Done Since 2021-04-04

[mdlbear]

Another bad week.

Colleen has been in one hospital (Whidbey General) or another (Swedish First Hill in Seattle) all week. We'd asked that she be transfered to one of the UW hospitals, but Swedish came through with a bed first. She seems to be doing better, in any case, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions.

Colleen was transfered late Wednesday night; I drove down to Seattle on Thursday to stay with N and her family. (I spent last night back on Whidbey, in part to take delivery of the new (Pixel 3)phone that I ordered Wednesday after breaking my old one again (described in State of the FlowerCat (part 4)). (You can hit the colleen tag instead of the direct link if you want to leave the medical details under the cut.)

Other than that, not much has been happening.

Notes & links:

0404Su Easter, end of Passover (at nightfall)  * litter boxen
  & Awake 12:30; S=2:48; back to bed 2:50
  * up 7am; BP=121/69, P=67, S=6:02; morning pages, shower
    % heat for back.  Finished (2)morning pages, coffee @ 7:39.
    * writing (embedded in morning pages) -Haiku-_senryū_ (senryuu, senry\=u)
  * 10:30to hospital, N driving.
  / getting into chair as I arrived ~11am.  (Back to bed 11:43)
  / she had some broth this morning.  TPN this afternoon according to Dr. Rangel when she
    came in this morning.  Took vaginal swab, ordered vaginal ultrasound.  Blood in urine
    and vagina; worried about fistula.  Scared; sick and tired of being sick and tired.
  / the scan will be difficult because of positioning; they're borrowing a bed from OB

0405Mo
  * up 7:48; BP=122/70, P=62, S=8:32; exercises(15min), (8:30ish)morning pages(now 9:04)
  / 11:30ish call hospital -> CAT scan today; pathology report on EGD won't be back until
    Thursday.  S should go home with G tonight, since we're unlikely to know what's up
    until then.  -> Callback from Dr. Rangel; she took my request for transfer to UW if
    necessary for surgery.  The CAT is to see if anything is leaking from her bowels and
    where (i.e. where the fistula(s?) is/are).  -> Arrive hosptal ~12:45
  / contrast - iodine in water.  I'll have to keep after her for drinking it.
  / ~2:50 scan. -> 3:12 faster than I expected.  Got a good scan, so we'll see.
  / PT - didn't want to sit in the chair, which is uncomfortable, but did walk.
  : N going home today.  Good conversation.
    -> don't make either kid executor of my will.  Too much of a burden when grieving.
  : received jury summons.  Return form by 4/12 (10 days minus mail delay)
  / called me 9:15ish; very upset and thinking I'd gotten results from the CAT scan.
    I had to repeat myself several different ways before she gave up.
  * Sherman suspend fixed by reinstalling Nvidia display driver.  Weird.

0406Tu
  * up 6am; S=5:55, BP=12173, P=65; morning pages 6:50..7:30 -> 8am sit down with b'fast
    # so morning pages takes ~40 minutes, for ~450  words (30 lines * 5 words * 3) and
      it's really a good deal less.  Nominal for letter-size pages is said to be 750, and
      there's even an app called '750 Words' or something like that.  Whatever.
  * 15min:  sort the rest of the tax stuff; should be easy to enter later.
  * bring Colleen a new set of  * movies and  * flowers  -> Take headphones home.
  : I put on _Release the Cello_; quite a lot of interest
  / she has a fistula; Dr. Niba Nchotu is looking for a place in the UW system for her;
    nothing from pathology yet I don't think.  According to (CNA)Brendon they want to get
    her transferred tonight if possible, but it depends on availability.
    -> turns out Brendon is a fan (anime cons), gamer, and guitar player
  / 2pm still no word from the doctor.  (Surgeon)Dr. Graves dropped by; he'll go ask.
    Fistula between small intestine and bladder. (ugh)  -> Dr. Nchotu is at lunch atm
    -> She's watching movies now; loud and distracting.
    -> trying to find a hospital that will take her.  Nerve-wracking.  4:37 6:05
    -> 6:40ish Dr. Nchotu came by just as I was getting ready to leave.  All of the other
       hospitals he called said that UW was the only place that could handle her.  So
       she'll be going to one of the three UW hospitals probably tomorrow.
  * Take out garbage

0407We
  & Awake 4am; S=4:17; morning pages (1 page)
  * print med list  * finish last page of colonoscopy paperwork
  * up 8:05; S=6:46,
  * leave 9:35 for...
  * 10:15 colonoscopy consult (30m early for 10:45 appointment)
    -> weight 199 fully-dressed.  Skipping lunch would do that, of course
    / Colleen is very stable, no sign of infection (WTF?); kidney function has actually
      improved; to UW in a couple of days when a bed opens up.
  * over to the hospital to spend the afternoon with C
    * decided to bring her her tablet and teach her how to use YouTube, rather than her
      stupid player.  That was, arguably, a mistake, but it's what she wanted for b'day
  / 2:33 she's getting PT after missing a day)
  / pathology: benign.  So that's one thing we don't have to worry about
  / She'll be transfering to Swedish First Hill in Seattle sometime later today.
    Accepting physician Dr. Rahman.  | 45min via the E bus and either the 12 or walking
    she says the food's better than it is at UW (of course she's NPO right now)
  * pick up S's scrip and my bowel prep kit at RiteAid on the way back
  * install One Bus Away on phone
  % 10pm having real trouble packing.  Or even thinking about packing.
  : I put a suitcase on the bed and Ticia plopped herself down and curled up on it,
    presumably to keep me from going anywhere.


