Photo by AlannahOn Tuesday night, I called the after hours doctor out for Ma. She had been sick for over a week, 10 days she thought, and I suspected we were looking at a chest infection at least, maybe pneumonia. The doctor agreed.
Ma worsened overnight. While we played cards and Guess Who, she napped in a chair in the sun on Wednesday morning until the earliest appointment I'd been able to arrange at the local medical practice.
By the time we saw the local GP, her blood pressure was 70/40 and she wasn't registering as receiving oxygen. A blood pressure under 100 alone books you a ride to hospital. He put her on oxygen immediately while we waited for the ambulance.
After five hours on oxygen, saline drip and antibiotic drip in Emergency, she looked better albeit not good. She was transferred to the acute assessment unit for the evening. The chest x-ray and blood tests indicated strep pneumonia to be the most likely diagnosis.
Alannah and I visited on Thursday morning and evening. The tubes were confronting for her initially, but she warmed up.
It's hard for a two year old to wrap her head around. Where's Ma? Why is she is hospital? Why is she sick? Why does she have pneumonia? Does Ma live at the hospital? I have answered the same questions a dozen times.
By Friday morning, Alannah had had several meltdowns. Darren and I suggested to her she make Ma a card. She was quite intent on the task, kindy told me. They did a wonderful job helping her with it. Alannah and Darren delivered it to Ma on Friday night, not long before she was transferred to the ward.
This is Ma this morning, Sunday. At this stage, we expect her home sometime this week, although it may not be until later in the week. Some of her tests are better; some aren't.
THIS is one of the reasons why we live in a three generation house. But this alone is enough to confirm, for me at least, that we made the right decision. How easily I might have missed what was going on had we not all been under one roof.
UPDATE: Ma was discharged on the evening of Wednesday 26 June after a week in hospital.
3 comments:
Thank you for this, my darling daughter. I did not know a lot of that. I feel blessed tobe in a three generation house.
That pneumonia is a real bugger, isn't it?
I love your three generation house - I am very jealous.
I reckon the benefits far outweigh the negatives.
Hope Julie gets better real soon.
Thanks for looking after my friend.
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