Piling on the therapies and the Keppra

It's been a rough three days for C. with seizures up the wazoo, some accompanied by fever, others without. Up to eight major ones a day and many small ones involving only her eyes and mouth (too many to count).

THC didn't work its magic. Nor did Advil when there was a bit of fever so I finally raised the Keppra from 750mg twice a day to 200mg twice a day. The neurologist had advised doing that a few months ago but I put it off, hoping that raising her CBD dose would suffice.

The physiotherapist from our HMO came twice last week and is due for another visit today. He does the same sort of limb-stretching that the other one, hired privately, did only minus the white coat and the almond oil massage, and he does it for 15 minutes instead of one hour. Well, these sessions are totally free so some corner-cutting is to be expected.

C.'s spasticity has become rather serious so we'll also persevere with these stretches on our own throughout the day. So far, no results, though.

At this point, we're postponing starting a new drug recommended by the gastroenterologist to reduce spasticity. You know that cardinal rule: never introduce multiple new med variables simultaneously.

And, after a nine month hiatus, C. is having her first hydrotherapy session today.

I'm hoping she'll function as well, or nearly as well as she used to: floating on her back, kicking her legs slightly, scrupulously keeping her face out of the water. But I have a hunch that won't be the case. Stay tuned for her hydro "report card".

The snapshot above, slightly obscured to protect his privacy, is of our HMO physiotherapist at work with C.

To stop me from twiddling my thumbs

We came home from our HMO's fund's wound clinic (who knew there was such a creature?) with a laundry list of tactics to trounce the pressure sore plague.

1. The medicine and bandages we've been using were replaced with totally different ones that I must change twice daily (instead of the previous once). The new bandage is just several layers of gauze drenched with iodine and  taped down over only one corner which we alternate at every change. (All the plastic layers we used were irritating the surrounding, healthy skin). It's in the photo above.
2. A swab was taken from one of the sores for culturing - must call back in several days for results when we'll adjust antibiotic accordingly.
3. In the meantime, a course of antibiotic - ciprofloxacin.
4. Bring C. to a gastroenterologist to figure out why C.'s albumin dropped recently to sub-normal levels. (Low albumin contributes to poor wound healing.)
5. Consult a dietitian for tips on how to boost albumin levels dietarily.
6. Make appointment for HMO occupational therapist to visit home and assess C.'s sleeping and sitting equipment. Then, per her advice, order a state of the art new mattress and a new wheelchair - Health ministry will subsidize the purchases if it's done this way.
   Change C.'s position every two hours, including during the night. (Confession: I don't do that; I find uninterrupted sleep just too tempting.)
7. Do not use C.'s brace for several days - nurse raised that to a week. I gulped, panicked and pleaded with the doctor to permit its brief use daily. I emphasized that without any standing or walking, C.'s quality of life will plummet. He immediately acquiesced recommending I cut a ring of foam padding to place around the foot wound. Moral of that exchange: don't accept unreasonable Dr.'s orders as gospel.
8. Get a new brace.

The doctor and nurse  at the clinic were incredibly kind and considerate both to us and each other. Yes, you read that right: the doctor and nurse worked as a team. It was a first for me.

With the hubby boarding a flight tonight to his hometown for his mother's funeral, most of the above tasks will on the back burner for a while. 

Here (above) I am sharing C.'s pressure sores with that impressive team at the clinic.