The ER and beyond

Last Monday the snow was just beginning to fall as I entered the ER and found Mom already transported there by GSam.  I couldn't help but notice that nearly every one of the 30+ chairs there was full--that it would be a LONG wait until an xray could determine whether Mom had a bit of pneumonia. I helped her out of her hat, down coat and gloves and registered her.  We found a quiet corner...well, as quiet a corner as one might find in a crowded ER. Moms held feverish babies with flushed cheeks.  A younger man in basketball shorts paced the room, and myriad others stared blankly as the CNBC newscast droned.

Mom looked by far to be the oldest of those hoping to be seen, and that fact must've allowed her to be quickly triaged into a curtained off area to have her vitals taken.  Quick, efficient, done.

It was about another 45 minutes before a room opened up for Mom to be wheeled into.  I was glad she wasn't in pain, and though we did put a gown on her, she remained in the wheelchair; there was no need to transfer her to a cot.  In time she was hooked up to a finger monitor, and eventually was taken down to xray for a chest film.

Diagnosis--some pneumonia in the lower left (??) lobe.  Some zithormax was prescribed, and GSam was called to come and fetch her in their wheelchair-friendly van.

Since then there have been good days and not-so-good days.  Coughing is an issue and it tires Mom to cough so.  Anne has been an ever-present caregiver and has taken over washing Mom's clothes and seeing to her personal needs.

A care conference convened and we asked for a hospice assessment, which was done the very next day.  Though Mom didn't really "qualify" yet, her name and information are in the files and should things change, they'll be a good resource.

Hardest now is the uncertainty of the days to come.  What if she plateaus and needs more care?  Restorative nursing or 24-hr. care in her apartment.  What if she DOES improve?  She's still a disaster waiting to happen, and all seems quite murky right now.

But Anne and I are going to begin looking through Mom's things--tossing freezer-burned food and unwanted accumulated items.  We spent New Year's Eve looking through old photos while drinking a bit of Prosecco, and I so appreciate a level-headed sister who drops everything to help out.