PICC line GONE!



Mom continues to do well. She had her PICC line removed on Thursday and she did great! All of her clinic appointments have gone smoothly and she still has not had to have any infusions yet. She is still working on getting her appetite back though and she is hopeful that she can soon add dairy back to her diet...she misses cheese and ice cream!

Sorry....It's been awhile...

Mom is doing really well! She has only had to go in every other day for the last week to get checked out and she hasn't needed any infusions! Since she was told she could have bananas she hasn't needed any potassium or magnesium which is great!

She is doing so well they are considering pulling her PICC line at the end of this week so Mom won't have those long tubes hanging around anymore! She will still have her port in place for infusions if she were to need it.

Mom's diet list has increased in length but she still has 'bad' days where she really relies on her Zofran (anti-nausea medication). But, overall the number of good days far outwiegh the number of bad days.....plus Dad is getting quite handy in the kitchen...haha.

Day +19

Home, Home at Last!

Mom is once again home...

She is tolerating the BRAT diet well and attempting to add to her 'list of foods' that she can eat on a daily basis...with the exception of dairy...NO dairy for awhile, right Mom?

Her 'list' so far includes:

toast

broth

chicken noodle soup

jello

popsicles

hot tea

crackers

Items that have failed:

mashed potatos

                                          (just ask dad about that one...haha)

crystal light peach flavored tea

So...we just keep trying.

She will now continue to head into the BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant) unit everyday to receive any infusions she made need...i.e. Magnesium, Calcium etc.

Day +17

Pretty sad isn't ladies?....

Anyway...Mom is doing a lot better today. She is now tolerating toast, chicken noodle soup, crackers, broth and the like.

The plan is to keep doing the BRAT diet, decrease her her IV fluid intake and see how she does.

If (for some reason) she declines overnight then they have planned to

 'scope' her and see if anything else is going on 'down there'...

Other than that, she sounds better, way more perky and

she even beat me twice at cards today.

I am leaving tomorrow to go back home and hopefully Mom will be home by the weekend!

Day +16

The C-diff lab results are in and it is

NEGATIVE!

Whew...we dodged that bullet. Mom was a bit upset at first because she liked the 'idea' of having a diagnosis and a medication that could make her better.....until I told her that once you contract C-diff you are more likely to get it again...and again....then she changed her mind a bit.

We feel like we narrowed this whole incident down to milk...

even though Mom was taking her Lactaid pills whenever she ate dairy products.

 I think we will just stay away from dairy for awhile....

The plan?...Mom will start the BRAT diet tomorrow (minus the banana part)...

so toast, crackers, applesauce, hot tea...that sort of stuff.

Plus, she hasn't had any anti-nausea medications all day which is an improvement...

I doubt she comes home tomorrow but you never know...maybe if she tolerates her breakfast and lunch we could be surprised with a discharge...but more likely it will be Tuesday.

48 hours...(Day +15)

So....we were home for a total of 48 hours...and then....

C-diff hit....

Mom went in today for her daily infusions of needed medications...sometimes it is Potassium, sometimes Calcium...but today was a low down, lousy, no good day....

Mom couldn't keep anything down and she was spending more one-on-one time

with the ladies room than me...even after three doses of anti-nausea meds.

I discussed things with the RN, the doctor was consulted and it was decided that Mom most likely has C-diff which requires medications...which Mom probably can not tolerate orally at this point,

 so they must go in her IV.

So here we are again....

Mom was re-admitted for some IV medications and fluids to keep her hydrated during this time.

Hopefully she will be able to come reallllllly soon...

Her new phone number is

804-649-5404

....I would give her some rest tonight, she is really tired and honestly, a little mad at the whole situation.

She did not want to be back here AT ALL!

**you may look up C-diff for youself if you wish...but be prepared, it is not for the weak stomached individual...

Day + 13

As long as everything stays status quo Mom is

Headin' Home Today!

She will still have to go into MCV everyday for infusions/ replacement therapy but at least she gets to go home and sleep in her own bed...

Thanks for all of the prayers and well wishes...