ENDGAME

March and April have been tough months for Mom.

Several bad days and a couple of very bad days

came at the beginning of March. I thought she was doing better, then she had a fall trying to get out of bed on her own.  She started getting weaker and needed more help with things she could usually help with...getting out of bed, transferring from her chair to the toilet, etc.  Then I notice her left leg was beginning to swell up.

I couldn't just run her in to the doctor because she was now unable to go up and down our few steps to the car.  I ordered a portable ramp from the Wal-Mart online store and when it came we got her in a few days later.  Doctor Edwards sent us to the hospital for an ultrasound and Mom had developed a blood clot. He prescribed a blood thinner and sent us home.  This was on the fifth of April.

Four days later 911 had to be called because she was so out of it.  She was admitted to the hospital for a UTI and observation for two days. Came home with a 10 day supply of antibiotics and some home health help. The antibiotics gave her diarrhea from day one and continues to this day.

When the antibiotics ended ten days later, Mom took another fall the Saturday before Easter, this one giving her a head injury.  I thought it best to call 911 again because of the blood thinners.

Treated with one stitch and released.

While recovering from the UTI and under home health care she started developing a rash on her bad leg. It started concerning the nurse and on the twenty third, that's three days later from the last emergency visit, back we go at the urging of home health.  This time I was able to drive her because her strength had improved.

Diagnosis, a deep skin bacteria infection called Cellulitis and more antibiotics prescribed...the diarrhea continues.

Next day, she seemed better, following day not so good and then the next day was very bad.  She was having a hard time breathing so I called home health.  When the nurse arrived she called 911,  she thought Mom had aspirated and it sounded like it could be pneumonia.  She was on the money.  The hospital kept Mom for four nights all the time her improvement going up and then down.

Now she is in a skilled care facility and we have began talks of hospice. The antibiotics she is receiving are not helping and she is struggling to breath.  Comfort care drugs have been started and she will officially be in hospice around May tenth.

You probably didn't care to read all this but it helps to write it down.

 Lots of anxiety and stress are swirling around me right now,

 I just want her to have some peace.

We're in the endgame now.