My Mom

Update on Mom

Yesterday was mom’s 70^th birthday … we celebrated in a small way, as the official family party is after Christmas when all the kids and grand kids can be there…

Mom went out for supper at Kelsey’s … and came home feeling good, at least that is what we assumed from what she said.

Around midnight, she complained of a large pain in her right shoulder… something she’d never felt before…. She took some Muscle Relaxants and went right to sleep….

But awoke around 3:15 or so…. She told dad that she was going to increase the oxygen … as she was having a hard time breathing.

( Mom has been on oxygen pretty much full time since May…. Her official diagnosis is

[ and please pardon the spelling ] Bronchiactis and COPD ….. scar tissue lines the lungs, making her lungs very weak and with a severe cough that often brings up blood…)

When the increase in oxygent didn’t work, she told dad that he had better call the ambulance as she was having a very difficult time breathing.

At 3:45 the ambulance arrived and gave her more oxygen with Ventolin … which didn’t seem to help. They took her to the Belleville General ER just before 4 am…..

They took her right in, though they made dad and I wait in the waiting room… it was hard for dad to just sit there, as you can imagine.

Shortly after they took her in, they did an X Ray and discovered the right lung had collapsed. They froze her right side, and inserted a tube into her lung….. Once the tube was in, the oxygen level went right back to normal….

This was at about 6 AM ….. and mom began to rest comfortably, able to breathe again.

Dad and I came home around 6:30 and by 7:55, dad went back to the hospital and stayed pretty much all day. He is home resting now. Bruce and his family and Carol and her family have been in several times today and we are going to all take shifts tonight staying in ER with mom so that she is not alone.

The prognosis at this point is this : the tube is inserted and is allowing the lung to function properly. They are going to admit mom as soon as a room is available …. They will monitor the tube for a couple of days, and then clamp it off…. And watch her again for a couple of days to see if the lung will function without the tube. They HOPE that she will be home in 4 or 5 days… we hope it will be before Christmas!

Mom is comfortable now, and has her twinkle and sense of humour still intact!!

We are a little anxious as to how well her lung will bounce back…. Without the tube, and are really hoping she can be home for Christmas.

Thank you for the many many who emailed and called and have been praying. I have very much felt comforted today and I know this is because of your prayers!

Thank you!