Reflections on the past 5 months of life By My Mother's Side

I know it's been a long time since I have posted anything, but life has been really busy and CRAZY!! I just have to reflect after thinking about this all day yesterday. Although my Mom is always in the very top of my thoughts each day, yesterday I seemed to dwell on the fact that it was the 5 month anniversary of her stroke. 5 months ago we didn't know where we were going on this journey and by no means have we arrived. At times it seems like the last five months have been a lifetime. So many things have changed in five months, some good and some bad. Mom has certainly progressed since her stroke, it has been a slow process and she still has a long way to go. In the beginning the recovery seemed very slow and arduous, but in the last month or so it seems as though she has come out of what I call the "stroke fog". She has been able to walk with a walker with assistance, limited distances, but WOW, we weren't sure she would ever be able to do it. Even the therapists were amazed. She has good and bad days, like the rest of us do, but she is still the precious, sweet mother of my childhood. She is always gracious, kind and is ever so thankful and appreciative for all that is done for her. She continues to say thank you to everyone. She is such a strong woman, I cannot begin to express in words my admiration of her. I would like to think that I have inherited that strength and resilience and that my daughter has too.

I was sitting in her room the other day watching her sleep a most peaceful sleep, I began to wonder about our life here on earth. It seems that we grow up so quickly and then work so hard for the majority of our life for "things" and then as we find ourselves in the "sunset" years of life and something as nasty as a stroke changes the course of our life. We get blindsided by an illness, a tragedy, heartache or something of the like. The Lord has it all under control and I am so thankful for His mercy and grace.

A very dear to my heart older woman that I know told me not long after my mother's stroke, that they should not be called the "golden years" because "there is nothing golden about them". I didn't really think about it until she said that.

I do know this, a stroke happens to the entire family, not just the person that has experienced the stroke. It is life altering for everyone involved.

The experience has changed alot of things in my life and I am not sure what else the future holds for me and my family, but I do know that the Lord has been there with us all the time, otherwise we could have never survived. I know that He knows the future and all we need to do is trust in Him everyday because He makes all things possible. Even in the hard times God is good!!!!

Hopefully, it won't be months before I write again, but until then, take care and here is my my favorite scripture. "The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still" Exodus 14:14

WOW! WHAT A WEEK!!

Sorry it's been a while since I posted something. The past week has been crazy to say the least. It started out pretty good and then got kind of wild. Tuesday we had someone coming over to install a new window A/C unit at my mom's house. The old one seemed to be goin kaput. When they turned the new one on, it didn't even work, so back to Home Depot (Paul and Karen) to take it back and they went to Lowe's and bought another one. We were waiting to have someone call us to install the new one, hopefully the next day. On Wednesday AM I took Mom to a doctor's appointment and then to pre-op for an outpatient procedure. The process ended up taking about 4 hours and she was very tired at the end of that ordeal. I arrived home with her and she should have fallen fast asleep, instead she slept for about 30 minutes and woke up with some strange symptoms. She didn't really know where she was and some of her words were a little strange. She didn't even know who I was. The home health nurse was called and she came in and said that all of her vitals were good and that she thought maybe she was just tired. I put her in bed and she finally fell off to sleep. Well, we thought the day was looking a little bit better, and BAM!!! The A/C unit that was waiting to be replaced, completely QUIT working. So you can imagine how hot it got, a whopping 97 degrees in her house at 6:00pm. Paul and Suzannah proceeded to change out the new A/C themselves. We called TJ, my nephew, and he came over after a little while and the three of them removed the old A/C unit and installed the new one. By 11:00am we had a new A/C unit and it was immediately cooler. Of course, we kept mom cool with fans etc. she was the most important one, but I can only tell you that it was hotter in the house than outside it seemed.

