Mom is HOME!

Kind of late posting this, but boy...we have been so busy around the house. Mom was released Thursday afternoon and was sooo excited to step in the van and know she was going home! She felt like a bird being let out of it's cage. Her husband Wayne told everyone he met that his wife was in the hospital for twenty-eight days and finally going home. He was so tired of driving the fifty minutes round trip each day. But she is now home and happy as a lark. She will be on Home Health Care for several weeks, including physical and speech therapy. Her appetite is good, but she is very tired. She has been thru so much since August. Our family is hoping and praying that her life can now settle down and she can enjoy it!

Getting closer to going home!

Mom is slowly, but surely getting better every day. Sunday she was elevated to a moderate soft diet! I will have to ask again what her first meal was, but her second lunch was puried beef roast and gravy, mashed potatoes, puried peas, and applesauce. Today for breakfast she had Cream of Wheat and scrambled eggs. For lunch she had spaghetti and meatballs! I get excited with every increased step of her meal plan. When I talked with her EENT, she mentioned Mom will have to be on a regular diet for a twenty-four hour duration before they even consider letting her go home. Of course she still has a residual cold and slightly elevated heart rate. They are still tweaking her heartrate with medications. We want that to be totally in a normal range before she is discharged. Mom will be on pins and needles if it is not regulated. She'll upset herself unneccessarly if she is not comfortable with her home care. I am flying to Tampa tomorrow for a week. I can't wait to see Mom and have this special time with her. We have had two nasty scares since August. Her emergency double bi-pass surgery and now dealing with her stroke. I have always called my Mom a tough old bird and she has proved me right again! I am so thankful for every day I am given with my Mom and praying for many more years to come!

Update on Mom

Mom has now been in the hospital for almost one month. It has been a very challenging time for both her and our family. Every week there has been a new terror and fear dealing with Mom's health. I know we are totally blessed to have my sweet Momma still with us. After all she is seventy-seven. None of us consider her "old." She has always run circles around all of us. Energy for two people, but I am still asking the Lord for many, many more years to have with her alive and well. Her husband, Wayne has been wonderful and patient with her. This has been emotional on him too and wearing on him physically. He is having to drive about an hour and half every day round trip. My youngest sister flew to Tampa last month. I am flying out this Wednesday for a week, and then one of my older sisters will fly in next week. Mom's actual home is in northern Michigan, but they have a winter home in Florida. No one expected any further issues once she was released six weeks post operative from her bi-pass surgery the end of August. The end of October they packed and traveled to Zephyrhills for the winter. When they arrived they found their new roof they had installed late last summer, had leaked inside their closed, hot, and humid house all summer causing a large amount of mold and mildew on their clothes and furniture. It also damaged the ceilings and walls. Mom spent the first month on her own cleaning and washing everything in site. We all suggested for her to hire someone to do the majority of the cleaning, but Mom wouldn't heed our advise and elected to take care of it herself. We are sure this was just too much to her heart and body so soon following her open heart surgery. So on January 2nd she had a nasty stroke and from one issue to another, she is still in the hospital. This week she is battling a fever and chest cold with hopes that it will not progress to Pneunomia. My sister also mentioned a possible UTI. Bless her heart. Today she was put on a soft diet, being upgraded from a liquid diet. For almost three weeks she was on an NPO status because of the condition of Zenker's Diverticulum being diagnosed and aggraviated by a failed oral test checking for possible blood clots around her heart. The doctor attempted over and over to perform this test, not stopping to realize there was a real condition baring him from completing this test. Once it was realized her poor throat was torn up, irriated, and so swollen that she was not able to even swallow her own spit for almost three weeks. Needless to say that doctor is no longer on Mom's medical team. When I talked with Mom's EENT last week, who is serving as her primary care physician, she mentioned Mom will continue to heal at home and once she has been on a regular diet for a twenty-four hour period, she will be released for home. This is what we are all looking forward to. Mom the most I think!

