Friday, June 14, 2013

Closer To Home

Friday June 14, 2013

Well this week has been exciting...

Not really.  It's been rather difficult.

Dad took Mom to her post-op checkup in Novi on Tuesday.  She had been regressing some in the days prior to the appointment, and he was looking forward to getting some answers about what was going on.

A CT scan at the appointment showed swelling on her brain.  So much swelling that it had pushed her brain off-center a little.  The left side had a hole where the tumor had been.  Her brain swelled to fill that hole, and started putting pressure on the right side of her brain.

Post-surgery, she was taken off steroids cold turkey.  Some patients can handle that, some need to be weaned.  Apparently, Mom is one of the latter.

They promptly admitted her to the Neuro ICU.  They immediately placed her back on steriods to try to gain control of the swelling.

Obviously, we weren't prepared for all of this!  Dad hadn't packed any clothes or necessities for them to stay.  He headed back home that evening to pack some things...

Over the course of the next few days, she began to get better - slowly.  She saw Physical Therapists regularly.  At this point, she cannot walk without a walker, her speech is ok, but just not what it used to be.  Her eyesight has deteriorated - she cannot dial numbers on the phone, or text or type. 

It was a waiting game to see if the swelling would begin to subside.  And it did.

We had heard little from Dad while he was there with her.  It was a whirlwind for him.  Yesterday, I finally poked & prodded to get him to give me an update on her condition.  Through tired eyes and exhausted fingers, he texted what he could, following up with a phone call.

Basically, this is what I learned:

She is now walking with the assistance of a walker. She needs continual rehab. Today, she is being transported to Mary Free Bed (the best) via ambulance for inpatient rehabilitation for an undetermined amount of time. We are told that chemo and radiation treatments won't start until swelling is down significantly, and rehab has improved her physical limitations.

Her symptoms should improve with time and rehabilitation.

Emotionally, she's on a roller coaster ride.

She is frustrated.

She is petrified.

I could hear the pure exhaustion in his voice.  He sounded near defeat.  Every now & again, I heard hope.  He's still got it.  He'll never lose it.  One thing about my dad is he is a fighter.  He never gives up.  Never.  And this is the most important, toughest fight he's ever had to endure.  That's his best friend, his life companion, lying in a hospital bed.  And he is helpless to take her pain away.

Behind her, he stands.  Waiting to catch her, to carry her.  And down the line, stands us - his family.  Waiting to catch him.  And even further stands our friends and loved ones, waiting to catch us.  And so on...  We will endure, we will stand firm with hope for one more day, tomorrow being better than today.

She will be in good hands the whole way.  With the move to Mary Free Bed, she will be in the best place to get her well for this leg of the journey.

And she will be one step closer to home.

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