Category Archives: hospital

by | February 5, 2012 · 10:41 pm

“Sunday Sunday”

Lucy's birthday gifts

Lucy’s birthday gifts

The yellow bouquet is from Steve and Liz, the elephant is from Diane, and the pink rose bouquet is from Anh-Thu and Karen. And yes, the flash on my phone camera stinks. Motorola puts a 5-megapixel camera on the phone and uses a kid’s toy LED for the flash. Go figure.

Today’s post title is an obscure song by Blur.

Lucy had a chorus of nurses and nurse’s assistants come in and sing “Happy Birthday” to her this morning. That was really nice! Steve and Liz brought a strawberry tart cake. Julie and Suzy came by for a few hours, so Lucy had all her siblings here. Everyone got to see Lucy go for a walk with the Occupational Therapy person. Lucy also had someone from Physical Therapy come by. They worked on some exercises and Lucy has some new ones to add to the mix. Lucy’s dad called to wish her happy birthday and see how she was doing. Lucy didn’t wear a hat or scarf today so everyone got to see how much hair she has. I think that is the first time she went “topless” since she lost her hair in the first cycle of chemo.

Suzy and Julie did get to see Lucy’s leg uncovered and it may have been a bit unpleasant for them. Lucy assured them it was a lot worse and much more painful eleven days ago. Her leg looks like it had sunburn with a little peeling in a couple of areas. There are areas on her lower leg where the color is getting towards normal. Her leg is slightly warm to the touch rather than hot. She has full sensation in her leg and it is not painful to touch it.

Dr. Singh came by to check on Lucy’s progress. Lucy’s Chromogenic Factor X reading today was in therapeutic range. She will have the heparin drop through the night and will have blood drawn for another test tomorrow. The results will be back in the early afternoon. If the Chromogenic Factor X test is in the therapeutic range again, Lucy could get discharged. The transfusion last night took her hemoglobin up to 10.7. It’s been awhile since it was close to normal.

We will have some questions for the discharge meeting. There will need to be some appointments set up to test her blood. The hospital will lend her a walker for a week or two. We will also need a list of symptoms that would necessitate calling the doctor or a making a trip to the hospital. It is very possible Lucy will need to extend her disability leave another week.

There is a minor issue with pain management that still needs a resolution. Lucy knows that she will not be totally pain-free tomorrow. It will take a week or two for her leg to get back to normal. Her pain increases when she puts weight on her ankle. After she sits down, the pain starts subsiding. It sounds like the pain increase is not much. She describes it as annoying when she walks. It does not keep her awake at night and it does not distract her when she is sitting with her leg propped up. Lucy has been fortunate to have never required hospitalization until her surgery in April 2010. She has never broken a bone or needed stitches. All the stuff she is going through is uncharted waters to her. It’s hard for her to describe what type of pain, or how much pain she feels. Now that she has told them when she feels an increase in pain and when it starts to diminish, some of the concerns have abated.

We’re cautiously optimistic about her going home tomorrow. It really depends on the blood test. Please keep your fingers crossed for her!

Thank you for all the birthday wishes today for Lucy! Lucy is lucky to have such an amazing group of supporters!

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by | February 4, 2012 · 8:38 pm

“A Room with a View”

Stained glass panel at Fairview Southdale

This stained glass panel is next to the admissions desk at Fairview Southdale hospital.

During Lucy’s hospital stay, I have parked in the Skyway Ramp and I walk past this stained glass panel every day. The flash on my phone’s camera causes a lot of flare. The gnome is not lighting flatulence (though he looks guilty) and the owl is not looking for the culprit.

I believe Lucy saw the movie referenced in the post title. The book it was based on was an optional choice for my World Literature II class at Augustana College. I didn’t read it because it was optional.

Lucy took a short walk this morning. It helps clear the fog of the pain pills. Her leg color has gotten noticeably better in the past day. Her right calf circumference is within 3 cm. (about 1.2″) of her left calf. She says that her ankle is stiff but is getting a bit more range of motion. Lucy has worked on her physical therapy exercises. Her Braden risk bracelet got removed because she is more active and her skin can air out.

Dr. Singh from Minnesota Oncology came by. Lucy moved back to 8th floor this afternoon. Her hemoglobin dropped after yesterday’s increase so she will get a two-unit transfusion. This means the four transfusions she has had since admission have required eight units of blood. She will be here until Monday at the earliest. The rest of the blood work sounded OK. Her Coumadin dosage got dropped to 2.5 mg and they did not have to administer a quick “blast” of heparin (called a bolus). We hope this means she is getting close to removal of the IV heparin and her Coumadin dose is getting set.

I did get to take Lucy to the Meditation Sanctuary before she moved to 8th floor. We used a wheelchair because it was a quick trip. She liked the fireplace and water feature. Changing her scenery also helped.

The view from her room is great. For those of you in the Twin Cities area, she overlooks Crosstown Highway and France Ave. The fog lifted and the sun came out and we can see all the way to Highway 100.

Lucy’s birthday is tomorrow and she will be spending it in the hospital. I’m grateful for getting to celebrate another birthday with her! I do wish she were released today. Comments are working, so please feel free to send her birthday greetings tomorrow. Thank you so much for your support!

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by | February 3, 2012 · 9:55 pm

“The ankle bone is connected to the shin bone…”

The ankle is more complex than a single bone and “Dry Bones” was not intended as an anatomy lesson in song. It is somewhat applicable because Lucy is walking better. Her ankle is pointing forward (12 o’clock) instead of away from her body (2 o’clock). Yesterday she would walk mostly on the ball of her right foot. Today she can get her foot flat and bend it forward towards the ball. She is getting the hang of it. Today she managed to use the bathroom. Two days ago, she couldn’t walk but half that distance. The walker will be temporary.