My beautiful Mom talking with me on the phone

Mom's stroke

Last weekend I received a call from my sister Brenda that Mom had a possible stroke or heart attack and was being taken to a Tampa Hospital. Wayne said they were both in the livingroom and he noticed that she was rocking back and forth in the recliner. Upon asking her what she was doing, she slurred that she was trying to get up and use the restroom. Not realizing she was ill, Wayne attemped to walk her down the hall to the bathroom, but half way there with most of her weight on Wayne and him not being able to physically hold her up, they fell on each other, turned around, and together stumbled back to the recliner. From there 911 was immediately called and she was taken by ambulance to the hospital. The doctor's told Wayne the best thing he did was for him to call 911 so quick. It may have saved her life. Mom has done so good after her open heart surgery in August. They have a winter home in Zephyrhills Florida were they normally stay from October to May each year from Michigan's cold winter. None of us girls wanted them to go this year, but no one spoke up and voiced their fears either. We were all concerned that it was just too soon for them to travel and be so far away from family. We all wished they would either delay their trip or just cancel it this year, but around six weeks after her surgery they made the trip south. It didn't take me too long on the phone with the help of a wonderful switch board operator to locate which emergency room Mom was taken to. Within a few hours she was diagnosed with a moderate stroke with paralyzes on her left side and continued slurring of her speech. Her doctor's in Florida quickly and mutually agreed that following her surgery, she should never have been taken off Plavix following her bi-pass. She needed it more after surgery than before, but her cardiologist in Michigan thought she was over medicated and took her off this medicine shortly after her surgery. We will always wonder if her stroke could have been avoided if she was still taking this. The results from her first CT scan revealed another previously undetected stoke. Poor Mom, she had test after test. Around the third day in the hospital, they scheduled another test that would detect if there was the danger of a lingering blood clot in the area of her heart. This would be done orally from her mouth to her heart. While attempting this test, they found an obstruction in her throat and had to terminate the procedure. Another CT showed the diagnosis of Zenker's Diverticulum. Which is in the family of diverticulosis. The test itself caused a horrible sore throat with severe swelling, inflamation, and pain throughout her throat causing Mom not to be able to swallow. She was also started on physical therapy for the paralyzes. Within a short time there was a great improvement of movement in her left arm and leg. Today, one week after she was admitted, she was transferred to the sixth floor for rehabilitation. They still have not decided how they will close the pouch in her throat. From what I have read online, it will either need to be treated with lazer treatment or stapled closed. We will face that challenge on another day. For now Mom is alive and healing. This is all we can ask for now.

Our first Taxi ride

We flew home Sunday night. We live almost an hour from the Birmingham Airport and it can be a pain to ask someone to take us and expensive to leave our car in the airport garage if we stay more than a long weekend. So this year we chose to take a Taxi. I called America Cab Company prior to deciding to do this, and was surprised how inexpensive it was. It was so nice and a pleasant surprise! We will not hesitate to do this the next time.

Maddie Pie's Second Birthday

Well we had Maddie Pie's birthday party yesterday. What fun! Emily, Rick, and me got her a gift certificate from Belks. Ashley can get her what she needs. I love gift cards! Ashley got her a Vtech computer. Madison totally loved it and once she saw it, we had to make her continue open gifts. Her birthday theme was Sponge Bob. If someone had no idea of who Sponge Bob was, they would before they left. I don't know anyone who doesn't love Sponge Bob and Patrick! Jeremy's Mom and sisters came over too. Kari was here from Spain. Everyone was so glad she was able to come home for the Holidays. Madison just talks and talks. She can put 4-6 words together now and can count to 10!! Smart baby.

We are going to Texas for Christmas. Each time we talk with Alex she will ask "Gamma have you packed your bags yet?" What a sweet girl! She is so excited about seeing us again and I am so thankful for that! I have not done any shopping yet. With us flying we are limited to what we can take. Also, we give our kids gift cards which we all love so all we have to do it buy for the Granddaughters. Two things we want to get for the girls are a digital camera for Alex who just turned 9 and a small bike or skooter for Maddie Pie who will be 2 on the 20th. I love to cook and have just finished my menu for the week. I am sure I will be in the kitchen all day, every day cooking everyone's favorite dishes and loving every minute. I remember how it was to work all day and come home and have to work half the night getting dinner on the table and school work done. I'll try and cook extra's in order to freeze it and let them enjoy it later. Here is a picture of my Grandbabies that Ashley had taken in November. I love these sweet girls!!

Halloween 2009

 
 
 
 

Alex in First Grade

I am slowly getting started with making a school album for Alex. Em gets on to me because I have not done one for her, but I thought start with the easiest and go from there. I had asked Alex at the time about her school information that is shown on here, but I don't have much to go on from both Pre-School and Kindergarden. But, I'm sure it will all work out in the end. I do have a lot of pictures from all of her classes so far, so I can go thru and add them later.

 
 

Last one!

 

More Still

 
 
 
 

More of Mom's Pictures

 
 
 
 

Happy 9th Birthday Alex!!

Today is my oldest Granddaughter's ninth birthday. Happy Birthday Alexandria Nicole!! How quickly time flys when your having fun! Gamma loves you Dear. XOXO

Copying Mom's old pictures

I am back at home in Alabama, but while in MI my youngest sister Brenda brought her scanner and we were able to scan several of Mom's old pictures. Mom has two old photo books full of wonderful pics and memories. Someone was smart to write on most of the backs, so we have a lot of information. I wish I had done that on 90% of mine which are blank. You think you will remember, but I now know you don't. These are a few of my favorite. My Mom and Dad was such a good looking couple!

 
 
 
 

My sweet Momma had emergency open heart surgery and a double bi-pass on Tuesday, August 18. The first few days were extremely emotional. Many ups and downs. By the grace of God, even with the bad days, Mom slowly recovered and went home eight days after surgery. My two sisters that live in Michigan took turns the first week and a half driving back and forth to Bay City daily to be with Mom and Wayne. Another sister took the following week, and I am currently with her for a week. Mom is recovering nicely and getting stronger every day. This is a picture of Mom and me. I forgot my curling iron at home, so there was no help for my hair! It's hard to believe my Mom is seventy-seven. Where have all the years gone?