Back in Arab

I talked to Sally today who's back in Arab, in her own home.  She's glad to be "not visitin'" for a change.

She's tickled that she's been able to discontinue the hydrocodone pain pills that she's been needing for a good night's uninterrupted sleep.  She says that a Tylenol PM works just fine now!  Current plans are a little up in the air, but it's good to hear her feeing so well.

Sally's in Georgia

I haven't actually talked to Sally for several days but she's in Marietta, Georgia with her daughter, Lisa.

Here's hoping they're doing well!

Monday in Arab 5/11/09

I just spoke with Sally after her visit with Dr. Jiminez, her urologist.  He's thrilled at her progress!  More kudos for the Texas-based physical therapists, Kersten and Pam, who got her so strong!  The other news is that Dr. Jiminez told her she needs to stop drinking tea!  She offered that she only drinks de-caf.  He said it's not the caffeine, but that there is an ingredient in tea that is really bad for kidney-stone-growers (which she is).  So, Sally said she'll have to find something else to drink.  He doesn't need to see her for six months.

It's cold in Alabama, in the 60s so she said she's going to bundle up and stay warm.

Sally's "Kind-of" On her Own

I'm sure Sally is enjoying her extended family on this Mother's day back in Arab, Alabama.

Thursday we went down to Odenville and visited with our cousin Dubby's widow and her family.  We had a nice lunch and took some photos of the cars that Shirley is trying to sell follow Dubby's untimely passing last Fall.  On our way back to Arab, we had a great visit with Sally's dear friends, Mona and Howard who live near Oneonta.

I left Friday morning and returned to Texas leaving Sally in the care of her daughters, granddaughters and great-grandchildren.  So, the entries on this blog might be even more sparse than they have been recently.

Yesterday was the six-month anniversary of Sally's 11/9/08 heart attack.  We are all so grateful for her recovery and her renewed strength.  Our hope is that she'll continue with her new dietary habits and continue her strengthening exercises to manage her diabetes.  She has come so far!

Her current plans are to visit her daughter Lisa in Atlanta for a month or so following a couple of doctor appointments this week.  She still has big decisions in front of her about selling her house, where she'll live, etc.  So, I know she'd appreciate your prayers.

Please feel free to contact Sally by e-mail or phone.  I know she'll be glad to hear from her friends and family.

A rainy, stormy day in Arab Alabama!

Sally is really glad to be back home in her house!  I think the prospect of possibly having to move from her home of the last 48 years has made her stop and really appreciate what it means to her.  She’s still thinking about what her next step will be.

Monday’s visit with Dr. Mengesha (neurologist) went very well.  He thinks she’s made tremendous progress since he last saw her in November in Huntsville Hospital.  He checked her balance and strength (exactly the areas that Pam and Kersten the San Antonio physical therapists had been working on) and was pleased with her.  He said she should be especially careful at night to leave some light on.  He said most falls occur in the home at night.  He also said that regarding her neuropathy, we cannot reverse what has already occurred.  We can, however, prevent any further deterioration by keeping the diabetes under control.  He verified that the compression hose are a good idea.  We really like him.  He suggested that she take his card and if she has any problems after I return to Texas, she should call him.  He’ll see her again on 11/2/09.

Tuesday’s visit was with Dr. Johnson, her endocrinologist (diabetes doctor).  He is also very personable.  He reviewed her blood sugar/insulin logs and decided to adjust her insulin downward, just slightly.  He confirmed that she should not be going barefoot and should protect her feet!  He also said that our blood sugar is usually at its lowest about two hours before we wake up in the morning and then it starts to climb.  So, when we have a low blood sugar before breakfast, that means that it has been lower a couple of hours before.  Sally's HbA1C has improved from 8.8% on 10/14/08 to 6.6% on 1/15/09 to a great 5.7% yesterday!  Her goal is an HbA1c less than 6.5% so this is great progress!  A1c, by the way, is average blood glucose coverage over the previous 2-3 months.  He’ll see her again on September 8^th.

