After a visit to the Dr.'s office for her monthly vitamin shot Vickie went to the local pizza house to celebrate her birthday with family. She stayed alert, enjoyed pizza and some of her birthday cake.

When Vickie was asked if she knew the name of the song starting on the 70's rock station her radio was tuned to, she responded by silently mouthing the beginning lyrics, a few seconds before they were played on the radio. Sometimes she remembers details from forty years ago, but very little of what has happened since.

Vickie's condition has not improved this week.

Vickie was quiet today. Often she asks to be taken home. When pressed as to where home is, she responds with the address of the house she lived in when she was a child. For the most part Vickie doesn't have any short term memory but she can recall some aspects of her life 30 or 40 years past.

Vickie seems to be experiencing her psychosis episodes more often and with more intensity. The caregiver responds to the situation by increasing her medication dosage and frequency.

There have not been any changes in Vickie's condition or behavior since last week.

Although she didn't comprehend the significance of the date, Vickie enjoyed some of the chocolates she received for her 40th wedding anniversary Saturday.
The caregiver is increasing the dosage and frequency of medication used to calm Vickie when the compulsive episodes occur. When she is in one of these moods she is oblivious to anyone in the room.

There are no changes or improvements in Vickie's condition.
A sister who lives in Eastern Oregon sent Vickie a card and a note about their projects and preparations for the winter. Although Vickie wasn't able to read the card herself she made some comments when it was read to her.

There just isn't any improvement in Vickie's condition. Occasionally there are snippets of coherent conversation but they are becoming less frequent and for a shorter time.

This afternoon Vickie kept her Dr. appointment. She received her monthly Vitamin shot. The Dr. checked her feeding tube and determined that there was no infection related to it. She will have a little less food intake to help control her weight gain. Lab tests will indicate if there is any improvement in the ongoing infection battle.

Vickie seems to be more agitated lately. The caregiver is giving her medication to calm her much more often. The psychosis episodes are causing her to have a raspy voice due to the constant loud talking. Sometimes it's possible to talk her down but not always.

Monday evening Vickie joined family at the pizza pub. A niece and her two daughters are visiting this week from So. Cal. This is not the same niece that visited Vickie Saturday.
Vickie ate a little of the pizza and drank some of the root beer she requested. She was fairly alert and responsive most of the time.

Saturday Vickie's niece visited and brought her infant daughter. The visit went as well as could be expected. When Vickie goes into her psychosis mode where she rapidly calls out names over and over it's entertaining to the little girl.

Vickie's condition is for the most part still unchanged. She seems to be gaining a little weight or she is retaining fluid, not sure which. She doesn't complain about any unusual discomfort or pain.

Late Saturday afternoon Vickie attended a wedding reception for one of her nephews. She saw old friends and many members of her family. She ate a little of the cake and had a little refreshment. By the time Vickie returned to her residence she was tired and ready for bed.

This photo of Vickie was taken a few weeks before June 16th 2004.





Vickie cruised her residence neighborhood in her chair this afternoon with the help of her sister and niece. The fresh air and sun were probably good for her.

It’s hard to grasp the concept that it has now been four years since Vickie’s life was dramatically changed in just a matter of minutes and without any warning.
Hopes for a recovery that would allow her to return to her life as it was before June 16 2004 are diminishing. The best outcome would be that Vickie is able to maintain the mental facilities she still possesses.
Vickie’s physical health is reasonably good given that she gets most of her nutrition from liquid supplements and that she is unable to do any meaningful exercise.
Vickie is being treated for an ongoing infection that is resistant to most anti-biotics. She just started using a new medication last week and we are running out of options for one that will offer successful treatment.
The psychosis episodes occur often and seem to interfere with Vickie's eating and normal conversation. Most of the time she is unaware of her situation and what is happening around her.

Vickie had an appointment with her DR. Monday afternoon. There will be lab tests to determine if the treatment for the ongoing infection is having any positive results. The visit went well.

