Try Not To Get Sick During What is Effectively a Holiday Weekend

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by richlevy

I hope she's feeling better soon.

Yea, really. What else is there to say.We finally had to put our mom into an assisted living home, tough stuff. Good luck.

[Griff]

Wolf, make sure you monitor yourself as you go through this with Mom. Sometimes we can mess up our own health focusing on others. Good luck lady.

[limey]

Originally Posted by Griff

Wolf, make sure you monitor yourself as you go through this with Mom. Sometimes we can mess up our own health focusing on others. Good luck lady.

Yup.

[elSicomoro]

Good to hear that Momwolf is okay. I echo Griff's sentiments.

[wolf]

So, here we are coming up on Labor Day.

A year and a smidge has passed since Mom's last hospitalization.

Yeah, the bright ones among you caught it ... MomWolf is back in the hospital, this time for a blood clot in her leg. The fancy medical name for it is "DVT" or Deep Vein Thrombosis.

I took her to the PCP today for something else, entirely. She's been using a topical cream ordered by her dermatologist to treat a small skin lesion, but that hasn't been going well. She had a bad reaction, he's on vacation, and his nurse said "Go to the PCP." Good thing she did, really.

MomWolf's mentioned in passing that her left leg was swollen, and the doc thought that she should have an ultrasound to rule out a clot. I drove her over to the hospital, and with hardly any waiting, we had an answer. Blood clot, all right, but in the RIGHT leg, which wasn't swollen. They still don't know why the left leg is swollen, but hopefully they'll come up with something ...

I am really sorry to hear that. I hope all goes as well as it can.
My thoughts are with you.

[Griff]

Sounds like you caught a thorough Doc wolf. I hope Mom is doing better.

[Clodfobble]

Your mom is lucky to have you, wolf. Don't forget to take care of yourself on occasion too.

[Shawnee123]

Sending warm wishes your way, wolf.

[limey]

Your mum is very lucky to have you, make sure you look after yourself, too, Wolf.

[wolf]

Here we go again ... on Wednesday, momWolf saw the dermatologist, who announced that all looked well with her forehead. Last Thursday mom saw her PCP, was told that all was well, some minor adjustments to the blood thinner medication for the DVT.

She was very perky, and had been enjoying the fact that wolfSibling and the kitties were down for a visit to help with the packing, and to finally get momWolf over to the new abode to check the place out.

We were going to do that yesterday.

I was awakened too early Saturday morning to hear momWolf calling for my sister. My first thought was, "Well, that shows who really rates, doesn't it?" and rolled over. She then started calling for me.

We both went downstairs to find her gasping like a fish and saying she wasn't feeling well.

wolf: Mom, I'm calling an ambulance.

momWolf: Do you have to? Can't you just take my blood pressure?

wolf: Okay, then I'll call the ambulance.

(it is not easy to try to take the blood pressure of a woman who continues to try to talk to you while you are listening very hard to hear the Korotkoff sounds (that's when the little thumpy-thumpy noises start and stop))

wolf: Hello, 911 dispatcher. I need an ambulance.

momWolf: Can't you just drive me?

wolf: No! Sorry about that 911 dispatcher, I need an ambulance for a 76 y.o. female, history of HTN, DVT, CHF, presenting with SOB, chest pain, and BP 220/110. Thank you. (ends call) As I was saying Mom, I can't drive you, unless you want me to just shove your dead body out on the side of the road when your heart stops.

momWolf: Is it that serious?

wolf: Yes.

Great response time on the paramedics, they were at the house in less than 10 minutes.

My sister and I left the house shortly after they did, and we saw the rig that transported my mom returning to the station as we were about 2/3 of the way to the hospital.

Rough time in the ER, as she wasn't responding to the medication she was initially given, heart rate through the roof, respirations scary high, and her blood pressure was starting to come down, but not by much. She was finally given an injection of some stuff that I can't recall the name of, but which worked very quickly, and within 10 minutes she was relatively stable, had good color, and was breathing normally. Apparently she had another episode of congestive heart failure, which may have been brought on by something that she does when she has a doctor's appointment ... she's on a diuretic, which makes her pee a lot, and she'll skip it if she has to go somewhere, like the doctor, so she stays drier.

Oh, and then she had a Cup O' Soup for dinner one night, chased it down with a half a pack of saltines, according to my sister who dropped the dime on her to the doctor. Your basic recipe for medical disaster.

She's much better today, ensconced on the cardiac telemetry floor at the same hospital she was in for the month of July last year. It's her favorite floor, and the nurses who cared for her at that time remember her, and me.

So, if I seem distracted or irritable, that's why.

Incidentally, I have the coolest BP cuff in Southeastern Pennsylavnia.

[limey]

Sorry to hear that your going through it again Wolf. [hugs]

[Griff]

Bummer wolf. Keep on keeping on.

[skysidhe]

Your mom is lucky she has a great daughter in you.

[LabRat]

Just saw this thread, missed the labor day posts. I can't believe her bp was that high!!! (normal is < 120/80) Glad to hear things are OK after that scare, yikes. Good luck to all of you!