After the doctor visit, Sally treated me to lunch at the Blue Plate Café in Huntsville.  This is an infrequent treat since their food is delicious and served in abundance!  We saved half of our lunch and had it for supper.  After lunch, we got her chest x-ray in preparation for next week’s appointment with her pulmonary physician.

We’re continuing to have rain, thunderstorms and tornado warnings in North Alabama.  This is turning into a very wet Spring.  I’m wishing we had some of this moisture back home in South Texas!

Back Home in Arab!

We made it back to Arab yesterday about 4 PM. Sally tolerated the long ride fairly well. We stopped every couple of hours to stretch our legs, eat or re-fuel. His broke up the trip nicely. The weather was superb! Very little rain or rough weather and no big traffic problems to speak of. We spent Thursday night in Slidell, LA so we had less than 400 miles to finish our trip yesterday.

Sally’s glad to be home! Karen had already prepared a good soup for supper as well as a sugar-free pumpkin pie. She came around 6 and we enjoyed supper with her.

This morning, she enjoyed her first tub bath in over two months. We’re going to do a little grocery shopping this afternoon when I will also swing by the local coffee shop to post this blog update. No Internet connection at Sally’s house right now.

Monday and Tuesday we have doctor appointments and we need to get her a chest x-ray this week prior to her appointment with her pulmonary physician. Then, I’ll likely head back to Texas on Saturday or Sunday. Her former daughter-in-law Lisa has agreed to accompany her to her doctor appointments on the 11th and 12th.

Viva Fiesta in San Antonio!

.............In celebration of our sister Sharon's birthday, today, I bring you Fiesta greetings from San Antonio!  Happy Birthday, Sharon!

Last Saturday we took Sally to the riverwalk in downtown San Antonio and went on a boat ride.  She was a little dubious about getting on the boat, but she enjoyed it.  I'm sharing a picture taken while we were waiting in line.  Notice Sally's diabetic "Mary Jane" shoes.  She thinks they're a little clunky, but they fit her well and they are good for her feet!  (We think they're cool!)

She's getting excited about heading home next week.  We're leaving on the 30th and arriving in Arab on the 1st of May.

Sally has made so much progress while in San Antonio that we are all thrilled.  But, she is ready to see her new great-grandson Jackson and all of her little "Munchkins" as she calls them.

Sally has one more physical therapy session with Kersten and Pam at St. Luke's Baptist here in Texas.  She said this morning that these ladies have worked wonders for her legs and her strengthening.  We are so grateful!

Good eye news today

Sally got a good report from Dr. Mein, the retina specialist yesterday!  He said that the result of the laser treatment shows improvement in the right eye, especially.  This is her good eye so there is the promise that the sight might continue to get better in this right eye.  The left eye (always her worst eye) has also shown improvement from the laser treatment.  The membrane in this eye that resembles a washboard is still there.  Dr. Mein confirmed with Sally that she really doesn't use that eye very much so his counsel is not to worry about surgery to fix the membrane.  That surgery would not likely result in any improved vision in that eye so "Why bother"?"  This sounded really good to Sally.

Dr. Mein printed out all of the pictures of her eyes and all of his procedural and progress notes so her care could easily be continued back in Alabama.  Overall, this was a good experience.

Sally just got off the phone with Dr. Hargraves' office (back in Arab) to get them to fax the proper authorization back to our local podiatrist to get her diabetic shoes ordered.  When she confirmed that this was done and her shoes are on order, she was pleased.

Sally is also proud to announce that she has successfully threaded a needle and repaired the hem on her Easter outfit!

April 2nd

Sally chided me for not telling you about her ordering of some diabetic shoes on Tuesday.  She's excited about getting some relief for her leg/foot discomfort.

Peggy has had a couple of additional Meniere's Syndrome bouts so Sally got up and started pitching in.  While I was out yesterday, she mopped the kitchen floor and the day before, she was putting up clean dishes and loading dirty dishes in the dishwasher.  It's thrilling to see her doing so much better.