Vickie joined her sisters for a birthday event at a sister's home this afternoon. She seemed to enjoy the company and she ate well.
Vickie stayed responsive and aware most of the evening. She was calm on the trip back to her residence.

There has not been any significant changes in Vickie's condition since the last post.

Vickie joined family members at a local restaurant Thursday evening. Although the reason for the event was to honor the second anniversary of her older sister's passing, Vickie was unaware of the significance of the day.
Vickie was in a good mood, ate a little and with some assistance held her newest grand niece for a few moments.
During the trip back to her residence Vickie remarked that it was good to have the family get together and that she had enjoyed the evening.

Lately Vickie seemed to have lost what little appetite she had. The Dr. has her again taking the anti-depressant that had been stopped a month ago. Today her appetite was good. We won't know if there's a connection or just coincidence until a few days have passed.

Vickie's condition remains the same. She appears to be recovering from her recent medical problems. The new feeding tube is still functioning properly.
As always, visitors are welcome, the best times are late afternoon and early evening.

The results of a test from Vickie last Sunday revealed she has an infection more serious than previously thought. The antibiotic prescribed last week is not effective against this resistant variety. Today she will begin a more aggressive treatment, using large dosages of vitamin C and a prescribed medication.

Vickie now has a new more high tech feeding tube. Hopefully it will last longer and be more reliable than previous ones
Vickie was alert and aware during the hospital visit. She recognized some of her former coworkers and knew their names even though she had not seen them in nearly four years.
On the trip back to her residence she stopped at a Burgerville to have a burger and an order of fries. Seeing a special on strawberry milkshakes advertised on a billboard next to the drive-up-window she asked for one and drank it with her meal. Getting Vickie to eat regular food has been an issue for some time now.

Wednesday, Vickie will return to MHMC to have a more permanent feeding tube put in.
She seemed in good spirits today.
Andy Griffith was on the TV this evening and she knew all the character's names and even chuckled about Barney.

Vickie made an unscheduled trip to MHMC Sunday afternoon. She was diagnosed with a rather aggressive UTI and will have a new medication to treat it.
She also had a new feeding tube put in to replace a problematic one.
After the usual tests and probes she was discharged and returned to her residence.
She handled the entire event very well

Vickie went to her Dr. this morning for her monthly Vitamin shot. The trip was quick and without problems.
Vickie snacks on candy and cookies but she still won't eat regular food.
There are no changes to report.

As usual there are no developments to report. Vickie is still doing OK and without any new problems.

Vickie was visited by her youngest grandniece this afternoon. She held the 4 month old for a few moments.
There are no noticeable changes or improvements in Vickie's condition.

The new year started pretty much the same as always for Vickie. There have not been any new developments or changes. Her condition remains relatively stable, which is good news.

Vickie spent Christmas eve at her childhood home, now owned by her sister.
Vickie was good company until she passed her bedtime and despite the commotion from all the family she had a difficult time staying alert.
She will stay in her own home until late Christmas day before returning to her current residence.

Vickie kept her Dr. appointment this afternoon. She was not all that cooperative, she was in one of her obsessive moods and wouldn't stay focused enough to respond to questions or commands.
Friends from work visited Monday afternoon and seemed to catch Vickie at a good time. They were pleased with the way she interacted.

This evening Vickie had Chinese food brought by her sister. At times she is eating much better, but not consistent enough to eliminate the tube feeding.

Vickie had Thanksgiving dinner at a sister's home Thursday aftenoon.
She had a chance to visit with family including two of her grandsons that she rarely sees.
Vickie ate quite a bit, at least for her and she even had a little wine.

Vickie continues to enjoy her snacks and small portions of fast food provided by visitors. Her overall condition is good considering the situation. There have been no changes.

Vickie's latest feeding tube also turns out to be defective but adjustments will be made and it will be used as it is.

