Dr. Ryan is back

On Tuesday, Mom had her first follow-up visit with Dr. Ryan after his return from vacation.  The appointment was to check the fistula and see how she was doing in general.  She had a nice visit with him.  He was pleased with her progress, despite the minor set back of the leak.

He advised her to be patient for the healing to occur.  Her dosage for the thyroid has been increased again.  Hopefully this will aid in her healing process as well.

She can begin physical therapy when she feels ready.  She will resume with the P.T.'s at Synergy and we will continue to go down to UCSF for bi-weekly check-ups with Dr. Ryan.

Dr. Ryan and Mom, Tuesday 9/13

Today, she is playing bridge at Mrs. Kerr's house here in Napa.  This is the second time this week she has gone "out" for bridge.  Today is her Thursday group.  It's just wonderful that Mom is well enough to do this again!!

Last weekend, she began working on her pins for upcoming holidays.  Halloween is next - so we can expect pumpkin pins!!

Making pumpkin pins and watching Nascar

Another thing Mom is getting good at is talking on the telephone.  She is able to initiate outgoing calls utilizing her computer and a speaker phone.  She is becoming quite adept at using a program called Etriloquist.  It is a text to speech program that translates words she types into the computer - to speech.

So if you get a call ..... the voice may not sound like Mom .... but she will identify herself by saying "Hi, this is Mary!"

Sisters!

Over the holiday weekend, Mom and two of her sisters went out for a relaxing pedicure.

Sr. Anne, Jean and Mom

She had another visit with Dr. Wang on Tuesday to check the fistula.  He observed that it continues to slowly heal.  We go back next Tuesday to see Dr. Ryan.   He is returning from a two months vacation!  She is looking forward to seeing him and having him see how well she has recovered from the surgery.  I know he will be very proud of her!

Enjoying the Labor Day Weekend

Mom has been enjoying the holiday weekend so far.  She took a nice long walk ALL the way around Seneca!  Also, she has been catching up on potting some plants.  She has such a green thumb, she can take a slip from anything and turn it into a thriving plant.  We have all been the fortunate recipients of her talents.

Out for a walk around the block

Potting plants

I am reporting to you remotely from Truckee.  Tim and I are spending some time at the cabin this week for a much needed rest - (thank you Margaret for covering for me!).  We come up here every summer, and each summer Mom joins us on our vacation.  We miss her very, very much!  We expect she will be with us next summer!!  Here are some fun pictures from previous trips

Mending - she always has EVERYTHING we need!

Chillin on the deck

Relaxing and reading

Keeping things neat and tidy

Target practice - is she awesome, or what?

Over the years, we have had so much fun - listening to all her stories, learning the right way to respect the cabin and just how to have a great time and enjoy ourselves - THANK YOU MOM - WE MISS YOU THIS YEAR - BUT NEXT YEAR WILL BE GREAT HAVING YOU BACK WITH US.

Have a safe holiday everyone!

Pattie

Friends

Mom's bridge group has been absolutely wonderful to her.  They have been coming once a week to play a few hands of bridge for the past several weeks.  Elaine Waechtler, Joyce Brown, Verna Kerr, Hilde Schrette, and Lore Duser - thank you ladies!!!!  Mom eagerly looks forward to your visits each week and is hoping to join you next month in playing at the usual gathering.

Mom, Hilde, Lore and Verna

On Monday we met with Dr. Healey here in Napa.  This is our local ENT.  The doctors at UCSF wanted Mom to "check in" with them so they were "up-to-speed" with her current status.  Dr. Healey had just moved into her beautiful new offices!

We saw Dr. Wang yesterday, he checked the fistula and reviewed her labwork.  He had decided not to do the Swallow Test just yet.  The leak is slowly getting better and we will continue to care for this at home and return to the clinic to be checked weekly.

Her labs showed an elevated Thyroid, so they have adjusted her medications accordingly.  Dr. Ryan removed a portion of her Thyroid gland during the Laryngectomy.  The Synthroid medication will need to be monitored in the future to be sure this hormone is in balance.  Having it at the proper level will aid in her bodies' ability to heal.

Tomorrow, we check in with her PCP, Dr. Jewell.

We are all looking forward to the Labor Day Weekend.  Sr. Anne will be home in Napa for a needed rest and visit with family.  Mom always looks forward to her visits.

Shopping!

Mom has been doing very well the last week or so, despite the reappearance of the leak she had back in the hospital. 

Today she and Margaret did some shopping!  Here are a few pictures from their excursion.



You gotta love Kohl's discounts!



Another white top - Mom, lets go for some color!

Stripes, now there's some jazz!!!

How she loves to shop - just what she needs ..... more clothes!!

