General Update #41

3:59 p.m. - Jackie arrived to check on Joyce's pain levels. Joyce indicated she probably irritated things in her back when she dropped herself down into the recliner by herself when she should have summoned nurse's aides to help her leave the bathroom. Jackie assisted Joyce with readjusting her pillows in the chair and provided a warm blanket to pad her back. Jackie departed to tell Mark from PT that Joyce will need some more time to rest before continuing with afternoon PT plan. 

4:08 p.m. - Room service arrived to take Joyce's dinner order. After some deliberation, roasted red potatoes, prune juice, and a half a banana were selected. Joyce resumed napping.

4:20 p.m. - Mark from PT returned. Joyce announced that she could go for a short walk. Mark thought that would be important, even if just walking a short ways to the room door. Joyce walked to the room door and back twice with Mark's assistance and using a Gritman 2-wheeled walker. Joyce was settled back into recliner and Mark informed Joyce he would see her tomorrow. Joyce very positive following PT. Admitted that she isn't quite ready to go home yet, given her pain levels and "what's wrong" with her. 

4:28 p..m. - Joyce asked about the plan for her return home. Dusty reviewed that she will go to Good Samaritan tomorrow, if she can have a bowel movement, and be there for about four weeks. She'll need to do PT there and can come home when the Good Samaritan staff deems her fit enough to be on her own. 

4:38 p.m. - Joyce asked if she was going home tomorrow. Dusty reviewed the plan for transfer to Good Samaritan and she confirmed that she remembered now, and proceeded to parrot back the plan in correct order and detail. Stocker passed through to check on Joyce, and confirmed with Joyce that Good Samaritan will take care of her (he works there, too).

4:40 p.m. - Nurse's aide, Stocker, arrived to take Joyce's blood sugar levels. 243 was the reading. Stocker informed Joyce this was "pretty high" and he would let her nurse know. Oxygen level at 95%, pulse 83.

4:48 p.m. - Joyce informed Dusty that she would like to schedule an appointment to see her eye doctor at Rolling Hills Eyecare. Joyce stated that she keeps seeing images when she shuts her eyes. Maybe from the bumps on her head? Says she sees a spider web, or prism, effect when she looks at the floor or at Dusty's head. Dusty informed Joyce that he will tell the nurse about this when she returns. Joyce stated that it would probably be a good idea to have her eyes checked anyway since she thinks it has been a while, regardless of having the bumps on the head. Joyce claims she is seeing "things flash before her eyes" like distorted pictures. 

5:03 p.m. - Dinner was delivered by room service.

5:06 p.m. - Jackie arrived to check on Joyce and inquired about the pain levels. Joyce indicated her pain was still pretty high. Jackie said that she would check the charts and see if enough time had elapsed so she could give Joyce more Tramadol. 

5:15 p.m. - Joyce commented on the "weird" assortment of her dinner. Dusty informed her that it is everything Joyce ordered from room service. Joyce commented that for an average person this would not be enough food. Dusty asked if they needed to order more food. Joyce clarified that she was trying to say was that it was plenty for her but not enough for a "normal" person, and the choices weren't what a normal person would order for a dinner. Potatoes, the half banana, prune juice, chicken broth, and tea from earlier were polished off by ~5:42 p.m..  

5:26 p.m. - Jackie arrived to check on Joyce and administer insulin. Jackie is very pleased with Joyce's food intake. 

Dusty inquired about Joyce's IV removal earlier and that if the antibiotic IV bags are still hanging from the rack above Joyce's bed and not being cycled through her are the antibiotics still being administered? Dusty said that he was told they would continue through tomorrow as well as possibly over at Good Samaritan. Jackie confirmed that Joyce will start having the antibiotics administered orally starting this evening instead of IV, especially as she is taking food so well now and not suffering from nausea. 

Dusty informed Jackie about Joyce reporting that she was seeing prisms/spiderweb-like patterns/images in her vision as she looked at the floor or at Dusty's face. Jackie will be relaying this to Dr. Brown. Jackie is suspecting it might be due to the high blood pressure. Jackie asked Joyce if she had experienced anything like this impaired vision before. Joyce responded negative. Jackie asked Joyce if she was also hearing things or had a headache. Joyce responded negative. 

Jackie said that on the last bathroom trip (where Joyce brought herself back out on her own) that Joyce might've had a tiny amount of bowel movement. Dusty stated he was not told about that having occurred but might've missed something being said. Joyce said to Jackie that is kind of how her bowel movements work (a small amount on the first trip and then a regular movement on the next trip). Jackie said that she hopes that is the case as it would be a good sign for everyone.

5:49 p.m. - Stocker arrived to check on Joyce. In helping her to re-adjust, it was revealed that the gait belt was still on her from PT earlier in the afternoon (it was hidden from sight with how her hospital gown was folded so no one noticed) and removed it. He removed Joyce's empty dinner tray and informed her that shift change was occurring soon but he would be back tomorrow morning and would most likely see her before she went to Good Samaritan. 

Message(s) from Joyce:

Joyce and June didn't have pets often growing up. A farm dog at least was had that she can remember.

Loyal and Joyce had St. Bernard dogs. Loyal was the instigator in getting them but Joyce went along with it quite readily because she liked the dogs. 

When Alice and Vernon went back to south Dakota, there were pet spaniels (2 at one time), and those were enjoyed. Alice and Vernon used to have Scotties. When they were getting older and convalescing and preparing to move out to Idaho they would bring their Scotties out with them for a while.

Joyce's first refrigerator was so exciting to have. Frozen strawberry jam was the first thing that was kept in it, Joyce thinks. That was good on toast and very good on ice cream. The garden produce sure lasted longer with home refrigeration. The only other thing they had like it was some space over at Hertz Lockers (sp?) for storing the beef that they raised but it wasn't convenient. 

Joyce wondered if her house would have to be rearranged to facilitate her going home from Good Samaritan. Dusty indicated that he didn't know that yet, but maybe the family would receive some suggestions and directives from the experts in the coming days. Joyce speculated that maybe the powers that decide such would say she has to have things moved to "a more reasonable height to access" because of her back, for at least a while. Maybe they would let her do her own dishes and laundry. Dusty stated they would probably have a list of things that Joyce could do on her own, and another list that they would want to ban her from doing all together...like falling down stairs. Joyce not amused at that joke.

Joyce stated that she is really enjoying the prune juice. Dusty asked her if she had it before this week in the hospital and Joyce indicated that she doesn't think so.

Joyce asked if Dusty and Jess went over to get some of the surplus potatoes that were advertised as being free a few weeks ago. Dusty indicated no as he felt that people who were in need would need them more than he did. Joyce thought that it was sad for the farmers that they could not sell the potatoes, but glad that they did not go to waste.

Current location:

Gritman Medical Center, Room 202.

Current pain level:
5 out of 10 (at about 5:36 p.m.)

Visiting information:

No change from previous post.

Currently only 1 visitor per day for Joyce, no exceptions. Once current visitor departs Joyce's room, no further visits for the rest of the day. No swapping out visitors (example, Dusty cannot remain on hospital grounds while Craig goes to sit with Joyce for an hour and then Dusty returns to room).