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Last night I talked to Polly again who was really down. She said that they were having real trouble getting IV lines into Mom and Mom was so exhausted and the hospital was giving Polly fits. They put Mom in a room with someone else and the phones were fucked up and, apparently, Polly was drawing her own blood from the hospital operator over the whole thing.

I called Mom's room and some very tiny weak voice who was not Mom answered and when I asked for Mom it sounded like the phone was thrown down and then picked up and thrown again and then rattled around a bucket and then hung up. So I gave up.

I spent the evening as [livejournal.com profile] mr_lunch so aptly put it... on pins and needles. I'm the kind of person who looks at a situation and goes right to What's the Worse that can Happen? Then I figure out how to deal with that and I'm good to go with the rest.

So, last night I had her dead and was working my way through dealing with the fallout and with not having her. It was not a fun evening. The ballgame was on and the Mariners were in the lead. I should have known that was a bad omen. They of course let California tie it up in the bottom of the 9th but I digress...

This morning I called Mom's room from the bus stop and it just rang a gazillion times. When I got off the bus here at work, I tried again and she answered on the first ring! Bright and chipper - she sounded very strong and clear and not at all dead.

Her story is that her doctor put her in the hospital because his first grandchild is being born this weekend in Charlotte and he wanted to be there and not worrying about Mom in Charleston. But, I really think she was glad to be in the hospital where she's taken care of. We chatted about this and that. She wanted to know the baseball score (which, fortunately, I had studied up on with the newspaper during the bus trip so I was able to report that they broke their 15 game ontheroad losing streak in the 13th inning)...

She also told me about the double room and said that last night she had every intention of raising hell to get a private room this morning but now she's thinking a double room means double nurses and staff and people to check on you so maybe it's not so bad.

Needless to say, I feel way much better this morning. The comments you left on yesterday's post were so nice to read. I never know what to say to other people and now I know that it doesn't really matter what is said - the acknowledgment that you are out there and with me is amazingly comforting and thank you very much.

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<FONT face=Verdana size=2>Last night I talked to Polly again who was really down. She said that they were having real trouble getting IV lines into Mom and Mom was so exhausted and the hospital was giving Polly fits. They put Mom in a room with someone else and the phones were fucked up and, apparently, Polly was drawing her own blood from the hospital operator over the whole thing.

I called Mom's room and some very tiny weak voice who was not Mom answered and when I asked for Mom it sounded like the phone was thrown down and then picked up and thrown again and then rattled around a bucket and then hung up. So I gave up.

I spent the evening as <lj site="livejournal.com" user="mr_lunch"> so aptly put it... on pins and needles. I'm the kind of person who looks at a situation and goes right to What's the Worse that can Happen? Then I figure out how to deal with that and I'm good to go with the rest.

So, last night I had her dead and was working my way through dealing with the fallout and with not having her. It was not a fun evening. The ballgame was on and the Mariners were in the lead. I should have known that was a bad omen. They of course let California tie it up in the bottom of the 9th but I digress...

This morning I called Mom's room from the bus stop and it just rang a gazillion times. When I got off the bus here at work, I tried again and she answered on the first ring! Bright and chipper - she sounded very strong and clear and not at all dead.

Her story is that her doctor put her in the hospital because his first grandchild is being born this weekend in Charlotte and he wanted to be there and not worrying about Mom in Charleston. But, I really think she was glad to be in the hospital where she's taken care of. We chatted about this and that. She wanted to know the baseball score (which, fortunately, I had studied up on with the newspaper during the bus trip so I was able to report that they broke their 15 game ontheroad losing streak in the 13th inning)...

She also told me about the double room and said that last night she had every intention of raising hell to get a private room this morning but now she's thinking a double room means double nurses and staff and people to check on you so maybe it's not so bad.

Needless to say, I feel way much better this morning. The comments you left on yesterday's post were so nice to read. I never know what to say to other people and now I know that it doesn't really matter what is said - the acknowledgment that you are out there and with me is amazingly comforting and thank you very much.

<P align=center><IMG src="http://www.susandennis.org/lj/new/butterflies002.gif" ?></FONT></P>

(no subject)

Date: 2004-07-30 07:48 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dizzdvl.livejournal.com
Your mom is so nifty. And her doctor is really cool. Ugh last night must have been hard. That kind of stuff is never fun. And then the whole baseball thing... :)

I'm still sending out good thoughts in your mom's direction (and yours too!)

(no subject)

Date: 2004-07-30 09:26 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dizzdvl.livejournal.com
Yeah the Universe should just focus on something else for awhile. Like bunnies. Bunnies are too damn cute anyway, they need some hard times. ;-)

Thanks, I will pass the good thoughts on. :)

(no subject)

Date: 2004-07-30 07:52 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] aellia.livejournal.com
Pheww...that was a night and a half!
Thinking about you and your mum..
xxx

(no subject)

Date: 2004-07-30 08:05 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] melodysk.livejournal.com
Yay ..glad Mom is feeling better :)

(no subject)

Date: 2004-07-30 08:37 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cloverbee.livejournal.com
I didn't get a chance to read over the last few days and just now got the news. I'm glad she sounded bright and chipper this morning. I know that must have been a huge relief. I hope it continues to go well. I'm sending good thoughts too.

(no subject)

Date: 2004-07-30 08:49 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] teasdale.livejournal.com
I'm glad your Mom is feeling better. I know how hard the not knowing can be.

Take care of yourself, too. :)

(no subject)

Date: 2004-07-30 11:06 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pinkrose70.livejournal.com
Glad to hear that your Mom's voice was strong and re-assured you that she is indeed still with you and feeling better. I got a giggle about the "double nurses,etc" with the double room.

**Just a suggestion, but one that may prove to be helpful to you:
Next time you call your Mom, or anyone else in a hospital...and you hear the phone just set down, or the bucket sounds and are concerned that something is wrong, hang up and call back to your Mom's hospital, ask for Nurses'Desk for her Room or name. Once transferred to her floor....ask to speak to her Caregiver. This will at least have you confirmed that your Mom is OK, sleeping or out of her bed for some test.

In my years at the hospital, many family members would call, just to see if their loved one was asleep, and in some cases had picked up the phone and not placed it back on the cradle properly.

Most hospital staff is more than happy to walk down and check the patient's room and either have you connected to the patient, or come back and let you know that they are fast asleep. I appreciated this myself when calling back East. Usually,...letting the Nurses Desk know that you are "Mrs. So and So's daughter" calling from Seattle, or California..or wherever...has them happy to give you a little progress report on the patient.

(and makes for peace of mind for YOU) :)

Caring wishes going to your Mom.

(no subject)

Date: 2004-07-30 01:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] victory-rose.livejournal.com
Yikes, that was scary, even if it was all right in the end. Your mom seems to enjoy life way too much for it to be her time to go - trust her to see the good in the double room situation.

(no subject)

Date: 2004-07-30 06:37 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] frl.livejournal.com
I'm glad that she's doing better! Great news!

*hugs*

(no subject)

Date: 2004-07-30 08:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] minimac.livejournal.com
Your Mom is quite a trooper! Glad to hear that she's better...more power to her!!

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Susan Dennis

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