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!!!!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
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.
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.
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.
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