A Painful And Wonderful Week
It’s been a painful week, but I’ve also experienced some wonderful moments. Eight days go, I was happy to have a do-nothing day. There were no appointments and that was wonderful. Then, I got a call from my sister. She had taken my mother to the ER with stroke-like symptoms. My mom was still talking and walking, but was then sent to a larger hospital.
She was admitted and then the CT scans, MRI’s, and blood tests began. She was found to have a mild brain bleed. Not long after, she experienced what they think was a seizure. Mom had numerous EEGs and was started on epilepsy drugs. She began to sleep and when she waked, she was unresponsive or just mumbled.
Just as we thought she was about to leave us, she came back. She passed a swallow test and began eating and drinking. They even completed a very small amount of physical therapy. Now that she’s going to in-patient rehab, we headed back home.
The wonderful moments came because our daughter and family live there and invited us to stay with them. Getting to spend a week with them was magic! Our precious grandchildren kept us smiling and laughing non-stop. We were able to watch the oldest play baseball and get a hit! We were able to watch another in a church musical.
Our dog tried to interact with their two large dogs and tiny kitten. The funniest thing was watching him run away from her backyard chickens. So much craziness! It was all the thing of a grandmother’s dream come true. Little grandchildren are hilarious and mine are so loving. The hugs will stay in my memory until the next time.
My adventures didn’t just include enjoying the fun of grandchildren. Unfortunately, I had two bad falls while I was there. I tried to reach for the crazy kitten and I guess I’m not able to bend that way anymore. I went head-first into the dresser and then, Boom, both knees hit the floor. So, the rest of the trip I could barely stand up because of the knee pain.
But that wasn’t quite enough….. Two days ago, as I was trying to catch the kitten that had run outside, I slipped and went down. The first thing I hit was a huge gun safe on the back of my head. The next thing is kind of confusing. My entire back hit on the concrete and my feet landed very strangely.
The guys came running and found me groaning on the garage floor. They helped me up carefully, but I could barely put my feet down. I thought that I had broken my baby toes on each foot, because I’ve done this before. They quickly turned purple and swelled. The right side of each foot followed quickly. The discoloration is quite a sight.
I probably should have gone to see if I had a concussion, but I just wanted my feet to stop hurting. After all, I had a baseball game to attend. My wheelchair was back home, but I just had to be in the cheering section. I had a stable cane delivered from Walmart and was going to walk if it killed me.
I felt like the pain was going to kill me. I smiled and hobbled like a great-grandmother, rather than just a grandmother. But, I made it! It was marvelous watching the young one get a hit in the 6th inning! We were and are so proud of him. I could go on, bragging about my grandkids all day.
My purple feet feel a little better, but they swell in the car. My left ankle was already great at swelling. So, chronic illness means that my body is truly falling apart. And, I’m going to start Balance Therapy as soon as I get home.
If I’m going to have a chance to have any fun with my grandkids, I really have to try improving my balance and body in general. I think that I’ve had an eye-opening series of moments. I haven’t tried hard enough to lose weight and improve my mobility. I hope and pray that there is a way to make a little progress. Otherwise, I’m going to be following in my mom’s footsteps.
I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. Ps 9:1
@2026, copyright Lisa Ehrman
Disclaimer: I’m not a medical expert. This post contains my opinions and experiences and is not meant to be taken as medical advice. If you have a medical concern, please consult your personal physician.
