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Barbara Allen (Underwood) Shaw

14 Jun

Barbara Allen (Underwood) Shaw – Obituary

Barbara Allen (Underwood) Shaw, 48, of Houston Texas, died June 8, 2010.

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Barbara crossed the veil

8 Jun

And I am alone for the first time in my adult life.

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Intubation

8 Jun

As I write this, Barbara is being intubated. She simply isn’t able to breathe well enough on her own. Her CO2 levels are too high, and oxygen levels too low.

This is when it starts to make me scared. I’ve been through this with her enough to know that this is a bad sign. There is no point in pretending otherwise.

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Life in the ICU

7 Jun

Barbara’s in the ICU. Restraints haven’t been necessary, as she is not sufficiently aware of her surroundings to be a problem. I guess I should thank the gods for the small favors. She has had no periods of coherence since late Saturday afternoon. I am in the ICU waiting room. This hospital (LTAC) doesn’t permit sleeping with ICU patients.

I’ve been down this road before. Last time it was 10 days. Who knows this time. Tomorrow, I will see what I can do about rounding up a cot. Tonight, it looks like it’ll be waiting room chairs.

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Transfer to ICU ordered

7 Jun

No surprise. I was expecting that. Yes, she is that sick.

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Restraints and Tube Feeding

7 Jun

And no, I am not talking about some weird BDSM play. Continue reading →

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As The White Count Rises … [Updated]

6 Jun

Yes, you read that right. Continue reading →

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Barbara’s having a rough day [updated]

5 Jun

The term ‘altered mental state’ seems to apply today. She didn’t sleep well, and has been alternating between dream and semi-wakeful states all morning (since at least 5 am). She keeps coming out with comments and questions based on dreams she’s having. She is currently unable to distinguish between sleep and wake.

I’ve reported this to the nurse, and they intend to let the doctors know. I don’t think there have been any med changes to explain this. I do know that she was a bit low in potassium yesterday, and she has had an ongoing issue with edema (fluid retention). Neither of those explains neurological symptoms though, as far as I know.

I admit I am more than a little concerned with this turn of events. Hopefully, it really is just a ‘bad day’.

[Updated]

Doctor covering weekend for her attending was just here. After hearing the description of what was happening, his first thought was infection. I admit I had considered that possibility too, but wanted to wish it away. Barbara just doesn’t need more sepsis. He’s ordering cultures. Depending on the bug (if any) it can be 24-72 hours before the cultures reveal anything.

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Barbara’s EGD Results

2 Jun

Well, that wasn’t too bad. They found a minor ulcerated hernia which the GI doctor believes is sufficient to explain Barbara’s bleeding. Continue reading →

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Troubles continue for Barbara

2 Jun

Barbara apparently has some minor internal bleeding, presumably somewhere in the digestive tract, since it had a lot of work done recently. Continue reading →

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