It'll be a blue sick Christmas around here.....

On the days leading up to Christmas 2009

Oh, how do I begin to tell a story probably best left untold???  Probably at the beginning.  If nothing makes sense in this post, remember I am out of my sick bed writing as I wait for my sheets to finish drying!  Again..

After a nice weekend with three of our children, Sunday morning, the 20th of December, I got a call from the retirement home where my mother lives saying she had been sick all night (I'll spare you the goriest of details) and that she needed to go to the hospital.

I got there to see how sick indeed she was, and asked the nurse call the paramedics.  She had been sick so long (just about 12 hours) that she wouldn't even respond to questions.  Of course, when I got her virus a few days later I understood why she didn't respond, she couldn't!

We got her to one of our local hospitals and right into the isolation room in the ER.  At this point, I want to stop and applaud a young male nurse named Josh for his kind, caring manner as he quickly began treating my mama with the utmost dignity in a very undignified situation!  Quite often, people treat the elderly like they are non persons and speak right over them, but not Josh!  He talked to my mother and even when I had to give the answers, he still kept looking right at her as if she were giving the answers!  My brother and I were with mama and upset and he soothed us in the process!

The ER doctor was great too!  He had on the neatest belt with any and everything you could think of in pockets hanging from the belt.  He told my brother that he had been in Iraq and when you're a doctor in the field, you have to have what you need because you can't just buzz the nurse and tell him/her what to bring!  They very quickly and efficiently took all the samples they needed and decided to admit mama because she was so very dehydrated.  It was the quickest admit I've ever seen from an ER.

Soon she was in her room with fluids being given and medicines started.  We were with her most of the day, but finally realized that we couldn't stay all night and be any use to anyone.  One of the caregivers she has at the retirement home came to stay the night, allowing us to go home! 

On December 21st, I packed my ice chest, book bag and snacks and headed up to the hospital to find that mama had a roommate!   Admitting told us this would stay a private room, but I guess circumstances overruled that decision.  Mama was much better, so I helped her eat breakfast and settled down to spend the day, when all of a sudden what should I hear?????  Sounds of my own stomach rumbling in my ear!!!

Again, I will spare you the gory details and just say, I grabbed my stuff....dialing mama's main caregiver to see if she could get someone up to the hospital........literally, almost, ran into the doctor and her nurse.....begged them to take care of her until someone could get there and drove home at speeds far exceeding the limits! 

The rest of that day is a blur!  Matt was leaving to fly to Minnesota and I didn't want him to get near me.  He kept coming to my door asking if there was anything he could do....sweet, thoughtful child!!  He would put a glass of gingerale outside the door.....and plastic bags...(oh, sorry, that's part of the goriness).

Mama's home from the hospital.....I'm still sick.....all her caregivers except one are sick....most of the residents are sick.....and so ladies and gentlemen, let's hope tomorrow is a better day!