You know I am amazed at my daughter, she just jumped right in and did whatever it took to help her Dad. She is such a pleasure, she has alot of my mom's attributes. Truly my daughter has been so blessed to have my mom play such a large part in her life. So by now we think all is good and we have made it through the week. Little did we know that we were in for more.

The next morning, Thursday, Karen said that she had a good night and her caregiver, Sherry, (I can't even tell you how blessed we are to have Sherry, she is so good with Mama) She had a really good day and after we put her in bed for the night we all retired to our respective places. About 12:50am on Friday morning, Karen called me and said that something was not quite right and so I went next door and Mom was talking and it was a steady stream of words, some that we could make out and most that we could not. We called the ambulance and took her to Gulf Coast Hospital. We arrived there at 1:30am and for 5 hours she had a constant stream of unintelligble words until she wore herself out and finally fell asleep. She was admitted to the hospital at 6:30am and had several tests, MRI of her head and a CT scan of her hip. We saw Dr. Shumate, what a great doc and friend, and several others. We are waiting to hear if she has had another stroke or what is going on. It is felt that some of the delirium could have been caused by an infection. I guess we will soon find out for sure.

So here we sit in the hospital again. Mom seems to be doing well today and during the day yesterday and last night she seemed to come out of the "delirium". It will be nice to know exactly what has happened and what we need to do.

She is resting well today and I have found time to blog a little. Stay tuned, you never know what type of things we will experience in the future.

Hopefully she will get well quick. We certainly appreciate everyone's prayers and concern. I am not sure how you can make it through something like this without your friends and family.

I know that you hear people say "take one day at a time" I have decided in the two months following my mom's stroke that the only way to really survive is to take every moment at a time. Through this experience I can say that I have a different perspective on life and I am trying to focus on the important things and let everything else take care of itself. Sometimes that is easier said than done, but I am trying really hard!! The most important thing right now is that I am BY MY MOTHER'S SIDE!!!!

IT'S THE SMALL THINGS

In my previous post I forgot to mention something that I have noticed, it is how the small things mean more than we take the time to realize.

I have noticed that even the small and simple things now seem HUGE and amazing to me. I mean to most people a trip to Dairy Queen wouldn't mean a whole lot, but this past week after Suzannah and I took Mom to one of her doctor's appointments, we took her through the Dairy Queen drive thru for ice cream. Just that simple thing made her day, she rode in the car and ate soft serve vanilla ice cream and drove down Beach Drive for a change of scenery and to get a little fresh air with the windows down. I know that had to be wonderful to be out of the house, out of the bed and out of the wheelchair even though she was exhausted.

When I went to the store for a few things the other night, I passed by the flowers and thought to myself, WOW those yellow ones are gorgeous, Mom would love them. So a whopping $10.00 later (LOL) I took them home and she loved them. I put them so she could see them all the time. She received alot of beautiful flowers during her stay in the hospital too and she enjoyed them.

Just a visit from TJ (her grandson) and my Suzannah (her granddaughter) makes her smile. I love to see her smile, it makes me know that there are times when she is happy and that her thoughts are not on having a stroke.

You just wouldn't even think about this, but Penny made the cutest bag and had "Gram" and a flower monogrammed on it. The bag is for her catheter bag to go in when she goes to the doctor so that it is covered and everyone doesn't see a catheter bag attached to her wheelchair, it looks like the cutest tote bag. Penny is so talented, once again it's the small things that make the BIG difference.

This past Monday she was concerned because she needed a card for her dear friend's birthday and she didn't have one. I went to the store and picked out a card that I knew she would like. The next morning she signed the card and wrote out the address on the envelope. It almost made me cry, something so simple now seemed so BIG!! She wanted to do it for herself, it was from her and it was personal. Her hand writing now is a little different, but it was her making that effort that was so touching.

I have to say that's how my Mom has always lived her life, thinking about other people even in the midst of what she is going through. She always says to me when I am lifting her, "Pam, be careful, don't hurt your back" She has never once said "don't drop me" even though I know sometimes she is scared.

