September 28, 2014

Sunday Driver

Stephen to the Rescue

September 28, 2014

One of the reasons I came to north Texas, was to give my sister a little break from the excellent care she has benn giving my Mom.  She is just amazing with the nursing staff, assorted doctors, pain specialists, radiologists, physical, occupationsal, and respritory therapists who have been trying to help Mom with the severe pain and limited mobility.  My sister's son was leaving early Sunday morning to fly across country to train for a new job.  One of her daughters was visiting with her husband and baby.  So Sunday morning I was to go to the hospital early to check on Mom and report back to them. 

The only time I had been to Mom's hospital was when I drove into town the afternoon before and then going to Janet's Saturday evening, she drove me over there.  So she asked if I could get to the hospital alone.  Sure!...Silly me!  I usually have a pretty good sense of direction and even if I don't know the streets, I know the general direction I am headed.  Just before I left the house, my brother-in-law told me which exit to take, etc.  He was totally corrrect in what he told me; the problem was, in my mind I thought it was much further away than it was, so I was not looking for the exit when I should have ussed it.

I continued along further and eventually arrived at a spot where I again interested the road he had told me to look for.  So I guess I was on the wrong end of it and after wondering just a few minutes, I knew I was lost.  So I stopped to ask for help.  I am not too proud to ask directions.  I went in a convenience store and asked the clerk.  She looked as lost as I was and said her boss could help.  She asked him, "Can you tell her how to get to Baylor Medical Center?"  He said, "From here."  The girl and I looked at each other and started laughing.  Duh...  "Yes, from here."

He gave clear, complete, correct directions to Baylor Medical Center... in Irving, not in Grapevine where I was headed.  Oh, my!  Now I was further away from my destination than ever!  This was early on an Sunday morning and so I kept looking for a place open that I thought might have someone capable of giving me directions to get me when I needed to go.  After considerable wandering, I found a donut shop and decided I could get either directions or donuts.  I asked a man in  line if he was from the area and he said he was.  He directed me to Baylor Medical Center... again in Irving. 

You are probably asking yourself why I didn't have a GPS.  I was in Mom's car which I later learned had her GPS in the back seat, but I have never really used one since I can't HEAR the directions and I find them very distracting.  I need glasses on when I drive, off to read the GPS.  My brother-in-law had mentioned that the turn I needed was right beside Sam's Club.  An hour after I had left their house my sister called to see how Mom was.  I told her I had gotten lost but was almost there, as I spotted Sam's Club... which turned out to be one in another town.  Finally I decided it was hopeless and I would have to call my sister - no answer.  So I called my son Stephen in Dallas and got him out of church.  He spent the next 45 minutes at least directing me to where I needed to be. 

It was a comedy of errors since he had to call up the map on his cell phone, but also talk to me on the same cell phone.  By the time he  would tell me my next turn, I would have just passed it.  It just got frustrating for both of us.  Factor into this how poorly I hear on the telephone and you may can imagine what it was like.  Twice I ended up headed into DFW Airport, once into a paid parking lot (made a U-turn and headed back), and once to the terminal (found an exit at the last minute).  I kept thinking a Policeman would stop me at some point and I could ask directions, but never find one when you need one.

Two hours after I left my sister's house for a 15 minute trip to the hospital, I arrived.  I never would have believed it!  Mom was just getting up.  The nurses, therapists, etc. were in and out all morning.  They always asked her to rate her pain on a scale of 1-10.  Much of the day her answer was 14.  It was a miserable day for her.  The pain was getting worse, not better. 

Before I arrived last week, Mom had a procedure to cement the fracture in the vertebrae.  The pain in that area deminished slightly, but she was hit with worse muscle spasms in her lower back and a spot in her right hip.  Pain specialists, radiologists, doctors, all tried to help but there was not really any relief.  If Mom would lie totally still in the bed, she was fine.  She doesn't want to do that for the rest of her life.  She wants to be up and about.  People from Physical Therapy would come, but the pain would be too much for here to even stand, much less walk.

In the late morning, My niece, her husband, and baby paid Mom a visit.  That cheered her up in many ways, but hurt in that she could not hold the baby.  She did manage to sing and play Itsy, Bitsy, Spider with her.

Their visit was a highlight in a bad day physically.

 

Sweet baby!

 

Later in the day, I left to go spend time with our son Stephen and his fiance who will be getting married in just about 5 1/2 weeks in this area.  We went to Dallas to see about a place for the rehearsal dinner.  I ate and we talked.  We were able to make a lot of decisions and taste a lot of food.  I bought some goodies to taste test.  It was a good time together but not nearly enough time.

 

 

I drove back from Dallas to the hospital and only took one wrong turn, again ending up at DFW Airport.  My sister, and I returned home about 10:00 and her pilot husband arrived a little later after a long day flying so we talked and updated him.