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Late Sunday night, at 1 am, my sister Liz lay on my mother’s couch, listening to Mom’s frightening sleep-apnea-induced snoring and gasping. (Mom is non-compliant as far as wearing her c-pap apparatus). Suddenly, Mom’s breathing started coming in shorter, stranger snippets.

Liz went out to the nurse’s station and asked the nurse to come listen to Mom breathe. The nurse turned on Mom’s bedroom light and together they found her in the middle of a grand mal seizure. Grand with a capital G.

The nurse called 911, and the paramedics were there, for the second time that night, within approximately 60 seconds. Liz called me and said, “They can’t find any vitals. Get to the hospital as fast as you can.”

Doug and I had a 45-minute drive this time, but it took us maybe 20. They would not let us into Mom’s room for the first 1.5 hours, she was so unstable. Liz had seen enough and would not go into her room for quite a long time after we were allowed. Mom’s heart rate was 165, her temp was 103.7, her blood pressure was low and falling. Her O2 stats were pathetic. Her breathing was so bizarrely labored that we did not know how her body continued the effort. Her chest x-ray and EKG looked great, but everything else? Yikes.

There wasn’t a bed in the hospital to be had for love or money. She spent 18 hours in the ER before a bed became available in pulmonary. During that time, the ER doc asked to see DNR papers and an advanced directive (she has the first but not the second), because he felt certain the need to be put on life support was fast approaching, if that’s what she wanted.

Mom would never make a direct decision about life support when she was in her right mind, so my brother and I (who are her powers-of-attorney) had to go on record with the hospital that she is not to be put on a respirator. Thank God, we both agreed about this.

Tuesday was one of the most fascinating days of our lives. My sister Bridget chronicled some of the things Mom said, but all five of us, including my brother John, witnessed the insanity. Whether we die laughing or crying when we read over her comments now depends upon our frame of mind, I guess.

I will not disprespect my mother by repeating any of her inappropriate language in this space, but I am very grateful that it seems to have moderated. It was probably attributable to her extremely high blood sugars. What I feared was that perhaps the seizure had altered a frontal lobe in her brain, the one responsible for inhibitions.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure every one on earth wants their mother to have a few inhibitions! ;)

When some parts of her conditions stabilized, others rose up to taunt us. Her blood sugar rose to 500 and stayed there for two days, no matter what they tried. Plus, she went into respiratory failure, and was found to have renal insufficiency, hypercalcemia (when the calcium in your bones leaches into your blood), and e coli. Tuesday night, because of all these issues, they transfered her to ICU—the only area in the hospital where they could do an insulin drip.

By last night, her blood sugars were much better and so she was moved yet again to a med-surg floor. Today, someone (a nurse or doctor in another unit, I guess) had asked for a psych consult, so I got to answer all that doc’s questions (out in the hallway…) since Mom thinks she’s at the Ritz and is, according to the good doc, “delusional.”

And so, my friends, am I. OK, maybe not delusional. I’m pretty sure I’ve still got a toe-hold on reality. But sometimes, it feels like just barely. Nevertheless, I am certain of the faithfulness, love, and kindness of God. I’m clinging to Him with all my soul.

If Mom makes it out of the hospital (she hasn’t made it out of the bed yet…), I am certain we are in for another nursing home stay. Then we will see if she can safely transfer back into the assisted living setting. She’s not a happy girl in any way, shape, or form, but when in a nursing home, she is downright miserable. And she pretty much takes me down with her, big girl that she is.

That’s all I have to say about this. Any and all prayers for my mother are GREATLY appreciated.

I need prayer, too. I’ve gotten exhausted this week (the daily migraines aren’t helping) and unfortunately, Mom always seems to have a lot more where this came from.

Posted by Katy on 02/28/08 at 05:06 PM

Fallible Comments...

