. Nothing could make us happier. We met with the nurse and the activities coordinator, both of whom pleased Mom very much. Between meals and activities there will hopefully be little time for missing her old apartment. I expect there will be some difficult days in the coming weeks but if the first day is an indicator, this is going to be a great change.
Mom is feeling well all around and next Tuesday she will have the PET scan. Some time after that we'll begin discussion of the treatment options. Our goal is to pursue treatment which will be minimally taxing for Mom and allow her to enjoy her new surroundings.
For now it's all good and she and her family a very grateful to the staff at the hospital and at Gwynedd Estates for their compassion and fine work. Of course we are also very grateful for all of the kindness, love and support from friends and family.
We'll keep you posted! Thanks for checking in.
(Yikes...just got the cell phone bill...should have started blogging sooner!!)
This morning Mom had breakfast and by 11:30 was telling us she was hungry. Nothing could make us happier. We met with the nurse and the activities coordinator, both of whom pleased Mom very much. Between meals and activities there will hopefully be little time for missing her old apartment. I expect there will be some difficult days in the coming weeks but if the first day is an indicator, this is going to be a great change.
Mom is feeling well all around and next Tuesday she will have the PET scan. Some time after that we'll begin discussion of the treatment options. Our goal is to pursue treatment which will be minimally taxing for Mom and allow her to enjoy her new surroundings.
For now it's all good and she and her family a very grateful to the staff at the hospital and at Gwynedd Estates for their compassion and fine work. Of course we are also very grateful for all of the kindness, love and support from friends and family.
We'll keep you posted! Thanks for checking in.
(Yikes...just got the cell phone bill...should have started blogging sooner!!)
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Home Today
It sounds like Mom will be discharged later today. Her new home and neighbors will be anxiously waiting for her! Unfortunately, her phone service won't be transferred to the new apartment until sometime tomorrow, so you will have to wait to call.
The next step will be a PET scan performed as an outpatient procedure, probably next week. We'll then be consulting with a radiation oncologist and an interventional radiologist to evaluate the various possible treatments.
Mom has resumed eating and has been tolerating her meals very well. She seems to have regained her appetite and then some! She's walking around the halls independently so we're expecting a quick return to an active life.
Stay tuned for more....
The next step will be a PET scan performed as an outpatient procedure, probably next week. We'll then be consulting with a radiation oncologist and an interventional radiologist to evaluate the various possible treatments.
Mom has resumed eating and has been tolerating her meals very well. She seems to have regained her appetite and then some! She's walking around the halls independently so we're expecting a quick return to an active life.
Stay tuned for more....
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Looking better
As of this morning Mom is looking and sounding a little better. Her belly tenderness is decreasing and she's been on clear liquids since yesterday. Today they say they'll start her on solid food. The signs of infection have abated and as long as she does well with eating, she may come home tomorrow or Thursday. Everyone agrees that at this point the best place for her is home!
She is a little apprehensive about moving into a new place but I think we've made some headway in convincing her that it's the best thing for her. Her memory is still a problem but she seems to be a little more interactive and aware of what's going on.
While I was there today she was seen by the resident physician, the Infectious Disease doctor (for the colitis), the Oncologist, and the Cardiologist. The heart procedure is being postponed until the infection is completely cleared and she is off antibiotics, perhaps some time next week. That will require a one night stay in the hospital.
She has been walking around the halls and acting a little more like herself. She's working on a few crossword puzzles and entertaining a fair number of visitors. She has a phone and the hospital can put calls through. (215-481-2000)
The Treatment Team
Thanks again for all of your love and support. Her friends and family are the best treatment should could possibly have and she is very thankful and grateful to have them. Paybacks!!
She is a little apprehensive about moving into a new place but I think we've made some headway in convincing her that it's the best thing for her. Her memory is still a problem but she seems to be a little more interactive and aware of what's going on.
While I was there today she was seen by the resident physician, the Infectious Disease doctor (for the colitis), the Oncologist, and the Cardiologist. The heart procedure is being postponed until the infection is completely cleared and she is off antibiotics, perhaps some time next week. That will require a one night stay in the hospital.
