The War Path

[Injun]

CAT scan came back, no changes.

Last night, he was getting agitated and starting to tear at the tubes for his IVs. They gave him a medication to calm him, but apparently, it didn't work. They put the mitts on him, but my escape-artist husband with the disabled right hand managed to get them off. The RN in charge was surprised he could do that. They ended up sedating him and placing him in soft restraints.

He has been sedated all day and will be until tomorrow sometime. It gave me time to prepare for all the people coming in tomorrow, but I am utterly exhausted from all of this.

The bright spot in this is my daughter is flying back home from Korea on emergency leave.



Why do out-of-town relatives show up and expect me to play Hostess when my OM needs my attention more than at any other time in his life, I am fatigued from trying to provide it and I'm having so much trouble remaining focused on anything?

 

[Duck]

Last night, he was getting agitated and starting to tear at the tubes for his IVs. They gave him a medication to calm him, but apparently, it didn't work. They put the mitts on him, but my escape-artist husband with the disabled right hand managed toget them off. The RN in charge was surprised he could do that. They ended up sedating him and placing him in soft restraints.

Same.. exact... thing with my grandma.

Except she's starting to show improvement. 88 years old, 4 foot 6, tiny little thing, ... tough as nails.

So is the CAT scan showing the fluid hasn't drained, or his brain hasn't expanded back to full size yet, or both?

 

[Injun]

Same.. exact... thing with my grandma.

Except she's starting to show improvement. 88 years old, 4 foot 6, tiny little thing, ... tough as nails.

So is the CAT scan showing the fluid hasn't drained, or his brain hasn't expanded back to full size yet, or both?

No additional swelling. He's still bleeding into his brain, but the shunt is doing its job.

 

[Duck]

No additional swelling. He's still bleeding into his brain, but the shunt is doing its job.

Shunt, or a drain?

A shunt is when they run a drain all the way down through the body into the bladder. A drain just goes out of the head into a bag.

 

[Injun]

Okay, a drain. Whatever. It's removing bright reddish-pink fluid from his head.

 

[Duck]

Okay, a drain. Whatever. It's removing bright reddish-pink fluid from his head.

Same thing they had in my grandma, same color fluid too.

They ended up having to cut open part of her skull & suck the fluid out with the medical equivalent of a wet/dry vac because it wasn't draining properly.

 

[Tim]

CAT scan came back, no changes.

Last night, he was getting agitated and starting to tear at the tubes for his IVs. They gave him a medication to calm him, but apparently, it didn't work. They put the mitts on him, but my escape-artist husband with the disabled right hand managed to get them off. The RN in charge was surprised he could do that. They ended up sedating him and placing him in soft restraints.

He has been sedated all day and will be until tomorrow sometime. It gave me time to prepare for all the people coming in tomorrow, but I am utterly exhausted from all of this.

The bright spot in this is my daughter is flying back home from Korea on emergency leave.



Why do out-of-town relatives show up and expect me to play Hostess when my OM needs my attention more than at any other time in his life, I am fatigued from trying to provide it and I'm having so much trouble remaining focused on anything?

Hope things work out for the best for ya!

I'm having so much trouble remaining focused on anything?

You aint the only one!

 

[Smashedapple]

Why do out-of-town relatives show up and expect me to play Hostess when my OM needs my attention more than at any other time in his life, I am fatigued from trying to provide it and I'm having so much trouble remaining focused on anything?

I would hope that any of them would not expect you to do anything other than pay attention to your OM, and would expect that they think they are coming to support you.

If they are there to support you, go ahead and let them. If not, I don't think there is anything wrong with suggesting the hotel down the road for them.

(I really hope things get better for you soon.)

 

[Injun]

He's out of sedation and quite talky today. He's able to feed himself, although that right hand is still kind'a clumsy.

Vast improvement. Medical staff are saying he may walk out under his own power and go home with minor disabilities. Still a way out for that, though.

He's saying his face and hand feel tingly. At least he can feel them.

 

[Hammer166]

Good news, and glad to hear of it!

 

[Trkingpro]

Good news Injun. Hope you are doing as well as him.

 

[DockMan]

@Injun I hope things are still improving. I took care of a sickly wife for a few years and know the toll it can take. The emotional and physical exhaustion just about wrecked me a few times.

 

[Road Dust]

Maury Regional Hospital, .. Columbia, TN.

The courtyard is where even nurses go to smoke, and these signs are everywhere. Nobody gives a f*** here either.

View attachment 22275

I helped my mom get out there a few times when my step dad was in there last year. I believe it was a hospital nurse who pointed us in the right direction for mom to "calm her nerves" some. You would think hospitals would be the most likely place smokers would actually need to smoke.

 

[Injun]

Kind of a rough afternoon. His headaches are increasing in severity. I leaned on the staff a little to get his COPD managed a little better and they're considering my suggestion of a mild but effective mucous thinner.

The headaches worry me. I hope it's just because there's a tube sticking out of his head. No tellin' right now.

 

[Duck]

I helped my mom get out there a few times when my step dad was in there last year. I believe it was a hospital nurse who pointed us in the right direction for mom to "calm her nerves" some. You would think hospitals would be the most likely place smokers would actually need to smoke.

Somebody pulled the fire alarm there today.

The nurses immediately seemed to know it was a false alarm, but there was nowhere to go to escape the strobe lights. Mrs. Duck had to bury her face in my chest & my cousin's 16 yr old daughter held her coat over the strobe light in the room 'til it stopped. She didn't have a seizure but she still has a bad headache.

 

[LaKitten]

Injun..... Just wanted to stop in here and tell you that I was real sorry to here about your hubby. Hope he keeps on improving and I will say a prayer for him.

 

[Injun]

A little input from @DrDaliah might help here.

The stroke happened Sunday morning, 19 Oct. Initially, there was no feeling or movement to his right side and no clear speech.

Both have greatly improved, although his voice is quieter than before and there is still quite a bit of facial muscle weakness. He's complaining of ever increasingly severe headaches than morphine is only taking the edge off. His blood pressure continues to spike even with napride drip.

There were three different bleeds that have slowed, but have not stopped altogether. One was just above the ear on the left side and two went to the central ventricles, with one of these very near the hypothalamus. He has a drain to maintain a static intracranial pressure. Fluid drainage is clear-pink.

There was no blockage of blood vessels. The vessels simply opened up.

He has no history of high blood pressure, in fact, has been on the low side of normal all his life and, despite mild to moderate COPD and mild malnutrition, has been quite healthy. He has been a daily 6-8 beer drinker for most of his life. DTs were sedated.

CAT scans are showing no changes since onset of stroke.

Temperature continues to spike to a low-grade fever. Urine output is good and neither dilute nor concentrated.

While his speech and movement seems to be improving, his mentation seems to be deteriorating, with longer and more periods of sleep. He is able to make jokes and has largely maintained his personality and sense of humor...just not for very long.

He's been feeling sick the last day or so, which was not the case initially.

I don't know what other information to give.

 

[LaKitten]

Thanks for the update! Hugs and hang in there. I know how hard it can be.

 

[DrDaliah]

OMG. Just logged on. so sorry to hear that. Its a great sign that his speech and movement is improving. Sending prayers his way. What can I do to help?

 

[Injun]

What can I do to help?

Guidance. I have no idea what to expect.

I'm used to scoopin' 'em up on a gurney immediately after the CVA and delivering 'em to someone else for recovery.