3/17 Today's Agenda

First let me say if you call today I may not be able to talk because I have lost my voice due to allergies. Taking Zyrtec and some honey & lemon drops but that doesn't seem to be helping much, I'll have to try Claritin today. The pollen finally got to me.

Next, can you believe that a nurse would actually go in the bathroom with mom and take her blood pressure while she was using the bathroom! Then she wondered why her blood pressure was sky high. Mom has never had trouble with blood pressure for a minute but yesterday the first reading (when the nurse took it in the bathroom) was 200/185, then 215/200. Then she got an old fashioned cuff, 180/??? can't remember. I had her come back a little while later and take it and it was 160/??? can't remember and again later and it was fine. They don't have an explanation, however if your sitting on the "pot" and someone is trying to cuff your leg and the patient is trying to prop up her own leg, I think the explanation is obvious...the nurses IQ is much lower than the patients blood pressure.

Nonetheless, moving forward. Mom's surgery is at 2:30 today. They will remove the existing wound vac then do the skin graph. The graph will be taken from her thigh and placed over the right forearm. Another smaller wound vac will be put in place, this is something she can leave the hospital with when the time comes. It will be on her arm for about 5 more days when she returns for the graph check if everything is taking she will be released to go to Floria with me to start therapy. The Social Workers are going to assist in ordering a bed and other items we will need. They will make sure we have all of her medical records for the Florida doctors and therapist.

It's going to take some time, about 3 months of physical/occupational therapy for sure, but she is a determined strong woman and she will make the best of an aweful situation.

I will post again after the surgery and when she get's settled back in to the room. By then I will have a game plan from Dr. Koester, the orthopedic surgeon.

Have a great day everyone.

love,

Katie