Sunday, July 31, 2011

The Phone Rang At 1:40 This Morning

It wasn't work. It was my Mom and her news was distressing: "I think I have dislocated my hip. It hurts just like the times that has happened."

Me: "Have you called 9-1-1?"

"No."

"I'll be there." I went thrashing around my room, digging out clean socks and a pair of jeans. Had 'em on by the time Tam showed up, sleepy-eyed and puzzled.

"'Zup?"

"My Mom--" I gave her the skinny.

She had one question and one statement, "Why haven't you called 9-1-1? I'm coming with you."

We were out the door a few minutes later; I explained that I wasn't sure Marion County's call center was the right one for Mom's adjacent-county-address. I called St. Nearby Hospital, to learn there was no shortcut if I wanted an ambulance.

About then, I was checking my "house" key ring. The Mom section was...not there. Long digression aside (week before last, I'd been sorting out keys, deciding which ones didn't fit anything any more, which ones could be kept in a drawer, etc.), I plain didn't have 'em. Called 9-1-1 as we reached her neighborhood, explained the situation three times, called Mom and told her I was there, help was on the way, and had she left anything unlocked? No? Not to worry!

It was about then the ambulance showed up, preceded by a fire truck (same firehouse as runs the ambulance) and followed by a County Sheriff's Department car. I flagged down the 'bolance so they'd stop closer to the back of the house (easier access), the guys piled out, I explained the "no keys" issue, and they fanned out, checking every entry point.

Plan B was me (or one of them, husky guys in big boots) kicking in a secondary door but as luck would have it, a window was found and we were inside in well under a minute from their arrival.

I led the Fire/EMT crew and their gurney back to Mom, said "hi" and got out of the way, giving the Standard Basic Info to the guy with the (electronic) clipboard. As soon as Mom was squared away, Tam and I locked up and followed the ambulance to St. Nearby Hospital.

Naturally, the waiting-room desk told me she wasn't there (and this after taking time out to dig out the lockbox in my car and do what you don't want to be doing in a dark parking lot at 0230 -- they don't even have the idiotic blue-light "please come out and say 'tsk' after the thugs are done with me" push-button-for-help kiosks in the lot closest to Emergency). So we cooled our heels until they admitted she was, then I went back and said "hi" again and helped answer questions. I'd grabbed her purse, so we did the insurance-card thing while they wired Mom up like a wi-fi paranoid's basement and took a look at her vital stats.

...About then, one of the handsomer EMTs found us and asked if there was anyone who could let him back into Mom's house, as they had left some gear behind. "Just me," I told him, as efforts to reach my sibs had all come up answering machines.

Mom chimed in, "You might as well go -- you can take my purse back, too. They'll be awhile with me."

True, but I didn't like it. The EMT allowed as how he had forms to fill out and wouldn't be ready to leave for 15 minutes anyway; so I stayed with Mom while the nurses got her connected (hey, genuine oxygen, not that nasty California brand with chemicals in it!*), situated and Officially In The Records with the whole Doctors/meds/medical history thing.

Then back to the house, dropped off her purse, they EMTs got their bag, cautioned me to "drive carefully," good advice given the hour and my lack of sleep, plus I'd kind of followed them on the house-to-hospital run and back to the hospital for...more waiting. They finally (an hour later? More?) got Mom off for x-ray snapshots and while that was happening, Tam and I snuck out to grab a bite to eat.

Turns out 0430 is too early for Shakey Steaks to be lookin' at bacon and eggs (???), so leadburgers it was and back to the hospital, where diagnostic progress had been made: good news, Mom's hip is not dislocated. Bad news, a collection of lesser issues that are none of your biz, Dear Reader, but add up to, "We'll be checking you into the main hospital while we work on these."

I napped in the waiting room and Mom's room. As 0600 approached, my sibs woke up and checked in on the phone; I gave them what details I had and stayed 'til 0730. Finally Mom, Tam and a nurse pointed out the situation was under control, I was nodding off standing up and hadn't I better go home?

In no condition to object, I gathered Tam and departed. Neither of us was in great shape to drive but St. Nearby isn't too far from my employer's all-but-abandoned North Campus (machines still work full-time for us there, people only when the machines break), so I could take long-familiar streets.

Stumbled in, did my ablutions and fell into bed; woke up for a text-messaged update from both sibs and a short call from my Nurse-Practitioner niece, who offered her medical insight ("Pretty much what St. Nearby told you, plus I think she may be pushing herself to do too much," which is my Mom, all right) and her (vet-tech) sister's help to make sure Mom's diabetic doggy got his insulin on time. (Yes, the poor little guy was diagnosed about a month ago and Wilfred Brimley's not offering super-duper deals on test kits and supplies for him). Fell -- more like it fell on me -- back into bed and woke up just now, days and nights completely upside down.

Mom is okay, or at least headed towards okay, with decent pain medication to make her comfortable and other meds to help her heal.

