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Barbara Fritchman Thompson Diary Week of 28 July 2003 Latest Update: Sunday, 03 August 2003 20:28 |
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Monday, 28 July 2003 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| It was back to work for me as usual this morning. I worked
until 2:30 then took off to come home to take the dogs out and give them
some play time. I checked e-mail and balanced the check book until he got
home from the hospital.
We took off for the Brian Center to retrieve Lenore's chair and television. I knew if we left them over the weekend they would get moved by today and I was correct. They moved them out Sunday and moved another lady into Lenore's bed. They put the television in an office downstairs and the chair out in a storage room. Just as we got the chair loaded into the car it came a frog choking, gully washer of a rainstorm that lasted the five minutes or so it took get home. After we got the chair and TV unloaded I convinced Bob to forego the 5 pm hospital visit and let Lenore just sleep. She will not be leaving ICU at least until tomorrow and more than likely on Wednesday. She is still very weak and out of it from the Morphine. But, her vital signs are all good. The game plan is for me to go to the gym and then make the 8:15 visit. I will not stay the entire time so I can get home at a decent hour. Bob needs a break from going down to the hospital so I don't mind going at all. Right now, about 5:45 PM as I write this post, the sun is shinning and it is pouring down rain.
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Tuesday, 29 July 2003 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| Lenore is not doing too well. She went from doing fair and
maybe moving her out of ICU today or tomorrow to critical. Last night when
I went to see her she was not doing well at all. They had just given her a
bath and some medicine so I contributed it to being medicated and tired.
However, during the night her respiration problems became acute. This
morning the hospital called at 6:15 to ask Bob if they could reinsert the
breathing tube. She has a DNR order but Bob and I both felt like this was
medical attention to make her better not keep her alive.
By the time Bob got to the hospital for the 9:30 am visit she was even worse. He was finally able to get in to see her but she has many, many problems causing her major set back. They have drawn blood and done other tests to see what may be creating some of the problems. One major one is a fluid backup in her lungs, hands, and arms. He went back down for the 2:30 afternoon visit but she was pretty much out of it. I got home a little before 4 from work and made some phone calls to several of Lenore's friends and distant relatives. Other than Bob and Bill, there are not immediate family members left. We had a light dinner and afterwards I took Malcolm out for some ball playing and their after dinner walk. A storm seems to be moving in so I thought I better get this post written since we almost always loose power. I will go down to the hospital for the 8:15 pm. We can at least talk to her and encourage her to fight. The doctors did not think she was in serious enough damage to have Bill come from Raleigh. He is due over tomorrow morning, which will help relieve Bob of some of the hospital visits.
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Wednesday, 30 July 2003 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| Well, it has been a real roller coaster ride of emotion.
Lenore has gone from worse to somewhat improved though she is still in
critical condition. They have taken her off several of the medications she
was on but still have her on the breathing tube.
I did not go down last night as intended because of the torrid rain and thunderstorms that slammed us from about 6:45 until around 9:30. As the time approached for me to leave to go to the hospital I told Bob I was really not very comfortable being out on the roads. We had flash flooding and dangerous lightning, not a good time to be on the roads. The thunder shook the entire house several times. Bob called down to the hospital and at that point she as pretty much the same as she had been all day. But, when Bob went down this morning she was somewhat improved. His brother Bill came over this afternoon and went down for the 2:30 and 5 pm visit. He plans to stay for a couple of days. I got off at 3, came home and changed, and took off for the gym, store, and to pick up some KFC for dinner. I fixed salads and rolls to go with the chicken. Again, I had intended to go down for the 8:15 visit but really needed to mow and edge the lawn so Bob went instead. Time for me to hit the couch and relax with my book for awhile. The dogs have had a busy evening out helping me in the yard and are at this very moment lying on their sides with their tongues hanging out cooling off.
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Thursday, 31 July 2003 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
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No post, too tired!
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Friday, 1 August 2003 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| Last night I was too tired to write up something. I worked
until 4:15 then went straight to the hospital to visit Lenore at 5 pm. By
the time I got home, ate something, and did a mail check I was mentally
exhausted.
