UPDATE ON A FEW ITEMS

BLOOD PRESSURE: Today BP is 106/63. Her mood and alertness is remarkably better than it has been since the weekend when the BP was 96/51 at its lowest. No idea how/why it has increased. I'm making the bold assertion that you can predict how her day will go by noting her BP first thing in the a.m.

NIGHT VISITORS: Every night now, Mom wants to kick Morris out of her bed because he snores so loudly that she can't fall asleep. I think the mouse is gone, but Morris just won't stay quiet long enough for her to get some good shut eye.

ENTERTAINMENT: I added Ken Burns' "The War" to her video library. She is really enjoying it. She loves to watch WWII stories, etc. You enjoy it too as you sit with her!

FOOD: I am making plain vegetable soup, beef vegetabel soup and turkey noodle soup for her to eat and freezing it in small containers. If you can think of anything else that would be good to make to freeze, let me know and I'll make it. Not much else to do!

BEDSORE: Still hanging in there. I am investigating an air mattress and and air pillow that would move (like she had in the hospital). Maybe Medicare will cover. She is still not moving enough to prevent it, I don't think, but this is a hard proposition.

LEG WOUND (Skin Tear): Doing OK. No sign of infection. Still a bit weepy, but it was deep. Conferred with Andy (he is now a full fledged ER Nurse) and he has advised that new treatment thinking on skin tears is to keep them covered and put antiobiotic ointment on them. It should heal faster. We left the covering off yesterday (prior to consult) but will put it on today.

IN/OUT OF BED TECHNIQUE: Put bed flat, and with head lower than feet, when you first put her in bed. Let gravity help you position her so that she is not too far down in the bed and so that the raised head will support her back and not break at her neck. Center her as best you can in the bed. Have her bend her knees and you support neck and back and scooch her up with a "1-2-3" so that she pushes as you pull. Once she is situated, rais the head to comfortable level.

IN/OUT OF CHAIR TECHNIQUE: The "Dance": She puts her hands/arms around your neck and with a "1-2-3" you lift (be very careful to lift with your legs and not put your back out). Take a few seconds to steady her on her feet. Tell her to "straighten your back" and she will. Slowly turn her to position her on the walker seat. This is the most difficult. She will complain a lot because it will confuse her and she will not be able to move very quickly. IT IS AT THIS TIME THAT POSES MOST RISK FOR SKIN TEARS IT SEEMS. You have to have the walker close to you, but it has a lot of things that stick out and that she can rub up against as you turn, and you are sort of blind to them as she holds onto you. Just be careful. I'm sure you can figure it out. Also, the walker tends to scoot away from you on the rug in the kitchen (not so much in the bedrood) as you lower Mom to the seat. You need to put something that blocks it behind the wheel. A pillow works.

PACEMAKER DEPENDENCE: Some have been wondering what this means. Again, conferred with Andy and his explanation was that it means is that if the pacemaker should stop for some reason, which is very unlikely as these things go forever, she will have to rely on her heart to generate the beat and her heart is now only beating 40 times per minute (I think normal is 60? or 90?). She would experience a marked decrease in motor abilities, etc. if it should stop and she would have to rely on her own beat generation. Her heart should have an indepedent beat generation point absent the pacemaker - which can be determined at any pacemaker check by the technician. Maybe Gaucher's office already knows what this is......? Per Andy, the pacemaker will most likely outlive her.

(As a side note: pacemakers last so long, are in such demand and are so valuable ($60,000) that people are now "harvesting" them after their loved ones' deaths and selling them. Recent court cases have been argued about who "owns" the pacemaker". Is it the insurance company or the patient?)

CLOTHING: She is taking to the dresses I have bought except for one which she described as "the ugliest thing she has ever seen" and she "would never wear it in a million years". Needless to say, I am returning it but two out of three ain't so bad. If you intend to contribute any, be sure to keep the receipt.