I spent the afternoon in the ER with Mom today.
She is back home and resting comfortably, but I thought I had lost her.
Started out screaming in pain and arching her back, convulsed several times, and then seemed to have difficulty breathing.
She has an abdominal aortic aneurysm, and I thought it had blown. I held her, told her to go see Dad and Fritz if she wanted to, and that I loved her. I called for an ambulance, and while on the phone with them noticed that she was holding/squeezing my hand, and looking at me. Not a blank stare, but actually looking at me.
By the time the ambulance arrived, she was coming around more, moving both arms and legs, and holding on to my hand for dear life.
When I got to the ER (nearest hospital is about 20 miles away), she was fighting the nurses trying to get a pulse ox and her blood pressure. Now that was the Mom I knew! Back to being combative.
CAT scan and blood levels are all normal. Apparently she suffered a seizure, with no visible effects. She was singing when we walked out of the ER tonight!
Looking at the Cipro leaflet tonight when we got home, convulsive seizures is listed as one of the adverse reactions. On the advice of the Patient Advisory Nurse at the hospital, I withheld tonight's dose until I speak with her doctor.
I'm an emotional wreck. Rejoicing, of course. But completely full of self-doubt. I don't think I'm strong enough to do this.
I'll stop there.
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Stories about life on the homestead, spinning, knitting, gardening, caregiving and whatever else comes up.
"It is a tragedy of the first magnitude that millions have ceased to use their hands...this great gift...It is highly likely that a time will come when we shall be so incapacitated and weak that we shall begin to curse ourselves for having forgotten the use of the living machines given to us by God."
Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart. (Unknown)
Der Himmel hat den Menschen als Gegengewicht zu den vielen Mühseligkeiten des Lebens drei Dinge gegeben, die Hoffnung, den Schlaf, und das Lachen.
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About Me
- Annie
- Fiber arts enthusiast living on ten acres of fine Minnesota land caring for my Alzheimer's suffering mom, a herd of fiber llamas and alpacas, a couple of dogs, a few cats, some chickens...
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12 comments:
Oh, Annie, what a roller coaster ride you had. Don't doubt yourself. You did all the right things. I'm so happy that your Mom was able to come home with no worse effects than what she's been through. Let us know what the doc says about that Cipro, that very well could have been what triggered the seizure. Hang in there, you're doing a wonderful job. ((hugs))
Scarey stuff. I'm glad your mum's okay and that she's not to upset about it all. And I hope you get over the fright quickly too.
My mum has a badly hardened heart valve and basically, since it was diagnosed two years ago, we've been waiting for it to collapse completely. Her general health (she's 84) makes surgery out of the question. She's fiercely independant and won't move in with us so every morning she phones me to tell me cheerfully that she's not dead yet. One day....
Oh Annie, how frightening! As Joanne says, don't doubt yourself. You are doing an amazing job and it means more than you know to your Mom and your family. Hang in there and keep us posted on how your Mom is doing when you can. I have you both in my prayers always.
Oh, how scary...I'm thinking about you and keeping you in my prayers!
Wow, what a scare! I'm glad everything is OK now.
You can do it, because you have to do it. We're never given a burden too heavy to carry, although that doesn't mean you can't ask for help once in a while. :)
My family lives in another state, and when my father was sick I didn't know how bad it was until it was too late. My family downplayed his condition to me, partly to shield me and partly because they were in denial. If had known then what I know now I would have spent much more time with him before it was too late.
Very frightening! I'm glad she's okay.
big hugs to you and your mom - what a frightening time for both of you.
After Thanksgiving Mom had this exact same thing. It is really scary. Not sure if it was a seizure, but that's what I thought of when I saw what she was going through. It's horrible. I hope she is better today.
Oh my goodness, My heart goes out to you both!
Great job Annie. I had several ER trips with dad and mom and those trips ranked right up there in my list of most exhausting - physically and emotionally - for all of us, too.
i'm so glad your mum's ok... hope she feels better... i hope you get to rest a bit... let us know how she's doing.... hopefully she don't get anymore side effects from the meds.
Uberstrickenfrau suggested I visit your blog. I am so glad I did. I am caregiver for my 81 year old Mom. She has congestive heart failure, atrial fib and the beginnings of senile dementia. I will be visiting often. And, although you don't think you can do it sometimes, you don't really have a choice or if you do, it's not one you are ready to accept. Me, too. BTW, your Mom sounds amazing.
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