Monday, April 24, 2006

Vickie had another regular day. The different phases continue.

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Vickie stayed overnight at a sister’s home and then spent Sunday afternoon at another sister’s.

Friday, April 21, 2006

The daily roller coaster ride continues for Vickie. The anxiety times seem to be getting shorter and a little less intense, but there’s no indication that they will go away.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

A quiet day for Vickie. She finished her dinner again this evening although she waited until just before her bedtime to get the job done.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Vickie ate her dinner tonight, the first time in a while. The trick is having the meal when she is not anxious or excessively down.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Vickie was quiet much of the day. While she is in her relaxed time she has a good appetite.

Monday, April 17, 2006

Vickie’s appetite was a little better today. She still experiences the different behavior moods.

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Vickie spent the afternoon with another sister today. There was no significant change in her behavior.

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Vickie had a good visit at a sister’s this afternoon before returning home in the evening.

Friday, April 14, 2006

Although Vickie accepted an dinner invitation from a close friend she was unable to eat much of a very good meal.

Thursday, April 13, 2006

The anxiety episodes Vickie has been experiencing have not diminished in duration but seem to be less severe.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

The routine Vickie now has still is unchanged.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Vickie showed no signs of improvement today.

Monday, April 10, 2006

Vickie’s condition remains unchanged.

Sunday, April 09, 2006

Vickie stayed overnight at a sister’s home. All went well.

Friday, April 07, 2006

Vickie’s condition continues as it has for the last week or so. The intensity of her anxiety periods is not as severe and the duration is shorter. Sometimes the interaction with whoever is with her at the time can have a beneficial effect and alter the situation somewhat.

Thursday, April 06, 2006

No change or improvement today in Vickie's condition today.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Vickie’s anxiety episodes appeared to be less pronounced today. Not sure why, possibly the new medication or it just happens.

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Another quiet day for Vickie.

Monday, April 03, 2006

Vickie seems to be less intense during her stress times. She displays more emotion now than she has before. Maybe things are improving slowly, but it’s to soon to be sure.

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Vickie was very quiet today. Her mood changes don’t seem as severe as they have been previously. She has lost much of her appetite so she is being fed thru her tube again.

Saturday, April 01, 2006

Vickie was her usual self today while visiting a sister during the afternoon.

Friday, March 31, 2006

Vickie was more or less the same today.

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Vickie kept her appointment with the Neurologist this afternoon. The tests from a week ago showed no indication of a cause for her behavior problems.
A change of medication was prescribed.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Vickie visited another Dr. today, still trying to find an answer to the recurring infection. A new anti-biotic was prescribed. More tests and exams will be done.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Vickie’s condition was unchanged today.

Monday, March 27, 2006

Vickie was very quiet today. She was unable to eat her meals or drink any liquids.

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Vickie stayed with a sister this weekend. Now the three sisters have all had an opportunity to have her overnight. Vickie’s on again–off again behavior pattern hasn’t changed.

Friday, March 24, 2006

Vickie continues to have her up and down times during the day.

Thursday, March 23, 2006

No changes today for Vickie.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

After examining her x-rays, the Dr. concluded that Vickie’s shoulder injury was not healing properly and might even be worse now. A new method for protecting her shoulder will have to be implemented.

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Vickie had one more day without any improvement or change.

Monday, March 20, 2006

Another Dr. visit today resulted in more anti-biotic for Vickie. Also a follow up x-ray to determine if the shoulder injury is healing properly.

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Vickie stayed at a sister’s Saturday night. Hopefully the different environment and routine were beneficial.

Friday, March 17, 2006

Vickie traveled to MHMC today for an EEG. Her neurologist is seeking a possible cause for her ongoing anxiety episodes. The test went well and we should know soon if it shows any connection with her problems.

Thursday, March 16, 2006

The off and on behavior continues. Vickie’s anxiety episodes might be not as severe as they were previously or maybe we are adjusting to them.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Vickie had another typical day with no apparent changes.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

A normal day for Vickie. At times she was very alert and aware, in between those times she experiences periods of considerable stress.

