Mary9761, How's your back?

[Mr. Bloom]

Mary, what's the latest. My sciatica flared the other day and had me thinkin' of you?

[mary9761]

How thoughtful of you to ask Mr Silver. I am having good days and bad days yet, luckily not as excruciating as previous so I'm not taking AS much pain meds, but I am still waiting to get a referral to see the neurosurgeon. I know that on days I'm more active (ie having to go to appts, store, etc) I have more pain. I have taken out my cane again for when I need to do a LOT of walking and if I need to go out, I take at least the diazepam to try to head off the pain before it gets too bad.
I'm sorry to just be getting back to you. We have had quite the eventful and HELLISH end and beginning to the old and new year. Our CD Rom drive broke on the 30th so we had to replace it. We decided to go ahead and upgrade to a CD-RW drive so I could burn some of the photos off of our hard drive. We also decided to upgrade from Windows 98 to XP as all of our browsers and programs were crashing and we couldn't get any updates for Win98 anymore. In the process of upgrading to XP, we found out that our modem wasn't compatible with XP (nothing can be simple eh?) It was New Year's Eve by now and no time to get a new modem and have my father install it. Because of my leg and back problem, I was told about, but not invited to my son's New Year's Eve party, because he was concerned if I got uncomfortable there wouldn't be anyone sober enough to bring me home. We had a boring New Year's Eve NOT being able to get online and FIENDING for an internet fix. I had a night I couldn't sleep so it was nearly 4:30 before I could fall asleep.
I slept in on New Year's morning only to be awoken by a phone call I couldn't get to fast enough from my mother. My mom said that my 93 year old Grandmother had gotten up and was trying to get back into bed (they just recently got her moved into THEIR house just in time it appears) when she missed the bed and had fallen. Dad couldn't get her up and they rushed her to the hospital. Well of course I panicked and tried to get ahold of my son, sister etc at my son's apartment to tell them and NO ONE answered the phone. I tried to hit redial and got my sister whom my husband had called. I couldn't reach my mom, then finally looked up the number for the hospital and got put through to my Grandmother's room. They were going to keep her over night but they couldn't see any significant injuries.
Mom and Dad needed to stay at the hospital with Grandmother so we didn't have the opportunity to put the modem in. Grandma came home and since my Mom was already watching my Grandsons because I'm unable to yet, Dad obviously needed to stay home to help. Grandma continued to complain of pain and arrangements were finally made to have a physical therapist come to show Mom and Dad how to help Grandma do exercises to help her move her left leg (she'd complained of not being able to move it right while at the hospital BEFORE being sent home). The day following the visit from the therapist, Dad located a therapy belt like had been used the day before. As that day continued, Grandmother BEGGED for pain medication, she's never asked for more than an ibuprophen before and she wailed in pain. They contacted her doctor and said they were taking her BACK to the hospital, but it WOULDN'T be where she had gone before. This was Friday by now and nerves were raw and they called the ambulance again to take her to a DIFFERENT hospital. The doctors in the ER ran a CT scan and found a hairline fracture in her hip.
She finally had surgery on Saturday and when they gave her the morphine, she went balistic on them all. She was hallucinating (she has macular degeneration so she's mostly blind) and it broke my heart to hear they had to put her in a vest and tie her to the bed just to get her to surgery. She made it through surgery with very little blood loss and in remarkable (PHYSICAL) shape for someone who turned 94 on Sunday. My sister and I went to visit while Mom and Dad took a break and he came over and installed our new modem. We're still having software issues, but trying to work through it. Can't find my original Norton installation disc from a hundred years ago and evidently it's not recognizing that I just upgraded last year to 98 since we now have XP too. It was rough seeing Grandmother in the shape she was Sunday when we went to see her and wish her a happy birthday. She was still in restraints as she was still also hallucinating (seeing her deceased family members etc) and we just basically agreed with her for the most part, but it was heart breaking every time we had to tell her we couldn't take the restraints off. We told her we were more afraid of her doctor than of her and tried to laugh, but it was just heartbreaking. Dad says she is doing better today and they have been getting her out of the bed a bit more, but she will need to be going into an extended care facility (read nursing home) for a short time after she's released since she will need near constant medical care that Mom and Dad won't be able to give her. It has been a long and Hellish week and I'm just glad to be able to get back online and have some sort of lifeline to the outside world, and something to keep my mind occupied on more than just constant worry over Grandmother.
Thank you again for asking about me. It means a LOT to know that I was missed and I missed everyone while I was unable to get online.
Mary

[Bad JuJu]

Mary! So good to finally hear from you--we've all been wondering where you were (note the "Anybody know where Mary9761 is" thread.) All I can say about your recent difficult family and computer problems is...holy mackerel, you poor thing! I know how it can be taking care of ailing, aging parents, and it sounds like you guys are doing everything you can and handling it together, which is the best way you can handle it. You're fortunate to have your family all around you--that helps. And it sounds like things are on the upswing for you and your family.

