Done Since 2021-05-02

[mdlbear]

It has not been a good week.

It started out okay; the plan was for Colleen to come home from rehab on Wednesday or Thursday -- there was a care conference scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. I moved my base of operations back up to Whidbey. Several missing items turned up in unexpected places. (Sunday I found my clipboard, which had the tax information I hadn't entered yet: it proved to be underneath Colleen's, in the top drawer of her nightstand. Wednesday I found Colleen's passport card, which had been missing for months, in my backpack -- it had apparently fallen out of or off of her wallet or a clipboard at some point.)

Tuesday at the care conference we decided to discharge Colleen on Wednesday, and I started taking things home. But, also on Tuesday, her health started to go downhill: low Potassium, high white cell count and creatinine... By Wednesday her lab results were still bad if not worse, and an RN from Prestige called in the morning to say that they wanted to keep her "another couple of days". [I'll put details in the next "State of the FlowerCat" post.] Thursday her discharge date was moved to Friday, but she wasn't actually getting better.

Friday at another care conference it became obvious that her condition was bad enough that she ought to be transferred to a hospital, and she went down to UW's main hospital in a cabulance. Prestige (the rehab place) covered the cost, which was unexpected. There wasn't any point in going down to UW, since we knew that visitors weren't permitted in the ER, so I spent the rest of the afternoon down at N's.

Yesterday morning Colleen called from the hospital to tell me that no visitors were permitted in the room, either, and to tell me what they'd found so far, including indications that at least some of her problems were caused by things that happened at Prestige. [There will be a more detailed rant in the State of the FlowerCat post.] I finished doing my taxes (which is worth a whole nother rant -- maybe later). I drove down and dropped off her Mother's Day present from E, a Cheshire Cat plushy from Build-a-Bear.

I got an update from her nurse 5ish; fortunately I was on the ferry to Whidbey at the time. I called Colleen and she seemed impressed with the care she was getting, compared with Swedish and especially compared with Prestige. She will not be going back to Prestige, and I will not be using H&R Block's website for my taxes. Probably not the desktop app, either.

When I called this morning she was pretty miserable, between wanting to be home for Mother's Day, and an IV in the back of her left (dominant) hand.

There are medical details in the notes, so you may want to skip them this week.

Notes & links:

0502Su
  & Awake 3:10; back to bed 5am
  * up 7ish; S=6:15;
    % I think I like having my weighted blanket back, though it does make it harder to get
      out of bed, and might be causing some muscle pains in the process.
  * I finally appear to have untangled the clump of matted fur on Ticia's back.
  * bring down a pack of paper pads, and a cloth pad for the scooter; tweezers
  * Stop at Jack-in-the-box and get 2 * chicken nuggets, choc. shake  
  & order pixel phone stand -- B+H had it for half price.  Full price wouldn't be worth it
  @ Defenseless | University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science
      I See Dead μops: Leaking Secrets via Intel/AMDMicro-Op Caches Return of Spectre
  % 5:45 back pain (lower center or a little left) -> heat.  * Meloxicam at bedtime
  @ GitHub - bdesham/the-hacker-crackdown: An ebook of “The Hacker Crackdown: Law and
    Disorder on the Electronic Frontier” by Bruce Sterling
  % meloxicam ~10:30pm

0503Mo
  * awake 5ish; ;
  @ Snohomish Health District
    "  With Governor Inslee and the Washington State Department of Health scheduled to
       release county-level data according to the Roadmap to Recovery metrics next
       Tuesday, recent trends all but guarantee Snohomish County will move back to Phase 2
       effective Saturday, May 8. The next review will be on May 25. "
  @ Reaching ‘Herd Immunity’ Is Unlikely in the U.S., Experts Now Believe - NYT 
  * move luggage from lair to Molly so that c can have it back
  / C's phone.  Can't update visual voicemail.  Damned if I know how to fix it.
  / C had voicemail from SWAH 425-471-6582 no idea when
  / weight 190
  % feeling very tired and rather down.  If not actually depressed.  Something in there
  * left ~4pm.  caught the 5pm boat
  % meloxicam 7:15pm

