Quick update. When we left mom last night at the hospital, I truly thought I would never see her again this side of heaven. Really. But...when I walked into her room today, I found her sitting in bed, awake, trying to talk to dad. Granted, she didn't look great, her speech was still a bit distorted, but her blood pressure was in the normal range for a while and she was trying to tell us (Dad, Anthony and me) that she wanted some water because her throat was sore (it took a while to figure out what she was saying). She can't drink or eat by mouth yet because this hospital doesn't know her well enough yet to determine if it is safe for her to eat or not---she has to have a swallow test first. Anthony made her laugh a few times and she listened intently to stories he told her for a while.
The doctor (pulmonologist) said that mom had very high blood pressure and congestive heart failure (pulmonary edema I believe he said). But the doctor didn't know "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" I asked what the plan was and he said that they would try to regulate her blood pressure via medication and that she'd be in the hospital maybe 5 days and then back to the rehab facility.
The nuerosurgeon saw her too and said that nothing was wrong with her head as far as he was concerned and that mom presents as a cardio patient. He wanted mom to start stronger blood thinners and felt that was safe.
The doctor (general MD) said he didn't feel comfortable giving mom a stronger blood thinner because of the prior aneurysm. Will keep her on aspirin for now. He ordered an MRI to see more of her brain, which she said still looked swollen from the stroke a week and a half ago. This swollen trauma can attribute for some of the slurred, distorted speech perhaps. We aren't seeing the full picture of mom or her injury yet.
I leaned over to kiss mom and told her I was going to refer to her as my mom the cat because she has 9 lives. She was pretty miserable while I visited today which is sad though. I do know one thing in my heart, she isn't ready to go anywhere yet---she has some unfinished business or so it seems. She keeps saying, "Take me outta here" and the like. Whatever is going on is between mom and God right now. We just get blessed to be with her longer in the process. Unlike last time all this happened, she is here with us....present. Her cognitive abilities are ok this time. She has some physical problems, granted, and her speech is distorted a bit. She speaks clearer when she is passionate and emotional about what she is saying or when she is part of a conversation being lead by someone else (to a degree). She gets distorted when she is the initiator and has an agenda to say. But she is cognitively still present.
By the time I left, she was miserable and crying and frustrated and thirsty and her blood pressure was 98/56.
Claudia, Con and Anthony sang to her this afternoon and tonight. She seemed to enjoy that. Sometimes she tried to sing along (as per Claudia) but mostly she just listened. Jean spent the night with dad last night. It is so awesome to see the "kids" take their places in caring for their 'poppy' and 'nonny.'
I am tired. Thanks for all the prayers....we all can feel the love.
"I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope." Psalm 130:5
The doctor (pulmonologist) said that mom had very high blood pressure and congestive heart failure (pulmonary edema I believe he said). But the doctor didn't know "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" I asked what the plan was and he said that they would try to regulate her blood pressure via medication and that she'd be in the hospital maybe 5 days and then back to the rehab facility.
The nuerosurgeon saw her too and said that nothing was wrong with her head as far as he was concerned and that mom presents as a cardio patient. He wanted mom to start stronger blood thinners and felt that was safe.
The doctor (general MD) said he didn't feel comfortable giving mom a stronger blood thinner because of the prior aneurysm. Will keep her on aspirin for now. He ordered an MRI to see more of her brain, which she said still looked swollen from the stroke a week and a half ago. This swollen trauma can attribute for some of the slurred, distorted speech perhaps. We aren't seeing the full picture of mom or her injury yet.
I leaned over to kiss mom and told her I was going to refer to her as my mom the cat because she has 9 lives. She was pretty miserable while I visited today which is sad though. I do know one thing in my heart, she isn't ready to go anywhere yet---she has some unfinished business or so it seems. She keeps saying, "Take me outta here" and the like. Whatever is going on is between mom and God right now. We just get blessed to be with her longer in the process. Unlike last time all this happened, she is here with us....present. Her cognitive abilities are ok this time. She has some physical problems, granted, and her speech is distorted a bit. She speaks clearer when she is passionate and emotional about what she is saying or when she is part of a conversation being lead by someone else (to a degree). She gets distorted when she is the initiator and has an agenda to say. But she is cognitively still present.
By the time I left, she was miserable and crying and frustrated and thirsty and her blood pressure was 98/56.
Claudia, Con and Anthony sang to her this afternoon and tonight. She seemed to enjoy that. Sometimes she tried to sing along (as per Claudia) but mostly she just listened. Jean spent the night with dad last night. It is so awesome to see the "kids" take their places in caring for their 'poppy' and 'nonny.'
I am tired. Thanks for all the prayers....we all can feel the love.
"I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope." Psalm 130:5
No comments:
Post a Comment