Home!

Thankful today that Mom was well enough to head home!  She and Dad are glad to be back at home tonight.

After some anxious hours in the emergency room last Wednesday, followed by a night on the transplant floor at the hospital (because none of the rooms on the cancer floor were open), Mom is feeling much better. The problem remains, but with far less acute pain. The doctors have confirmed she had a lung infection, which combined with a stomach/gut upset, caused severe pain. 

I imagine maybe it felt like being pregnant and having a full term baby pressing on Mom's lungs with every breath. Many of us can relate to that feeling, but with a baby you plan on a happy ending, and you normally have a date when you know you'll feel better, but with the stomach issues Mom has had, you never really know when they will pop up.  Suffice to say I'm not making spaghetti and meatballs with artichoke marinara sauce again for her dinner....not that that's what set it off, but it was the last thing she ate before this episode.  So, no more of that.  We've been grasping at any ideas of root cause, none are really completely to blame.  

I think Dad and I have this hospital thing down now.  He made it through the week with Mom in one of the smallest rooms in the hospital, with a fold out bed for himself, and one small overnight bag for the 2 of them. Daily trips with the paper and mail, and stories of work, girls' activities, commentary on TV shows we watched with mom helped pass the time.  Thank goodness for hospital wifi, we each can work a few hours at a time as well.  The nurses, techs, and therapists all know Dad by name.  Sad that it's a homey place now but when you find yourself planning Super Bowl party menus with the patient care tech, it's really a comforting feeling.  (The wonderful tech Penny is adding queso to her party, I'm adding her whoopie pies to mine....)

With Mom back at home, her home health care will resume now. She's excited to get back into the therapy, as the days/weeks prior to this setback she had really been making great progress on getting stronger.  We feel like in a few days she'll be back on track to that point. Prayers are appreciated in that respect.  It would be so awesome if she could get into the kitchen and help  make the snacks, and  watch the Super Bowl with surround sound and a big screen.