News of my mother
A brief update, in case anyone thinks I'm ignoring them: as many of you know, my mother has been in hospital for several weeks after falling and breaking her hip. It has gradually become apparent that the real culprit all along has been her heart, and it was probably a cardiac event that caused her fall. We've now found out that she had had a scan shortly before the accident whose results (possibly received after the accident, I'm a bit confused about this bit) revealed that her heart was so enlarged that it was miraculous she had continued to live such a full life. This also explains why her attempts to learn to walk again were so halting - she simply didn't have enough energy.
The hospital staff initially thought that she might be able to live at home (or with me) with the support of carers, but last week they decided that things were very much more advanced than they had thought, and asked my brother and me to travel up as soon as possible. I spent seven days at the hospital, during which time my brother, my niece (plus her mother and boyfriend) and my sister have also been in attendance at various times. Since my sister has now arrived from Germany and is staying for a week, and the staff still can't make a prediction on my mother's life expectancy beyond "days or weeks but not months", I've come home for a few days, or until I'm called back, in order to catch up on some work.
She doesn't seem to be in pain, and knows who we are, though she is sometimes quite confused about where she is and what's going on. I hope her decline won't be too prolonged, as it's no sort of life for someone who has been so strong and active for so many years.
Don't worry about me; on the whole I'm quite calm. I'm disabling comments because I know I have all my friends' support, so I don't need you to tell me, and if everyone comments I won't have time to reply properly. But I do very much appreciate the support I know I have.
PS Today would have been my brother Ambrose's 76th birthday - almost the age that my father was when he died.
Also posted on Dreamwidth, with
comments.
The hospital staff initially thought that she might be able to live at home (or with me) with the support of carers, but last week they decided that things were very much more advanced than they had thought, and asked my brother and me to travel up as soon as possible. I spent seven days at the hospital, during which time my brother, my niece (plus her mother and boyfriend) and my sister have also been in attendance at various times. Since my sister has now arrived from Germany and is staying for a week, and the staff still can't make a prediction on my mother's life expectancy beyond "days or weeks but not months", I've come home for a few days, or until I'm called back, in order to catch up on some work.
She doesn't seem to be in pain, and knows who we are, though she is sometimes quite confused about where she is and what's going on. I hope her decline won't be too prolonged, as it's no sort of life for someone who has been so strong and active for so many years.
Don't worry about me; on the whole I'm quite calm. I'm disabling comments because I know I have all my friends' support, so I don't need you to tell me, and if everyone comments I won't have time to reply properly. But I do very much appreciate the support I know I have.
PS Today would have been my brother Ambrose's 76th birthday - almost the age that my father was when he died.
Also posted on Dreamwidth, with
comments.