I always take the time when I stand her up to hug her, it's the best feeling in the world just to hold her and hug her so she knows how much I love her.

I am so thankful for the small things because if you really look at these things, you can't help but realize that they are the BIG things, it just depends on your perspective. I know that my Mom is not the only one that has been changed by her stroke, it has affected our entire family. Life is different now and it's okay because we can appreciate the small and important things in life. I think when life is so busy and crazy we miss out on the small things.

Make sure you tell someone you love them today and that you appreciate them, I know I will.

Home Sweet Home-An Update

Well, I guess I have been too busy to blog because I haven't written since June 19th. Life has been a little crazy and we are all getting used to our new "schedules". Mom came home on June 29th. She was so glad to see her house and all of her own things. After one month of being in the hospital, I am sure home was so refreshing. She sleeps in a hospital bed in her living room, but that's okay, she is home. We set it up so she has a view out of the window and can see what is going on outside. Paul and I put up a big "Welcome Home" banner on the outside of her house and she loved it, so much so that she did not want us to take it down and this was a week later. I finally convinced her that the weather would make it fall down eventually and we compromised, we took off of the outside of the house and hung inside the house in the living room over the curtains and the window. It is amazing what simple things can make someone happy, I never realized that that simple little sign would mean so much to her.

We have been caring for her 24/7 and we are learning everyday about how to do things easier and more efficiently. She is so sweet, never asking for anything and always saying please and thank you. I know it is extremely difficult for her to have her children and daughter-in-law caring for her because so much is required. Honestly, who else could care better for her than US! We are so happy to have the opportunity and privilege of doing so. She is at home and whatever it takes to keep her there we are committed to doing.

She still does not have use of her left leg, but Praise the Lord she can use her left arm. The doctors are amazed about that. She has to have assistance in any movement, such as getting from the bed to the wheelchair, car etc.

She has had three doctors appts since coming home and all went well. One of her doctors even commented on what a "spiffy" wheelchair she has. It is not your usual and customary black, the fabric looks like Burberry print. She and I picked it out so it didn't look so hospital/dull/boring like most other wheelchairs.

We have hired a private sitter to spend the work days with Mom while we are at work, we stay with her nights and weekends around the clock. She comes highly recommended and we are hoping that they become friends as well. Karen spent the first week with her that she was home, Penny (my sister-in-law) spent the second week and then a dear friend of ours (Linda Stewart)spent last week with her during the day. Karen and I spend the night during the week and then the weekends are rotated. I was planning to stay with her next week during the day, but we found Sherry. She starts tomorrow morning and we are praying that all goes well.

Mom has had alot of visitors, in the hospital and since coming home. My Mom's friends have been so wonderful to come and see her and they come often. She has been friends with these ladies for much longer than I have been alive. She enjoys seeing them and they always make her smile. Mary Davis, Katherine Chafin and Peggy Pons, they are the BEST!! There are others that would take too long to list, but you know who you are and THANK YOU!!!

I guess I have updated as much as I can for now. It is not nearly as inclusive as it could be, but I hope to do better to keep everyone updated in the future.

As I watch her sleep :)

As I watch my mom sleep and watch to make sure she is breathing, I can't help but think that when I was little she surely watched me and made sure that I was breathing. I think of all the things that she has done for me and my family. She always gave us the best, always sacrificing for whatever we needed and always, always putting us first. I learned from her how to be a mother, she was an amazing example. She is the best "Gram" ever. She has a special relationship with my daughter. They are so very close. She took care of her from the time I went back to work after her birth until the time she started school and then afternoons after she went to school. She has been to scocer games, volleyball games and anything else that Suz was involved in and has always been one of her biggest fans. I remember the day that Suz left for college, mom said " I told myself that I was not going to cry". As soon as Suz came in the door to tell her goodbye, they both started bawling. They have a very special relationship and I think they are both better for it.