We made an unscheduled trip to San Francisco on Thursday due to some fluids escaping from her incision.  Dr. Burke troubleshooted this to be saliva leaking through a fistula somewhere along her esophagus.  We go back on Tuesday for a Barium Swallow Test.  This will define exactly where the leak is and just how big it is.  They will develop their plan of attack for the leak after reviewing the results from the test.

Have a great weekend everyone!

San Francisco Outings

Mom achieved a very important goal on Sunday - she attended the celebration for Sr. Anne at St. Mary's in San Francisco!  It was a wonderful event and we were all so very, very proud of Sr. Anne.  After the service we went over to St. Rose Convent for a reception, honoring Sr. Anne.  There were so many people at the party and all were amazed to see Mom and how well she is doing.  She enjoyed visiting with all the family, friends and religious.

Mom and her three sisters
Marge, Sr. Anne, Mom and Jean

On Monday we were back in the City for an appointment with Dr. Wang.  He removed the drain from the surgery site and also the salivary bypass tube.  Mom was such a trooper!  It was an unpleasant procedure having the tube taken out through her mouth, but as we would expect - she handled it with incredible toughness.  I think the doctor was surprised at how tough she actually is!

She is scheduled to have a Barium Swallow Test on August 30th, and then meet with the speech pathologist and Dr. Wang immediately following.  This test will show whether or not she is ready to begin taking liquids orally.  Let's keep our fingers crossed for that one!

We also got to see a few of our friends, the residents that took care of Mom daily at Mr. Zion.  Dr. Burke, Dr. Cheng and Dr. Pross were all at the clinic while we were there.  It was nice to see them again, and for Mom to show them how well she is doing.  I think she could truly be their "laryngectomy poster child"!

Today, we will be going back down to San Francisco to meet with Dr. Nakakura, a Gastrointestinal doctor.  He will check Mom's feeding tube to be sure all is well in that area.  This should be a quick, routine check and we will be on our way back to Napa.  Mom is handling these trips back and forth to San Francisco really well.

I will post again soon when we have more updates.

Hearing has improved!

Mom saw the Joel Duguay today at Microtone to have her hearing aids adjusted.  It was a success!!  It was actually quite impressive to see how it was done.  Since Mom has digital aids, he was able to connect them to his computer while they were in her ears.  He loaded his special program, displayed it onto a huge flat screen tv and slowly, methodically tweaked the decibel level input for each ear to a level which was most comfortable to Mom.

When we left - Mom could hear!!!  Yay!!!!

She gets stronger and stronger everyday, using the cane only when she is outdoors.  She just came in from picking roses in the backyard.  She cut a huge bouquet to arrange for the house.  I am sure many will be given out to visitors  :)

Tomorrow morning, we expect a visit from Msgr Joe of St. Apollinaris.  Later in the afternoon, her bridge group will be by to play a few hands of cards. 

It's wonderful to see her socializing again!

Home > Hardister's > Home > Yeske's > Home

Mom's best physical therapy has been walking.  Each day, she goes out front for a walk along the sidewalk.  First, down to the Hardister's house and back to home.  Then she goes in the other direction, down to the Yeske's and finally back home.  In the beginning she was very cautious, but now she walks standing tall with confidence.  We just returned from the afternoon walk. 

She had a nice visit from her friend Hildie Schrette earlier, who brought her some goodies from Napa's Relay For Life, which was held last weekend.  Mom usually attends this event but just wasn't strong enough to go this year.  Next year, for sure we will be there!

This past week was busy, but productive for Mom.  Next week, she only has one appointment - with Microtone for a hearing aid adjustment - let's hope they can get them working so she can hear better!

Have a great weekend!

Pattie

Today was a very, very busy day for Mom.  It began by awaking at 5:00 am - an early rise was needed to be ready for a 6:30 am departure to San Francisco!  Tim and I loaded the car up with all her special medical equipment and got on the road to UCSF.

The first stop was for an audiology appointment with Dr. Cramer at 8:30 am.  He performed several hearing tests on Mom, which indicated her recent hearing loss is most likely related to fluid and swelling caused from the surgery.

Next stop was to deliver a very well deserved gift of See's candy to the men and women of 5 North.  It was a busy morning up there, but we were able to sneak a quick chat with Sann.  Thank you again ladies and gentlemen - we love you for all the wonderful care you gave to Mom!

The final stop was for a 10:45 appointment with Dr. Wang.  He is covering for Dr. Ryan while he is on vacation.  We were running early - but that gave us a chance to have a lovely visit with Zsa Zsa, one of the practice assistants that has adopted herself into our family.  Zsa Zsa was the SUPERWOMAN that orchestrated all of Mom's appointments, biopsy and surgery at UCSF.  She is delightful and just loves Mom.

