"How's Mom?"
I know that many of you have followed the “MOM with COVID” story that both Becky and I went through during April-August of this year (2021).
This is Mom at a recent check up by our family doctor! He’s been a big part in keeping track of Mom’s progress and he calls her his “COVID miracle patient.” We all rejoice together. We were discussing bargains at Publix.
About once a week I get asked, “How’s Mom?”
I cannot tell you how much we appreciate your love, care and concern about Mom. I feel like it was all of us praying for Mom, and God’s grace that brought her back to us.
As many of you know, Mom entered the local hospital on April 8, 2021, as a coherent, walking, talking, able-bodied 88-year-old, albeit struggling with low oxygen levels, struggling a bit to breathe, and no appetite. She was brought home from the hospital on April 29, 2021, as a bed-bound, covid-delirious “body on a bed,” who was Covid free, but unable to function in any way on her own.
When the patient transport service delivered Mom to the front door of her home on a stretcher, Becky, Ken and I, along with a dear friend from church, were waiting for her. We looked at each other with, “What do we do now?”
Many of you have made it through our five-month journey now, with us, and some of you realize that Mom is much better, but we continue with some of the long term fallout from the illness.
You listened as we shared with you some of what we went through, and we shared with you some of major milestones.
Waking up from the covid delirium, one week after being brought home, was our first huge hurdle. Once we had Mom’s mind back, we could work on other things.
Becky’s husband, Mike, came to Florida after Becky had been here for one week. He worked intensely with Mom with her rehab, and physical therapy, forcing her to exercise and do things that she would never have done for any of the rest of us.
Then, my sister, Mary, came in for a week, from Atlanta, to devote her time exclusively to helping Mom. Whatever she needed, Mary was there, and that gave us some relief from the intensity and constancy that being a caregiver is. Meals, changing, being there for the Hospice nurses, clean up and more: Mary was there. Then our brother David came, and Jon came, as well. All 4 of us were around on Mary’s birthday in June, and we called her and sang “Happy birthday” to her, so that all 5 of us could be “as together” as we could, with Mom playing the piano. Mary said that truly was one of the best birthday presents ever.
At that point, Mom was still unable to hold the sustain pedal down on the piano with her foot, but she was playing well, with her hands.
At the end of July, we released Hospice, and told them that we no longer needed their services. In fact, Mom did that without us. That was a grand day!
Mom drives herself now around town. Our town is quite small, ad we’ve asked her to limit her driving to our tiny town.
Before Becky had to leave to go back to Poland on August 3, she took Mom out driving, to see if she could do that. She could drive, but could not maneuver her walker and the van at the same time. So, after Becky left, I took Mom out a couple of times to the store.
Then Mom figured out she could use the shopping carts as a support, so she could drive, but would park near an abandoned cart, and use that for her support.
Now she’s walking better than ever. She still uses her walker throughout her house, and for long stays, like church, where she will be up for a long period of time, but she’s doing great.
Back after Becky left, we hired a CNA to come and help with Mom’s shower for a bit. Then she told me one day, “I think I can do it myself.”
I said, “Well, let me come over and be there. I’ll stay in the bedroom, and if something happens and you need me, just call me. I’ll be 15 steps away.” So, we did that a couple of times. Now Mom feels confident enough that she’s taking care of that on her own, without that safety net, either.
I’m changing her foot while she lies on the sofa. My brother, David, was in town recently, and I had him snap this one for us.
So, at this point in time, I’m rejoicing to say that the only long-term thing that we are continuing with is that Mom’s heel care. She got a horrific bedsore on her heel the first week home. It looked like this on June 29, which was 2 months AFTER she got it, but I’m not willing to show you anything more graphic:
After we figured that she was going to live, (seriously, folks, we thought we were going to lose her, so what difference does a bedsore make?) we figured we should get it looked at. Sometime in June, our family doctor decided he needed to remove the outer scab and we started the process of daily changing the wound on her heel, and cleaning it out inside. The goal now is for complete healing from the inside out. So, I continue going over to her house to check on her and change the bandage on the heel wound. It’s in an impossible place for her to see or treat. So, I do that daily.
Mom and I joke about how long will this take to heal? I told her that I feel like I’m taking away any progress in my daily clean up. When I get over there in the early evening.. somewhere between 4 and 7.. it looks like this.. like if I left it alone, it would scab over…
But I’m supposed to peel off the outer skin and clean out the “hole” with water and peroxide and put the calcium on it and a bandage. So then it looks like this…
After I tape it up, I put the clean sock back on, and we’re good to go. The whole process takes about 5 minutes now, if I’m slow!
So, Mom is back at the piano at church, and I’m truly rejoicing. She’s in good spirits and works her cross-word puzzles. She still struggles with some brain fog, mixing up some of her grandkids’ relationships and names. But she had her 89th birthday at the end of August!
Oh, yes, the other long term thing that happened was that her demented cat ran off during all of those visitors, because she hated any people other than Mom, and refused to come inside to eat. We saw her for a month or 6 weeks, but after that, she either starved to death or some other animal got her, as she wouldn’t come when called, and she stopped eating the food we put out for her. We hope she found herself a different home, but who knows? When you’ve got such a weird critter, there’s nothing you can do, when their owner is too sick to stand up and call. By the time Mom could get up and try to call her, her cat hadn’t been seen for a week or two. Sigh. We’re still debating whether to get another couple of hopefully non-demented cats. (I’m a cat fan, but not of ones with super weird personalities, so, no need to write me notes. Haha…)
If I’m doing as well as she is at 89, I’ll be happy.
We can continue to rejoice that Mom is doing so well. Few Covid stories have turned out so well. Thanks for all of your care and concern and questions. We do covet your prayers for us all, as we continue to work through this.
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Rachael’s jar where the slips of paper are going!
Have a great day wherever you are reading this! Thanks for coming along with me on my quilting/sewing journey!
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Here’s one of the beauties we have!
