So what happened to me? It has been over 3 months since my last post. (Sounds like I should be in confession! Forgive me Father, it has been 3 months since my last confession-lol! Except I’m not Catholic.)
Well…I haven’t posted anything in three months because the DAY I posted my last entry my mom was admitted to the hospital with severe abdominal pain. About 24 hours later she basically died, was revived and rushed to emergency surgery. She survived surgery, but spent the next four weeks unconscious and unstable, with her heart stopping multiple times. Eventually she became more stable and was able to be moved from the ICU to a facility that specializes in getting people off of the ventilator (breathing machine). She spent a total of 10 weeks in the hospital and was finally allowed to go home to continue her recovery the beginning of December.
That is a very short and sweet version of what was really an extremely stressful and trying time in my life. For several weeks we weren’t sure if mom was going to live or die. Then we weren’t sure if she was going to be “herself” or at what level her recovery was going to be. Another wrench in the situation was that mom lives about 6 hours away from me and I was traveling to see her almost every weekend. And I was still going to school. I really can’t even describe the emotional roller coaster I was on. All in all I feel like I handled it pretty well. I gained some weight, as usual for me in stressful times, but overall I feel like I managed. I coped. I dealt with it. I leaned on my friends, my husband, my brother and grandmother for support.
I just want to start out my 2011 posts by saying how truly blessed I am. Not only that I have a mom that I love and that I am lucky to still have with me, but also for the true friends and loved ones that stepped up to make sure that I KNEW they cared and were thinking about and praying for mom. The cards and letters, emails and text messages of support were so meaningful. I wish to extend my true thanks to those that have taken the time to let me know that they care. It has meant so much.
On more than one occasion mom has said she felt like God answered the prayers of all those praying for her. She is very thankful to be alive and has remarked several times about the outpouring of love she has felt.
So, that is what happened and where I went. As of today mom is doing quite well! She is up and walking around, and getting back to taking care of all her daily activities. She is still recovering and likely will be in recovery for several more months. 10 weeks of hospitalization can really take its toll on the body. But as of now she is doing very well and we are very thankful. One of the best things for me: just being able to talk to her. I missed that and thought I might never get to talk to her again. I’m lucky and appreciative of every conversation.
I’ll try to get back into the habit of posting more regularly now that things have settled a bit. I am back in school, taking several classes. I have gotten back on the healthy eating/exercise bandwagon and am seeing some progress and of course, I will be doing some cooking and before we know it I’ll be gardening and hiking and having more outdoor adventures. I’ll keep you posted!
Remember, tell the people you love that you love them. You never know when that opportunity will be taken from you.