My mom has always been the caregiver in our family all these years. Now it is our turn to care for her. I guess in life you come full circle. It is my honor and privilege to be able to care for her. I will do everything in my power to honor her and I am happy to make sacrifices for her, after all she deserves it.

Day 16 at Healthsouh

So, as I sit here at 10:15pm spending the night with mom and wathcing her sleep. I have so many thoughts that go through my head. I can remember one day while driving home from the hospital just crying so hard that I was physically shaking and it was uncontrollable. I kept thinking that I just can't do this, I was overwhelmed and just kind of beside myself. I realize that my mom is strong and that I am her daughter and I am strong too. I can do anything for my mom, anything at all, my goal is to make her happy and help her to get well. I remember days of her being so tired that all she could do after therapy was sleep. she still has some dayhs like that, but she is awake more than she was when she first arrived here. They have helped her to swallow better and she has "graduated" from pureed food to mechanical soft food. I am reflecting on the outpouring of love that we have experienced from family and friends. So many have come to see her, she has many friends and lots of people that love her.

She is one of the lucky ones here at Healthsouth, there are so many that have no visitors. It seems so sad to me. I have made it a point to speak and check on the lady across the hall, she seems so sad and she hasn't had many people come to see her.

I am so thankful for my sisters, my daughter and my husband. This journey has been hard on all of us, we are tired and we are sleepy, but we are not complaining, we have the easy job, Mom's has the hard job. She has the struggle of getting better and dealing with her deficits from the stroke.

I just want to take care of her and make sure that she has everything that she needs. Our plan is to take her home when she is discharged from here. She deserves to be in her home and we are committed to making that happen. We have been told that it will not be easy, but that's okay. I am sure it was not easy raising the four of us kids. She deserves everything that we can do for her whether it is hard or easy, we can and we will do all that is within our power. We will pray that the Lord will give us strength and wisdom to handle this situation and I know He will. He has brought us this far and He will continue to help us.

Rehab

So we begin with Rehab. It is now June 3rd and Healthsouth has an available bed, so we take it for fear that there won't be one anytime soon. We pack everything up and she is transported to Healthsouth. I ride with her from the hospital in the transport van to Healthsouth. It is Thursday and this ordeal started 6 days ago. Wow, it was hard to even remember what day it was, much less the date.

She is admitted to Healthsouth, lots of questions and lots of paperwork, but she is in her bed and resting. I am answering the questions. Mom tells the nurse that I know more about her health than she does. She is so tired and just doing really well. It is an exhausting day and I sleep in the chair next to her bed. I am so thankful for my sisters, Karen and Patti. We work in shifts and take turns sitting with mom. I hate leaving her when it is not my turn to stay with her. We were told that we could not spend the night with her, but because she is not doing well they allow us to since her roommate has said it was okay. She has the sweetest roommate. Her name is Lavern, so I tease them both that they are Lavern and Shirley. We really like Lavern, she is such a sweet little christian lady. Her daughter is the administrative assistant here at Healthsouth and she is also so very kind.

The rehab stay begins. She starts therapy the day after admission and they waste no time. She sleeps through alot of the therapy. She is so tired the least amount of activity wears her out. We enjoy seeing Lavern everyday. She is so upbeat, she is scheduled to go home on the 8th.

So now it is Sunday and Mom is weighed, she has lost 8 pounds in four days. She is not eating well and Dr. Hennigan suggests a PEG tube. We had hoped to avoid this, but 8 pounds is alot to lose. On Monday the 7th we agree that she needs the tube. We think it will be several days before it is done since she is on aspirin and Plavix.

Well, PEG day is here, it is going to happen today, Tuesday June 8th. So much faster than expected. I am concerned that she has not been off of the aspirin/Plavix long enough but the surgeon placing the tube wants to do it.

