Pat's contact information...

Letters and calls would be appreciated...

Patrick O'Lynch- Room # 1198
c/o Mercer Island Care Center
7445 Southeast 24th St.
Mercer Island, WA 98040

(206) 230-6998- his direct number

Megan, J'Ali, and I all plan to be there with him this weekend. We'll post updates when we get home (unless we can find a laptop to take with us).

He is FINALLY being transferred...

After a long wait... our dad has finally been accepted into a rehab facility. This afternoon he is being moved to the Mercer Island Care Center. It's still too far away from home in my opinion.. but, hopefully we'll be able to transfer him closer to home soon. I don't have a direct phone number or room number for him yet. I will post that info as soon as I have it. :)

Happy Birthday!!

Today is our dad's 60th birthday. If you have a moment please call him and let him know you're thinking about him. 206-744-6574 (his direct #). He's still at Harborview unfortunately.. we're still working hard to find a place that will take him. My mom and grandma contacted Avalon (in Pasco-where my Aunt Betsy lives) this morning.. and they are going to consider him again. Insurance doesn't want to pay for him to stay in the hospital any longer.. so, the insurance company is working with the social worker at Harborview to find a place for him. I will post more info as soon as I know more. :)

yes... April 23rd is his 60th birthday. He will still be at Harborview at this point by himself. Please if your that way... stop by and visit. If you have any ideas as to what we could do long distance... please let us know. My email address is jaliolynch@email.com. Thank you

Wednesday...

... is my dad's 60th birthday!! :)

Weekend update

Our dad is still in Seattle. We haven't been able to find a rehabilitation facility here locally that will take him. We should hear back from the places in Sunnyside and Grandview tomorrow morning. I added him to the waiting list at Canyon Lakes (he's #3)... so, if he gets into a facility that is not in the Tri-Cities.. hopefully we'll be able to transfer him to Canyon Lakes soon after (that's my plan for now anyway).
J'Ali and I (Mary) will not be in Seattle with him for at least the next couple days. My kids need me at home (I also have a couple medical problems of my own to take care of) and J'Ali is moving back to the Tri-Cities from Spokane so that she can be closer to our dad. Hopefully he'll be transferred very soon because he's all by himself for now. If you happen to be in the Seattle area this week please stop by.. I'm sure that he's getting lonely. :(

Thursday update

Our dad is doing a bit better today. He's now on a regular diet and is eating a wide variety of foods (low salt and sugar of course). He had a tough time holding down food yesterday... but, has done quite a bit better today. His white blood cell count is gradually coming down and the doctor's are working on locating the cause. He had a CT of his belly area and the doctor's did not find any infection. They had him scheduled for another scan for today.
He is a bit confused and unclear of why he is in the hospital (his response keeps changing when we ask him why he is in the hospital). I think once he's out of the hospital and is able to sleep better he'll improve a lot more. We're still working on finding a rehab facility here locally that will accept him. A few of the local places are full and others have turned him down (because he's too much for them in his current condition). The social worker at Harborview is working with a place in Grandview and another in Sunnyside.. if they don't work out.. I'm assuming we'll start looking in the Spokane area. Anyway, he's still got a long road of recovery ahead of him. Cards (and letters) to him would be greatly appreciated. I will post an update when we know when/where he will be transferred to (visitors would be wonderful!). Thanks for all of your continued thoughts and prayers! :)

It sounds like its going to be a few more days. His white blood cell count is on the climb again. They have not yet been able to pin point the infection. He has been awake and very alert but very lethargic. He says he is dizzy and confused and feels like he is going to puke. They tested is swollowing abilities and he is now able to eat bits of whole food and drink water.

Tuesday AM

Things are really starting to look up here. Our dad is able to communicate a lot better as of just a couple days ago. His voice isn't back to normal.. but, he's a lot easier to understand. His white blood cell count is high again.. and the doctors are trying to figure out why. Hopefully his lungs aren't infected again. We're still working on finding a place in the Tri-Cities that will take him for rehabilitation (once his white blood cell count is normal again). Hopefully in the next couple of days he will be moved closer to home.

Sunday update

I am now back in Seattle with my dad. He is showing slight improvement each day. His lungs are doing much better.. but, he is still on antibiotics. He can have some soft foods now, but hasn't had much of an appetite. He is eating vanilla icecream right now. :) Tomorrow we should know more about transferring him closer to home... I'll post another update when I know more.

Good news!

Harborview is planning to discharge my dad soon. We're in the process of finding a recovery center that will accept him. A few of our local centers have turned him down (either because they are too full or because he requires more care than they offer). Megan and I are working to get him into something close.. but, that will also take excellent care of him. If you have experience (both good and bad) with any place.. please email or call me. Thanks!! :)
Mary
mary_claybrook@yahoo.com
551-1690/585-1206

Wednesday update

My dad had an operation to have a feeding tube put into his stomach this afternoon. The surgery went well. His nurse told me that he can't be tube fed until tomorrow so he will have hunger pains. He's still confused and quite negative about being in the hospital. Sally is there with him right now.. J'Ali (Alex) went home this afternoon to catch up at work.