0504Tu Star Wars Day
  * up 6:20; S=6:53, BP=133/80, P=62;
    % heat for back pain
  : for some reason I don't seem to have pushed from Raven this morning
  * finished The Hacker Crackdown (using a local copy of the html version) should review
  / 2:10 she wull be gwetting IV fluids for potassium
  * 2:20 Video appointment sleep center.  App called VSee.  setup 2:15. chrome on sable.
    actually, the phone app is a better bet given the flaky internet here.
    -> even the phone connection was flaky.  Crummy app.  But it worked.  Had to explain
       about the alternate machine but even without those points compliance was 88%
  / urine sample, therefore catheter change (0504)
  @ as of January 2021, AT&T Visual Voicemail will sync with Google Pixel phones in the
    native dialer under the Voicemail tab! ... one more thing: as of right you need to
    be on the Google Phone beta app to get it. 
  * 3pm care conference to discuss discharge _Wed_ or -Thurs-
  @ Inslee declares 2-week pause on state reopening plan | goskagit.com
  : heading north ~4pm.  Sun not too bad this time.

0505We Cinco de Mayo
  & awake 4ish
  * up 7ish; S=5:37
  @ "https://apnews.com/article/brood-x-cicadas-emerging-c8b67952ac321c8bbbfb62af48efebf0"
    >Nature at its craziest: Trillions of cicadas about to emerge
    " It’s one of nature’s weirdest events, featuring sex, a race against death, evolution
      and what can sound like a bad science fiction movie soundtrack. "
  / call from Cece (don't know title; social work?) saying they want to keep Colleen for
    "a few more days" until her urine output improves and her potassium level comes up.
    -> so not coming home today.
  / was vomiting this am; complains that "tummy hurts" and does not want to eat. 
    % worried
  % WTAF?  No idea what Colleen's passport card, which I've been looking for for months,
    was doing in _my_ backpack (in the compartment originally meant for a tablet).  WHEW!
    -> presumably fell out of her wallet, or off a clipboard on a previous renewal attempt
  / putting in a mid-line (like a PICC only shorter)
    % figured it was a good time to leave (confirmed with her)
    -> 6:15 called; confirmed that the line was installed okay.
  * buy:  transfer mat - most forms of bath mat or welcome mat would work.  Freddy's? Ace
  * take Colleen's passport card out of wallet; attach to clipboard.
  @ Apple AirTags only partly stop stalking - WaPo hardly at all, really

0506Th
  & Awake 4ish; back to bed 5:30ish; didn't really get to sleep
  * up 7:15; S=6:40;
  / still having some nausea "if I eat too much" which sounds like the obstruction is
    worse.  Very little urine output, brownish; possibly return of the fistula
    -> someone from dietary services. 
    <- who should we contact?  GI(Hecker? Harper??) Urologist? Juaire? Dixon?
       maybe we should start with Dixon; coordinating care is supposedly? up to him
    -> Stephanie (social services) may need another week of IV antibiotic.
       plan is to discharge tomorrow 1pm; continue with oral antibiotics
       appointment set up with Dr. Dixon on the 11th  <- time?
    -> humira et.al, prednisone are not incompatible with COVID vaccine.
  : eval `snippets | grep 'm ()'` # run less starting at dgrep hit
  : someone from Westport or Stamford CT called and wants a callback.  See tomorrow am
  / C called to say that she'd eaten protein for dinner (Salisbury steak)
  * */1    CPAP:  change nosepiece, change paper filter, wash tub