But I'm sorry your back is still giving you trouble and you haven't been able to bicycle for such a long while. I've been having a surge in back pain as well, though it's nothing like what yours sounds like. Here's hoping for better things in the new year! Glad you're back online and with us!

[colby]

Wow Mary, for someone in as much pain as you are, you've sure been busy!!

Take care of yourself. Sounds like you've got a full plate as it is.

[pooks]

Mary, I'm so very sorry for your grandmother and your famiy. We're dealing with issues with a 92-year-old family member, and it's so difficult for the very-elderly and for those who love them when they have these difficulties.

But don't forget to take care of yourself.

[LBTC]

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Mary}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

As Pooks says, don't forget to take care of yourself. You don't have to wear the cape 24/7, but I know your grandmother and family appreciate it.

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[RoadRaven]

Hey there Mary, good to see you back here too, there are messages at BJ for you too.
Hugs

[mary9761]

Thanks Everyone.
I'm kind of behind on updates here, Grandma had been moved to an Extend Care Facility (Read Nursing Home) She wasn't getting her meals fed to her or at least getting helped with them and in just the first couple days there were major problems. Dad had a meeting with the home today and the issue of her meals was addressed as well as discussion on how she's doing. Physically she's healing, mentally, my grandmother, who on christmas was about as healthy as a 93 year old woman could be with some short term memory problems, is on a completely different plain of existance now. I don't know if she's had a stroke along with the surgery or if the morphine/meds from surgery did something and she can't come back, but she's in a totally different place now. When my sister and I were at the hospital Sunday for her 94th birthday, she was seeing/talking to her mother, brothers and the room was full of people she was concerned on taking care of. I believe that her family was there and in the altered plain she is now on, that she indeed was seeing them. If they brought her comfort, I wasn't going to tell her she wasn't. She kept talking about people coming and going in the room and want to be sure everyone had a seat etc, the very fact that she was on the ICU ward of the hospital, it would not have surprised me that she was indeed seeing the wandering souls on the way to visit their loved ones or on their way to cross over. We told her everyone was being taken well care of that she didn't need to worry about it. She has slipped into some sort to dementia though that wasn't there previously and now she's hallucinating many things.
When I got hurt 19 years ago, I went through a period of why??? It took a long time to figure out why I was no longer able to work and had to go through physical therapy and vocational rehabilitation. If I'd not been injured, I wouldn't have met my husband (Kapt_karkus) as we both met at the rehabilitation location as clients. One of our instructors as it turned out was/is an ordained minister and was able to perform our marriage ceremony. If I'd not been injured and unable to return to work, I wouldn't have been around to take my sisters to prenatal appointments etc, to have been able to pick neices and nephews up from school when needed....
I'm trying to find a silver lining if there is one to the fact that I had to quit watching my grandsons due to this back injury at this precise time. It has been quite the burden on my mother who's health isn't the best to have just recently have finally gotten my grandmother moved into their home from living alone and then have to suddenly watch one and three year old greatgrandsons on top of that. All I can think of right now is to be able to know that even if they or she doesn't/can't remember the interaction that they have been able to have over the last month, she got to spend time with her only GreatGreatGrandchildren. Mom says that my youngest, Steven would climb up in her lap and cuddle and even though she couldn't really see him or remember all of the words to the songs she tried to sing and rock him to, she got that time with him. Tomas being older, wasn't as much into the same amount of cuddle time, but he would run up to her in her chair and give her big hugs and kisses. When the ambulance came to take her to the hospital for the second time, the boys were there. Steven just wanted to go with the ambulance crew and help, to see what they were doing. Tomas watched and looked at the ambulance outside as we'd talked to firemen/crews sometimes on our walks through a local retirement apartment complex. Mom said as they were loading my grandmother onto the gurney, "GreatGreatGrandma is crying Grandma" They had to tell him that the ambulance was taking her to the hospital to make her better. Even if they never get to see her again, they got this short time as did she.
I know at 94, my Grandmother's days were surely limited and we needed to cherish every chance we got to see her, but until her injury, I really think she had a good amount of time left. They were amazed at how strong her heart and other organs were, while they tested before her surgery. I'm afraid now that those days are now shorter in number and even though it's a bit selfish, I'd hoped to have her around a bit longer. Now though she may or may not have Quantity of life, her Quality of life has been diminished greatly.
I still don't know when I'll see a neurosurgeon to take care of my back/leg issue, but Mark has to have more tests done next week due to a rapid and large amount of weight loss. Blood work is ok so far, but more tests need to be done and hopefully a podiatrist or someone will find him some relief for his constant foot pain from nerve damage over 20 years ago that has flared to nearly unbearable pain for him again.
Hug someone you love, be sure to let them know how you feel about them, you never know what might happen and you might not be able to tell them.