Oh, Katy. (((Hugs))) I will be praying, sweetie.
Posted by Carrie K. on 02/28/08 at 06:03 PM
Katy, girl, my prayers and cyber-hugs are with you.
Posted by christa Allan on 02/28/08 at 07:48 PM
Yowza! Prayers are there for you and your mom, Katy.
Though I'm not a frequent "commenter", I do follow your blog faithfully. If I'm overstepping by commenting now, PLEASE, disregard my comments. It's just that in talking to my own mom tonight (before reading your last 3 blogs), we talked about "truth to draw from" (Dobson) in regard to our (her children , my sibs, my children) children. I believe this would hold true for your mother as well. You are exceptionally responsive to your mother as are your siblings. However, the ultimate outcome of your mother's well being, whether here or in eternity, rests on God and her relationship to Him. Not on how good a daughter you are. Wow, did I really say that? Please feel free to cut me off from ever commenting again if need be. I know that I've probably WAAAAAAY overstepped.
It's just that you seem to be carrying more than a mortal's load....we cannot carry the load that is God's alone.
I can't know all that you're going through, my comments are colored by my own experiences, not yours.
I do think of you. I do pray.
Keep clinging to God and be at peace.
Anne
Posted by anne on 02/28/08 at 10:22 PM
Carrie K and Christa--Thank you!

Anne--I just tried to email you, and my "send" isn't working. But an email is in the queue! You aren't just an infrequent commenter here. We've known your family for many years, even if we don't see you often. I deeply appreciate your comment. There is more truth in it that I am able to face without more coffee. ;)

As hard as this may be to believe, I am MUCH mellower about my mother's care than I used to be. In fact, I'm coming up on my 2-year anniversary of chilling out. Of course, my definitions might be skewed all to heck. ;)

I will try again on that email.....
Posted by Katy on 02/29/08 at 07:13 AM
I will pray, Katy. On all counts.
Posted by D'Ann Mateer on 02/29/08 at 08:59 PM
D'Ann--I miss you! We need to sit and talk over a cuppa.....
Posted by Katy on 03/01/08 at 07:20 AM