As usual with Vickie, nothing seems to be as it should. The new feeding tube is defective and will be replaced Thursday.

Vickie received her new feeding tube this afternoon. The procedure was quick and without problems.
On the return trip to her residence Vickie requested a hamburger, some fries and a coke. After a stop at the Burgerville drivethru, she ate both the fries and the hamburger. The ironic part of this, if we could get her to eat like this regularly the tube wouldn't be necessary.

Vickie will go to MHMC Friday afternoon to have her feeding tube replaced. This is a non-emergency routine procedure that her Dr. agreed to do without delay. She should be able to return to her residence within hours.

Vickie had a good visit with two of her former coworkers this afternoon. She ate some of the French fries and drank the milk shake they brought for her.
Visitors other than her regular ones seem to make Vickie more responsive at least for a little while.

Sunday evening Vickie joined family at a local restaurant for a small birthday event. Since she was the birthday girl she was on her best behavior.

Because Monday was Vickie’s actual birthday, several sisters and friends visited her at her residence this afternoon and brought presents and cards for her to enjoy.

Vickie has not changed since the last post. She is still unable to feed herself. The obsessive episodes continue.

Vickie attended a family picnic at a sister’s this afternoon. She was introduced to the two latest additions to her extended family, a new grandniece and a new grandnephew. She did well although she became tired in the evening.

At her latest appointment, Vickie’s Dr. noticed a possible problem with one of her ears so an examination by an Ear, Nose and throat specialist was suggested. The E.N.T. determined there was a perforation in the eardrum. No treatment was necessary other than some antibiotic to ward off any possible future infection to the exposed inner ear.

Last week Vickie’s 39th wedding anniversary passed without fanfare.

Vickie’s overall condition remains stable.

There are still no changes in Vickie's behavior.
Saturday Vickie visited a sister's home during the afternoon.

Vickie's condition and behavior has not changed this week.

Something interesting has been happening this week. For brief periods of time Vickie will come out of her ever present obsessive mood and talk without prompting. Much of what she says is a little less than completely sensible but it's a welcome change.

It's been one year since Vickie left her home and moved to an Adult foster care facility. While her condition has not improved, she is well cared for and all her needs are met.

Vickie still nibbles on snacks but will not eat a meal or anything close to one. Her overall condition remains unchanged.

Vickie seems to have a little better appetite at times, although she only eats snacks such as small candies and cookies, and only in small amounts. It's possible the new medication is helping her relax and lessens the obsessive behavior.

Vickie has not experienced any change in behavior or condition since the last entry. She is still in relatively good physical health.

Except for a slight increase in appetite, Vickie's condition remains unchanged. She has started taking a new medication intended to help her with anxiety.

Vickie was out Saturday evening to help celebrate a sister’s birthday with friends and relatives. There were some very brief moments when she showed some of her personality from days gone by.

June 16th is also the day Vickie’s life was critically changed three years ago. The lives of those close to her have also been dramatically different since then. Initially the focus was based on a full recovery or at least a partial return to a normal life. It now seems, baring a profound medical discovery or Devine intervention, Vickie’s condition will remain the same as it has for many months.

Everyone agrees that Vickie’s medical and personal needs are excellently met and that she receives wonderful attention as a person where she is now living. The intermittent posts here reflect the fact that Vickie’s condition is stable with few changes one way or another. Thanks to everyone for your ongoing support and kindness.

This week Vickie is still the same. She still refuses to eat or drink on her own. The interaction with others is sporadic at best.

Vickie's condition remains unchanged. There are brief moments when she seems lucid before falling back into her obsessive behavior.

On Memorial day Vickie spent the afternoon at a sister's home. She had a pleasant and uneventful visit.
There have not been any changes in Vickie's condition or behavior since the last post.

There have been no changes in Vickie’s condition to report. We are at the point where “no news is good news” or so it seems.
She is well cared for and all her needs are met.

