extended absence

Well, that was more of an extended absence than I had planned.  The computer messed up, so I swapped them out, then the modem went out and I had to pick one up in Abilene last week,  I just got the new modem installed last night.

Sunday,  Memama was standing in front of her vanity, getting ready for church when her legs gave out and she just sat down.  Immediately her back was hurting.  I was in Abilene and Kyle had already gone to work, so she crawled to her bed and got in it.  Stephanie and her family were headed home to Huntsville and stopped by to say goodbye and learned of Memama's spill. 

Pat and Hag carried Memama to the ER at Sweetwater where they did x-rays revealing, a broken back.  They said she needed to be transferred to Abilene to see a neurosurgeon and called an ambulance.  In Abilene, after a long time in the ER, the doctors admitted her, saying that they didn't think she needed a neurosurgeon, but a diagnostic radiologist instead.  The radiologist decided the bet treatment would be to inject cement into the break to stabilize it and said it should minimize the pain.  Our problem was that Memama's blood thickness was too thick.  They stopped giving her coumadin but after two days her blood thickness remained at 1.8.  The doctors wanted it at 1.5 or lower to do the procedure.  The finally began giving her shots of vitamin K to help thicken her blood.  On Wednesday morning her blood thickness was at 1.2, so we went on the schedule.  About 1 in the afternoon they picked her up and took her down for the procedure.

She had a good night Wednesday night and Thursday morning the physical therapist got her up and she walked to the nurses station and back with a walker.  She sat in a chair and ate breakfast and while she was out of bed they changed bed linens and took her to shower.  When she got back I convinced her to walk again as her doctor was on the floor.  As luck would have it as she was coming out of the room with her walker, the doctor was trying to come in.  She made her trek and returned to hear him say "You are doing so well I am going to let you go home." 

Steve and Jani had come over, and we began a three hour wait for paperwork.  Finally about 2:30 Memama was in the car and we headed west.

She is not pain free but she is doing well.  She is very happy to be in her own bed.  Last night she got up and came into the kitchen and ate a sandwich and this morning Frances, the housekeeper, cooked breakfast and Memama came to the table and cleaned her plate.

This afternoon we have had home healthcare here.  We had requested Rolling Plains Home Health because a Roscoe nativel, Becky (Landfried) Tomlin works there, and it is nice to have people you know helping.  Becky came and spent about an hour and a half with Memama and Pat and now Michelle, the PT is on her way.

Hopefully we are well on our way to a speedy and complete recovery.

It has kind of been a crazy week because I stayed in Abilene all week  and took the early shift at the hospital, then around two or three in the afternoon Pat or Coach would come and relieve me.  Wednesday was a long day, I arrived at the hospital at 6:57 and didn't leave until 7:30, waiting for the doctor to make his rounds.

Hospitals wear me out!

One interesting thing is that the hospitalist doctor we ended up with was an acquaintance of Rian's.

Small world.

Hope you have had a good week/month.

FATHER, we ask YOUR gifts of healing for Memama.  That you would comfort her and take away her pain.  We thank YOU for the medical people and the work they do.  We ask for a speedy and complete recovery.  FATHER, we ask for a rain blessing as our crops are stressed from the hot and dry conditions.  Blessed be YOUR name!