Reply to Philip, Emily, & Abigail, 14 Oct

Dear Philip, Emily, & Abigail, Mom is doing remarkably well considering that several test results were somewhat seriously out of normal range. For instance, a sudden drop in the sodium level to what she had would have caused a person to become comatose. That was why some of the doctors were suspecting that those tests might have been done incorrectly. New tests confirmed the previous results. Now they are speculating that her sodium level must have dropped gradually and her body somehow adapted to it. They are now trying to restore her sodium level to normal range slowly. All her vital organs are functioning normally, including the right lung but there is still a little wheezing and the heart is still being stressed. They continue to adjust the antibiotic dosages as the test results come in. They will be doing an echo cardiogram to take a closer look at the heart. The chest tube yielded another 200 ml of fluid and it is getting less pinkish. Unfortunately they do not expect the outside specialty lab to jump on its analysis of the fluid until tomorrow, Monday. Whether we get any word tomorrow afternoon depends on how many other samples were ahead of ours. There was some leakage from the chest tube. Unfortunately, while turning Mom around to change the bed sheets this morning the chest tub was dislodged. Dr Leaphart will have to come to re-insert the chest tube this afternoon. They must have been real busy in Emergency last night. When Ruth and I left to come home after the chest tube procedure the Charge Nurse told us that Mom will probably be where she was all night because they were having a hard time getting a room in the Medical Unit upstairs. When Ruth and I went back four hours later I couldn't find Mom. Whitney said she had to pass Mom to the Intensive Care Unit which in term put her in an Exam Room in the holding area in Emergency. Since Mom was resting quietly Ruth came home by herself. We are indeed blessed with Ruth being part of the family. I don't think many people can adapt to the American Eng's way of life as easily as she did. Imagine driving solo after only two trips to a new place, one being inside an ambulance. As you can imagine, things are very specialized. Mom had been in a stretcher bed while in ER. They were quite sure that Mom would be going to a hospital room upstairs after the fluid draining procedure. Whitney ordered a hospital bed. When it finally arrived Mom wasn't quite ready to be transferred into the hospital bed so someone shanghaied it. Whitney had to re-order and we waited. The Exam Room wasn't designed to have a hospital bed. It was so crammed that I could hardly turned around. I pestered the Charge Nurse in the holding area about a room. She re-requested the room. At one point she said they found a room and it would be ready in a few minutes. Unfortunately, two hours later it was gone. Eventually we got Room 733 and they moved Mom into it a little after midnight. It was almost time for the morphine to wear off or so I thought. Mom had started groaning at about 8pm. When I asked her she said her side was hurting - the incision for the chest tube was made in her right side. They gave her another four milligrams of morphine. As the new dose took effect Mom was in fine form, speaking flawless Mandarin. We had a long argument about telling the truth. Ruth and I have been trying to convince her to tell us if certain foods didn't taste good so that we wouldn't waste good money buying things we don't eat. She kept to her guns and I had to quit arguing and fell asleep. The lights could be individually controlled so Mom went to sleep easily. She wasn't hurting anywhere at 1am and at 6am when she woke up. One male technician wasn't talkative. After announcing that he was going to draw some blood he proceed to do so. He could pass for a Malaysian. Mom asked whose son he was in Hockchiang. He didn't reply since he didn't know that Mom was talking to him. I tried to distract Mom. After some time, it was a small needle and the three vials took some time to fill, Mom must have become frustrated and said that he must be the son of a mixed breed, possibly because he looked oriental. Mom had earlier complained that a Malay woman refused to reply to her in Malay in ER. She had also told Whitney in Hockchiang that her right hand was bloodless. Whitney then took some blood from her left hand. Mom didn't flinch from those pricks. Mom's room-mate decided to open the venetian blinds and the room was flooded with morning light. Mom started talking about the bus coming. Morning shift technicians were coming and going and I had to step out several times. She must have communicated adequately with some of them when I wasn't around. At one point she was saying that See Ing is getting old and going to take a bus. I couldn't convince her that Ing has a white car and didn't need to take the bus. She might have been remembering that Ing was taking her somewhere in a bus in Singapore. King called at about 10am. She wasn't hearing well and complained that King was speaking too softly. I will take her cell phone to the hospital this evening. Take care. Love, jonah