Vickie’s condition seems to have stabilized with no noticeable improvements. Her behavior changes from being fairly responsive to an obsessive state in which she ignores all that is around her. The different moods can change in a matter of minutes or less without an apparent cause or reason.
Everyone is pleased with the care she is receiving at her current residence.

Vickie has returned to her previous behaviors. She will eat at times, but refuses to more often than not. She does have times when she will communicate more than before.

Vickie was listless today, managing a barely audible whisper. She was able to leave the hospital late in the afternoon. Her anti-seizure medication dosage has been increased to prevent a reoccurrence of the problem.
After Vickie settled in at her residence this evening she was offered some regular food, which she proceeded to eat using a fork. This is something not seen in many months. She was able to speak at her normal volume. Not sure why this happened, just hope it continues, there have been too many disappointments.

Early this morning, while staying at MHMC, Vickie suffered a seizure. After some time it was brought under control with medications. The cause was probably the interruption in her normal medication routine due to the absence of the feeding tube Sunday. She will be in the hospital overnight for observation and should be able to return to her residence Tuesday afternoon if she recovers completely from the ordeal.

Vickie went to MHMC early this morning to have her feeding tube replaced after it came out unexpectedly Saturday evening. The procedure didn’t go as well as hoped with several unsuccessful attempts during the morning, but it was accomplished surgically this evening. She will stay at the hospital over night and then return to her residence Monday.

After having her hair professionally trimmed this morning by hair stylist/daughter-in-law, Vickie traveled to a sister’s home to spend the afternoon. All went well.

Test results showed no problems after Vickie’s Dr. exam Last week.
Although Vickie’s condition remains unchanged, everyone seems pleased with the care she is receiving at her new residence.

Vickie kept her appointment with her Dr. for an annual exam Tuesday; there were no extraordinary problems.
Depending on the time of day one visits her, Vickie’s behavior can be at one extreme or another. Sometimes she is not at all responsive; at other times she will converse a little and also eat some of her meals. There doesn't appear to be any consistent reason for the changes.

Vickie has returned to her regular behavior. Less interaction and communication with others. She does seem more calm much of the day.

Vickie is still eating more than she has in recent months. She is communicating a little more at times.

Today Vickie was more alert, talking and responding to others. She also regained some of her appetite.

There is no discernable improvement in Vickie’s condition.

So far Vickie seems to be adjusting to her new surroundings. Her room is slightly larger and is more secure than the previous one.

Vickie successfully moved to her new residence this evening. Besides the change in location, she will also have a change in caregiver attitude and a change in diet.

Vickie kept the appointment with her neurologist this afternoon. No changes will be made with her medications. She was very responsive during the visit, much better than in previous meetings.

At the end of the week Vickie will move to another adult foster home.
A philosophical difference in how best to care for Vickie prompts the change.

Vickie returned to her home for the weekend. It went well.
Due to unusual and unexpected issues with her caregiver, some major changes are going to be occurring concerning where Vickie will reside in the future.

Since the last post there has not been any apparent change in Vickie’s condition.

Vickie has not shown any improvement for the last several days.

Vickie was very alert and interacting this evening. She filled several notebook pages with her shorthand notes. She is the only one who can decipher what she wrote. Much of it seemed to be repetitive but it’s still better than when she stares at the ceiling and refers to unseen people. She made several comments about the program on television so she was paying attention and trying to understand the subject matter. As she grew tired of the activity she returned to her more obsessive behavior.

There was no apparent change or improvement today in Vickie’s condition.

This afternoon Vickie was slightly more alert and responsive. She even commented about a Mattress World commercial airing on TV. It’s unusual for her to show any signs of awareness about such things.

Vickie doesn’t show any noticeable improvement. At times she seems to be better but the duration is short.

Vickie’s obsessive times might be diminishing somewhat. It’s probably still to soon to say with any certainty. The hope is the new medication could help bring her back to the condition she was in nearly a year and a half ago.

