According To Drew Carey,"Cleveland Rocks..."

While that may be true, we are ready to catch the next flight out; unfortunately it doesn't look like that will be anytime soon. Mom had her 'pulmonary study' today by respiratory therapy and quite frankly it didn't go as well as any of us had hoped or frankly expected. Mom has certainly been doing her part; using the deep breathing apparatus, taking walks, sitting up in a chair.. everything thing that she could to prepare. During this test a therapist first checks your pulse oxygen levels (how much oxygen is passing from your lungs into your bloodstream) while you are on oxygen. Then they remove the oxygen and have you stand and breath room air for just a few minutes, all the while monitoring your oxygen levels, ekg, etc. After about 2-3 minutes they walk you on a short loop without oxygen and monitor your levels. This is where it gets a bit tricky. They went nice and slow, but after about 30 yards, the therapist had mom stop and reconnected her oxygen. Her level had dropped to 79 and was at an unsafe level. The ideal level is in the high 90's though we were hoping for at least 92.  We don't really know how low her number might have gone because quite frankly, they cautiously didn't try. So here we are, still in the hospital while the doctors and therapists decide the next step. They have stepped up her therapy and we are working with a case worker to arrange for oxygen when we leave here for the hotel, fly back to Memphis and then return home. This requires three different suppliers so it is a bit complicated. Here is "duh" moment for the day. Medicare will pay for oxygen while we stay the required 2-3 days at the hotel after Mom is discharged. They will pay for oxygen at home. However, they will not pay the $400-$500 necessary for portable oxygen needed to fly back. What are patients supposed to do? I can understand if we were taking a pleasure trip but geez, we're just trying to get home. Our case worker, Joyce, is a real bulldog and a terrific patient advocate and has already starting working on it. We will know more when the cardiologist group makes rounds in the morning and tells us how much longer she needs to stay in the hospital. We are also having a little problem with some irritation around her suture line from the open heart incision, so they are watching that too. Mom said to pass along her appreciation for all of the prayers and emails. To say that she/we are not a bit disappointed today would be untruthful. But we are glad that she is getting great care and apparently just needs a bit more time.

We had a meeting tonight (Dad, Jim, Mom and I) and decided that what she really needed was a decent nights sleep. We talked with her nurse and she agreed and even talked Mom into taking a bit more pain medicine to help her rest. Our nurse posted a sign on the door a few minutes ago... sure hope it works. Mom is finally asleep and I think I have finally hit "the wall". So far tonight I have spilled a very hot bowl of soup on myself and the police officer beside me in the deli, dropped my phone so hard that it shut off, spilled a full 1 liter container of ice water in mom's room about 30 minutes ago and woke mom up trying to clean it all up and just realized that I haven't updated the blog all day. I think that just maybe, we are all a bit overtired. So, the do not disturb sign goes for me too! I just keep repeating, "...after all, tomorrow is another day!"


Goodnight and God Bless
Cheryl