At the beginning of May, we went to the doctor for a good checkup for Mom. We talked about everything from head to toe. We talked about the wound in her back and my discontent with the surgeon supposedly handling her case. Even the doctor was surprised that not much was being done toward healing except waiting....
So, we went for ex rays-head to toe- to see if anything was amiss due to the fall she had. Although her shoulder pains her from time to time, there are no problems with that part of her body. She has some damaged disks in her neck, but she has had those for a long time. Also, there were no breaks or cracks in her hips, but there was a cracked vertebrae at the tip of her spine. Nothing to do for that except let it slowly heal.
We were sent to a wound clinic to have her back wound assessed and the decision is that it can be healed, but it will take time since it is so advanced. New ex rays show suspicion of bone infection and there is deep muscle damage. All this is making her walking painful, so she doesn't do a lot of moving around. We now have to go to this clinic once a week for assessment and treatment and I have to continue the treatments at home.
Mom's doctor got us into a home health care program and we now have a nurse, an aide, and a physical therapist coming twice a week for various care needs.
Last Monday, while at the wound clinic, it was decided stronger medicine was needed to clear up infection. So yesterday we were at the Imaging Center to have a double port PICC line installed in Mom's right arm. Then we went to a Vital Care Clinic for the first installment of medicine and instructions for me to continue them at home. We came home with an ice chest filled with supplies and medicine that will be refilled on a weekly basis for the next 6 weeks, YIKES! One of the medicines is given every 24 hours, but the other one is every six hours. So at 6am, noon, 6pm, and midnight we are taking drugs.
Mom's bedroom is starting to look like a pharmacy. All the different supplies needed are stockpiling on a book case. Any one else in the house gets hurt, I'll be able to medicate and bandage from small to large.
Oh, we also have a hospital bed for her. We needed to get one in order to receive the gel mattress to help relieve pressure when she is sleeping. It's pretty nice, electric up and down.
So, with the hospital bed, the doctor visits, the home health care visits, the PICC in her arm, etc, etc, etc, I am having a time reminding her she is not an invalid. Health issues? Yes. Invalid? No.
Now we are entering summer vacation. Kara has one week left of school, then she will be home with us. "Hotel Roule" is busting out at the seams, but we all manage to get through the days. It's a juggling act to see who gets into the bathroom first on some days...We really need to expand, but I am afraid that if we enlarge, more relatives will appear....
So goes our days...