[Mr. Bloom]

I'm trying to find a silver lining...

Mary, also remember that when we really take stock, our blessings exceed our challenges 100 to 1. That doesn't mean that the challenges aren't challenging...but we are incredibly fortunate even on our bad days...

PS: Silver enjoyed meeting you at the Hilly Hundred and describes you as every bit as vivacious and energetic as your posts imply...she liked the spider on your helmet (and she has arachnophobia! ).

PSS: My sciatica has hit a new pinnacle of pain...so I'm in there with you. When you're on errands, try to not carry things on your shoulders and if you're carrying packages, try to balance the weight over both arms. I'm on the way to the chiropractor in a minute.

[mary9761]

I have had a bad day with the sciatica today as well, I think possibly the weather has something to do with it, but I also had to carry some things over the last couple days and it was in a bag over my left shoulder. Good luck with your appointment today.
I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Silver at the Hilly as well, I'm so glad that she has recovered from her injuries. She may have done ok with the spider on the helmet because it was pretty comical for me to have a funny looking halloween spider strapped to a light on my helmet that in itself makes me look like a miner
I really need to get back to life as soon as I can and especially back to getting the exercise I so badly need as well. Give Silver a big but still gentle for those ribs hug for me, and here's one for you as well.. ((((((Mr. Silver))))))

[mary9761]

I need to ask for continued prayers for my family. My husband's oldest brother has been fighting an unknown infection for some time now and has been told that sometime tomorrow he will need to have his right leg amputated 6 inches below the knee. He's been in and out of the hospital for the last several months with this infection. He's already had his left great toe amputated months ago and just about the same time my back went out on me he was readmitted with this infection having had settled in his back. They had to drain it and do surgeries just before Christmas. While he was being treated for the infection in his back it reoccured in his elbow. They have no idea what kind of infection this is except that it is quite virulent and resisting the antibiotics they've given him so far.
We are still waiting for test results back from Mark's (Kapt_Karkus) most recent tests that have been done and it's been recommended that he has a CAT scan since the procedure didn't find what the doctor thought that he'd found in an exam, but they are testing a polyp that was removed. Mark has had a severe weight loss in the last year (without trying) and they are trying to find out why.
While trying to resolve a medicine refill situation today, I asked AGAIN about my referral to neurosurgery for my back since Mark and I had been seen the same day and his referrals have already been taken care of and I've heard nothing. I was told that Neurology wouldn't make an appointment without a current MRI and the last MRI that they had on file was 1991. The nurse said that I had an MRI appointment for at the hospital on 1 Feb. I told her not only had I NOT received that appointment card, that I'd already HAD an MRI in December and that my Dr had given me a copy of the MRI report so I don't have any idea why they wouldn't have the information to have set the referral up. I'm back at square one waiting for my referral and hoping the only reason that I'm having more sciatic pain again ia that I've been more active than I'd been lately. I've unfortunately been overdoing carrying as I've gone to the grocery (walked) as my dad has had so much to do with my Grandmother. I'm paying for it and praying that I'm not noticing symptoms beginning in my left leg as well. I am more uncomfortable and have had to increase my meds again which I'm not happy about. I've had to be out back and forth to the hospital pharmacy the past couple days so that's not helped.
Grandma is doing somewhat better at the nursing home, but doesn't remember the surgery and cannot understand why she can't come home or why she's at the nursing home. Periodically, she has some lucid moments that are more to her state before surgery. Thankfully most of the hallucination type stories etc have stopped. I'm hoping when things calm down a bit more within the households that dad can take me to see her sometime next week or so.
If you would be so inclined to say a prayer, send positive energy, vibes etc I will appreciate them regardless to faith, denomination etc. Positive is positive whomever it comes from in my book. My mother-in-law and mother are neither in the best of health either from the added stress of all the health problems etc, so if you could/would just take a moment and send a good thought this direction. We're praying that all my BIL losses is part of his leg.
Thanks,
Mary

[Trekhawk]

Mary sorry your family is going through such a rough time. I will be sending healing positive vibes your way for you and your family and a gigantic hug.

[crazycanuck]

Mary,

Good thoughts & sushine being sent your way from down under.

Take care of yourself ok. I enjoy your biking stories & hope to keep up with you during your summer!!

c

[bouncybouncy]

Wow...your whole family is going thru quite a time! sending some positive energy for you and your loved ones!!!

[mtbdarby]

Mary, you and your family are in my prayers - you've had quite a lot to deal with lately! Please take care of yourselves, and keep us posted on how everyone is doing. ((Hugs))