When last we met I was telling you about having a plumber come out the check the leak and check for mold and asbestos. Luckily there was none...whew!!! Finally caught a break there, but unluckily we would have to move out while they made the repairs.
So...here I have a mother that is ill and trying to recover from pneumonia. She's coughing morning, noon and night and she needs her oxygen machine 24/7 and a warm dry place to sleep and somewhere to spend the day. Of course my sister Lisa and her husband would not hear of us staying in a hotel, we had to stay with them and they gave up their bedroom and moved into the spare bedroom. They were troopers and I can never repay them their generosity and patience with us.
You would think that this would be the end of my story, but unfortunately not. That first night it was difficult to get to sleep, my mom was coughing constantly and we were sharing a bed. Finally in exhaustion I fell asleep only to be awakened in the wee hours of the morning by my mom taking a fall!
She had gotten up to go to the bathroom and I believe she was disoriented and weak (she refuses to use her walker) and as she was walking towards the bathroom she felt dizzy and tried to come back to bed and fell, hitting her head and face on the nightstand. My sister came running and we got her back up and safely into the bathroom but there was no more sleep to be had that night, we were all to wound up and scared!
By the end of that day mom had a black eye and scrapes on her face and I felt so awful that I had not heard her get up, it still haunts me. I was right there, a foot away from her and I let her fall. Luckily the fall was not too bad but she could have been seriously hurt! Mom took it hard too, it scared her (she started using her walker by the way!) and I could see that she was realizing that she may not get better and that she may end up needing more help from us than she was comfortable with.
For two weeks it was a whirlwind of working eight hours, texting back and forth with the contractor, rushing home to feed the dog and mom and helping Lisa with whatever she needed around the house. Finally most of the work was done and I submitted all the photos and the contractors invoice to the insurance company.
and again...To Be Continued
I haven't forgotten the first part,
ReplyDeleteand I was looking forward to hear about the end of the story.
First of all, I wish to say you're very lucky with a sister like Lisa by your side. Secondly, about the leak - wasn't it possible to do something temporarily and wait with it till spring/summer, until your Mom is fully recovered and the weather improved? By then, you could have asked for several estimates.
As for your Mom, there's no bad without good. She has finally accepted to use a walker which could be of real help to a woman of her age.
Best Wishes to all of you!
I am so grateful to have my sister Lisa, she's been with me through thick and thin and it would have been so much more of an ordeal without her and her husband.
DeleteActually, the weather wasn't so bad. We've had a very mild winter here with temps in the high 60's most days. Of course for mom that is very cold, but Lisa had the heater running all night and most of the day. I wish I would have gotten more estimates, the pricing was actually pretty high, but live and learn, I don't have much experience with home ownership.
Yes, you are so right, something good did come out of it that mom started using the walker, but as soon as she thinks she's getting better she quits using it and she's a stubborn independent woman. I hope that I too am learning that when I get that age I need to cut my own kids some slack and not be that stubborn...but we shall see.
Always great to hear from you DUTA, thank you.
A foot away from her and I let her fall. I assure you, it wasn't your fault.
ReplyDeleteHey Blue! I kinda feel that now, I kinda know that now, but sometimes when I think what could have happened it scares me that I know eventually I won't be able to protect her and she will fall. I can't wrap her in bubble wrap, I have to let her live her life, but damn it's hard.
DeleteSo true. All it means is that you love her, which is a good thing. You know that.
DeleteI’m sorry to hear your mum is that bad. Well done for caring about her so much.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately when you get up in age it's harder to bounce back from illnesses. I'm hopeful that she will continue to get better as time goes by. Thanks for stopping by.
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