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Two trips to our local ER in last 24 hours to get him over all the issues caused at the VA respite. He has lost so much in one week it's terrifying! I hope with food and rest he will gain some strength back.
I'm tired again because I was told at 2:15 if you don't get me up and to the hospital before moving I think I'm going to die. But he is feeling better now.

Time to go shower him.

Sherry
 
I can feel the exhaustion and pain in your words. You've been through so much already...
I hope you can sneak in a nap at some point today. Hugs.
Becky
 
Oh Sherry. sorry. wish there was something I could do. sounds like they tried their best to kill him!
 
I agree with what Laurie said: "Sounds like he is not entering deep sleep enough and so lots of sensory complaints are breaking through..."

I know I had this problem and had to find the right pain med to shut those sensory complaints up. Obviously morphine and opiates are not the solution in his case. But Tramadol, Demerol or something out there should work at relieving all the sensory pains that interrupt or prevent sleep. Good luck.
 
Well, it too two trips to the local hospital (not VA) ER in the last 24 hours to get my husband stabilized but he is doing very well now! First trip our home health care nurse said to call 911 as he had two doses of Milk of Magnesia in 12 hours and a Fleet enema with no results and he started vomiting again. They gave him two lts of saline, nausea meds, did a cat scan of his abdomen and said he was FOS. I was to take him home (because doc believes patients do netter at home. Sent us homes with instructions to give him a full dose of Miralax every hour for up to 5 hours. That completed at 11:30 PM. No results but we were hoping and laid down, he in his chair. He woke me at 2:15 and said if you don't take me to the hospital I'll be dead by morning. Back we went, this time I transported him. Full moon, entire ER full, one doc on duty so it was 5:30 before they gave him a molasses and milk enema. (Yeah I'd never heard of that either!) The results were quick and he really had been full! (TMI-?)
Today he's taking broth, lots of ice water sips, Popsicles, a few soda crackers, morebpopsicles and requested chunky chicken soup. Yes!
This time we really did turn the corner!

Thanks again for all your support and Laurie, I will be calling you when things slow down a little - I hope!
Sherry
 
Sherry, sounds like you both need a _lot_ of sleep and I hope you get it soon!

In re sleep, I have mentioned this before, but since a lot of you are still in deepest winter, if your PALS gets cold in bed, it is much better to get a low-voltage heated mattress pad than to crank up the heat, which is often difficult to breathe against and less efficient in warming the body.
Even if you have a slip sheet, regular mattress pad [recommended] and/or overlay [as I recommend for immersion] between it and the fitted sheet, it still helps. In fact, the more layers you have on top of it, the less you need to wash it, which is nice since it requires a separate cycle, which I only did a handful of times over the years.

Cozy Winters* carries a full range of sizes and I also see some on eBay. We had the 38x84" size on a 36x84" hospital bed, which worked fine with the layers detailed above. If liquids are a problem you can put a moisture barrier layer on top of it but an accident will not break it. Ours was still going strong after 3+ yrs when Larry died. I also got one for my own bed early last year, when I had an illness that caused chills.

When you think about it, loss of muscle obviously affects perceived warmth, and shivering expends precious calories/energy, so a constant temp in bed for someone who can't generate their own warmth as well is one of the best investments you can make.

*Caution if you have pets: the Cozy Winters site also carries cute heated pet beds. You have been warned!
 
We are so happy! He feels back to normal (for him) and is eating everything in sight including an entire box of Popsicles.! His strength is back and I can get him up with just his gait belt. Yesterday I rearranged the patio so he can wheel out and have lots of room to move around. He said he wouldn't have believed last week that he could feel so well again. Up only twice last night - once a nightmare where he needed me to get him standing so he could get a long hug. We are quite rested and so relieved.
Laurie, I'll look into the bed pads (for the fur kids as well) you recommended but now he's back to being warm again and no breakthrough pain.
Company arriving today for a week, a good friend, gourmet cook, who will take over the kitchen and help wherever. The fridges and pantry are full so she can have at it! �� if their visit causes fatigue another friend of all of ours is set up to take them over.

Life is good!

Sherry
 
>Life is good!

:)
 
Sherry, It's so good to know that things are so much better! I'm happy for both of you. Oh, and enjoy the visit. In my book, company that cooks is the BEST these days!
 
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