Dealing with changes:

Dealing with changes:

Before my stem cell transplant they told us there might be some “bumps in the road” in the recovery process, but some of them seem more like pot holes. The most recent challenge required returning to the hospital for two weeks (pneumonia and graft vs. host disease in the liver) and then transfer to the rehab center so insurance could cover the expenses of infusions and physical therapy, as home care was not an option. I have had many experiences documented in recent blog entries about life in the rehab center. I am still here and it has been over 2 ½ months!

Last Friday I was scheduled to travel to OHSU for blood tests and Dr. evaluations of progress and changes to my liver. We had noticed that I-5 Bridge over the Columbia was going to be closed from 11 PM until 7AM Sunday but thought no problem as we were not going to use that route until about 8 AM. Imagine our surprise when it was still closed after 8AM. That required a detour to the I-205 Bridge, and back to I-5, adding distance and time to our schedule but we managed to make it without being too late.

The blood tests continued to show improvement and the doctor stopped the 4 hour middle-of-the-night (3:30-8 AM) daily infusions which allows me to sleep through the night, which is sure nice. I still have an hour infusion just before going to bed and the Dr. said I must continue to drink 2 liters of water a day to keep flushing the kidneys and liver. Only problem is the number of times that requires me to pee! They scheduled another evaluation in a couple of weeks, but I remain in the rehab center until then. Insurance benefits run out for rehab June 17^th so Drs. are working on a plan to switch to a pill version before that happens. Of course we are pulling for that so I can go home. Counting hospital time, it’s been over 3 months since I’ve been home, except for short visits.

I take approximately 20 meds a day and Nancy was glad to let rehab take over that task of keeping track and dispensing the meds. The nurses crush the pills and mix them with applesauce or pudding to make it easier for me to take so many at one sitting. They also check my blood sugar and give me insulin. Nancy works it into her schedule to visit daily and often we are able to have lunch and dinner together as well as check out for some change of pace. We can go out shopping or for lunch or dinner or spend some time at home. Last week we were able to visit Brett and Cecilia at Brett’s new place. He fixed a fine dinner for us and we enjoyed spending time with them. Their place is old, and close to the freeway, but has a lot of charm and character, plus big old trees, rhododendrons and other neat older homes in the neighborhood. Cecilia had to show us the “fairy garden” she and her 6-year-old neighbor and “best friend” have been working on. I think we mentioned that Halen is the daughter of an old friend of his from Roseburg days. And her grandparents, Mike and Rosemary, have been long-time friends of ours (35 years).

The weather is getting nicer and warmer and the flowers have been gorgeous this year. We had a couple of big thunderstorms with tons of rain this past week. We watched one storm from Brett’s house and waited for it to let up before we headed home. Cecilia was so excited she was jumping up and down, but said she was excited and scared! She will be 5 next month and she is getting so big, and smart, and lots of fun, of course we are hoping I will be released from rehab next week

CINCO DE MAYO AT REHAB:

CINCO  DE MAYO AT REHAB:
When I  noticed the menu for that day my thoughts were "what were they thinking?": Chow mein, egg rolls just did not seem right on the menu for that day! Then I learned the rehab center was planning a CINCO DE MAYO party for the afternoon as a special event. Turned out to be quesedillas and Odool's alcohol-free beer. Remember, there are many alcoholics being treated here or in other cases alcohol may effect medications. One of the patients got upset about the word beer being used period and would not even accept a root beer soda, then went on a lecture sermon that soda has gas and drinking it could make a person explode!  He was not taking a chance! That patient had water with the quesedillas and other hispanic snacks while most of us enjoyed a cold soda during our Hispanic theme celebration. I can now report that nobody exploded from consuming soda!

Mothers Day: 2011

Mothers Day 2011: On Mothers Day we went to the downtown Vancover Methodist Church as it is close to the rehab center where I stay. We  planned to go to Ridgefield Methodist the next Sunday even though it is a few miles further away. We enjoyed calls from Kari and Brett during the day and a special treat of green curry dinner prepared by Brett at our home as I checked out of rehab for the afternoon to spend time in Ridgefield. Brett made a huge  batch so we had a couple of lunches and Nancy froze some and we will get to enjoy one of our Thailand treats again another day.  We love Thai food and have a favorite restaurant  in Vancouver we frequent when we get a chance.

