Jen928
Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: falls church, va
Posts: 113
hi guys! well, i'm back home. spent the morning on friday driving down to NC. Friday afternoon in the hospital with her. Saturday morning and evening in the hospital and sunday afternoon with her.
My boyfriend and I spent friday evening cleaning up the mess that had been left in the house (ie-her bathroom {which was the most disgusting thing i have ever seen}, the kitty litter, trash, throwing away all the alcohol in the house, etc).
Friday afternoon, the doctor waited for us to get there as he wanted to sit down with both my mom and myself to have a long chat. He was very open and very frank with us and with her. He point blank told her, another drop, even just one drop, of alcohol and she had a 20% chance of seeing 57 (she turns 56 in June). He explained in detail what cirrhosis does and just how badly her liver is functioning at this point. He was an amazing doctor with his bedside manor and I plan on writing him a thank you letter. He told her about his time spent at a clinic in the inner city and the cirrhotic patients he met there. I think his complete and honest talk really put some serious thoughts into my mom's head.
On friday, she still seemed removed from the world, like she did while she was drinking. I was very sad when I left the hospital on friday.....on saturday, it was different. You could see a light in her eyes. She was alive. She was alert and she was talking to me. We talked about not drinking and going to AA. We talked about life and the world. We actually had a conversation. Saturday, I felt much more optimistic. Sunday was the same. She seemed a little better and we actually got her up and using her walker. We took a walk down to see the babies in the nursery. She smiled. She stopped to look at all the paintings on the wall and even said....when I get my strength back, I'm going to start painting again and my first painting I'm going to give to this hospital (as a token of her appreciation of getting her back on her feet and sober).
As of today, she is home. She made a remarkable recovery. Although it's going to be a long haul. She is still incontinent and probably will be reliant on depends for the rest of her life. She is currently able to walk a little bit.....to give you an idea, she looks like an 80 year old (a very slow shuffle)....but she's walking with of course the help of a walker. She can't go up and down stairs or take long walks (has to pause in the hallway on the way to her room). Her heart rate is still rapid but nothing that concerns the doc. "Her varicies in her throat are stable and relatively small for someone that drank as much as she did"-from the doc. The blood clot in her lung is gone, thanks to the blood thinner. She is on "water pills" or diuretics for the fluid, which she will be on for the rest of her life. She has a nurse coming everyday. A physical therapist coming everyday and a woman from a group called Visiting Angels. She will be doing the cooking, cleaning, errand running and taking mom to AA meetings. Today was her first day home and the woman from visiting angels was there to wake her up this morning, make her breakfast and this afternoon she plans on teaching my mom how to make a couple of different fresh fruit NON-alcoholic drinks to supplement all the time she spent with a wine glass in her hand. "She's going to teach me how not to spend all my time drinking alcohol and how to make and drink things that will taste good and be good for me"-my mom's exact words. She was looking forward to that.
She is on a very low sodium diet and has to be careful with the amount of protein she intakes, as her liver is not processing any proteins or creating protein. We weren't given two years or six months. No one has mentioned anything like that....except in regards to her drinking again....so I'm hoping for the best.
I will give you guys an update as they come. We will be going back down there this weekend.
My boyfriend and I spent friday evening cleaning up the mess that had been left in the house (ie-her bathroom {which was the most disgusting thing i have ever seen}, the kitty litter, trash, throwing away all the alcohol in the house, etc).
Friday afternoon, the doctor waited for us to get there as he wanted to sit down with both my mom and myself to have a long chat. He was very open and very frank with us and with her. He point blank told her, another drop, even just one drop, of alcohol and she had a 20% chance of seeing 57 (she turns 56 in June). He explained in detail what cirrhosis does and just how badly her liver is functioning at this point. He was an amazing doctor with his bedside manor and I plan on writing him a thank you letter. He told her about his time spent at a clinic in the inner city and the cirrhotic patients he met there. I think his complete and honest talk really put some serious thoughts into my mom's head.
On friday, she still seemed removed from the world, like she did while she was drinking. I was very sad when I left the hospital on friday.....on saturday, it was different. You could see a light in her eyes. She was alive. She was alert and she was talking to me. We talked about not drinking and going to AA. We talked about life and the world. We actually had a conversation. Saturday, I felt much more optimistic. Sunday was the same. She seemed a little better and we actually got her up and using her walker. We took a walk down to see the babies in the nursery. She smiled. She stopped to look at all the paintings on the wall and even said....when I get my strength back, I'm going to start painting again and my first painting I'm going to give to this hospital (as a token of her appreciation of getting her back on her feet and sober).
