Paul met with the physical trainer and occupational trainer yesterday. They said he is strong and ready to rehab 3 hours a day when the hospital releases him.
At this time family (not Paul) feels that this hospital is the best place for him. He will remain at UCSD until he is able to do out patient acute rehab in Palm Springs. Dr. Lee told him that probably wouldn't happen until end of next week. We'll keep you all posted on that.
Yesterday he did sit up 2 times for a short while. He did manage a few bites of breakfast, lunch and dinner. Unfortunately his stomach is still giving him a lot of trouble and was causing some pain yesterday. Kathi said he has lost a significant amount of weight.
He did however call Kathi first thing this morning to request a root beer float or a big coca cola.
The fluid that is in his lungs is very common and will dissipate on it's own. They will continue to monitor his kidneys. They are improving but aren't "there yet."
Jen will call me later this afternoon with an update. She didn't feel that there would be a whole lot of new news...weekends are slow at the hospital.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
4:31 Margarita Update
I received the earlier update from Carrie Applegate and decided to call Sarah just to say "Hi" and see how she's holding up. She had me laughing so hard with her "Paul Stories."
Currently I think they've thrown their hands up because as all 3 of them say, "He's out of control." He's obviously is regaining his strength as he's giving them lots and lots of trouble.
Since they won't break him out he's turning on them. A commercial for 1-800-divorce came on the TV, he turned to Kathi and said, "I called that two hours ago!"
Sarah said that, "I'm his bitch" and all she does is run all over town trying to appease each and every craving. She said he usually takes just a bit and then he's done.
He's getting another sleeping pill tonight and they are all looking very forward to that. They have 8:30 dinner reservations where they will finally get to indulge in their margaritas. Jen & Tracey are due in this evening to help out--good luck.
So, let's all toast to Paul's helpers tonight with a margarita! Cheers!
Currently I think they've thrown their hands up because as all 3 of them say, "He's out of control." He's obviously is regaining his strength as he's giving them lots and lots of trouble.
Since they won't break him out he's turning on them. A commercial for 1-800-divorce came on the TV, he turned to Kathi and said, "I called that two hours ago!"
Sarah said that, "I'm his bitch" and all she does is run all over town trying to appease each and every craving. She said he usually takes just a bit and then he's done.
He's getting another sleeping pill tonight and they are all looking very forward to that. They have 8:30 dinner reservations where they will finally get to indulge in their margaritas. Jen & Tracey are due in this evening to help out--good luck.
So, let's all toast to Paul's helpers tonight with a margarita! Cheers!
3:43 Update
Kathi, Sarah & Carrie Applegate were all settled in for their day of pampering. They were 3 in a row for a mani/pedi & leg massage. A little shopping, a lunch and a margarita were all in the plans. This would have been the longest stretch where they could not be with Paul.
The phone rang and it was Dr. Schwartz, the orthopedic surgeon telling them that the scapula surgery had been cancelled. His health is too compromised to do surgery. Paul has fluid on his lungs and his oxygen level isn't good. The only way to perform surgery would be to put him back on the ventilator but they were very concerned that it would take him a week or more to get back off of it.
After examining his shoulder they decided to scrap the surgery for good. They feel it has healed well enough on it's own and he does have decent range of motion. They hope with physical therapy he'll be able to further that range. Paul will most likely have to develop a whole new golf swing.
With the surgery cancelled he has one thing on his mind and that is to get OUT OUT OUT of the hospital! He thinks he can just go to their home in Palm Springs and recoup. Seeing that Kathi nor Sarah are nurses that couldn't possibly work. He still requires a lot of meds and full time medical care. If he were able to stand, or walk he'd be outta there in his little hospital gown. Moving at this time is against Doctor's orders. Kathi, Carrie & Sarah were all trying to discuss this with him and he said, "What I need is one less woman in my life telling me what to do." Like that's gonna happen.
Please keep the comments coming -- Kathi & Sarah still need encouragement. Paul has yet to view the blog but once he's able he'll see all that you've written. Thank you so much!
The phone rang and it was Dr. Schwartz, the orthopedic surgeon telling them that the scapula surgery had been cancelled. His health is too compromised to do surgery. Paul has fluid on his lungs and his oxygen level isn't good. The only way to perform surgery would be to put him back on the ventilator but they were very concerned that it would take him a week or more to get back off of it.
After examining his shoulder they decided to scrap the surgery for good. They feel it has healed well enough on it's own and he does have decent range of motion. They hope with physical therapy he'll be able to further that range. Paul will most likely have to develop a whole new golf swing.
With the surgery cancelled he has one thing on his mind and that is to get OUT OUT OUT of the hospital! He thinks he can just go to their home in Palm Springs and recoup. Seeing that Kathi nor Sarah are nurses that couldn't possibly work. He still requires a lot of meds and full time medical care. If he were able to stand, or walk he'd be outta there in his little hospital gown. Moving at this time is against Doctor's orders. Kathi, Carrie & Sarah were all trying to discuss this with him and he said, "What I need is one less woman in my life telling me what to do." Like that's gonna happen.
