I've been reading about your mom and have been praying for her and your family. I will not stop.

You are your family are in our prayers...and get some sleep, that will help you stay strong through this process.

Stay strong and get rest when you can because you do not need to be sick and worn out yourself. My thoughts are with you for strength.

Saturday was one of the hardest days so far with Mom. I spent most of the day and night crying. Sunday wasn't much better but Monday and today she seems to be doing some better. She actually held a cup and drank from it today, something she hasn't been able to do in weeks. I spent the day with her and she seem alert and looks pretty good.

 

I don't understand why Mom is still able to come back time and time again but I sure am not complaining about it. I just know that she hasn't completed what God put her on this earth for.

 

Thanks for all your prayers and please continue.

Thanks for the update, RebelK. God has a purpose for each of us and only he knows when that purpose is complete. My prayers are for strength and guidance are with you and your family.

Mom is far from being out of the woods but she is responding well to the new unit they have her on. The other day we actually got her in a wheelchair and wheeled her around the hospital. We took her outside for just a few minutes, she didn't want to stay long, but we did at least let her see the outside for a while. Later that night I got to thinking that this is probably the first time in over a year that she's actually been outside without her being her having a EMT pushing her. I also thought about how very overwhelming being outside must have been for her. She was almost scared and after a while I understood how different it must have been for her.

 

She is eating better now than she has been for a while. Her labs are all good and we are praying that she will respond to therapy next week.

 

Last night we noticed that they had marked some stuff off her menu and this morning they didn't bring her what we had requested for breakfast. After a little research we found out that they had her on a special diet and they were not letting her have anything that she liked. I understand that special diets are needed but I also understand that Mom eats so little and if we take away everything she loves then we will be back to square one. So off I go and lucky for me, and probably unlucky for him, Mom's doctor was still at the nurses station. After a few minutes of discussion he told them to let her have whatever she wants. It would be different if Mom ate everything in her site and lots of it but she doesn't. She hardly eats enough to keep a bird alive and I just wasn't going to have her food taken away.

 

So at this point I am encouraged. She is talking and and eating well. So we just have to continue to pray and hopefully we will have her back home soon.

 

Today I had to go to the doctor and after a few hours at the hospital with Mom, my sister is with her, I decided to take the day off and I came home. So I am home cleaning and cooking and just enjoying myself. I am cooking a nice dinner for us and that will be a treat because we seem to eat take out a lot and that gets old after a while.

 

I had to go to the doctor because I burned my arm on an iron a few weeks ago and it became quite infected. My doctor gave me a cream to use on the burn and something for the infection and I had a horrible reaction to it one of them. Nothing we tried seem to help with the reaction, so today I went back and we are trying something new. Believe it or not, my arm is feeling better and actualy looks a little better just after one treatment.

 

It's been hard being at the hospital so much and then coming home and not being able to sleep because of the arm. Hopefully, this will work and I can get some sleep tonight.

 

Thanks for all your prayers and please continue.

I also thought about how very overwhelming being outside must have been for her. She was almost scared and after a while I understood how different it must have been for her.

You are right on target with your thinking. When you're confined to a hospital room, your world gets smaller and smaller. Eventually, anyplace past your room door is like a foreign land. So, while going outside is certainly an exciting and welcome adventure, it can quickly become overwhelming.

 

It's not easy to push back that unseen bubble that's closed in around you. Outside, you're confronted with bright light, cool breezes, warm sun, sights you haven't seen for a time and smells you haven't experienced for so long. The world seems so big and busy and noisy and full of life.

 

It's a little bit scary for a time. But, as she gets to have more little excursions like this, she'll become more comfortable and will enjoy herself a lot more.

You are right on target with your thinking. When you're confined to a hospital room, your world gets smaller and smaller. Eventually, anyplace past your room door is like a foreign land. So, while going outside is certainly an exciting and welcome adventure, it can quickly become overwhelming.

 

It's not easy to push back that unseen bubble that's closed in around you. Outside, you're confronted with bright light, cool breezes, warm sun, sights you haven't seen for a time and smells you haven't experienced for so long. The world seems so big and busy and noisy and full of life.

 

It's a little bit scary for a time. But, as she gets to have more little excursions like this, she'll become more comfortable and will enjoy herself a lot more.

 

It took me a while to figure it out and when I did my heart hurt. I've told my sister and my brothers that we need to take everything in small steps because we don't want to overwhelm her too much. I know that her bed and her room is a safe place for her but perhaps that will change in time. Thanks for letting me know that I was "somewhat" on target with my thoughts - - - which is a first:lol::lol::lol:

Thanks for letting me know that I was "somewhat" on target with my thoughts - - - which is a first:lol::lol::lol:

I did not say "somewhat."

I did not say "somewhat."

No you didn't - but I did:thumb:

 

Well today was a new adventure and one I will do without thank you very much.

