Funeral Arrangements

Viewing will be on Friday, Nov. 27 from 1-9pm, rosary at 7pm
Wilson & Kratzer
13644 San Pablo Ave.
San Pablo, CA
Directions

Funeral Mass will be on Saturday, Nov. 28 at 1pm
St. Patrick Church
825 Seventh Street
Rodeo, CA
Directions

Ma will be cremated next week.

Goodbye, Ma

Teresita C. de los Reyes

15 October 1925 - 22 November 2009

Correction -- Septic Shock

Sorry, I meant septic shock, not toxic shock.

In ICU - Long Version

Short version is here.

Ma has lots of problems

Colitis - The colonoscopy showed that Ma has mild colitis due to the chemo.

Leg pain - No DVT. Pain is due to edema. Both arms and legs are swollen and painful. Treatment is to eat protein.

Low blood sugar - Ma hadn't eaten since the night before, and she wasn't given dextrose. By late afternoon, her blood sugar had dropped down to 39. She was given a big shot of dextrose and put on a dextrose drip, bringing her blood sugar up to 158. But a few hours later, it dropped down to 23. Again, she was given the same treatment.

Stomach cramps - Ma was in extreme pain yesterday. At first, the morphine wasn't helping at all. But the dose she got at 5pm finally provided relief, and she fell asleep.

Low blood pressure - Ma's blood pressure had been low throughout the day, below 100/40.

Infection - Ma's right leg got worse and started oozing. The doctor started her on antibiotics.

Low white blood cell count - Ma's WBC is very low, and she was put on protected isolation. No flowers, limited visitors.

Low platelets - She needs another superpack of platelets.

Because of the low blood sugar and the morphine and the way Ma's breathing reminded me of how she sounded when she overdosed yesterday morning, I asked the nurse to wake her up. She wouldn't wake up. The Rapid Response Team was called. They tried two doses of Narcan (1 mg total), and she still wouldn't wake up. The doctor ordered her sent to ICU.

Soon after arriving in the ICU, it looked like Ma was about to go into cardiac arrest, and a Code Blue was called. The crash cart wasn't needed after all. Her heartbeat is fine. It's the breathing that's the problem. She was put on a ventilator. She has acidosis. The most worrisome is that the infection in Ma's leg is due to septic shock. She's on two antibiotics for it. For now she's stable.

Another thing is that the doctor wants a CT scan done on Ma's head to check for bleeding in the brain caused by her low platelet count.

In ICU - Short Version

Ma is in the ICU with septic shock. She was on morphine yesterday for pain. She had very low blood sugar twice (39 and 23). When the nurse couldn't wake her up, the doctor sent her to ICU. Soon after she got there, she went into Code Blue. Her heart is actually okay, so they didn't need to use the crash cart, but her breathing is irregular, and she's on a ventilator.

Overdose

Ma has been having pain in her legs, especially her right leg. Last night she was in a lot of pain. The Norco (Vicodin) was taking too long to take effect, so the nurse gave her 2 mg of Dilaudid at around 3:30am after consulting with the on-call doctor. Apparently this was too much, and the day shift nurse could not wake up Ma. Her respiration was 8, and her blood pressure was low. The nurse had to give Ma two doses of Narcan to wake her up. Even then she was still groggy. Don't know if this is considered a hospital error.

The pain in Ma's leg is possibly due to DVT. She's having an ultrasound done this morning.

In addition, she's having a colonoscopy done this morning to see what's causing her bad diarrrhea. To prep her, she was given a water enema last night and this morning.

Still in Hospital

Ma's still in the hospital. On Tuesday she was given platelets and another unit of blood. Yesterday 2.5 liters of fluid was drained from her abdomen. Despite the platelets, the incision bled a bit last night. Ma started solid food yesterday. She still gets diarrhea. Dr. Irwin said she'll be discharged when her diarrhea is under control and she's seen by a physical therapist. I don't even  know how much she can walk at this point. I doubt she'll go home today but maybe tomorrow.

In the Hospital

Ma's in the hospital. She's been having severe pain in her abdomen and diarrhea and vomiting. Turns out she's anemic. Probably a side effect of the chemo. She was given two units of blood. They did a CT scan of her abdomen today. No results yet. Don't know if she'll be released tomorrow. But her symptoms are under control. She's a bit bummed that she's not allowed to eat.

Ascites

Ma had her CT scan Friday. She did have fluid in her abdomen, and they drained 2.5 liters from her.

Correction to her weight. She had told me she weighed 159. Turns out she meant 129. Big difference. Anyway, she was down to 123 after the procedure.

She's been having cramps and diarrhea and takes Vicodin for the pain. Pa thinks it's all due to the Xeloda. Her last dose is Wednesday morning. Maybe her symptoms will be relieved after that. She sees Dr. Irwin on the 25th. I think he plans on giving her a break from the chemo.

Acid Reflux

Ma has been complaining of acid reflux for a week now. She's also bloated. Three days ago she weighed 123 lbs. Today she weighed 159! The extra weight is probably due to fluid in her abdomen. That's like 4 lbs. of water. She's having a CT scan done on Friday and will have the fluid drained then. Dr. Irwin doesn't know if the ascites is due to her cancer or her liver. Her PET scans show spots on her liver that the radiologists interpret as cirrhosis.