Bug

Well, Mom can't catch a break. She is recuperating from a bug, chills and vomiting and diarrhea. She is on the upswing now. For a few days it was nothing but water and a little 7-UP. She is eating now, not a ton, but her appetite is picking up, thank goodness. She is pale and weak, but now that she is eating things are looking better. We had her to her ortho a week ago Friday, it was wicked cold and windy out,  our first outing since she got home, and it ended up being a very long afternoon.  Appointment was at 2:45, we didn't get home until 5:00. I think she just got chilled through and it really tuckered her out. Then the bug hit her on Saturday.

The good news at the ortho is her hip is healing fine. He wants to see her one more time in 2 months. I made an appointment with her GP for Monday. We were supposed to do a follow-up after her discharge from rehab, but the cold was so wicked, and it was slick out, and she was doing so well, I was putting it off. But  we need to see if she has to keep up on some prescriptions that she took after the surgery, if she needs a pacemaker, some follow-up blood work, etc. so we can't put it off any more.

Joe is so good with Mom, just as he was with Dad, so I have no worries while I am at work, for which I am very grateful. And I'm so glad I got a job close to home. I can come home at noon and give Joe a little break and he can have an outing. And his strength is coming in so handy, as Mom is weak from her illness. Her strength is coming back, so I'm positive we will have a good outcome. She missed out on her therapy this week due to her bug, but that will start up again next week. I'm going to see if she can get some extra visits, due to this setback. Mom is tough and in good spirits, thank God, but we don't need any more setbacks!

Enjoying this warmer weather. That cold snap sucked . . . .

Hope all the family is well and happy and flu-free!

Kathleen :)

Happy New Year!

The cats like to take a ride in Mom's new wheelchair. Here is Midge. Too bad the house is so small. If I win the Queen of Hearts drawing tomorrow I will fix that! I just wheeled Midge back to mom's bed, her favorite spot in the whole world. When Mom gets up to exercise or eat or for whatever reason, Midge sprawls right in the middle of it like she owns it! Amuses Mother to no end. She will not move either, until Mom nearly sits on her. She's a stinker. When I pretend I'm going to sit on her you should see how fast she moves!

Did you know Medicare will give you a wheel chair OR a walker. Walkers are a dime a dozen at the thrift store, so we chose the wheelchair. Medicare will also give you a commode. When you have aging parents you learn a lot of stuff. My friends who have been through it are teaching me the ropes.

Mom is having some ups and downs. She was picking up speed, eating better, color was better, and then appetite tailed off, she was pale, her cold sort of flared up again. Now she is picking up speed again, but her leg is sore. Could be from having physical therapy 3 days in a row this week, then the aide came and Mom had a shower yesterday. Lots of action. She was supposed to go to doc Friday but appointment got rescheduled. I'll be curious to see if she needs to stay on blood thinners, if she needs a pacemaker, etc. Mom says no to the pacemaker, but we'll see about that. I really didn't want to take her out in the wicked winter cold, but we are going to have to go out eventually. Mom's spirits are good, though she does get impatient with herself sometimes. I'm cooking good things to tempt her appetite. She enjoys everything, but only in very small portions. Not me man. I've only gained 5 pounds so far. Or maybe that was from Christmas time, not sure.

Mom reminds me that she is 80 years old, it will be slow going. And she has only been home two weeks after all. Patience patience. Joe is really good with her, they do very well during the day when I am at work, which is a big relief. So things are coming along.

Stay warm and stay home today, it is super slick out!

Kathleen

Home

The boys picked her up this afternoon while I was at work. She has been napping since she got home, but roused herself for some of her favorite pizza! She was so snug and cozy in her bed we let her have her supper there tonight! LOL  She loves her heated mattress pad.  Midge is so happy. Mom is so tired, and battling a cold, and so happy to be home. We are too.

Thank you so much for the cards and gifts and visits and warm thoughts and calls and prayers. Thank God for family and friends.

A joyous Christmas to all.

The Morris Mallaneys 🎄💞

Trial Run on Bernie's Birthday!

Guess who was home for a bit today? And on Bernie's birthday yet! Dad would have been 98 today, bless his heart. I miss that little old fart. I'm having a lay down on my bed with his cozy White Sox throw on. I think I bought that for him 30 years ago! He loved it. It is still cozy and warm. I took the day off today, and have been cleaning like crazy.