Please keep the comments coming -- Kathi & Sarah still need encouragement. Paul has yet to view the blog but once he's able he'll see all that you've written. Thank you so much!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
3:16 PM Update
Paul is having trouble sleeping through the night which definitely affects his moods. Today he is having a hard day and still would like to get outta there.
His red blood cell count is low and his white is high. Low red usually indicates bleeding somewhere so he will have a blood transfusion. The high white count could be from the recently removed spleen but he will be having a cat scan on his belly to double check everything.
Paul had a central line put into his neck and unfortunately has developed a staff infection. He is on antibiotics for this and the line has been removed which will result in more needles.
In spite of all the things going on none are serious enough to put off surgery--good thing. They will be giving him a sleeping pill or as they referred to it, "a coma in a pill" to make sure he gets a good nights sleep and is well rested before his surgery.
Tomorrow he'll go into surgery around Noon, surgery will take 4 to 5 hours and then he'll have a few hours in recovery. Tomorrow's update will likely be late and short.
The good news for today...he is cleared to eat anything he wants. Unfortunately nothing is tasting all that great and for now he is only able to eat very little. He got a milkshake, turkey sandwich and cheetos. He hasn't got the root beer float yet but did have root beer and unfortunately it didn't taste all that swell to him.
Paul is cleared from bed rest and will be able to start physical therapy once he's recovered from his scapula surgery.
Paul is still in the Intermittent Care Unit which is why he must be in a shared room. At this level patients must have a nurse with them in the room at all times. He called No No at 7:00 AM this morning to try to hire a private nurse. She did look into it for him but it's a no go.
Paul Taylor will be coming to visit tomorrow and Paul Morris is convinced that he will break him out. Good luck PT.
Kathi, along with UCSD, are working on transferring him to the Palm Springs area. Eisenhower is unable to take him as they are not a trauma hospital. They are currently working on transferring him to a Palm Springs trauma hospital. Once the other hospital agrees that they can take him and he's stable after surgery he'll be hitting the road.
One bright spot for Paul today is the DVD player that Mark & Karen DiRe sent along with a bunch of movies. This should help to pass the time. Thank you DiRe's!
His red blood cell count is low and his white is high. Low red usually indicates bleeding somewhere so he will have a blood transfusion. The high white count could be from the recently removed spleen but he will be having a cat scan on his belly to double check everything.
Paul had a central line put into his neck and unfortunately has developed a staff infection. He is on antibiotics for this and the line has been removed which will result in more needles.
In spite of all the things going on none are serious enough to put off surgery--good thing. They will be giving him a sleeping pill or as they referred to it, "a coma in a pill" to make sure he gets a good nights sleep and is well rested before his surgery.
Tomorrow he'll go into surgery around Noon, surgery will take 4 to 5 hours and then he'll have a few hours in recovery. Tomorrow's update will likely be late and short.
The good news for today...he is cleared to eat anything he wants. Unfortunately nothing is tasting all that great and for now he is only able to eat very little. He got a milkshake, turkey sandwich and cheetos. He hasn't got the root beer float yet but did have root beer and unfortunately it didn't taste all that swell to him.
Paul is cleared from bed rest and will be able to start physical therapy once he's recovered from his scapula surgery.
Paul is still in the Intermittent Care Unit which is why he must be in a shared room. At this level patients must have a nurse with them in the room at all times. He called No No at 7:00 AM this morning to try to hire a private nurse. She did look into it for him but it's a no go.
Paul Taylor will be coming to visit tomorrow and Paul Morris is convinced that he will break him out. Good luck PT.
Kathi, along with UCSD, are working on transferring him to the Palm Springs area. Eisenhower is unable to take him as they are not a trauma hospital. They are currently working on transferring him to a Palm Springs trauma hospital. Once the other hospital agrees that they can take him and he's stable after surgery he'll be hitting the road.
One bright spot for Paul today is the DVD player that Mark & Karen DiRe sent along with a bunch of movies. This should help to pass the time. Thank you DiRe's!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
4:54 Update
Procedure went very well; only had to do a single shock to get his heart right back to regular rhythm. They will continue to monitor his heart closely but feel it, "looks good." As a further precaution he will continue the heart medication that he is currently taking.
3:21 Update
Paul's kidneys are doing much better, no dialysis today. His urine level is way up and they will consider dialysis on a day by day basis.
Paul has been experiening an irregular heart beat. At 4:30 today they will perform a proceedure using electric current paddles to shock his heart back to a regular beat. This proceedure will take 10 minutes and has more than a 90% success rate. Like those odds!
Had an ultrasound to check for clots in legs and found none. Great news.
We will update the blog after the proceedure--don't worry if we're a little late!
Sarah is currently driving Kari to the airport. Dave, Ty & Brennan have missed her greatly. Paul didn't want to see her go but understands that her family needs her too. Carrie Applegate is alone handling "Morris Duty." Jen & Tracey will fly down on Thursday to lend new support.
Thanks all and we'll have more info later...
Paul has been experiening an irregular heart beat. At 4:30 today they will perform a proceedure using electric current paddles to shock his heart back to a regular beat. This proceedure will take 10 minutes and has more than a 90% success rate. Like those odds!
