Update on Nicole’s Medication… Forgot Something
Aug 19 2012 in Jane's Blog by Jane
I meant to include this and forgot… I would say since about the first or second week in July Nicole had started showing signs of decline. I saw them with her breathing and especially with her performance at pulmonary rehabilitation. She wears a headband that has a pulse oximeter attached that monitor’s her oxygen saturation levels continuously and if it get below 80 it starts beeping. She had been able to do 20 minutes on the treadmill after starting at two minutes almost a year ago when she first started. I had seen the decline to five minutes on the treadmill.
On Thursday, she had the best day at rehab that she has had in a long time. She was able to do 15 minutes instead of five minutes on one of the pieces of equipment and her saturation levels weren’t quite as low.
I could see that this made Nicole very happy and I was very happy for her. I hope that her performance continues to improve.
Denise said on August 19, 2012
Jane–I just think you are doing awesome keeping up with all the changes and that you are learning.
And, I’m soooo happy for this good news. Please tell Nicole “Congrats” on her good work. It’s wonderful to see that all the hard work pays off. It’s a great motivator!!
Sharon said on August 19, 2012
Jane, my head spins for all that you and Nicole have to do and keep track of. You are a great Mom and caregiver. Also congratulations to Nicole on her good work!
ejourneys said on August 19, 2012
What Denise and Sharon said — what you and Nicole are doing sounds a little like rocket science. No sooner do you get through one learning curve than another one arises for you to master. Especially given the stakes, you really are doing an amazing job with everything.
And in the midst of all that, it’s especially irksome to have to keep calling the ph nurse and ob-gyn! Aargh. As one who has had severe breakthrough bleeding issues in the past, I hope you can get some action out of the ob-gyn. The anemia had thrown me for a loop, and I had been healthy otherwise.
About the symptom notes — I wonder if speaking them into a recorder for later transcribing might help. That way, they’re all collected in one place and the recordings are time/date stamped. What with everything you are dealing with, is there a way to make that task easier?
And Congratulations to Nicole on reaching 15 minutes! That is tremendously encouraging, and it’s a testament to both of you as much as to the therapy itself, if not more.
EllysGdaughter said on August 23, 2012
Hurray for Nicole, which is a reflection on the care you are so wonderfully giving! It’s good to celebrate those little things which are really bigger than we sometimes recognize!! I am sure the medication routine will get easier for you but will pray for Nicole to be able to handle it with accuracy