Quick Mom Update

Hi. Just haven't had a lot of time to blog lately, not that there's much going on in my life other than work and hospital visits and sleep.

Mom's doing well! She has been working her little butt off in therapy all week. She walks daily and yesterday the occupational therapist had her walking stairs. She got up and down three of them. Progress is being made.

There's a kitchen set up in the occupational therapy "apartment." She decided that it's too tidy so she talked her therapist into letting her bake cookies. That's going to be her Monday project. I've been assigned the task of bringing her hand mixer. I think she was tempted to ask me to bring in her Kitchen Aid but she knew better. LOL

Hopefully things will be a bit more "normal" in a week or so, and I can return with some fun stories instead of blabbing on about my Mom. Thanks to all who have sent well wishes and good thoughts. We both appreciate them very much.

DWTS - Season 9, week whatever

Again, no official recap this week. Just don't have time to do them right now. Tonight, I watched, with my mom, at the hospital. Yesterday she was moved to a rehab unit (which is 5 doors down from the room to which she was originally admitted. She began major therapy today, lots of walking, sitting, practicing body mechanics. She said she's proud of herself for managing all she did today. She knows there's work ahead of her, but she knows too that she's not getting out of there as fast as she had thought. She's comfortable with the idea of being there for another week. Granted, she wishes she could be left alone, she's tired of them checking her vitals every 2 - 3 hours and she wants to be in her own bed, but she's less anxious about it. She wants to get as much out of rehab as possible.

Anyway, I thought Mya did great tonight, Louie wasn't bad, and Joanna did a good job. Apparently Donny didn't have a great week, nor did Kelly Osbourne. The Mambo (or was it a Rumba) side-by-side competition was fun to watch. I think it's time for Michael Irvin to go home, but if it's not him, it will probably be Louie or Aaron.

Bathtub of Spaghetti

So I made myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner because that's all the energy and creativity I had in me. it tasted good. I watched some TV then took a Xanax and went to bed.

At about 10:50, the phone rang. It was the hospital. I was petrified to answer it but when I did, my mom was on the other end. She had awakened from a nightmare. It involved her, at home, trapped in the bathtub which was filled with spaghetti. She was tangled in it and couldn't get out. I was home, my sister was home. Then she felt like someone was holding her legs down. I asked her if she wanted me to come there, she said yes. So I got dressed and made it to the hospital in 9 minutes. The evening nurse was still there, finishing up her report for the night shift. I went in and Mom was laying there quietly. She was unhappy with the thing that was squeezing her leg. It's an apparatus that keeps her circulation going. The nurse decided they could shut it off for a few hours. I talked to mom and convinced her that she was having bad dreams because of the morphine. She said "oh yeah!" Then I told her that if I could, I would trade places with her, that I hated to see her like that. But I told her that she had to be patient because she was going to begin to improve immediately and that tomorrow would be better. She fell asleep as I told her that. I sat with her for about 45 minutes then went and found the nurse to ask her to have people look in periodically. When i went back, mom was opening her eyes, so I talked to her some more and then told her that I was going home to get a good night's sleep and that she should try to do the same, but to call me if she needed me. I told her that I would see her tomorrow and I'd be bringing her a present, her new robe.

One last stop at the desk and the staff assured me that they would look in on her.

Now...back to bed.

Mom Update

Surgery was today. I don't know the exact nature of the surgery, but it sounds like they replaced the ball that is at the top of the bone (femur) that goes into the hip socket. Surgery didn't take very long but she was in recovery for a long time. When they finally brought her back, she was disoriented and upset and in a lot of pain. My sister and I did our best to reorient her to her room, she began to recognize her things but kept asking if she was in the hall. Her doctor came in and talked to her and she was a little more lucid and was happy when he showed her the pain button, the magic trigger that delivers a dose of morphine. She hit the button and then fell asleep for a bit. We got her some water and then some ginger ale and she then said she just wanted to sleep.

I left to go and find her a robe. I'm not thrilled with what I bought but at least she has something to wear when they get her out of bed and start walking.

Dancing With The Stars

No recap this week. I'm sorry. I watched but didn't feel up to the task of doing a proper recap. Maybe next week.

Mom Update

Mom broke her hip. She's hospitalized and will undergo surgery on Wednesday.

Today has been surreal. We got to the hospital at about 10:30. One of the paramadics was the husband of someone that we've known for a long time but haven't seen in about 20 years. Bill, the paramedic recognized me, then when we made the connection, he and my mom were old pals and talked football on the ride to the hospital. The two paramedics took great care of her. I followed along (well not really because the lights were flashing and they were driving really fast).

The xray showed a break that the ER doctor said was her leg. Right away she said that surgery would be necessary. Eventually we got mom to a patient room and got her situated.

The orthopedic surgeon came in and explained the surgery, which was a hip replacement surgery. I asked him if we were talking about the same case since the ER doctor had described it as a broken leg. He said that it was a broken leg but the placement of the break required that the hip be replaced. So, that's what will happen on Wednesday. He's confident that it will be fine and that he'll have her feeling great in no time. There will be rehab, she'll be in the hospital for about 10 days.

By 5, she was scared, tired and very hungry. She only had a bowl of cereal at 7:30. When dinner arrived she ate more than I've seen her eat in a long time. She sent me home at 6.

I've been on the phone all evening with relatives, just cluing them in on the situation. She's a private person, doesn't like a lot of fuss to be made over her and will be upset that I told her brother and sisters. But, they deserve to know.

I'm exhausted. Part of me wants to cry my eyes out, part of me wants to just enjoy the silence here at home. Then there are times when I just feel numb. I'm not ready for all of this.

A Bit Stir Crazy

I'm sitting here and a little anxious because I'm waiting to call my mom's doctor.

She's been struggling with a mysterious pain in her leg for about 2 weeks. The first couple of days she just quietly fought it, then she finally spoke up about it. I saw her doctor and he sent me home with a walker for her but wanted to be kept up to date on things. She thought she was feeling better but it doesn't seem to have improved very much.

This morning she said "I'm ready to go to the hospital."

But first, she wanted coffee, breakfast, she's packed a bag and made sure that her bills were paid. Now she's getting washed up. I'm waiting to call her doctor and then see about arranging for an ambulance to take her. I can't because she's unable to get down the stairs and we live on the second floor of a walk-up.

Needless to day I'm a bit anxious right now. I'm bouncing from Facebook to Twitter to my message board, QTS, and pacing the hallway. Ugh...I'm not happy right now. I want my mommy to feel better.