Thursday, August 12, 2010

Tweaking Meds

As predicted, the pace of last week with hospice was much more relaxed.  One of the benefits is  weekly massotherapy which targets Jeff’s shoulders and back to help relieve some of the pain.

The nurses also suggested tweaking the meds a little.  The doctor increased the dose of the steroids, adding another pill mid-afternoon.  Their hope was that the extra medication would help reduce inflammation thus reducing Jeff’s headaches.  And by taking the second pill mid-afternoon instead of at bedtime, it would not interfere so much with his sleeping.  He also resumed taking one of the long-acting pain pills before bed.

Those changes have helped a great deal in managing the pain, especially first thing in the morning.  Unfortunately, the increased steroid  seems to be causing some sleep interruptions.  Perhaps there needs to be a bit more tweaking of the afternoon dose.

Though he continues to feel weak, Jeff is in good spirits and enjoyed going to lunch with a friend on Monday.  And we all went out for ice cream on Tuesday after the boys got their back-to-school haircuts.

Thanks for all your encouraging messages.  I appreciate you!

6 comments:

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Sounds like you all are getting things under control. Keeping Jeff comfortable is the most important thing now.... Hospice is SO good at that...

Glad to hear that Jeff is in good spirits and is still able to get out some. That is SUPER.

Prayer, Hugs and Lots of Love,
Betsy

Deejbrown said...

Nurses rule and know their stuff about how to care for patients. Hope they are helping you too.

Janice K said...

So glad to hear you have gotten some help....and also that Jeff has been able to get out and be with other people. I am happy for you.

Aspiemom said...

My computer was in the shop for a few days and I'm just catching up. I'm glad to see that Jeff's got some good caretakers and that he is in good spirits!

Unknown said...

Adrienne
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your husband. I pray for a merciful path. My cousin passed of a brain tumor last week and I understand some of what you are going through.

Jim

Corner Gardener Sue said...

Hi Adrienne,
Thanks for your comment on my critter post. When I went to see yours, I decided to stop by here to see if you'd posted since I had been here last. I read your previous post, then came to this one for the update.

My heart went out to you, having all those people calling and coming over. It sounds overwhelming to me, and I didn't have to go through it. It does sound like a blessing, though.

I remembered you were going to look for a dragonfly guide, and was wondering if you had found one yet. I'll have to see if there are any local ones. I saw a smaller kind when I was doing a little gardening at church today. I looked to make sure there were 2 sets of wings. Of course, I didn't have my camera with me.

God bless your new week!