Monday, January 21, 2013

A Journey


It's amazing how life can change in an instant. 

As I look back and read my entry about Rainbow Chicken Soup, I can actually remember chopping those vegetables, planning the day and enjoying the sunshine.

A lot has happened since that morning.

Yes, Grandmother was picked up and brought home from the hospital.  Amazed at how weak she was, the next few days quickly turned into caregiving 24/7...and I was picking up 12 of those hours each day.  We knew we had a giant task ahead, helping her regain her strength and setting up care so she could remain at home. 

After a few days, it was obvious that her health was continuing to decline.  Breathing was difficult and her legs started to swell.

My sister-in-law and I took her back to the hospital where they decided to admit her for a few days.  As the ER nurse discussed bringing her some toast, Grandmother took us to the edge and back.  

She had a stroke.  

The first 24 hours were the worst.  We stayed with her as everything inside her tumbled around and around.  All we could do was hold her hand and let her know we were right there beside her, along for the ride.

A week later, she's still here, confused and exhausted, unable to tell us her needs.  She has highs and lows, times when she remembers who we are and times when she doesn't. 

As we wait until she's more stable and the doctors figure out how to manage her multiple problems, we're still holding her hand...24/7.

Life has settled into a pattern...sleep, hospital, sleep.  

Tonight is the first time I've sat at the computer to "play around" and browse through some of the sites I've bookmarked.  I'm trying to wind down enough to go to bed.  My next "shift" is at 3:00 a.m.

We're not sure what's going to happen and how this story is going to end, we just know it's a journey and someone bought us a ticket.

Thank you for listening.  It helped.


1 comment:

  1. I am sending you a big hug and I sure hope that helps too. I am way behind in my reading and I hope by now that she is doing much better and so are you.

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