Vickie seemed a little more responsive this evening than in recent evening visits. Whether it’s the result of the new medication or just happenstance is unclear.

Vickie kept her appointment with her Neurologist this afternoon. The results from the tests she took in December were inconclusive but indicated she probably wasn’t experiencing seizures on a regular basis.
Vickie will begin a medication, one she started in the spring of 2005 but was stopped abruptly because it was suspect, and incorrectly in the ongoing nausea problems she was having at that time.

It is difficult to provide an accurate assessment of Vickie’s condition when seeing her for a short period of time. It appears that when she is given a pain relief medication it has a calming effect that helps lessen the somewhat obsessive traits she displays. To observe this situation one needs to be present shortly after the medication is administered.

There have not been any improvements in Vickie's condition this last week. She seems to withdraw more into her imaginary world and pays less attention to what is happening around her.

Vickie seems to have recovered from whatever happened last week. Medication for infection has been restarted, not sure if there’s a connection.
Vickie might have been slightly more lucid this afternoon than she has been for some time.

Caregiver thinks Vickie may have had a light seizure this afternoon. No one witnessed it but there are some signs it may have happened. Caregiver suspects it might have been the result of a change in manufacturer of the anti-seizure medication.
A Dr. was contacted; Vickie was given a sedative and appeared to be sleeping normally this evening.

Vickie had Christmas day dinner at a sister’s home this afternoon. Later she returned to her current residence.

Vickie was able to visit with the extended family on Christmas Eve at sister’s. She will spend the night at home.

Vickie made the trip to GSMC today and had the EEG sensor/recorder removed. It will be several weeks before we receive the findings.
Vickie returned to her residence this evening. In a rare bit of good timing, the foster care residence had been without power for nearly 24 hours due to the severe storm. The power was restored just before she arrived.

Vickie traveled to GSMC Wednesday afternoon to have the mobile EEG recorder attached. Thursday she returned to GSMC to have the batteries recharged and the sensors resecured.
Having the sensors secured to her head with adhesive was somewhat stressful for Vickie but afterward she seemed to ignore them and the large bundle of wires and the recording device she needs to carry.
She will spend Thursday night at home so her episodes can be closely monitored and timed into the recorder.
Friday, all the paraphernalia will be removed and the responses will be evaluated for possible problems.
Friday evening she will return to her residence.

Vickie kept her Dr.s appointments, one Monday with her GP and one Tuesday with her neurologist. She will discontinue one medication that doesn’t appear to be helpful. Another medication for seizure control was increased.
Vickie will soon do a 48-hour EEG test to determine if she is having small seizures often.

Vickie traveled to MHMC today for routine testing. She has a Dr. appointment next week to determine if there are any problems that need to be addressed.

Vickie went to her home for a visit this morning before going to a sister’s later for Thanksgiving dinner. Although she no longer eats her meals, everyone was happy to see her out and about for the day. She returned to her residence this evening.

Vickie visited at a sister’s this afternoon before returning to her residence.

For the first time in over a month, Vickie is spending the evening at her home. She will return to her current residence Sunday.

Vickie’s condition has not changed.

Since Vickie has been at her new residence she receives most of her nourishment via the feeding tube. Last night the tube that was nearly a year old failed and was promptly replaced with a new one of a different type. The new one is a larger diameter and should accommodate better the food that is prepared for Vickie.

Vickie still seems to be preoccupied with endeavors that no one else can see.
She is no longer taking the antibiotic prescribed some time ago. Tests will determine if it was helpful.

Readers may have noticed that posts to this site are no longer entered daily. Since Vickie is not living at home it’s difficult to assess correctly how her day has been with just a short visit.
Much of her waking hours, Vickie does imaginary chores and interacts with people apparent only to her.

A visit by a couple of friends from work seemed to have a positive effect on Vickie this afternoon. She was more alert and responsive than she has been for some time.