Being old is not for wimps

This will be Mom's third night in the hospital. She is still nauseous. Her internist has called in a gastroenterologist. Today she had an ultrasound on her abdomen. She also had a painful problem with her catheter. Tomorrow she will have a colonoscopy and a stomach scope. Those won't be pleasant, but she will probably be sedated for them. Dad said they hadn't had any new lab reports today. I am trying to get him to be more proactive for her. I'm feeding him the questions they need to be asking. He saidMom specifically doesn't want any flowers, as all smells aggravate her nausea. She always appreciates letters with updates on your lives, guys. Dad appreciates short phone calls as long as he isn't hungry at the time.

The Pick

Things are going better today. Dad is very upbeat. Mom is getting a new, improved type of IV connection near her shoulder. She will also get a new mix of nutrients in her IV. The gastroenterologist has explained that the lab samples and the ultrasound did not indicate any problems. The purpose of yesterday's colonoscopy/stomach scope procedure was to look for indications that an infection has resettled in the intestines from somewhere else in the body (like from the root canal dental problem in August). They will have those results in a couple days. Mom will be staying at the hospital at least until those results are received.
Thanks for your continued support. We will be at soccer tonight until late.

HubMama

Dad reports Mom is getting a lot of fluids through her IV, and has a good attitude, steady vital signs, and better color. There's no indication of when she might go home. I'm sure the doctor will want her to keep down solid foods before she leaves. Dad slept ten hours last night, and hopes to do the same tonight. He sounded better. I relayed the info to my sister who knew what was going on, and to my brother who didn't.

Becoming AnchorWoman

Nancy - I just got off the phone with Dad. I had been calling all afternoon and not getting an answer. I did not want to alarm you so I just kept trying. When I tried the last time he had just walked in the door from the hospital. Now he is talking to you so I didn't want to call. Just want you to know how frank he was with me. Didn't seem at all surprised that I knew what had been going on. I suggested that he not fatigue himself by calling us both with reports. I told him that I would depend on you for information unless he wanted to call me for some specific reason. He is trying to conserve his energy, stay fueled, and get lots of sleep. I told him I was very proud of him for making this move and also for knowing that HIS health was very important. That's why I don't want him to have to make multiple calls. Keep me posted. I will write Mom a note after I feed the family. So nice to have a long chat with you last night. I have missed that. I don't like email for correspondence because I do so darn much business on it. Would like to talk to you more. Hope you got some sleep last night. I am afraid that perhaps you spent your day calling Dad and were worried just as I was. Sleep well tonight. She is in the right place! Love, M

Zombies and potions

Dad has finally taken Mom to the ER this afternoon after a phone call with her doctor. She is now admitted at least for tonight, and on an IV to get her rehydrated and get her potassium level corrected. She has had a very thorough interview and exam by one of the doctors from the practice of their long-time doctors. The lab tests so far have not shown any bacterial infection, and this situation is no longer thought by anybody to be connected to the dental root canal problem. It is hoped that by feeding and rehydrating her with the IV, she can disconnect from her prolonged nausea syndrome*.

I also hope that Dad can get some sleep, as he has been "on duty" way too long and is a walking zombie. I wish I could have convinced him to do this Thursday when I first got an indication of how severe the situation was**. We had another long phone call last night, as Dad was really needing support and a sounding board.

*I'm not sure of the exact term. Basically, Mom had gotten into an automatic reflex of coughing and gagging whenever she ate or drank anything. This reflex fed and then was fed by her anxiety in an ugly spiral. Dad and I are both hopeful that if the doctor can get her to relax and rest her innards enough to stop the nausea pattern she will be okay.

**My dad tends to minimize problems. I'll never forget all of us gathered around five-year-old Steven who was hurt rolling down the hill in the backyard. Steven was lying there with his arm bent at an impossible angle, and Dad was telling me that it definitely was not broken. Dang. I'd seen a lot of broken arms by then, and it was mighty broken!