We had a slight change of plans on Sunday because my PICC line was plugged up and I had to go in to the clinic to see if they could get it unplugged (kind of like a plumbing backup ), other wise I'd have to have a new line put in. We thought we'd have an easy drive in on Sunday morning, but the I-5 bridge was closed overnight and still closed when we came through at 8:00am. The electronic signs had promised that it would be closed all night and reopen at 7:30 am, but they lied! That meant that we had to take a long detour over to the only other bridge across the Columbia and back again. Portland is known as a city of many bridges, but most of them cross the Willamette instead of the Columbia, which is our only way to cross from Washington to Oregon. They have been working on a plan for another bridge across the Columbia but it has taken years in just the planning stages and may take a few more, due to funding problems and agreement between the two states about design, cost-sharing, etc.

Fun visiting with friends

We've also had a couple of fun visits with old friends from Roseburg days recently. Former music teacher at Hucrest Elementary, Tim Buschert, who retired and moved to Vancouver area about the time we did, stopped by for a visit with us at the facility. Then last Sunday we went to the downtown Presbyterian church, which is only a few blocks from here, and saw Doug and Mary Ann Glover. We enjoyed catching up with them and had a nice visit. We had gotten together a couple of times and plan to do it again when Ray gets out.  We were sorry when Dan and Sherry Faught had to cancel a visit last week because his mother was very ill. We'll hope to see them another time. Rosemary Brinkley is coming up for their granddaughter's first birthday soon and hopes to get over to visit with us.. An interesting aside: Brett was surprised and happy to learn that his new neighbor in the duplex he moved into is Jocelyn (Brinkley) and her husband and 2 little girls! They had known each other as little kids in Roseburg, but hadn't seen each other in years. What a small world it is! Cecilia and their daugher, Halen, are becoming good friends and having fun playing. Brett is enjoying being within walking distance to 3 nice parks and a nice shopping area. He can also walk or ride his bike to work or walk to the MAXX station and be at work in minutes cutting down on commute time as well as expense.

Farman family outing

Farman family outing - We had several things to celebrate so we arranged a gathering at  a local seafood restauramt running a special deal. We ended up with a party of 13 to celebrate nephew Patrick's Eagle Scout Award, niece Sarah being accepted to nursing school, Brett's divorce settlement being completed, nephew Robert and Jean purchasing a house, and Nancy finding Ray's wedding ring, wallet and keys that had been misplaced for over two months! That last had us stressed and going crazy, of course, so there was much relief and laughter when they were found. Lots of conversation at the gathering, sharing experiences and we enjoyed a great evening. Now a full Millhollen / Farman clan gathering is in the works but not sure the restaurant could handle that group!

Exercise at rehab:

Exercise at rehab: There is a small gym with exercise equipment we are encouraged to use after being trained. Of course the major concern is about falls and possible re-injury. There is a great nature bike walking trail near the facility that we enjoy taking. Brett, Celia, Roy and Suzanne, Bruce and Julia have gone with us a few times and we enjoy visiting as we walk the trail along the creek. We meet a lot people out walking dogs and children and we sometimes get a chance to visit with them but usually it is just a friendly hello or smile. One interesting encounter was watching an older Volvo arrive with two dogs to be walked. One dog was a small, quiet and well behaved one. The larger one was hyper and barked loudly and constantly as the man encouraged it to quiet down and stop pull[ng. We arrived back at the parking area about the same time to see him load the dogs and depart, with the big dog still barking loudly as the car departed. We were glad we were not traveling with them. What is funny is that a day or two later Nancy was driving in town and was startled by a dog barking in car pulling up beside her. She started laughing when she recognized the old Volvo and the same two dogs.  That silly dog seems to bark enthusiastically at everything! man must be going deaf!

Food at rehab:

For the most part the food is decent. They serve a big breakfast and lunch and a soup and sandwich dinner, kind of like the European way. They are not gourmet but usually varied and generally tasty. We have a menu to make our daily selections for the week with some alternate choices and there is something different each day. Selections range from American favorites, Hispanic, Irish, Chinese, Asian to Italian, Each meal usually has a salad, vegetables, bread and fruit or a desert. Guests can have the meal for $3 so if Nancy likes something on the menu I can order her a meal. Other times she eats at home or picks up something at a local fast food or deli and eats with us. She comes every day, about lunch time and spends the afternoon and early evening. We also can get snacks, ice cream and fruit regularly.

