Whirlwind...

WHEW! It's been a hell of a couple weeks...
My Mom went into the hospital way back on October 3 for pneumonia. She's 83, so I wasn't surprised -- she just wasn't able to kick it, and her breathing had gotten so shallow that her oxygen levels were totally wonky. We figured "No problem - they'll get her back on track." Not so fast...

She's had a chronic bellyache for a year or so, but has always had a less than stellar digestive tract, so she chalked it up to simple indigestion or irritable bowel syndrome. While in the hospital for the pneumonia, her vitals jumped all over the place and she began running a 102 degree fever. After numerous tests, it was determined she had a very infected gall bladder and needed to have it removed ASAP. My oldests sister, Nancy, a retired nurse living in Arizona, was dead-set against it and did her best to talk us out of letting it happen. But after talking to Mom's doctors extensively, it seemed inevitable. She was in danger of it bursting, which would have caused her to go septic, which would have been the writing on the wall. So ... she had it removed via laparascopic surgery, and it went very well. For a couple days.

The Saturday after her Tuesday surgery, her hemoglobin levels dropped drastically, and she had an excessive amount of blood in her bowels .. and it just got worse. The doctors weren't able to pinpoint exactly where the blood was coming from, and Mom was moved the the ICU. Tony and I rushed to Anderson to spend the evening with her, and in all honesty, things looked really, really grim. After an upper-GI and a colonoscopy, it was discovered she had numerous bleeding ulcers in her large intestine. Much consultation ensued and everyone tried not to panic. The surgeon assured us it would be necessary to remove part of her colon in order to prevent her from bleeding out. The doctors in our family (all spread across the country, naturally) conferred with Mom's doctors in Anderson, and the surgery was given the green light.

I could go on and on about all this ... and I have, pretty much ... but I'll sum it up by saying she had 1/3 of her colon removed, came through the surgery amazingly well, and is still recovering. She was moved to continuing/extended care yesterday, and the doctors anticipate she'll be released next week. I'm worried about that, because I can't fathom how she and Dad are going to manage when she gets home. He's not incapable by any means, but it's going to be a challenge for them both. I suppose I'll have to make more frequent visits. I should do that, anyway, all things considered.

I just got off the phone with Mom, and she's still doing well. She misses her bed and her chair, but said she's handling the transition to extended care just fine. Thankfully she's still able to get some morphine for the pain. I have to say, she's a tough ol' bird. I hope I have her gumption and fight if and when I reach her age.