Subject: Lesley Update - 6/1/01
Date: Fri, 01 Jun 2001 15:07:15 -0400
From: David Baldauf <dbaldauf@alumni.brown.edu>

Lesley came home Tuesday afternoon.  I apologize for not having sent a
message out sooner.  It has been busy and Lesley has not had a lot of
energy to spare.

Tuesday when I got to the hospital, the nurse told me that they wanted
to discharge Lesley either that day or the next.  I told her she wasn't
going anywhere until I talked to a few people and got better information
on her condition.  In rapid succession I had a long talk with her nurse,
and visits from the physical therapist, occupational therapist, and
doctor's assistant.

They all believed Lesley would do better at home instead of the hospital
or rehabilitation, assuming someone could be with her 24 hours a day.
Between her father and me, we got that covered.  They said she would
recover best in an environment with familiar faces, and where she is not
exposed to hospital germs.  They said her strength was good but she
should be assisted in her walking and stair climbing, and she does have
dexterity problems with her right hand.  They noted her word finding
difficulties, and that her short term memory had been affected.  The
doctor's assistant said he had visited Lesley 4 times and she never
remembered him visiting.  They recommended visiting nurse visits, and
home physical and occupational therapy visits.  Armed with that
information, we bid adieu to Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Since then, Lesley has done pretty well.  She has fairly good stamina.
Between sleep and naps she is awake about 12 hours a day.  She has
slightly more headaches than she had from before the surgery; Tylenol is
generally doing the trick.  She has puttered around the house pretty
well.  She definitely perks up when the kids are around.  Speech
continues to be difficult because of the trouble finding the right
words.

We have an appointment to see the neurooncologist on Tuesday to discuss
what to do for the next chemotherapy, and an appointment with the
surgeon on Wednesday to remove the sutures.  Lesley has seen visiting
nursing twice and had the first physical therapy visit today.

So, we're still hanging in there.  Next week should also be eventful.

Dave
--
Dave Baldauf, h/o Lesley (45), gbm, dx/srg 8/99, rad 9/99-10/99, debulk
srg 10/99, bone flap removal srg due to infection 11/99, 18 rounds of
Temodar 12/99 - 4/15/01, MRI on 5/7/01 shows growth and new tumor area
near hypothalamus, surgery 5/22/01, new chemo as soon as possible after
surgery
mailto:dbaldauf@alumni.brown.edu