Sunday, March 14, 2010

PEGgy Sue

The G.I. (gastrointestinal, or gastroenterologist, if you prefer) doctor, stopped by to consult with Sue this morning.  He's planning to put her PEG (Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy) feeding tube in tomorrow afternoon.  He says the procedure will take about 20 minutes.  After the surgery is complete Sue will no longer be called Sue, but Peggy Sue.  Her mom's name was Peggy, so it's all coming together here.

Sue was tired today, and slept a lot.  Today was day 7 on the Rev-Dex combo.  The past couple of days she's had persistent headaches in the frontal lobe area, just behind her forehead, and periodically throughout the day she'll have hot flashes -- hot enough to make the back of her neck and head sweat.

We expect to make arrangements this week for home health care and subsequently, if indicated, home hospice care.  We tentatively expect Sue to be discharged later this week or early next week.  Sue has made the choice to wear the DNR (do not resuscitate) wrist band, and we've placed a copy of her Health Care Power of Attorney in her binder of medical information in her room.

Her immediate goal is to try to get well enough to attend our daughter, Jessica's wedding in May.  Her back-up plan is to have all of Jessica's surrogate moms attend, and when Jordan asks "who gives the  bride away?" I am to have them all stand up and say "her mothers and I do."  We have yet to run this back-up plan by the bride to be.

6 comments:

  1. Having had my Mom pick up my wedding dress with me to take to the hotel prior to my wedding, I am sitting here with tears welling up in my eyes!

    I cannot imagine the emotions within your family!

    Becky L.

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  2. I am sorry you have had to do such difficult planning. You are blessed to have many "moms", aunts, etc., surrounding you. I do pray for you, Peggy Sue, and your daughters. Love, Janice

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  3. Well, YOU made ME giggle today. I'm glad you can still see humor in your ever-so-serious situation. Humor helps.

    Hot flashes... aargh! Misery. Believe me, I know. Wait'll you see her glasses start steaming up in the corners next to her nose... you'll know she's at the boiling point. I hope they don't plague her for long.

    Praying her PEG insertion goes smoothly this afternoon, with no complications. And praying, too, that she makes that wedding goal!

    And though I giggled, the tears are here, too...

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  4. Praying for a renewed peace for the road ahead.
    Dave & Kathryn DiPalma

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  5. Thinking of you guys every day. Praying, too.

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  6. George...I am sitting here in shock after discovering, just this evening, that Sue has not been well and has not been teaching. Her blog comes up automatically, and since it has not changed, I just figured she was preoccupied with her new job and gradually gaining strength after her radiation treatments. So, I decided to see if you had posted anything...as you had been quiet for some time also. I am so out of the loop. I will be stopping to see Sue tomorrow afternoon. Please give her my love. With a heavy heart, Kathy S.

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