Mom and Zsa Zsa Jones

We had a nice surprise while at the Head and Neck clinic today - Dr. Seth Pross popped his head into the exam room while we were waiting!  Dr. Pross was one of the four outstanding residents that made their rounds daily at Mt. Zion.  This group of young doctors were totally inspiring, with their bright smiles and encouraging support they gave Mom each and everyday.

Mom with Dr. Pross

The visit with Dr. Wang was spent mostly discussing the fistula  that occurred while in the hospital.  When she was discharged, she went home with one drain remaining in the surgical area to remove the excess fluid leaking at the site of the fistula.  Since the drain is still capturing fluid, Dr. Wang felt it prudent to leave the drain and the salivary bypass tube in place for a couple more weeks.  We will return on August 15th to have this checked again.  He did concur with the audiologist that the hearing loss is due to fluid and will improve - hopefully soon!

The trip home was uneventful.  Thanks to a borrowed inverter from Tom, Mom had a breathing treatment while cruising along 101 North.  Once home, the afternoon was spent resting.

She is looking forward to a game of bridge tomorrow morning with a group of friends!  Later in the afternoon she will check in with her cardiologist, Dr. Sergio Manubens.

A big THANK YOU to Tim for taking the time out of his busy schedule to help Mom and I get to and from the City!

Walking, walking, walking .....

Mom has been doing really great the last few days since my last post.  Each day is a similar routine from the previous day.

It's all about healing and getting stronger.  The incision area from the surgery has healed wonderfully.  The PEG tube is holding nutrition really well, which means we are getting lots of calories into her - to help with the healing and strength building.

Walking is the best for her, which we encourage her to do frequently.  Today is a breezy but sunny day here in Napa.  Look - no walker, just a cane!

Mom and Tom walking down Beckworth Drive

Visitors are welcome!  During this phase, until she can be more independently mobile - her days are spent quietly at home.  It brightens her day to have company - so please don't hesitate to stop in for a quick visit.

Enjoying her front yard

Sitting on the front porch, supervising the watering of her yard ....

Getting Stronger Everyday

Mom has settled into her home wonderfully.  It's so great for her to be in her own environment, surrounded by her own things.

One of the goals following surgery is to build her strength back up.  Physical therapy began yesterday with visits from St. Joseph's Home Health Care.  She will work with both physical and occupational therapists at home until she is ready for outpatient care. 

The best kind of therapy is her garden!  Tom comes over multiple times everyday and has been absolutely terrific at getting her to walk, walk, walk.  He patiently takes her around the yard, even walking up and down the street to check out what is going on in the neighborhood.

Mom and Tom in the yard

Next week, we will begin our visits with her physicians.  Monday we go to her primary care doctor, Dr. Jewell.  Tuesday we go to San Francisco and meet with an audiologist and Dr. Wang, the ENT covering for Dr. Ryan while he is on vacation.  On Wednesday, we check in with Dr. Manubens - her cardiologist.  We also have an appointment in a couple of weeks with the local ENT, Dr. Healy.

In between all of this, St. Joseph's Home Health Care will be providing visits from physical & occupational therapists as well as biweekly visits from their nursing staff.

She really has enjoyed the visits from her family and friends. I would encourage anyone locally to feel free to stop in for a visit!

There's no place like home!

Words cannot describe how wonderful it felt today to take Mom home to Napa!!



Mom with Dr. Cheng, reviewing discharge instructions

 Dr. Cheng was one of the many wonderful Resident Doctors at Mt. Zion that oversaw Mom's daily care.  She, along with Dr. Burke, Dr. Pross and Dr. Sidel were absolutely the kindest, most attentive physicians a patient could ever ask for.  We all appreciated their diligence in seeing that Mom received the very best of care.



Mom and Jamie - one of the excellent nurses on 5 North

 Mom had many, many outstanding nurses during her stay on 5 North, as well as in ICU.  Today, Jamie was on duty for her discharge.  These men and women became like family to us over the course of 24 or so days at Mr. Zion.  Thank you, thank you, thank you - you all are exceptional caregivers and we will never, ever forget you!!

Mom and her surgeon - Dr. William Ryan, MD

Without a doubt - Dr. Ryan - has become a very, very special friend to Mom.  She has always been able to bond with her physicians and Dr. Ryan has definitely become one of her all-time favorites.  This man, on his own time while on vacation - continued to visit Mom in the hospital following her surgery.  He stopped in today before she was discharged to give her those special added words of encouragement.  Thank you Dr. Ryan - we all wish you and your bride-to-be many, many years of happiness!

She is FINALLY home!

Now this is napping!!



Tentative Discharge Has Been Scheduled!!! Hooray!!!!

Tomorrow, Thursday July 21st, just might be the day Mom gets to go home!  All is looking good as of this posting.  The doctors are all pleased with how her week has gone and feel she is ready to leave the hospital.

