Monday, December 22, 2014

A Pre Christmas Downer

I was feeling pretty good about Christmas.  The decorating was finished last Friday. I think Larry did most of it:)  I got a bit of Christmas baking done.  What gifts we have to buy were mostly done, although not wrapped.  We went to a really fun Christmas Brunch on Sunday with nieces and their hubbies and their 11, soon to be 12, little kids.  (Larry's side of the family).   

Usually I go to see my mother on Sundays, but I told her I wouldn't be there for this one.  I didn't feel too badly about it, as I had been with her on Thursday afternoon when we went to see the plastic surgeon about the sores on her leg.  (Not much was done about that, other than to take biopsies to check for cancer).  
We were driving back home on Sunday around supper time.  The Brunch had turned into an all day affair for some of us:)  The phone call came during the drive, but I didn't hear my phone, buried in my purse, in another bag, in the back seat of the truck.  When we get home I see a missed call from the care home where my mum lives.  I call them back and find out she had a bad fall, has a lot of pain in her hip and has a big cut on the back of her head.  They have called the ambulance and sent her to hospital.  Long story short, xrays and a CT scan show she has broken her left hip but her head is okay.  Her left leg is the one affected by a stroke so she has only partial control over it.  Meredith met me at the hospital and we hung around for four hours waiting to talk to doctors and surgeons.  I've got to say, the nurses and doctors were really great, helpful and informative.  The result was that surgery would be performed today, with a partial hip replacement to be done.  The ball at the end of the femur was replaced with a metal one this evening.  It was a little bit stressful waiting to hear the results, but it seemed to go well.  I had to sign for the level of treatment offered should my mum's heart stop during surgery.  That was the stressful part, second guessing myself about that decision.  Now it will be one day at a time.  Seeing what the therapists can do to help her gain back as much mobility as possible.  While my mum did use a wheelchair all the time, and had lost the use of her left arm and hand, and part of her left leg, she did all the bathroom stuff on her own, dressed herself, transferred herself from the wheelchair to the bed, and even did her own laundry in the bathroom sink with one hand.  I'm hoping she can get that independence back.

85th birthday this summer.  She likes her jewelry:)




8 comments:

  1. I am so sorry to hear about your Mom falling. I'm glad she came through the surgery, and I too hope she will be able to get that independence back. How well I remember those days with mama. I like the picture of your mom, her dress and her jewelry. She looks really nice. Hope you and your family can still enjoy Christmas. By the way, I love your idea of a cookbook for Poppy's stocking. That's perfect!

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  2. Gosh we will keep mom in our thoughts. She is so cute
    Lily & Edward

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  3. So sorry to hear about your Mum bad fall. She made it through the surgery that is a plus at her age! You better talk to her about the end of life "stuff" that she wants...feeding tubes, CPR and Ventilators. It isn't fair that you guess what she wants..way too much stress for you.
    I bet she will be good as new in a month or two and back to doing her own laundry in the sink.
    Merry Christmas! It is a tough time with your Mum in the hospital. :(

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    1. I don't think that is a conversation my mum is capable of having. She seems with it in some ways, and not with it in others. We agreed to the same level that she agreed to in the care home. I'm not sure she even totally understood what was happening with her hip yesterday, despite the doctor showing her pictures and me explaining it a few times. It's hard to explain. She can be so with it with some things, and not others.

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    2. PS Larry's mum made it through hip surgery at 99:)

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  4. Since I am my parent's "parent" now, I went with no tubes and DNR... had the conversation years ago with dad, and mother would never acknowledge that she would pass her whole life, and now with Alz forget any conversation. One thing you might experience- anesthesia can bring on or make worse dementia.
    ((hugs)) for you on this path...

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    1. She just had a spinal, so hopefully that wouldn't have any negative effects on the brain, fingers crossed.

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  5. Here's hoping that rehab isn't too difficult and is successful. Merry Christmas.

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