A good day!!

Yesterday we found out that there was a misunderstanding (nice way to put it) in the dosage of one of Mom's medications - xanax. Meant just to help her through times of anxiety the instructions were to give it to her every 6 hours. While following those directions it turned out that Mom was being over medicated. She stopped getting it as soon as we found out and today she "woke up". She talked, ate and drank. She did wonder what had happened to her and how she missed a few days. Try explaining that to a loved one. So the grim email of yesterday is followed by the comments today that the difference in Mom is like "Night and Day".

Just a thought . . .

I know that Mom/Grandma/Norma enjoys it when Dad reads email meant for her to her. If you have anything you want to say to her you can email me at mary126@optonline.com and I will pass it onto Dad/Mike (or if you have his address you can send him one) Since I didn't ask him before posting this, I won't assume that publically posting his email address is ok with him - I am still the child you know ;-) Put Norma in the subject line so Dad doesn't forward it to everyone!

Mom is still very weak . . . worse then when she came home. She is only eating a few bites of each meal but is trying to get her fluids in. She became dehydrated over the weekend and Beth spooned in enough herbal tea to pick her back up. She sleeps (or rests with her eyes closed) more then she is awake (or alert).

Dad/Mike is doing a great job taking care of her. Visits from Dan, Lori & Rick have been very helpful. I can't wait to get back down there but it will be another couple of weeks before it happens.

Saturday, November 7th

So Mom is home and things are settling in a bit. It is going to be a while before they totally adjust to the new room arrangements (the hospital bed), the people coming in (the nurse and physical therapist) and the new medication schedule.

The night before last, Mom got frantic in the middle of the night. Dad came out to find her oxygen line all knotted up on the floor. It is a mystery as to how that happened and nobody knows how long she was without oxygen.

In the end it might not have been pneumonia that got Mom in such bad shape. Turns out she has congestive heart failure. She is doing better quit a bit better then she when she went into the hospital, however mornings seem to be hard for her. She is very drowsy and her speech isn't that clear.

From here on out, I will only post if something significant happens.

Thanks again for all your support and prayers. We all appreciate it so very much!

Quicky Post

Just to let you all know that Mom/Grandma/Norma is home!!!

Wednesday, November 4th

Mom and Dad have run into the situation where there is no cooperation between the medical staff and themselves. There needs to be coordination with Mom's discharge equipment and medications. The doctor will only write the scripts at discharge time. Ah bureaucracy. Always there when you don't need any more stressors.

Mom did ok today with Dad around to stop the nurses from tripping over each other to get to Mom. One wanted to do one thing and another something else at the same time. It got to be frustrating for both of them.

I spoke with the nurse. The doctor expects to discharge her tomorrow!! I'm sure she will be happier at home and Dad won't be running back and forth between the hospital and home. He has had his plate full this week so I'm sure he will be able to breath easier when things go back to semi-normal.

Tuesday, November 3rd

It was a very eventful day for Mom. They took her off her IV fluids and antibiotics. She stayed awake most of the day leaving her nap for the afternoon. She is speaking more and sitting up in bed instead of laying down.

Rick says she is feisty and Beth says she is stronger. Dad got her out of bed and put her in the chair for dinner. She pushed the nurses button and the nurse asked if she could help her. Mom said that she wanted her to come see her sitting in the chair :-) She started eating dinner and something got stuck in her throat. That didn't help her breathing any so she didn't eat anymore.

The biggest news of the day . . . wait for it . . . .

I called and spoke to Mom. She spoke on the phone!! Something that she wouldn't have contemplated a few days ago. She said things are looking up and she was going home!!! It won't be tomorrow but soon.

Mom will have a daily home health care nurse and they are getting a hospital bed in. That will be a big help for Dad.

I called and spoke to her nurse just to see what they thought. She said that there is a huge difference between a week ago and now.

So all your prayers have definitely helped. I believed it would be a miracle if she ever went home again. Well, we are witnessing a miracle. She still has a ways to go but for her to go home is miraculous! Thank you all for your prayers and support. We appreciate it very much.

Monday, November 2nd

Today started off pretty much the same as yesterday. Mom did say she ate a pretty good breakfast but she still dozed most of the time. Then around noon the covering doctor came in. He mentioned a nursing home and Mom got all upset. She said that Dad is retired and takes good care of her and she wants to go home. He wanted to know what Dad wanted to do and Beth said that he needed to talk to Dad about that. Dad had gone home for lunch . . . so the Dr. gave him until 1:30 to get back because he had to leave at 2:00. (It's about a half hour drive from home tothe hospital.)

Dad made it back and they talked. Nothing concrete has been decided yet . Dad wants to wait to hear what Mom's doctor has to say but they don't know when he will be back. Her doctor's mother is in bad shape and he had to go to India to see her. He was expected to be back yesterday but when he got there his trip became open ended. So decisions will probably have to be made without him.

Mom's upset made her even more determined. She talked more and clearer this afternoon than she has since she first went in. They finally got a chair in her room and she sat in it for 1 hour and 15 minutes . . . then she lost her dinner. She is trying and we all know what a strong women she is.

Please continue to keep her in your prayers. Pray that she is as comfortable and as peaceful as she possibly can be.