Tuesday June 8th: We are leaving to go to GCH GI clinic to have the PEG tube placed today. As we are leaving, Ms. Lavern tells us that she will most likely be gone when we return. SHe hugs us by and tells us that she will be praying for all of us. I cry because we will miss her, she is so precious. But good for her she gets to go home.

We head off to GCH for the PEG tube and again I am able to stay with her until they take her in to the procedure room and then I get back to her as soon as they are done. The PEG insertion is uneventful and we head back to her room at Healthsouth. We return and Ms. Lavern is gone, her bed empty, one day we hope that mom's rehab bed will be empty and she will be at home, time will tell.

The Hospital Stay

Wow it was so unbelievable!! Here we were in the hopsital and as you can imagine the testing begins. Mom's arm and leg on the left side were not working at all. They were useless, and I felt useless to help her. Mom wakes up Monday AM and she supplies some comic relief. She says to me that she heard Paul snoring all night. I explain to her that it was the lady in the bed next to her. She is to have an MRI of her brain today and we will see what it shows. While waiting that afternoon for the MRI report and to see the doctor, Dr. Vu comes in and states that she has had a stroke on the right front part of her brain. Not good news! He explains that it is a "dry stroke" and that we have several choices for treatment, but he would like to have a 4 vessel angiogram the next day to determine exactly were the blockage could is. We were visiting her and next thing I know she has raised her left arm and is scratching her nose and then proceeds to lift her hand all the way to the top of her head. Suzannah and I were about to shout and do a dance. We had just witnessed our first miracle. I cannot express to you how excited we were. Later that day we are moved to a private room. I have asked Dr. Vu if he would consult Dr. Shumate as mom's neurologist and he said that he would.

We don't leave her side and we don't want to. It was so hard to let them take her to have the angiogram. The staff at GCH was wonderful they let me stay with her until they took her in for the angiogram, I did not want to leave her, I was scared and she was scared, but we had to know what we were dealing with. It seemed like a long time waiting for her to be done and finally they called us. The radiologist calls me into the computer room and shows me the film of her angiogram. It is very evident as you see the dye go through the vessels in her head that on the right side the dye/blood does not flow past a certain point. It is flowing and then abruptly stops. It does not feed the blood vessels past that point and this is the area of her brain that affects her motor skills on the left side. So now we know for sure that it is a large right frontal stroke.

Dr. Vu comes to speak to us and tells us that the treatment might be to give her a blood thinner, but that could cause her to have a bleed, which would be worse than the stroke she has already had, but not doing anything could cause her to have another "embolic" stroke. He defers to Dr. Shumate and we will get to see him later tonight.

Dr. Shumate, what a nice guy, a great doctor and my friend. He comes in and sees Mom and tells that yes she has had a large stroke. He tells us that it will take about six weeks before the swelling could really begin to go away. He explains the situation to us and it is decided that she will be stgarted on aspirin and Plavix and that we will not go the full blown blood thinner route.

I can't begin to tell you at this point all of the experiences that we had, from thenurse trying to give her pills in applesauce while she is lying down and almost choking her to taking her for a brium swallow and not even having a operating suction machine when you are giving someone that can't swallow several different thick liquids.

Of course, Mom provides us with some comic relief. She is eating mashed potatoes and reaches across her plate for something. She gets gravy on her forearm and before I can get her a napkin, she licks it off her arm. It was sooooo funny. Leave it to my mom to always make us feel better even when she doesn't feel well.

Next stop: Healthsouth Rehab

GCH ER Finally someone helps us!!

So here we are, it's Sunday, May 30th, we arrive at the GCH ER and immediately the begin testing her for stroke, sure wish BMC ER would have been so kind. My neurologist friend/angel comes in to see her and he says she has had a right frontal stroke. He gives us (me and my three sisters) advice and as quickly as he arrived he was gone. I know the Lord sent him to help us. After only an hour or so and a quick couple of CT scans, it is determined that she should be admitted. The GCH ER doctor was amazing, Dr. Kulow, they don't get any better than him when it comes to ER doctors. I was told that she never would have been sent home from GCH ER in her condition. After only a few hours, she is admitted and in a private room. Only a few hours later we are moved to a semi-private room. She gets to sleep and I spend the night with her in the hospital. I will say that hospital chairs are very uncomfortable, but not near as uncomfortable as it is to see my mom in the hospital and in the condition that she was in.