I did finish reading the Lee Harris mystery and started on another Carolyn Hart, White Elephant Dead. I only have a couple more books left in her series, Joan Hess' and Lee's to bring me up to date. Then I can start on my TBR pile and change authors for awhile. Bill did the 9:30 this morning visit then went back to Raleigh. Bob did the 2:30 visit and stayed at the hospital to do the 5 pm one. I left work at 2 to get the oil changed and inspection done on my truck, stopped at the drugstore and then home. I worked from 4:15 until Bob got home at 6:15. We ate a light dinner then I came back to work for another half hour or so before calling it a night. I will go down and do the 8:15 visit tonight. [Top] |
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Saturday, 2 August 2003 [Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| It has been another emotionally filled day. I awoke this
morning at 1:48 with a call from the hospital. The ICU nurse said we had
better come down. Lenore had not been doing well with both her respiratory
and blood pressure. We make a quick drive down thinking this was it. When
we got to the hospital the ICU nurse came out to explain to us what was
going on. Because of the DNR being revoked earlier in the week they still
needed our permission to take aggressive measures to treat the symptoms.
After the doctor explained the procedure we gave the go ahead and went out
wait in the hallway of the ICU floor.
The hospital closed the ICU waiting room at 10 PM since there are not visiting hours anyway. The nurse said it would be an hour or so and then we could come back in to see her. The hour became two than three. The nurse came out to let us know they were having problems getting the tube run in her vein to her heart but after they finished and cleaned her up we could come in. By 7 AM, when the ICU waiting room opens back up we had still not been in to see her. Finally, at the regular 9:30 AM time we went in. She was pretty much stable but out of it. The nurse suggested we come home and get some rest. They would call us if there was any change. In the meantime I had called our neighbors about 8:15 to come down and let the dogs out since it had been since 9 the previous evening. We still did not get home until after 10. We ate some breakfast then I took a shower. We both went down for naps although I got up about 12:45. Bob slept until sometime after 3. I spent the afternoon organizing her stuff we had brought home from the nursing home then did some stuff on the computer. The sun came out about 2 so I took the dogs out to run around the yard while I pulled weeds, trimmed up some shrubs, and did general maintenance type stuff. Bob was up when I came back in. He called down to see how she was doing and the nurse said still pretty much the same. We decided to just stay home and relax and not go down to see her and let her rest. I fixed a light dinner, ironed some pants and shirts, and worked on some contract work. It is about 6:45. I shall finish up this post and spent the remainder of the evening reading. I finished up the Carolyn Hart mystery at the hospital this morning. I think I will read one of the two remaining Hazel Holt's I have from my library stack. I am only reading the ones of her that the library has rather than the entire series. They are okay, but not worth getting the others on ILL or buying in paperback.
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[Last Week] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday] [Sunday] [Next Week] |
| Dad I played just nine holes this morning. The other night
when we had that 5 inches of rain in about two hours it flooded the front
nine of the course. The back nine was again sort of like playing a
combination of golf and water polo. But, it was fun to get out and get in
some practice. We more than likely would have only gotten in nine anyway
since the bottom fell out about the time we got home.
Mom fixed an early lunch so I could eat and come on home. I had planned to clean house and then go down to the hospital and do the 2 pm visit. But, when I sat down at my PC to check my mail and do some more contract work I was suddenly very, very tired. Bob asked if I wanted him to go down and I said I wouldn't mind if he did. I guess I work for about an hour after he left then went out to relax, watch the race, and read. He stayed for the 5 pm visit. She is still pretty much the same though the doctors are giving her a slight chance she may still pull out of this. When Bob got home I had dinner ready, finally cooking something decent for the first time all week. After we ate I walked the dogs while he took a break then we cleaned up the kitchen. I have spent another hour or so finishing up some work. It has rained and thundered off and on most of the afternoon and evening. The forecast looks to be the same for the entire week. Have a good week.
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