Mom's Surgery Days 2 - 7

Day 1:

I arrived at the airport in Miami apprehensive. I wasn't sure how Mom was doing, feeling, looking. My brother Faust is there to pick me up with his wife Inez. They give me the "skinny" on Mom's condition. She is in pain, on morphine and basically not making sense. We go by the hospital and Dad comes down to give me a key to their apartment. Mom doesn't want to stay alone so he is sleeping in the hospital. Dad looks tired and I begin to worry. He assures me he will be fine and he should stay the night.

Day 2:

Dad came to their apartment bright and early to change and have some breakfast. He didn't get much sleep. He showers and gathers some of Mom's things. While we are eating breakfast, Mom calls a few times. She isn't making much sense and is hard to understand. I'm worried again but Dad said it's the drugs. It's obvious she doesn't want to be alone.

We arrive at the hospital. Dad leaves to get a break and get some work done. Mom looks worn out. I'm happy to be able to help Mom out. She needs a lot of assistance with the basics, getting out of bed, eating, walking, etc. It is obvious she is having a tough time but she is already off of all the heavy drugs and can take pain meds if needed. She chooses not to.

The physical therapists come by and have Mom get up and around and start moving her lower arm. I'm not sure how she will react to this but she is doing well. The male therapist is very cold, clinical and says she will be going to a rehab center and most likely be doing 3 hours of therapy. This is news to us. We have limited information at this point so we will have to wait to talk to the hospital case manager.

Day 3:

Dad spends the night in the hospital again. Mom definitely needs Him there and I just won't do. Dad waits for me to come and leaves when I arrive. He will run errands and do a little work. I'm happy to help Mom out, she still needs a lot of assistance.

The physical therapist comes by, a male different from last time. He is kind, it's apparent from his first questions to Mom. He has her do the same exercises and it's clear Mom has more ability. I ask him about the rehab center. He asks Mom if she is living alone and we say No. He says the rehab center really is for folks lacking a support system at home. Mom proudly says, "I am blessed and have 6 kids that want to take care of me.". My heart smiles.

The case manager calls Mom about going to the rehab center later that day. I talk to her and get the details. I let her know that Mom is not interested in the rehab center and she has help at home. I tell her that Dad is on his way to make the final decision.

Dad arrives and we all decide Mom probably wouldn't do well in a rehab center (assisted living/senior center) so we let the case manager know that we would like her to get home therapy which was the other option. She is released at 5 pm! Her hospital stay is officially over!

Day 4:

Mom has spent the night in her own home and was so happy to be out of the hospital. She is still in pain but doesn't want to take any pain meds. She is stubborn this way. She is doing pretty good getting around but gets dizzy and I worry about her falling again. I make her put on the hospital booties with the stoppers on them.

The home therapy folks come by, a nice gal by the name of Jennifer. She does all the paperwork and an evaluation of the home and Mom. She assigns Luz as the therapist who will start coming the next day.

Mom is sore after she leaves with all the activity and finally takes some pain relief. Dad runs to the store to get food items. I am happy to cook dinner for them. Happy to report that Mom has been eating well!

Days 5 and 6:

An array of things occur on these days that included household chores on my part. Just really happy that I was able to help Mom and Dad out. I had been worried about Dad - he is like the energizer bunny. Also worried about Mom - she is obviously frustrated and emotional. Here are my thoughts:

Everyday she is doing a bit better and the good news is she wants to get better so is doing her part on her recovery. She does get emotional I think out of frustration I didn't know how to deal with it and realized after the fact she just needed a hug. Dad the smart man he is knew what to do. When you are there with them you will witness the amazing love they have for one another. I walked away realizing moms best medicine and recovery is dad. So amazing!