She has been walking around the halls and acting a little more like herself. She's working on a few crossword puzzles and entertaining a fair number of visitors. She has a phone and the hospital can put calls through. (215-481-2000)
Thanks again for all of your love and support. Her friends and family are the best treatment should could possibly have and she is very thankful and grateful to have them. Paybacks!!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Long weekend
Mom has been experiencing some abdominal discomfort for the past few days. Some evaluaion over the weekend revealed that she is having a little flair-up of colitis. This may have been brought on by her very irregular eating patterns for the past week or two followed by attempts by the medical staff to get her "insides" working regularly. Add to this the obvious stress of recent events and you can see why some intestinal discomfort might arise. The treatment for now is antibiotics and digestive rest (fasting). Hopefully they will allow Mom to resume eating today and this isn't too much of a setback. She will likely start with liquids to allow her system to slowly recover.
Unfortunately, this puts the heart procedure on hold for a day or two. We'll know more later today after her doctors have had a chance to see her. In spite of the events of the past couple of days, she seemed pretty perky yesterday and had no trouble walking around the halls. It's not the length of walk she's accustomed to but at least she's out of bed.
We have pretty much completed moving in to the new apartment. It's obviously much smaller than the unit she was in but it should be very comfortable with many of her familiar furnishings. There are residents in the assisted living section who know Mom well and are very pleased that their friend will be joining them. She will have a lot of support in making this difficult transition.
More later....
Unfortunately, this puts the heart procedure on hold for a day or two. We'll know more later today after her doctors have had a chance to see her. In spite of the events of the past couple of days, she seemed pretty perky yesterday and had no trouble walking around the halls. It's not the length of walk she's accustomed to but at least she's out of bed.
We have pretty much completed moving in to the new apartment. It's obviously much smaller than the unit she was in but it should be very comfortable with many of her familiar furnishings. There are residents in the assisted living section who know Mom well and are very pleased that their friend will be joining them. She will have a lot of support in making this difficult transition.
More later....
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Updates as of today
Mom has been hospitalized following a period of poor appetite and generally not feeling "herself". A series of tests over the past week has revealed that Mom has a cancerous lung tumor. For those to who are interested, it is a non-small cell adenocarcinoma. It is a somewhat slower growing variety of lung cancer. We were all very surprised by this unlikely diagnosis. So far, a brain MRI and a bone scan have ruled out disease spread to these areas. This is encouraging. There will be more testing in the next week or two (outpatient) to further evaluate her for any spreading of the cancer. When all of the information is compiled we will discuss with Mom and the doctors the treatment options.
While in the hospital, Mom experienced a heart rhythm disturbance. It is very likely that she has had this problem before but it was never captured on an EKG so it couldn't be diagnosed. Now that the doctors know what it is (Supraventricular Tacchycardia), they will attempt a procedure in the next day or two to correct it. They are confident that Mom will tolerate this procedure very well and it should forever eliminate this rhythm problem. Once the heart problem is fixed, Mom should be discharged and we'll proceed with the last of the cancer testing.
As it happens, we were in the process of moving Mom to the assisted-living section at Gwynedd Estates when this all came up. That move has gone ahead and we plan to bring Mom to her new apartment upon discharge from the hospital. We're very excited about this change as it will be an environment which we hope will not only be safer but one in which she will be able to thrive, both physically and mentally.
I'm new to this method of communication but I hope I can use it effectively to share news with all who are concerned.
Thank you all for your love and support.
While in the hospital, Mom experienced a heart rhythm disturbance. It is very likely that she has had this problem before but it was never captured on an EKG so it couldn't be diagnosed. Now that the doctors know what it is (Supraventricular Tacchycardia), they will attempt a procedure in the next day or two to correct it. They are confident that Mom will tolerate this procedure very well and it should forever eliminate this rhythm problem. Once the heart problem is fixed, Mom should be discharged and we'll proceed with the last of the cancer testing.
As it happens, we were in the process of moving Mom to the assisted-living section at Gwynedd Estates when this all came up. That move has gone ahead and we plan to bring Mom to her new apartment upon discharge from the hospital. We're very excited about this change as it will be an environment which we hope will not only be safer but one in which she will be able to thrive, both physically and mentally.
I'm new to this method of communication but I hope I can use it effectively to share news with all who are concerned.
Thank you all for your love and support.
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