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Personal blog of christian writer & fallible mom Katy McKenna Raymond in Kansas City, Missouri Katy is represented by Greg Johnson at WordServe Literary Read more Katy at LateBoomer.net Follow Katy on Twitter Follow Katy on Facebook 123 Recent Posts Try Becoming Brenda Starr Off Beat Scattered That’s It So I’ve Finally Signed With An Agent. Now What? The Spoon Sciatica Sweetheart A Woman’s Train of Thought Has No Caboose However much we own, we are all still living on borrowed time After all, when restaurants shrink portions, they don’t shrink prices. As with everything in life, balance is key. Slow down, you move too fast… Yeah, I know. I have issues. Search Advanced Search Syndicate Login E me at katy @ ngenius.com	Part Trois Late Sunday night, at 1 am, my sister Liz lay on my mother’s couch, listening to Mom’s frightening sleep-apnea-induced snoring and gasping. (Mom is non-compliant as far as wearing her c-pap apparatus). Suddenly, Mom’s breathing started coming in shorter, stranger snippets. Liz went out to the nurse’s station and asked the nurse to come listen to Mom breathe. The nurse turned on Mom’s bedroom light and together they found her in the middle of a grand mal seizure. Grand with a capital G. The nurse called 911, and the paramedics were there, for the second time that night, within approximately 60 seconds. Liz called me and said, “They can’t find any vitals. Get to the hospital as fast as you can.” Doug and I had a 45-minute drive this time, but it took us maybe 20. They would not let us into Mom’s room for the first 1.5 hours, she was so unstable. Liz had seen enough and would not go into her room for quite a long time after we were allowed. Mom’s heart rate was 165, her temp was 103.7, her blood pressure was low and falling. Her O2 stats were pathetic. Her breathing was so bizarrely labored that we did not know how her body continued the effort. Her chest x-ray and EKG looked great, but everything else? Yikes. There wasn’t a bed in the hospital to be had for love or money. She spent 18 hours in the ER before a bed became available in pulmonary. During that time, the ER doc asked to see DNR papers and an advanced directive (she has the first but not the second), because he felt certain the need to be put on life support was fast approaching, if that’s what she wanted. Mom would never make a direct decision about life support when she was in her right mind, so my brother and I (who are her powers-of-attorney) had to go on record with the hospital that she is not to be put on a respirator. Thank God, we both agreed about this. Tuesday was one of the most fascinating days of our lives. My sister Bridget chronicled some of the things Mom said, but all five of us, including my brother John, witnessed the insanity. Whether we die laughing or crying when we read over her comments now depends upon our frame of mind, I guess. I will not disprespect my mother by repeating any of her inappropriate language in this space, but I am very grateful that it seems to have moderated. It was probably attributable to her extremely high blood sugars. What I feared was that perhaps the seizure had altered a frontal lobe in her brain, the one responsible for inhibitions. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure every one on earth wants their mother to have a few inhibitions! ;) When some parts of her conditions stabilized, others rose up to taunt us. Her blood sugar rose to 500 and stayed there for two days, no matter what they tried. Plus, she went into respiratory failure, and was found to have renal insufficiency, hypercalcemia (when the calcium in your bones leaches into your blood), and e coli. Tuesday night, because of all these issues, they transfered her to ICU—the only area in the hospital where they could do an insulin drip. By last night, her blood sugars were much better and so she was moved yet again to a med-surg floor. Today, someone (a nurse or doctor in another unit, I guess) had asked for a psych consult, so I got to answer all that doc’s questions (out in the hallway…) since Mom thinks she’s at the Ritz and is, according to the good doc, “delusional.” And so, my friends, am I. OK, maybe not delusional. I’m pretty sure I’ve still got a toe-hold on reality. But sometimes, it feels like just barely. Nevertheless, I am certain of the faithfulness, love, and kindness of God. I’m clinging to Him with all my soul. If Mom makes it out of the hospital (she hasn’t made it out of the bed yet…), I am certain we are in for another nursing home stay. Then we will see if she can safely transfer back into the assisted living setting. She’s not a happy girl in any way, shape, or form, but when in a nursing home, she is downright miserable. And she pretty much takes me down with her, big girl that she is. That’s all I have to say about this. Any and all prayers for my mother are GREATLY appreciated. I need prayer, too. I’ve gotten exhausted this week (the daily migraines aren’t helping) and unfortunately, Mom always seems to have a lot more where this came from. Posted by Katy on 02/28/08 at 05:06 PM Fallible Comments... Oh, Katy. (((Hugs))) I will be praying, sweetie. Posted by Carrie K. on 02/28/08 at 06:03 PM Katy, girl, my prayers and cyber-hugs are with you. Posted by christa Allan on 02/28/08 at 07:48 PM Yowza! Prayers are there for you and your mom, Katy. Though I'm not a frequent "commenter", I do follow your blog faithfully. If I'm overstepping by commenting now, PLEASE, disregard my comments. It's just that in talking to my own mom tonight (before reading your last 3 blogs), we talked about "truth to draw from" (Dobson) in regard to our (her children , my sibs, my children) children. I believe this would hold true for your mother as well. You are exceptionally responsive to your mother as are your siblings. However, the ultimate outcome of your mother's well being, whether here or in eternity, rests on God and her relationship to Him. Not on how good a daughter you are. Wow, did I really say that? Please feel free to cut me off from ever commenting again if need be. I know that I've probably WAAAAAAY overstepped. It's just that you seem to be carrying more than a mortal's load....we cannot carry the load that is God's alone. I can't know all that you're going through, my comments are colored by my own experiences, not yours. I do think of you. I do pray. Keep clinging to God and be at peace. Anne Posted by anne on 02/28/08 at 10:22 PM Carrie K and Christa--Thank you! Anne--I just tried to email you, and my "send" isn't working. But an email is in the queue! You aren't just an infrequent commenter here. We've known your family for many years, even if we don't see you often. I deeply appreciate your comment. There is more truth in it that I am able to face without more coffee. ;) As hard as this may be to believe, I am MUCH mellower about my mother's care than I used to be. In fact, I'm coming up on my 2-year anniversary of chilling out. Of course, my definitions might be skewed all to heck. ;) I will try again on that email..... Posted by Katy on 02/29/08 at 07:13 AM I will pray, Katy. On all counts. Posted by D'Ann Mateer on 02/29/08 at 08:59 PM D'Ann--I miss you! We need to sit and talk over a cuppa..... Posted by Katy on 03/01/08 at 07:20 AM Page 1 of 1 pages Commenting is not available in this weblog entry. Next entry: Sunday Morning Coming Down Previous entry: Mama Land, Part Deux << Back to main


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Personal blog of christianwriter & fallible momKaty McKenna Raymondin Kansas City, Missouri

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Personal blog of christian
writer & fallible mom
Katy McKenna Raymond
in Kansas City, Missouri