0415Th
  * up 7:30ish; S=8:26; packing
  * Colleen's phone goes to voice mail.  Swedish First Hill 206-386-6000  -> rm 1062
  -> (nurse)Haley will call when they get more info.  She got in ~4am, which
     explains why she didn't call and why her phone didn't get charged.  Will call me back
     after surgery and gastro teams have had a look. -> never did
  * jury questionaire: https://eresponse.islandcountywa.gov/
  * sign up for Lyft
  * drive down: 12:30 ferry
  * left Rest Stop ~3ish(??) trying to get to a garage that was supposed to have chargers.
    Couldn't find any any.  They're on the 4th floor, apparently.  Also the garage (at
    Madison and Summit) has no direct connection to the main entrance; longish walk (where
    I got lost again).  GPS on the phone simply worthless.  It sort of worked sitting by
    the window, but promptly fell out when I opened the window in the parking garage.  :P
    Now not reading fingerprint (WTF?), and has another broken area on the screen.
  / TPN this evening; when she got in they said she was undernourished and dehydrated.
    Has not been out of bed; I suggested that they do that.
    -> crying when I left.
  & ordered Pixel-3 phone mainly based on Saturday delivery

0408Fr
  & awake 4ish; neti; not clear that I ever got back to sleep afterwards
  * up 6ish; no sleep data because old CPAP
  * bundle update in ssavitzky.github.io to fix dependabot notification
  * 9am wear mask in RS in the morning because housekeeper
  * leave 9:30, arrive room ~10:20;
  / 10:47 returning to room after EGD.  Urine looks normal; clear liquid diet.
  * some work on $writing-project
  : Chargepoint is probably going to charge me another $3/hour for the time Molly is
    sitting connected but not charging.  Worth it for the convenience.  -> They did.
  * Left the hospital room 4pm, arrived RS 4:50
  @ The Healing Power of JavaScript | WIRED
  : 7:15pm News from Colleen -- it's looking like she won't need surgery after all.  The
    stomach blockage turns out to have been a peptic ulcer, which is being cleared up with
    antibiotics; the fistula also appears to have resolved.  They've started her on a
    patch that (supposedly) takes care of the diarrhea.  And they're looking at a couple
    of new drugs for Crohn's.  She's starting on solid food tomorrow, which will also make
    her a lot happier.  She may be home in a week or so!
    -> message relayed to the kids, V, S, and the Seattle part of the household.
    @ Peptic ulcer disease

0410Sa
  * up 7am; ;
    % back pain -> naproxen ~7:30
  %  got a sliver of glass in my thumb from the damned phone; fortunately it seems to have
     been scraped out now.
  : tripped a breaker somewhere when I turned on the microwave; can't find it.  Apparently
    the GFCI outlet is broken  -> G will go out and get a new one at Home Despot
  @ Saviour or scientific hubris? Geoengineering the planet to counter climate change 
  * dirty laundry and drugs to Molly Sat. am
  / things seem rather less good than when I left last night.  She had a round of diarrhea
    last night, there seems to be internal bleeding, and the fistula is still there.
  / 11:20 asked for update, asked for PT.  -> Dr. will come in or at least call
    -> (2:15) Dr. Hansen: All they're treating is the ulcer; they're leaving the fistula
       and Crohn's to a GI specialist and colorectal surgery team.  But he said she could
       be ready to go home as early as tomorrow, which is insane given that we don't know
       whether she can eat solid food and hasn't had PT.
    -> orders in for PT (WHICH JUST WENT IN TODAY DESPITE MY MENTIONING IT EVERY DAMNED
       DAY SINCE SHE GOT HERE); full liquid diet.  Her case manager came in and asked
       discharge-related questions.
    -> told them I'd be back between 1 and 2 tomorrow
    -> told Colleen not to sign anything until I get there.
  * leave ~3:30 for...
  * 4:30 Meet E at Saffron Grill
  * move C's ID stuff to safe, keys from safe back to purse;
  * laundry.  Mending, darnit (sic)
  @ The Racial Dynamics Between American Women Are Flipped in a Disorienting Photo
    Series
  % naproxen 10:30ish

Comments

[ellenmillion]

Still sending lots of love and healthy thoughts for Colleen.

[jcfiala]

Good luck!