My Dramatic Week Part V

Recap: Wed: A-Fib heart attack Sat: Mom found unresponsive, followed by stroke-like symptoms.

Sunday morning I woke up early to a phone call from mom saying that they would be doing an MRI. I was relieved. I had planned to join her in the hospital that morning and demand one, so seeing they were doing it on their own made me happy.

I was going to have Mel drop me off with my sister Katie and ride with her. We decided to all have breakfast together, but apparently decided at the wrong time. We tried 3 different places before settling on Cracker Barrel. After a yummy breakfast Mel headed home with the kiddos while I headed to the hospital with Katie. When we got here she was just getting back from her MRI. She was a little drowsy from some medication she had to take for the MRI. {She's claustrophobic and can't have an MRI without being medicated.}

She was drowsy, but speaking much better. Her words were hardly slurred and the only problem that was still hanging on was the stuttering, or getting stuck on a letter. I also felt that the right side of her mouth just didn't seem to be able to catch up with the left. Katie and I sat. We asked mom what she remembered from the day before. Wasn't much. And we watched TV. I would doze off, in and out. At one point mom had to use the bathroom. She got up and was able to go. I was so relieved. She lay down, and again dozed off. Not long after laying back down she suddenly awoke, turned to Katie and asked, "Why didn't you pick up Brianne?". "Brianne's right here mom." Katie answered. "I'm right here!"  I piped in. Then she closed her eyes and went back to sleep. "What was that about?" Katie wondered allowed, sounding worried. "Do you think she's just tired?". I shrugged and laid back down. Katie got up went to mom's bed, and tried to awake her. She couldn't.

That was when hell broke lose. Katie pressed the nurse call button and two nurses arrived immediately. It was plain to see that whatever it was the day before was happening again. She was unresponsive. It wasn't long before chaos ensued. At one point I counted 11 doctors and nurses rushing in and out. Finally they decided on an emergency CT scan. They packed her up, and started heading out. All I could do was sit there.

They speculated if it was the anxiety medication they had given her for the MRI. Medication she had every 6 month for the bi-yearly MRI's she had to have for a benign brain tumor she has? I don't think so. They gave her medication to instantly reverse any pain medication and narcotics she had been given, and another to reverse the anxiety meds. Only then was it clear to them, what i already knew. It wasn't the medication.

It wasn't long before they returned. Apparently once they got downstairs the doctor decided instead of an emergency CT they would instead just order her MRI results stat. I wasn't happy with this. I wanted a CT while she was in the middle of whatever these "episodes" were. Of course my opinion didn't matter much.

Just like Saturday, eventually mom came around. She never did go into full spanish mode this time. Her speech didn't return as easily as it had on Saturday. She was left hardly able to speak at all. They decided to move her to a more intensive care. Not ICU, but a unit where she would be monitored more closely, and have more personal care. She would be hooked up to monitors that were watched 24/7.

Once she was comfortable in her room, it was late. And as reluctant as I was, I returned home for the night.

Just by luck, my sister-in-law was home Monday, and I was able to leave Leah with her and make it up to the hospital by lunch time. At this time Katie had already been there since 6am, and had spoken to the doctor. I had received calls and texts that they were blaming the narcotics she had taken for the tremendous head pain, and also speculated it being "psychosomatic". I was living. Thinking they were blaming medication, or even worse, saying it was in her head.

I arrived and finally got more of a back story. What it came down to was they just didn't know what it was. Katie was tired and stressed and just focused on words she shouldn't have and I was just misinformed.

None-the-less they didn't know what it was. And that was SO incredibly frustrating. I was lucky to find someone to get Joshua and Hailey from my house after the bus dropped them off and was able to spend the whole day with mom. We were told a neurologist would be brought in, and we were anxious to speak with him. At this time they were now speculating seizures.

Mom made slow, but gradual improvement though out the day. They eventually sent her back to a less monitored room. At one point, while talking to my mom, in mid-sentence she fell asleep. It took several, "Mom, MOM, MOM!!"'s before she came too. Katie was worried it was another episode. She was fine though. Just had the horrible headache once again.

To put the last 24 hours of my moms hospital stay in a nutshell:
They never did know what it was. An EEG was done, but came back normal. All tests came back normal. She was making great improvement. She will be undergoing physical and occupational therapy for the next few weeks, and will most likely go though more testing with her primary care doctor. But the hospital had done all they could do. She was sent home Wednesday.

We still don't know what it was, and I wonder if we ever will. I don't think there will ever be a time when I don't worry about it happening again. All I can do is pray that whatever it is is found. So that we know what's causing it, and possibly what to do to prevent it. The stress was immense, and reared it's head in many ugly contractions. But overall everyone is well. I can't help but give credit to the many thoughts and prayers and support we were flooded with.

If we ever do find out what it was, I will post no doubt. And no, that wasn't the last of the dramatic week...I have just one more installment...

TO BE CONTINUED...


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