As of today, she is home. She made a remarkable recovery. Although it's going to be a long haul. She is still incontinent and probably will be reliant on depends for the rest of her life. She is currently able to walk a little bit.....to give you an idea, she looks like an 80 year old (a very slow shuffle)....but she's walking with of course the help of a walker. She can't go up and down stairs or take long walks (has to pause in the hallway on the way to her room). Her heart rate is still rapid but nothing that concerns the doc. "Her varicies in her throat are stable and relatively small for someone that drank as much as she did"-from the doc. The blood clot in her lung is gone, thanks to the blood thinner. She is on "water pills" or diuretics for the fluid, which she will be on for the rest of her life. She has a nurse coming everyday. A physical therapist coming everyday and a woman from a group called Visiting Angels. She will be doing the cooking, cleaning, errand running and taking mom to AA meetings. Today was her first day home and the woman from visiting angels was there to wake her up this morning, make her breakfast and this afternoon she plans on teaching my mom how to make a couple of different fresh fruit NON-alcoholic drinks to supplement all the time she spent with a wine glass in her hand. "She's going to teach me how not to spend all my time drinking alcohol and how to make and drink things that will taste good and be good for me"-my mom's exact words. She was looking forward to that.
She is on a very low sodium diet and has to be careful with the amount of protein she intakes, as her liver is not processing any proteins or creating protein. We weren't given two years or six months. No one has mentioned anything like that....except in regards to her drinking again....so I'm hoping for the best.
I will give you guys an update as they come. We will be going back down there this weekend.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: falls church, va
Posts: 113
I was reading the post about Miracle and her passing. She passed the day my mom woke up. The day the light began to shine in my mom's eyes again was the day Miracle made her way home.
The posts made me cry even though I never had any direct contact with Miracle (Trish). I feel as though I know her well, after rereading alot of her older posts. I hope and pray that with her passing she is looking down and helping to guide my mom through her recovery.....
I pray for all of her friends and everyone on here that knew her. It's a hard battle addiction but I know that she found her best friend that had recently passed and is finally at peace. I hope that even though she didn't know my mom....she is helping to guide her through her recovery....helping my mom not to make the same mistakes she did. I think that maybe the light in my eyes...maybe the awakening of my mom had something to do with Miracle....even though they never met.
The posts made me cry even though I never had any direct contact with Miracle (Trish). I feel as though I know her well, after rereading alot of her older posts. I hope and pray that with her passing she is looking down and helping to guide my mom through her recovery.....
I pray for all of her friends and everyone on here that knew her. It's a hard battle addiction but I know that she found her best friend that had recently passed and is finally at peace. I hope that even though she didn't know my mom....she is helping to guide her through her recovery....helping my mom not to make the same mistakes she did. I think that maybe the light in my eyes...maybe the awakening of my mom had something to do with Miracle....even though they never met.
Last edited by jen928; 04-04-2006 at 11:28 AM. Reason: missing a word
Its_me_jen
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Salina, Ks
Posts: 8,547
Jen,
I'm sending good thoughts your way. You story with your mother sounds, literally, like the exact thing I went through with mine. They are even the same age. I know how hard this has to be for you. Your emotions are going to be up and down and all over the place. Remember to take care of yourself as well.
Love
~doll
I'm sending good thoughts your way. You story with your mother sounds, literally, like the exact thing I went through with mine. They are even the same age. I know how hard this has to be for you. Your emotions are going to be up and down and all over the place. Remember to take care of yourself as well.
Love
~doll
Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,358
Anything is possible Jen!
I'm glad to hear that your Mom has professional health care aides helping her at home. And I would love to see a picture of that painting your Mom talked about doing!
And YOU my dear sound so much better! Still, be gentle with yourself. You've been through so much.
Will say an extra prayer for your Mom, and for you tonight!
I'm glad to hear that your Mom has professional health care aides helping her at home. And I would love to see a picture of that painting your Mom talked about doing!
And YOU my dear sound so much better! Still, be gentle with yourself. You've been through so much.
Will say an extra prayer for your Mom, and for you tonight!
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