A Bump in the Road

First of all it's important to say that things have been generally going along quite well at NE Sinai. Adele has gotten stronger in physical therapy and has been able to climb 10 steps. She has learned a great deal in occupational therapy about how to safely do things at home without putting pressure on her sternum or carrying or supporting more than 10 lbs. of weight with her arms. Her surgical wounds have been healing nicely and her hair has looked fabulous thanks to the regular visits from the hairdresser.
Now the one area that has been problematic has been her breathing. Adele has been on oxygen since the surgery in Worcester. She had been weaning off of it slowly but seemed to always need some to keep her blood oxygen level above  90% where it belongs. She has needed more when she is in PT exerting herself. A few days ago her level dropped during PT and she took the rest of the day off feeling very fatigued. Today her oxygen level went even lower during PT and the amount of oxygen she receives through her nose had to be significantly increased.. That seemed like a setback and it is not yet clear what caused it. She will have some additional tests tomorrow as well as a pulmonology consult. One thing we know is that she has some fluid build up in the area around one of her lungs. It looks like the amount of fluid hasn't changed since she got to Sinai but it hasn't been reabsorbed and decreased on its own as often happens after a surgery. How much that plays a role in her need for oxygen supplementation is not clear. When we know more it will be shared across the blogosphere with all of her adoring fans.
On a brighter note, her daily get-well card count has surpassed 110! She still loves opening and reading them so don't worry about having to stop sending them any time soon!

Giving Thanks

Now that Thanksgiving has past we wanted to take the time to share some of the things for which Adele and the family have been thankful this season.

• For the love and support of family and friends first and foremost
• For the excellent care Adele has received at both UMass Medical Center and New England Sinai Rehab Hospital
• For having such a mild heart attack that she escaped any serious damage to her heart
• For the fine skill and personable nature of Adele's heart surgeon, Dr. Tam
• For Orbit Bubblemint sugar-free gum
• For Sinai being so close to home so that Fred, Marc and others don't have to drive to Worcester everyday.
• For the hairdresser and manicurist that see patients at Sinai
• For the frogs that Herbie and Lois have given her to keep her company when the rest of us cannot.
• For there being a gift shop at Sinai Adele can be wheeled to so she doesn't go through full scale withdrawal from her shopping "hobby" 
• For Rachel, Mikala, Jacob, Adah, Zayna, and Adam whose young smiling faces are postered to her wall.
• For passing the halfway mark to her quota for get well cards

It has been a stressful time but such times often bring into focus the things that are most important to us in life. The people we love and care about top this list. Adele and family thank you for the wonderful support and kindness you have shown to our family recently and over the years- sometimes decades.

It is worth adding a brief update about Adele's recovery. She is still weaning off the oxygen support but getting noticeably stronger almost every day. She is now getting both physical therapy and occupational therapy twice each day. She has been walking further and further with her PT. She can climb several stairs. She has learned how to do basic self care in ways that do not require her to use her arm strength which would strain the healing wounds from her surgery. Today the occupational therapist began to work with her on cooking and cleaning. Unfortunately in these specific areas she found that Adele's level of disability much greater than she had anticipated!

A good day in Sanai

Well therapy has started in earnest today and Adele is doing well. She is walking and has done a couple of steps. However she still needs oxygen, which limits what she can do. While Fred was there her Occupational Therapist said she would be showing Adele how to cook- to which Fred replied, "I'd be happy if she could boil water!" Adele herself is getting her spunk and her humor back, thanks to the recognition she has gotten from her many devoted friends and family in the form of calls, a few visits, and lots and lots of cards. Today's count was up to 56 since we know everyone has been wondering. If that wasn't enough to overnourish her ego she was visited by some of the most important, influential and powerful people at Sinai, thanks to her friend Tom O'Connor who is on the Sinai Board and head of the Men's Association. At different times she had the president and CEO of Sinai, the president of Sinai's Foundation, and the Patient Care Coordinator visiting her. They came bearing gifts like the magi to the manger: pens, paper and a Sinai paperweight (okay, not quite gold, frankincense and myrrh but pretty good for an older woman with no messianic claims in such a bad economy, no?)

Settled into Sinai

Adele is comfortably settled into New England Sinai Hospital and awaiting therapy to begin in earnest on Monday. She had a bit of a scare her first night when she found out her roommate had MRSA. She was worried that she would be infected. She was assured from her niece- the doctor- that MRSA was only transmitted through direct contact. The roommate was moved to another room and the side of the room where she had been was scrubbed down the same night. After that bit of tumult things have gone smoothely.
Adele got a visit from her doctor, which went very well. Dr. Parayath had seen Adele the last time she was at Sinai and Adele had really liked her. When the doctor visited Adele today she gave her a big hug and said she had come in on her day off to see her. She did an initial assessment and checked to make sure her wounds were healing well, which they were. She said Adele could expect to be at the rehab for 2-3 weeks, depending on her rate of progress. This was more than Adele had expected but she took it fairly well. She trusts Dr. Parayath since she took such good care of her the last time around.
Adele is still on a little oxygen and gets winded very easily but her spirits were good. She was very pleased to get her hair done today by the visiting hairdresser. In addition her nurses have been uniformly wonderful to her and she feels both safe and as comfortable as one could feel under the circumstances.
If anyone has a movie or tv show on DVD that they think Adele would enjoy, please let us know. She has a portable DVD player and has enjoyed using it. Also you'll be glad to know that she has 52 cards as of today- she was sure to brag about it to us. Thank you to all who have sent them in and to all who are still planning to send one (or more). New England Sinai Hospital is at 150 York St. Stoughton, MA 02072.

