We have traveled back to the United States early, coming home 2 weeks early. The trip to Belize to work on Self Reliance with local Branches in the country was a great success so far. We will see how things go over the next year. We felt they accepted the program great.
We arrived to Salt Lake on Thursday evening, a day to report how things were going in Guatemala and Belize, and a day of working on our business, and Sunday I went to visit my mom.
She has always been organized and pulled together. I love to visit her these days as she is 81 years old, almost 82. She had aged alot from the time we left on our mission to Ethiopia and coming back. I thought many times, wow mom, your age is showing. She has always looked so young, a trait that I carry with me, for her age.
Sunday was different though. Dad answered the phone, and said they weren't going to the library to work, mom thinks she has bronchitis. I thought, ok, can she talk, yes he said, so I came to see her. I arrived and dad said, she is in bed, (one of those most unusual days for mom), she was coughing into a towel, her voice shaky, and she was very congested. We talked about how she was feeling, just yesterday she said, I felt fine, don't know what is wrong. Her breathing was cumbersome for her. We brought her liquids, which she started drinking, and her voice sounded better, it seemed a bit better I thought. I called my brother and said mom wasn't doing very well, and I thought she needed anti-biotic. He wasn't home, but I left a message. We had been at moms for 4 or so hours. I thought, she needs to rest, and I am keeping her up because I am here. Dana and I left in hopes that she would sleep.
That was the last time I saw her as herself. My brother called about 4 hours later, we took mom to the hospital, they are giving her antibiotics, and she is responding well, they also put her on oxygen, and she said she hadn't felt better in days. That all ended quickly, she crashed, they incubated her and life-flighted her to a different hospital. At 10:30 Sunday evening I was on my way to the hospital for the evening.
I stayed with mom through the night, and this last evening. Is this really true, my mom, who was just visiting with me 12 hours before, was incubated! Well, the night went on with more changes. At around 1ish, my brother left with Dad to take him home to sleep, get his meds, and rest. My other brother left for home, and my sister and I stayed for the night. You know we really can't do anything here, but I just can't leave mom alone, even overnight.
She wasn't doing well, her oxygen level at 100%, but she wasn't breathing on her own at all, the respirator doing all the work. She also was diagnosed with pneumonia, and her right lung was full. They tried moving her body, so the left lung that was good could help remove the toxins in her right lung. This too didn't work. The Staff started working swiftly, told us they were putting her in a rotating bed so her left side could help her right side. So now she is in this rotating bed, she has been in it over 24 hours. Life support is keeping her alive at this point. I keep praying for the right thing for her, what ever that may be, will be the thing to happen. I certainly want the best for her and for dad.
So here we are. Mom on life support. I sit here in the room, I can't even hold her hand. As she turns, I rub her back, I softly touch her feet, the only few areas we can touch on her. I feel so happy that I was able to see and talk to her before all this happened. I must have needed that. I love you mom, we are praying for you by the minute.
Alas, it is 6:15 in the morning, we have made it through another night, another bite of the elephant. We will see how things continue to go. She is a fighter.
Ciao,
Robin
Mom laying face down in the rotating machine. They said she was the shortest person they have put in the rotating machine before.
Mom is facing her back to us, you can see her hospital gown, and part of the top part of her arm.
We arrived to Salt Lake on Thursday evening, a day to report how things were going in Guatemala and Belize, and a day of working on our business, and Sunday I went to visit my mom.
She has always been organized and pulled together. I love to visit her these days as she is 81 years old, almost 82. She had aged alot from the time we left on our mission to Ethiopia and coming back. I thought many times, wow mom, your age is showing. She has always looked so young, a trait that I carry with me, for her age.
Sunday was different though. Dad answered the phone, and said they weren't going to the library to work, mom thinks she has bronchitis. I thought, ok, can she talk, yes he said, so I came to see her. I arrived and dad said, she is in bed, (one of those most unusual days for mom), she was coughing into a towel, her voice shaky, and she was very congested. We talked about how she was feeling, just yesterday she said, I felt fine, don't know what is wrong. Her breathing was cumbersome for her. We brought her liquids, which she started drinking, and her voice sounded better, it seemed a bit better I thought. I called my brother and said mom wasn't doing very well, and I thought she needed anti-biotic. He wasn't home, but I left a message. We had been at moms for 4 or so hours. I thought, she needs to rest, and I am keeping her up because I am here. Dana and I left in hopes that she would sleep.
That was the last time I saw her as herself. My brother called about 4 hours later, we took mom to the hospital, they are giving her antibiotics, and she is responding well, they also put her on oxygen, and she said she hadn't felt better in days. That all ended quickly, she crashed, they incubated her and life-flighted her to a different hospital. At 10:30 Sunday evening I was on my way to the hospital for the evening.
I stayed with mom through the night, and this last evening. Is this really true, my mom, who was just visiting with me 12 hours before, was incubated! Well, the night went on with more changes. At around 1ish, my brother left with Dad to take him home to sleep, get his meds, and rest. My other brother left for home, and my sister and I stayed for the night. You know we really can't do anything here, but I just can't leave mom alone, even overnight.
She wasn't doing well, her oxygen level at 100%, but she wasn't breathing on her own at all, the respirator doing all the work. She also was diagnosed with pneumonia, and her right lung was full. They tried moving her body, so the left lung that was good could help remove the toxins in her right lung. This too didn't work. The Staff started working swiftly, told us they were putting her in a rotating bed so her left side could help her right side. So now she is in this rotating bed, she has been in it over 24 hours. Life support is keeping her alive at this point. I keep praying for the right thing for her, what ever that may be, will be the thing to happen. I certainly want the best for her and for dad.
So here we are. Mom on life support. I sit here in the room, I can't even hold her hand. As she turns, I rub her back, I softly touch her feet, the only few areas we can touch on her. I feel so happy that I was able to see and talk to her before all this happened. I must have needed that. I love you mom, we are praying for you by the minute.
Alas, it is 6:15 in the morning, we have made it through another night, another bite of the elephant. We will see how things continue to go. She is a fighter.
Ciao,
Robin
Mom in the rotating machine, her face is inside the metal area on the right side and the tubes are coming out through there.
No comments:
Post a Comment