We started on the Metanx (www.metanx.com) which is a combination of Folic Acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12.  It will take at least a week, but it promises to alleviate the foot symptoms of her diabetic neuropathy.  We'll let you know.

Happy April!

I'm posting from Starbucks in the medical center while Sally has her rehab therapy.  On the way over this morning, she said "You know, the only lingering problem that I have from my heart attack is the pain/discomfort in my leg!"  Isn't that good news?

The second eye laser treatment last week went well.  Less pain than the first time.  being aware of her travel plans, Dr. Mein wants to see her on April 6th to evaluate whether surgery is possible to correct the swollen "rippled" retinal surface.  

Sally's therapy is really helping her mobility.  They are now practicing on the stairs as well as continuing to build her overall strength.  

She saw the podiatrist yesterday who examined her feed and trimmed her nails.  He's prescribed a B vitamin which he says will help with the neurothapy.  Also, he believes there is a device that we can obtain that will make it much easier for her to get those pesky compression hose on.  We'll see if we can find this.

Sally's doctor appointments in Alabama have been changed and grouped together for the first two weeks of May so our current plans are to be back in Arab on May 1st.  She's ready to be back home.

Further Update on the eyes.

Sally had quite a few tests done yesterday. The fluorescein angiogram did show lots of "aneurisms" on her retina and confirmed the swelling of her retina, particularly in the right eye.

Dt. Mein did go ahead and begin the laser treatments for the damage spots caused probably by the diabetes.  He "lasered" over 500 spots in her left eye yesterday.  He said he'll do about a thousand in her right eye beginning Monday.  She'll require probably two treatments for each eye to heal the spots.  As we understand this, these laser treatments may not significantly improve her vision.  Rather, they are to hopefully slow future damage.  In addition after the laser treatments, surgery will likely be required to repair the retina swelling in the right eye.  The laser needs to be done first.

She also had a Vision Field test that shows deterioration in her right eye which ironically is her best eye.  This field loss is in the lower quarter of the eye and might have been caused by a drop in blood pressure during her heart surgery.  There's no way to know the cause, for sure.

This is a lot for Sally to process at once.

Sally was a little tired yesterday.  We spent the entire morning at the doctor's office, but her spirits are good.

Update from the doctor's office

We're at the eye doctor's office this morning for a fluorescein angiogram to see how Sally's diabetes has possibly damaged her eyes and what can be done about it.

Her legs are getting stronger.  The rehab therapy is working wonders.  She said this morning that she needs to work harder at doing her exercises in between her therapy sessions.  She still has some balance issues resulting in her feeling a little unsteady from time to time.  We got her a cane and that makes her feel a little safer.  She's not using it to support her weight, just to steady herself.

Sally's blood sugar is doing well!  Mostly it's under 100 so the diet and insulin regimen is doing its job.  She's sleeping well, arising a couple of times each night just for potty breaks.

Catching Up with Sally on Sunday

Sorry to be so behind on posting news.  Sally is doing well and feeling even better as the days go on.  On Saturday before last, she had her first appointment with our friend, the massage therapist.  He did lymphatic massage on both her legs and her feet.  During the massage, he was careful to cause as little pain as possible but it still hurt her as he worked.  Her legs did feel better after that first time, so we set up weekly appointments for her.  Yesterday, she had her second session and he said he could tell a big difference in her pain tolerance from the prior week.  Later Sally said that Joe must be a miracle worker for her legs didn't hurt at all through the night.

Sally talked with Dr. Hargraves' nurse about the compression hose and was told that she needs to wear them all day.  She's having some problems complying with this since wearing them cause her discomfort.  She has learned to put them on all by herself, though.

The weather here has been all over the place since Sally arrived 3 weeks ago.  She's seen lows in the 30s and highs up to 90.  But, no snow like the folks back in Arab had last week.

Clayton is really enjoying having his Aunt Sally here.  He's being a good helper:  walking with Aunt Sally, telling her when there are obstacles in her path, and holding her hand to steady her.

