Kathy finally made it to Kessler around 1:00pm today. She was a bit sad to leave the familiar faces and environment of the CCU but is excited about being out the door and onto the next step. The Ocean Medical Center was great to all of us. They handled the entire acute phase and the immediate needs of Kathy very well, I thank them for their care and compassion.
It is absoutely amazing how quickly things can change with a update to the scenery. When Kathy arrived she was evaluated and admitted by the admissions nurse, who weighed her then immediately took her down for X-Ray, doppler of her legs, and blood work. This took about and hour and half. When we arrived back up at Kathy's room her Physiatrist was there to see her and do a functional analysis of her body. Kathy's doctors are incredible, with the aid of the pulmonologist about four hours after arriving Kathy was off oxygen, had a smaller tracheostomy tube installer, and had the tube capped so that Kathy was speaking and breathing normally. She was able to actually talk on the phone for the first time in weeks and is not getting winded.
Kathy had also been experiencing pain in her abdomen for days. This pain was causing Kath to feel anxious and unsure about what was going on in her abdomen. Since her doctor is so familiar with this phenomena she quickly informed Kathy that this is normal and is actually a sensation rather than a physical issue inside her abdomen. It apparently feels like a band wrapped around her stomach area.
All of these things were causing Kathy higher levels of anxiety both during the day and at night. Not being able to communicate was a huge issue, the band around her abdomen was really scaring her, and her breathing was also still scaring her. Alleviating these issues took all of four hours and the relief on Kathy's face was immediately evident. It was so great to see her comfort go up that much. I think it also really helped her confidence level about the new surroundings and the new people she is working with.
All in all, this was a really great day for Kathy, her family and myself.
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Couldn't wait for news of your arrival to the next step in your journey toward greatness! Couldn't be happier to hear you are doing so well! Rest well - We are rooting for you. Love, FC3
ReplyDeleteI was sad i missed the "group yoga visit" on friday, but very happy that it happened! G called me in florida to let me know how well it went. its so great that kathy is in kessler now starting her recovery. about the mala beads...i was at that workshop when we received the meaning of the beads and didn't think much of it at the time, but it did occur to me maybe theres a deeper meaning to these things...
ReplyDeleteKaren
Ross-I have been following your blog. What a great thing to create for Kathy and everyone who cares about the both of you. I am believing Kathy will have a full recovery. Sending positive energy and strength to each of you!
ReplyDeleteSo happy to hear that Kathy is doing well in her new setting! It'll continue to get better, day by day!
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