Mom Update

SHE IS HOME!!!

On Friday, December 11, 2oo9, exactly 100 days after her admission to Bethany Lutheran Village, I brought Mom home.

She had herself packed before I got to her. I got my orders from the nursing staff, watched Mom hug and cry with all of the staff as we walked down the hall and away from her temporary home and family. And I was there when she walked into her home to stay.

It has been an EXTREMELY LONG journey and certainly not over, but a hurdle jumped none the less.

She still has aphasia and some right hand weakness. She will have in-home PT, OT, and Speech for some time. She is on oxygen and might be for the rest of her life. She can take care of herself, bathing, eating, dressing, and driving her adult daughter INSANE!

From the moment we entered the home, we cleaned....we organized....we struggled to understand. Each and every part of me hurts. My brain is boiled. I have been up and down chairs, I have cleaned out closets, cupboards, bathrooms, done about 8 loads of laundry, gone Christmas and grocery shopping, cooked, organized pills and nebulizer treatments, written
Christmas cards, organized all of the bills and medical reports and I am sure I have missed a bunch of what we did over the past 48 hours to make Mom more comfortable in her home.

My brother has installed grab bars, toilet paper holders, installed a new toilet seat, electrical outlets, hung a TV, rearranged a bedroom, moved a book case and listened to me whine about wanting to run away for 5 minutes.

My niece is living with Mom. On my way home, I got the first of what I expect will be many calls from her hoping I could help translate Mom's request.

I have enough food stocked to feed a family of 10 for a month.

The emotions of leaving her tonight were horrible. I know she is in good and loving hands, but when I left, she said "You go?" With a look like she was scared. I am sure she is not afraid of being left with family, she was just scared I was leaving and that I was the one who had a handle on everything she needs/wants. I reassured her that my niece would do a great job and that I was just a phone call away. I still cried coming home.

Tom and Sue decorated my tree. I just have had no time to even think about it. I came home to a pretty lovely living room and cried over that. I am going to bed. I have taken tomorrow off and will need it to regroup and relax before starting the 2 week countdown to Christmas.

To all of you who have prayed, send good thought and wishes, and sacrificed small animals in hopes of helping my Mom, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am SURE I could not have done this without all of you.

And to my wonderful family.....there is not enough room in my heart for all that I feel for you both. With everything that has happened you have supported me and propped me up when I was about to sink. You are both so very important to me. All my love, all my life to both of you.

T