Home at last!

We're All In This Together
You're Braver Than You Believe

Friday, June 29 – Friday, July 13

In this day and age, that is a long time for anyone to spend in the hospital. I was reminded of this when I went down to the cafeteria to get dinner on Thursday night and the cashier asked me for my ID for she could give me the employee discount. When I told her I didn't work there, she said she was surprised because she recognized me. When the random cafeteria staff think you work there, you know you've been at the hospital a long time.

We were excited when we finally started hearing on Wednesday that she would probably be discharged on Friday, because that meant she was out of the woods and doing well enough that she didn't need around-the-clock medical supervision. On Thursday, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that we'd leave on Friday, so I started packing up all of our things. It's amazing what you accumulate in two weeks, and perhaps aside from my mom's health, I was most looking forward to not living out of a bag! Yesterday morning, we had the usual suspects come and check on my mom, and then the last thing they did was remove the wound vac temporarily. They did not want her traveling with it, and the hospital version is a large contraption compared to the home unit she will be attached to after it is administered later today.

So although my mom looks fabulous in this photo, it is a bit misleading because she was actually in a lot of pain, but we were both filled with adrenaline at the prospect of going home.

Right before we left the hospital!

The reality is that there will be very tiring days, weeks, and months ahead as she recovers. Some people with a wound vac take six months or a year to recover. Until that happens, my mom cannot drive, so we (C, G, J, R, and myself) will have to take her to all of her appointments, which are numerous. She needs medication every two hours right now. At the hospital, someone else did the cooking and cleaning, but it will be our job to prepare all of her meals, do all of her laundry, change her linens, make sure she is eating and drinking enough, make sure she is walking and doing her breathing exercises for her pulmonary fibrosis…the list goes on and on. We've only been home for 22 hours and already it is very apparent just how much work this is going to be. The only support we will have at home is that a home health nurse will come three times a week to change the wound vac.

However, we are more than happy to do it and both our dogs and my mom's dog, Ava, are thrilled she is home. I am viewing the entire healing process as a marathon and that as long as we are all moving forward, sooner or later we will get there! We keep reminding her of that Disney Cruise we booked for her birthday next June, so that is our goal…to have her completely well by then so we can all celebrate!

Just to show how far she has come, here are just a few photos of what she went through:

I have many more graphic and gruesome pics, but I will not include those here! I am just so proud of her progress because this has not been easy. She has survived an insane ordeal!

This was a very scary sight for me

So many tubes and cables and machines

I felt helpless just watching her

Finally moved the the Trauma Step-Down Unit

Getting a respiratory treatment

I didn't see any fireworks on July 4,
but I saw something even better...
my mom smiling!

Waiting to get a CT scan

The day before she was discharged

We cleared out our library and rented a hospital bed so she'll be able to rest comfortably at night and not have to navigate any stairs. C also made a hilarious sign for the door!

Her temporary bedroom

If you are a Seinfeld fan, you will get the name

The 24/7 joke is because this is exactly
what is posted on the library door
at my YaYa's assisted living home!
The asterisk/explanation is just too much!
LOL!!!

This will probably be the last update about my mom for a while…assume that no news is good news and when there is something to share, I will!

You can read the whole story here:

52 Hours

Still at the hospital...

The saga continues...

Getting Ready to Fly the Coop

Happy Tails to you!