Anyway . . . yep, it was Mom, home for a trial run. It went well. If everything goes as planned she'll be home next Thursday, the 21st. Finn was brave, and even went up to the therapist, but I had to drag Midge out from under the bed . . . she was a bit shy!

The therapist said we could try to get her home sooner, but the extra time will just get her stronger and set her up for success, so we left it for next week. She will have another outing on Friday, to doc's office to get her stitches out. Her roomie, Lucille, got sprung today, so let's keep our fingers crossed that Mom will get another nice roommate, or get to stay alone. Either way she'll be fine. The therapist said about Mom that she must have a high pain threshhold (she does!) and she never whines. So true. Very admirable. Too bad I didn't get that no whining part.

I fortified Mom with some sugar cookies from our annual cookie decorating fun day at Mar's and a slug of diet pepsi and she is back at rehab now. I suspect a nice, long nap will be in order!

Take care all.


Kay :)

Saturday

Saw mom this morning over at Park Pointe. She is looking better every day, especially her color. Her appetite is picking up; she had eggs, sausage, toast, juice and coffee this a.m., that is a big breakfast for her. Her roommate is a sweetheart, kind and friendly and smiley. Mom was NOT looking forward to physical therapy! LOL She is definitely sleeping better at rehab than she could at the hospital.

When I visited yesterday a.m. she was on her way to physical therapy. Boy did they put her through her paces! I can't help but remember when Dad was there, I visited him in physical therapy and oh boy, the therapists would make a big deal out of him and fuss over him and he loved the attention. When I got there Bernie said that he had to do good because his sister, Norene, was watching her big brother! That Bernie! LOL

The therapists were concered about the weakness on Mom's right side, and were asking me if she had had a stroke. I told them about her broken right elbow, and now she will be getting some extra therapy to strengthen that side up! Oh boy.

Thanks for the cards, it is fun for mom to open them.  I'd have to say her rehab is coming along, but slowly. I think her appetite picking up is leading to increased strength, but it is going to take some time. All of her responses are appropriate, she enjoys our vists, asks if she has clothes for the next day, so she is taking an interest and keeping up on stuff pretty well.

Kathleen :)

Wednesday Update

Mom was moved to rehab today around noon, over to Park Pointe.  She really enjoyed the sunshine on the ride. She looked a lot better today, better rested. She is still weak with a poor appetite. Hopefully she will get better rest over at the home and along with that her appetite will pick up. She said her roomie at the hospital was "wild" last night and she did not get much sleep. I'm not at all sure what that means! LOL  That poor woman took a spill feeding a stray cat, which is what I was sure would happen to Mom if she kept going out on the icy porch to feed the strays (she has since stopped doing that . . . and the strays have disappeared)! Anyway, I told her to eat up so she gets her strength back. She gave me a look . . . I'm pretty sure what that look meant. Niece Monica came to visit, Mom was tickled about that. Thanks Cousin! Address here is 721 E Benton Street, Morris IL 60450 if anyone wants to send a card we'll get it to her. Seems easier since we are not sure how long she'll be there.

Have a good Thanksgiving all! We will all go see her after our turkey dinner . . . which I guess I will cook! LOL  I had a good giggle at work today. My new co-worker, sweet as can be, is a newlywed and making her first Thanksgiving dinner. She said she was going to make her mashed potatoes tonight, and hoped they would turn out. I told her to check out the Pioneer Woman's make ahead mashed potatoes (they are awesome), and she commented that she had never even peeled a potato. I was pretty incredulous (she is in her early 30's) and I said, "What!? You have never made mashed potatoes before?!" and she said . . . "Not from scratch . . . ". LOL  is it just me, or is that not the cutest, funniest thing you have heard today? LOL Mom and I both had a good giggle.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Kathleen

Update

Well, I got to mom's room on my lunch break, no mom! Her name was off the board. Uh oh . . . went searching. Seems her heart rate went super high during respiratory therapy, and they ended up moving her to ICU for some IV medicine. Just got a call from her now, 5:00, she is getting moved back to regular floor. So the physical therapy that she was supposed to start today did not happen. Joe is off to visit her now, so we'll see how she is doing. When I saw her at noon she was fighting to stay awake, so I didn't stay very long.

That's all I have for now . . .