Tuesday PM

Sorry that I didn't post an update earlier today. My dad is doing about the same today. He has been saying random things and his memory seems to be a little off.. but, hopefully once he's out of the hospital that will change. He is not very happy that he's still in the hospital and hasn't been very nice about it (he wanted us girls and Juan to break him out last weekend). He was tested for liver failure last night and the test came back negative.. so, that's positive (his enzyme level is high). J'Ali is with him now and Sally will take over tomorrow afternoon so that J'Ali can go back to work for a few days. I (Mary) am home to finish my finals that I missed at CBC and to get caught up around the house (and to spend some much needed time with my three children). I plan to go back this weekend and stay for as long as needed. If you have any questions.. call me at home 585-1206 or on my cell 551-1690. :)

Monday update

Our dad has finally been transferred to the 3rd floor to room number 372 (for those of you who plan to visit him). He was really fighting his oxygen mask last night so his arms are now restrained so he can't pull it off (he also pulled the tube out of his nose that makes suctioning easier). He's not happy that we're keeping him in the hospital and wants to go home (of course, we all would in his condition). He's still very weak.. he's lost a lot of weight and muscle mass. Hopefully he'll relax and his body will continue to fight the pneumonia. Thank you to those who came and visited him this weekend. :)

Sunday AM

Our dad is doing about the same today. He is still fighting the pneumonia but is only having to be suctioned a couple times a day. He's exhausted and wants to go home.. but, he's still got a long way to go. Visitors are greatly appreciated.. so, if you're in Seattle please stop by. He's still in room 508.

Saturday Morning

This morning our dad is doing about the same. He keeps asking for ice cubes and fruit. His throat is very dry but there is not much we can do untill he can swallow on his own. They started him on another antibiotic for pneumonia. He seems to be clearing out his lungs pretty well. They haven't had to suction him as much. This is good. It means the fluids are decreasing and his body is starting to work things out.

Friday PM

We've been sitting with our dad throughout the day. About an hour ago he all of a sudden became really red and broke out in a sweat. The nurse checked his vitals and everything was of normal range. He has been really in and out of it all day. One second he is fully awake and alert, the next he is groggy and/or asleep. Hmmmmm?? We are not sure what to think. We will keep bugging the nurses and doctors until we have answers.

Friday AM

Not much has changed from last night. He is only having to be suctioned every 4 hours instead of every two. They stick a tube through his nose down into his lung area.. it's pretty rough on him.. but, he's able to breathe a lot better afterwards. They are still working on getting him a bed on the 3rd floor where he belongs.. but, they don't have room right now. He's alert and is able to whisper to us. He is sitting up in a special chair right now and Alex is trying to get him to hold a pen. I am on a mission to find his glasses. They were misplaced by the hospital staff when he was moved into his new room. Hopefully they show up soon.

Thursday update

We arrived safe and sound this evening. Things are going pretty good here. Daddy knows who we are and can kind of sort of talk to us. His throat is very very dry from the tube and he still has a ton of fluid in his lungs. He does not like being here one bit he keeps telling us that. He wasnt very happy that we left him here the last couple of days. We are back though and things are looking up. We will have more info tomorrow. Thank you again and Good night!

We're leaving for Seattle...

We are leaving (Mary & Alex) for Seattle this morning. We'll update you all after we talk with our dad's doctors. Thanks everyone for helping us out financially and for all of the prayers. :)

Wednesday afternoon

I just called and talked with my dad's nurse. They are working on transferring him to the neurology unit (on the 3rd floor). His nurse said that he's doing "the same".. he doesn't always respond and does not always follow commands. The doctor's are still trying to figure out why he's not very responsive. He did have several more strokes (TIA's) after the initial bleed... but, his CT scans have shown no change since. Keep praying!

Wednesday update

He's officially out of the Coronary ICU. He's now on the 5th floor. He was having another CT scan when Wayne called.. but, his nurse said that he's doing good today. I'll post another update later today. :)

He's now an "acute care" patient!! :)

I just called Harborview and talked with his nurse in the CICU. She said that they are working on transferring him to acute care on another floor. There isn't a room available.. so, he's going to stay in the ICU until one opens up. The nurse said that he told her to "take it easy" when she was cleaning out his mouth this morning. She said that sometimes he'll follow an item with his eyes and sometimes he doesn't.. but, that he's showing some improvement. I called to talk with him, but he was sleeping and the nurse was surprised that I couldn't hear him snoring.. lol. :)
I'm still fighting this yucky cold.. but, would like to get back to Seattle as soon as I can. J'Ali (Alex) & I are talking about leaving tomorrow to stay with him through Sunday. I'll update again as soon as I hear more.