A Long Night At Home

So here we are, we have her at home and in her own bed. She is in quite a bit of pain in her hips and legs and so we give her a 1/2 of the Lortab from the ER. She is so exhausted that she falls fast asleep and I have decided to sleep with her in her bed in the event that she needs me during the night. It was a restless night. I was constantly waking up and checking on her for fear that something may go wrong in the night. We awaken on Sunday morning, May 30th and it takes my sister and I both to get her up out of bed and into the wheelchair and the bathroom. It hurts her terribly to leave and she is unable to move her legs at all. We take her into the kitchen and make her favorite breakfast, raisin bread and orange juice. She eats a small amount and is so tired after being up for four hours that we decide she should go back to bed. It is becoming more and more apparent that she needs to return to the ER (definitely not BMC). I call her orthopedist that had been caring for her prior to her fall and the doc on call says to take her to the ER and have her checked. I then call a very dear neurologist friend of mine and tell him what is going on and that I am desperate and really need some guidance. She is not doing really well and I need some help fast. Several of mom's friends have come over to see her and she is resting in her bed talking to Ms. Davis. Suddenly my sister's are screaming for me and I find that she has started throwing up her breakfast. I hung up on my neurologist friend to care for her and he called me back. He offers to come to her house to see her and I told him that I didn't think that would be necessary that after the vomiting episode it was apparent that we would be heading back to the ER. He graciously offers to meet us there (as a friend) and give me his opinion. So after rapidly cleaning her up, my mom is once again carried to my car and off we go to the Gulf Coast Medical Center ER. I call ahead and tell them that we are in transit. On the way to the hospital I realize I have been praying non-stop in my head and am asking the Lord to please care for my mother. I am 44 years old, a mother myself, but I still need my mother more than ever.

Next post: An entirely different ER experience - Thank the Lord!!!

The Worst Trip to the ER Ever!

So we pick up where the last blog post left off. We arrive at the Bay Medical Center ER at about 9:20, it was quite the experience for me too!! Neither of us has ever ridden in an ambulance before. Actually my mom at age 80 has never been in the hospital before, with the exception of the birth of her four children (Tommy in Montana and the three of us girls at Bay Medical Center). So she is in the ER on the 56th anniversary of her third child's birth. We are rolled into an exam room and the process begins. She has blood drawn and urine checked and numerous questions asked. Thank goodness she has always been healthy. The ER staff is amazed that she is 80 years old and only takes one blood pressure med and a vitamin, I guess they expected the mega-list about a foot long. The doctor comes in and examines her and orders tests, after normal x-rays and blood work and after 4 hours he comes in and says he thinks she can go home and it was just a fall. The LPN stated to the doctor that he didn't think she should go that she was unable to stand or it up by herself. The doctor then decided that she should go to observation overnight and we would go from there. He said that she would be moved to observation soon. About 3 1/2 hours later she was moved to CDU/observation. At this point she has had no food or water since 8pm the previous night. We have been asking and they keep saying no in case she might need anesthesia, even though the her tests were normal. Some time in the middle of this process, while we are thinking we are waiting for a room for overnight, the ER staff changes shifts. Little did we know that our experience was going to get even worse. The "new" ER doc for the evening reviews her chart and orders a CT scan of her brain and a lumbar spine x-ray, all the while she is in alot of pain and can't hardly move. She has the tests done and we are told by the nurse that they are normal. They have instructions to get her up and out of bed, well that was a feat for two nurses and myself helping. She was unable to bear weight at all and could not sit up straight in the chair by herself. They finally bring her some food, of which she barely eats or drinks.

