A Visit to the Doctor
This week was a pretty good one. Mee Maw's birthday last weekend went well. Most of the visitors that she had were family members, especially on Saturday. Some others did stop through, but she could not remember all of the names. I think we need to get a journal of some type that visitors can sign to help her (and the rest of us) know who has been by to visit.
The "highlight" of the week, if you can call it that, was a CAT scan done on Thursday. She has been complaining of pain in her side lately. X-rays showed that the colon could possibly be pinched between the ribs and the hip because of her stooped-over posture. There was also some small concern about a possible spot on her lung.
So, she got an appointment to be looked over on Thursday morning. Being the "worry-wart" that she tends to be sometimes, she kept thinking about it and waiting for the time to come. My parent's telephone rang at 3AM Thursday morning. The voice annunciator said in my youngest sister's mellifluous tones, "It's Mee Maw!" My mother answered and heard from the other end, "What time are you coming to pick me up to go to the hospital?" She had to convince Mee Maw that it was 3 o'clock and that she should get back in bed.
This has been a trend of late. One of the nurses recently discovered her sitting at the table in the dining area waiting on breakfast. It was around 3:00. Another time she was sitting in the same place, and the cook came through. "Why are you here, Mrs. Matthews?" she asked. "I'm waiting on breakfast," was the reply. The cook told her that she was just arriving, and that breakfast was not for at least another 30 minutes. Mee Maw chose to sit there and wait for it rather than to go back to her room.
She is getting a lot of sleep. Unfortunately it's during the day, so she awakens early and thinks it's time to begin the day again. Her sons tell her to look out the window to see if it's dark. If the sun isn't up, she is supposed to go back to bed. Hopefully she will start doing that.
Back to the CAT scan: Mee Maw called my folks again Thursday morning at 6:30, wondering what she was supposed to wear. My mother told her that the clothes were all set out and ready to go. "Oh, you mean these?" Mee Maw said.
The scan went OK. Mee Maw commented at the close of the day that she had felt pretty good all day long, with little pain anywhere. That changed on Friday, when she stayed in bed most of the day with pain in her back instead of her side.
Her doctor reported the results of the CAT scan. Apparently the colon is not being pinched like he thought. So we are back to wondering about the cause of the pain. The spot on the lung was evidently just a false indication on the x-ray. However, we are aware of some places on her liver that have been investigated by an specialist in Birmingham. This CAT scan shows that these places are increasing slightly in size. The doctor thinks that maybe these spots are the cause of her discomfort, since the location of the liver corresponds with the location of some of the pain she has been experiencing.
We are all doing our best to keep her spirits up and to encourage her to get involved with the activities at the facility. She goes and plays BINGO sometimes, but only if my mother is there and goes with her. Yesterday my 8-year-old son was with his grandmother and helped with the BINGO game. He actually won one game, too!
Keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Send cards, notes, letters, and stay in contact with her.
The "highlight" of the week, if you can call it that, was a CAT scan done on Thursday. She has been complaining of pain in her side lately. X-rays showed that the colon could possibly be pinched between the ribs and the hip because of her stooped-over posture. There was also some small concern about a possible spot on her lung.
So, she got an appointment to be looked over on Thursday morning. Being the "worry-wart" that she tends to be sometimes, she kept thinking about it and waiting for the time to come. My parent's telephone rang at 3AM Thursday morning. The voice annunciator said in my youngest sister's mellifluous tones, "It's Mee Maw!" My mother answered and heard from the other end, "What time are you coming to pick me up to go to the hospital?" She had to convince Mee Maw that it was 3 o'clock and that she should get back in bed.
This has been a trend of late. One of the nurses recently discovered her sitting at the table in the dining area waiting on breakfast. It was around 3:00. Another time she was sitting in the same place, and the cook came through. "Why are you here, Mrs. Matthews?" she asked. "I'm waiting on breakfast," was the reply. The cook told her that she was just arriving, and that breakfast was not for at least another 30 minutes. Mee Maw chose to sit there and wait for it rather than to go back to her room.
She is getting a lot of sleep. Unfortunately it's during the day, so she awakens early and thinks it's time to begin the day again. Her sons tell her to look out the window to see if it's dark. If the sun isn't up, she is supposed to go back to bed. Hopefully she will start doing that.
Back to the CAT scan: Mee Maw called my folks again Thursday morning at 6:30, wondering what she was supposed to wear. My mother told her that the clothes were all set out and ready to go. "Oh, you mean these?" Mee Maw said.
The scan went OK. Mee Maw commented at the close of the day that she had felt pretty good all day long, with little pain anywhere. That changed on Friday, when she stayed in bed most of the day with pain in her back instead of her side.
Her doctor reported the results of the CAT scan. Apparently the colon is not being pinched like he thought. So we are back to wondering about the cause of the pain. The spot on the lung was evidently just a false indication on the x-ray. However, we are aware of some places on her liver that have been investigated by an specialist in Birmingham. This CAT scan shows that these places are increasing slightly in size. The doctor thinks that maybe these spots are the cause of her discomfort, since the location of the liver corresponds with the location of some of the pain she has been experiencing.
We are all doing our best to keep her spirits up and to encourage her to get involved with the activities at the facility. She goes and plays BINGO sometimes, but only if my mother is there and goes with her. Yesterday my 8-year-old son was with his grandmother and helped with the BINGO game. He actually won one game, too!
Keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Send cards, notes, letters, and stay in contact with her.
posted by Richard | 4:14 PM
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