A Simple Celebration of Macrine's 82nd Birthday

Dodie is not on the photo, since he decided to take a short nap after lunch since he was still suffering from jet lag after 6 weeks of cruise and vacation in New Zealand and Australia.

Yesterday at about Noon we celebrated Macrine's 82nd birthday with a simple lunch of Honey baked Ham, potato salad, pancit ( for long life), dinuguan, puto ( rice cakes), green salad, and home-made bread ( brought by our neighbor-Lina Edison). For dessert we had Cheese Cake and Ice Cream. Today March 26 is her real birthday date along with our grand daughter Elaine King and first cousin Yong Elizalde Nieva.

Besides Me and David III our guests were Ian and Sara DiCampli, Lina Edison ( our neighbor), Dodie, Ditas, Carenna and Jean Maeda. I was surprise to see Dodie as well as Jean. Dodie and wife Ruth are still suffering from jet lag, since they just arrived from a 6-week cruise and vacation in Australia and New Zealand. Jean was not sure of attending since she just got out working from the night shift. Thank you Jean and Dodie for attending. Your Manang and Mom was teary eyed after you left.

Ian shared some good news. He and Sara are now residing in a condo by themselves in mid town Sacramento. I was happy to learn they are getting independent as young adults. I know Ian does not want me to mention about great grand kids, but looking at how happy Ian and Sara together makes me wonder, the time of Macrine and I to have great grandchildren appears in the very near future.

Ditas had some good news also. The room extension of her residence in Sacramento is now finished. A grand opening for Yoga and Art Classes had been scheduled for April 22. Here's her announcement in FB:

SAVE the DATE- Sunday, April 22nd (Earth Day) for the GRAND OPENING of my new outdoor yoga and art studio! Art classes and Kundalini Yoga coming to East Sac! #createsacredspace #alongiyardscapes.

A Birthday Today and Two this Coming Monday at the David Katague Household

Macrine and the 4D's and Me on her 80th Birthday, March 26, 2016.

Today March 23 is Ditas birthday, my youngest daughter. We had a grand celebration during her 50th birthday three years ago as posted in the following posting.

http://davidbkatague.blogspot.com/search?q=ditas+50th+birthday

Here's a short bio of Ditas latest accomplishments: https://www.census.gov/newsroom/bios/katague-ditas.html

This coming Monday, March 26 will be Macrine's 82nd Birthday and Elaine King -my grand daughter-daughter of Dinah. We will have a simple celebration this Sunday with just relatives and a our next door neighbor and friend. I will purchase Pinoy delicacies and goodies from our neighborhood Filipino Grocery store and restaurant.

Details on Elaine birthday is on her FB page: https://www.facebook.com/elaineking03

The following are some of the photos taken 2 years ago during Macrine's 80th Birthday.

http://davidbkatague.blogspot.com/search?q=macrine%27s+80th

Macrine is Out of Rehab and Enjoying Home Life

This morning we checked out from Manor Care Center(MCC) after staying only for 5 days. So Macrine total Rehab days were only 15, but with 60 days of home visit from a visiting nurse, PT, OT, and nurses aid if needed. More important is the memory therapy mentioned by the speech therapist at Manor Care.

I decided to maintain her sanity so we checked out 5 days earlier than the standard rehab days( 20 days) paid by Medicare.

We were very happy with the services of Manor Care. However, since there was a no smoking area in the whole care center, Macrine was not happy, moody and irritable. So I encourage her to do her PT religiously ( walking with a walker) and today she is about 85% recovered.

The memory therapy was the first service I heard this year. It teaches the patient to automatically do an action with out thinking or as if it is a natural action to do. In Macrine's case she has to use her walker every time she walks without me or David III reminding her all the time. I hope this memory therapy works.

We got reacquainted with about 10 old employees ( nurses and aids) that also served us last year when Macrine was doing her rehab at Manor Care. With the exception of the head and one employee all the PT personnel were new ( less than one year), thus they were conscientious of their job. MCC PT department is better than the PT Department in Whitney Oaks.

With Macrine at home, my life is backed to normal. I could enjoy my own bed and do my own thing ( blogging and watching my favorite TV shows).

Again, Thank You To all who send their wishes for Macrine speedy recovery and concerned of Macrine's health.

