Dearly Beloved planned to be here yesterday evening. Alas, plans often go awry! His fiesty, determined mother (age 89) was suddenly unable to stand up or keep her balance Friday evening at around midnight. Ambulance was called. Mother was lugged off to the hospital. After many hours, CT scans, blood work, etc., hospital said, "Good news! It wasn't a stroke. We think it is an inner ear thing, and we will give her some medicine. You can take her home now!" DB replied, "Great! Let's see her get up and walk with just my help." A walker was brought in. Mother fell out of the bed that she thinks is leaning at a 90 degree angle, and was caught by hospital staff. Three people helping could not help her walk. She stayed in the hospital overnight, and was transferred to a rehab yesterday. At the rehab, they discover that she cannot swallow. ANYTHING. This is new; this lady eats like a lumberjack, as long as you make it for her. So Mother has been shipped back to the hospital for a Modified Barium Swallow, where a speech-language pathologist and radiologist ask you to swallow barium-laced foods and liquids of different consistencies, while taking an X-ray/video to see what you can safely eat. My speech-language pathology brain is in high gear now - if she did not have a stroke, why the sudden inability to swallow? I will patiently wait for the results, and then ask all my questions.
Poor Dearly Beloved - he is exhausted. I hope to see him soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment