Today started off with a bang, as you may have sensed from my previous blog. As they suggested might happen, after weaning Mom off the machine and doing some breathing tests, they decided it was time to take the breathing machine off of Mom. After this, her voice was hoarse and she wasn't able to say much. But she did eventually say, "I'm alive" five times to Grandpa and I. She and Dad were able to have their first long conversation since Mom went into the OR.
Mom is having a little trouble breathing since they took her off the breathing machine. I'm learning that "is this normal?" is the wrong question to ask in situations like these. I guess it is possible that Mom is having to rebuild her strength to breathe on her own though nobody knows this for sure. The nurse gave Mom some breathing medicine that is supposed to remove the fluid from Mom's lungs and I suspect that the blood clot near her lungs is also making it a little difficult to breathe.
In spite of this, I think we can still give thanks for the progress Mom is making while also recognizing that she has a long road ahead of her. The nurses also keep reminding us to take a day at a time. They talked about having Mom walk sometime today but perhaps they will wait until Mom gets her breathing under control. I DO think that would be a good idea, though I also know getting Mom out of bed is important to prevent her from getting adhesions and it's just better for her overall once she is able to manage that.
One of Mom's friends came to be a blessing to Mom and apparently struck some nerves (I mean this in a positive) as she talked about the importance of facing the why questions that we all have while also recognizing we may not always find answers to these questions. I noticed that Mom cried some during this time and I was very grateful to Mom's friend (Let's call her Carol because...that's her name).
Hopefully many more (Perhaps those of you reading this blog) will also be able to come and visit her soon. I'll let you know when this happens. Meanwhile, please pray for Mom as she continues to heal that Providence will continue to guide Mom's healing process, not just her physical well-being but also her spiritual and emotional well-being, too.
God's Shalom!
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4 comments:
Rejoicing in the good news that your mom is off the breathing tube and able to converse with others! Keep on keeping on. . praying for ya!
~Alison
Thanks, Alison. It is nice to have conversation with her and seeing her progress slowly but surely.
I'm delighted to hear that your mom is improving.... and I bet having her sons there with her, especially one from the other side of the world, is helping her keep a positive attitude, and is helping her heal even faster...
I'm delighted that Mom is getting better, too. I hope you are right about a positive attitude getting her feeling better. That makes sense to me. I'm also trying to give her space so that she can feel negative while trying to be a positive force myself. I think both positive and negative are important for the patient, particularly dealing with both emotions. How about you?
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