In recovery care and headed home before too long.

Being in the rehab unIt also helps knowing that I am in the temporary care unit and should be going home before too long. I will certainly have more sympathy and understanding for people in long-term care from now on. A sad situation happened this week. We had gotten to know a local couple: the husband had a stroke and was having memory problems as well as mobility problems. His wife, son and daughter-in-law visited regularly. They also have a special needs daughter who had lived with them but is now in a group home doing well. One day he announced his wife was also in the hospital with gall stones. The next thing we learned was she had surgery with complications and she passed away. Now the family is trying to rebound.

People and life at the rehab/nursing facility:

People and life at the rehab/nursing facility: For a while I had the room to myself and then they assigned me a roommate who announced that he was a bi-polar binge alcoholic. He was here because he went on a binge, fell and cut his head on a wine glass and nearly bled to death. He was a nonstop talker who seemed to be an expert on everything from logging to religion. It was rather humorous when he attempted to teach the mentally challenged at the facility to play a special solitaire game. Many of the residents have had strokes or head injuries and have trouble playing Bingo. There is a woman who was an only child who spent twenty years in the Navy. She retired to the long term section of the rehab center and talks about how those years in the Navy were the best years but cannot remember much about them. She likes to color and play Bingo. There is a young man about forty who was unloading a car top boat which fell on him and broke his leg severely. They tried to repair it but infection set in and they had to amputate his leg, so he is here to get prosthesis and learn to walk with it. We also have many in wheelchairs. Fortunately for me, that first roommate was only here a week and then was released. My current roommate is much more compatible and “with it”. He is a 75-year old who fell down the back steps when his girlfriend’s dog tripped him up and sent him flying down the steps, breaking his hip. The first couple of days he was on pain pills and a little disoriented     The break has stabilized now and we get along fine. He’s a bit of a character and we laugh a lot. Also have a couple of neighbors we enjoy. The facility tries to provide a lot of activities. Nancy and I went on one such outing and it was amazing to see how long it took to load the wheelchairs and walkers for participants on the van for the trip to a nearby tulip garden. We spent more time loading and unloading than at the garden so it is unlikely we will try another trip out of the rehab that way. Those that took the trip talked about the outing for days. Since I can check out for a few hours at a time, we prefer to go on our own adventures. I started out using a walker and have graduated to a cane. We also have the use of an electric scooter from my sister-in-law so we are able to get out on a beautiful paved trail close to the facility. It is a trail along the Burnt  Bridge Creek. We take turns with the scooter so I can walk to build up my strength. It is great to get out in nature, along the nice creek and see the birds, flowers, etc. Some of the locals also have horses and chickens. When Brett brought Celia for a walk with us she enjoyed feeding a couple of the horses apple and carrots. For some of the residents the group outings are the only way out of the facility. One big highlight is a trip to Wal-Mart. You would not believe how much they look forward to that trip! Anyway, a sense of humor helps while I live here. Kind of like dorm life with interesting people but I need to be back to the rehab center by midnight or it affects insurance coverage.

We hit another bump in the road…

We hit another bump in the road… Before my stem cell transplant they told us there might be some “pot holes” in the recovery process. The most recent challenge required returning to the hospital for a few days when graft vs host disease attacked my liver. That is when my cells are fighting with the donated cells. I went to the hospital again in Feb./March for two weeks with pneumonia and then they transferred me to a rehabilitation center for physical therapy and continued infusion treatments for the liver problems. I had a liver biopsy and learned I had high iron, low phosphorus, low magnesium, and a need for some antifungal meds. I have a one hour infusion just before going to bed and then a 4 hour infusion starting at 3:30 AM that finishes just before breakfast. I still take about 20 pills a day and the latest blood tests show blood levels are returning to normal. I do have insulin checks because high blood sugar is caused by the steroids I am on. The blood counts and insulin counts are leveling out and stabilizing and the doctors hope this diabetic situation will disappear as they decrease the steroid dosage and my liver returns to.normal. I will be posting  a few more updates with more details in the next few days...