My last visit with my mother was a quick one on Wednesday, September 25th. She had just received her deluxe new wheelchair and was very pleased with it. This meant that I was now able to return the loaner wheelchair and some other equipment back to the Red Cross. The Red Cross program was an invaluable help in providing medical equipment at short notice until other arrangements could be made through AADL (Alberta Aids to Daily Living). I have been most impressed with them.
While there, I put her clean wash away, checked out her fancy new wheels, gathered up the new items to wash, the Red Cross wheelchair and was on my way. She looked a little sad as I left, I know she was wishing that I had a little more time to stay and visit.
On Thursday, Rod left for Los Angeles. He had received an exciting invitation to act as a mechanic for a customer who was in a race that went down the California coast into Mexico. He was scheduled to return from the race on Tuesday, October 1st. I spent the evening doing homework for the next days activities, described below.
I attended the Recovery Group at the Breast Cancer Supportive Care Foundation on Friday a.m.. This is a twelve week program for ten that is based on the book 'Picking Up the Pieces - Moving Forward After Surviving Cancer' by Sherri Magee and Kathy Scalzo. I have mentioned the book in a previous post regarding a program I attended at Wellsprings. I'm not sure why, but it was a little disconcerting to find out that I was placed in what is called the 'Older Women's Group' there, I must have been in a real good denial about my age. When I walked in the first time it was a bit of a shock to realize I fit in.
Following the Recovery Group, I drove over to work and had a new application loaded on my laptop that would ease my ability to work from home, then I was off to the University for part two of my one year followup testing for the Amber Research Study (Alberta Moving Beyond Breast Cancer) that I was recruited last year as a participant in. The week before I had gone through the treadmill part of the testing as well as core strength, flexibility testing and height, weight and other measurements.
This week consisted of handing in the questionnaires I had been given as homework, having a DEXA-scan to measure bone density, balance testing, range of motion of my operative and non-operative arms and then the dreaded arm and leg presses. I well remembered how sore my legs were last year and wasn't looking forward to the after effects this time.
Once the testing was completed, I drove home and I don't think I even had the energy to make supper, let alone eat it, I can't remember doing so anyway. I know I was thankful that I was on my own that evening and I took full advantage of it.
Saturday morning I called Mom and asked if she needed anything for our planned visit the next morning. I have learned that it doesn't matter what age most women are, they still like to look their best and my Mom was no exception. She asked if I could pick her up some new lipstick and blush (or rouge as she called it). She was very specific in the colours and brands she wanted, to the extent that she took the phone with her into the washroom to check the containers. I spent the morning gathering together the makings of a baby shower present for the next afternoon, stopped and picked up Mom's makeup and then a few groceries.
Once home, Caleb, Paisley and Charlie arrived for our pre-arranged afternoon date while Leisha attended a baby shower herself. Paisley was not a very happy baby that afternoon and we ended up going for quite a long walk during which she eventually fell asleep. We have since realized that she was cutting two teeth during this time - a good reason to be a little fussy.
When Leisha was ready, Caleb picked her up and brought her back to our house where we had a nice visit over supper. Once they left, I made it an early night.
Sunday morning I allowed myself a little lie-in, having my breakfast smoothie and coffee in bed while reading. I was just going to help myself to a second cup of coffee before getting ready to go see Mom when the phone rang. It was Mom's lodge. I was informed that she had fallen again and that she had hurt her left leg. They said that they were taking her to the Foothills Hospital. I was by now used to calls like this from the lodge and decided that I would quickly get ready for the baby shower, go see Mom and make sure all was OK (whether this meant an admission or going back to the lodge) and then try to make it to the baby shower.
Everything changed as I was driving to the hospital and received a phone call from the emergency room physician. He told me that Mom was in very grave condition and her prognosis was not good. He explained that she had suffered a massive intra-parenchymal bleed, it was suspected the bleed caused the fall, not the other way around. Neurosurgery was going to come and assess her, in the meantime she was on life support. I was a little stunned - this did not sound like the injured leg I was expecting. I even wondered if they may have mixed up their patients.
I will continue the story in my next post.
Take care everyone.
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