Let’s just say that 2023 is proving to be quite the year already and it’s only February. I had already decided that my “one little word” for the year was going to be “persevere” and it’s proving to be quite appropriate.
Last week Michigan got hit with a really bad ice storm causing massive widespread power outages. We lost power last Wednesday night around 9p and therefore no heat. I wasn’t too worried because I figured that we’d get it back the next day and in the meantime I had my extra ventilator batteries so I was going to be okay to sleep for 6-8 hours. Thursday morning my sister came and woke me up in a panic because my mom had slipped on an icy step going to the backyard and was probably going to need to go to the hospital. She hit her back on the step but did not her head and didn’t lose consciousnesses. She was in a lot of pain though. Cara drove her over to the hospital and my dad stayed home to take care of my grandma. My mom ended up spending something like 14 hours in the ED before being admitted to the floor until yesterday (Sunday). She’s been diagnosed with transverse fractures on her L1-L2. She doesn’t need surgery but is getting evaluated for home health PT/OT. She also has a back brace for stability. The trauma surgeon has said she will likely make a full recovery, but it’s going to take a bit and it’s going to be painful. We’ve got her all fixed up in my room for the week so she can use my adjustable bed. Our kitty Snowflake is also giving her lots of snuggles and attention which is helping tremendously.
Going back to the power outage aspect of the story, Thursday I hung out by the fire most of the day reading and awaiting news about my mom. That night Cara and I hung out for a bit by the fireplace while my Grandma was in bed and my dad was seeing my mom at the hospital. It was chilly overnight again without power but we made it okay. We have a generator (I’ll have to post about that story another time) so my vent batteries were fully charged and my Grandma’s room was nice and warm. By Friday morning my anxiety was starting to rise because of a potential issue with my mom’s spleen, my Kindle was basically dead so I couldn’t read, and it was colder. On top of that my Grandma took a turn for the worse… long story short: as the day went on she became more and more agitated. Part of the day she thought she was back in Tennessee and was at someone’s house visiting while my Grandpa was out doing errands. (My Grandpa passed something like 6 years ago). She had mild hallucinations/confusions in the afternoon- seeing things across the street, seeing a little girl sitting next to me, not recognizing my Dad etc. But then things got scary because she was confused about where James (my Grandpa) was and why she couldn’t go home (Tennessee). A little before this I was getting pretty cold so I texted my Uncle Mark (mom’s sister) asking if Cara and I could sleep over. I was still really hopeful that the power was going to come back… But then when my Grandma started getting even more agitated and verbally fighting with my Dad and Mom (via speakerphone) we made 2 decisions: 1) Uncle Mark came and got me within 10 minutes (in case Grandma became violent) 2) A second call was made to Angela Hospice about as needed medicines to help Grandma calm down. We had already called once earlier that day about the agitation. Uncle Mark was able to come over and grab some stuff for the night and slip out pretty easily. We went to dinner and Cara ended up meeting us there after leaving my mom’s room at the hospital. She was able to eat and we got some stuff to-go for my Dad. Cara went back to the house to get her overnight stuff, drop off the food and give my Dad a chance to go get more gas for the generator. After that she came over to Uncle Mark’s place where he introduced us to a new show on Apple TV called Shrinking. (It’s hilarious). After watching two episodes we decided to hit the hay on his pull out couch bed thinking things were settled for the night… Well… around 11:30p / midnight my Dad called Cara saying that he needed help at the house. Grandma was hallucinating a lot again, his phone battery was at 1% and the generator was out of gas. Uncle Mark was amazing and drove over there so Cara didn’t have to and helped by distracting Bella (our excitable border collie) by playing in the backyard and just being there for a bit while Dad refilled the generator. This also allowed him to plug in his phone and call Angela Hospice again. After being advised on what meds to give her Grandma finally calmed down and was able to rest.
Saturday Grandma was fairly calm thanks to her medicines. Uncle Mark spoiled me and Cara by getting us McDonald’s for breakfast AND lunch. Uncle Mark also took my Dad coffee and Tim Bits for breakfast and allowed him to get more gas for the generator. Cara and I were able to have a nice day: I slept on the vent in the afternoon while Cara took some things over to my Mom. Saturday night Cara’s amazing friends came out this way for dinner because today (the 27th) is her 30th birthday! It was so good for her to see her friends – they went all out to make her feel special. Meanwhile, Uncle Mark ordered two different kinds of soups from Bob Evans and let my Dad choose which one to have back at the house. Even though Grandma had been calm throughout the day it was cold in most of the house. That night my poor Dad slept on the floor of Grandma’s room with lots of pillows and blankets to keep an eye on her and stay warm.
Yesterday (Sunday) things finally turned around. Early in the morning the power was FINALLY restored. Uncle Mark again got breakfast for me, Cara and my Dad (Einstein bagels this time). After dropping off the bagels to my Dad Uncle Mark came back to his place, we ate and started packing up. At this point we were pretty sure my Mom was going to be discharged but we weren’t 100% sure. We ended up staying there for another few hours just to rest; we got back home a little after lunchtime. By this time we also had the good news that a bed would be available today (Monday) at the Angela Hospice Care Center. My Dad had called Thursday asking about the availability of a respite bed because we didn’t know what was going to happen with the power and my Mom. Turns out after Uncle Mark dropped me back off at the house he wasn’t done helping!! He went over to Gordon Food Service and got us enough food to last til the middle of the week. One less thing for my parents to worry about since my Dad is going back to work tomorrow.
Today has been good all things considered. My Grandma is tucked in safe and sound at the Care Center and from the pictures my Dad took it looks like an amazing place for her right now. My Mom has been managing alright and only had a few major pain moments. It’ll be good for the home health eval tomorrow since they’ll go over her med schedule as well as provide input on the best techniques for for transfers.
I am thankful my Mom doesn’t need surgery. Cara and Uncle Mark majorly stepped up and went above and beyond this weekend. I’m incredibly grateful for Angela Hospice and the support they are providing our family. Finally, my Dad did amazing with keeping my Grandma safe, my animals safe, and the house safe. It’s definitely been a whirlwind.
