Hello to all,

Mom has had a rough and difficult 7 days physically.  Please keep in mind, that even when mom has a bad week physically her mental happiness stays in pretty good order.  Last Wednesday (may 23rd), Jim traveled down to spend some time with mom.  When we arrived that evening mom was sitting on the toilet and could not get up.  Jim and I got her up and mom was able to walk around the facility for well over an hour.  We had a great visit with her.  She made no attempt to 'flee' even when standing in front of the lobby door.  However, mom's ability to get up and sit down progressed negatively throughout last Wednesday night and on Thursday, Jeannette and I took her again to Kaiser for a check-up.  Mom had Edema in her lower extremities, as well.  The Kaiser Dr. generally felt that the amount of medications that mom is on, namely the Depakote and Aricept were too high, and that this may be causing the insecurity in walking, progressive shaking and possible the edema.  Over the past weekend, she had what was called an 'assisted fall' from the wheelchair she was sitting in.  No injury occured. 

I met with nearly the entire wellness staff at Aegis yesterday to adjust mom's care to include shower and bathroom oversight (for the time being).  Mom is walking now, but still requiring assistance with getting up and sitting down.  As the Depakote levels lower, we are hoping she can get up and down on her own. 

Today (Wednesday May 30th) I will be taking mom for a PET scan.  This was ordered by the Geriatric Doctor at Kaiser when Jim and I took mom a few weeks ago for an all day exam.  This PET will allow the Doctors to determine how extensive the disease has progressed with mom.   I have copied, from WebMD an overview of exactly what a PET scan does:

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a test that uses a special type of camera and a tracer (radioactive chemical) to look at organs in the body. The tracer usually is a substance (such as glucose) that can be used (metabolized) by cells in the body.

During the test, the tracer liquid is put into a vein (intravenous, or IV) in your arm. The tracer moves through your body, where much of it collects in the specific organ or tissue. The tracer gives off tiny positively charged particles (positrons). The camera records the positrons and turns the recording into pictures on a computer.

PET scan pictures do not show as much detail as computed tomography (CT) scans or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) because the pictures show only the location of the tracer. The PET picture may be matched with those from a CT scan to get more detailed information about where the tracer is located.
A PET scan is often used to evaluate cancer, check blood flow, or see how organs are working.
See pictures of a PET scanner and PET scans of the brain .

Why It Is Done

A positron emission tomography (PET) scan is done to:

• Study the brain's blood flow and metabolic activity. A PET scan can help a doctor find nervous system problems, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, transient ischemic attack (TIA), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huntington's disease, stroke, and schizophrenia

For now, I hope all are well and will keep the postings coming.

Bill and Jim


 

A couple of pictures of mom on Mother's Day, as well as picture of Jeannette and mom yesterday (May 20th).  Mother's Day went quite well.  The Aegis group throws a pretty good party.  Inadvertently, the caterers delivered Beef Ribs instead of Prime Rib.  The Ribs were much better than the Prime Rib we had on Easter.  It is really quite cool, to be able to have Brunch with mom and just put our bill on her bill.  If you get that, We get a free out of the dealio. 

Yesterday, while I was a little down, Jeannette encouraged me (and her) to go and visit mom.  Very convenient having mom so close.  Mom was napping on our arrival, but quickly got up and gave us a good hour tour of the facility.  We also played a bit more ping pong, suprising many of the guests and staff at how well mom could play.

James (Jimmy, Jim) is coming down again this Wednesday to have dinner with mom.  Maybe we can get her out of the building for spell.

To all who keep an eye on this blog and mom's well being we truly appreciate and encourage you to keep looking so it keeps me motivated to keep posting.

Bill

Kathy's Day with Jim and Bill

Hello everyone (from Southern CA).  Today Bill and I spent several hours with Mom at Kaiser's Geriatric Department.  Over the course of about 4 hours, Mom had a comprehensive evaluation by a Nurse Practioner, Nurse, Pharmacist and MD.  Overall, the visit went well and they will be making some changes to her medication regime over the coming weeks.  Mom now has an entire specialized team from Kaiser that will be managing her ongoing care with Aegis.  We feel very good about the care and attention she is receiving from Kaiser. Mom was in good spirits during most of our time together.   She did have a few moments of anxiety, but Bill and I were able to distract/redirect her.  After Kaiser, we took mom out to lunch and enjoyed the great weather here.  Mom seemed very calm when we dropped her off at Aegis and our transition was uneventful.  Bill and Jeannette will be spending Mother's Day with mom at Aegis and mom is set up for a comprehensive manicure/pedicure on Monday.  That is it for now!  All the Best, Jim and Bill

Just a quick note to follow-up on Sunday's post.  I happy to report that I picked mom up from Northridge Hospital this afternnon.  She had not been outside for many days.  We walked around a bit and then drove her back to her room at Aegis, where she quickly grabbed her purse and said, 'lets go'.   I told her I had to go back to work and she said she didn't care.  Sounds like mom.  I am very relieved.  Let's hope it lasts.

Bill