Quick weekly update on my mom...

Jocelyn and my mom at the museum in 2008

I just wanted to post a quick update on my mom.  Sorry it has been a while and sorry if I haven't returned everyone's messages.  Last Saturday my mom was not feeling very well...she even hung up on me...seriously, who would do such a thing...she loves talking to me...her blood pressure went way high again---in the 200's.  It was like that for a few readings so my dad took her back to the ER at Lakeside Hospital in Omaha.  They took another catscan and found no new bleeds on her brain.  They admitted her to the ICU for monitoring.  She got to share a floor with several patients who severely cut their hands from snowblower incidents and a few heart attack patients from shoveling-- so be careful out there people!  Anyways, they switcher her blood pressure medicine to see if they could find something that might be a better fit.  There a million blood pressure medicines out there.  The one that my mom was on for this latest stroke caused her to have a really bad cough...nice little side effect.  This new one does not have that as a side effect. 

As far as this week goes, she has been doing a lot better.  Her eyesight has not changed.  If you are just joining us, she can not see anything out of her left eye and a little blur out of her right eye.  She has been learning to adapt to things in her house.  She can move about pretty well and has been doing a few things here and there.  She can't sleep at night.  She isn't sure why.  Probably too much going through her head.  So many changes.  She listens to a lot of radio Bible programs and she has a Bible that is read to her on an iPod type thing.  My dad bought her an iPad.  The nice thing about an iPad that she can enlarge the font quiet a bit so she can read things...like my blog...and facebook updates on her two favorite people (my sister and I).  I got her situated on a few aps yesterday that will help her out.  She can also listen to archived broadcasts of different radio programs she has missed. 

She had an appointment with the neurologist from Lakeside today.  I think that is her title.  I am not really sure.  I just remember her as the rolling of the eyes, very impatient Dr. that I met.  She was kind of rude the last time I was at the hospital.  She hadn't got a chance to look at my mom's catscan from the weekend.  So that was a bit discouraging.  She answered quiet a few questions that my parents both had.  She also referred them to a eye specialist that specializes in stroke rehabilitation...yes!!  So my mom has an appointment on February 19th.  I need to do a little research on the guy, but he is at UNMC...and since my favorite Dr. works there (our family Dr.) I am sure he is just as good.  Ok...only joking...but I do need to look him up.  She needs to at least try some type of eye rehabilitation.  She is meeting with her family doctor again this next Tuesday.

My dad is hanging in there with all of these appointments and I am sure he is enjoying spending time with my mom now that she isn't crazy busy with school.  It is just like summer vacation...ok...not really...but it is probably setting in that my mom is way off from returning to work.  Lots and lots of paper work is being filled out right now regarding insurance and other things I won't go into. 

My sister has left and returned to Alexandria, VA.  We are finally over the million illnesses we had over the past few weeks and were safe to return to help my parents out yesterday.  I helped my mom with her technology stuff, scrubbed down her bathrooms, and made them dinner.  Next week we plan on doing the same thing, to relieve my dad of some of the pressure.  Sean travels quiet a bit and since we homeschool, we are pretty flexible to be where ever, whenever.  Lots of changes, lots of things to still pray for, lots of patience for everyone.