baymule
Garden Master
Saturday morning on August 17, Mom stumbled and fell right after she woke up. She went to her knees, then all the way to the floor. She laid there for a moment, (NOT calling for help) then she got up and came in the den for her coffee. She offhandedly mentioned that she fell, but was ok. She didn't want to go to the ER, as nothing was wrong with her. I needed to get a round bale of hay for the horses, so I went and got one. My husband met me at our property and helped me get it off the truck and put the hay ring over it. I can do most of it myself, but I just can't lift that heavy horse hay ring, so I am glad for his help. Sure enough, when I got back home, Mom was in pain. She didn't argue when I said we were going to ER.
At ER, the regular poking, prodding, X-ray and wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. The X-rays showed nothing, the Dr gave a script for pain pills and we went home. Mom was really suffering. She was looped up on pain pills and goofier than a drunk goat. Definitely NOT my momma!
Monday we went to her family Dr. He sent her for a MRI (more W.A.I.T.) and more torture. They were very kind to her, but she was in pain and not very nice back to them. Tuesday her Dr. got the results and we went back to his office on Thursday. She had two compression fractured vertebrae. She was a mess, hadn't pooped all week and her kidneys and bladder weren't cooperating either. Straight to the hospital we went. More W.A.I.T. Unless you are dragged in on a gurney by a rabid elephant with a severed leg shooting peanuts out his trunk, you're having heart attack and your left eye is popped out and dangling, there is no emergency, no matter how bad you feel. Finally! A bed for her to lay down. Once they got her in a room, they went right to work. Two big stool softener pills that would choke an alligator, suppositories and a catheter. Well, they got all her toilet problems handled. You have no idea how glad I am that I wasn't around when she finally had a poop-blowout!
The next morning she had surgery. Kyphoplasty, the orthopedic surgeon inserted a tiny catheter into each vertebrae, then a balloon and pumped the vertebrae up, then glued it together. No more pain. It was fantastic, I had no idea that was available. The Dr. said something about releasing her on Sunday to go to the nursing home for rehab, but I asked if they would keep her until Monday. Our grand daughter was baptized on Sunday, a 3 hour drive one way, and we didn't want to miss that!
Sunday we got up early, took off and made it in time to go to church with our DD, DSIL and our grand daughter. Their church burned down last winter and along with it, the baptistery. So she was baptized in the lake. It was so beautiful. Then we had lunch and drove 3 hours home.
Monday I got to the hospital early. W.A.I.T. and wait some more. And when I was tired of waiting, I waited some more! The Dr. finally sent orders to the nurse's station and the charge nurse processed the orders. The good part was that when I got Mom to the nursing home, we just went right in. I got her settled, then came home for some of her stuff. I put her name in her clothes, got a digital clock so she can tell time at night, house shoes, gowns, and a nail file. But what she wanted the most was Polly, our Australian Shepherd.
Mom rubbed and petted Polly for almost an hour. Polly was only too happy to hop up in Grandma's bed and comply. The nursing home staff nodded their approval and said good therapy!
So, here we go. Mom has to go through physical therapy to get her back on her feet so she can come home. I will be running back and forth, being involved in her treatment. I'll take Polly to see her as much as she wants to keep her motivated. Since she won't be there long, I'll pick up her clothes every day and bring them home to wash. That way, there is less chance of losing her clothing-even with her name in them.
Mom is 90. She had a stroke a year and a half ago, went through rehab, but just couldn't live on her own anymore. She sold her home and moved in with us. We had the master bedroom and bathroom remodeled for her with lots of grab bars for her to hang onto. She has been doing fine until she fell. I know her time is growing shorter, but I don't want her time running out in a nursing home. Please pray for her so she can complete her therapy and come back home.
At ER, the regular poking, prodding, X-ray and wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. The X-rays showed nothing, the Dr gave a script for pain pills and we went home. Mom was really suffering. She was looped up on pain pills and goofier than a drunk goat. Definitely NOT my momma!
Monday we went to her family Dr. He sent her for a MRI (more W.A.I.T.) and more torture. They were very kind to her, but she was in pain and not very nice back to them. Tuesday her Dr. got the results and we went back to his office on Thursday. She had two compression fractured vertebrae. She was a mess, hadn't pooped all week and her kidneys and bladder weren't cooperating either. Straight to the hospital we went. More W.A.I.T. Unless you are dragged in on a gurney by a rabid elephant with a severed leg shooting peanuts out his trunk, you're having heart attack and your left eye is popped out and dangling, there is no emergency, no matter how bad you feel. Finally! A bed for her to lay down. Once they got her in a room, they went right to work. Two big stool softener pills that would choke an alligator, suppositories and a catheter. Well, they got all her toilet problems handled. You have no idea how glad I am that I wasn't around when she finally had a poop-blowout!
The next morning she had surgery. Kyphoplasty, the orthopedic surgeon inserted a tiny catheter into each vertebrae, then a balloon and pumped the vertebrae up, then glued it together. No more pain. It was fantastic, I had no idea that was available. The Dr. said something about releasing her on Sunday to go to the nursing home for rehab, but I asked if they would keep her until Monday. Our grand daughter was baptized on Sunday, a 3 hour drive one way, and we didn't want to miss that!
Sunday we got up early, took off and made it in time to go to church with our DD, DSIL and our grand daughter. Their church burned down last winter and along with it, the baptistery. So she was baptized in the lake. It was so beautiful. Then we had lunch and drove 3 hours home.
Monday I got to the hospital early. W.A.I.T. and wait some more. And when I was tired of waiting, I waited some more! The Dr. finally sent orders to the nurse's station and the charge nurse processed the orders. The good part was that when I got Mom to the nursing home, we just went right in. I got her settled, then came home for some of her stuff. I put her name in her clothes, got a digital clock so she can tell time at night, house shoes, gowns, and a nail file. But what she wanted the most was Polly, our Australian Shepherd.
Mom rubbed and petted Polly for almost an hour. Polly was only too happy to hop up in Grandma's bed and comply. The nursing home staff nodded their approval and said good therapy!
So, here we go. Mom has to go through physical therapy to get her back on her feet so she can come home. I will be running back and forth, being involved in her treatment. I'll take Polly to see her as much as she wants to keep her motivated. Since she won't be there long, I'll pick up her clothes every day and bring them home to wash. That way, there is less chance of losing her clothing-even with her name in them.
Mom is 90. She had a stroke a year and a half ago, went through rehab, but just couldn't live on her own anymore. She sold her home and moved in with us. We had the master bedroom and bathroom remodeled for her with lots of grab bars for her to hang onto. She has been doing fine until she fell. I know her time is growing shorter, but I don't want her time running out in a nursing home. Please pray for her so she can complete her therapy and come back home.