Monday, March 13, 2006

Vickie showed no sign of improvement today.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

For the first time in over a year, Vickie was able to spend the night away from home somewhere other than a medical facility. She stayed overnight at a sister’s and all went well, at least as good as could be expected.

Friday, March 10, 2006

There were no changes in Vickie's condition today.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Another, what has become a typical day with off and on times. Vickie will eat one meal with gusto and then be unable to eat the next.

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

When Vickie is in a more tranquil mood she can be remarkably aware of what’s going on. She has asked some very pointed questions about her medical condition, something she has rarely done before.

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Vickie seems to be in a coherent state about half of the time, the remainder of time she is very agitated and complains of pain constantly. The pain is not relieved by any pain medication. She often experiences the anxiety episodes in the early evening; consequently she ends up not eating her dinner.

Monday, March 06, 2006

Vickie showed no signs of improvement today.

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Vickie was able to spend time at a sister’s home this afternoon.
There were no changes in her condition.

Saturday, March 04, 2006

Vickie had a pleasant time visiting at a sister’s today.

The ever-present anxiety episodes seem to be a regular part of Vickie’s day now. They last for several hours, come and go without apparent reason. They are almost more stressful for the care givers than they are for her.

Friday, March 03, 2006

Vickie had some good moments today interspersed with times when she complains of pain constantly.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Vickie showed no signs of improvement today.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Vickie’s Dr. decided she will no longer take the prescription blood thinner. She is still taking anti-inflammatory and anti-biotic medication.

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Another up and down day for Vickie. She ate her meals with little prompting.

Monday, February 27, 2006

Vickie’s status remains unchanged.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Despite the ongoing periods of distress, Vickie's day was good.

Saturday, February 25, 2006

It was somewhat better today for Vickie. She ate her breakfast and dinner. She still had pain and anxiety episodes during the day.

Friday, February 24, 2006

Vickie was unable to eat her meals so she received nourishment thru the tube today.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Vickie was a little better today. Her pain episodes are for shorter time periods and are less intense.

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Vickie’s condition didn’t seem to improve today. The shoulder pain is still apparent when she is moved.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Yesterday’s x-rays showed that Vickie has a fracture in her shoulder. To prevent further injury extra care will be needed when moving her.

Monday, February 20, 2006

Because of her repeated complaints of severe pain, Vickie had tests and x-ray work this afternoon. A drastic change will be made concerning her medications until a cause of the pain is determined.

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Vickie's day started well. In the afternoon she lapsed into her anxiety mode and was not a very good guest at her sister's home.

One year ago today, Vickie returned to her home for a single night stay for the purpose of determining if her caregivers would be able to take care of her away from the hospital setting.

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Another typical day for Vickie. Sometimes up and other times no so much.

Friday, February 17, 2006

Vickie was treated to a nice dinner at a friend’s home this evening. She was in a good mood during the meal.

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Vickie had what has become a normal day with some lucid moments and times when things were not so good.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Vickie was in fairly good spirits today. On several occasions she lapsed in to her anxious state but not for long periods of time. Sometimes a distraction can bring her back around.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Vickie continues in her up and down condition. No noticeable improvement today.

Monday, February 13, 2006

For the last two weeks or so Vickie’s behavior has been, at best erratic. Times of unusual coherency interspersed with episodes of anxiety, in which she refuses to eat or relate appropriately to those around her. This morning followed the regular pattern in that she wasn’t able to eat breakfast. This evening Vickie was talkative, much more than normal, had a good dinner and made remarks that indicated she was beginning to be more aware of her situation.

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Vickie’s appetite increased a little today but not enough to eliminate the tube feeding.
She spent the afternoon of both weekend days at her sisters’ homes.

Saturday, February 11, 2006

Vickie continues to experience repeated agitation episodes. She is unable to feed herself enough to maintain proper nourishment; so she is being fed liquid food thru her gastro tube.

Friday, February 10, 2006

Vickie’s condition remains the same. There were no improvements today.

Thursday, February 09, 2006

There were no significant changes in Vickie’s situation today.