0507Fr
  & Awake 4:15;  Tried to get back to sleep 5:45ish; failed
  * up 6:30; S=5:47, BP=132/76, P=60;
  * call back Matt Garnett 203-635-5418 - business hours in CT -> Raymond James
    -> had called to say that John Simpson Jr had died of a heart attack (which I had
       heard from Al), and introduce himself to the clients.
    -> Monica answered; I expressed my condolences.
  / 1pm expected discharge from Prestige
    -> white count up, creatinine up, K down.  Vomiting.  brown urine
    -> spoke with (RN)Cece; Colleen and I think that she'd be better off in a hospital
    -> doctor was apparently here earlier to talk about treatment plan; asked to see her.
    -> 1:15 or so.  Dr. Yu.  The three of us concluded that she'll be better off in a
       hospital, but they can't do a direct admission; she'll have to go to ER
    -> Dr. Pao (associated with Swedish, down the street)  Will call Dr. Harper (Everett)
    -> At this point it's not clear WTF is the right thing.
    -> (dietician)Cindy.  Ensure.
    -> Harper referred her to UW (don't know if it was an actual referral or just a rec)
    -> Robyn (social services?) will arrange a cabulance ride to whatever ER she needs;
       Prestige will cover the cost.  Dr. Hecker's nurse recommended it; she's getting a
       referral to Dr. Harper at UW. (via Dr. Yu)
    -> UW Medical Center Montlake:  206.598.3300 main Hospital, 1959 NE Pacific St., 98195
    & down at Rest Stop.
    -> called UW 5:50; she's still in the waiting room.  Did we do the right thing?
    -> called UW 7:45; she's in the ER and they're waiting for test results.
    -> 8:47 Colleen called -- she's been admitted.  As of maybe an hour ago??
  * home ~10:50pm -- G drove up with me because N worries.
  * current pair of pants needs handkerchief

0508Sa
  * up 5:35; S=5:32;
    % naproxen, heat
  * 8:20 Colleen called -> NO VISITORS.  Which sucks.  We will use zoom.
  * leave Whidbey ~10am -> more like 10:30 because I was finishing my taxes
    ->  Block held me up for an additional $60 for an upgrade because of my Sch. C
        probably going to dump them.  They didn't make use of the last year's form, either,
        _or_ let you view it, and in particular not the AGI.  WTF?
  $ Taxes:  * dg HS?X | grep 2020  # from log # Schedule C sales data
              income/inventory:  3 comp'ed CDs.  $21 from CD Baby. Don't count rent etc.
              see Tax/2020/sched-C.txt
            ~ check AMEX  * the rest of the 1099s
  * take Colleen her cheshire cat -> leave at front desk    rm 4342 (4 Southeast)
    mission accomplished (with no traffic mishaps, unlike some previous visits to UW)
  ! feeling kind of... washed out?  post-stress?  -> But I actually got everything done
    ... and was able to remind myself of that fact. (for sufficiently small values of
    $every -- still have $writing-project and music practicing)
  % left elbow hurting, no doubt from typing/scrolling position
  ~ 5ish call Prestige to cancel bed hold
  / nurse called with status report (while I was on the ferry, fortunately).
    Apparentlu when the nurse at Prestige changed the catheter to get a urine sample, they
    pushed it through the (partly healed?)  fistula and into the wall of her intestine --
    that's what caused the brown urine.  They're waiting for results from contrast MRI
    (CAT??); that will tell them where the catheter is situated.  Tomorrow they'll start
    pulling it out, slowly.  Meanwhile they're giving her IV fluids, replacing
    electrolytes and treating the infection with IV antibiotics.  Colleen is happy with
    the surgical team; they met with her earlier today.  She'll get PT and OT tomorrow.
  % meloxicam 8:50pm
  % 10ish very sleepy
  % 11ish I should write a "state of the flowercat" post, but I'm basically non-functional
    -> do it tomorrow
  * 11:20 call Prestige to cancel bed hold

Comments

[ellenmillion]

Sending lots of love.

[archangelbeth]

Holy carp! Prestige BETTER be covering a LOT of the costs, because that's pretty bad. I hope everything heals up well now that they know what the heck was wrong!!

[patoadam]

Hope Colleen recovers quickly from the latest setback.

[cornerofmadness]

I'm very sorry to hear this

[jcfiala]

I hope Colleen recovers quickly.

[madfilkentist]

Hoping for better news soon.

The H&R Block app is the least of the evils I've found. Which is unfortunate, since ISTR they lobby to keep the income tax complicated.

[mdlbear]

Thanks.

As far as I know, all of the tax software companies lobby for complexity. Not surprising; they're protecting their business model.