Little problem this morning. I got a shower for the first time in a week, but the hot water sent my blood pressure down to 70/40 and I got very very dizzy. It took five assorted women (nurses, techs, therapist) to get me back in bed. I am fine now but this dizzy spell thing is not normal. I haven’t had one in two years but have had four this week.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, August 05, 2024 - 07:02 pm: Edit

Monday, 5 Aug. After a visit from the hospital chaplain, I started with occupational therapy giving me a shower, giving me a dizzy spell, which crashed the rest of OT. Next was physical therapy which couldn’t do much as I could not get out of bed due to blood pressure under 100. Lunch, a visit from a church deacon, and a visit from Leanna, then more PT, during which I walked 70 feet on a walker. I was stopped by blinding knee pain. OT took over but I was in pain and struggled to complete the exercises. Then back to bed. Then a visit from the church pastor for seniors, and another deacon. In a few minutes I will be taken downstairs to get an ultrasound scan of my liver, kidney, and gall bladder, looking for the cause of these dangerous dizzy spells.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, August 06, 2024 - 03:20 pm: Edit

August 6: slept well, good breakfast, occupational therapy got me in and out of the bathroom for shaving and brushing my teeth but my blood pressure dropped to 84/60 and they put me back in bed.
Physical therapy did what little I could do laying down, the got me up into a chair for an hour and lunch. Then more OT which was sitting in a wheelchair in the gym doing hand weights. Then dog therapy for half an hour. Then physical therapy again, this time 76 feet before a horrible muscle spasm put me back in bed. No word yet on the scans or why I keep getting dizzy.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, August 08, 2024 - 11:57 am: Edit

Things have gone badly. I get dangerously dizzy every time I stand up, or even if I just sit up for 30 minutes. That pretty much shuts down therapy. You only get so much therapy before you get sent home to finish recovery, or in my case to a nursing home. The therapy sessions that are stopped because of dizziness count against the limit. The dizziness isn’t getting better and until it does I cannot make any progress on rehab.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, August 08, 2024 - 06:58 pm: Edit

The dizzy spell did cause the fall.

Plan is to send me home next Wednesday and let my cardiologist figure out why I get dizzy.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, August 08, 2024 - 07:36 pm: Edit

I do not expect to reach the office for three more weeks, but I will beat this. Physical therapy was brutal but I survived and did better than two days ago. Tough road to drive.