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Vickie’s condition changed very little today other than the negative episodes were less intense than in previous days.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Today Vickie seems to be cycling between an unusually high level of alertness and then to a subdued frenzy where she repeats the some complaints for hours at a time. The change in her behavior happens suddenly and without an apparent reason.

Monday, February 06, 2006

All went well with the tube procedure this afternoon. Vickie probably won’t notice much difference but her caregivers will find the new improved one makes it easier to dress and move her without the tube hanging out and getting in the way.
Vickie is having more times when she is very alert and responsive. She can regress at other times, which can be disheartening for those around her.

Sunday, February 05, 2006

This afternoon Vickie went with one sister to visit another sister who had surgery last week.
In the morning Vickie will travel to MHMC to have her gastro tube replaced.
She has the same one since her original hospitalization in June of 2004. It is suspected to be a possible site of infection.

Saturday, February 04, 2006

After spending the afternoon at a sister’s home Vickie was treated to a nice dinner. She was good company this evening.

Friday, February 03, 2006

This evening, for the first time in a while, Vickie was able to dine out with old friends.
The Dr. believes Vickie has another infection, so a new anti-biotic was prescribed. It never ends.

Thursday, February 02, 2006

A good day for Vickie.

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

A visit from a grandson brightened Vickie’s day. A sister brought dinner this evening.

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Vickie had another pleasant day. A sister brought her a nice dinner.
It’s been one year since Vickie left the skilled nursing facility for the last time. January 31st of 2005 she went to the R.I.O. for therapy, which was intended to ease the transition of returning home to stay. The therapy, like every other task she attempted, was disrupted by the ever-present nausea episodes. That problem has been entirely absent for six months. Some of the things Vickie did a year ago that we considered remarkable then are now ordinary everyday events not deemed noteworthy.

Monday, January 30, 2006

Vickie had a quiet day with no new or serious problems.

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Spending the afternoon at another sister's home today Vickie hit the trifecta with her third free dinner in a row.

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Vickie scored another free dinner after spending the afternoon with a sister.

Friday, January 27, 2006

Vickie visited a sister’s home this evening, a free dinner was included and all went well.

Thursday, January 26, 2006

There was no noticeable change in Vickie’s situation today.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Just a fairly normal day for Vickie.

Monday, January 23, 2006

Vickie’s blood thinner level was back in the acceptable range, tests showed today. A possible reaction with a vitamin supplement might have been the cause of the previous dangerous reading.

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Vickie paid a visit to a sister’s this afternoon, had dinner before returning home.

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Vickie ate well today; she especially enjoyed her Mexican take-out dinner this evening.
No other changes or improvements were apparent.

Friday, January 20, 2006

There was no noticeable improvement in Vickie’s condition today.

Thursday, January 19, 2006

The new medication Vickie started taking this week doesn’t seem to be helping. There also appears to be some minor negative side affects, but it might be coincidence. We will wait a few more days for the desired results to materialize before making a decision whether or not to continue with this drug.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Vickie was quiet today, not feeling her best.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

There were no apparent changes in Vickie’s condition today, which is probably a good thing.

Monday, January 16, 2006

Vickie’s neuro-surgeon determined from scans taken today that the shunt inserted in December is now doing its job properly.
Vickie will begin taking a new medication to alleviate the neck pain she constantly complains of.
The appetite is still good.

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Vickie’s appetite returned today as if nothing had happened. It’s possible the surprisingly elevated blood thinner status could be responsible. We might have a better idea after a few more days when the level drops below the preferred limit. Sometimes fixing one problem creates another.

Saturday, January 14, 2006

Over the last few days, for reasons unknown Vickie’s appetite has gone away. She seems to be withdrawing again as she has in the past.

Friday, January 13, 2006

A routine test showed an unexpected problem. Vickie’s medication will be adjusted and she will be rechecked in a week.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Vickie’s condition was unchanged today.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Vickie seems to be staying at a constant level, without any serious problems.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

No apparent changes in Vickie's behavior or condition today.

Monday, January 09, 2006

Vickie had a good day, still without any serious problems. The absence of the previous medical issues is starting to be taken for granted.