Star date 24 April 2012
As dictated by Julie to Norm
Hi everyone firstly thanks to you all for your well wishes emails presents and visits. After a difficult week last week and frightening tracheostomy tube change this morning I am feeling surprisingly well. The days go quickly particularly those with visitors and even more so with scrabble playing visitors. I am still in the acute section of the SIU and likely to be so for the next fortnight - assuming I can cough up enough gunk to satisfy the physios and they will let the tracheostomy be removed and let me go to the main section.
I would like a room by myself but apparently the only way to get one is to contract an infectious disease, I am considering bribery.
Movement of my left arm has improved and I can now lift it off the bed, which is very pleasing. Unfortunately the right arm has not progressed as well. I have finally have had an ultrasound on my right arm/shoulder which has revealed nothing except That it should have been X-rayed first.
Norm and I are sitting outside on the balcony but we can't quite see the Aramax roof on the car park. It was one of the earlier Aramax roofs that we did.
Out of five beds in the acute ward three are from Townsville and Home Hill and another is from Daru in PNG. This shows the need for a spinal unit in Townsville.
Julie is sick of this now so she said to sign off.
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Tuesday, 17 April 2012
18/04/12
Darrel organised a bbq last Saturday on the verandah at the SIU, here are Jules Darrel and Norm after feeding our faces.
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Jules was very happy to see Darrel.
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Saturday, 14 April 2012
Saturday 14 April 2012
It is Julies third day in the acute care section of the Spinal Injury Unit (SIU). She is in the acute section because of the tracheostomy which requires extra nursing care, dressing changes and the need to suction to clear phlegm from her lungs.
On Thursday Jules was put in a chair using a portable hydraulic hoist that is much quicker than the manual handling method used in the ICU. Once in the chair she was taken on a tour if the SIU. Through the various wards which had 1 or 4 plus the 6 bed acute ward. The one bed rooms are generally used for infectious patients. There is a kitchen where the meals for the patients in the SIU are prepared and a communal dining room where people can mix socially as well as dine. There is a physiotherapy gymnasium where Jules will have intensive treatment to retrain her limbs. The occupational therapy room focusses on teaching skills that will enable patients to return to the community. Patients are trained in skills to use eating utensils to feed and care for themselves. The staff are all very friendly and positive, the place has a good feel about it.
Kylie arrived later on Thursday afternoon, she is such a calming influence. Jules was getting distressed as the doctors had indicated they may need to change the tracheostomy tube. Based on Jules memory of the previous change the process can be very painful. After the doctors had left Ky suggested that Jules prepare a list of questions for the doctors to get them to wexplain the risks and benefits of a change. This was discussed with the doctors the next morning and any change will be delayed while they monitor the situation.
Julies ward is much more relaxed than ICU with little of the procedures and night noises that prevent or interupt sleep. She has had a good nights sleep every night she has been in there. The air mattress she is on evenly distributes pressure to her body minimising the risk of pressure sores developing. On the air mattress she only requires turning once during the night. Jules has met and chatted with with the other patients in her ward, things are much more friendly and "normal" than ICU. Skype is wonderful as she can have face to face conversations with friends, she speaks to Darrel most days and has been able to chat with Larissa and hopes to chat with Margie next week. We are going to check out an iphone 4G with Siri voice control next week.
Darrel arrived late on Friday evening and we just made it to the SIU before the doors were locked for the night, Jules was very pleased to see him. He had organised with the staff to have a Saturday barbeque on the verandah. The SIU has a couple of BBQs and tables and chairs on the verandah for patients and family to use. We wheeled Jules bed outside about 1:30 and cooked ate and chatted for over three hours. Being in the sun and breeze after over 5 weeks indoors was a luxury. Two of the other patients joined us and tried some of the food and chatted about their experiences. Gail had her accident 41 years ago and lives in the community, she was back in the unit for treatment of a pressure sore. She was excited about going home before the end of the month after five months treatment. Ken from Mackay, the other patient who joined us with his wife was driving home 21 months ago rolled his car and woke up in hospital and hasn't been home since. He expects to go home soon. The OT staff have helped with modifications to their house so he can live there. I took some pics but haven't figured how to download them from the camera Ron will help me when I return to the office on Thursday then i will post them here.
Julie is in a very positive frame of mind and looking forward to getting the rehab regime going next week. In the meantime we are doing the wrist, finger and arm exercises that the physios and OTs have trained us to do, we can feel the improvement in strength and control. The improvements are small increments but everyday it is better. She intends to participate in the blog with the assistance of visitors to help with the typing.
We will try to post daily, watch this space
Norm
It is Julies third day in the acute care section of the Spinal Injury Unit (SIU). She is in the acute section because of the tracheostomy which requires extra nursing care, dressing changes and the need to suction to clear phlegm from her lungs.
