Saturday, June 26, 2010

Hectic Times

A complete whirlwind, or more accurately, a complete tornado is how I would describe the last week. Caleb's mom took a turn for the worse about five days ago. She suffered what we believe to be a significant stroke (even though the CT scan doesn't show any evidence of such.) Before you question the testing, she cannot have an MRI due to the metal aneurysm clips in her head.

The tornado began on Tuesday evening. Caleb left work and headed to visit his mom at the care center. When he arrived, Jackie sat comatose in her bed, staring at the ceiling with her mouth gaped open. She could not talk. She could not close her mouth. She could not fixate on anything and stared into nothing. Caleb attempted to converse with her and get her to drink to no avail. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, he immediately called for her nurse.

I won't get into our narrative of the care she received or the questions about how long she'd sat in her bed in this state with no one paying attention - or ignoring her condition.

After Caleb's intervention, an ambulance arrived and transported Jackie to the emergency room. My parents (life-savers once again) came over to watch Emmy and Zoe, while I left and met Caleb at the hospital.

When I arrived, I was in total shock at Jackie's condition. She sat propped up in the hospital bed, completely incoherent. Caleb and I remained at the hospital into the early morning hours. Once she was admitted and settled in, we returned home. Needless to say, we were exhausted and stressed.

Over the next few days, Caleb stayed bedside and directed Jackie's physicians in order to establish her "baseline" physical abilities and behaviors. Her co-morbidities are quite overwhelming to anyone who reviews her chart. Caleb is an only child and Jackie's medical power of attorney. Since she cannot talk and is thoroughly confused when she does, he is her lifeline. Caleb and I will need to find a skilled nursing facility and ultimately a group home for Jackie. Her current status is tenuous, at best. She is beginning to talk once again, but remains confused, demented, and struggles with eating and drinking. She will need to undergo physical, occupational and speech therapy - all of which will likely not bring her back to "baseline." The past several days have been more than challenging for us. And, unfortunately, compassion does not come easily to all that surround us and additional stress has been placed on our family. Please pray that Jackie's health improves and that we can work through the challenges and maze that we are mired in right now and that we come out stronger and better on the other side.

At home, our stress level is understandably heightened. Both Emerson and Zoe are doing well. Zoe continues to get a thumbs up on her daily "numbers" - pulse ox, heart rate, feeding volumes and weight. Her next cardiology visit is this Friday, with an ECHO. I hope and pray that there is no further narrowing of her shunt and we continue to be on schedule for her Glenn surgery in mid to late August (assuming she continues to steadily gain good weight.)

This afternoon, Emerson helped mommy put together a storage unit for Zoe's stuff - as she requires more items than a typical baby. Emmy was quite proud of herself.




(High fives for a job well done! And, no, she's not wearing any pants.)


Caleb got out of the house with Emmy today for a dinner date with Grandma and Grandpa and some friends, Cliff and Karen, who helped us out tremendously while we were all in Philadelphia. Emmy dressed in her new outfit and mom got a shot of her during her get ready process. She is such a ham and makes me laugh constantly.


To end on a positive note, and bring a smile to your face (as it did mine), I thought I'd share Emerson's words of wisdom for the day:

"Don't bite your friends."

Thanks Yo Gabba Gabba...

3 comments:

  1. There...just...aren't...words... Lots and lots of hugs. Let us know if there is anything at all we can do to help, Stacey.

    ReplyDelete
  2. First I have to say Emmy you look adorable.Second I pray for you guys daily and pray things get easier for you. You are an amazing mama, keep up the good work. Heart Hugs.

    ReplyDelete
  3. OMG Stace, Emmy is so dang cute. Love the tutu! The one I saw was more of a lilac (like Zoe's room). I actually thought about getting it for Zoe, but it would take quite a while for her to grow into it! So sorry about Caleb's Mom... It is all too much for one person to handle.

    ReplyDelete