Mom is in hospital, again!
My mom had an appointment to see a specialist in Nashville, TN today. Her regular doc had made an appt for her to see a doc in Bowling Green in Sept. My sister-in-law, Betsy, has the training and good sense to know that Mom didn't need to wait that long. So Betsy made arrangements on Friday for my mom to go to Nashville today. I drove Mom to Nashville this morning. To save time and energy, I copied and pasted the email that I sent to my husband tonight:
"After looking at Mom's foot, the doctor decided to go ahead and admit her today and get her on iv antibiotics again. The foot is swollen and red again, with a red streak starting up her leg. If they don't do something fast, she's going to lose some toes .. maybe more. She may lose a toe anyway. They've already done x-rays and an ekg. She's also been visited by an internal med doc and a the cardio doc is calling in a podiatrist. The cardio doc is going to do an angiogram tomorrow. The doctors have requested all of her records from Russellville.
Grrrrrrrrr ......... did she think we screamed NASHVILLE for three weeks just so we could hear ourselves!
I'm so tired I'm shaking. Mom brought an overnight bag with her just in case. I had to go back to the car and fetch it for her. I only had a 180 calorie protein bar for breakfast, so by 3:00 pm, I had to go find the food court. Navigating the sprawling, winding, unmarked hallways of the old St. Thomas West Hospital is a nightmare!!!! I left St. Thomas a little after 5:00 pm, when Daddy and Betsy got there. I decided to go the short way .... up the interstates instead of around Briley Parkway ... not a smart idea. There was a 3-car wreck on I-65, just before the I-24 split. I was stuck clutching and creeping for forever --- from the I-440/I-40 merge almost to the split . When I got onto I-24 and out of traffic, I had to get off of the interstate and take a break. I've got to start keeping my meds in my purse -- skipping doses is not good!
Pray for us tomorrow .... it's Nashville and St. Thomas all over again for us. And, I'll have to walk the dogs in the morning. They're going into spasms on me right now, but I don't think I'm steady enough to shoot another snake tonight!"
My husband replied to my email. He made a remark about me being too hard headed for my own good. He threatened to come home this weekend, but he knows he can't stop me. He just told me to pack some food and put my meds in my purse. Yeah, my car is a 5-speed stick-shift --- tons of fun in traffic jams, but I've always driven sticks. Yeah, I forgot to take my meds with me, and I missed a dose both yesterday and Saturday.
I stayed with my mom until my dad and my sister-in-law arrived at the hospital. I went into the exam rooms with her. Every time she told a doctor or a nurse that she "felt fine", I called her a liar and badgered her into telling them the truth, in detail! Maybe one of the family needs to accompany her on all of her medical appts from now on, just to keep her honest.
So .......... again, I'm asking you to please pray for my mom. And, pray for me, too --- I don't know how many days of Nashville traffic this body of mine can take. (DS says that it is Tuesday --- it is Monday!)
"After looking at Mom's foot, the doctor decided to go ahead and admit her today and get her on iv antibiotics again. The foot is swollen and red again, with a red streak starting up her leg. If they don't do something fast, she's going to lose some toes .. maybe more. She may lose a toe anyway. They've already done x-rays and an ekg. She's also been visited by an internal med doc and a the cardio doc is calling in a podiatrist. The cardio doc is going to do an angiogram tomorrow. The doctors have requested all of her records from Russellville.
Grrrrrrrrr ......... did she think we screamed NASHVILLE for three weeks just so we could hear ourselves!
I'm so tired I'm shaking. Mom brought an overnight bag with her just in case. I had to go back to the car and fetch it for her. I only had a 180 calorie protein bar for breakfast, so by 3:00 pm, I had to go find the food court. Navigating the sprawling, winding, unmarked hallways of the old St. Thomas West Hospital is a nightmare!!!! I left St. Thomas a little after 5:00 pm, when Daddy and Betsy got there. I decided to go the short way .... up the interstates instead of around Briley Parkway ... not a smart idea. There was a 3-car wreck on I-65, just before the I-24 split. I was stuck clutching and creeping for forever --- from the I-440/I-40 merge almost to the split . When I got onto I-24 and out of traffic, I had to get off of the interstate and take a break. I've got to start keeping my meds in my purse -- skipping doses is not good!
Pray for us tomorrow .... it's Nashville and St. Thomas all over again for us. And, I'll have to walk the dogs in the morning. They're going into spasms on me right now, but I don't think I'm steady enough to shoot another snake tonight!"
My husband replied to my email. He made a remark about me being too hard headed for my own good. He threatened to come home this weekend, but he knows he can't stop me. He just told me to pack some food and put my meds in my purse. Yeah, my car is a 5-speed stick-shift --- tons of fun in traffic jams, but I've always driven sticks. Yeah, I forgot to take my meds with me, and I missed a dose both yesterday and Saturday.
I stayed with my mom until my dad and my sister-in-law arrived at the hospital. I went into the exam rooms with her. Every time she told a doctor or a nurse that she "felt fine", I called her a liar and badgered her into telling them the truth, in detail! Maybe one of the family needs to accompany her on all of her medical appts from now on, just to keep her honest.
So .......... again, I'm asking you to please pray for my mom. And, pray for me, too --- I don't know how many days of Nashville traffic this body of mine can take. (DS says that it is Tuesday --- it is Monday!)
Replies
DS doesn\'t know what day it is, Nancy! Just another mess-up! It\'s hard on those of us who need help remembering our own names when we come here first thing, and get misinformed right from the get go!
I\'m so sorry you are going through this with your mom.. I understand the stubbornness issue though. I have that with my 88 year old dad. He always tells the doctors he feels fine! It makes me nuts. I\'m not with him on his doctor visits, but you\'re right. Somebody SHOULD go with them, because they are forgetful and stubborn and don\'t want to hear any bad news, so they avoid that by telling boldface lies. Ahem. I do understand how frustrated you are. I also understand how tired you must be.
Please try and remember to take your meds! This is rough. When our parents get sick with really bad issues and we have to tend to them when they are alone. They don\'t teach us this stuff in school. And our parents live a lot longer than we baby boomers ever thought. Not that we\'re not glad they\'re here....just that, they\'re outliving US! LOL!!
Oh, I\'m praying that your mom doesn\'t need surgery, Nancy and that you will have the strength to carry on. Glad you have help from family! Keep us updated. Gentle hugs! xoxo
Wow, I\'m impressed you\'ve managed to get through this much, but be careful of an energy crash. I\'m glad you got your pills. I always forget to take mine in my purse too.
I\'m always concerned about what would happen if my parents got sick. I can barely care for myself and my kids. I will pray for you. You have a rough few days ahead. I\'ll pray for your mom too. I will pray for the best possible outcome for her foot. I pray that light would enter her body even know and begin to drive back the darkness. Blessings, triunfadora.
So sorry to hear about your mom Nancy! Trying to be there for our parents is a challenge for even the healthiest person. For us...challenging doesn\'t do it justice. Everything is harder with these dang illnesses! And I\'m learning so many of us share in the struggle of aging parents. AND the stubbornness... yep. But I myself get the stubbornness bug. Think illness in general flares it...hard to accept our bodies aren\'t doing what we want them to. I understand how frustrating it is though. I do, I do!
You take care of yourself too please! The more you push these bodies, the more pissed they get...a little whisper can quickly turn into a 2x4 to the head. ;)
Sending you and your mom healing light, love, strength and patience my friend. Loving hugs...