Had an ultrasound to check for clots in legs and found none. Great news.
We will update the blog after the proceedure--don't worry if we're a little late!
Sarah is currently driving Kari to the airport. Dave, Ty & Brennan have missed her greatly. Paul didn't want to see her go but understands that her family needs her too. Carrie Applegate is alone handling "Morris Duty." Jen & Tracey will fly down on Thursday to lend new support.
Thanks all and we'll have more info later...
Monday, March 19, 2007
5:21 PM Update
Kathi & Kari arrived at the hospital this morning to find out that Paul had been moved to IMU from ICU at one in the morning. The problem was he was in a 6 person "ward" with no TV. Seems like something out of WWII movie rather than San Diego in 2007. It was hard for Paul, Kathi, Kari & Sarah to see this as a positive step.
Paul was understandably upset and said he wanted no more pep talks and he wanted, and I quote, "Action Jackson." Kathi & Kari got on it and in typical hospital pace got him moved to slightly better conditions--a 4 person room with a TV at 5:30 this afternoon.
Paul asked Sarah if they had the van from Palm Springs. When she told him yes he said to pull it around, load him in and they'd be off to Palm Springs. The great escape.
They spoke with the head of orthopedic surgery about Paul's upcoming scapula surgery which is now scheduled for Thursday at 12:20. The Doctor said an injury like this heals quickly so they'll need to do some scraping, realign, and put in some plates & screws. Surgery will take 4 to 5 hours.
It has been decided that they won't move him to Palm Springs before the surgery for a few reasons: it is proving to be difficult due to insurance etc. and they've been told that Dr. Schwartz is "the best orthopedic surgeon around." They have a hospital case worker working on the move to Palm Springs which hopefully will take place Friday or Saturday. Hopefully this will make Paul happier.
Still need additional questions answered regarding his dialysis. Hopefully this will not factor into his moving.
Paul was understandably upset and said he wanted no more pep talks and he wanted, and I quote, "Action Jackson." Kathi & Kari got on it and in typical hospital pace got him moved to slightly better conditions--a 4 person room with a TV at 5:30 this afternoon.
Paul asked Sarah if they had the van from Palm Springs. When she told him yes he said to pull it around, load him in and they'd be off to Palm Springs. The great escape.
They spoke with the head of orthopedic surgery about Paul's upcoming scapula surgery which is now scheduled for Thursday at 12:20. The Doctor said an injury like this heals quickly so they'll need to do some scraping, realign, and put in some plates & screws. Surgery will take 4 to 5 hours.
It has been decided that they won't move him to Palm Springs before the surgery for a few reasons: it is proving to be difficult due to insurance etc. and they've been told that Dr. Schwartz is "the best orthopedic surgeon around." They have a hospital case worker working on the move to Palm Springs which hopefully will take place Friday or Saturday. Hopefully this will make Paul happier.
Still need additional questions answered regarding his dialysis. Hopefully this will not factor into his moving.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Sunday, 5:26 PM Updatre
Kathi and Kari got to the hospital about 10:45 today and his oxygen mask was off. He's still on oxygen but now with just a small tube in the nose.
He called Paul Taylor and talked business with him today...Kathi & Kari are curious about that conversation.
Taken off of IV medicine and started on oral meds. Might be talking to the PT tomorrow about starting physical therapy. Will be moving to an IMU room (step down from ICU) possibly tomorrow
Got to have breakfast, wasn't very interested in any of it. More interested in ice water.
Kari said he is having a very "tired day." This makes him very grumpy and a little loopy and when he's tired he takes it out on Kathi. He wants outta there and apparently she won't let him go. Gotta blame the ones you love.
Visitors are still really hard on Paul at this time. It's an effort for him to hold a conversation and he feels that he needs to be hospitable to his guests. Family is easier as you can just sit in silence with them. We all know how social Paul is so he'll be wanting visitors when he's feeling better, he's just not there yet.
Kathi currently is back at the hotel getting some much needed rest.
Scapula surgery still tbd--hopefully tomorrow.
Thanks everyone and keep sending all that positive energy south!
He called Paul Taylor and talked business with him today...Kathi & Kari are curious about that conversation.
Taken off of IV medicine and started on oral meds. Might be talking to the PT tomorrow about starting physical therapy. Will be moving to an IMU room (step down from ICU) possibly tomorrow
Got to have breakfast, wasn't very interested in any of it. More interested in ice water.
Kari said he is having a very "tired day." This makes him very grumpy and a little loopy and when he's tired he takes it out on Kathi. He wants outta there and apparently she won't let him go. Gotta blame the ones you love.
Visitors are still really hard on Paul at this time. It's an effort for him to hold a conversation and he feels that he needs to be hospitable to his guests. Family is easier as you can just sit in silence with them. We all know how social Paul is so he'll be wanting visitors when he's feeling better, he's just not there yet.
Kathi currently is back at the hotel getting some much needed rest.
Scapula surgery still tbd--hopefully tomorrow.
Thanks everyone and keep sending all that positive energy south!
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