Her hemoglobin went up from yesterday. It is now at 8.7. It’s been a couple of months since her hemoglobin has stayed steady or has risen a couple of days after a transfusion. Her platelets were 212,000 and her white count was at 5.6. Those counts have vastly improved from when she arrived nine days ago. It sounds like she is in “therapeutic range” for her INR. The Chromogenic Factor X test result was not quite in therapeutic range. Dr. Thurmes came by and explained the results. His feeling is Lucy will be in the hospital until at least Sunday now. Lovenox injections might have been an option, but Lucy was on those for her clots. The heparin is working and they monitor and adjust the dosage as needed.

Lucy managed a walk of about 100 feet tonight with only a small stop to turn her walker around. The Physical Therapy people commented on how pleased they were with the distance. She got her exercise in tonight. There is a Meditation Sanctuary on this floor that she wants to see because of the water feature.

In addition to the various hospital staff in and out of her room today, Lucy had some visitors. Her supervisor and supervisor’s supervisor came by for about 45 minutes. Anh-Thu brought in a beautiful flower arrangement that she had designed. Lucy has some really great co-workers!

Lucy’s sister Julie came by tonight for a couple of hours and brought us some lemon chicken from Leeann Chin. The hospital food is all right, but has a limited menu selection. Lucy does not have dietary restrictions. It was really nice seeing Julie!

Lucy is staying positive. She does get frustrated at times, and so do I. We know this journey will be a battle and there will always be unknowns. That is why the victories both large and small are cause for celebration.

Thank you, everyone!

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by | February 2, 2012 · 9:43 pm

“Eight Days on the Road”

There was a little extra news from last night that didn’t make the post (and I was too tired to do the update). Lucy sat on the edge of the bed last night for almost a half hour. I gave her a long back rub, which helped her relax. Her calf diameter went down another ½ cm. Her pain level has stayed the same, but it is significantly better than a week ago. Her blood work is showing normal values except for her hemoglobin being low. Adult women should range between 12.1 and 15.1 grams/deciliter (g/dL). They want Lucy’s hemoglobin to stay above 7.5. If it goes below that, she will get a transfusion.

It’s ironic the title of today’s post is a song by Foghat. This morning was incredibly foggy. It has been a very mild winter here unlike last year’s near-record seasonal snowfall and unusually cold temperatures. We earned a break after last year. I normally can drive from home to Fairview Southdale in about twenty minutes for the six mile trip. France Ave. has a bunch of unsynchronized stoplights once I cross into Edina from Bloomington. Today I needed fifty minutes. There is a large lake and marshy area near Normandale College at 98th St. and France Ave. The fog in that area reduced visibility to about fifty feet. Even the inside of the hospital’s parking ramp was a bit foggy.

Dr. Thurmes stopped by to see how Lucy was progressing. Her Coumadin dosage still needs a tweak. She had noticeable improvement in her hemoglobin after yesterday’s transfusion, rising from 6.1 to 8.4. Lucy will probably be here until Saturday at least. Dr. Thurmes wants to see two consecutive acceptable results before disconnecting the IV heparin.

Lucy had the PT and OT people here today. She ran through her exercises and has a walker to use. She can get out of bed without needing a handrail. Her right ankle is still very stiff. She walked close to one hundred feet in total today, half with the walker, in four walking sessions. Now she has a recliner to sit in so she spent most of the day in the chair. It still takes her a moment after she stands up before her ankle loosens up enough to work slightly.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for your concern for Lucy!

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by | February 1, 2012 · 2:45 pm

And on the seventh day…

Lucy’s Coumadin dosage needs adjusting upward, so she will be here at least one more day. Unfortunately, her hemoglobin dropped from 7.8 to 6.1 so she needed a two-unit transfusion. Lucy’s birthday is Sunday the 5th and I would love to see her home by then! It is a day-by-day holding pattern.

Molly, Dr. Nashawaty, and Jackie from Minnesota Oncology were by to see her progress. Acute anemia can show up in patients receiving chemo. Lucy was originally scheduled for her next Alimta treatment on Thursday, February 2nd. The treatment moved to February 16th. Her body will get a little more chance to recover. Her white count is stable and in the normal range, and her platelet count is normal and stable.

So maybe today didn’t start great, but there is still good news. Molly noted that Lucy’s calf skin is less taut. It no longer looks like it is going to split open. She still has quite a bit of swelling in her right ankle and a slight amount in her left ankle. The left ankle swelling will reduce as she becomes more active. Her right leg still cannot be massaged and they can’t put a “puffer” on it because there are still a couple small clots. They do not want the clots to dislodge and start traveling. A “stay-cation” is good enough for the clots.

Lucy only needed one Dilaudid shot last night for pain. She is taking oxycodone tablets to manage pain. Her pain pump got removed last night.

A Physical Therapy specialist came by this morning and checked Lucy’s strength and range of motion. She also had Lucy do a series of simple exercises that could be done in bed and left a booklet detailing how to do the exercises. Lucy will do them twice a day.

An Occupational Therapy specialist came by about an hour later. She assisted Lucy out of bed. Lucy managed to walk around the bed. Lucy’s pain doesn’t increase very much when she puts weight on her leg. Her ankle still has a limited range of motion so getting her foot flat on the floor is a challenge. After a couple of minutes she can stand flat-footed. Walking is very slow. She is not unsteady on her feet. Lucy has surprising physical strength for someone so petite. The goal is to keep her from losing strength while her leg gets better. She will try using a walker tomorrow.

Give your loved ones a hug from us, and thank you for your support!

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