Monday, 02/10

          What a topsy-turvy life!  Personally, I'm tired of all this dreary winter, tired of transportation challenges, tired of missing yet another appointment for Nich (which throws me out of the program),  tired of illness, tired of waiting - just tired.  A person can know all the platitudes, know principle, have faith, be positive (I have no known negative thoughts, unless 'tired' is negative) - yet feel totally inept, out of control, and brain weary.  Some days I am surprised I know my own name.  I wonder, is feeling overwhelmed negative?

     Moving forward:  Today the phenomenal Ashley, PA, met with Caren and me to discuss pain management.  If you remember earlier posts, the first major pain management hurdle was to remove Caren from all intravenous pain meds, and to control the pain with oral medications.  When this was accomplished, she could be moved to rehab.
     As of yesterday, CAren was receiving pain meds about every two hours, especially after PT.  She was taking Oxy Cont as the long acting pain med.  The next pain management hurdle, and a necessity for home rehab, is to eventually eliminate the meds for break-through pain.  Therefore, the dosage of the Oxy Cont will be increased to give longer lasting pain coverage, the Valium for the muscle spasms of the ribs (can you imagine a charley horse in the ribs X 10?) will continue, and the Xanax will continue as Caren recovers from the concussion.  What will stop will be the Oxy for break-through pain.  Also, blood work shows that Caren is almost totally depleted in Vitamin D.  Vitamin D and calcium will also be added.
     An integral part of this whole pain management procedure is the role the CNA's play in Caren's care for they observe her 24/7 even when family can not be present.  These gifted, compassionate individuals deserve medals of honor for they fight valiantly for their patients and their care.  The CNA is trained to safely bathe, groom, dress and assist patients with their activities of daily living. They are also trained to safely assist with ambulation, transfers, and bed mobility.   We have met many wonderful people who have contributed to Caren's care, get her up and laughing, and treat her with dignity and integrity. I'll attempt to list those CNA's who've impacted our lives: (Folks, please forgive any misspellings or omissions. The negligence wasn't intentional, :-) )  Simone, Paula, Tawally, Tameeka, Nicole, Molly, and other unnamed aides who came to help.   Thank you, and God bless each of you!
     The nurses who come to mind: Amber, Sarah, Sara, Rosemary, and Alyssa. I am unfamiliar with the night nurses.  I'm sure there are others who also deserve recognition, like the lady on the long-term end who brought Caren a tray table from the dining room.  These are wonderful, reliable, and compassionate individuals who I remember at this time, and who I appreciate immensely. Thank you for sharing your gift of love and your talents with Caren.  Abundant blessings to each and every one of you!
     Jehovah-Shalom