Just shy of rolling into our 12th hour in the ER, the nurse comes in and says that the doctor says that the tests were normal and that we need to take her home. The nurse tells that the ER doc thinks that since the tests are okay that she is just sore and stiff from falling this morning and that we should take her home and ambulate her once every hours. REALLY????? The doctor never comes in to see her for himself, he never comes and talks to us at all and he sends her home. We even asked if we could speak to him and the nurse states that his recommendation will still be the same. Actually he sends her home with Lortab and steroids and says that we need her to move around so she doesn't get stiff. At this point we are rapidly realizing that she is not going to be cared for at Bay Medical Center. She was discharged and sent home. What else was there to do??? Maybe restrospectively we should have taken her straight to GCH, maybe not, she was so exhausted that we took her home. Maybe he was right, maybe he was WRONG!

Look for the next post: things get worse instead of better!!

THE BEGINNING OF THIS JOURNEY

As I sit here in Healthsouth Rehab with my mother on this beautiful Sunday morning, so many things are going through my head. First of all it seems surreal that it has been 16 days since my mother's stroke. The days have both flown by and moved in slow motion. I have to look back to when the bad dream began to give some background to how this journey began.

It was Saturday, May 29th, 2010 (my sister Patti's 56th birthday) and I was up and working at my desk at home, which is not an unusual place for me to be at any given time of the day or night. Suzannah was sound asleep as usual and my cell phone began ringing at 8:20am. I thought to myself, I don't recognize that area code or phone number, but I answered it anyway. I think the Lord was leading me and I didn't even realize it. As soon as the person on the other end said this was Life Alert I went into to running mode. They stated that my Mom had pushed the button on her Life Alert and she was not responding to their calls. Off in my pajamas I run next door to her house, my heart is racing and I do not really know what to expect. I unlock and fling open the door and immediately I notice that the bathroom door is closed. I know that is where she is at and I run to the door and call her name. She is on the other side of the door and she has fallen. I can only open the door about 4". She has fallen against the door and I cannot get to her to help. Life Alert calls and I tell them what is going on, they summon the Fire Department and EMS. I reach into the bathroom and tell Mom that I am with her and that she will be okay. Just touching her arm helps us both to feel a little bit better. I run outside and around the back of the house thinking that I can go through the bathroom window to rescue her, but I can't remove the screen or reach the window.

I decide that it would be best to run home, get my purse, throw on some decent clothes and a bra, because I know that we will be making a trip to the ER today and probably should not go in my pajamas. I wake Suzannah up in a rush and tell her what I need her to do and then I run back to my Mom's house. Mom is still lying on the floor and I tell her that I will not leave her. Shortly thereafter, the Fire Dept. arrives, as well as EMS behind them. Suzannah is in the house with EMS and I have taken the firemen out back to show them the bathroom window. They remove the screen and part of the window and climb in to rescue my Mom. I go back inside the house and the bathroom door is open and the EMS worker's are assisting her into a wheelchair. She states that she is fine. Of course, my Mom always says that she is okay even when she might not be. EMS checks her out and she decides not to go to the ER. Her B/P is fine and they leave. We are to call them if need be.

Shortly after they leave we are talking to her and she just stops in mid-sentence. She says that she needs to go to the bathroom, so Suzannah and I try to help her up and we realize that her legs are not working at all. We realize that she has to go to the ER and be checked out. I call 911 and the same EMS guys come back. We load her up and we go to the ER. I have been trying to reach my sister, Karen and have left messages, I call my sister, Patti, and she is immediately on her way to meet us at the hospital. Suzannah has been left behind since only one of us can go in the ambulance. I felt so sorry for her, she is so upset while watching this unfold. The nightmarish ER experience is the next blog post. It is really quite unbelievable!!