 

I asked Mom if we got her into a wheelchair would she like to take a trip around the hospital. I was so happy when she said a big YES!!

 

So I asked if they could help her into a wheelchair and in they came with this machine that helps lift people out of bed. Not being an expert on this I wasn't too concerned when it took them over 30 mins to transfer her from the bed to the chair. What I did get concerned about was when one of the women came out of Mom's room yellling for help. They of course wouldn't let me in, which probably was for the best. What had happened was they put her in the wrong lift and she fell out. Lucky for her they had her back to the wheelchair and she landed, well sort of, in the chair. When they grabbed her to keep her from falling into the floor they tore her left arm up. Well needless to say Mom was scared to death and wasn't a very happy camper.

 

They explained to me that there are two different kinds of lifts. One is for people who can put pressure on their legs, which Mom cannot, and one for people who can't put pressure on their legs, which Mom is. Guess which one they used:rolleyes:

 

I can only hope that this doesn't scare Mom away from trying to transfer from the bed to a chair. I sure would hate for this to delay her when I feel she on the right track.

 

It sure would be a scary world if one of my days went by without any problems.:lol:

RK - I'm not an expert; but I think they may be feeding you a line with that story. I only know of one kind of patient lifting device. That's called a Hoya lift. The patiient lays on a sling and then is lifted up into a seated position. They can then be moved to a chair, or wherever. If there's some other kind of lift, I sure don't know about it.

RK - I'm not an expert; but I think they may be feeding you a line with that story. I only know of one kind of patient lifting device. That's called a Hoya lift. The patiient lays on a sling and then is lifted up into a seated position. They can then be moved to a chair, or wherever. If there's some other kind of lift, I sure don't know about it.

Yea that's what it's called. They actually did have two different kinds of lifts there. They started out with a small one and when they dropped her they went and got a big one. The smaller one looked as if it had somekind of seat on it whereas the larger one had the sling on it just like you described.

Rebel K, when my mother was very ill she signed a permission slip of sorts that allowed her children to not just be told results of reports, but I could even get her chart from the nurses desk and read it. My brother, an attorney, also had power of attorney to take care of her business at home while she was in the hospital. Being able to read the reports, I became aware of the results as soon as they were charted as opposed to waiting on the doctor to make rounds. This way I had time to think about and list any questions I may have about the results in the 3 - 5 minutes the dr. was in the room. When I read that you hadn't received the results of the seizure tests, I felt my blood boil as it did when I initially had a problem getting any results for my mother.

 

Now, I understand HIPA laws are to protect the patient and that is why they wouldn't let me read the charts or tell me the results. However, who do you think they wanted to sign the releases before each and every procedure/test they ran on my mother? So I could sign for the test, to release their liability, but I couldn't see the results until my mother was able to sign a consent form. Ironic?

We seem to be at a crossroads. They want to send mom to a nursing home to get rehab. The one we wanted won't take mom because she has a trach. So Tuesday they told us that they would check around to see if any in our area would take a person with a trach. Then they came in on Tuesday and told us that they were going to take her down early yesterday morning to give her another swallowing test. Mom has been having a problem with swallowing her meds and her food. She failed that test big time. I understand that if you don't move for a while then things start failing and mom's muscles in her throat have all but stopped. So the awful news for her was that she has to have a feeding tube inserted. It seems that most of her food has gone directly to her lungs. Now what really bothers me about this is she was in the hospital for 3 weeks yesterday and this is the first time the speech people have even seen her, even though we asked when we first went into the hospital. I don't know if they had checked her earlier if the feeding tube could have been avoided, perhaps not, but it does give me pause for thought. They put the feeding tube in her nose last night so she could get some nutrition and I suppose they will try to do the tube today. This breaks my heart. She was on a feeding tube when she was in lexington when she first got so sick and the one thing I just couldn't handle was when she would tell me she was thirsty. They tell me that, if the lung doctor says it's ok, that there is something called free water (Or something like that). If I understood this correctly, she can swish(?) the water around in her mouth and then drink it.

 

It was so difficult to tell her this but she took it like a trooper. You may say a lot of things about my mother but not being a fighter isn't one of them.

 

I had planned for weeks to come home to Indiana to spend MrRk's birthday weekend with him. I hadn't seen him in a month and that has made my life even more painful. My plan was to leave Wednesday and stay here until Monday. After we heard this news I decided that perhaps I shouldn't leave Danville right now. I asked Mom what she wanted me to do and she told me, go home and see your husband you've been without him long enough. I know that My sister and two brothers are there and take very good care of mom but I will admit that I feel a bit quilty. But after driving home and having a few hours to think I decided that God understands and what will be will be. I shouldn't feel quilty because I love my mom and I have taken the best of care of her.

 

So please pray that this is just a little sit back and if it isn't, then let's pray that it doesn't drag on for my mom for a long time.

Hang in there girl.. I know it's a helpless feeling but remember to take of yourself too.. And Mr.RK also..