Sally's been attending a Beth Moore Bible Study "It's hard To be A Woman" and really enjoying it.

Karen set up a new e-mail address for Sally.  It's sallygrand@hotmail.com and we check it for her from time to time.

Beautiful Wednesday in San Antonio

Sally's making good progress....

Last Thursday Sally, Peggy and our daughter Pamela had an outing. They went to Panera Bread which Sally found that she loves and had a good lunch. After lunch, they went to a nearby HEB Supermarket and picked up a few items. After that they came home and Sally had a nap, being worn out from all the good activity. When she awoke, she suddenly realized that her "stash" was missing! She had an unmarked envelope with $100 in cash for her Texas trip that she had slipped into her pants pocket before they left for lunch. After her nap, she checked and it was gone! She and Peggy called Panera Bread and HEB and inquired whether anyone had found the money and turned it in. When those inquiries proved futile, Peggy called me and asked that I come by those two locations and scour the ground for this envelope. I did that again with no results. After a couple of days, Sally said that she had decided that it was meant for someone else with a greater need to find that money. That gave her some peace.

Fast forward to this afternoon. Peggy and Sally went again to HEB for some grocery items. After they checked out, Sally said that they should check and see if anyone had found her money. They stood in line at Customer Service to ask about the lost money. The lady that they spoke to said she remembered Peggy calling last week and that she would check with the store manager. She went to his office and came out waving a $100 bill! It turns out that the store manager had personally found the money and placed it aside. Sally's day was made!

Today, we started the new cardiac rehab therapy at St. Luke's Baptist hospital. The physical therapists are quite knowledgeable and have great "bedside manner". Sally's pleased. She will go 3 days a week for an hour of one-on-one therapy.

Today she wore the new white compression hose for the first time. The compression hose have been a start and stop proposition since we started. The first ones that were prescribed were "firm" at 30-40 mm/Hg. The DME provider in Arab then gave us a second pair at 20-30 mm/Hg. Those we got on successfully twice but they were really gave Sally a good bit of pain going on. So yesterday, we got another pair at Walgreen's that are 18 mm/Hg. We think that we can work with these. Then, as her legs' circulation improves and the swelling perhaps goes down, we can graduate to the tighter compressions.

Sally's blood sugars are beginning to settle down in a consistent pattern of good numbers. Only once in the last two weeks have we had to adjust her insulin by adding 1 unit for higher blood glucose readings.

The weather is beautiful in San Antonio these days. Today's low is 55 and the high was in the mid 80s. What's not to like about that?

Sally's a little homesick for family and friends but she's working at enjoying herself. We're trying to work on her recovery and keep her well-fed and busy.

Rainy Tuesday

Sally got her new glasses this morning and is thrilled! There is still a little blurring, but she said that they are miles better than the first pair they made two weeks ago.

She's gone to Bible Study this morning with Peggy.

We are set to begin the cardiac rehab here in San Antonio next Monday, the 23rd.

San Antonio in time for President's Day....

I'll catch you up on the last week for Sally...

Last Monday, Sally was tired from attending Anna's Baby Shower the day before, but she had a good morning at cardiac rehab. The folks at Therapy Plus in Arab are great and worked well with Sally. We called Dr. Holcomb's office about the vision difficulty. They advised us to go back to where we purchased the glasses. The optical shop agreed to re-make the glasses just in case that was the problem.

On Monday afternoon, Sally went to see Dr. Hargraves, but he was away for an emergency, so she saw his Nurse Practitioner, Pam. She was very up-to-date on Sally's progress and asked lots of good questions. She took care of Sally's prescription needs and recommended compression hose for her leg circulation difficulties that continued to cause swelling.

Tuesday, we had rehab again. They agreed to copy all of Sally's charts for these first 4 weeks of rehab for us to take to San Antonio for rehab continuation. I appreciate this level of patient care!

Wednesday and Thursday saw us wrap up rehab at Therapy Plus and prepare for our road trip.