NEWSFLASH: Adele To Go To Rehab Today!

Adele got word this morning that she will be admitted to rehab this afternoon at New England Sinai Hospital in Stoughton. She will take the flashy Blue Cross shuttle sometime after lunch and her family will meet her there to help her settle in. This will be Adele's second stay at Sinai. We were all pleased with her care the last time and she feels comfortable going back. It is also so much easier for Fred to get in and out of compared to Worcester. He can even go home to nap or for lunch and be back in just over an hour!

Please check out the link to the right for more info on Sinai.

Enjoy the video "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse below.

The Newest Alumna of ICU !

It seems like only a few years ago Adele was in the Gilmore elementary school and now she is graduating! We all knew this great day would eventually come but still it was with a broken heart that Adele finally bade farewell to the girls and Fellows at ICU. Today after her final examinations, she had successfully completed all her treatment courses at the IV League institution. Immediate family was present for the small graduation with a handful of others Attending. Our family beamed with pride as we watched her walk out of the Residents' Hall wearing the the snappy traditional gown emblazoned with the name of her institution. Even as an alumna Adele will be staying on campus for a couple of more days. She is trying to dry out after over a week of steady IV drug use, which we found out is common at ICU. As a result we expect her to enter a local rehab for a few more days before coming home. She has to do at least 12 Steps on her own before she can return safely to her 2-story home in Brockton. Please join us in congratulating Adele on her recent success and in wishing her well as she works on her recovery.

Greetings from Club Medic

Adele is really starting to enjoy her all-inclusive stay at the lakeside Quinsigamond Club Medic. Today she took her longest walks yet from her personal suite around the wing of her resort. Although protected by a Club Medic personal entourage of attendants, the paparazzi were relentless and snapped this picture of her while she was lazing in the sunshine between activities. Tomorrow she is expected to move to a less intensive wing at Club Medic. This is due to the success of her treatments to improve her breathing and reduce the fluid in her system. She looks and feels like a new woman thanks to the dedicated staff at the resort.

Recovery is Like Shopping

So we are learning that Adele approaches recovering from surgery the way she does shopping- at her own pace. She is slow and deliberate in order to get exactly what she wants. So it is in the ICU: she continues to make measurable progress such as needing less oxygen and walking up to 75 feet today. The doctor had originally thought she may come out of the ICU earlier but he learned what Fred and others have known for years- that Adele is always running late. She'll get there- you just can't rush her to be on time. Things really did go well today. Her mood was good and her strength was better. She even got some food that she found edible at both lunch and supper today! It's not anywhere as nice as what Fred makes her but let's face it, he sets the bar pretty high. Today as well she was very pleased to get a bunch more cards in the mail. Today's count is up to 20 Get Well cards. 20! (you know, if she were the type to actually count such things). Keep 'em coming!

Day 3 in the Cardiac ICU: Adele is sitting up in a chair and eating dinner. She has been taking her meals in a chair and resting in bed between meals. She still needs oxygen support and will probably not be able to leave the ICU until her blood oxygen level is high enough without the extra support.
That said, she is comfortable and talking. She is complaining about the food in the colorful terms we all know and love. I think the adjustment to the heart healthy diet will be the most challenging part of this whole journey. Her nurse described it this way, "If it tastes good, spit it out!"
Let's just say she'll need a lot of support from us all in making healthy adjustments.
Her spirits are good but she still gets tired easily, even just talking for a while. In lieu of calls please post questions and comments here. We promise to pass everything along to Adele in a very timely manner.
Lastly many of you know Adele's fondness or maybe borderline obsession with sending & receiving cards. We know from past experiences in hospitals that receiving cards really lifted her spirits. It is probably best to send them to her home address and they will be brought to her daily. Knowing her she may keep a list of who sends her cards and who does not. I know which list I'd rather be on is all I'll say about that!

Adele is doing great. The family spent the afternoon with her. She was talking and joking between naps. She was moved to a chair in her ICU room for a few hours. She ate a bit of her dinner and has a newfound love for lemon sorbet. Her nurses are wonderful with her. They are able to keep her comfortable despite the tubes, wires and wounds. She has only half as many things attached to her as she did yesterday, which is really nice. Yet she cannot run away yet as she is still tethered to some large machines. She told us the story of her uncle Morris who took his tubes out when he was hospitalized years ago and climbed out the window to get back to work. I don't think Adele would have ever been that zealous to get to work, do you? Maybe to a sale at a Christmas Tree Shop, though.