On Thursday Jules was put in a chair using a portable hydraulic hoist that is much quicker than the manual handling method used in the ICU. Once in the chair she was taken on a tour if the SIU. Through the various wards which had 1 or 4 plus the 6 bed acute ward. The one bed rooms are generally used for infectious patients. There is a kitchen where the meals for the patients in the SIU are prepared and a communal dining room where people can mix socially as well as dine. There is a physiotherapy gymnasium where Jules will have intensive treatment to retrain her limbs. The occupational therapy room focusses on teaching skills that will enable patients to return to the community. Patients are trained in skills to use eating utensils to feed and care for themselves. The staff are all very friendly and positive, the place has a good feel about it.
Kylie arrived later on Thursday afternoon, she is such a calming influence. Jules was getting distressed as the doctors had indicated they may need to change the tracheostomy tube. Based on Jules memory of the previous change the process can be very painful. After the doctors had left Ky suggested that Jules prepare a list of questions for the doctors to get them to wexplain the risks and benefits of a change. This was discussed with the doctors the next morning and any change will be delayed while they monitor the situation.
Julies ward is much more relaxed than ICU with little of the procedures and night noises that prevent or interupt sleep. She has had a good nights sleep every night she has been in there. The air mattress she is on evenly distributes pressure to her body minimising the risk of pressure sores developing. On the air mattress she only requires turning once during the night. Jules has met and chatted with with the other patients in her ward, things are much more friendly and "normal" than ICU. Skype is wonderful as she can have face to face conversations with friends, she speaks to Darrel most days and has been able to chat with Larissa and hopes to chat with Margie next week. We are going to check out an iphone 4G with Siri voice control next week.
Darrel arrived late on Friday evening and we just made it to the SIU before the doors were locked for the night, Jules was very pleased to see him. He had organised with the staff to have a Saturday barbeque on the verandah. The SIU has a couple of BBQs and tables and chairs on the verandah for patients and family to use. We wheeled Jules bed outside about 1:30 and cooked ate and chatted for over three hours. Being in the sun and breeze after over 5 weeks indoors was a luxury. Two of the other patients joined us and tried some of the food and chatted about their experiences. Gail had her accident 41 years ago and lives in the community, she was back in the unit for treatment of a pressure sore. She was excited about going home before the end of the month after five months treatment. Ken from Mackay, the other patient who joined us with his wife was driving home 21 months ago rolled his car and woke up in hospital and hasn't been home since. He expects to go home soon. The OT staff have helped with modifications to their house so he can live there. I took some pics but haven't figured how to download them from the camera Ron will help me when I return to the office on Thursday then i will post them here.
Julie is in a very positive frame of mind and looking forward to getting the rehab regime going next week. In the meantime we are doing the wrist, finger and arm exercises that the physios and OTs have trained us to do, we can feel the improvement in strength and control. The improvements are small increments but everyday it is better. She intends to participate in the blog with the assistance of visitors to help with the typing.
We will try to post daily, watch this space
Norm
Wednesday, 11 April 2012
11/04/12 - SIU
Julie called this morning to say that she was
being transferred to the Spinal Injury Unit (SIU) this today. She has done 3 days off the ventilator with
the speaking valve on demand. So it was
up to the hospital to assist with the transfer by moving all her personal items
down to the SIU, it is amazing how much we have accumulated in the 34 days
Jules has spent in the ICU. Before we
left the ICU the nurse said she thought that Jules would have the tracheostomy
in for another one to two weeks. She is
really looking forward to the day it is removed.
The move disrupted the daily routine and as a
result lunch wasn’t taken until after four o’clock. With only a cup of coffee since breakfast
Jules was very hungry and devoured a meal of sushi followed by fruit juice and
a cup of tea.
The transfer/admission procedure into the
unit took a couple of hours with interviews with doctors, nurses, and
therapists to go over Jules history. The
ward has six beds and there appear to be three or four nurses plus assistants
on duty at any time. It is not the one
on one attention of the ICU. The
mattress on the bed is air inflated and designed to minimise pressure problems
and patients do not require turning so frequently they can go up to 8-12
hours. This will help in getting a good
night’s sleep.
Visiting hours are the same as ICU from 11AM
until 8PM
A big step forward is a mouth control unit
for calling the nurse and operating the television. Jules picked up very quickly how to switch
on, change channels and adjust the volume.
She had a good chat on Skype with Darrel. We checked and replied to her email read the
paper and did the crossword. I had two
powernaps in the waiting room while she was in discussion with the medical
staff. The waiting room is much more
comfortable than the ICU room.
With the bed inclined for her to be in the
sitting position she gradually slid down the bed during the afternoon until her
feet reached the foot of the bed. The
pressure of contact with the end of the bed was hurting. They are going to get a longer bed
tomorrow. She still has some shoulder
pain from the physiotherapy although it is not as bad as it was in the ICU.
Dinner was interrupted by the charge nurse
telling us that Jules bed was to be moved to the other side of the ward as
there was another admission. The patient
with MRSA, needed to be isolated in the ward.
This distressed Jules as she was concerned about the potential for
infection. I have since checked on the
internet and it seems that the hospital has very good protocols for MRSA
management. At PAH the infection rate
has been falling over the past twenty years.