Friday morning we left Arab and headed west. We covered about 450 miles on Friday, even though we stopped at least every two hours to stretch our legs, get gas, eat, etc. Weather was good. We encountered rain only a couple of times. We stopped for the night at Denham Springs, just east of Baton Rouge.

Saturday morning we had a traditional Southern breakfast (egg, grits & raisin toast for Sally, waffle for me) and miraculously located a Starbucks right across the street from our hotel! Sally suggested that I had likely chosen our hotel based on its proximity to a Starbucks. Hmm.

Another good day of driving Saturday. We reached Houston about 3 in the afternoon and arrived home in San Antonio about 7 PM. Sally traveled very comfortably and we listened to an audio book ("Under the Banner of Heaven" : a history of the Mormon Church in the U.S.) most of the entire trip.

Sunday and today, we have recuperated and begun settling into a new routine. Peggy has been preparing and measuring food calculated to please Sally and to conform to her diabetic diet. I have obtained fresh refills of her insulin here in San Antonio and her blood sugar is right on target!

Good Sunday in Arab Alabama

I arrived Thursday night to find Sally greatly improved just like Conrad had told me.  Her color and mobility is much better even than she was when we visited her last Summer.  Her blood glucose readings are much more consistent; the peaks and valleys are smoothing out.  She's running mostly in the 120s to 140s.  120 is the ideal.

Sally went to Sunday School this morning for the first time since her heart attack in November.  She said she got lots of hugs and a few tears.  She stumbled and fell in the entrance hall and bruised her knee but she was still exhilarated by her visit.

Lisa picked her up at Noon to drive her to a baby shower in Albertville for her granddaughter Anna.  She was glad to have sort of a reunion with many of her "grands" and "great-grands" before setting off to Texas in a few days.

She got her new glasses on Friday and was disappointed that she still has some vision difficulty.  We'll contact the ophthalmologist tomorrow to get over and make sure the glasses were correctly made.

Tomorrow is cardiac rehab and an appointment with Dr. Hargraves, her family doctor.  She hasn't seen him since the night of her heart attack.  We'll get any medications issues ironed out before leaving for Texas.

Chilly Tuesday in San Antonio

Conrad just called to give a good update from Arab. Sally's leg tests at Dr. Drenning's office last Thursday revealed nothing that would be restricting blood flow in either the veins or the arteries. There was some "plaque" seen but nothing that should seriously restrict blood flow. The nurse hasn't called back yet with the results of the blood work that they did.

Dr. Holcomb, the eye doctor that so thoroughly examined Sally called to ask that she return in six months for a follow-up, so an appointment was set for July.

Sally's back pain is "much much better" to quote Conrad. This is less troublesome for her and she's cut back to half of a pain pill to help her sleep.

All in all Conrad reports that Sally seems to have really turned a corner! Isn't it amazing what lots of prayer and excellent medical care can do for our sister!! Once again, we are so grateful!

The cardiac rehab folks did check and found that her cardiac rehab can be transferred to another city and continued, so I'll get busy and find a good place here in San Antonio. Then, we can pick right up when she comes with me in a week or two.

Busy Thursday, January 29th

I just talked to Conrad and Rita in Alabama. They tried to post a blog entry yesterday but had problems....

Sally saw Dr. Drenning yesterday who did an EKG (good result); her blood pressure was 108/60 (also good). Sally has been complaining of leg pains so Dr. Drenning ordered 2 tests: a lower arterial doppler study and an upper and lower deflex venous study in both the lower abdomen and legs. She was having those studies done today when I talked to Conrad.

Yesterday, Sally ordered some new bi-focal glasses with UV protection and scratch-resistant coating from "Glasses For Less" right there in Arab. She'll be glad to get something that will allow her to see better.

Toady, she had some fasting blood work/tests done early followed by a workout at Cardiac Rehab. They told her there that next Monday they will increase her time on each machine by two minutes. They are checking to see if we can transfer her cardiac rehab program out of state when we bring her to Texas in a couple of weeks.

