It’s not Mother’s Day but I try to make Mother’s Day every day here.
I think I have already posted that my 92 year old mom lives with me. We’ve all had to adapt some of our lives since mom moved in, but most of all my mom has. She had to give up her home, more of her independence and of course my daddy, who passed away. That was the reason she moved in with me. Daddy was gone.
My big guy and I moved our bedroom upstairs so mom could have the first floor ‘mother-in-law’ suite. She has her bedroom with part of it functioning as her sitting room, a large bathroom and large closet so she could store many of her favorite belongings along with her clothes.
It’s really been a good arrangement. We moved my cat, Spot, in with mom when we got the lab puppy. Didn’t want Spot to become dinner for the lab. And mom loved the idea of having the cat with her. Spot curls up on the recliner with mom and they both nap in the afternoon. Spot lays on the corner of the bed at night and mom has the entire other side of the queen bed. I think the bed doesn’t feel quite as empty to her with Spot. Mom feeds her and gives her fresh water every day. I just keep the litter box clean.
Mom has a non-functioning aortic valve in her heart. As a result she has lots of skipped heart beats and on occasion goes into a very rapid heart beat that doesn’t keep her blood pressure high enough and she has trouble breathing. She’s on medication for it and has done well for many years. Then one weekend she began to retain more fluid and her respirations were ‘wet’. Doc put her on a water pill. But then she began having her rapid heart rate almost every day. And she fell. I checked and she had postural hypotension. When she stood from sitting or lying, her blood pressure dropped and she got light headed and lost her balance. I think that’s why she fell. Got a huge goose egg on her head.
So doc stopped the pill that also caused lower blood pressure while it kept her heart beat slower and more forceful. He started Digoxin. Two days after we stopped the other heart pill, she called me at 1:30 AM with a very rapid heart beat, so fast I couldn’t count it. We tried all my bag of tricks to convert it to a normal rate and rhythm but it just would not slow. So, I had to call 911 for the paramedics to take her to the ER. In the ER it took 2 IV pushes of Adenosine and then 1 IV dose of Cardizem for her heart to convert to normal. But, it did. They kept her a day and a half to make sure she did ok on the new med, Cardizem without the water pill. She did well and I brought her home today.
I’m so glad she’s home. I just feel better knowing she’s here and I can make sure she gets what she needs.
Thank you all, those of you who prayed for mom the last few days. Her faith is strong but she is also very glad to be home tonight. The cat missed her. But she had the opportunity to share her faith several times in the hospital.
I love my mom.♡
tannngl 