I woke this morning to another phone call. This one was from the hospital liaison between the facility and the hospital. Mom was being released today. Dad called to tell me the same thing a short while later. Oh boy. I called the facility and they knew nothing about mom's return. They said they'd call me when they heard anything. Two hours went by and no call, so I called them (hospital and facility)...no word yet. Two more hours went by and I called them---no word. Two more hours went by and I called them--no word. I spoke to the floor nurse at the facility who said to just come and unpack mom's things into her room (which is the SAME room she had been in before---the one John, Claud, Anthony Michael, Jean, Dad, Sam all packed up 2 nights ago---also complete with the last loud, dementia roommate!). My morning consisted of phone calls to everyone, family included. Since mom's room and bed at the facility was the only female bed left on the unit---we couldn't chance moving in without official notice or we'd have to move back out if another female beat her to the bed.
Claudia went to see mom at the hospital at noon right at the start of visiting hours. Mom was in a bad way. She was very confused. She said she worried that none of us knew where she was. This all could likely be due to the anesthesia from the procedure yesterday. Mom cried that she wanted to go home. Mom was moved around a lot this week---from the facility to the emergency room, to a regular room, to a new regular room yesterday...change like this can also cause disorientation for someone with a head injury. Claudia calmed mom down finally. Mom began to eat lunch (real food!! Finally---hours before her 6 day leave ends!! haha!). As mom ate her sweet potatoes, she saw a piece of the skin in the mashed sweet potatoes and said to Claudia, "Hey, what's this?" Claudia said it was the skin of the potato, to which mom replied, "Oh shucks, I thought we finally caught one of the flies in here!!" Her sense of humor remains, thank God. I called mom and she was still confused, telling me that she was going to have surgery today and asking me if I knew she was in the hospital. She didn't remember the events of yesterday. It is frustrating to take 3 steps forward and then 2 steps back all the time.
Finally, at about 1:30, I called the Claudia and she had just heard that the paperwork for discharge and arrival went out to the facility from the hospital. Alleluia!!! I called the facility (they were supposed to call me...oh well) and they confirmed mom's admittance and room (the same as before). Terry and Claudia stayed with mom at the hospital. Dad, Con, Anthony, Anthony Michael and Sammy (God bless this girl because she has been present at all 9 moves) packed all mom's belongings from dad's living room back into their vans and went to the hospital to see mom. At around 3:30, the whole group, minus Terry and Claudia, went to unpack mom's room again.
Mom arrived back at the facility intact at about 4:30. Dad and Terry stayed with her tonight and then Terry put mom to bed. Mom had dinner at the facility. Dad stayed until the bedside pads/bumpers were put back on the sides of the bed to prevent an escape!! We all decided not to put the mitts back on mom any more. She still has the G-tube though. She hasn't worn the mitts all week and did fine without them.
Just another day in the life of our family. Hahahaha!
"Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised." Hebrews 10:36
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