Update on Mom

Mom has now been in the hospital for almost one month. It has been a very challenging time for both her and our family. Every week there has been a new terror and fear dealing with Mom's health. I know we are totally blessed to have my sweet Momma still with us. After all she is seventy-seven. None of us consider her "old." She has always run circles around all of us. Energy for two people, but I am still asking the Lord for many, many more years to have with her alive and well. Her husband, Wayne has been wonderful and patient with her. This has been emotional on him too and wearing on him physically. He is having to drive about an hour and half every day round trip. My youngest sister flew to Tampa last month. I am flying out this Wednesday for a week, and then one of my older sisters will fly in next week. Mom's actual home is in northern Michigan, but they have a winter home in Florida. No one expected any further issues once she was released six weeks post operative from her bi-pass surgery the end of August. The end of October they packed and traveled to Zephyrhills for the winter. When they arrived they found their new roof they had installed late last summer, had leaked inside their closed, hot, and humid house all summer causing a large amount of mold and mildew on their clothes and furniture. It also damaged the ceilings and walls. Mom spent the first month on her own cleaning and washing everything in site. We all suggested for her to hire someone to do the majority of the cleaning, but Mom wouldn't heed our advise and elected to take care of it herself. We are sure this was just too much to her heart and body so soon following her open heart surgery. So on January 2nd she had a nasty stroke and from one issue to another, she is still in the hospital. This week she is battling a fever and chest cold with hopes that it will not progress to Pneunomia. My sister also mentioned a possible UTI. Bless her heart. Today she was put on a soft diet, being upgraded from a liquid diet. For almost three weeks she was on an NPO status because of the condition of Zenker's Diverticulum being diagnosed and aggraviated by a failed oral test checking for possible blood clots around her heart. The doctor attempted over and over to perform this test, not stopping to realize there was a real condition baring him from completing this test. Once it was realized her poor throat was torn up, irriated, and so swollen that she was not able to even swallow her own spit for almost three weeks. Needless to say that doctor is no longer on Mom's medical team. When I talked with Mom's EENT last week, who is serving as her primary care physician, she mentioned Mom will continue to heal at home and once she has been on a regular diet for a twenty-four hour period, she will be released for home. This is what we are all looking forward to. Mom the most I think!