This FNP truly rocks

Mom was very alert again this morning and talked to Dad and me with no confusion in her speech or thought-patterns!  She also worked with the Physical Therapists today and did walk and do the exercises without any problem or complaint! She did complain of pain afterwards, though, so we put her back in bed rather than the recliner. Before long, she had to use the bathroom, so the nurse unhooked her IV tube so that Dad and I could escort Mom to the bathroom. She was a little unsteady on her feet, but made it all the way to the bathroom and back to bed without much grumbling.

The issue of dehydration (the major thing that landed Mom back in the hospital this time) is under control and the urinary tract infection is also under control. Those two things, coupled with the fact that Mom seemed better today has led the hospital staff to plan for her discharge this afternoon.

I spoke with the Family Nurse Practitioner (the one with the awesome skirt collection) at length today about Mom's medicines and about my misgivings about her being at home again, lest we have a repeat of what happened last time. She save us lots of advice, and we had a good conversation about what to do. She said that having Mom transferred to a rehab facility is an option, but the familiar surroundings of home would probably be easier for a 77-year-old woman to handle; the unfamiliar environment of a rehab facility would likely cause more confusion than we had seen previously, not less. Having a Home Health Aide come in daily to bathe Mom and help feed her will be ultimately easier than having Dad and me try to handle it — plus, she is MUCH more responsive to strangers than she is to Dad and me (a phenomenon that is reportedly common among individuals needing this level of care). A short run of antibiotics should ensure that the urinary tract infection is completely gone. The addition of one medication to Mom's daily regimen should stimulate her appetite so that she will eat more normally. The removal of one medication from her daily regimen should take care of the indigestion/heartburn problem Mom's had for the past few months. Two other medicines in her daily regimen might have contributed to her dehydration problem and will be discontinued until her recovery is more complete.  So, that's what we're gonna do, take Mom home, arrange for visits from the Home Health nurse & therapist to continue, arrange for a Home Health aide to come by for bathing/feeding assistance, get the new prescriptions filled, and tweak her medication regimen accordingly.

So, we will be driving back home this afternoon, slightly earlier than usual, which is good because — although the town where my parents live is small (official population in the 2000 census was 3,000) — downtown becomes a little congested every Friday night during the school year as the mighty, mighty Blue Flame burns the competition on the football field.




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