2021, has been a strange year for me. I could have died.
It all started in January. I’ll say it now, it wasn’t covid.
A good thing happened, my mom moved in with me on Saturday, January 9.
She has dementia, and this year has been a whirlwind of year.
A few days later, Thursday to be precise. I came home and found she had a small fall.
She bumped her head and hurt her arm. A neighbor helped her with the small cut on her forehead. Later that night,
I found out her arm was hurting. So, the plan was to go check on it in the morning.
So, the next day I took her to urgent care, to see about her arm. And I decided to get myself checked out as well.
I wasn’t feeling well at all the entire week. I was very fatigued and weak. I had some blood drawn there. And about 15 minutes after they came back. I was told I needed to go right now, to the ER, and get a blood transfusion because of my 6.2 HGB levels.
I didn’t have to wait long at the ER to get back there, thankfully.
I received two units of bloods initially. And I had to stay through the weekend, NPO and all.
I had upper and lower scopes on Monday. There were some polpys found nothing bad. But I had to have surgery on Tuesday, to fix the source of bleeding. It was successful. And thankfully no real pain, which I was expecting more . The real reason it wasn’t bad, because of my spinal surgeries when I was younger, and three other surgeries to remove tumors/cancer. So, it was a walk in the park. Though I was still weak.
Feeling wise, I still wasn’t great. I also had a temporary catheter, which I had to leave with after being discharged from hospital on Wednesday.
Well, the worst case scenario happened. I got sepis type infection through the catheter, after a couple weeks. And that Sunday morning, my heart rate was about a constant 145 in the early hours around 2-3 am. I actually tried to call 911, but my phone failed, and the call didn’t go through. So, I waited. The heart rate actually wasn’t too bad for me because of a previous pheochromocytoma, which causes you to have an elevated heart rate.
So, I went back to St. Dominic’s that Sunday evening around 5pm. When I arrived my temp was taken and had a high fever around 103. Thankfully still not covid. But caused me to be separated from my mom. And that’s whole another story.
I think I waited 15minutes in a covid waiting area. And then I was moved to a triage room, because of my symptoms, I told them about didn’t match covid. I was later admitted to the hospital, because of the infection, and I was given another unit of blood while in the hospital.
Well, the good thing antibiotics helped me get better. And I was finally able to get rid of the catheter. So, I was able to leave on February 3. Over all about 10 days in the hospital if you count the first visit. And this was the third visit to the ER, I had gone the previous week, but I was discharged even though I had concerns about my catheter. I head a great nurse that day, and it was the same one, when I arrived this this time.
Little did I know, I would be back in the hospital, but the next time with my mom. Which is about 3 weeks, spending the night there from March to May. She has been in and out of the hospital almost every month this year. From geri pysch visits, almost dying, staying in hospice care, and about seven emergency room visits.
It all started with the two brain bleed surgeries on March 16 just one day after her birthday. She had an excellent surgeon Dr. Gaspard. Which I am thankful for the prayer we had before her surgery. Later that night, after 8:00 that night I got a call after I had left the hospital . That she had another CT scan after a seizure and needed to go back in for another surgery for the other brain bleed. This one would be shorter around 30 minutes.
She was in the ICU for about five to seven days, which I was only able to see from 10-1. And later moved to a regular room until April 1. Which I was able to spend the night in the room with her. I live just a mile from the hospital, and driving back home around 7:00AM was fairly easy, to get quick shower before work. Also, you are correct that you don’t get much sleep on a couch in the room.
We ended up going back in mid April for a few days. Because of a possible syncope episode, not sure but she has passed out. After that we had her moved temporarily into a memory care, and the following day, she was transferred to St. Dominics geri psych unit around April 28. And after leaving she was in such bad shape, she had to be on hospice. I learned this is a common thing, after speaking to another doctor, who shared about his parent and their visit at this geri psych unit. So, it can happen when a dementia patient is admitted, pretty much at any place, and they have to change their medications to help calm them down. Which most of these medications sedate them pretty good, and some medications such as Ativan can have adverse affects on a person. They don’t always calm them down. They can also causes issues with muscles, which causes swallowing, and walking. Which my mom has a problem with, and it doesn’t put her to sleep. After she builds it up in her system.
After she got back to the memory care from St. D. She had only been back about 4 days, and the night before I had a long visit with her. She seemed totally fine, sedated but calm. I was called on Friday May 14. And I had to make a decision, her oxygen levels around 80 something( I forget) She was receiving the max amount of oxygen. I was told I could take her off hospice and take her to the emergency room or they could make her comfortable and she would pass away in several hours. I could’t let that happen, so I signed off and an ambulance was called to take her back to St. Dominics.
She ended up with sepsis/pneumonia, fever, and impacted stool. I’ll skip ahead, the next Thursday, she was admitted to Hospice Ministries. I had a lot of good talks, with nurses, and doctors about this decision.
“It is a peaceful place”, from a person I know, who described it to me. Because I was concerned about her going there. Hospice Ministries is a good place. I am glad for all the care she received there. She ended up getting better, thankfully. And she had to be discharged and to yet another facility. Which happened in late June.
Which then after being admitted to a nursing home, she had to go to another geri psych in Magnolia, MS (just outside of Mccomb, MS) for two weeks. Then back to the nursing home in July. Another ER visit. Then she had to go to another geri psych, at Merit Health in Brandon, from August 2 to September 2. Which I was not allowed to visit, which was hard. She was good the rest of the month of September at the nursing home.
October was a long month, of trips back and forth to the Emergency Room. She fell about 15 times of the nursing home. Which I learned from someone from AMR. I didn’t know about all those, I wasn’t called about those previous falls. She hit her head a lot, which was about four of the visits that required sutures. The most gruesome looking injuries was an injury to her philtrum, the location right below your nose, and above your mouth. A hole all the way through. A great ENT, did sutures and got that fixed at UMC. And she was able to go back that night. Overall, I couldn’t have done this without a great friend, Jeff at church, who helped me, by being there with me and helping me drive her back to the nursing home each time.
I am thankful she has the care at this facility. I am glad she is in the dementia unit there. And I appreciate everything they are doing for her and the care there. Especially in this season of covid. I’m just hoping that she can continue to stay there, because I don’t think I can handle more transfers again.
Also, my dad moved in with me mid November. And it been really good having him here with me. It helps having another person here.
I’ve been here alone since 2013, which was hard after my two surgeries, and navigating cancer. And the aftermath of that. Your life doesn’t go back to normal. Despite what others might imagine. Your life is changed from that day forth. You are in a constant battle with your health, and if anything will come back. You are not the same person you were before cancer. And even in 2021, I’m worried about a new tumor appearing, or a recurrence. I am prone to one, due to genetics.
Following instagram accounts like @thecancerpatient and @nogrieftouristallowed definitely helps.
I am looking forward to 2022, and I hope I will read more books. I’ll have to go back in another post, and talk about those books. That helped get me through 2021.
Back to my moms fall in January, If she hadn’t hurt herself, or If I had waited one more week for her to move in with me, on January 16. I would probably not have went to urgent care. And my HGB levels would have been even more at a critical level, So, I am thankful she was here, it all worked out in God’s providence. And I wish she could still be here, living with me. Overall I expect 2022 to be a better year.
Until next year.