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Took Mom to Hospital


Amy P

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Yesterday when the folks got here to watch the kiddos, I noticed that she was having a hard time keeping her balance and asked Dad about it and he said she had just woke up (they live an hour away) so I went to my hair appointment. The whole time I was in the chair I just knew deep down that something was wrong so when I got back she was still sleeping, I told Dad that I thought we should take her to the ER and he said he didn't think she would want to go so I said at the bare minimum she needed to call her oncologist but when she woke up a few minutes later her balance was even worse and she fell into the wall when she tried to go to the bathroom. I looked at my Dad and said we are going to ER.

I thought at the least she was probably dehydrated because of the almost constant bathroom problems she has been having and at the worst she had brain mets (I didn't share that with them). While driving them to the hospital Mom's speech was starting to slur and she was clenching her right hand...got her into ER and after some blood tests and a neurologic exam they have determined that she had a small stroke. Luckily there doesn't appear to be any permanent damage (phew) and the Dr's gave them a stern lecture on if things suddenly start happening then there is probably something going on and they need to get to a hospital immediately instead of waiting for their bossy daughter to take control :)

They are going to keep her at least until tomorrow and are doing a MRI of the brain tomorrow to make sure nothing was hiding on her head CT while they try to pin point what caused the stroke. We went up for awhile this afternoon and she looks OK - not great but OK. Needless to say it scared the pants off of me - I never dreamed it could be a stroke until she started slurring her speech and then I panicked because I didn't call for an ambulance - of course at that point we were less than 5 minutes away.

My parents have agreed to give me power of attorney for my Mom - that is a scary thought for me but on the other hand I know it is up to me to make some of these decisions because my parents have always had the tendency to not take their health very seriously.

If you could say a small prayer for her, I would really appreciate it! I am off to shop for new outfit for my informational interview on Tuesday!

Much Love,

Amy

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Amy,

For health care purposes, it would be best to have more than a power of attorney. You should probably get a HIPPA Authorization, and if possible, a Living Will and Health Care Representative appointment. It shouldn't cost too much to see an attorney and get these made for your mom to sign. It will save you a lot of headache if you need to intervene in her health care management at a later time. If you think she would be too senstive about the Living Will - skip it. Now is not the time. But to everyone else that isn't in a crisis situation, please get all these documents in place BEFORE a crisis and add a Last Will and Testament to the list. It's awkward to approach with your loved one, but really should be done sooner rather than later.

I'm glad your mom is feeling better. What a scare!!

Love,

Peggy

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The MRI came back all clear - thank goodness! I went back to the hospital last night and she looked much better - her color was back and she was more alert and talkative. We were able to talk about all of the things you mentioned Peggy. Luckily, she already has a living will and a last will and testament (I insisted before she had her lung surgery in 2001). We talked about the importance of me being able to make decisions because I hear and understand what the Dr's are saying and if I don't understand I have an easier time asking questions. She was in total agreement. Here is a scary situation - My Mom actually told the ER doc that she didn't have any cancer in her right now - when in actuality she still has a tumor in her lung and one enlarged lymph node - it just reinforced the fact that I need to be heavily involved in her appointments etc. Hopefully she will be going home this afternoon or tomorrow.

Thank you all for your prayers and words of support and encouragement. They mean sooooo much. And I did enjoy my shopping trip - it was much needed :) and did make me feel better.

Much Love to you all!

Amy

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