Ten Days at Whitney Oaks Care Center

Today I am transferring MACRINE to Manor Care, another rehab home near us in a private room. I will be paying extra dollars from my personal account, since private room is not covered by Medicare or my Insurance- Blue Cross Blue Shield. My decision to transfer her are based primarily on convenience and on some services and miscommunication here at Whitney Oaks, Carmichael.

Manor Care is only 5 minutes from our residence whereas Whitney Oaks is 30 minutes and heavy traffic all day.

In general Services at Whitney Oaks are good. There are several excellent nurses, nursing assistants, PT and OT personnel and other services ( social and activity). However one rotten apple can ruin the basket.

An incident of miscommunication: Macrine takes her Levo-Dopa ( Sinemit) for her Parkinson 3 times a day after each meal. If she takes it before her meal, she is too sleepy to eat. Moreover if she takes it with an empty stomach, the side effects are more pronounced. I communicated this to Rehab Doctor as well as all the nurses in all shifts. I thought this was written in her Chart, but evidently not. The order in the chart is to give her Levo-Dopa at 7AM, 12 Noon and 4PM. I was surprise to see 4PM in the order, since at home she gets it after 6PM after our early dinner. Macrine's supervise meals are served at 7Am, 12n and 5PM

Anyway when I am around, the nurses give her Sinemet right after meals. Yesterday, there was a new nurse on Macrine Station. I took a break from 3 to 5PM to let the cleaning lady inside our house. When I came back, Macrine was drugged and would not wake up for her dinner. I was suspicious that the nurse had given her Parkinson's medication. I confronted the nurse and she confirmed she gave it at 4PM as written in the order. Thus it confirmed that my request to give her meds after each meal was never revised in her chart order.

Macrine slept for 3 hours ( from 5 to 8). I requested her meals be refrigerated and served after she wakes up. The CNA ( nurses aid) was very accommodating as well as the night nurse supervisor. When Macrine woke up, her dinner was microwaved and she eat it with gusto. I stayed with Macrine until she was ready to sleep at 10PM.

Another incident and major error could have occurred last night if I were not around. At About 9PM, a vampire( travelling personnel who withdraws blood) came to our room asking us for Macrine's blood. I was suspicious and I ask her what is the purpose and who ordered her. She was not able to answer, so she left our room and went to the other wing. I ask the nurse who order the blood test. She did not know. Fifteen minutes later, the vampire came back to our room and draws blood from Macrine's room mate who just checked in that afternoon. When she finished I thought It was Macrine's turn. However, the vampire left our room and waved good bye, saying that it was not needed.

Lesson Learned: Always ask if you feel suspicious orders not explained to you!

I am writing this before I drive to Macrine to get her ready for the transfer to Manor Care this afternoon. I am thanking all the Whitney Oaks personnel who did their best to serve Macrine and her rehabilitation needs during this last 10 days. Special mention and thanks to nurse( Debbie), Assistants-Martha and Anna and the social and activity heads who are both Filipino-Americans.

Binging on Another Award Winning TV Series-Homeland

I just finished 8 seasons of an award winning TV series-Shameless. I searched for another award winning series in Showtime. I found the Series Homeland and now starting Season 1. Incase you have not heard of this TV series, here's a summary from Wikipedia.

Homeland is an American spy thriller television series developed by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa based on the Israeli series Prisoners of War (Original title Hebrew: חטופים‎, translit. Hatufim, literally "Abductees"), which was created by Gideon Raff.

The series stars Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison, a Central Intelligence Agency officer with bipolar disorder, and Damian Lewis as Nicholas Brody, a U.S. Marine Corps Scout Sniper. Mathison had come to believe that Brody, who was held captive by al-Qaeda as a prisoner of war, was "turned" by the enemy and poses a threat to the United States. The series focuses on a storyline that evolves from this premise, together with Mathison's ongoing covert work.

The series is broadcast in the U.S. on the cable channel Showtime, and is produced by Fox 21 Television Studios (formerly Fox 21). It premiered on October 2, 2011. The first episode was made available online, more than two weeks before the television broadcast, with viewers having to complete game tasks to gain access.

The series has been renewed for a seventh and eighth season; the eighth is planned to be the series' final season by the creators. The seventh season premiered on February 11, 2018.