Apparently MRSA is a problem in hospitals worldwide; in the developed
world it is generally well managed.
After the bed was moved Jules settled down,
she was tired and had some discomfort during the day with all the speaking,
coughing and adapting to the new regime.
Tomorrow we are hoping that the rehab
physiotherapy will start in earnest.
NormTuesday, 10 April 2012
11/04/12
Just a quick one this morning. Ron typing for Norm... :). I have been told that Julie has now been off the ventilator for 3 days and is being moved to the spine ward this morning! I'm sure Norm will provide more detail when he finds time later today or tomorrow morning.
Ron
Ron
Monday, 9 April 2012
J&L Scrabble (09/04/12)
For those who may be interested, Julie and Larissa managed to fit in their third game of scrabble just before Larissa had to catch the plane on Monday afternoon, 9/4. It was a fitting finale: Larissa scored 377, and Julie manage to pip her at the post with 380: a very close game! Val
08/04/12
Julie had a game of scrabble with Larissa on Saturday where Larissa had a
positive win, and then again yesterday (Sunday) where Julie had a positive
win. I'm not sure if they will get the decider in today or not, as
Larissa needs to leave the hospital reasonably early in the afternoon to catch
her plane back to Townsville.
Julie had two firsts yesterday: she spent some time out in the secured outdoor garden area within the hospital grounds with her nurse, Larissa and me. Whilst there, she had her second 'first' since her accident: part of a bottle of Diet Coke!
Julie also enjoyed yesterday a visit from Karen Sanders and from Ange (her friend with the mother and sisters who all cook wondrous foods). Speaking of foods, Larissa and Celeste made some delicious (I tasted it!) celery and potato soup a couple of days ago for Julie, and yesterdary Larissa used David Herbert's recipe from The Weekend Australian Magazine for Coconut fish curry. Julie declared it "yummy", and so did Larissa and I when we returned to the unit. Thank you to David Herbert AND to Larissa!
All in all it was a good day, which could have been better if Julie wasn't from time to time needing the nurse or the physiologist to help her clear her chest of phlegm, etc.
Early morning yesterday before going to the hospital, I visited a good friend, Evelyn, who has been battling lung cancer for 18 months now (she has never been a smoker). Evelyn has been a successful artist both here and in Malaysia (where she and her family have lived and worked for many years), painting from a young age. In 1987 she got breast cancer and had a mastectomy, which included having a large number of nodes taken from her right arm. Eventually Evelyn lost all feeling in this arm and was bereft at not being able to paint. She decided she could not enjoy life if she couldn't paint, so taught herself to paint left-handed: you would all be surprised at the magnificence of her paintings, both from her right hand and then her left hand. With this lung cancer, she eventually had to give the painting away. However, the artistic nature would not let things be: she took up 'scrap booking'. I didn't even know what it was, but had the pleasure of seeing her three books she has done. They too, are a work of art - I was overwhelmed with what she has created. I told her in only one or two generations, that I was sure they would make huge money for contestants on 'Bargain Hunt' (although I doubt family members would ever dispose of them).
The human spirit is amazing. I have seen it shining brightly in both Julie and Evelyn.
Best regards, Val
Julie had two firsts yesterday: she spent some time out in the secured outdoor garden area within the hospital grounds with her nurse, Larissa and me. Whilst there, she had her second 'first' since her accident: part of a bottle of Diet Coke!
Julie also enjoyed yesterday a visit from Karen Sanders and from Ange (her friend with the mother and sisters who all cook wondrous foods). Speaking of foods, Larissa and Celeste made some delicious (I tasted it!) celery and potato soup a couple of days ago for Julie, and yesterdary Larissa used David Herbert's recipe from The Weekend Australian Magazine for Coconut fish curry. Julie declared it "yummy", and so did Larissa and I when we returned to the unit. Thank you to David Herbert AND to Larissa!
All in all it was a good day, which could have been better if Julie wasn't from time to time needing the nurse or the physiologist to help her clear her chest of phlegm, etc.
Early morning yesterday before going to the hospital, I visited a good friend, Evelyn, who has been battling lung cancer for 18 months now (she has never been a smoker). Evelyn has been a successful artist both here and in Malaysia (where she and her family have lived and worked for many years), painting from a young age. In 1987 she got breast cancer and had a mastectomy, which included having a large number of nodes taken from her right arm. Eventually Evelyn lost all feeling in this arm and was bereft at not being able to paint. She decided she could not enjoy life if she couldn't paint, so taught herself to paint left-handed: you would all be surprised at the magnificence of her paintings, both from her right hand and then her left hand. With this lung cancer, she eventually had to give the painting away. However, the artistic nature would not let things be: she took up 'scrap booking'. I didn't even know what it was, but had the pleasure of seeing her three books she has done. They too, are a work of art - I was overwhelmed with what she has created. I told her in only one or two generations, that I was sure they would make huge money for contestants on 'Bargain Hunt' (although I doubt family members would ever dispose of them).
The human spirit is amazing. I have seen it shining brightly in both Julie and Evelyn.
Best regards, Val
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