All is well at the Mansion

Sorry I haven't written to update the readers of the blog but I've been pretty busy with keeping Mom pink. So far, so good. We've had two visits from Montgomery Hospice nurses - the organization really has it going on. All of the personnel talk and discuss each and every case so everyone knows what's going on. The couple of times I had to call the 24 hour hotline, the nurse called me back within 10 minutes. So glad we're in the program as they do a lot to help the caregiver also. For instance, I can get a hospice volunteer to visit and spell me so that I can do errands or even just go upstairs and sleep for a few hours.

So, Mike and I brought Mom home from the hospital on Monday. He stayed around until Wednesday which was actually a huge help - being the only caregiver is daunting, especially when bringing one home from the hospital and taking over all tasks. So, I had Mike cooking and doing various chores around the house that needed doing while I tended to Mom. Luckily, I had Carina here too but, let me tell ya, it took three of us at times to keep her going. But, Mom was very good by the time we brought her home - I'm thinking that her pneumonia might have been around a while as her mind is much clearer now and her personality back on target. I did take her to her doctor when her sudden-onset confusion occurred but they didn't do an xray. I'm thinking she did have pneumonia.

Kim and her boys came over yesterday to help me with some yard work and visit with mom. Had a great afternoon and then Bobbi brought over dinner! How the heck lucky am I to have these friends around? Amazingly lucky. I wouldn't be able to do this without their support.

So, at any rate, Mom is doing well. I expect the hospice services to be a great addition to our household. In fact, I've learned so much about hospice that I actually wrote an article which I will post in the future.

John did recover for a bit from what might have been bronchitis - there was no pneumonia. He's taken a slight turn for the worst this morning, coughing and wheezing again. We were going to try and go out tomorrow but I think that's a dream. But, that's ok - I have one of the nursing assistants from the hospital coming over tomorrow to start her as a caregiver. So, from 12-4, John and I will either go out or go upstairs to sleep for a bit.

So, dear readers, for now, we're back on track. For how long? Only God knows...