The series has received generally positive reviews, with its first two seasons gaining universal critical acclaim. It has won several awards, including the 2011 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama and the 2012 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series for its first season, the 2012 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama for its second season, as well as the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Damian Lewis and Claire Danes, respectively.

Macrine's Tribulation Post Hip Surgery Last Week

Macrine's fell last Feb 28 when she got out of her walker. She did not scream ( last year she did). We were able to help her stand up and she walk with a slight limp. David and I examined her head, legs and arms and there were no bruises. She said she was ok except for a muscle pain on her thigh. We called Dr Kramer's office ( he was out of town) for a muscle relaxant. WE gave her aspirin and she was able to sleep. The next day her pain on the right thigh continues and Dr Kramer's office suggested we go to Urgent Care for an X'ray. After waiting at Urgent care for 2 hours Macrine got her X'ray. The result was not conclusive. Urgent Care suggested we sent her to the Emergency for Confirmation. We got a medical transport to the San Juan Mercy Hospital( Carmichael) nearby It took only 30 minutes for confirmation, that she had a fracture on her right hip and needed surgery immediately. Numerous tests, blood, and pre-operation procedures were done for her surgery in the morning. From the emergency room, Macrine was transferred to a Regular Hospital Room at the 6th Floor ( the Tower) of the newly built addition Hospital wing. The next morning she went to surgery as scheduled( March 1). Everything went smoothly. Dr Fujii, the orthopedic surgeon performed a closed reduction and percutaneous screw fixation on Macrine's right hip. After surgery Macrine was wheeled back to her Room on the Tower.

The room was spacious, clean and an extra couch bed where I slept overnight and for the next four nights after the operation. The nurses, assistants and medical services ( food and other amenities) were excellent except for one incident as Follows:

Since Macrine is diabetic her blood sugar was monitored closely. Her regular medication at home is 500mg of Metformin( Oral). However, the hospital do not used metformin as it can interfere with other tests according to the nurses. Instead they use long acting Insulin Injection. Day 2 Macrine was ready to set down and perky and got out of her bed. Her blood sugar ranges from 100 to 180. The Hospital doctor predicted she should be out in 2 more days if there are no infections ( no fever) and if her blood test ( every morning the Vampire attacks Macrine early at 5AM) are normal. In the night of Day 3, Macrine blood sugar was 100. I told the nurse not to give her the insulin. She did not listened to me so in the morning Macrine blood sugar went down to 65. Macrine was lethargic and slept all day. They give her Glucose in her IV. Her blood sugar went up to 270 and finally stabilized the next day at 140. She developed a fever, so they gave her Vancomycin and another antibiotic via IV. Macrine finally woke up from her lethargy ( 36 Hours). An EEG, MRI and CTS were done. All were normal and Macrine was discharged on March 5. We were immediately transferred to a Rehabilitation facility that same day.

We wanted to use Manor Care as the Rehab since last year we were able to get a private room for only $100 daily as my personal expense ( not covered by Insurance) and its five minutes from home. We were told they are not accepting patients because of FLU epidemic in the facility.

Today, David informed me there is article in the Wall Street Journal that Manor Care has filed for bankruptcy.

The Discharge Planner of Mercy was busy looking for alternatives. Our wish was a Private Room and within 30 minutes drive from our residence. She gave us a list of six facilities. One facility has a private room but will charge $265 additional fee and located in North Sacramento. The rest of the facilities had no private rooms opening. The Nearest Facility that is rated above average and near us was Whitney Oaks in Carmichael- only a 20 to 30 minute drive depending on traffic. I decided we give it a try.

We made a good decision to send Macrine at Whitney Oaks. The past 2 days, services had been excellent. It has a rating of 4.5 out of five. A few of their employees are Filipino-Americans. Their PT, Activity and Nursing Staff are headed by Fil-Americans who welcome us with service in their Hearts. So far so good. Another positive note, Macrine's room mate adore her and very protective of her if I am not around. There is no slept over as it is not a private room. Today, Macrine and I went to Catholic Mass on their Activity Room offered every Wednesday from 10:00 to 10:30AM. They have also Bingo once a week.

I have no idea how long Macrine will be on rehab, but I know Whitney Oaks was an excellent choice.

For more Information On Whitney Oaks Care read: http://whitneyoakscarecenter.com/