How was your weekend?
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* Tam and I, punchy from lack of sleep, later spent an entire trip for 24-hour burgers making wisecracks about how the soap/shampoo/tin cans/natural gas/etc. used to be good, until they started putting chemicals in them. Ew, ick, how wicked and wrong.

35 comments:

  1. Better than yours. I'll send some prayers for Mom X.

    Please keep us posted,you have invited your readers into your life,and you feel like family

    Dennis the librarian shusher

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  2. Yes, much better than yours. Prayers for Mom X and get yourself some rest. It's all too easy to get wound up and forget to take care of yourself.

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  3. I've had a better weekend than yours after my own emergency room trip earlier in the week.

    Hope your Mom is back in top shape quickly.

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  4. Best of wishes for you and your Mom with hope for a thorough recovery for her as well. Clearly it is kismet that you and Tam are roomies, fate does have an occasional semblance of reason at times.

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  5. Good wishes to you and your Mom.

    Gerry

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  6. Glad to hear it's neither a dislocation or a break, hope the nunya-bizness aren't too onerous either.

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  7. Good thoughts headed that way for you, Tam & Mom X

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  8. Prayers 'n' all, and DO take care of yourself. This stuff can be wearing: I recommend some cat time.

    As for the weekend: You didn't miss much.

    TW: crogies : the new crocodile-corgi crossbreed? (REAL ankle-biters!)

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  9. Hope your Mother is well. My best to her and you.

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  10. Big hug to you and best wishes for your Mom's recovery. I'll be off the electronic ball and chain by Wednesday. Let me know if you need anything.

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  11. I am glad to know that yer Mom seems to be doing OK. Prayers sent. Yah, I know. Consider them conditional, if you like.

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  12. Much better than yours though I coulda done without the power outage.

    Hospitals suck, hope everything goes smoothly! (oh, and mom's trying to do to much is normal for mom's of many types)

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  13. All the best for MOM X and i hope she rested and felt better. As for you and Tam I hope your adventure will be over and rest is gotten for you.

    Walt

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  14. What an ordeal!
    Best wishes to you, your mom, and Tam.
    You are SUCH a good daughter! The gold standard.
    I agree with Grouch: get yourself some therapy of cat, stat.

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  15. "How was your weekend?" My Dad died Friday evening.

    So, not so good.

    On the other hand it was mostly a shell of an empty body that died...Alzheimer's had taken him away several years ago.

    Still, it was harder than I thought it would be.

    Hope your Mom gets better soon, and that you get some well-deserved rest.

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  16. I only tried to cut my thumb off... Thoughts and prayers for your Mom, and get some rest, you WILL be needing it...

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  17. Prayers and best wishes for all of you. We spent our weekend doing things with chainsaws that we tell others not to do, and we came through in one piece, so our weekend was good. Hope yours get better soon.

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  18. We're rootin' for you and MomX here!

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  19. Thanks, everyone.

    Blackwing, that's just plain hard. My sympathy.

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  20. Having done a considerable amount of ER waiting room sitting myself, I empathize. I do hope MomX gets better quickly. And that BobbiX and Tam are doing OK.

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  21. Non-specific none-of-my-business prayers for Mom X's improved condition dispatched forthwith.

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  22. Thoughts and Prayers for you and your family...

    All The Best,
    Frank W. James

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  23. Aussie buddy woke up with abdominal pain. Tried baking soda, Pepto, still there. Asked to go to a hospital. Sped the 20 minutes while he moaned and groaned and asked how long the wait would be. We're in a small town, hosptial in a bigger small town. Told him it had never been bad when I'd gone in. No one waiting, got him right in and kidney stone diagnosed almost instantly. Minor pain meds, IV to flush. I went home, helped other Aussie finish getting the race car ready to go. Buddy #1 called an hour later, free to go. Picked him up, cleaned up and headed for the race track. #1 drove one of the better nights of his short career. Heard all about how long they'd expect to wait at home on an ER visit, complete with horror stories. Yea capitalism!

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  24. Your mom's in my thoughts. Hope she heals up quickly...though not TOO quickly, if it means she gets a rest.

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  25. worked - but that's still better than yours.

    thoughts and prayers for Mom X sent ...

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  26. Prayers for you and Mom outbound. May the blessings of sleep be upon you.

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  27. I feel your pain. BTDT. It sucks but in the long run, so worth it. Our prayers are with y'all from Alabama.

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  28. Hoping for the best for Mom X! Hope you n' Tam do all right under the added stress, and find that missing sleep sooner or later.

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  29. I'll pray for Mom X.
    I suspect if Deity exists, he wants to know who I am, and why I keep bringing all this to him/her.

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  30. Damn... Rough night. I hope everything works out okay for mom.

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  31. Last word was that she was improving steadily, feeling much better this morning -- even off oxygen!

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  32. I'll add my well wishes for Mom X.

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