Things were going fairly well for Myra at our house up until a week ago Friday, August 8th when we got a call from Dialysis. It was 5:30pm and they generally call to confirm a time for dialysis which was to happen the next morning.... but this call was a little different. They called to tell us to bring Myra to the hospital ASAP and that this couldn't wait until 10am the following morning.
During dialysis, they test for certain levels in the bloodstream. They discovered that Myra's INR levels (blood's ability to clot) were over 10 and normal is considered 2 or 3 for somebody who is on coumadin , such as Myra.
Myra was in complete shock. She's felt 'normal' and didn't see this one coming and quite frankly, wasn't too happy about a hospital visit.
Fast forward a couple of hours after we got to the ER. The doctor was very concerned about these levels. When they are this out of whack, a stroke or internal bleeding is almost inevitable. By this time (about 2 hours after leaving our house) she had the start of a headache and her neck was a little stiff. The doctor didn't much care for these symptoms and insisted on 2 bags of frozen plasma, which quickly drops the INR level. Followed up with a few shots of Vitamin K, which also aids in the drop.
Fast forward to Saturday when a team of doctors came in to analyze, poke and prod Myra. By this time, we've filled them in on all the surgeries and health problems she's had in the last 8 years, concentrating on the past year. This was very concerning to them and they decided to keep her through the weekend to give this situation proper attention.
The doctor who would become the primary physician started looking at things with a fresh set of eyes, and absolutely no knowledge of her history, other than what we had told the medical staff.
This was a bit refreshing to us because it never hurts to get a fresh, unbiased opinion of what might be causing some problems she's been having- mainly passing out from the blood pressure problem that has persisted ever since leaving ICU at St. John's 8 months ago.
After talking with the doctor over the weekend, he agreed that Myra's health situation is "too complex to be dealt with at home".
It turns out that this whole INR issue may have been a blessing. She needs a lot of physical therapy in order to regain the strength she had before the strokes. Because she left Bethesda and didn't transfer to a nursing home, there is no going back once you get home and decide you're not strong enough to be home.
This hospital visit in Mankato allowed us to get Myra placed in a nursing home for 100 days and it is all, 100% covered by insurance!!!! To us, this feels like a blessing because if she's going to remain at home, she needs to get stronger.
Another great thing that came out of this is a doctor in Mankato found something that he was able to change in Myra's medication and this has helped Myra make some great strides in the right direction.
After a week of me practically beating up the social worker to get what we needed for Myra, we found placement for her at a nursing home in Forest Lake. This is close to home so she can be near Curt and dialysis is available in the same town, which is greatly convenient.
Myra is doing great at dialysis and loves the therapy she is getting. As you know, Myra's attitude is everything and she is looking forward to all the therapy.
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Update from the New Year:
Myra is still at the nursing home in Forest Lake because she is experiencing some undiagnosed pain. She moved on from vicodin to steroids because of the pain.
She took a break from the therapy because of the pain but she's back at therapy and working on getting stronger.
She spent the last couple of months in and out of the hospital with a new team of doctors who are trying to figure out what they can do for Myra.
We were all able to spend Christmas together with Curt & Myra at the nursing home. We had a great lunch provided by the home and watched the kids open their presents.
And Curt is doing great too since his surgery. He has so much more energy and is back at work. When he's not at work, he's spending time with Myra at the nursing home.
I get emails and phone calls from some of you and pass them along to Myra as I get them. If you want to email me to get her phone number, she loves to know people are thinking about her!