After rehab, it was home for a quick one-hour "power-nap". Then they were off to Dr. Drenning's office in Huntsville for the tests that I mentioned above. Following that, they are scheduled to see Dr. Jiminez for stint-removal and any follow-up to last week's procedure. Whew! I get tired just blogging about it, much less living the fast pace.

One more Doctor Appointment down! ?? to go!

I just talked to Sally, Conrad and Rita.  Sally got an unexpected opportunity to see Dr. Holcomb, an ophthalmologist today when he had a cancellation.  She got a thorough eye exam and a prescription for new glasses.

The exam showed that she has gotten more far-sighted (therefore the need for new glasses) but there is no evidence of Glaucoma or Macular Degeneration.  The doctor could see some microscopic evidence of a previous stroke, but Sally already knew about that.  Sally said that he told her that she is not going blind.  Sally's glad that there is one catastrophic outcome that's ruled out.

She got to go to church last Sunday and she was thrilled to be back.  One of her friends there told her that she belonged in the choir loft, not out in the congregation.  That made her feel good, like she's been missed (and appreciated).

Sally is ready to get the stent out of her kidney-ureter-bladder.  That should happen when she sees Dr. Jiminez on Thursday.  She sees Dr. Drenning, her cardiologist, tomorrow.

(I feel like I'm in withdrawal, being gone almost two weeks from Arab.  I'll be back on February 5th.)

Successful Lithotripsy!!

An text from Sally's daughter Karen says at 3:17 this afternoon:

surgery over.  all well.  got both stones at one time.  followup and stint out in one week.  please post on blog.  thanks.

This is really great news!  This means that her urological tract can finally begin to heal after a lot of trauma!  We are so grateful for all the prayers and support.

I know Sally joins me in saying thank you to all of you!  She still has some struggles ahead of her but we are tickled at her progress so far.

I'll get more specific follow-up information later to you...

Back Home again in San Antonio 1 17 09

I came home Thursday night for 3 weeks.  My sister-in-law, Rita relieved me, driving over from South Carolina on Wednesday.

Sally saw her endocrinologist, Dr. Johnson on Thursday.  He treats her Diabetes and examined her records of food intake and blood glucose for the past few weeks.  He gave us instructions for varying the dosages of insulin based upon the blood glucose levels.  He said he would leave her on the insulin and see her again in 4 months.  ....We're all learning a lot about diabetes, food intake, exercise, etc.

Tuesday 1/13/2009 6:56 PM

Wow!  Another good day for Sally!  Dr. Jiminez removed the now-capped nephrostomy tube that has been in her right kidney/back for over two months.  She said the removal hurt but she's glad to be rid of it.  As Dr. Jiminez was removing it and teaching his nurses, he said "This is the tube that saved her life when she had all that infection in her kidney".

He said he can see (on the x-ray) two stones in the kidney and at this time they appear close enough together that he thinks there's a fair chance that he can get both of them with one lithotripsy procedure.  We sure hope so.  The procedure is now scheduled for January 22nd at 12:00.  This is when they "blast" the stones with sound waves and will be done under general anesthesia.

He'll leave the stent in her ureter to assist in the flushing of the debris from the stones.  Then, he'll remove that when he feels that he's gotten all that he can.

I asked about taking her back to Texas with me in mid-February and he says that looks OK if he gets all the stones with this lithotripsy.

Now, Sally sees Dr. Johnson, her diabetes doctor on Thursday and we'll see what else needs to be done to treat this serious underlying condition...

Monday 1/12/2009 8:38 PM

Sally had a great day!  She graduated from Dr. Newton's care today.  He says she's doing fabulously and won't need to return IF she'll follow up with her cardiologist, Dr. Drenning and IF she'll begin Cardiac Rehab to get stronger and stronger.  She said OK to both.   Cardiac Rehab starts next Monday and she has an appointment with Dr. Drenning on the 28th at 1:45.

Sally's giving her own insulin shots on a regular basis.  Tomorrow we'll start her with doing the blood sugar tests herself.  I'm proud of her.