The feeding tube problems are not completely resolved but they have improved.  If it needs additional attention, we can deal with that as an "out-patient".

When we are discharged, we hope to walk (or roll in a wheelchair) across the street and meet with an audiologist.  After that - we will be heading to Napa - hooray!!!

Tell me - does she look comfortable to you?


Taking a nap around this place can be challenging



SKYPE

Yesterday, Mom was able to visit with her sister Marge via SKYPE.  For anyone that has access to the Internet and has a webcam - this will be the perfect way to communicate with Mom when she returns home.

She spent about 45 minutes on the video call with Marge - she really enjoyed it!!  With ear buds she can hear the sound and watch video through the computer.  It's such a wonderful way to stay in touch with her family and friends.  I would encourage all of you to consider this as a tool to visit with Mom remotely.

Mom visiting with Marge via Skype (Monday 7/18)

We are all brainstorming on finding the best communication solutions for Mom.  The biggest challenge we will have is the telephone.  There are systems in place for the speech impaired, however we would like to try and find something better!  If anyone has ideas - please feel free to email them to me:  pattie.hbs@gmail.com

On the topic of her recovery ..... things are moving along.  We are anticipating discharge at the end of the week.  They are still watching that darn feeding tube.  She seems to be absorbing more and more of the nutrition and we are working towards the transition of care to home.  Margaret and I will be there full-time and we will also have a Home Health nurse stop in to check on things.

Happy Birthday Pattie

Hi Everyone!  Katie here - Grandma's...13th grandchild (?) and Pattie's eldest (for demographic sake).

Anyway,   I've been asked to give Pattie a birthday shout-out from Grandma and her family, so....

Happy Birthday Pattie!  

Thanks for all you've done and are doing!  We love you!

This beautiful bouquet was digitally sent to Mom by Lorene, Mary Ellen's daughter that lives in Virginia.

From Lorene to her grandmother:  "Here is the bouquet of Sunflowers that I wanted to give you! Watching them grow inches a day and bloom through your surgery was very special. Enjoy! I Love you, Lorene"

TGIF

Mom spent this afternoon working with the Occupational Therapist, walking the halls and "chatting" on her wipe off boards.  It's been a good Friday.

Mom working with Kim this afternoon

She did very well today with her walking.  She can manage without the walker, just pushing her IV pole.

Mom and I out for a walk

While making our rounds of the ward, we stopped for this shot in front of a board with photographs of all the nurses on 5 North - her new group of friends!

Margaret, Mom and I with photos of the wonderful nursing staff



This one is for Katie and Sara (heehee)


This evening, Cathy came down for a nice visit and the three of us played a few hands of Pinochle.  Mom and I thought for sure we could beat Cathy - but she had the highest score after a few hands!! (and that was after not having played in 15 years).  Mom was again sharp as a tack, not missing a trick!!

She is now resting, watching one of her favorite TV shows - Blue Bloods

A Real Trooper!

Mom has had consecutive good days this week.  She is walking a lot and awake more hours during the day, though she must be exhausted from all the "busyness" surrounding her.

It appears that her PEG tube situation will be addressed soon.  There continues to be too much leakage and not enough absorption by her stomach.  The likely action will be that the IR doctors will put a jejunostomy tube into her stomach at a different location from her first tube.  They will remove the temporary catheter, put in place this past week, and let that site heal closed.  We are waiting for the IR doctors to examine her to see if their department can do this.  This would be the least "invasive" procedure for her.

We are hoping this will be done sooner than later, as this is what is preventing her from returning to Napa.  I will update this topic as we know more.

Mom is incredible.  She has fought through all of the obstacles with such amazing courage!  Her mind is sharp as a tack and she does not miss anything.  She has adapted to her lack of speech very quickly, fervently writing on boards clearly...... what she is thinking, what she wants and how she feels.  We are developing our own signals and expressions to communicate - at times it is actually quite fun!!  No doubt this is very depressing for her at times, but when needed - she pulls her spirits up and gives us a big smile and clever wink.

Besides the writing boards and signals, she has been Skyping and using Face Time with family.   The Internet is WONDERFUL - as it allows her to stay in touch with so many of you.

Thank you for all the and email messages.  And most especially, thank you for all the loving prayers - keep them coming!

Love,
Pattie

Shopping Day!

Mom has had three good days in a row.  Her feeding tube continues to be an issue, but otherwise she is progressing wonderfully.

After working with an occupational therapist on her abilities to take of her own personal care, I found a wheelchair, loaded her up along with tubes and tubes of IV's and broke her out of 5 North!!!!

We took a ride down the elevator to the main floor.  We maneuvered into the gift shop so she could purchase some gift cards for others.  I think I spooked her a bit, kind of like taking her off road into Lake of the Woods :)

making her purchases at the gift shop

She is now resting comfortably in her bed.