Tomorrow we'll see Dr. Jiminez and see what the next step is with the kidneys.

Blood sugars are good today.  Still coming down.

Sunday 1/11 2:42 PM

Yea!  Sally gave her first insulin shot to herself today!  She's still afraid to do it, but she persevered!  Said it wasn't as bad as she expected it to be.

It's a cold day today here in Arab.  Karen came over and made turkey meat loaf for lunch.  Sally's blood sugar continues to drop even a few counts per day, but in the right direction.

Three doctor appointments this week, so it'll be busy.

Rita is coming on Wednesday and I'll be returning to San Antonio for 3 weeks on Thursday.  Sally will likely welcome the change.  Her spirits are good and her health and strength are both improving.

Friday 1/9/09 6:25 PM

Sally had a good visit to Dr. McCrory (pulmonologist) today.  He was amazed at how much better she looks.  He wants to see her again in 3 months to give her a breathing test.

We went to the Blue Plate Cafe in Huntsville for lunch.  Sally enjoyed fried catfish (she's allowed one fried entree per week) and vegetables.  So, afterward, when we got home, she was ready for a nap.

The weather was nicer, today here in North Alabama.. Cool, but clear.

Thursday 1/8/09 5:37 PM

Sally's doing well.  She had her second bath today and enjoyed it even more.  The physical therapist came today and said that he can tell that she's working on her exercises in between his visits.  She is adjusting fairly well to her diabetic diet and beginning to be interested in carb-counting.

We had an outing to Wal-Mart this afternoon where she saw a few people that she knew.  We picked up a pair of Crocs for her to walk in.  They can accommodate her swollen feet.

Blood sugars are pretty good.  Making progress.

Tuesday 1/6/2009 3:03 PM

Sally just had her first bath in the tub since early November!  She reports that it was an "out-of-body" experience.  She's feeling better than yesterday.

The Physical Therapist and the Nurse from Home Health Care just came.  They are both pleased with her progress.  Although Sally doesn't feel like she's making much progress, we can all see the improvement.

We will see Dr. Newton on Monday, the 12th and Dr. Jiminez on Tuesday, the 13th.  Dr. Jiminez says that, based on Sally's progress, he will probably get a little more aggressive on the stones remaining in the kidney.  We're all hoping the next step could be as early as later this month.  As previously mentioned. he will consider "blasting" these stones using sound waves.  It might take more than one procedure to get them all.

Sally's just thrilled to have the drain bag removed so there's no more emptying of that or wearing it strapped to her leg.

Right now, she's resting with her feet raised.  She's having more swelling in her legs, ankles and feet than we would like.

Monday 1/5/2009 10:47 AM

Stone removal success!  Dr. Jiminez came out a few minutes ago to let us know that everything went well!  Her ureter had actually dilated a lot so he was able to get his endoscopic camera way up and check.  He removed stone debris from the ureter (the stones may have passed already on their own). and placed a stent in the ureter that runs from the kidney all the way down to the bladder.

He's thrilled with her progress.  He feels that he might be able to move up the timetable for "blasting" those stones that remain in the kidney possibly to do that yet this month.  This should be a brief procedure again done on an outpatient basis.

He also says Sally needs to drink more water.

We're waiting now for Sally to recover in the post-op area, then we'll be making plans to head back to Arab.  Yea!

Report from Arab, AL 1 4 2009

I'm back in Alabama with Sally.  We're getting ready for the big event in the morning to remove those three kidney stones in her right ureter!  Then, we're hoping the flow will resume and the nephrostomy tube may be removed in a couple of weeks.

Her heart and her bed sore are mending well.  She's getting stronger.  We had a little outing this morning to the landfill, post office, cemetery, and Wal-mart.  She did well.

Her blood glucose is averaging 177 so that's good.  Still hasn't learned to self-administer the insulin shots, but we're discussing this.

Pray for our big day tomorrow.  We're hoping that the procedure will be almost outpatient in nature.  Even though she will undergo general anesthesia, we're hoping for her to go home tomorrow.

More later.